Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 16.16. The Qin King's Treasury
Ji Heng's confidence and joy were visible to the naked eye, and therefore, when Zhou Ju sent someone with the box to go to Lanchi Palace, he was also smiling.

"I wonder if Qin Qing has decided what reward he would like? The king has said there's no need to rush. Today, I'll give you a thousand taels of gold for you to use as you please."

He waved his hand, and a team of eunuchs behind him carried the wooden boxes to Qin Shi one by one, and then opened the boxes.

Under the bright sunlight, the layers of gold cakes in the box are particularly dazzling.

Everyone in Lan Chi Palace took a deep breath at this moment and looked at the box with burning eyes!
Qin Shi also felt that Ji Heng was really straightforward!
This is not a thousand taels of gold. One tael is 20 taels. A thousand taels of gold is a full twenty thousand taels of gold!
What does these 20,000 taels of gold mean?
Nowadays, gold is the upper currency and Qin half-liang is the lower currency.

One tael of gold can be exchanged for 300 Qin half-liang coins, and one dan (hu) of millet can be exchanged for only 30 lower coins!
The Prime Minister Wang Wei was ranked among the Three Dukes, and his monthly salary was 350 hu of millet, which was about 35 taels of gold.

The reward from the King of Qin was equivalent to the prime minister's salary for about fifty years.

This is called Qin Shi, what else can be said?

I'm not afraid of the boss exploiting me, I'm just afraid of the salary not being worth it!

At this moment, she bowed sincerely and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhou Ju also smiled broadly: "As long as Qin Qing likes it, that's good. The king also ordered us to take Qin Qing to the private vault to select treasures. I wonder..."

Qin Shi nodded: "Thank you for your love, Your Majesty. I will go now."

The Qin King's private treasury was in the side hall behind the Xianyang Palace. Because each palace was so grand, there was still a carriage waiting for him when he set out from Lanchi, but he could not ride fast.

Qin Shi felt the speed of the carriage and felt that its efficiency was touching.

Half an hour later, a group of people stood in front of the King of Qin's private treasury.

The private storehouse's gate was constructed of heavy wood and was naturally much smaller than the Xianyang Palace's main gate. Qin Shi looked up and could only estimate its height to be about ten meters. Facing him was a bronze door knocker, about thirty to forty centimeters in diameter.

The guards worked together to push it open, and someone carefully lit a candle. The tall palace was silent, locking away the treasures accumulated by successive Qin kings.

Zhou Ju bowed and invited him in, but Qin Shi did not immediately take a step forward. He just said politely: "This is a treasure related to the country. Please ask the Zhou Mansion to take me out of the way."

"I have a love for beauty, and I only want to look at gold, jade, and jewelry."

"If there's anything new and interesting, that's fine too."

"I don't read anything that's meaningful."

Nowadays, there must be many things with various rare features. Qin Shi agreed to come purely out of his curiosity and did not want to challenge the emperor's bottom line.

She said this, and Zhou Ju smiled and said, "Then Qin Qing, just look at the three halls ahead."

Someone in front opened another door.

Under the illumination of candlelight, the splendor is no longer just an idea, but a reality.

This palace could have been made of gold walls and jade steps, sparkling and dazzling wherever the light hit it. Layers of gold cakes could be seen in boxes on the floor, and on the wall shelves were all kinds of golden chariots, jade horses, pearl hairpins, and jade chariots.

Qin Shi walked slowly, and was now dazzled by the overwhelming gold.

She stood there for a long time before finally letting out a breath. She turned to Zhou Ju and asked, "Can I take anything I like? Is there a limit on the number?"

Zhou Ju slowly shook his head: "The king has decreed: whatever you love can be given to you."

Qin Shi wanted to sigh at this moment, "How can I feel so embarrassed?"
But in the end, she remembered the thousand taels of gold she had obtained. She walked back and forth in the palace, regretting that she had not taken a good photo with her phone. Then she pointed to a box of white, sparkling pearls:
"Is this ok?"

"Making a pearl crown or sewing shoes would be beautiful, right?" There were so many treasures here, but she couldn't be greedy, and it was best not to show any deeper attitude.

Therefore, "love of beauty" is the most appropriate.

It just so happens that she really loves beauty.

Zhou Ju also breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the king's generosity is certainly genuine, if the goddess in front of him is obsessed with money and cannot control herself, it will certainly have some impact on the king's impression.

Now if we only use these, it will be good for you, me and everyone.

Therefore, he also praised: "Qin Qing has a good eye. This is the tribute of Xiangjun, the South Pearl, which was born from the deep sea. It is delicate and solemn, shiny and crystal clear, a rare treasure in the world."

"Just one pearl this big is worth seven or eight taels of gold. If you like it, Qin Qing, you can take the whole box and enjoy it. Otherwise, if the king knew, he would probably laugh at my stinginess."

Qin Shi nodded and accepted it without hesitation.

A eunuch beside him carefully took the box and then followed behind him silently.

The second palace gate was mostly made of white jade. Qin Shi took a fancy to a piece of mutton-fat white jade that was as tall as a person. It was as delicate as oil and more lustrous than fat.

It is as white and smooth as mutton fat.

She marveled at this pinnacle of national resources. Just as Zhou Ju was about to step forward and have someone carry the white jade out, she waved her hand and said, "Is there a smaller jade like this?"

She picked out a piece of white jade about 10cm long and 3cm in diameter. It warmed to the touch and was delicate and smooth, making it really suitable for playing with.

"This one, please. Could you please have a craftsman carve a small seal for me?"

She had always wanted to own a jade seal, but she couldn't bear to spend money on good quality ones, and she looked down on the poor quality ones. Now, through a chance encounter, she easily got such a desired item, which made her very happy.

Zhou Ju saw that her joy was beyond words, and at this moment he didn't know what to say. In the end, he just waved his hand:
"If Qin Qing likes this piece of white jade, feel free to take it. As for hairpins and rings for daily use, if none of the styles in the palace are to your liking, you can have the craftsmen polish them."

He just gave a signal, and people around him took out the green jade, yellow jade and various colors of mutton-fat jade from the side and put them into the box in the same silent way.

Perhaps because Qin Shi had taken so little, he took the initiative to ask, "Gold, jade, and jewelry are only in these two palaces. The third hall at the back is mostly filled with silk, fur, and leather."

"Since Qin Qing doesn't care for expensive state gifts, why don't you spend more time admiring these two palaces? There are also night-shining pearls nearby that were presented as tributes over the centuries. I wonder if Qin Qing would like them?"

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[Night Pearl... Hmm, I'll write about it in the next chapter.]

One yi of gold in the Qin Dynasty was approximately equal to 20 liang (approximately 20 taels). Some data also indicate 24, but we use 20 here.

One liang of gold can be exchanged for 150-360 Qin half liang coins, here we take 300.

[In the Qin Dynasty, one dan was approximately equal to one hu, and one hu was approximately equal to 30.75 kilograms]

During the Qin Dynasty, people mostly knelt and bowed. Kneeling and bowing did occur, but it was not a common practice within the palace. It was often performed during grand ceremonies, sacrifices, and when meeting the emperor.

This is quite different from the Ming and Qing dynasties, when people frequently kowtowed three times and nine times. The heroine rarely kneels, not because she doesn't understand reality, but because of her status.

[Mobile phones and other electronic products will be useful later. I haven’t written about it yet, after all, it’s slow...]

Here I am! How many people are watching this? If you don't want to comment, just give it a like and let me see it. Otherwise, it's like playing a single game every day, so deserted.

(End of this chapter)