Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 92, Section 91: Merchants' Register
Qin Shi stared blankly as Zhou Ju ordered someone to bring out a white jade seal.

The seal is not large, just a small square statue, also carved with a dragon and tiger, but because it is small and exquisite, it is rather cute.

Zhou Ju personally took the tray, slowly descended the steps, and handed the seal to Qin Shi, saying meaningfully, "This is the King's private seal. Qin Qing has received this seal with great importance, and I hope you will not fail the King's favor."

Qin Shi solemnly accepted the gift and earnestly promised, "Your Majesty's kindness and favor are deeply appreciated, and I will certainly do my utmost to repay it."

But after Ji Heng nodded, she still asked, "Your Majesty, shall I move?"

move place?

Ji Heng raised an eyebrow: "Although I have been granted residence in Xianyang Palace, Lanchi will remain your separate palace. You may use it as you see fit."

Seeing Qin Shi's delight, he held back for a moment before finally refraining from asking, "What does moving mean?"

As the Queen of Qin, she could share the entire city of Xianyang with him; where was not home?

But at this time, only Zhou Juzhiji's explanation was: "In the scorching heat of July, with heavy moisture in Lanchi, it is not suitable to cultivate one's health on Penglai Island."

"His Majesty also cares for Qin Qing. Firstly, the South Hall of Xianyang Palace is much closer to the Ironworks, and secondly, he also wants Qin Qing to be in better health."

How considerate! It seems the King truly adores this Queen!

Qin Shi remained silent.

—What does it mean that “the orchid pond is filled with heavy water vapor”?
Lanchi covers an area of ​​several hundred thousand square meters, including about one or two hundred acres of Penglai Island.

Lanchi Palace is located in the middle of this area of ​​one or two hundred acres.

With its many palaces, pavilions, and connecting corridors, how careful one must be to think that it's no longer suitable to live there when the weather gets cold?

Can the wind from Lanchi blow into Lanchi Palace?
Qin Shi could only sigh at the extravagance and debauchery of those who held the highest power today!
What is meant by King of Qin?

That's it.

No need for lavish displays of gold and jade; a simple statement is sufficient: "There is moisture in Lanchi Palace."

This is remarkably similar to the story of Princess and the Pea.

But Ji Heng meant well, and she was just making a comment; she had no intention of being rude.

No matter how troublesome the move was, she wouldn't need to lift a finger. It would save her half the commute time compared to going to the Ironworks. Even if the King didn't ask, she would still try to get it once she found out!

After all, the commute by carriage was truly a matter of enduring each shaky second.

She quickly expressed her gratitude, but stopped praising him—she was getting tired of hearing it, and she would run out of things to say next time.

At that moment, the palace chefs quickly served up soup noodles and other dishes.

It's early August now, and there's really no fresh fruit to enjoy. All that's offered up are a few green dates.

Qin Shi wasn't picky at all. Seeing Ji Heng start eating, he also ate with great satisfaction.

Oh dear! After using up all my brainpower, I need these carbohydrates!

At this moment, she remembered that the Qin state had no economic environment at all. Even if Zhuzhe sugar was made, how much money could it earn for the national treasury?
Leaving aside the economic environment and the powerful clans, ordinary people would never become merchants unless they were forced to.

At this time, the tax levied on merchants was called "calculation tax".

The specific regulations for collecting the tax are no longer known, but Qin Shi once read and speculated that it was about 20% to 30% of all property.

In other words, if you have 100, you have to pay 30 in taxes.

Is that all? No.

As a merchant, one must have city registration. Those with such registration are also subject to commercial taxes.

"既" refers to municipal tax and customs duties.

Taxes are levied during transactions, and taxes are also levied when transactions pass through various checkpoints.

Is this okay?

not yet.

The entire country adhered to the system of agriculture and warfare, and merchants, who did not engage in production, were considered inferior under the strict Legalist ideology.

Since it was a low-ranking state, not to mention the obligation of the entire population to serve in the military, they also had to undertake all kinds of labor activities such as building palaces, roads, and water conservancy projects.

Is that alright now?
Not yet.

They also needed to perform a special form of conscription—military service.

In other words, if the king conquers a certain place and needs people from the Qin Dynasty there, he will prioritize relocating those with Qin registration. In ancient times, leaving one's homeland was not a trivial matter; it often meant death on the journey.

Qin Shi almost smiled bitterly when he thought of this.

Later governments urged caution and urged against damaging the business environment. Only when the economy is in motion can development be possible.

However, given the current state of affairs in the Qin Dynasty, there is simply no business environment.

Until this environment is established, she can't come up with any clever economic solutions for the time being.

For example, Ji Heng was briefly excited about the Zhuzhe sugar because it could be exchanged for many treasures and fine horses in various parts of the Western Regions.

As for anything else? Not at all.

Therefore, when she mentioned wanting to meet a merchant, she was referring to a wealthy and influential merchant with ties to the imperial court, not an ordinary merchant.

At this moment, Qin Shi couldn't help but miss the Song Dynasty.

No matter how much one dislikes the emperors of this era, it must be said that the most prosperous and flourishing economy can be seen in Bianliang (Kaifeng) during the Song Dynasty.

She sighed silently, reminding herself—don't rush.

When she flattered the King of Qin by saying she could live to be a hundred, although she was saying it to him, wasn't she also saying it to herself?

If we consider a century as a whole, given her current peak physical condition, she might still have seventy or eighty years to live.

take it easy!

After a long and sighing meal, Ji Heng quietly put down his spoon on the high steps: "What difficulties do you have that you cannot speak frankly about?"

Qin Shi thought to himself: If she says she will no longer maintain the farming and warfare model and strict laws, will she still be able to live as the queen?

But lying to Ji Heng would undoubtedly be digging one's own grave.

It will make him suspicious and distrustful, and it will also make him tired of it.

Therefore, she earnestly stated, "I have heard that the laws and regulations are now extremely detailed, even specifying how to handle fights..."

"However, the laws governing the people are already strict. If we impose too many restrictions on every little thing, it will be detrimental to the people's livelihood."

She saw Ji Heng's cold expression—this King of Qin didn't think it was a problem at all.

This is how an emperor should govern the people.

Moreover, if those mediocre people are not disciplined with strict laws and punishments, they will cause countless troubles every day.

If he were to be exploited by the rebels of the six states again, he would be in even more trouble.

His brows had barely furrowed when Qin Shi smiled again, a slight complaint in his voice:
"Governing the country is Your Majesty's business. I have no experience in politics, so it is not appropriate for me to discuss it at this time. This is Your Majesty's kingdom, and I should naturally do as Your Majesty says."

"But Your Majesty needs a large population to conquer the Xiongnu and Baiyue, right? And the birth and growth of a population cannot be separated from a harmonious environment. If there is only high pressure and people don't have enough to eat, how can children be born?"

She sighed deeply: "Your Majesty, think of the vast territory of Qin in the future, and this temporary easing is nothing."

On the higher level, Ji Heng frowned once again.

"If what you say is true, then the manpower I used to wage war against these six states must have been grown from water and soil, right?"

The Qin laws were indeed harsh. But that's not to say that governing by law in every detail is bad; rather, the burden was too heavy!

Imagine working on river repairs before dawn every day, barely having enough to eat, exhausted to the point of coughing up blood, only to be beaten and starved.

That night, dragging his half-dead body back to the work shed, he found that someone had torn one of his straw sandals.

The accumulated anger of the day led the two to fight.

Then Qin Fa arrived.

The law is impartial, so another punishment was imposed.

What's worse, this is something that millions of people are suffering together.

Therefore, in the early period of the Han Dynasty, the country was governed entirely by Huang-Lao thought—the ideas of the Yellow Emperor and Lao Tzu, which advocated governing by non-action.

This also shows that no matter what kind of person Liu Bang was, he was a first-rate emperor.

These will all be written down later, so please be patient and take your time.

Seven days have passed since I finished writing 200,000 words, and I'm feeling quite desperate...