The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Lanchi Palace was one of the sleeping palaces of Qin Shihuang, and was named because it was built on the bank of Lanchi.

Qin Shi Huang not only unified the six kingdoms and established a centralized empire, but also reflected his great ambitions in architecture. Lanchi Palace is a concrete expression of his ideal heaven, and also a manifestation of his pursuit of immortality and fantasy of becoming an immortal.

Lanchi Palace is located on the bank of Lanchi, an artificial lake dug by Qin Shihuang to simulate a fairyland. Its water is clear and the surrounding environment is quiet, making it a Feng Shui treasure land. The design of the palace cleverly combines the beauty of nature with humanistic meaning. The high-rise building style makes the palace seem to float on the water, like a legendary fairy island, giving people a sense of transcendence.

The palace has an elaborate internal structure, consisting of a rooftop terrace and an altar for worshipping the earth.

Shangtiantai, as the name suggests, is a place for people to worship gods. On the wide platform of Shangtiantai, there stand majestic statues of gods, standing solemnly, as if guarding the entire Lanchi Palace.

The Altar of Earth is located on the other side of the Lanchi Palace, where the Earth God is worshipped. The Altar of Earth is cleverly designed, with various mythical beasts carved on the altar, symbolizing the majesty and power of the Earth God, reflecting Qin Shihuang's awe and worship of the earth.

"Squeak~~"

The palace door was heavy, and the creaking sound it made when pushed open echoed in the empty hall, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding silence.

"Zhao Gao wants to see you!"

"Announce him to come in!"

"promise!"

Listening to the eunuchs' calls, Yi Huawei walked into the hall. Everywhere he looked, he saw traces of luxury and power. Every exquisite carving revealed the dignity and majesty of this great emperor.

When I stepped into the inner room, I saw the palace maids and eunuchs all over the floor. They were pale and trembling, as if they had just experienced a great panic. There were obvious wrinkles on the front of their clothes, and some of them even had their hair messed up, obviously they didn't have time to tidy it up in a hurry. Their eyes were full of fear, but they tried their best to stay calm.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Yi Huawei's eyes moved away from the pale faces of the palace maids and eunuchs and fell on Qin Shihuang's bed. Although Qin Shihuang closed his eyes on the bed, his majesty as a king still made people dare not breathe. Although the surrounding environment was full of a tense atmosphere, Qin Shihuang's demeanor revealed an unusual calmness.

"Be flat!"

Ying Zheng opened his eyes, looked at Yi Huawei, nodded, and said lightly:
"Zhao Gao, you have done a great job in saving the emperor. What reward do you want?"

It was only because of Yi Huawei's current status that he was able to achieve this feat of saving the emperor. If he had been replaced as an imperial guard, he would have been sent to the execution ground with Gao Jianli.

Because the Qin law stipulated: "Ministers serving in the palace are not allowed to hold weapons; all the doctors holding weapons are to be stationed below the palace, and may not go up without the emperor's order."

This means that ministers were not allowed to carry any weapons when they went to the palace to discuss matters, and the guards could only stand under the palace while carrying weapons on duty. Without the order of the King of Qin, they could not go to the palace without permission. So when Jing Ke assassinated the King of Qin, even if the King of Qin walked around the pillar, no one dared to rescue him in a critical situation.

"Your Majesty is blessed by God. You will be safe even without me. How dare I take credit for it!"

Yi Huawei bowed and smiled.

This is also the reason why Yi Huawei was unwilling to stay with Qin Shihuang for too long. He had to bow and salute at every turn, which made Yi Huawei feel a little uncomfortable. He still had to find an opportunity to leave the palace and do things.

With a smile on his face, Ying Zheng waved his hand and said, "You have done a great job in saving the emperor this time. You deserve a reward. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

"I have been rewarded by Your Majesty in the palace, and I have no worries about food and clothing. I really don't know what I am lacking for the time being."

After a pause, Yi Huawei changed the subject: "…Your Majesty, I really have something I want to ask Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly: "Oh? Tell me about it!"

Yi Huawei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a sister named Lan. She not only has a photographic memory, but also understands the mysteries of mechanical construction. As the saying goes, one should promote the virtuous regardless of relatives. Today, I have the audacity to recommend her to Your Majesty."

"Oh? Is your stepsister really like what you said?"

Ying Zheng turned his head and glanced at Yi Huawei, then frowned:
"…Hmm? Isn't your sister called Xiaoyue? Is she serving Concubine Li now?"

"No, this Xiaoyue... let's not talk about her, she is my other adopted sister."

Yi Huawei explained, "The papermaking technique that I reported before, as well as the three-piece set of saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes, as well as the imperial chair, were all made by my sister, and these things are only a tiny part of what she has learned."

"Oh? Is your stepsister really so smart? By the way, has the horse...three-piece suit been made?"

Patting the armrest, Ying Zheng then remembered the three-piece suit for horses and the hygiene and epidemic prevention manual that Yi Huawei had mentioned to him before.

Yi Huawei nodded and said, "It's not difficult to make these things. A few skilled craftsmen should be able to make samples within two days. There is more than enough time. I have already given the sample drawings to General Meng Tian. According to the date, it should have been made a long time ago. I just don't know why he hasn't responded yet."

"Xuan Mengtian is here to see the emperor. Ask him to bring the samples and go to the Imperial Stables to meet him later."

Ying Zheng waved his hand and gave an order to the eunuch beside him.

"promise!"

The young eunuch took the order and hurried out of the palace.

"If your sister-in-law is really talented, I will definitely reward her generously, and I will not forget your contribution in recommending her. I will reward you accordingly." Ying Zheng nodded slightly, and then changed the subject:

"But you should know the consequences of deceiving me."

"I would never dare to deceive Your Majesty."

Yi Huawei smiled and said, "My adopted sister is outside the palace right now. Your Majesty, just test her. You will know whether she is true or false after testing her."

"Okay! Let her in!"

Ying Ying Zheng also became interested and waved his hand.

"promise!"

Yi Huawei left the hall, said a few words to Xiaolan, and then led her in. Ying Zheng looked up and saw a woman in plain clothes walking in slowly with Zhao Gao. Her steps were elegant and calm. Although she was a little nervous, she revealed a tenacious temperament.

Seeing Xiaolan kneeling down to pay her respects in a proper manner, Ying Zheng nodded:
"Stand up, raise your head and let me see!"

Xiaolan raised her head as she was told. What appeared in front of Ying Zheng was a weathered face, with rough lines but full of strength, and her skin seemed a little rough due to long-term outdoor work. Her eyes were open and she looked at Ying Zheng without fear. Ying Zheng looked at Xiaolan's appearance, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. This woman's appearance was indeed very different from the weak woman he imagined.

This is because Yi Huawei deliberately asked Xiaolan to change her appearance. If Xiaolan's original appearance was maintained, Ying Zheng might fall in love with her, and then... it would be a tragedy, and he would be crushed to death.

However, Ying Zheng did not look down on Xiaolan because of her appearance. Instead, he felt a little curious.

"Zhao Gao, your sister is so... heroic! Ahem~" Ying Zheng felt a little embarrassed, so he coughed twice and turned to look at Xiao Lan: "Zhao Gao said that you have a photographic memory, is this true?"

Xiaolan responded generously: "Your Majesty, Xiaolan's memory is indeed better than that of ordinary people."

How can it be bad? Real scanner.

"Very good! Then I will test you."

Seeing Xiaolan's neither humble nor arrogant attitude, Ying Zheng nodded, picked up a roll of bamboo tube and handed it to Yi Huawei, indicating that he should show it to Xiaolan.

Xiaolan took the bamboo tube, unfolded it, scanned it for a few seconds, put it down, and recited aloud:

"Law of Corvée": "If the imperial court issues a conscription and a person fails to go, he shall be fined two armors. If he fails to go within three to five days, he shall be punished; if he fails to go within six to ten days, he shall be fined one shield; if he fails to go within ten days, he shall be fined one armor. If he is found, he shall go as soon as possible. In case of floods and rains, the conscripts shall be removed. The conscripts shall be sent to build red walls in the town and ordered to build a wall for a year. If the wall is not built and damaged, the Sikong shall be in charge of the red walls and the gentleman who built the wall shall be guilty and ordered to rebuild the wall and not be counted. In the county guarding the forbidden gardens and the public horse and cattle gardens, the conscripts shall be sent to cut the walls, disperse the walls, and repair them, and they shall be treated as garden officials, and the garden officials shall follow their instructions..."

"Not bad... Look at this!"

Ying Zheng watched Xiaolan recite the corvee law word for word, and immediately became interested. He stood up and randomly pulled a bamboo roll from the shelf and handed it to Yi Huawei.

After a while, Xiaolan put down the bamboo tube and recited:
"According to the Law on the Appointment of Officials, the county, the capital, and the twelve counties shall exempt officials and their assistants from the first day of the twelfth month and the exemption shall last for three months. If there is a death or a vacancy, it shall be replaced without any time limit.

...When removing clerks and lieutenants, after removing them, they shall be ordered to take up their duties and then sent away; those who should not be removed but dare to see the matter first shall be heard and left behind, and they shall be punished according to the law. When the treasurer sends someone to see another official, he shall not remove his former official, assistant, or clerk to the new position..."

"Good! The girl really has an excellent memory..."

He took a few more rolls of memorials submitted by the ministers and checked them. The result was naturally that Xiaolan recited them word for word. Ying Zheng was very pleased and clapped his hands and said, "Zhao Gao said that those three-piece horse suits and papermaking were invented by you. Is it true?"

"Your Majesty, it was indeed Xiaolan's casual work."

Xiaolan nodded in acknowledgment, and then took out a thick stack of silk cloth from her sleeve:

"I have loved the art of mechanical devices since I was young, and I have been trying to figure them out whenever I have free time... These are what I have thought about over the years, and I am now presenting them to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty's rule last forever!"

"The country will be forever secure? Great! Hahaha~ The girl is worthy of being Zhao Gao's sworn sister, your loyalty is commendable! ... Zhao Gao, present it!"

Ying Zheng laughed loudly, then waved to Yi Huawei: "Let me see your sister's...work."

"promise!"

Yi Huawei took the silk cloth and presented it to Ying Zheng with both hands.

"Hmm! Nice calligraphy! ... Nice painting!"

When the silk cloth was opened, what he saw first were lines of beautifully written notes in small characters and pleasing pictures. It was a combination of pictures and texts, which made Ying Zheng feel favorable towards it at first sight.

Looking at the annotation above, Ying Zheng frowned slightly: "Wooden thresher?"

The threshing tool of this period was actually just a large wooden barrel, called a "guandou" or "bandou". Its working principle was very simple, that is, to hold the lower end of the mature rice with both hands and hit it hard against the inner wall of the barrel, so that the threshing effect could be achieved. There was also a circle of densely woven bamboo strips around the barrel, so that even if the threshed rice was hit and flew out, it would be blocked by the bamboo strips and fall into the barrel. (We still used similar tools in the 1950s and 1960s)

But most men would not be able to bear the strain if they fall for an hour or so, not to mention that most of the farmers nowadays are women, and the labor intensity is extremely high.

The wooden thresher is made by adding a reinforced shield to prevent grain splashing on the original filling bucket, installing a pair of iron brackets on both sides of the place where the grain is poked, and two rolling gear plates of different sizes are installed on the left and right sides. In the middle, a short curved iron wire for threshing is embedded in the wooden drum, and the gear plates on both sides are driven by pedals. People use the pedals to drive the gears to drive the rotating threshing drum to achieve the purpose of threshing.

To use a thresher, you only need to stand on the thresher pedal and step one foot on a horizontal pedal. The thresher will rotate rapidly, and the threshing efficiency is fast. The labor intensity is greatly reduced. Two laborers, plus three or four children, can harvest more than 3 acres of rice a day.

"Not bad! If it really works, I'll give you a credit! ...Waterwheel?"

Squinting his eyes, Ying Zheng thought for a while, nodded slightly, then turned to the next article. His eyes focused and he immediately began to read it attentively.

The unification of the Qin Dynasty enabled the country to build and maintain large-scale infrastructure. One of the most important projects was water conservancy projects and irrigation technology, such as the Zhengguo Canal, the Lingqu Canal, and the Dujiangyan Canal. However, even if water can be diverted, it still needs to be diverted to the fields again to achieve the goal.

Both irrigation channels and canals have mobilized a large amount of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build. However, most of these channels are distributed in major agricultural areas, and highlands or areas far from irrigation channels and water sources are obviously not taken into account.

During this period, some people also came up with various methods, such as a new method called "pond irrigation". This method is to dig a large pond around the field and then fill the pond with water from the river or stream. When the water level in the pond drops, farmers can use a water pump (simple water pumps such as jacks, scrapers, and windlasses were already available at this time) to pump water into the field for irrigation. However, using such things to draw water is still very ineffective.

Yi Huawei asked Xiaolan to draw two types of water wheels, one of which was the "vertical well water wheel" invented in the Tang Dynasty. As the name suggests, it is a tool that stands on a well and can draw water from the well to irrigate the fields.

A wooden gear is placed at the mouth of the well, and a horizontal gear is connected to the side. Dozens of small wooden buckets are connected and placed outside the vertical wheel, with the lower end in water. The horizontal wheel is rotated by human or animal power, and the vertical wheel rotates accordingly. Water is brought out of the well mouth by the wooden bucket and flows into the ditch beside the well. The empty bucket enters the well again to circulate and draw water.

One type is a waterwheel built on the riverside, with a body height of 10 meters, supported by a 5-meter-long, 0.5-meter-diameter axle with 24 wooden spokes that spread out radially. It consists of a wooden trough, a wooden chain with keel blades, an axle, a wooden frame, a large gear, a water wheel, etc.

The water hits the water wheel, and through the transmission of two large gears, it drives the circulating wooden chain. The top of each spoke is equipped with a scraper and a water bucket. The scraper scrapes the water, and the water bucket is filled with water. The river water rushes in, and the spokes are slowly rotated by the inertia of the water. The water buckets are filled with river water and lifted up step by step. When they reach the top, the water buckets naturally tilt again, injecting water into the aqueduct and flowing into the irrigated farmland.

These two types of waterwheels can be used basically throughout the country. The large waterwheel can irrigate 600 to 700 mu of farmland, while the small waterwheel has an irrigation capacity of at least 300 to 400 mu. This undoubtedly greatly improves the efficiency of agricultural production.

Moreover, using waterwheels for irrigation can not only save a lot of manpower, but also reduce labor intensity. Farmers need to spend a lot of time and energy to irrigate farmland, but with waterwheels, all this becomes simple. At the same time, the operation of waterwheels does not require manpower, so it also saves money to a certain extent.

(End of this chapter)