Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 240, Page 239: The Window to the Soul
Prince Qian hesitated for a moment: "Mother, the messenger that the Queen ordered me to make is finished."

"But...should I present it to the New Year's ceremony to please my father, or should I give it to the Queen first?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Madam Zheng's spirited face.

Wang Ziqian was also conflicted.

A moment later, Madam Zheng frowned and said, "Qian'er, this is such a difficult question, shouldn't we ask your elder sister to help?"

The maid beside him didn't even raise an eyebrow, clearly remaining very calm.

But Prince Qian hesitated and asked, "Sister, can you really do it?"

Lady Zheng struggled again: "Although your elder sister... she memorizes very quickly! Faster than all of us, she should be more like the King."

The mother and son looked at each other, and neither of them gave the order.

A moment later, Prince Qian blinked, and a look of intelligent decisiveness suddenly appeared on his handsome face:

"I'd better go ask the Queen!"

He turned to leave, but Lady Zheng's usually unmoved maid finally became anxious: "Prince! Why don't you send someone to Ganquan Palace to inform them first? The day after tomorrow is the day of the court audience, and the Queen is probably busy with that too."

Prince Qian didn't even turn his head: "No need! I can inform them after I go to Ganquan Palace!"

He strode away, leaving Madam Zheng feeling both gratified and bittersweet:

"Ah, it seems the Queen likes Qian'er very much; she doesn't even need to be informed..."

The maid's face stiffened: "That's because you, Madam, have never taught the prince such a principle. He has never informed the Queen in advance before going to her."

Madam Zheng: ...

There was silence in the hall.

Then Madam Zheng said aggrievedly, "In the past, in the inner palace, Madam Chu and I held high positions, but Qian'er never went to her. Who was I supposed to report to?"

Now suddenly there is a queen...

She sadly lit incense and said, "It's not my fault... I... I also obeyed the Queen's orders and took on the duties of the [Sacrifice Order], praying every day!"

She went to pray again, hoping that Qian'er would have a flash of inspiration and not anger the King and Queen.

Hmm... I'll also say goodbye to Wen'er, hoping she'll be even better at memorizing!
……

Princess Wen is currently sulking.

To be precise, she hasn't been happy at all during this period.

With the new queen's investiture, everyone in the palace was appointed, even the previously insignificant chief and junior secretaries were promoted and given new tasks.

Although she didn't understand, she knew it must be useful to the Queen.

Prince Chenghu heard that the only thing to do now is to follow the doctor's orders to strengthen his body, but he is weak and it is only natural that he is not included.

Even someone as dull-witted as Prince Qian has been assigned important tasks, so why is it that he himself hasn't?
Now, a palace servant reported that Prince Qian was carrying something and hurriedly heading towards Ganquan Palace, which made him even more depressed.

"Someone, go and ask if Ganquan Palace is convenient today? I also want to pay my respects to the Queen!"

The maidservant served him attentively from one side.

Upon hearing the princess's indignant words, he went to pay his respects, as if he were going to question her.

He couldn't help but cautiously say:

“The prince has nothing to hide from the princess. Now that the two siblings are going together, it coincides with the upcoming court audience, and the entire Ganquan Palace must be very busy… Princess, why don’t you wait a moment and ask the prince first?”

Princess Wen paused for a moment, then finally quieted down.

……

Meanwhile, at Ganquan Palace, Prince Qian, who was anxiously awaiting the eunuch's report, couldn't help but pace back and forth, asking the attendant beside him:

"How should I ask her later?"

The attendant hesitated, trying to decide: "Actually, since this was arranged by the Queen, then naturally—"

"Prince!" A eunuch came forward to report, "The Queen has ordered the prince to proceed immediately."

Prince Qian was overjoyed: "Mother is being far too cautious. I knew the Queen didn't like such formalities!"

He hurriedly stepped into the palace, beaming with pride: "Your Majesty! That simple signal device, I, your son, have completed it!" Ganquan Palace was indeed bustling with activity. Qin Shi glanced at him with a smile, not forgetting to stamp the silk scroll in her hand with her seal. After Chi Nu hurriedly left, she took the small bronze mirror handed over by Wu Zi.

Indoors, this bronze mirror, apart from being a bit brighter, is even less impressive than a polished dressing mirror, so its effect is not noticeable.

But she wasn't in a hurry, because Mo had already reported that the item was complete.

Compared to later communication methods, this device is somewhat of a gimmick, with many limitations in its use. However, it is still useful for short-distance communication today.

Ultimately, they just wanted to see if Wang Ziqian was any good at his job.

"Not bad," she praised. "I thought you wouldn't be able to finish before the new year, but I didn't expect you to make it in time."

Prince Qian quickly explained, "It was completed a few days ago, but we came up with several sets of messages, all of which were too difficult to remember. I thought they were not suitable for use in the army... that's why it was delayed."

Just as war drums have their commands and military flags have their signals, it's normal for this communication mirror to have its own signal analysis capabilities.

but.

"So, have you perfected your idea yet?"

Prince Qian: "..."

He paused, then said, "I haven't been to the army yet. Setting it up rashly would be impractical. Therefore, it's best to leave it to the army..."

Although this wasn't the real reason, Qin Shi was somewhat satisfied that he could come up with this explanation: "That's right, everyone has their own expertise, and laymen can't guide experts—Prince Qian already has some talent as a general."

Prince Qian was overjoyed: "I really do have such talent!"

He then asked earnestly, "Your Majesty, should I ask you to put in a good word for me now, or should I wait until the New Year's ceremony to present it to my father? What if my father is in a good mood and appoints me as a general?"

The expressions of the people in the hall suddenly became complicated again.

Wu Zidu put down his pen and ink, glanced at him, and hesitated to speak.

Qin Shi couldn't help but laugh for a moment.

The president assigned a task to the project manager, who then planned to go to the chairman's office to claim credit after completing it.

If this were a subject, she would have to curse him in her heart as stupid as a pig.

But this is Prince Qian; that's always been his way of thinking.

In this vast Xianyang Palace, under Ji Heng's suppression, it was quite a remarkable feature.

Therefore, he countered with, "Did you invent this communication mirror?"

"And why have you come to report to me?"

"Once you understand these two questions, you'll be able to make a decision."

Prince Qian was momentarily bewildered: "It wasn't my invention. The Queen's drawings and instructions were already extremely detailed."

He finally grasped a bit of the logic behind doing things. Just as Qin Shi was about to tell him to step down, Prince Qian suddenly realized:
"The reason I've come to see the Queen is because I don't know what to do!" His long eyes, similar to Ji Heng's, were filled with sincerity.
"What should I do, my son?"

Qin Shi put down the silk scroll in his hand and remained silent for a moment.

Wu Zi exhaled slowly, gaining a clearer understanding of this prince whom she was not very familiar with before.

After a long silence, Qin Shi slowly said, "Leave it to me, and I will present it to the King in the New Year."

Otherwise, she really wouldn't dare to think about it.

It wouldn't be good if it dampened Wang Ziqian's enthusiasm for work.

However, the other party was not without merits. At this moment, he was still concerned about Princess Wen, so he asked, "Your Majesty, my elder sister is smarter than me in her studies. Why doesn't Your Majesty have her work with you?"

Qin Shi completely put down what he was doing and looked at him seriously.

During his rapidly growing teenage years, as a prince, he naturally had no shortage of protein and vegetables.

Therefore, although he was only 12 years old (he was about to turn thirteen), he was already tall and handsome, with striking features and a hint of Ji Heng's charm.

It would be even better if those eyes weren't called the windows to the soul, or if they weren't associated with the brain.

When he asked this question, Qin Shi replied:
"I have arranged for people to handle the affairs of the palace myself. You came to me to ask for your job. Princess Wen, are you asking me for your request, or are you asking Heaven?"

Here it comes! The first day of September, digging furiously.