Chapter 5 Qin 5
Taishu Jiu shook his head honestly and said, "I know the story of the Zhongnan Shortcut, but farming and living in seclusion have nothing to do with each other. After all, this is the capital of Qin."
As someone who had just transitioned from programming to human life, he felt that farming at the foot of the capital city couldn't really be considered a form of seclusion.
Zhu Qing'ai sighed: "You really don't understand. The point of this character is that the important thing during the farming period is to build up your reputation. Once you have a high reputation, you can naturally enter the court as an official. It's just an alternative shortcut."
"However, my requirements are different. You cannot easily accept the King of Qin's invitation. You must be reserved. You cannot accept the King of Qin's request to serve as an official until I say that you can enter the court."
She called this operation "raising her own value," but of course, her main target was neither the dying Ying Ji nor the short-lived Ying Zhu...
Some people who entered the court too early and became subordinates of the former King of Qin were left to assist in governing. One such person was Lü Buwei. Although the factors involved were complex, it was still better to directly serve under Ying Zheng and avoid being easily purged.
Taishu Jiu didn't understand the specifics of how to build a reputation. His previous hosts had all passed the imperial examinations and often plagiarized ancient writers in their writing. He had no experience in finding alternative paths.
However... it's good that the system (Zhu Qing'ai) understands. Thinking about it this way, I suddenly feel that I was so useless before. As a system, I can only issue tasks and cannot provide the host with ideas or help beyond issuing tasks and giving task rewards.
Zhu Qing'ai was unaware that Tai Shujiu was indulging in self-indulgence. If she had known, she would have praised him for being sensible and encouraged him to continue his efforts.
He nodded earnestly: "I will work hard in farming and grow suitable high-yield crops as soon as possible."
"..." Zhu Qing'ai hesitated, then stopped, "Fine, you just focus on farming, leave everything else to me."
Although she doesn't have a marketing background, modern people, even if they don't understand it, have experienced a few marketing events. Moreover, what she promotes is all the truth, which is much better than the nonsense and boasting of modern marketing.
She didn't think this was too difficult, so she spent another fifty points to exchange for enough Qin currency, also known as Qin Banliang, for Taishu Jiu.
Don't be fooled by the fact that one point could only buy ten steamed buns before; that was the price in the shop. The price in Qin Kingdom now is extremely low, so I stopped after exchanging for five hundred Qin Banliang Bamboo Green Mist and used the remaining points to buy seeds in the shop.
They were probably the first to conduct hybridization experiments during the Warring States period...
She placed the things in the empty small room that should have been used as a kitchen, and then instructed Taishu Jiu: "If there are any problems, contact me via private message. I have some business to attend to in Zhao."
Taishu Jiu had no objections. After Zhu Qing'ai checked Taishu Jiu's homework again over the past few days, she distributed five hundred Qin Banliang coins as a reward and reminded him once again to remember to go out and buy food.
They also kindly provided him with a cookbook, but he probably wouldn't need it. Hopefully, given his background with the system, he wouldn't have any appetite and could be fed only millet rice.
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Children at this age may not have memories, and even if they don't, she is very cautious. The reason she brought up her appearance after that time could be because she was curious to see Ying Yiren when he ran away.
There was no reason why she wouldn't reveal herself in the time that followed.
They said they came to do business, but there wasn't much to do. They just spent their days watching the baby version of Ying Zheng play around.
It turns out that the First Emperor would also pick grass leaves and hunt ants when he was a child... She couldn't resist taking a picture to remember the occasion.
She calculated the time and felt that now was not the right time for her to appear as the first persona. The main reason was that no matter how intelligent Ying Zheng was, he was still a real child. What if she appeared too early and scared the child?
So Zhu Qing'ai waited in Handan, the capital of Zhao, for more than two years. During this time, the King of Zhao gave up the idea of killing Zhao Ji and her son, but this did not improve the situation of Zhao Ji and her son much. They still lived in the Zhao family's house on the outskirts of the city.
At this time, the city walls consisted of concentric rings of buildings, with several city walls in the middle, protecting the Zhao King's Palace at the very center. The place where Zhao Ji and her son lived was very close to the outermost ring, surrounded by ordinary people, and it was not easy to see the powerful and noble.
This place has its advantages and disadvantages. The children of the common people around them don't care about the politics of the upper class. They are innocent yet cruel, and they are at the age when they have clear-cut love and hate. It is not surprising that Ying Zheng was isolated from childhood.
Based on Zhu Qing'ai's observations in Handan, the capital of Zhao, Ying Zheng had been isolated from his peers for over a year since he was old enough to run.
He went from being confused and saddened at first, to accepting it calmly in the end, and learned from Zhao Ji why he was isolated.
What Zhu Qing'ai found strange was that when Zhao Ji brought Ying Zheng to stay here, it was in secret. So why did the children around her know that Ying Zheng was a prince from an enemy state?
Since she wasn't part of the real Zhao state, she naturally couldn't control the entire Zhao state under her nose; she had to investigate on her own.
You don't know until you investigate. After investigating, it was discovered that the Zhao family was not a monolithic entity. Although the Zhao family decided to help hide Zhao Ji and her son, there were indeed some scheming people behind the scenes.
Upon learning the truth, Zhu Qing'ai was speechless for a moment, and sighed at the complexity of human nature...
Fortunately, they weren't so depraved as to hire someone to kill, so she just cursed Shen Jin and left.
Watching the madman raving here is less interesting than going back to watch Qin Shi Huang squatting on the ground with a tree branch, sketching characters.
****
Now, Ying Zheng spends his days learning to read from the scrolls he brought from the Zhao family, and is then urged by Zhao Ji to rest more and go out to play for a while.
At these moments, Zhu Qing'ai couldn't help but look at Zhao Ji. She was truly confident that her servants could protect Ying Zheng.
This may be a cognitive bias caused by the information available. In fact, Zhao Ji's thinking was not wrong. This is the outskirts of the city, and under normal circumstances, no powerful or noble people would come here.
In those commoner children, protecting Ying Zheng only required one adult servant. However, things didn't go as planned, and Zhao Ji never expected that the prince of Zhao would be so bored as to go on a picnic in the suburbs.
Ying Zheng would normally have just strolled around the nearby streets for a while and then returned home, and wouldn't have gone anywhere further. However, he happened to run into Zhao Yan, who was traveling by carriage towards the outskirts of the city.
Zhao Yan was initially just curious, asking who this delicate and adorable child was and how such a bright and intelligent child could be raised in a place where commoners lived.
The attendant immediately said, "Your Highness, the children of Prince Zichu of Qin, who was left in Zhao, live nearby."
The meaning is clear: the common people around cannot support them, but the concubines of the Qin princes who are supported by the Zhao family can.
Zhu Qing'ai was quite shocked. Was this no longer a secret within the royal family? She cursed the Zhao family in her heart once again, thinking they were more trouble than they were worth.
The Zhao royal family knew this was quite reasonable; even a mere servant would know… She was somewhat speechless.
"oh?"
As for how much hatred Zhao Yan harbored towards Ying Zheng, he didn't have that kind of feeling. Having grown up in luxury since childhood, how could he care about the lowly people who died on the battlefield? His malice was simply a sudden surge of malice directed at the cute-looking child.
To then use the other party's identity as a pretext to make a fuss is simply a sign of a psychological disorder.
The difference is that normal people can control themselves when they occasionally have thoughts that they find terrifying, while Zhao Yan would choose to put them into practice.
"It's disgusting that such a bastard is still in Handan."
Zhao Yan's face showed disgust, and his expression changed so quickly he could have gone on stage.
"What does the young master mean?"
"Let's go, it's annoying to look at you." That's what he said, but the expression on his face when he looked at his attendants didn't mean it that way.
Although their master was troubled and didn't say it directly, the servants always had to figure out what their master was thinking and relieve his worries. After Zhao Yan left, two servants fell behind the others in the procession.
Ying Zheng was unaware that people on the chariot were talking about him not far away. When he saw the chariot from a distance, he instinctively stepped back to make way for it.
As the convoy slowly passed in front of Ying Zheng, he also noticed the malicious and disdainful gazes from the people in the carriages.
However, after recalling the events, he couldn't recall when he had offended this nobleman who was clearly no ordinary person. But considering the reason for his isolation, Ying Zheng wasn't too surprised. He just thought it best to avoid causing trouble outside and go home as soon as possible.
Zhu Qing'ai couldn't help but look at the two men with fierce eyes. What kind of people were they? They knew it was extremely tasteless to bully a five or six-year-old child, yet they still made their subordinates do it.
After thinking for a moment, she quickly created a second disguise for herself, dressed as an ordinary Zhao woman with a gentle appearance. Before the two men who were about to make their move could even reach Ying Zheng, she emerged from a side alley and blocked their way.
She asked gently, "Excuse me, how do I get to the north of the city?"
The two: ?
You already said it's in the north of the city, why are you asking them for directions?
A slight electric current coursed through the two of them, causing pain but not death. They froze in place, too terrified to even cry for help. At the same time, a gentle female voice rang in Ying Zheng's ears: "Go home."
Ying Zheng subconsciously looked up and around. Apart from the departing convoy, there seemed to be a woman talking to two young men not far away.
He had just noticed that the two young men were walking in his direction, but they were stopped halfway. Apart from that, there were no strangers around; they were all his familiar neighbors.
But he had known those so-called neighbors for a long time, and they all wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. No one would be kind enough to stop people who were obviously there to cause trouble for him.
"Did you hear someone calling me to come home?"
The attendant beside Ying Zheng shook his head: "Your Highness, no..."
"..." He glanced at the three people behaving strangely over there again, "Let's go back, Mother will worry."
Ying Zheng walked back, glancing back as he went, and saw a rather surprising scene: the two men had fallen to the ground, and the woman from before had vanished as if she had evaporated into thin air.
He blinked, making sure he wasn't seeing things, and his heart started racing.
He hurriedly returned to the mansion with his servants.
"Mother," Ying Zheng called to Zhao Ji before even entering the courtyard, "I'm back."
Upon hearing Ying Zheng's voice, Zhao Ji hurriedly came out with a smile on her face.
The once heartwarming scene now horrified Ying Zheng, for he saw his mother pass through the body of a woman dressed in a withered green blouse.
That woman, with her noble and serene demeanor, was like a thin mist in summer, so light and fleeting that she could dissipate at any moment.
But it gives people an incredibly profound feeling, like a towering mountain standing before you, making you unable to look up and worship it.
Having witnessed the strange scene before, Ying Zheng was somewhat used to this one. In any case, he didn't lose his composure and still ran and jumped into Zhao Ji's arms with a lively expression.
Listening to the ghost stories his mother told him, he felt he couldn't act as if he could see; he couldn't see 'her'.
He was picked up by Zhao Ji and carried into the house. He pretended not to see her and chatted with her about everyday trivialities.
As he passed that person, his heart started racing. Fortunately, Zhao Ji wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and asked with a smile, "You must be tired from running around outside. Your heart is beating so fast."
He then pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Mother, I will definitely come back earlier in the future."
Zhao Ji smiled gently: "It's alright, let him play outside for a while longer. Children don't need to think so much."
"It was just nearby a moment ago, how did it disappear..."
A clear and ethereal voice came from behind him, and Ying Zheng's small hands, which were wrapped around Zhao Ji's neck, tightened slightly.
A note from the author:
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(Some information can be skipped) Qin's monetary system: Before Qin Shi Huang unified China, the currencies of various states could be summarized as "four major currencies," namely cloth coins, knife coins, round coins, and bronze cowrie shells. The currencies used by each state were not fixed. Generally speaking, cloth coins were used in cities under the rule of the Zhou royal family and in the Three Jin regions, knife coins were used in the states of Yan, Zhao, and Qi, and bronze cowrie shells (ant-nose coins) were used in the state of Chu.
The Qin state used round coins. Round coins were first minted by the Wei state, but were ultimately popularized by the Qin state. Qin began minting coins relatively late; according to research, it began independently minting round copper coins with round holes no later than the reign of Duke Xian of Qin. After that, Qin used only round coins. During the reigns of Duke Xian and Duke Xiao of Qin, round copper coins with round holes were used. In the second year of King Hui of Qin's reign (336 BC), the round coin with a square hole, the Banliang coin, was first used. This Banliang coin issued during King Hui's reign was almost identical in appearance to the Banliang coin from the Qin Shi Huang era. For example, seven Banliang coins were found in Tomb No. 50 at Haojiaping, Qingchuan, Sichuan (the first year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin's reign), which has a confirmed date.
The Banliang coin from the reign of King Hui of Qin only had its face value on the surface, without any place name, which distinguished Qin currency from that of other states. This was because in Qin, only the royal family was permitted to mint coins; local governments were not allowed to do so. The monetary system established during King Hui's reign was continued by subsequent Qin kings. The use of the Banliang coin also gradually expanded during Qin Shi Huang's conquest of the six states.
Although the weight of the Qin Banliang coin was not standardized, this did not affect its purchasing power; in fact, it often led to deflation. In ordinary years, a shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet cost only a few dozen coins, and a dou (another unit of dry measure) of millet only required three copper coins, demonstrating how cheap prices were at the time.
Why did this happen? Some experts even believe that the Qin Dynasty collapsed because of the forced implementation of the Qin Banliang coin, but insufficient currency supply led to economic depression. Others argue that after unification, the Qin Dynasty relocated wealthy people and nobles from various states to Xianyang. Outside Hangu Pass, there were few major cities and little need for commercial exchange, thus reducing the demand for money. The result was that the currency supply couldn't meet the demand, leading to a situation where goods were cheap and money was expensive.
Another reason for the price decrease was that the Qin Dynasty abolished the currencies of the six former states. In order to preserve the value of their wealth, the originally wealthy people of the six states had to sell off large amounts of their possessions and property in exchange for Qin Banliang coins. This made Qin Banliang coins a scarce "commodity" in the market, which in turn led to a significant increase in the purchasing power of Banliang coins.
Of course, Qin Er Shi (the Second Emperor of Qin) also noticed this phenomenon during his reign. In order to increase the currency needed in the market, he urgently minted a lot of low-quality, inferior coins. Compared with the original Qin Banliang coins, the newly minted coins weighed half as much, making them truly light coins. Moreover, these light coins were of equal value to the original ordinary coins, and their forced use was tantamount to a disguised plunder of the people's wealth, thus accelerating the collapse of the Banliang coin's credibility and ultimately hastening the demise of the state.
(This operation is really difficult; it's one thing to print money, but why cut corners as well?)
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Some of you might have noticed that there's a delay when I thank the landmines and nutrient solutions. Yes, that's right, I have a backlog of posts (hands on hips), so there's a delay when I give a one-click thank you for the landmines and nutrient solutions. It's not that I'm not thanking them, lol.
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