My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

On a sweltering summer afternoon in Xianyang, under a pavilion in the Epang Palace, Ying Zheng was squatting on the ground without any regard for his image, holding a plump and soft "Qin steamed bun" in his hand. He broke it open, put a chopstick of pickled vegetables and two cloves of pickled garlic in the middle, and then took a big bite.

"That feels good."

Ying Zheng chewed on the food, which was full of carbohydrate pleasure, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Ever since Zhao Gao accidentally invented leavened steamed buns, they quickly replaced unleavened flatbreads and millet rice, becoming the new favorite of the Qin royal family and even the army. Soft, easy to digest, and most importantly, filling. For Ying Zheng, who was now extremely concerned about "nourishing his stomach," this was simply a godsend.

"Little G," Ying Zheng thought to himself, "These steamed buns are good, but I feel like something's missing. If only there were some meat and soup on top..."

[Your Majesty, that's an upgraded version of "roujiamo" (Chinese hamburger). However, according to your medical report, your blood lipids are slightly high. We suggest you eat more garlic and less meat.]

[Also, a heads-up: the widespread use of steamed buns means a significant increase in the demand for flour. The stone mills in the Qin Dynasty are currently too inefficient.]

Ying Zheng swallowed the last bite of steamed bun and patted the crumbs off his hands.

"Efficiency? I've already ordered the Mohists to build watermills. The Wei River's water can't just flow; it needs to be used to grind grains for me."

Just then, Li Si and Fu Su arrived side by side.

Neither of them looked well, especially Li Si, whose brows were furrowed, as if the summer was colder than the winter.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects."

"No need for formalities." Ying Zheng picked up a glass of cool water. "On such a hot day, why aren't you in the yamen enjoying the breeze? What are you doing here with me? Is it about that 'Great Qin Infrastructure Group'?"

Fusu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is wise. It is precisely for this matter that the first batch of three thousand convicts have completed their points and, according to the law, should be released and converted into laborers. Your son has already arranged places for them, either to repair the Epang Palace or to build houses for nobles."

"But..." Fusu glanced at Li Si beside him, "The Prime Minister won't issue the 'verification and introduction' documents. The 'verification and introduction' documents are the Qin Dynasty's identity cards and letters of introduction."

In the Qin Dynasty, without a "verification certificate" and a "transmission certificate," one could hardly move an inch. If caught by the government, one would be fined at best, and exiled at worst.

Li Si knelt down with a thud, his face full of bitterness: "Your Majesty! It's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult. It's just... this is against ancestral rules!"

"These three thousand people were criminals yesterday, and today we're letting them roam freely in the streets? They have no land, no permanent property, they're like a swarm of headless flies. If they cause trouble in Xianyang, stealing chickens and dogs, or even... inciting riots, who will bear the responsibility?"

"I believe that even if they are to be released, they should be sent back to their hometowns and made to farm! Only by binding people to the land can the Great Qin be secure!"

This is typical Legalist thinking: emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, restricting population movement. In Li Si's view, a group of strong men running around everywhere was an unstable powder keg.

Fusu grew anxious: "Prime Minister! What can they do if they go back to their hometowns? They've already lost their land! They'll just starve to death if they go back! But in Xianyang, they have skills, they can work, and they can earn money to support themselves. How can this be considered unstable?"

"If you give them food, who would want to cause trouble?"

The two started arguing heatedly again in the pavilion.

Ying Zheng listened quietly, toying with the empty ceramic cup in his hand.

He understood Li Si's fear. The laws of Qin were based on "household registration + land ownership". Now, a group of "landless vagrants" suddenly appeared, which was like throwing sand into a sophisticated machine, making the administrators feel that they were losing control.

However, he also supported Fusu's logic. Industrialization requires a mobile labor force. If everyone is tied to the land, who will build roads for me? Who will mine coal for me?

"Little G," Ying Zheng asked in his mind, "how did you manage these...people who wander around everywhere in your time?"

ID card. Temporary residence permit. Residence permit.

The core logic is: no matter where you are, I can find you. Your credit, your benefits, and your criminal record all follow your identification documents.

[Your Majesty, you could arrange a "Qin Dynasty Green Card."]

Ying Zheng's eyes lit up.

"Shut up, all of you."

Ying Zheng gave a soft shout, interrupting the argument between the two.

"Li Si, I know your concerns. You're afraid you won't be able to control them."

"Fusu, I understand your thoughts. You want them to live."

"If that's the case, then let's change the pipe method."

Ying Zheng took out a wooden plaque from his sleeve; it was the waist plaque Liu Bang had worn when he was the "magistrate of Xianyang".

"Li Si, go back and draft a new set of regulations."

"For those who do not own land but have legitimate jobs in the city, such as bricklaying or cement burning, the government issues them a new certificate."

"I hereby bestow upon it the name: 'Good Citizen Labor Certificate'."

"The holder of this certificate can live, walk, and work in the designated area without having to return to their place of origin."

"However!" Ying Zheng's tone shifted, his eyes turning sharp, "This proves that a 'points system' is being implemented."

"Anyone who dares to steal, fight, or even urinate or defecate in public will have points deducted from their record! Once all points are gone, their credentials will be invalidated, and they'll be sent back to continue building the Great Wall!"

"Furthermore, this certificate must be guaranteed by the employer. If a worker commits a crime and runs away, I will hold the employer accountable!"

Li Si was stunned.

This... isn't this just an upgraded version of the "collective punishment" system? Before, it was neighbors who were punished, now it's the bosses?

Moreover, once this "work permit" is issued, although these people can move around, they are actually still tied to the government by an invisible rope.

"Your Majesty...this plan...is brilliant!" Li Si realized what he meant. "In this way, these vagrants will be right under the noses of the government. Moreover, we can also collect that...certificate processing fee?"

Ying Zheng laughed: "Li Si, you've finally figured it out. Forget about the certificate fee, don't scare people away. But they'll have to pay 'personal income tax' on their wages later."

Fusu also breathed a sigh of relief. Although there was an extra constraint, at least these people could stay.

"On behalf of the three thousand laborers, your son thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

"Go ahead." Ying Zheng waved his hand. "Fusu, your construction team shouldn't just focus on building houses. I've heard that some former nobles from the six states have some shady private jobs, like digging tunnels or building secret rooms. You can take those jobs too."

Fusu was taken aback: "Huh? Accept this?"

A sly glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes: "Accept! Why not accept? Not only should you accept, but you should also... leave me a copy of the blueprints for future reference."

"The houses I want them to live in are no secret to me."

Fusu and Li Si exchanged a glance, both seeing deep awe in each other's eyes.

This is the First Emperor.

The freedom he gives you has boundaries. The job he provides is under surveillance.

He not only wanted to use these laborers to make money off the nobles, but also wanted to find out exactly where the nobles were hiding.

……

After seeing Li Si and Fusu off, Ying Zheng felt another layer of sticky sweat on his body.

"hot."

"This weather is awful, it's even hotter than in previous years."

Ying Zheng tugged at his collar, feeling somewhat irritated. Although he had eaten garlic and done some exercises, the summer heat still made him feel chest tightness.

"Little G, didn't you say there was air conditioning? Why isn't my refrigerator cool?"

[Your Majesty, the ice detector relies on ice to absorb heat, which is too inefficient.]

A real air conditioner needs a compressor and refrigerant, which you can't manufacture right now.

However, there's a simple home remedy that might help cool you down.

[Ice made with saltpeter.]

"Salt water?" Ying Zheng remembered this substance. "The one Zhao Gao used to make gunpowder?"

Yes. Saltpeter absorbs a lot of heat when it dissolves in water. In summer, the water temperature can drop to its freezing point.

[While I can't make air conditioning, I can make... ice cream.]

Ying Zheng swallowed hard.

Ice cream? That sounds so refreshing.

"The throne has been passed to Huhai!"

……

Shaofu, Chemistry Laboratory.

Hu Hai, wearing a gas mask, was squatting on the ground playing with mud. He had recently become fascinated with pottery and was trying to fire a "royal limited edition" tea set.

"Young master! Young master! His Majesty summons you!"

Zhao Gao ran in, his face beaming with joy (as long as he wasn't being bothered, he was beaming with joy).

Hu Hai threw down the mud and ran happily to the pavilion.

"Father! You summoned me? Do you want to see my new teapot?"

"We'll look at the teapot later." Ying Zheng pointed to a basin of water and a bag of white powder on the table. "I heard you've been getting quite close to Zhao Gao lately? Do you know what this is?"

Hu Hai glanced at it: "It's saltpeter. Old Zhao... Magistrate Zhao said this stuff can explode, and told me to stay away from it."

"No bombing today." Ying Zheng smiled mysteriously. "Today, we'll perform a magic trick."

"Pour this powder into the basin of water."

Hu Hai did as he was told. He grabbed a handful of saltpeter and threw it into a large basin of water.

"Stir it up."

Hu Hai picked up a stick and stirred it.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

The once warm basin of water began to condense with a fine layer of water droplets on its outer wall. Hu Hai curiously reached out and touched it.

"Ouch! It's cold! My hands are freezing!"

Hu Hai cried out in alarm.

Ying Zheng gestured to his attendants to place a smaller copper bowl into the large basin. The copper bowl contained cooled boiled water with added sugar and milk.

As more and more saltpeter was added to the basin, the water temperature dropped sharply.

Fifteen minutes later.

The milk and sugar water in the copper bowl slowly solidified, turning into a soft, steaming... shaved ice.

"This...this is freezing in summer?" Hu Hai's eyes widened as if he had witnessed a miracle. "Father! You've become an immortal?"

Ying Zheng smiled slightly, picked up a spoon, scooped out a piece of the white shaved ice, and put it in his mouth.

cold.

It's refreshingly cool.

The coolness slid down my throat into my stomach, instantly dispelling the heat throughout my body. The aroma of milk and the sweetness of sugar exploded on my tongue, bringing an unprecedented sense of pleasure.

"Phew..." Ying Zheng let out a long breath, feeling as if he had come back to life.

"This is called... 'Qin Dynasty Ice Cream'."

Ying Zheng pushed the bowl to Hu Hai.

"Try it."

Hu Hai cautiously took a bite, then his eyes widened and he let out a strange cry: "Wow! It's so delicious! A million times better than that garlic sauce!"

He held the bowl and wolfed down his food.

"Father! This is amazing! I want to eat it every day!"

"Eating this every day is bad for your stomach," Ying Zheng said sternly. "However, this stuff... can be sold."

Hu Hai paused for a moment, milk stains still clinging to his lips: "Sell?"

"right."

Ying Zheng pointed outside the palace.

"The city of Xianyang is as hot as a steamer right now. The little bit of aged ice that those wealthy nobles have in their ice cellars is simply not enough."

"What if we opened a 'Royal Cold Drink Shop' on the commercial street of the Epang Palace...?"

"Selling a cup of this ice cream for two hundred dollars isn't unreasonable, is it?"

Hu Hai's eyes instantly turned into the shape of copper coins. Although he was not short of money, he lacked the thrill of "earning his own pocket money".

"That's not excessive! It's incredibly cheap!" Hu Hai jumped up. "Father! Leave this business to me! I want to become the 'Ice King of Qin'!"

Ying Zheng nodded: "Approved. However, remember to give Zhao Gao a share, since he was the one who refined the saltpeter."

"Also, don't just sell food. You can also package this 'ice-making with saltpeter' method and sell it to large households who want to make their own ice at home."

"A set of ice-making equipment, two basins, and a bag of saltpeter can be sold for five thousand coins."

Tell them that this is the latest technology from the "Academy of Physics," called "physical cooling method."

……

three days later.

Xishi, Xianyang City, Afang Palace Commercial Street.

A cold drink shop called "Snowpiercer" opened. This was a name Hu Hai made up on the spot, because he thought horse-drawn carriages ran fast like trains.

A long line formed at the entrance.

Those nobles, who were usually impeccably dressed, were now sweating profusely, anxiously waiting with the new coins they had exchanged for their "good citizen labor certificates".

"Give me a glass! I want it with raisins!"

"I want the 'Supreme Milk King'! Extra sugar!"

Inside the shop, Hu Hai, dressed in a white chef's uniform, directed several eunuchs to frantically shake the ice-making basin.

"Hurry up! Don't keep the customer waiting! This is all money!"

In a corner outside the store, Liu Bang was squatting on the ground, holding a popsicle he had just bought, licking it and sighing.

"Xiao He, what's wrong with the brains of the royal family?"

"We used to think that being an emperor was like tilling the land with a golden hoe. Now it seems that being an emperor is... finding all sorts of ways to take money out of our pockets, and we still have to happily wait in line."

Xiao He also held an ice pop and ate it elegantly.

"That's called 'creating demand'," Xiao He said, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Your Majesty is not only a politician, but also a top-notch merchant."

"He turned this Qin Dynasty into a huge trading company."

"However..." Xiao He glanced at the workers holding "work permits" who were patrolling not far away.

"As long as everyone has work to do, money to earn, and ice cream to eat, this Great Qin seems to be much more interesting than before."

……

That summer, although Xianyang was scorching hot, there were no riots or plagues as was common in previous years.

Allicin suppressed the germs, the "work permit" stabilized the homeless, and "Da Qin Ice Cream" calmed the anger.

At the foot of Yinshan Mountain, Xiang Yu was looking at the "Overlord Statue" whose foundation had just been laid, drinking chilled plum juice, and was in a great mood.

In the southern jungle, Han Xin and Liu Bang were exchanging toasts with the tribal leaders of Baiyue, using glass beads and artemisia juice.

Under the control of Ying Zheng's somewhat aged but still powerful hands, the Qin machine was emitting a brand new and vibrant roar.