Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 59, Section 58: Offspring of the Imperial Harem
The biased King of Qin was unaware that he had been accused of such a crime.

But Madam Zheng's audacity in coming to Zhangtai Palace to pester them wasn't for her own sake, but for the sake of her children—

“Since His Majesty’s trip in March, he has not seen the prince and princess. Qian’er and Wen’er have been missing His Majesty for a long time.”

She was extremely resentful: the king always complained that the princes and princesses lacked presence and were afraid of him like tigers.

But the king is too busy with state affairs to see his child even once every ten days or half a month. Now it has been half a year since then, and he hasn't even summoned him since returning to the palace...

How can you blame the princes and princesses?

Prince Qian, born to Lady Zheng, is twelve years old this year and is the oldest prince in the Qin King's harem.

At twelve years old, the king ascended the throne at thirteen!
There's also Princess Wen, who's fourteen years old this year, and it's time to start preparing for her betrothal.

Then there is Prince Chenghu, born to Lady Chu, who is only seven years old this year.

Ji Heng rubbed his temples and said in a deep voice, "Xuan Qian and Cheng Hu should go to Zhangtai and learn about politics."

He then said, "Let Wen'er come here. I want to ask her about her expectations for a husband."

Zhou Ju responded, and at the same time, he also reported: "Qin Qing has come, wishing to have another banquet with the King to express his gratitude."

Ji Heng didn't actually have that much free time.

With the empire newly established, there were countless matters, both large and small, to attend to. But recalling the ever-increasing variety of dishes prepared by the palace chefs since the return from the western tour, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Even though he doesn't have the habit of eating three meals a day at all.

Therefore, he nodded and said, "Announce."

……

Qin Shi was listening in the side hall to Chi Nu whispering about the people in the palace:

"The King is busy with state affairs and rarely lingers in the harem. Therefore, the highest-ranking officials in the palace are Lady Chu, who lives in the side hall of Xianyang Palace, and Lady Zheng, whom we see today, who lives in Ganquan Palace."

"Below her was a beautiful woman from the Qin state, whose daughter was Princess Chan, who was two years old."

"There is another woman named Yue Liang, whose daughter, Princess Peng, is four years old this year."

Princess Xinming, born to Qi Ba Zi, is eleven years old this year.

"The seven sons were twin sisters presented by the Yan Kingdom, and both of their daughters, the princesses, died young."

"In addition, there are three other officials in the harem with the titles of Chief Secretary and Junior Secretary. There was also a prince who died young. These three were ordered to be executed by the king for their crimes in their early years."

"In addition, several beauties have been beaten to death over the years."

Qin Shi sighed, "The death rate is really high."

One could even add: The infant mortality rate is really high these days!
Due to a combination of factors, including natural disasters, forced labor, war, and disease, the current population of the entire Qin state is only about 2500 million.

If we go back several thousand years, the population of Sanchuan County alone, which is the city of Z in later times, exceeded 13 million.

King Ji Heng of Qin was the ruler of the entire realm, and he had nine children, three of whom died young...

Qin Shi frowned.

For a ruler, the number of his harem and children is far too few.

It's important to understand that nowadays, most families rely on having many children to provide for their workforce, and it's not uncommon for housewives to have seven, eight, or even nine children.

She silently calculated the ages of Ji Heng's children, and combined this with what she had heard about Ji Heng's life path during this period, and then she understood.

Because—there's no time.

Or perhaps, in Ji Heng's life path, having children was far less important than his life and power.

King Heng of Qin ascended the throne at the age of twelve, while men in Qin could marry at seventeen. However, it is clear that after reaching adulthood, the King of Qin did not have much time for his harem.

Before he took power, his life was in grave danger.

Because the late king held great power and had almost deposed and installed Crown Prince Heng.

For those who wield power over the world, everyone outside of centralized authority is an enemy.

The late king and he were enemies.

In the year Ji Heng turned twenty-six, he finally gained complete control of the court, suppressing the former queen's officials and military power one by one, and thus came to rule in his own right.

Three years later, the Qin cavalry crushed the Wei state.

Through his military power, Ji Heng gained even greater control over the court. Four years later, he personally led an expedition to destroy Chu. The late king vomited blood and wept bitterly, then openly brandished his weapons and plotted to assassinate the king in Xianyang.

However, he made a fatal mistake, and Ji Heng led his army into Ganquan Palace, slaughtering many. The late king then retired and died in despair.

Thus, Ji Heng was able to completely seize power.

Once you seize power, can you indulge in the pleasures of the harem?
There was no time either.

Because the states of Yan and Qi had not yet been conquered, the dream of unifying the world was not yet fulfilled. The army marched forth, the people were conscripted, and the court took control…

Political struggles are so bloody, and war is so cruel. He was constantly racking his brains and walking on thin ice with every step.

Now that the world is unified, his decades of powerful rule have made the entire Qin state depend on this great king for its existence.

But then, something even more awkward happened—

Ji Heng is thirty-six years old this year.

At the age of thirty-six, the rulers of Han, Zhao, Wei, and Chu had all lost their kingdoms once, yet he had no adult princes.

In an era where the average lifespan was 30 years, even though nobles lived relatively long lives, it still cast a shadow over the entire Qin state.

It's like one person trying to support a mountain; a single tree can't hold up the whole thing, and it's about to collapse.

If this person collapses, the mountains will topple and the earth will crumble.

If an adult prince were to join in the support at this time, the kingdom would be even more secure.

After Qin Shi finished organizing the timeline, he firmly grasped Chi Nu's hand and said, "I understand."

The king's favor is immense, but she still needs to think it over carefully.

The maid, who had been whispering about palace secrets, breathed a slight sigh of relief and then silently stepped aside.

Not long after, Zhou Ju came to greet him: "Qin Qing, the King has summoned you."

……

Qin Shi stepped into Zhangtai Palace.

Unexpectedly, yet not unexpectedly, she saw a boy, a child, and a girl across from her desk.

The boy's frame was not yet fully formed, and he appeared somewhat thin at the moment, but his shoulders and back were straight and his posture was relaxed, which showed that his muscles were also being trained quite diligently.

He looked at Qin Shi, whose long eyes, which seemed like those of a king, were actually quite kind. Qin Shi smiled slightly.

This must be Prince Qian, born to Lady Zheng.

Then came Prince Chenghu, whose face was pale and frail. Despite his name, he was weak and his body was frail, which only made him stand out more.

This child was born to Lady Chu.

The girl in the middle also had a tall and slender figure, but because she was not yet fully developed, her body was slightly thin.

She also inherited the King of Qin's long eyes and high nose bridge, but her chin was pointed, and she looked particularly sharp when she looked up at people.

At this age... Princess Wen, born to Lady Zheng, is currently the oldest in the harem, and she and the twelve-year-old Prince Qian are siblings.

She smiled back at me.

Now look at Prince Qian—compared to Prince Chenghu, his health advantage is enormous; he might just be the next ruler of Qin.

Qin Shi sighed slightly: The next ruler, although not as handsome and heroic as the King of Qin, can't be Hu Hai, right?
Moreover, he is only 12 years old. Ji Heng has plenty of time to teach him step by step. It shouldn't be difficult for him to become a ruler who can maintain the status quo.

Maintaining the status quo, in a way, also means stable national development. Perhaps her various plans and inventions will continue?
Including benefits.

Qin Shi couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

However, at this moment, Prince Qian frowned:
"Father, why does this man not bow to me?"

[Son-in-law: This term first appeared in the Records of the Grand Historian, but I couldn't find how it was used in the Qin Dynasty, so I used it instead.]

[驸马: In the Qin Dynasty, this was an official position in charge of horses. It became a general term for the husband of a princess after the Wei and Jin Dynasties.]

The Qin Dynasty had a very comprehensive registration system; marriage, divorce, and adulthood all required registration.

Historically, Qin Shi Huang conquered Chu at the age of 36.

[The queen of Qin Shi Huang's grandfather was Lady Huayang, a noblewoman from the state of Chu. Because she had no children of her own, she adopted Ying Zheng's father, Yiren, as her son and made him crown prince. However, she actually held considerable power and was also a political enemy of Ying Zheng's rise to power.]
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Queen: The king's principal wife, holding the highest position.
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Lady: Second only to the Queen in status, there are several.
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Beauty: Ranked below Lady.
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Liangren: of lower status than Meiren.
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"Eighth Prince": A rank in the Qin imperial harem, such as when Empress Dowager Xuan was called "Mi Eighth Prince".
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The seventh son: ranked after the eighth son.
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Changshi: A concubine of lower status.
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Junior Envoy: of lower rank than Senior Envoy.

After the Qin Dynasty unified China, it added the ranks of Chongyi and Jieyu, whose status was even lower. Since they weren't included here, we won't go into detail.