Diqin Designer

Chapter 320 The Gift from Daqin

The last few wooden boxes were even more special. One of them contained an oddly shaped object, and another contained many exquisite small cloth bags. Each bag was bulging, obviously filled with something. The material of the bags was the kind of cloth that they thought was very good.

Although Qin is a barbarian country, it has a lot of good things!

The princes and ministers of the Maurya Kingdom thought to themselves that they prided themselves on being knowledgeable, but many of the things that the Qin people brought were things they had never seen before.

But they were a superior country and could not show their ignorance and lose face in front of the Qin people. Instead, they had to pretend to be like, "The things you brought are just so-so. We, the Peacock Kingdom, are the Celestial Empire. What treasures don't we have? They don't interest us at all!"

But when Yao Zhi started to introduce them, everyone listened carefully: "These utensils are made of the precious jade 'Qionglin'. 'Qionglin' ​​is an extremely precious jade in our Great Qin. It is extremely difficult to mine, let alone make it into utensils?"

"This set of jade products is even rarer. In the Qin Empire, only His Majesty the Emperor can produce a complete set, which includes cups, plates, bowls, and dishes... for the king's daily use. But be careful, jade products are fragile and must be handled with care. If they fall to the ground, they will often break and cannot be repaired."

"This is also one of the main reasons why it is difficult to make utensils out of Qilin. Just like its shape and color, it is clean and flawless, without a single flaw or dirt, and naturally cannot tolerate damage."

When giving gifts, what is important is not how valuable the gift is, but that the recipient feels that the gift he receives is valuable.

Anyway, bragging is tax-free, so these glasswares are blown into being rare and unique to the royal family, and it is also said that glass has a noble quality that cannot tolerate flaws, so that they can make them more precious.

After Yao Zhi's words, the way the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom looked at the glassware changed a little, and became more rare.

In their position, what they want is no longer so much practicality, but rather something precious, unique and with special meaning, to give them face and highlight their status, and these jade utensils can do a good job of showing that.

Especially the point that nobleness cannot tolerate any flaws, which touched their hearts, because they are also such people, with pure souls, noble character, and cannot tolerate any flaws.

Just like diamonds and love, are the two really related? No, it is only because some people have linked the two together that more people have equated love with diamonds.

Therefore, the fragility of Qilin utensils is not a disadvantage but an advantage in the eyes of the princes and ministers of the Maurya Kingdom, because it shows the uniqueness of Qilin.

It's a pity that the Qin people didn't bring more. Even if they did, it probably wouldn't be such a complete set. If they wanted it, they probably would have to go to the Qin State to get it.

But this not only did not make them lose interest, but made them want it even more, because the more difficult the process of obtaining it was, the more valuable the item was.

The King of Maurya Kingdom also nodded secretly, thinking that this set of jade utensils was very suitable for him and was what he deserved. He was also a person of noble character who could not tolerate any flaws, so he believed in Jainism and wanted to promote Jainism. Unfortunately, many people could not understand.

Yao Zhi continued to introduce: "This is pottery, made of clay with a special firing method. This pottery is made in imitation of the appearance of our Qin soldiers and chariots..."

Following Yao Zhi's introduction, the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom took a closer look and found that this thing called "pottery" was delicately crafted, with bright and beautiful colors. The chariot seemed real, and the Qin soldiers were lifelike, and even the smiling expressions on their faces could be seen.

But these were the Qin soldiers and chariots. How did they fight? Did they drive these chariots back and forth on the battlefield?

"This is a bronze vessel, made of copper. This is a tripod, which is often used to cook food in our Great Qin, so there is a saying that the bell rings and the tripod is used to cook food. This is the sword given to the king by His Majesty the Emperor, symbolizing the good relations between our Great Qin and your country..."

The sword wasn't anything special, but it was actually used for cooking. Not to mention its unique shape, with three legs, two ears and a round body, it was quite interesting to look at.

Afterwards, Yao Zhi introduced other bronze and jade products in the box, but the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom were not very interested. They also had these things in the Peacock Kingdom, but they were different from those of the Qin people in workmanship and shape.

When it came to the boxes containing cloth, Yao Zhi introduced them, "This is brocade, a precious cloth from our Great Qin, woven from silk."

"Silkworms are small insects with a noble and clean nature. In our Great Qin, there is a saying that goes, 'The phoenix flies from the South Sea to the North Sea. It will not stop unless it finds a Chinese parasol tree, it will not eat unless it finds mulberry fruit, and it will not drink unless it finds sweet spring water.' Silkworms are like the divine bird, the phoenix will not eat unless it finds mulberry leaves. They are very clean."

In preparation for this diplomatic mission, Yao Zhi and others made great efforts to improve their cultural knowledge before coming. Otherwise, how would they explain the culture of the Qin Dynasty to outsiders when they arrived in a foreign country?

"When the silkworms are raised for a certain period of time, they will spin silk and form pupae. The silkworm breeders have to extract the silk from the pupae, and then use many techniques to weave it into brocade. The process is tedious and time-consuming, and brocade is not easy to come by."

"However, brocade is light, soft, and delicate. It does not hurt the skin when worn on the body. It feels refreshing and light. Moreover, brocade can be woven into a variety of colors and patterns. It is a high-quality fabric!"

I knew this fabric was special when I saw it just now, and now that I hear about it, I feel it is even more extraordinary.

To weave cloth with silk produced by small insects that only eat mulberry leaves, how many insects do we have to raise, how much silk do we have to produce, and how many complicated processes do we have to go through before we can turn the silk into the cloth we see today?

After this introduction, the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom had a thought in their minds: This Great Qin Kingdom doesn't sound like a barbarian country, but rather like a very civilized and powerful country...

Would barbaric countries use silkworms to weave brocade and jade to make exquisite utensils? Could it be that they were wrong? Perhaps the Great Qin Kingdom was no worse than their Peacock Kingdom?

A prince looked at the strange "white cloth" in another box and asked, "What kind of cloth is this?"

Yao Zhi shook his head and smiled, "This is not cloth, but 'paper'. 'Paper' did not exist in this world originally. It was invented by Master Li Nian of the Great Qin. 'Paper' is mainly used for writing and recording text. It is very thin and light, and easy to carry and store."

"In my Great Qin, it has been used by hundreds of schools to record their classics so that they can be passed on to the world."

It turns out to be a thing for writing and recording text, just like tree bark and bamboo slips. No wonder it is so white and neatly cut.

However, the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom did not believe Yao Zhi's statement that paper did not exist in the world originally and was made by Master Li Nian. They thought it was obvious that the Qin people were deliberately trying to exaggerate themselves.

The prince who asked the question asked curiously, "Who is Master Li Nian? What is the Hundred Schools?"

Yao Zhi explained, "Master Li Nian is a great sage of our Great Qin. He is a man of great talent and knows everything about astronomy and geography. It was Master Li Nian who proposed our visit to your country as an envoy. Master Li Nian is also your Majesty's son-in-law and is highly valued by your Majesty!" These words made the princes and nobles of the Peacock Kingdom even more curious. Why would these Qin people come to them as envoys, or was it because of that Master Li Nian?
The Peacock Prince who asked the question asked again, "Does Master Li Nian know about our country?"

Yao Zhi nodded and said, "It is said that the young master has traveled to many places and returned to China two years ago. Therefore, he knows all kinds of news and has seen a lot."

The prince then asked, "Since Master Li Nian has visited our country, how come we don't know his talent and his reputation?"

But before Yao Zhi could answer this question, an official from the Peacock Kingdom answered for him: "Perhaps he has never been to our country and learned about our country from somewhere else. Or perhaps he has been there but his reputation is not well known and we have never heard of him."

That's true. Even if Master Li Nian had been to their Peacock Kingdom, they would not have noticed him unless he did anything shocking.

A person who has no reputation in their Peacock Kingdom is treated so highly in the Great Qin Kingdom. It seems that the so-called great sages of the Qin people are just like that.

Yao Zhi added: "'Hundred Schools' refers to the Hundred Schools of Thought. The Hundred Schools of Thought are the wise men and sages of our Qin Dynasty. Their doctrines have been handed down from generation to generation. The Hundred Schools of Thought are the schools of thought that study and spread their doctrines."

"In my Great Qin, there are many philosophers and hundreds of schools of thought. They discuss the science of governing the country and the strategy of making the country strong and secure. There are also talks about self-cultivation and establishing character, and even more about observing the heavens and the earth and observing nature."

I understand. They are wise men like Buddha and Mahavira. But it is impossible for the Qin Kingdom to have so many wise men. It must be a lie made up by the Qin people.

Because their Maurya Kingdom does not have so many wise people, how could Qin, a barbarian country, have so many wise people?
This is the same idea as that of Master Moye, Mayor Tamolidi and others. Because my family doesn't have it, your family can't have it either.

Another prince asked: "The Great Qin State has the 'Hundred Schools of Thought'. Aren't there many religious sects? Will there be no chaos?"

In their understanding, if the "various philosophers" are wise men like Buddha and Mahavira, then the schools established by them are naturally religious sects, and religious sects are meant to absorb and recruit believers. This Qin envoy said that there were many schools of thought in the Qin Kingdom, which means there were many religious sects.

With so many religious sects coexisting together, won’t they compete with each other for believers and territory?
As soon as this question was asked, the eyes of all the princes and ministers fell on Yao Zhi again. Even the King of Peacock Kingdom looked at Yao Zhi meaningfully.

There are many religions in the Maurya Kingdom, and he wants to solve them, but he has not yet decided how to solve them. Now he hears that the Great Qin Kingdom seems to have similar problems, so perhaps he can learn a thing or two from them.

Yao Zhi smiled and said, "You have misunderstood. In our Great Qin, the Hundred Schools of Thought are schools of thought, not religious sects. They are established based on their thoughts and doctrines. The Hundred Schools of Thought often sit together to discuss and exchange ideas with each other."

"Now, under the command of the great emperor, our Great Qin has established a hundred schools of thought in Xianyang. As long as they abide by the laws of the Great Qin, all schools of thought can teach knowledge in this palace and educate the world."

After saying this, Yao Zhi added, "Xianyang is the capital of our Great Qin, just like Huashi City is to your country!"

Upon hearing this, a prince immediately asked, "Which is bigger, Xianyang or my Hua City?"

Yao Zhi understood the prince's intention in asking this question. He wanted to learn from him that Xianyang was not as good as their Hua City, so as to satisfy their vanity.

But Yao Zhi really satisfied the prince. He told the truth: "Of course Huashi City is bigger than Xianyang. I have never seen a city as big as your Huashi City."

Although these words were the truth, they greatly satisfied the vanity of the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom, and the faces they looked at Yao Zhi became more amiable and approachable.

Is there any Gentile who could be more vain and proud than when he praises the strength of his own country?
Yao Zhi said it on purpose and only said half of the words: Your Hua City is big, but it is not as good as Xianyang in many other aspects. Moreover, Xianyang is changing with each passing day, and sooner or later it will surpass your Hua City in scale.

The King of the Peacock Kingdom was somewhat disappointed after hearing Yao Zhi's answer. It was difficult for Qin to apply the methods of the Hundred Schools of Thought to the religions in his country. If a group of people with different doctrines and beliefs were allowed to sit together and discuss, it would probably result in a beating of their brains.

If we force them to gather together, the situation will be like this: What do you believe in? I believe in Buddha, and Buddha guides people to be good and saves all living beings. So what do you believe in?
I believe in the Three Main Gods. Without the Three Main Gods who created the world and all living beings, you are not even a Buddha!

You boy, how dare you slander my Buddha? The three main gods you believe in are all from myths and legends, and you have no idea whether they are true or false. But my Buddha is a real and wise being.

Afterwards, the communication between the two sides turned from language to physical level. Then I heard someone laughing next to me. I turned around and saw that it was a person who did not believe in the Three Main Gods or Buddha, but believed in other gods.

The King of the Maurya Kingdom suppressed his disappointment and asked, "Then there are no disputes or conflicts among the various schools of thought?"

Yao Zhi continued, "Of course there are, but so what if there are disputes and conflicts? Any disputes and conflicts must be subject to the laws of our Great Qin. If anyone dares to violate the law, no matter which one of the 100 families, they will be punished according to the law."

This is another point that cannot be learned. If the laws of the Maurya Kingdom could apply to those sects, he would not be troubled.

The laws are all for ordinary poor people and low castes, and they don't care about Brahmins and religious believers. For example, those Buddhist monks do not engage in production, do not perform labor service, do not pay taxes, and ask believers for donations every day. He has no good way to deal with them.

What's more, Buddhism was promoted and developed by his grandfather Ashoka. If he wanted to change it, he would have to overturn some of the rules set by his grandfather.

The King of the Peacock Kingdom had an idea: It was really easy to be the emperor of the Qin people, much more comfortable than being the king of the Peacock Kingdom for him.

But he changed his mind and thought that Qin was a small and barbaric country, so it would naturally not encounter the problems that a big country like his would encounter. Sometimes a country being too big is also a kind of trouble. This kind of trouble is something that the Qin emperor wants to experience, but cannot.

Seeing that no one asked again, Yao Zhi continued to introduce the object that the princes and ministers of the Maurya Kingdom thought was strange in shape: "This object is called 'Microscope'. As the name suggests, it is a treasure that can see tiny things."

"Just like right now, there are many things around us, but they are so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye..."

Before he finished speaking, a minister from the Peacock Kingdom asked, "Are there tiny things in the water that are invisible to the naked eye?"

Hearing the question asked by this minister, the expressions of the King of Maurya Kingdom and some princes and ministers changed slightly.

(End of this chapter)