Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 310, Chapter 309: Wasting Time
Ji Heng put down his pen at Zhangtai Palace and asked, "What time is it?"

Zhou Ju glanced at the bronze water clock and said, "Your Majesty, it's just past noon."

Ji Heng didn't ask any further questions, but instead flipped through the memorial in his hand and summoned the Imperial Censor to come forward:
"Given the incident with the inscription on the meteorite, the people's hearts are not yet fully settled. Previously, you and the Grand Astrologer handled it together. During the spring sacrifice, the two of you will go again."

Wang Xueyuan respectfully replied, "Yes!"

Only the Grand Historian Yuan Xin wore a bitter expression.

He is also responsible for observing the stars and the calendar, and he needs to calculate auspicious days and times. He is very busy!
But Dongjun is three days' journey from Xianyang. How could his old bones withstand such a bumpy ride?

But the king's order had already been given...

Ugh.

The old man made a bitter face.

On the higher platform, Ji Heng silently flipped through another memorial, then suddenly asked, "When is it?"

Zhou Ju remained expressionless: "One quarter past noon."

In fact, the eunuch in charge of the water clock had already announced the time past noon, but—

Seeing Zhou Ju give him a signal, the eunuch, who had already received instructions, immediately lowered his head respectfully, deciding that he would give the time report in a moment.

After dealing with several matters, Ji Heng finally raised his head, when suddenly a eunuch from the side hall reported:
"Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived at Xianyang Palace!"

Ji Heng nodded, then casually instructed, "The Queen has been traveling extensively; order the imperial physicians to wait at Ganquan Palace. Also, now that her personal physician has left, have any female physicians been promoted?"

Zhou Ju felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and quickly said with a smile, "Your Majesty, rest assured, everything is prepared. You may enjoy lunch with the Queen today."

Ji Heng shook his head: "Let the Queen rest. I will visit her again after the court session at Zhangtai Palace ends this evening."

As soon as he spoke, his expression softened and became calm, no longer showing the agitation he had been before.

……

In the past, such travel during the Qin Dynasty would have been extremely tiring.

However, waterways are much more comfortable than land routes, especially warships traveling on the Wei River, which are both fast and stable.

After disembarking, the carriage traveled on the bluestone slabs. Although there was a slight jolt, it was much better than before.

Therefore, when he returned to the Ganquan Palace, Qin Shi was still full of energy.

Having not seen the palace's layout for many days, I felt a sense of disorientation at first glance. Yet, enveloped in the warm and inviting inner palace, I felt a sense of comfort, as if I were returning home.

She chuckled to herself: It seems that the identity of "Queen of Qin" gives her a great sense of security; otherwise, how could she have such a feeling?

The maidens and others who remained in the palace had already prepared the medicinal soup. While cheering for the Queen's return, they quickly and efficiently prepared it for her, asking as they did so:

"After the physician left, the King ordered the Imperial Medical Academy to select several female physicians for the Queen to choose from. However, since the Queen is not present, I have only kept two female physicians who are skilled in herbal decoctions and acupressure. Would Your Majesty like to take a herbal bath first?"

Qin Shi glanced at the time: "No need. We haven't seen much dust along the way. Let's bathe in the evening. Chi Nu, you did a good job. Let's keep the people you chose."

After a few days of business trip, she naturally had a lot of luggage to pack upon her return. Although this was the maid's job, some of the items were personally selected by her for the women of the harem, and others were for Ji Heng alone, so they all needed to be arranged.

Furthermore, although she had relinquished control over palace affairs, Qin Ba Zi lacked sufficient authority, so she couldn't simply abandon all responsibility.
Now that several decisions have been made over the past few days, they naturally need to be processed quickly...

There were also the accompanying personnel, such as Dan and Fei Qing, who were both prone to seasickness and needed to be treated by the female doctor...

……

Everything was in disarray, a tangled mess. But no matter what, returning to Ganquan Palace brought an indescribable sense of relaxation.

Qin Shi also breathed a sigh of relief, and was helped to change into lighter clothes and sit down. He also thought about today's meal with great interest—

"It's bound to be hot when you're out and about, so let's not make mutton soup today. Do you have any dried pears in the palace? Or other fruits would also be fine. Let's make a light soup instead."

He paused, then thought of Ji Heng: "During my absence these past few days, has Your Majesty been in good spirits?"

The woman's expression immediately became complicated.

Hearty?

nonexistent.

"This servant didn't dare to inquire further, but news kept coming from Prefect Zhou. Apparently, things aren't going well at court. His Majesty has lost his temper several times in the past few days, and he's punished three to five officials..."

Qin Shi: ...

In fact, Ji Heng has quite good patience; he's just a bit disgusted by stupidity.

Anyway!

Thinking of the good news he had brought, which would surely make Ji Heng happy again, Qin Shi also breathed a sigh of relief:

"Find a proper place to settle the people I brought back. If any of them are interested in learning, have the palace servants teach them to read and write."

It is not necessary to be well-versed in classics and history; being able to understand the words and sentences and write them down is sufficient.

The Red Maiden knew the Queen's standards for choosing people, and at this moment she nodded and said, "Yes."

"Also, has Yiming seen Madam Chu's father? What's the situation? Has he sent any letters?"

Chi Nu shook her head: "The journey from Xianyang to Shu is long, and we do not yet know where Lord Chu is staying, so there is no news yet."

Seeing Qin Shi return from his outing, still looking so radiant, she sighed at the Queen's good energy and smiled, saying:
"News has arrived that the Queen has returned to the palace. The King has inquired about Ganquan Palace many times today. These trivial matters need not concern the Queen; please focus on resolving the remaining important issues as soon as possible..."

After all, once the court session at Zhangtai Palace ends, the King will probably be arriving soon.

Upon hearing this, Qin Shi immediately rested his chin on his hand and smiled, "Yes, it's been so long, I've missed Your Majesty too!"

The Red Maiden smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you should say this to the King."

After a pause, seeing that dismissing everyone seemed too deliberate, he lowered his voice and leaned closer to Qin Shi:
"Your Majesty, before Physician Ming left, he instructed me to inquire privately—how harmonious is the relationship between Your Majesty and the King in their marital relations?"

Qin Shi immediately looked over.

She frowned, her eyes showing even more caution and unease:
"Since the Queen entered the palace, the King has not summoned anyone else. Now that the Queen is traveling, the King is also... is also..."

She hadn't read many books, but at that moment she wanted to say something like "keeping oneself pure," but that phrase should never be used to describe a monarch.

It is also impossible for it to occur in a monarch.

Therefore, when Yiming left, although he sighed at the deep affection between the emperor and empress, he was also somewhat worried.

Why does Your Majesty not favor other women? Is it because you are old and frail?
Although they served outside at night and had never felt this way before, the king's behavior was indeed worrying.

If that were truly the case, the poor queen, still young and beautiful, has yet to give birth to a prince and cannot even summon beautiful women to play with...

Wouldn't that be a waste of precious time?
　Last night, while still preparing, I fell asleep without taking off my clothes or washing up...

　　(End of this chapter)