Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

On the day of Lidong (the beginning of winter), Shao Siming rode in a phoenix chariot as promised. During a sacrificial ceremony in Yingdu City, amidst the earnest expectations of countless Chu people, he went to the north of Quandi to become a high-ranking immortal deity who blocked the states of Yong and Luo.

As for the Grand Master of Fate who was originally stationed here, he went to the Han River region to replace Lady Xiang.

Lady Xiang went to Mengze, a leisurely place.

Xiangjun was also satisfied with this, after all, he and his wife were one.

He was powerful and his wife's position was secure. He didn't want his wife to take risks on the Han River... After all, the Goddess of the Han River had always been at odds with his wife, so it was best to avoid encountering her this time!

……

"County Magistrate!"

"The Immortal Quan has come to visit and is currently at a tributary of the Quan River outside the Palace of Books. He hopes you can go and meet him... By the way, the Immortal Quan wants you to bring the County Magistrate's token. He wishes to discuss with you matters concerning the Quan people's business."

"Wh...what?"

The county government office of Quan County was originally the Quan Palace, but the main hall and the rear chambers were sealed off. As the temporary palace of the King of Chu, the county magistrate worked in the side hall.

Upon hearing of Quan Ming's arrival, Qu Wan was somewhat taken aback.

In recent months, with the intervention of the Chu nobles, his title as county magistrate has long been a mere formality. The county magistrate's token in his hand is only used for approvals, and he has no independent judgment whatsoever.

discuss?

Who would negotiate with him?

These were all decided and allocated long ago within the nobility!

"The county magistrate?"

Upon seeing Qu Wan's condition, the servant who came to report asked with some concern, "Should the county magistrate go to see him?"

"Go...and see him."

Qu Wan remained silent for a moment, then stood up: "I need to freshen up. I cannot go to see Quan Xian looking like this... It would be too impolite."

rude?

It was because of his dejected appearance that he felt ashamed to face Quan Ming, fearing that he would disgrace the Qu family and that his pride as a renowned prodigy was at play... It was clear that he had not given up yet, and perhaps he was waiting for Qu Xia's arrangements. In fact, Qu Xia did not believe that her uncle would ignore Quan Di, completely retreat, and let Quan Ming have his way.

……

Da da da!

He walked hurriedly, and even his meticulously combed hair was damp. But when he arrived at the gate of the Palace of Books, he stopped, straightened his clothes, and then entered with a leisurely air.

With just one glance, Qu Wan saw the covered boat on the stream.

On the boat, Quan Ming sat alone, drinking wine...

Upon smelling the familiar scent of wine that had hindered his career, Qu Wan's face darkened, and his earlier composure diminished.

He could only take a deep breath, calm himself down, and continue forward.

He bowed respectfully and formally, saying, "Greetings, Immortal Quan. May I ask what brings you here today, and why you summoned me?"

After bowing, Qu Wan straightened his back and looked directly at Quan Ming.

On the boat, Quan Ming poured two cups of wine, drank one himself, and then said, "A few months ago, His Majesty granted me permission to copy the imperial books in the palace. Now the first batch has been copied, so I plan to have the county magistrate send some soldiers to escort it to the Water Palace... After all, this is a royal decree, and I can't take it away privately."

Upon hearing this, Qu Wan paid no attention and nodded, saying, "The king's orders are naturally obeyed."

He then said to Sui Xin's attendant, "Inform Commander Dou Lian and have him handle this matter."

The attendant agreed and left.

Quan Ming chuckled and continued speaking to Qu Wan, "Besides that, I'd like to discuss winter planting with the county magistrate."

Winter planting!

Qu Wan subconsciously clenched his fist.

Having endured so many days, he didn't let Quan Ming's words deter him. He steadied himself and gritted his teeth, saying, "His Majesty has granted permission, and Mo Ao has permitted it. I have already allocated these winter planting fields to the Chu clans. If Quan Xian has any questions about this, he should ask them. I have no right to interfere!"

Hearing these words spoken through gritted teeth, Quan Ming nodded slightly.

"Indeed, in the past few days, clan leaders and their hired retainers have come to me to offer sacrifices, asking how much of the harvest will be offered as sacrifices, how much will be distributed to the retainers, how much will be kept for themselves... and whether it is permissible to brew wine, etc. So this matter can be considered to have a set of rules."

Qu Wan's face darkened; he had heard these things many times before.

He personally participated in most of these sacrifices, and even if he couldn't participate, someone would report to him so that he could calculate the portion of taxes that needed to be paid to the King of Chu at harvest time!

Seeing that Qu Wan was still calm, Quan Ming stopped teasing the kid.

He steered the small boat closer to Qu Wan, then used the water to scoop up the remaining cup of wine and held it up to Qu Wan, saying directly, "Power and land are not just about grain and wine; there are many other feasible policies here."

Ok?

Qu Wan stared at the wine in front of him, listening to Quan Ming's words, his anger mixed with confusion.

No answer...

Quan Ming continued, "Back when the state of Quan was still in existence, was it possible to sell grain to Chu?"

"none!"

Quan Ming asked and answered his own question, but he was actually pointing fingers at Qu Wan.

"What is it that Chu is so keen to buy, even though he knows he's not on good terms with Quan, and sometimes the supply can't keep up with the demand?"

Ah!

Qu Wan was taken aback by what he heard, and then quickly pondered. After a while, he looked at the wine in the water and said in a hoarse voice, "Lacquer... Chu has good trees, but no good lacquer. The art of lacquer production came from Sui. However, Sui was a vassal state of the Ji clan, which was enfeoffed by the Zhou emperor to the four friends of King Wen and relatives of the Zhou royal family, including Nangong Shi, at the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty."

"They have always shared the same view as the Zhou, considering Chu to be a barbarian state and distrusting it."

"The lacquer techniques of Chu are all... borrowed, and cannot be considered masterpieces."

"And Quan...the descendants of Shang, even though Shang was defeated by Zhou, they were still the nobles of the past. Their lacquer skills were no less than those of Sui, and in fact, after exchanging with Sui, their skills were even better. With the advantage of being backed by Jing Mountain, their lacquer skills were among the best in the area around the Han River."

"..."

At this point, Qu Wan understood the meaning behind Quan Ming's summons.

The so-called business negotiations probably refer to this lacquer!

The State of Chu revered red, applying lacquer to objects to reveal their natural deep red hue. As such an elegant item, ordinary households would have some lacquerware as family heirlooms, let alone clans.

At this time, the clans were not without the idea of ​​painting.

But the king had already ordered Quan to manufacture the lacquer, which would then be transported by water to supply the royal family... This was not a casual remark, but rather meant that the king had already decided on the lacquer, and who would dare to touch it?

Even after he finished pleasing, he dared not...

Qu Wan stared at Quan Ming, a hint of anticipation rising within him, wanting to see how Quan Ming would jeopardize Qi's interests.

Driven by this expectation, he raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

...I have to say, this wine...

Qu Wan's eyes darkened, and he sighed inwardly: No wonder those clans are so eager to join them!

Over here, Quan Ming saw Qu Wan drink the wine.

He smiled and said, "The king did indeed designate the lacquer, but the lacquer-making techniques were not... The lacquer produced by the lacquerers in Quan is enough to supply the royal family of Chu, but not enough to supply the clans of Chu... I have lived in Quan for many years, and in my early years I was in charge of the country's lacquer production, so I know the process..."

"If the county magistrate is willing, I am willing to contribute my efforts to establish a new lacquer garden with him for the clan."

"Of course, paint is only one part."

"The man hoped to travel and trade, earn some Chu money, and cover his living expenses."

"And the land also has silkworms, mountain herbs, mountain animals, and so on, all of which are tradeable goods... I hope the magistrate will give this a good consideration. Of course, this matter cannot be decided by the two of us alone; we also need to discuss it with the clans... However, I hope that the magistrate will take the lead in these matters. After all... compared to those clans, I still trust the magistrate. In my eyes, the magistrate is a man who does not favor gentlemen. Only by making a living under your rule can the people of Quan prosper."

"As for me..."

"Gods do not approach men; this is the rule of Heaven. Qu Wan... With this rule in place, why should you fear me?"

Shaking his head, Quan Ming's small boat slowly receded.

"If you have made up your mind, then issue an imperial decree directly with the county magistrate's token, summoning the leaders of those clans to come and discuss the matter. After the discussion, have them write a policy proposal for me... This time, I will examine Qu Gongzi Wan's abilities word by word."

……

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