Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 308, Section 307: Items for Conferring a Title
The storm at Zhangtai Palace had barely begun to rage before it dissipated, and Ji Heng's mood visibly eased.

When he sees those foolish things again, he can feel a bit more tolerant.

But after the ministers calmed down by getting some fresh air outside the palace, they realized they had been too reckless.

Therefore, when the political situation was discussed again, they surprisingly compromised and became much more compliant!

This mutually beneficial arrangement resulted in a rare harmonious atmosphere between the emperor and his subjects within the palace.

Prime Minister Wang Fu slowly stroked his beard, looking at the thin, portable paper before him, while secretly observing Ji Heng's expression. He shook his head and sighed inwardly.

With this item, when these nobles and powerful figures want to strive for advancement in the future, there will always be many more commoners competing with them.

If the king were to promote these inexpensive, convenient, and easily disseminated paper and charcoal pencils, they would surely be an explosive success.

Under such intense pressure, the powerful nobles and wealthy families joined forces to resist, which would undoubtedly create even more obstacles.

But the Queen was the one who slowly promoted the use of paper and pen.

She didn't even promote it, but only started using it in the palace and the army first—but just like tables and chairs, even the king was using them, so why should the courtiers insist on using bamboo slips?
Those who understand the situation will naturally follow in the king's footsteps.

Comparing loyalty in this way, isn't the difference in quality immediately apparent?

Everyone gritted their teeth, their resentment, which had been building up over the past few days of political discussions, finally erupted. They felt that they couldn't appease the king's anger without beheading a few fine men.

But now, the Imperial Carriage Office only presented the box, which conveniently disrupted the tense situation that was about to erupt, and the tension inside and outside the hall dissipated.

Wang Fu had a guess in his mind, and at this moment he sighed inwardly:
With such a queen, I wonder if it is a blessing for the Qin state, or the beginning of the disintegration of powerful noble families...

……

During the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi usually listened silently to these political disputes and rarely made any judgments.

She has never governed a village before. At most, she can offer Ji Heng some inspiration with a few words. If she were to offer any truly insightful advice, she would be severely lacking in experience.

Now, she simply watched Mo arrive, a faint sense of surprise and anticipation stirring within her.

"Xin said you have something you want to give me?"

When faced with a simple engineering student like Mo, whose mind was solely focused on his professional skills, Qin Shi's expression was as gentle as could be.

Bai Qiusha, who was accompanying the Queen to Xianyang, couldn't help but take another look at the thin boy.

Mo was indeed unafraid of her, and at that moment he took out two colorful glass pieces from his clothes.

His expression was sincere, his eyes like those of an innocent child. At this moment, he said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I want many more of these glass shards."

They were two egg-sized pieces of colored glass, probably discarded items from a glass workshop. They weren't perfectly round, but the edges were polished very smoothly.

The colors of red, green and yellow are mixed together, uneven and unsightly, and there are even some cracks.

It's like a child excitedly picking up pebbles on a riverbank, wanting to share them with a close adult.

Qin Shi was not disappointed; instead, he smiled.
"Really? Then take my seal and you can use any discarded glass from the glass workshop. If you want to create something completely new, you can just tell the craftsman."

Mo's eyes lit up.

She took the two glass pieces handed to her by the maid, and was about to say a few words of praise when she noticed that the glass pieces were of even thickness.

One is thick in the middle and thin at the four sides.

The other one is exactly the opposite.

The two pieces of glass made a soft rubbing sound between her fingers, while Mo Zheng looked at her with a bright and expectant gaze.

Qin Shi's heart skipped a beat.

A sense of disbelief arose at this moment—

In this day and age, without optical coatings and professional optical imaging glass, could it be that ink...? She first pinched out a piece and looked at it in front of her eyes, and then crossed the two pieces of glass, one near and one far!

What came into view was a yellow monkey leaping across the riverbank!

Its colors were chaotic and uneven, with vaguely visible yellow patches covering a larger area, and even its shape was somewhat strange and blurry.

Even with closer inspection, the details still become unclear.

All I knew was that the other person leaped through the mountains and forests and then reached out to grab something off their body.

When she lowered her glasses, all she could see outside the small window of the fifth-floor birdhouse on the two banks were patches of dense forest that were gradually becoming bare, and she could not see any trace of animal activity.

It's the most primitive telescope.

Qin Shi slowly exhaled:
"With this one thing, ink, you will be remembered in history and may even be granted a noble title."

Inside the magpie room, Bai Qiusha gasped!
Looking at this thin, small boy, one can't help but wonder what kind of divine object he created that would earn such a generous reward from the Queen!

Or perhaps the wealthy queen simply enjoys such generous rewards?
He stared intently at them, his eyes practically etched with unspoken words:

Queen! Look at me! Reward me! Reward me!
But no one paid attention to his expression at that moment.

Mo even thought for a moment, then turned to look at Xin:
"Can the title be given to Xin?"

Bai Qiusha was so jealous she almost fainted!

Throughout history, it has been incredibly difficult for merchants and local tycoons to rise in rank. How could it be...?

His eyes were red with tears, but then he saw Lord Xin also kowtow deeply.

"Your Majesty, Mo Xin is sincere and simple-minded. This title is a testament to his achievements. Please do not believe such nonsense!"

Bai Qiusha was really about to cry!

A title! A title! He needs it too!

But for Mo, he was also sincere.

The title is good, but he was like a slave since childhood. Now he is still young and works in various workshops in the Queen's palace and even in Xianyang Palace. He has no shortage of gold coins, food, clothing and other necessities.

Because of his association with Ganquan Palace, everyone treated him quite harmoniously.

Thus, coupled with his young age, he had not even reached the age for formal service in the Qin state, except for his previous service as a criminal in the ironworks.

Therefore, being granted a noble title did not bring him the same elation.

However, he knew that Xin was literate and could serve the queen.

He was born into a good family, but his family committed a crime, which is why they were forced into labor.

Restoring his glory, or climbing to a higher position himself, was very important to him.

But at this moment, Xin couldn't even be careful with his words in front of the Queen; instead, he was filled with disappointment and frustration.
How come after all this teaching, the other person hasn't made any progress at all?!

He never imagined that the glass mirror that Mo carried with him and was constantly polishing would be such an important object.

Mo didn't tell him, and he wouldn't ask him on his own initiative.

But since you have this ability, the real goal is to actually obtain this title! Making empty promises, aren't you afraid...?

He felt flustered, moved, and fearful, with the sighs of an adult.

I don't know whether to be shocked by this sentiment or to act like a ecstatic, worldly adult.

But only a moment later, remembering how the two of them had depended on each other in the ironworks, he still kowtowed deeply and said again:
"Mo is still young and sometimes confused. Please, Your Majesty, do not take it seriously."

　Bai Qiusha: Hello? Look at me? I said look at me! Look at my unwanted title!!!
　　(End of this chapter)