Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 264, Section 263: Ancient Qiang Dwarf Horse
Ji Heng led his soldiers on a hunt in the forest, and their catch included not only two deer, but also several foxes and rabbits.

As for large wild beasts—unless it is a special occasion that requires the king to display his majesty, is it because you think the nine generations of your family have too long a life to drive them to the king?

The son of a rich man cannot sit down in the hall.

While we may not need to heavily guard the king like we would protect civil officials, we still need to confirm that there are no other threats.

The palace chefs in the corridor are busy at work. Zhu Kui, the chief cook trained by Qin Shi, is leading the chefs Jiu Mai, Huo, and others who came with him.

They've made soup noodles, fermented steamed buns and dumplings, baked egg dumplings, whipped cream... Now their ideas have broadened considerably!
The process involves killing the deer, bleeding it, stuffing it into intestines, marinating the deer meat, and then soaking it in plum wine...

In short, it is imperative to serve the King and Queen perfectly!
Looking at the busy palace servants in the corridor, and seeing their brightly colored clothes, Qin Shi couldn't help but feel cheerful:
The aesthetics of the Qin state were truly unique.

Although the King favored dark and red hues in the Xianyang Palace, making it a place where black and red were more common, the palace maids often wore brightly colored belts to adorn themselves.

The ladies have worn all sorts of colors, including Qin Shi herself. She looks good in black and red, and she also looks good in orange, yellow, green, and purple.

However, once separated from Xianyang Palace, the palace servants of Jianzhang Palace did not have such uniform attire, and thus their aesthetics became closer to those of the general public today.

This includes the guards of Jianzhang Palace who surround the palace.

Because most of the Qin Dynasty did not issue uniforms, the guards' clothes were mostly made at home.

They must be presenting their best selves to the king, for their clothes are now brand new and brightly colored. Looking at them standing amidst the mountains and forests, I was momentarily reminded of images of the Terracotta Army restored to their original colors a thousand years later.

How beautiful!
According to current popular aesthetics, people especially love contrasting colors.

Red, blue, green, and purple are particularly popular in tops, bottoms, cuffs, and collars, with bright colors and strong contrasts, and each person's combination is slightly different.

This style is completely different from the dignified and composed atmosphere of Xianyang Palace. Compared to the heavily armed guards standing guard nearby, it doesn't seem laughable; on the contrary, it appears all the more vibrant.

In the autumn and winter, as the mountains and forests gradually wither and fall, the soldiers dot the landscape, while the palace women are like spring flowers, creating a particularly splendid scene.

However, if you look further down the social ladder, you'll see that most people wear gray and white clothes. This is because such carefully dyed fabrics require meticulous daily washing and care, which ordinary people simply don't have the energy to maintain.

Qin Shi looked carefully at everything before him, thinking to himself that next time he came, he would need to ask an artist to carefully depict it.

Ji Heng had just washed and changed his clothes. Now, he came out and stood beside the Queen, casually asking, "Why is Your Majesty so happy?"

Qin Shi came to her senses and smiled, "It is because my husband has achieved great success in hunting that he is capable of supporting the family and bringing me joy."

Leaving Xianyang Palace, everyone was more relaxed than before, and Ji Heng couldn't help but chuckle:

"It's just two deer."

For him, drawing a bow on horseback was an easy task, and he never expected the queen to praise him so highly.

But it must be said that this also filled his chest with layers of satisfaction, like ripples on water.

Although not intense, it lingers for a long time and has a long-lasting effect.

Therefore, he added, "Doesn't the Queen want to practice riding and archery? If she succeeds, I might be able to use the game that the Queen presents to me."

Qin Shi: ...

Your Majesty really dares to dream big!
This isn't a question of confidence or lack thereof; it's about someone who hasn't been trained and can't even hold a bow steadily, let alone hunt.

Most skilled archers in the army are strong-armed and incredibly powerful; otherwise, how could they have such a strong core to maintain balance and keep the bow and arrow stable?

Even Ji Heng, when he exerted force in his arms, could feel layers of bulging muscles. It's just that he wasn't as skilled in archery and horsemanship as those in the army, so it wasn't as exaggerated.

However, this reminded her of something, so she asked curiously, "Is the steed I'm going to practice on as magnificent as the Hequ horse that Your Majesty rides?"

The horse was very tall. Just by looking at Ji Heng, who was over 1.9 meters tall, sitting on it, one could tell that someone like her would probably look like she was carrying an inconspicuous cabbage.

If that's the case, Qin Shi will need to prepare thick protective clothing for his hands, feet, chest, and back.

Ji Heng burst out laughing:

The queen was not tall, and he could easily hold her in his arms. If she were to practice on such a fine horse from the river bend, she would be easily thrown off and unable to withstand the fall.

Therefore, he smiled and shook his head: "It is an ancient Qiang horse."

This type of horse was later known as the Ningqiang dwarf horse or the Debao dwarf horse. It was only a little over 1 meter tall and its domestication mother was the fruit-bearing horse that was widely domesticated during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

If one had studied horse etiquette in detail during the Qin Dynasty, one would know that Pei Songzhi in the Records of the Three Kingdoms said: "The 'Guoxia Horse' is three feet tall, and riding it allows one to walk under fruit trees, hence the name 'Guoxia' (meaning 'under fruit trees')."

These horses have been domesticated to this day, though they have become increasingly rare. They are hardworking, tireless, strong, and especially adept at navigating landslides.

The Baiyue people in the south especially love this horse, which has great endurance and can carry a weight of 160 jin (80 kg).

However, even for Qin Shi, it was indeed rather short, being less than 3 feet tall.

Therefore, Ji Heng chose an ancient Qiang horse for it, whose mother was a Guoxia horse.

They are small in size and gentle in nature, and were often used in the conquest of the six states, making them very suitable for women to ride and shoot.

After listening to his detailed description, Qin Shi recalled seeing the dashing Yan Commandant riding a tall horse earlier, and he smiled as well.

However, while riding such a pony may not be the most stylish, it offers a high level of safety, and even if you fall off, it won't matter.

Therefore, she was very happy and subconsciously said, "Your Majesty is so considerate and thoughtful; you are indeed a good teacher." Ji Heng, probably imagining the Queen riding that ancient Qiang horse, immediately burst into laughter:

"I am not a good teacher; General Yan is."

General Yan cherished his men and his horses even more. When he was training himself, he would have him run every day, practice horse stance, and strengthen his waist and legs before mounting the horse.

In between practicing these things, he was also required to personally clean the stables, groom the horses, feed them, and even prepare the hay for them. He also had to observe how the grooms treated and trained them.

At this moment, he laughed and said, "My ancestors in Qin were also skilled in horse training, and horses were invaluable partners in battles and transportation. Therefore, the princes in the palace always do this before riding their horses."

"After a year of this, the Yan army finally allowed me to mount my horse."

It wasn't that Ji Heng lacked talent; it was just that, as a prince, General Yan was extra cautious of him.

It's not just about being responsible to the prince, but also to the horse.

The prince might not even get a scratch from falling, but at that time, the Queen of Chu was in power and often took the opportunity to lash out, wanting to slaughter or cull the horses and then cultivate a tacit understanding with the next horse, which would take a lot of time.

Although this measure was immediately opposed by the Imperial Censor-in-Chief as soon as it was announced—

Warhorses are also valuable military supplies; how can one blame the warhorses for the prince's injury while learning riding and archery?

Moreover, the Qin state originated from horse breeding, so how could it accept such an absurd decision? The matter was thus dropped.

But once General Yan found out, he naturally couldn't be too careful.

But this did indeed lay a good physical foundation for Ji Heng.

At this moment, he personally instructed the Queen as if she were a young child. Although they had not yet mounted the horse, he already felt a unique kind of fun in it.

Since it's a rare opportunity to come to Shanglin Garden, and these are gentle, short horses like the ancient Qiang horses, the one or two years of training can be skipped, and we'll start by recognizing the horses.

Whether it's grooming the horses, feeding them, or getting them to get to know each other, it all takes patience and time.

……

Although Ji Heng was an exceptionally tall and valiant warrior, the deer he hunted...

During the Qin Dynasty, they could only taste a few of everything.

Wild game sounds delicious, but in reality, it's hard to avoid the fishy smell from uncastrated meat. Plus, many seasonings are unavailable nowadays, so even with an iron pot and a wide variety of cooking techniques, it's still difficult to create a truly outstanding flavor.

Moreover, venison is mostly lean meat, and it is not as easy to roast as the carefully processed pork in Xianyang Palace.

Qin Shi thought to himself: There's a reason why it didn't become popular.

On the contrary, Ji Heng, having been on campaigns with the army, was picky about food but not extravagant, and this venison, which he was used to eating, posed no problem for him.

It's difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, and it's hard to say that he didn't frown a couple of times while tasting it.

Fortunately, in addition to these, there were also rabbit-shaped pancakes carefully made by the palace chef, which were enough to fill the stomach, so the king's efforts were not in vain.

After the meal, the King and Queen, as usual, took a stroll in the forest to enjoy the scenery.

The Shanglin Garden is full of exotic flowers and rare plants. Many species from both the north and south are carefully cultivated here. Every few steps you take, you can always find some surprises from different regions.

The palace servants who performed routine maintenance and gathered firewood in their area had to stay far away from them.

Qin Shi looked into the distance.

Shanglin Garden has a continuous river and towering mountains in the distance, but it is a garden that belongs exclusively to Ji Heng and the Qin King's Palace.

In more distant places, the mountains, forests, lakes, insects, snakes, birds, beasts, timber, herbs, fish, shrimp, and crabs, which are richer in species and resources, are all industries exclusively belonging to Ji Heng and the Qin Palace.

Hunters, fishermen, doctors, craftsmen, and even the poor people during famine years were not qualified to touch the king's possessions.

Qin Shi stopped and suddenly smiled at Ji Heng, saying, "Your Majesty, if I were to open up the secret techniques of glassmaking to many merchants and nobles, and they were to produce exquisite hairpins and other decorative items to sell, but the common people would not have the means to buy them, what should we do?"

Ji Heng frowned slightly.

Even though it was a holiday, he did not resist handling political affairs, and the Queen's problem was indeed unsolvable.

After all, the purchasing power of glassware ultimately depended on the nobility; ordinary people could probably only afford to spend money on salt, sugar, and millet.

He simply said, "Only when there is a discerning eye can a fine horse be recognized. If the Queen sells fine horses to merchants, why would they bother to buy them if they don't know how to use them?"

Qin Shi smiled and said, "But I want to make more money from it."

She said softly, "Your Majesty, if the restrictions on mountains and marshes are lifted, will the people have any surplus wealth?"

　Don't underestimate the size of the horse; there are indeed many risks for beginners learning to ride.

　　In ancient times, tall and magnificent steeds were indeed invaluable military resources (the horse Fei Xiang rode in the movie "Investiture of the Gods" was a specially purchased German horse from Hanover, standing 1.82 meters tall at the shoulder, which matched his physique).
　　The image of a massive charge of cavalry that people imagine actually consists mostly of medium-sized horses.

　　【Ancient Qiang Horse】is the name I chose because 【Ningqiang Dwarf Horse】is too modern. So I combined the characteristics of 【Ningqiang】 and 【Debao】. Because it is a horse breed left behind by the ancient Qiang people when they were nomadic in Qinghai, it was named 【Ancient Qiang Horse】.

　　(End of this chapter)