173: Chapter 173 It's just an apartment!

"This humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty the Paramount Leader!"

Lu Jia bowed respectfully to Zhao Fusu, showing neither servility nor arrogance.

"You may rise, sir."

Zhao Fusu looked at Lu Jia. He was dressed in a set of green robes, the outer garment hanging straight from his shoulders to his ankles, creating smooth lines with a graceful drape.

The clothing style featured a large cross-collar with the right lapel tucked under the left, wide sleeves, a long robe, and a sash, exuding an ancient charm.

The material was silk, not hemp, indicating that Lu Jia's background was not ordinary—he was of noble birth.

He wore a Jinxian Crown on his head, looking spirited and dignified.

The Jinxian Crown was a ceremonial cap worn by civil officials and Confucian Scholars. It was seven inches high in the front, three inches high in the back, and eight inches long. Dukes and Marquises had three ridges; those with a salary of two thousand dan down to doctoral rank had two ridges; and officials and Confucian Scholars below the doctoral rank had one ridge.

The 'ridge' here had a meaning similar to the beams on a house.

These ridges were used to prop up the top of the cap and simultaneously served to distinguish one's status.

In an era that emphasized the rites of zhou, every gesture and step had to be considered for its propriety, and dressing or wearing a hat was no exception.

In the strictly hierarchical old society, attire carried clear class distinctions; it was a symbol used to distinguish between the noble and the lowly, the superior and the inferior.

A woman wearing a bra on the street today might enjoy the attentive gazes of many men. In the old society, wearing the wrong clothes could result in a minor sentence of 'loving service' in prison, or at worst, the opportunity for a 'life reset.'

"So you are Lu Jia?"

"Write something for me to see."

Zhao Fusu tapped on the desk, where brushes and paper were laid out.

"As you command!"

Lu Jia complied.

He knew Zhao Fusu was testing him.

Lu Jia wrote his name on the white paper.

The characters he wrote had rounded, smooth lines, with even spacing, giving a sense of dignity and stability.

The simplified characters for 'Lu Jia' were vastly different from the lesser seal script versions.

Without specifically studying lesser seal script, one truly wouldn't be able to recognize these two characters as 'Lu Jia'.

"Good, good, good."

Zhao Fusu praised.

Calligraphy began to flourish during the Qin Dynasty.

Li Si was a master of calligraphy in the Qin Dynasty.

Zhang Huaijin of the Tang Dynasty once praised Li Si's lesser seal script, saying: 'The strokes are like iron and stone, the characters seem to fly and move,' and 'the strength is balanced and full, the square and round elements are exquisite.'

Later generations regarded the seal script he created as a masterpiece of lesser seal script.

To observe one's writing is to observe the person.

From the way a person writes, one can discern their character.

People with beautiful handwriting often have quiet and steady personalities.

Writing is a very quiet and steady activity.

The ancients loved writing, treating it as a practice for cultivating their inner spirit.

Those with insufficient spiritual cultivation or impatient temperaments would write with a constant urge for speed.

Characters written too quickly are rarely of high quality.

Among the four classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—most ancients who practiced writing aspired to enter officialdom.

The marketplace requires urgency, but the official world requires composure.

Zhao Fusu wanted to see Lu Jia's handwriting because he wanted to see Lu Jia's character traits.

After this test, he saw that he was indeed a man of steady character.

Zhao Fusu said, "From this day forward, you shall remain by my side as a strategist to advise me. If you make contributions in the future, I will surely reward you handsomely."

Lu Jia said joyfully, "It is Ziming's honor to share Your Majesty's burdens and serve the Great Qin. Ziming is willing to do his utmost to assist Your Majesty in achieving great things."

Lu Jia's courtesy name was Ziming.

Now that he had found his lord, he naturally could no longer refer to himself as a 'humble subject' in front of him.

A 'courtesy name' was an alias given to ancients after they reached adulthood—generally at age 20 for men during the capping ceremony and age 15 for women during the hair-pinning ceremony. It was used in social interactions instead of the given name to show respect.

The given name was usually decided by parents within three months of birth, while the 'courtesy name' was taken upon adulthood for use among peers or in society to avoid the impoliteness of calling someone directly by their given name.

It is similar to how modern people use screen names.

After Lu Jia gave his thanks, he stepped to the side.

Zhao Fusu looked at Lu Jia, his heart full of vision for the future of Great Qin.

He knew well that with the help of talents like Lu Jia, Great Qin's development would surely be like a tiger with wings.

Xiao Weizi watched this scene from the side, also feeling delighted.

While making recommendations carried risks...

If the recommended person gained appreciation, it would also bring benefits back to him.

Zhao Fusu held Lu Jia in high regard; he summoned Zhang Han and had him purchase a house in Xianyang for Lu Jia to live in.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Paramount Leader!"

Lu Jia said gratefully.

"It's just a house."

Zhao Fusu patted Lu Jia on the shoulder and promised, "As long as you follow me and do well, what's a single house?"

Lu Jia was somewhat unaccustomed to Zhao Fusu's down-to-earth behavior.

However, Zhao Fusu's words also made Lu Jia's blood boil with excitement, filling him with hope for the future.

After settling Lu Jia, Zhao Fusu had someone bring a kerosene pressure lamp and headed to the manor where the First Emperor resided.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Fusu has arrived."

He Zhi led Zhao Fusu to the courtyard where the First Emperor was farming.

Zhao Fusu saw that the First Emperor had planted many vegetables in the courtyard, including soybeans, white radishes, ginger, green onions, cabbage, mallows, and amaranth.

There was quite a variety.

As the sky began to darken, the First Emperor shouldered his hoe, preparing to finish for the day.

Zhao Fusu did nothing to stop the First Emperor from growing vegetables.

Before Zhao Fusu transmigrated, there was a couple next door to his house who were ninety-one years old and still grew vegetables every day.

The elderly couple's children told them not to farm anymore.

But the old man said that if he didn't grow vegetables, he would have nothing to do at home.

After the old man said one thing, his children stopped objecting.

The old man said, 'The fact that I can grow vegetables shows that I am still able; once I can no longer grow them, even if you ask me to, I won't be able to.'

The children no longer tried to stop them.

For the elderly, growing some vegetables was also a form of exercise.

Similarly, Zhao Fusu did not stop the First Emperor from farming.

Moderate labor would actually improve the First Emperor's health.

"Have you brought that lamp of yours?"

The First Emperor wiped the sweat from his forehead with his long sleeve and asked Zhao Fusu.

"Imperial Father, I have brought it."

As Zhao Fusu spoke, he had someone bring forward the kerosene pressure lamp.

Both He Zhi and the First Emperor looked at this strangely shaped lighting device with curiosity.

They saw the transparent lampshade and the metal casing, and couldn't help but feel quite amazed.

Zhao Fusu explained to the First Emperor how to use the kerosene pressure lamp.

When the kerosene pressure lamp was successfully lit, a bright white light burst forth in an instant.

He Zhi and the First Emperor, who had been staring at the lamp, shielded their eyes with their hands; it was far too dazzling.

"Is it truly this bright!"

The First Emperor's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

This was too bright—it completely eclipsed oil lamps!

"Your Majesty, this lamp is truly a divine object. To be able to be so bright is truly incredible!"

He Zhi's eyes were fixed on the kerosene pressure lamp, his voice trembling slightly from shock.