In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Suddenly, nine thunderous roars resounded throughout the royal palace and Xianyang City.

After the initial panic, the assembled officials looked at the sorcerer Zhang Shan, who was slowly approaching from outside, and all of them showed expressions of apprehension.

Although the Directorate of Heavenly Fire was not among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, its status and power were in no way inferior to, and perhaps even greater than, those of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers in the imperial court.

In particular, the firearms produced by the Heavenly Fire Bureau were invincible and extremely powerful.

Moreover, the empire's ability to unify the six kingdoms in such a short time was largely due to the thunderbolts and lightning bombs, so Zhang Shan's rewards are definitely among the best.

Behind Zhang Xiaoshan, three eunuchs held trays with a cylindrical bronze object, a palm-sized golden tripod, and a box of ancient books that were seven inches thick.

"Your humble servant Zhang Shan greets Your Majesty!"

The nine loud bangs just now had already shaken the imperial court.

Qin Shi Huang Zheng also looked down, his eyes showing a solemn expression, and said:

"My dear minister, what was that loud noise just now?"

"Your Majesty, the loud noise just now was from the Fire Dragon Cannon that I mentioned to you before."

Today is a day of great joy for the Empire. Your humble servant has ordered the Heavenly Fire Bureau to test the Fire Dragon Cannon, which was forged three days ago, to celebrate the great joy of the Empire's unification.

Moreover, the Fire Dragon Cannon test was successful. The nine cannons have a firing range of ten to thirty li (approximately 5-6 kilometers) and can achieve precise strikes. The impact of the ammunition can cover an area of ​​ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) in radius, resulting in either death or serious injury.

"Good! Good! Good..."

Although the development of cannons missed the wars that unified China under the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang did not necessarily mean that the fire dragon cannons would become useless after the six states were destroyed.

On the contrary, after the empire unified the six kingdoms, it only occupied one-third of the area of ​​Dongsheng Shenzhou.

Moreover, besides Dongsheng Shenzhou, there are also Nanzhanbuzhou/Beijuluzhou and Xiniuhezhou.

"In addition, with the empire's unification of the land, I have brought three treasures to celebrate this great joy for the empire."

As they spoke, three eunuchs stepped forward, arousing curiosity in both Emperor Qin and the court officials.

They knew that since Zhang Xiaoshan had brought it out here, based on their experience with gunpowder and fire dragon cannons, it must be a powerful treasure that could shake the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, the first treasure is called the Salute Cannon."

This idea, derived from the Thunderclap Bomb, involves placing special gunpowder inside a bronze device and firing it into the sky like a cannon.

·········Requesting flowers·· 0

This cannon salute is for celebratory purposes, not for killing enemies.

Therefore, when it blooms in the sky, it releases colorful fireworks, which the people within the royal city can all witness in its splendor.

"Indeed, this is a joyous occasion for the empire, and we should celebrate it together with the people."

Qin Shi Huang nodded. Although it wasn't the national treasure he had imagined, celebrating with the people would win their hearts.

The second item was a golden tripod. Although it was only the size of a palm, Qin Shi Huang could tell at a glance that it was extraordinary.

"The second item is the Nine Provinces Cauldron."

Your Majesty, do not be fooled by the small size of this cauldron. This cauldron is a celestial treasure. Once released, it can withstand the wind for three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and weigh a million jin (approximately 500 kilograms).

Moreover, the owner of this cauldron is a Taoist immortal who wishes to gather the fortune of the human world and increase the treasure's value.

......... 0 ...

Similarly, this golden cauldron can suppress the empire's fortune and prolong its lifespan. If the empire has a lifespan of eight hundred years, the suppression of its fortune by the golden cauldron can extend it to a thousand years—a win-win situation.

"profound?"

Qin Shi Huang looked at the palm-sized golden cauldron and was surprised to find that it was a celestial treasure.

Moreover, according to Zhang Xiaoshan, this golden cauldron was stolen from the fortune of their Great Qin Empire to enhance the power of the treasure;

However, treasures can also suppress the empire's fortune and prolong its reign.

"Zhang Shan, are you telling the truth?"

"Your Majesty is wise. I have never spoken falsely, otherwise I would not have explained the advantages and disadvantages to Your Majesty."

"Very well, since it's a good thing, why shouldn't I use it?"

Qin Shi Huang was straightforward and agreed to let the golden cauldron suppress the destiny of the Qin Dynasty.

Without saying a word, Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hand, and the golden cauldron flew into the center of the hall.

Sure enough, the golden cauldron rose with the wind, eventually growing to a massive three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in size.

hold head high!

At this moment, the golden dragon roared, and in an invisible way, everyone seemed to see a golden dragon coming from beyond the sky, flying around the cauldron.

This dragon is the very source of the Qin Empire's national destiny—the Golden Dragon of Fortune!

The Golden Dragon of Fortune shone with dazzling golden light, its majestic and domineering aura permeating the hall as it circled the cauldron. Finally, with a flash of golden light, the Golden Dragon of Fortune disappeared into the golden cauldron.

In an instant, the golden cauldron shone even brighter.

At the same time, the golden cauldron slowly shrank, eventually condensing to about one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) in size, and landed in the center of the main hall.

Chapter 114 The Business Reopens and Gets Back on Track

"Good baby!"

In the center of the main hall, the dazzling and magnificent golden cauldron prompted Qin Shi Huang to personally descend and carefully examine it, repeatedly expressing his amazement and delight.

Overall, it looks like it's made of pure gold, and it's extremely luxurious.

Moreover, the golden cauldron, which was the size of a palm, gathered golden dragons three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in the wind, and at this moment, one zhang (approximately 3 meters) landed in the center of the main hall.

Clearly, this is undoubtedly a treasure from the immortals.

"Your Majesty, this cauldron is one zhang tall and weighs 108,000 jin, protected by a golden dragon."

Mortals cannot move it, and demons cannot get close.

As long as this tripod stands in the main hall, the empire will exist.

If the Golden Cauldron displays unusual phenomena, it signifies an impending calamity for the Empire, serving as a warning to Your Majesty to prepare accordingly.

"really!?"

This was truly unbelievable, and even Qin Shi Huang couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

"That's what the immortals said. When the Golden Dragon and the Golden Cauldron '903' merge into one, they will be bound together with the Empire. If the Empire's fortune is threatened, the Golden Cauldron will surely issue a warning."

"it is good!"

Immortals exist in this world, so Qin Shi Huang had no doubt about the power of this celestial treasure.

Whether it's to adorn the grand hall with gold and splendor, or to truly suppress the empire's fortune, this treasure is beneficial and harmless to both the empire and the nation.

"Your Majesty, the third treasure is a book!"

This book is neither bamboo slips nor silk, but rather white paper that I modified from hemp paper, and it is very inexpensive.

If Your Majesty were to build a workshop covering a hundred acres, the paper cost for this box of books could be reduced to around one hundred coins. Even if the complete content were printed, selling it for three hundred coins would still yield a profit of 100%.

what?

Whether it was Qin Shi Huang or the officials, they all looked at the third item in disbelief.

Before the imperial examination system, aristocratic families were highly respected.

Because of the monopoly of culture, powerful families control the absolute inheritance, monopolize the ladder from the lower class to the upper class, and the high cost of learning also makes it unaffordable for the poor.

As for those from humble backgrounds?

Only those who have fallen from noble families or whose ancestors were famous can be considered as poor.

Therefore, even if people from poor families are poor, they still have books to learn from, unlike the poor who have no way to learn even if they want to.

Moreover, they saw no hope amidst their poverty and struggle.

If a cheap culture of 300 coins were to emerge, it would definitely break the monopoly of the nobility.

For a moment, the gazes of the high-ranking officials and ministers towards Zhang Xiaoshan were not only filled with shock, but also with a hint of hostility.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan paid no attention to it. Instead, he opened the book box and distributed the books of imperial laws to Qin Shi Huang, the Three Dukes, and the Nine Ministers.

Because Zhang Xiaoshan's papermaking technology was already mature, the paper was as white as jade, and the ink was a specially made Huizhou ink from later generations. Once opened, every word on it was clear and distinct, with black and white clearly separated.

Moreover, the paper was extremely thin, and the imperial laws, which originally required a cartload of bamboo slips to record, were now completely contained in this small book.

Even after each of the harsh laws, there are some examples to illustrate them.

Therefore, even though the empire was newly established and its laws were not as complex as those of later dynasties, they were still recorded in an entire box.

"My dear minister, are these really only worth one hundred and fifty coins?"

As for making money?

Qin Shi Huang didn't care at all; what he wanted was to spread these imperial laws to every corner of the empire.

Therefore, even if it's free, he still has to distribute several sets to the government offices in every part of the empire.

Only in this way, with clear imperial laws, can the upper echelons set an example for the lower echelons, ensuring long-term stability and peace.

"If the empire engages in large-scale printing and the technology matures, and costs are reduced at each stage, I can keep the cost down to around one hundred coins."

"Good! Good! Good..."

Qin Shi Huang was overjoyed, and at that moment, the assembled officials also saw these exquisite books.

Regardless of the cost, I would be willing to pay even a hundred taels of silver to sell it to them.

Moreover, the books in front of us are of such low value.

"In addition, I humbly request Your Majesty to build private schools throughout the country to spread culture to the grassroots and break the monopoly of the nobility and culture of the seven kingdoms."

At the same time, it collected old books from the seven kingdoms, rare books from all over the world, and classics from all schools of thought... and standardized and reformed the scripts of the seven kingdoms and the four continents to facilitate the empire's orders to reach the world without hindrance.

Another work could be compiled that records history from the creation of the world by Pangu to the unification of the six kingdoms.

It even gathers the finest classics from various countries and books from all over the world, discarding the dross and keeping the essence, to create an imperial encyclopedia!

Hiss...

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's suggestion, even the highest-ranking officials gasped.

Unifying the written language, spreading culture, and compiling historical records—this is undoubtedly a massive undertaking, and I never expected Xiaoshan to propose it in this way.

"Your Majesty, the unification of written language is imperative, and the compilation of historical records is also feasible..."

But building private schools throughout the country? The cost would be far too great, even the imperial treasury couldn't afford it.

Prime Minister Li Si stepped forward, his eyes gleaming.

His participation in the first two areas was indispensable and would be a meritorious act; however, the matter of private schools might not be a good thing once the empire has more talented people.

"What if we don't use the national treasury?"

Zhang Xiaoshan's words once again shook the court, and even Qin Huangzheng looked at Zhang Xiaoshan in confusion.

Even Qin Shi Huang agreed with Li Si's rebuttal, stating that the cost of building private schools across the country was simply too high, and the national treasury could not support it.

"Your Majesty knows that I enjoy tinkering with new gadgets. If these things are mass-produced and put on the imperial market, we can make a lot of money in a short time."

I am a cultivator, and although I am not the Imperial Preceptor, I have no use for this money.

Therefore, your humble servant is willing to invest all the proceeds from these goods in the empire's infrastructure development, including building private schools, paving roads, and adopting orphans…”

Zhang Xiaoshan's arrogant words immediately silenced the entire hall.

Even Qin Huangzheng couldn't help but look at the other party with a solemn expression. Given his magnanimity and character, he would certainly not be greedy for such money. The key question was whether Zhang Xiaoshan could accumulate such wealth.

"Is what you say, my dear minister, truly capable of accumulating a vast amount of wealth?"

"If Your Majesty has time, you may visit my workshop at the Heavenly Fire Bureau. There are some finished products there, like this scroll, which will surely impress Your Majesty."

"Very well, if you truly possess such ability, I will certainly not disappoint you!"

Qin Shi Huang nodded. The value of the paper alone was enough to support the operation of the business.

If Zhang Xiaoshan truly has other means of accumulating wealth, and all that money is used for the empire's infrastructure development, it would be beneficial and harmless to the empire.

Moreover, the construction of private schools broke the aristocracy's monopoly on knowledge.

At this moment, Qin Shi Huang's domineering presence and boldness meant he was not afraid of any backlash from these nobles.