vstars Chapter 8 Planning to Make Money
Chapter 8 Planning to Make Money
Hearing Ying Wuyou's heartfelt words before leaving, the King of Qin felt a warmth in his heart.
The King of Qin had never experienced fatherly love since childhood. While a hostage in Zhao, he suffered countless acts of bullying and humiliation. However, despite these hardships, he had a strong mother to rely on, which instilled in him the belief that he was loved. But upon returning to Qin, everything began to change.
Upon returning to Qin, the King of Qin was forced to confront his brothers, whom he had never met. Their relationship was rife with intrigue and deceit, each vying for power and status. The King of Qin was no exception; he had to learn to survive in this complex environment. Simultaneously, he needed to ingratiate himself with his father and grandmother to gain their support and trust. After much effort, the King of Qin finally ascended the throne, but this did not mean he could let his guard down. On the contrary, he found himself facing an even greater challenge—the court was firmly controlled by his grandmother and other members of the royal family.
The King of Qin realized that to realize his ambitions, he had to break this deadlock. Therefore, he and Lü Buwei began planning a reform, hoping to weaken the power of his grandmother and relatives and establish their own political authority. However, this reform was not without its challenges. The King of Qin not only had to contend with internal opposition but also manage relations with other states. Finally, after years of arduous effort, the King of Qin and Lü Buwei successfully wrested power back from his grandmother and relatives after assuming personal rule.
However, Lü Buwei hindered Qin at every turn, forcing the King of Qin to engage in another years-long struggle with him. Ultimately, the King of Qin forced Lü Buwei to commit suicide, and the Qin regime finally fell completely into the control of King Ying Zheng.
Just as Ying Zheng was preparing to demonstrate his abilities and realize his grand ambition of unifying the six kingdoms, a man named Lao Ai appeared. Because he deeply cherished the love and protection his mother had shown him when he was a child, Ying Zheng always granted her every request. His mother recommended Lao Ai, and he repeatedly gave Lao Ai opportunities for promotion, eventually elevating this illiterate "eunuch" to a high position. However, Lao Ai grew increasingly greedy, even plotting to have his mother poison him so he could seize power.
When he saw his own mother holding out poisoned wine, nervously coaxing him to drink it, Ying Zheng still held onto the idea that his mother was forced into it and wanted to forgive her. However, when he witnessed the scene of Lao Ai and his mother's illicit affair in the palace, King Ying Zheng's heart completely collapsed. In front of his mother, he raised his hand and killed Lao Ai.
But he never imagined that his so-called good mother had secretly fathered two children with Lao Ai, and those children were already grown. It turned out that his mother wanted to poison him so that Lao Ai's two sons could ascend the throne of Qin. How dare she have such a rebellious thought? That was their Ying family's empire, a empire that the Ying descendants had fought and bled for through countless hardships—how could they hand it over to Lao Ai's bastards? Ying Zheng's reason was instantly consumed by rage. In front of his mother, he personally killed his two half-brothers. His mother, like a madwoman, desperately beat Ying Zheng, but he felt no pain. His heart was filled only with endless anguish—the despair of being deceived time and time again, and the sorrow of repeatedly yearning for and being disappointed in his parents' love.
After her mother had cried and beaten herself to exhaustion, she stopped weeping and stared at Ying Zheng with a venomous gaze. She cursed him to a terrible death. Ying Zheng listened to his mother's piercing curses: she cursed that she shouldn't have given birth to him, she cursed that she shouldn't have protected him in Zhao, that she should have let him be beaten to death, that she should have let him starve to death. Every word, every sentence, was like a sharp blade, deeply piercing Ying Zheng's heart. The last shred of warmth in King Ying Zheng's heart was extinguished at this moment. He finally understood that everyone in this world wanted him dead—his father wanted him dead, his grandmother wanted him dead, the people of the six states wanted him dead, even his mother who had always protected him since childhood wanted him dead, and now, even his childhood playmate, Prince Dan of Yan, wanted him dead.
King Ying Zheng of Qin believed that after experiencing his mother's betrayal, he would no longer be swayed by any emotions. He would abandon all feelings and devote himself solely to realizing his grand ambitions and unifying the six kingdoms.
Now, because of a bowl of noodles and a single sentence from Thirteen, his heart was stirred. The King of Qin suppressed the warmth in his heart, transforming himself into a ruthless emperor, and continued reviewing the memorials.
Zhao Gao glanced cautiously at the King of Qin. The King of Qin had been holding the scroll of memorials in his hand for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The King of Qin seemed to be reviewing the memorials seriously, but Zhao Gao knew that the King of Qin was lost in thought. Zhao Gao had only recently discovered this. The King of Qin had never been lost in thought for so long before. When did it start? It seemed to have started after he last saw the Thirteenth Princess.
Zhao Gao didn't know why the King of Qin was suddenly paying so much attention to the Thirteenth Princess, but he still kept an eye on her every move. He learned from a eunuch that the Thirteenth Princess rarely left her palace; the furthest she went was to borrow the small kitchen in the neighboring Lady Wang's courtyard. Otherwise, she had no contact with anyone. Everything seemed normal, but Zhao Gao felt that the Thirteenth Princess had caught the King of Qin's eye, and that the King seemed to be paying extra attention to her.
Just as Zhao Gao was thinking about these things, he heard the King of Qin say, "Go and have the Imperial Attendants select a few batches of fine cloth to send to the Thirteenth Prince. Make several sets of clothes for her, as she is a young girl and her attire is too plain. Also, select a few accessories to send over."
Zhao Gao accepted the order and immediately gave the instructions, while in his mind he raised the status of the Thirteenth Princess even higher.
After returning to his palace, Ying Wuyou felt a little regretful that he hadn't had a proper look at the King of Qin. This was the second time he had been so close to him, but both times he had been overwhelmed by the First Emperor's imposing presence and dared not look directly at his face.
The happiest thing today was receiving two hundred taels of silver. With a little money, Ying Wuyou could finally research more delicious food. She was so tired of eating boiled stews every day. Moreover, if she had the chance to leave the palace, Ying Wuyou decided she needed to establish some businesses outside first; otherwise, without money, her future plans couldn't proceed. Just as Ying Wuyou was planning how to spend the silver, she received an imperial decree.
The imperial edict praised his own filial piety, and along with it came two bolts of cloth, a pair of bracelets, and a pair of hairpins. After Ying Wuyou knelt to express his gratitude, he gave the eunuch who delivered the edict some loose silver, which he had found in a corner while tidying his belongings. The eunuch touched the silver in his hand, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and then offered Ying Wuyou a few more compliments before leaving.
Looking at the wonderful gifts he had received, Ying Wuyou inwardly praised the emperor: "The First Emperor is truly generous! I only sent him a bowl of cold chicken noodles, yet I received so many rewards. He's such a kind person!"
Touching the fabric of the clothes, it was top-quality silk, soft and smooth, with vibrant pink and light green colors—far superior to the inferior silk Ying Wuyou was currently wearing. The pair of bracelets were jade. Ying Wuyou didn't know much about jade, but the cool touch of the bracelets soothed the discomfort caused by the hot weather. The hairpin was gold, but the gold wasn't refined well in that era, so it couldn't compare to pure gold today; however, the intricate patterns and designs were undeniably beautiful.
Ying Wuyou packed up her things and strolled around the courtyard. Before, she couldn't do anything with the courtyard because she was broke, but now that she had money, she wanted to renovate it. After all, she would be living here for many years, and her comfort was the most important thing. Thinking about this, she turned to money again. What would she do if she didn't have any? How could she earn money? What kind of shop should she open?
Clothing, food, housing, and transportation are all essential, but clothing is a different story. The aesthetics of this dynasty differed significantly from those of later generations, and Ying Wuyou wasn't a fashion designer. Furthermore, it involved selecting and dyeing fabrics, weaving, and other industries she knew nothing about. As for food, Ying Wuyou did want to try it, but pork in this era was too gamey and nobody ate it. Beef was essential for agricultural labor, so it was unsuitable. Lamb was too strong-smelling. The first step in making food was to remove the pork's gamey smell, which was simple, but it involved raising pigs. Therefore, if she wanted to open a restaurant, she would have to raise pigs first.
So the first step is to buy a farm and hire people to raise pigs.
After making his plans, Ying Wuyou went back to wash up and go to sleep.