Chapter 10, Year 28 of Qin: "How many years has it been since King Zheng of Qin?"...
"How many years is this year, the reign of King Zheng of Qin?" Lin Fengzhi's voice drifted.
Yong scratched his head. Wasn't he here to ask about the materials?
Sheng Kuan said bitterly, "The twenty-eighth year of King Zheng of Qin! The fourth year since the fall of my Great Chu."
Lin Fengzhi noticed that Qi Heyong's expression remained unchanged, as if the life and death of the nation had little to do with them. Compared to Sheng Kuan's intense hatred, their emotions were almost indifferent.
Too.
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the State of Chu had already brought the middle reaches of the Yangtze River under its sphere of influence, but it did not completely assimilate the local barbarian tribes. Some of these tribes merged with the Chu people, while others moved out of the plains and valleys, settling in the mountains and breaking away from Chu's control. The former group included people like the Qu clan and the Ba people, while the latter was represented by the Keluo people.
For the Keluo people, it didn't matter who was in power. When they couldn't survive, they would retreat to the deep mountains, where resources could sustain their entire tribe. Supplies were readily available, and they lacked the motivation to align themselves with a state. Whether Chu or Qin was in power, they were considered barbarians. Therefore, they didn't consider themselves Qin people, nor Chu people.
Simply put, T doesn't have a strong sense of belonging to any particular country.
After the Qin state replaced the Chu state, it faced the same problem: they were still unable to fully control the barbarians.
For the unruly tribes that are beyond their control, county officials no longer directly govern them. Instead, they contact the tribal chiefs to prevent them from completely escaping state control.
Once Lin Fengzhi understood this, she immediately realized that among the Keluo people, only Yong and An needed to go out, and they might be registered in the government's household register, so she guessed that they didn't have a household registration.
So she's still an unregistered resident.
It was the 28th year of King Zheng of Qin's reign. She calculated that Qin Shi Huang became King of Qin at the age of thirteen and unified the six kingdoms at the age of thirty-nine, which was 221 BC. So this year would be 219 BC.
In 219 BC, Qin Shi Huang was on an eastern tour!
During the Qin Dynasty, commoners needed to carry a token or tally to prove their identity and the legitimacy of their travel when traveling or engaging in business. While this might be possible to circumvent in remote areas, in a ruling center like Xianyang, she was most likely to be denied entry.
Rather than her, an undocumented person, trekking through mountains and rivers, enduring hardships without even knowing if she could meet Qin Shi Huang, it would be better for Qin Shi Huang to come to her.
As is well known, Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the feudal era, daring to do what no one else dared to do. He was both a powerful ruler who swept across the land and a mortal trapped in a life-or-death dilemma; he possessed both the political wisdom to establish systems and the cruel obsession to trample on humanity.
He also had a fatal weakness: superstition. To be precise, it was his desire for immortality that led him to believe in alchemists.
Lin Fengzhi was confident she could make a name for herself in this era and attract Qin Shi Huang's attention. Unlike Xu Fu, who demanded both people and money, or Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng, who would break his guard and berate him, she wouldn't trick Qin Shi Huang into taking harmful elixirs. She would simply suggest visiting the Lishan Mausoleum; surely that would work?
The more Lin Fengzhi thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Qi looked at her strangely, not understanding what had suddenly invigorated her. He then looked at Shengkuan, who was gritting his teeth, and similarly didn't understand what he was hating.
He scratched his head and looked around.
The courtyard was filled with handicrafts made by Sheng Kuan, including large items such as chests and cabinets, and more small items. Sheng Kuan even specially made a six-layer wooden cabinet to display them.
Qi was curious and looked at the dazzling array of wooden cabinets again and again.
After venting for a bit, Sheng Kuan's emotions dissipated; he didn't harbor such deep hatred for the Qin state. Rather than hating the Qin state, he was more resentful of Xiangli Mo's incompetence. The Mohists had contributed greatly to Qin's unification of the six states, but now Qin revered Legalism, and most of the Mohist disciples were probably only fit to be craftsmen.
Shengkuan noticed Qi's expression and knew he was curious, so he immediately said, "You like them? I'll just pick one for you."
While out and about, Qi glanced at Lin Fengzhi's expression and didn't object. He then looked at Yong, who also didn't object, and immediately went over to touch the little item he liked.
On a thin wooden board, five chick-like animals faced the center, with a round wooden ball hanging from the very center. Qi touched the ball, and it immediately began to swing back and forth, causing the heads of the five chicks to sway up and down, making a clattering sound like chicks pecking at rice.
Qi dialed the dial twice.
Lin Fengzhi came to her senses and thought that Qi Shiwu was still a child at the age of 14 or 15.
"What's this called?" Qi asked excitedly, as the chick clucked and tapped on the wooden board.
“A chick pecking at rice,” Sheng Kuan replied. He got up, dusted off his clothes, and took out a long, narrow bamboo object from the wooden cabinet. It was exquisitely crafted, with bamboo tubes strung together. With a slight wiggle, each tube twisted. As he manipulated the bamboo tubes, Sheng Kuan explained, “I saw this in the State of Qi. They call it a bamboo dragon.”
Qi exclaimed "Wow!" again, giving Sheng Kuan plenty of face.
Lin Fengzhi stroked her chin, thinking to herself, "No wonder he's a disciple of the Mohist school." Earlier, Yong had mentioned that Shengkuan was very curious about the slanted loom, so she went over to talk to him.
When the topic of the slant loom came up, Shengkuan put down his bamboo dragon and listened attentively. Soon, he expressed his admiration: "The slant loom you improved is even better than the one I saw in Shouchun. To achieve such a level with only a few parts modified is a rare talent."
Lin Fengzhi smiled slightly. Standing on the shoulders of giants, her achievements were naturally better than those of her contemporaries. Shouchun was the capital of the Chu Kingdom, so it was not surprising that it had oblique looms.
Lin Fengzhi then described the brocade loom to Shengkuan. The brocade loom was complex in structure and exquisitely crafted, capable of weaving large, intricate, and colorful fabrics. Similarly, its production was extremely difficult. The brocade loom did not appear until the late Tang Dynasty.
Shengkuan possessed the curiosity of a researcher towards new things. He listened with great interest, eager to begin the construction of the flower loom immediately.
Lin Fengzhi casually drew the approximate shape of a flower loom on a clean, smooth wooden board. She marked the key points that she remembered for Shengkuan, and let Shengkuan try them out himself if he didn't remember them.
Sheng Kuan stared intently at the lines on the wooden board for a long while before saying, "I never owe anyone favors. The slant loom was originally yours, and I'll provide you with the materials for it for free. As for the flower loom, what do you want? Just name it."
Lin Fengzhi took out a bamboo slip from her sleeve and handed it to him.
Shengkuan was literate, so he didn't think much of it and opened it to take a look. He was then blinded by the scrawled handwriting, and his expression twisted slightly. Because Lin Fengzhi had given him the blueprints for the flower loom earlier, he was too embarrassed to say anything.
Lin Fengzhi, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed. She wasn't used to it and wasn't familiar with the characters, so it was inevitable that her handwriting was ugly.
"I need the things mentioned above."
“Cinnabar, sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal…” Sheng Kuan examined carefully: “Are you making a sacrifice? No, that doesn’t make sense. Why would you need purple gromwell and indigo for a sacrifice, and also iron ore and ferrous sulfate?”
Yong explained to Shengkuan on her behalf the whole story of Lin Fengzhi's challenge to the Qu family's great shaman.
“The Qu family has dominated the Xiang River basin for many years, and with the legacy of Qu Yuan, even though the Chu state has been destroyed, they are still one of the most powerful forces in the area. It won’t be easy for you to challenge the Great Witch.” Sheng Kuan glanced at Lin Fengzhi in surprise.
Shengkuan knew that Yong was a Keluo person, which was considered a barbarian, but he admired Yong's studious nature, and the two became friends over time. Moreover, he had just received the blueprints for the flower loom, and both morally and logically, he did not want Lin Fengzhi to be in a disadvantageous position.
“How about this?” Sheng Kuan stroked the pattern on the wooden board, his heart filled with excitement. “My brother-in-law is the patriarch of the Zhao clan of Yunmengze. I’ll ask him to arrange a different location for your challenge. Also, I have some connections with the magistrate of this county. I’ll invite him to witness the ceremony.”
Lin Fengzhi was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this; it was truly an unexpected gain. She was certainly confident she could intimidate the Qu clan's great shaman, but being on Qu clan territory would inevitably make her somewhat constrained. With someone observing the ceremony, she figured the Qu clan wouldn't dare deny the final outcome.
"Thank you. How about we hold the ceremony at Xiangjun Temple? It's not only the place of worship for our clan, but also for all the tribes in the Xiang River basin." Lin Fengzhi smiled and added, "You'll come to the ceremony too, and I'll give you a gift. I'm sure you'll like it."
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The golden bronze chimes produced clear and melodious sounds as the musicians struck them, while the sounds of string and wind instruments echoed and swirled within the hall, the resonant tones of the yu (a type of reed pipe instrument) mingling with the jian drum.
In the center of the main hall, nearly a hundred graceful women dressed in colorful silk robes, their sleeves fluttering as they danced to the music, trying to please the ruler. They were performing the "Shao" dance, each step perfectly graceful.
The First Emperor enjoyed the dance and music on the Danbi steps, and also appreciated the expressions of the ministers sitting among them.
He suddenly spoke up and asked the Langya Prefect sitting below him, "My dear minister, does this dance and music seem familiar?"
Cold sweat dripped from the prefect of Langya's forehead. His hand trembled as he put down the wine cup, spilling the contents in the process. Already flustered, he was now even more terrified. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve, watching the women's dance in the hall and listening to the music of the yu flute. His voice trembled as he said, "It's 'Shao'."
"Shao" is one of the most famous musical dances in the State of Qi. It is a large-scale court music and dance in Qi, with grand and magnificent music and graceful and gentle dance. The governor of Langya Prefecture once heard it when he was a Qi official and was performing music and dance in the palace. At that time, he only sighed that it was no wonder Confucius once said, "When I heard 'Shao' in Qi, I did not know the taste of meat for three months."
Listening to this piece again now, each note sounds like a death knell.
"Do you like it?" The First Emperor closed his eyes, seemingly enjoying himself. His fingers tapped on the table, following the sound of the music.
The governor of Langya Prefecture hesitated and dared not answer.
The First Emperor opened his eyes. The female dancer in the hall, wearing a mask with a phoenix totem, raised her brightly colored tail feathers high. She was dancing the climax of the "Shao" music—"The Phoenix Arrives."
His gaze was sharp, and his tone was neither too loud nor too soft: "I see that you are quite fond of me, to the point that you have hidden the descendants of the Tian family in your residence and have been facilitating the encroachment of the common people by the powerful clans of Langya. As a result, the population of Langya County has decreased by 10,000 households compared to two years ago. Very well done!"
The First Emperor raised his hand, cutting off the lingering sound of the dance and music.
Inside the main hall, everyone immediately knelt down. After the music and dance stopped, the vast hall was eerily silent.
Meng Yi handled the entire case of the Langya Prefect, and once the evidence was collected, he handed it over to the First Emperor. The First Emperor had remained silent until today, summoning all officials before launching his attack, clearly to intimidate the others. He glanced at the trembling Langya Prefect beside him and thought, "If only he had known this would happen. Wouldn't it have been better to just be a good official of Qin? Why did he have to yearn for the previous dynasty?"
A note from the author:
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Some of the settings regarding county towns and ethnic groups are based on the descriptions of the Qianling barbarians and the Qin Dynasty's barbarian policies found in the Liye Qin bamboo slips. (Wang Yong)
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