Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 343, Section 342: Wealth Among the People
The crowd was unfamiliar with the bidding process at auctions, and fortunately, Qin Shi was not familiar with it either.

Xin, the middle-ranking official in charge of the auction, had prepared several rules and regulations in advance and handed them over to others. As a powerful and wealthy merchant, he had his own retainers and servants who would take notes.

Now, the sample of emerald green glass has been returned to the stage, standing quietly supported by a rosewood stand, like a unique and precious artifact.

Its deep, emerald-green hue, like a still pool, is truly no less beautiful than pearls and precious gems.

After a brief silence, servants of the Ren family of Yongcheng began to call out the price:

"Thirty thousand, thirty-one thousand shi!"

His actions seemed to connect everyone's minds. But a moment later, someone else shouted out a bid:
"Thirty-two thousand shi!"

A commotion began to rise inside the venue, followed by someone shouting loudly:
"Thirty-five thousand shi!"

The atmosphere gradually heated up, and the bidding became increasingly heated.

The atmosphere of an auction is no different from that of a buying frenzy. When you're really into it, even if you're trying to weigh the price, the continuous bidding creates a sense of urgency.

On the other side, Princess Wen stared in disbelief at the lively scene, then took a deep breath.

Guanzi said, "The way to govern a country is to first enrich the people. Are the people of my Qin state now so wealthy?"

If that's the case, then why can't the court be governed effectively when the father is clearly a capable ruler? And what about all the other matters?

Xinming glanced at her silently.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hu, who was sitting quietly to the side, whispered:

“Sister, these local tyrants, nobles and officials are not the ‘people’ that Guanzi spoke of.”

Wang Ziqian also said in a very casual manner:

"What are you babbling about? I can't understand you. It doesn't matter who holds the wealth; what matters is having enough money, but also having good weapons and soldiers. Otherwise, otherwise wouldn't that be..."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Possessing a treasure is a crime."

"Incredible!" Princess Wen turned to look at him in surprise. "Brother, you've really been reading some books lately? You even remember the words in Zuo Zhuan!" "What?" Now it was Prince Qian's turn to be dumbfounded.

He didn't know where this quote came from, or what Zuo Shi Chunqiu it was. Was it the Zuo Zhuan that he was asked to read before?

He immediately shut his little mouth.

Because he still hasn't memorized the Han Feizi, the even larger Zuo Zhuan has naturally been postponed again and again.

"In short, this is what I overheard when the Queen was discussing matters with others."

He paused for a moment, then said, "The Queen's speech is always simple and easy to understand. If all the authors of books and biographies wrote in this way, why would I have to worry about not being able to remember it?"

"Is that so?" Princess Wen sneered. "Then do you still remember the sentence the Queen asked you to copy in the carriage when we escorted General Yan back to his hometown?"

Prince Qian: ...

He now shoulders some responsibilities and trains daily with the captain, and has gained some courage in front of his elder sister, gritting his teeth and saying defiantly:

"Should we not speak such and such things if we don't know their origin? Words only need to convey meaning."

"If it doesn't work, then fight; if it still doesn't work, then fight again. Once I've defeated the enemy, I'll be a military genius, and any minor oversights in my writing will naturally be corrected by my retainers, who will write books and biographies about me."

The scribe in the corner picked up the pencil made by the queen and wrote with lightning speed, watching Prince Qian in astonishment as he wrote:
Their eldest prince, needless to say, possesses an exceptionally high level of self-confidence.

Princess Wen was momentarily speechless, still fuming, when she heard Xinming cough softly, and then say in a low voice:
“My brother is exceptionally brave. However, wars always require a great deal of money. The money and food that the Queen painstakingly raised for this auction were all used up by my brother in just one battle.”

"If we win, that's fine; we can always collect taxes and grain from the enemy's cities. But what if we lose?"

Several scribes took notes, their pens flying across the paper, sweat gradually forming on their foreheads.

At that moment, the page filled with densely packed small characters was quickly delivered by servants to where the king was.

Just a little bit... but I managed to write it down!