Chapter 17: The True Qin Dynasty
Under the expectant gazes of the group, Jiang Ye nodded. “The phones are the treasures we offered the last time we came to the Qin Dynasty.”
He certainly wouldn’t admit that they had been locked in a dungeon and forced to present them.
Our Director Jiang still cared about his dignity.
Upon hearing Jiang Ye’s admission, the others couldn’t help but exclaim repeatedly.
After the outbursts, Jiang Kai excitedly pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Then let’s offer ours too! This iPhone of mine will be the tribute!”
Jiang Ye warned, “If you want to offer them, I won’t stop you. But you must clear the photo albums first! Delete all games and unnecessary apps, only keep the basics like camera, flashlight, calculator, and so on. Remember, this is the ‘immortal device’ to be shown to Emperor Qin Shi Huang!”
Zhao Lei slapped his forehead in frustration. “What a pity, I only have one phone.”
Jiang Kai chuckled mischievously, “I have two. I’ll offer one to the First Emperor. Haha, I’ll be someone who’s given gifts to the First Emperor.”
Fang Gaochang and Li Jun also brought two phones each and were debating which one to offer.
“Why not give this Huawei? It has a better camera,” Li Jun hesitated. “But the iPhone’s flash is brighter.”
Shi Xiaoyu and the others glared fiercely at Jiang Kai, Fang Gaochang, and Li Jun.
From afar, the murmurs of the common folk could be heard continuously:
“The Emperor receiving such a celestial blessing must be heaven’s mandate.”
“I heard those rebels in Chu are frightened out of their wits.”
“Immortals come to pay homage; it shows our great Qin is destined to thrive.”
Listening to these remarks, Jiang Ye pondered.
It seemed Emperor Qin Shi Huang was deliberately publicizing the “immortals offering treasures” episode to consolidate his rule.
The phones, exaggerated by the common people’s tales, had inadvertently become the best political propaganda tool.
“Are you all ready?”
“Yes, yes.”
Jiang Kai and the others handed their phones to Jiang Ye for inspection. “See? We deleted everything clean.”
Jiang Ye gave them an ‘OK’ gesture.
“Let’s go! Line up to enter the city.”
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Jiang Ye distributed the identity badges to everyone, reminding them, “Don’t lose these. Be cautious with your words once inside the city. Don’t let anyone suspect anything.”
The group lined up obediently to enter the city. The nine of them were dressed neatly and looked presentable. With the identity badges intact, they passed the inspection smoothly.
As soon as they entered the city, Fang Gaochang and the others were like visitors from another world, their eyes barely able to take it all in.
“These city walls are made of rammed earth!” Li Jun reached out to touch the mottled walls, his fingers stained with yellow mud. “Those blue brick walls in TV dramas are a lie!”
Shi Xiaoyu pinched her nose, her face scrunched in displeasure. “Why is the road—”
Before she could finish, Li Lin interrupted, “It’s normal. The filming locations for TV dramas are all film studios; they can’t keep dirt roads and have to pave them.”
The main roads were indeed paved with stone slabs, but the side alleys were all dirt paths.
It seemed to have rained recently; deep ruts carved by carts were filled with murky mud. A few barefoot children ran by laughing, splashing mud that stained the patched, worn trousers of others.
“Have you noticed? Their clothes are all dusty,” Shi Xiaoyu whispered, tugging at her brand-new “tourist clothes.” She had been a little disdainful of her outfit but compared to the locals, it was quite fine.
The townsfolk’s garments, although clean, were mostly various shades of brown, with an occasional faded indigo piece that stood out in the crowd.
Wu Xiaoshi stared at an elderly woman’s sleeve. “That one sleeve has at least five patches! This clothing is like a patchwork of scraps.”
Following Wu Xiaoshi’s gaze, the group saw the old woman’s coarse linen sleeve densely covered with mismatched patches sewn with crooked stitches, clearly done by herself.
“This feels real!” Fang Gaochang secretly took out his phone to snap a photo, sighing, “The poor peasants’ costumes in those dramas look like fairy tales compared to this.”
A few vendors squatted by the roadside selling pottery. The bowls and plates were rustic in shape, with clear fingerprints on their surfaces. Li Lin couldn’t help but pick up a clay bowl to examine it. “Purely handmade—how much would this sell for in modern times?”
The eight of them wandered like they were in a museum, fascinated by everything.
If not for Jiang Ye coughing occasionally to remind them, these fools might have blurted out everything they were thinking.
At this moment, the group was gathered around a straw sandal vendor.
The vendor, seeing their dignified air, knew they were wealthy and greeted them warmly.
“Honored guests, are you here to buy straw sandals?” The vendor smiled broadly, holding up a tightly woven pair. “Look at this craftsmanship, guaranteed to last three months!”
Fang Gaochang and the others exchanged glances. Li Jun rubbed his hands and asked, “Director Jiang, can we buy some? These are genuine Qin Dynasty handicrafts!”
They had no money themselves and had to rely on Jiang Ye, who could get them through time.
Jiang Ye whispered, “The exchange rate is one to two. One Qin coin equals two yuan.”
Seeing Jiang Ye really had a way to get Qin coins, they could no longer contain their desire to buy.
The exchange rate wasn’t an issue at all.
“Buy! Absolutely buy!” Jiang Kai shouted excitedly. “I want three pairs! To keep as family heirlooms!”
“I want five pairs!” Shi Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled. “And two pairs for my parents!”
The vendor’s beard almost curled up with delight upon hearing such a big order. “If you buy so many, I’ll give you a discount—three wen per pair, how about that?”
Unexpectedly, the eight all shook their heads in unison.
“No need for a discount!”
“Pay full price!” Fang Gaochang patted his chest. “Whatever it costs, it costs!”
The vendor was stunned; it was the first time he’d seen customers refuse to haggle.
Jiang Ye chuckled silently. Though these fools didn’t know Qin prices, they were afraid of shortchanging the vendor.
Jiang Ye exchanged five hundred yuan from the system, equivalent to 250 Qin coins, and handed the pouch to Fang Gaochang.
“Here’s 250 wen.”
Fang Gaochang took the pouch and told the vendor, “Uncle, don’t do four wen a pair. Let’s make it five wen a pair to make calculations easier.”
He then took out 200 wen from the pouch. “Forty pairs.”
The vendor’s hands trembled as he accepted the heavy copper coins—this was worth a month’s sales of sandals!
“Thank you, thank you, honored guests,” the vendor kept bowing gratefully.
Shi Xiaoyu waved her hand. “No need to thank us! You deserve this.”
The vendor gave the remaining two pairs from his stall to the group, but they refused politely.
In the end, they bought the last two pairs as well.
Jiang Ye watched as they carried the straw sandals and bought a cloth bag from a nearby stall. “Put everything inside. We have to visit an important place later.”