Qin Shi Huang: Unifying China · chapter 2 of 8
The Merchant Who Bought a Prince
买王子的商人
A rich merchant spots a forgotten prince and makes a bold plan. Years later, the prince's thirteen-year-old son sits on a throne that is far too big for him.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久以前，有一个大商人，名叫吕不韦。这天，他走在赵国邯郸的街上。
Hěn jiǔ yǐqián, yǒu yí gè dà shāngrén, míng jiào Lǚ Bùwéi. Zhè tiān, tā zǒu zài Zhàoguó Hándān de jiē shàng.
Long ago there was a great merchant named Lu Buwei. One day he was walking down a street in Handan, in the state of Zhao.
- Lu Buwei 我卖过盐，卖过玉，也卖过马。可是今天，我看见了最好的“东西”。
Wǒ mài guo yán, mài guo yù, yě mài guo mǎ. Kěshì jīntiān, wǒ kànjiàn le zuì hǎo de “dōngxi”.
I've sold salt, jade and horses. But today I've spotted the best "goods" of all.
- Lu Buwei 那个穿旧衣服的年轻人，看起来很累，可是他是秦国的王子！
Nà ge chuān jiù yīfu de niánqīng rén, kàn qǐlái hěn lèi, kěshì tā shì Qínguó de wángzǐ!
That young man in the old clothes looks very tired, but he is a prince of Qin!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Qin Shi Huang: Unifying China is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Lu Buwei 王子先生！可以请你喝杯茶吗？我请客！
Wángzǐ xiānsheng! Kěyǐ qǐng nǐ hē bēi chá ma? Wǒ qǐngkè!
Mr. Prince! May I invite you for tea? My treat!
- Zichu 你认识我？可是我现在没有钱，也没有朋友，什么都没有。
Nǐ rènshi wǒ? Kěshì wǒ xiànzài méiyǒu qián, yě méiyǒu péngyou, shénme dōu méiyǒu.
You know who I am? But I have no money and no friends now. I have nothing.
- Zichu 我父亲有二十多个儿子，他早就把我忘了，像忘了一只旧鞋。
Wǒ fùqīn yǒu èrshí duō gè érzi, tā zǎo jiù bǎ wǒ wàng le, xiàng wàng le yì zhī jiù xié.
My father has over twenty sons. He forgot me long ago, like a worn-out shoe.
- Lu Buwei 钱我有很多。我想买的，不是别的东西，是你。
Qián wǒ yǒu hěn duō. Wǒ xiǎng mǎi de, bú shì bié de dōngxi, shì nǐ.
I have plenty of money. What I want to buy isn't any old thing. It's you.
- Zichu 买我？我又不是一件东西！
Mǎi wǒ? Wǒ yòu bú shì yí jiàn dōngxi!
Buy me? I'm not a thing!
- Lu Buwei 哈哈，对不起，我说错了。我的意思是，我要帮你做秦国的大王。
Hāha, duìbuqǐ, wǒ shuō cuò le. Wǒ de yìsi shì, wǒ yào bāng nǐ zuò Qínguó de dàwáng.
Ha! Sorry, wrong words. I mean I'll help you become king of Qin.
- Zichu 可是我在这里，就像笼子里的一只鸟，飞不回家。
Kěshì wǒ zài zhèlǐ, jiù xiàng lóngzi lǐ de yì zhī niǎo, fēi bù huí jiā.
But I'm stuck here like a bird in a cage. I can't fly home.
- Lu Buwei 鸟会飞回去的。你父亲最爱的夫人没有儿子，我去和她说，让她收你做儿子。
Niǎo huì fēi huíqù de. Nǐ fùqīn zuì ài de fūrén méiyǒu érzi, wǒ qù hé tā shuō, ràng tā shōu nǐ zuò érzi.
Birds fly home. The wife your father loves most has no son. I'll talk to her and ask her to take you as hers.
- Zichu 你为什么要帮我？你想要什么？
Nǐ wèishénme yào bāng wǒ? Nǐ xiǎng yào shénme?
Why would you help me? What do you want?
- Lu Buwei 好商人会买一样便宜的东西，然后等它变得很贵。
Hǎo shāngrén huì mǎi yí yàng piányi de dōngxi, ránhòu děng tā biàn de hěn guì.
A good merchant buys something cheap, then waits until it becomes very valuable.
- Zichu 我不太懂商人……可是我愿意试一试。
Wǒ bú tài dǒng shāngrén… kěshì wǒ yuànyì shì yi shì.
I don't really understand merchants... but I'm willing to try.
- Lu Buwei 那我们成交了！茶钱，我来付。
Nà wǒmen chéngjiāo le! Chá qián, wǒ lái fù.
Then it's a deal! The tea is on me.
- Narrator 后来，子楚回到了秦国，做了大王。可是他只做了三年，就去世了。
Hòulái, Zǐchǔ huí dào le Qínguó, zuò le dàwáng. Kěshì tā zhǐ zuò le sān nián, jiù qùshì le.
Later, Zichu went home to Qin and became king. But he ruled only three years before he died.
- Narrator 他的儿子嬴政，只有十三岁，就成了秦国的大王。
Tā de érzi Yíng Zhèng, zhǐ yǒu shísān suì, jiù chéng le Qínguó de dàwáng.
His son, Ying Zheng, was only thirteen when he became king of Qin.
- King Zheng 吕先生，这顶王冠好重，像十只鸡那么重！
Lǚ xiānsheng, zhè dǐng wángguān hǎo zhòng, xiàng shí zhī jī nàme zhòng!
Mr. Lu, this crown is so heavy, as heavy as ten chickens!
- Lu Buwei 大王很快就会习惯的。这个位子，本来就是你的。
Dàwáng hěn kuài jiù huì xíguàn de. Zhège wèizi, běnlái jiù shì nǐ de.
You'll get used to it soon, Your Majesty. This seat was always meant to be yours.
- King Zheng 大臣们都看着我，好像我是一只小猫，坐在老虎的椅子上，动也不敢动。
Dàchénmen dōu kànzhe wǒ, hǎoxiàng wǒ shì yì zhī xiǎo māo, zuò zài lǎohǔ de yǐzi shàng, dòng yě bù gǎn dòng.
All the ministers are staring at me, like a kitten sitting in a tiger's chair, too scared to move.
- Lu Buwei 小猫会长大的。以后国家的事，就让我来管。
Xiǎo māo huì zhǎng dà de. Yǐhòu guójiā de shì, jiù ràng wǒ lái guǎn.
Kittens grow up. Until then, let me handle the business of the country.
- King Zheng 你是我父亲的朋友，也像我的第二个父亲。我可以叫你“仲父”吗？
Nǐ shì wǒ fùqīn de péngyou, yě xiàng wǒ de dì èr gè fùqīn. Wǒ kěyǐ jiào nǐ “Zhòngfù” ma?
You were my father's friend, and you're like a second father to me. May I call you "Zhongfu", Second Father?
- Lu Buwei 仲父？哈哈，这个名字，比一箱金子还好听！
Zhòngfù? Hāha, zhège míngzi, bǐ yì xiāng jīnzi hái hǎotīng!
Second Father? Ha! That name sounds better than a chest of gold!
- King Zheng 仲父，我有一个问题。你想让我一直做小孩吗？
Zhòngfù, wǒ yǒu yí gè wèntí. Nǐ xiǎng ràng wǒ yìzhí zuò xiǎohái ma?
Second Father, I have a question. Do you want me to stay a child forever?
- Lu Buwei 大王说笑了。你长得那么快，很快就是大人了。
Dàwáng shuō xiào le. Nǐ zhǎng de nàme kuài, hěn kuài jiù shì dàrén le.
You're joking, Your Majesty. You're growing so fast. You'll be a man soon.
- King Zheng 我知道。我每天晚上，都在数日子。
Wǒ zhīdào. Wǒ měi tiān wǎnshang, dōu zài shǔ rìzi.
I know. Every night, I count the days.
- Lu Buwei 数日子？数什么日子？
Shǔ rìzi? Shǔ shénme rìzi?
Count the days? Which days?
- King Zheng 等我长大的那一天。仲父，你也在数吗？
Děng wǒ zhǎng dà de nà yì tiān. Zhòngfù, nǐ yě zài shǔ ma?
The day I'm grown up. Second Father, are you counting too?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who does Lu Buwei want to help become king?
“我要帮你做秦国的大王”
- Why does Zichu feel like a bird in a cage?
“就像笼子里的一只鸟，飞不回家”
- What does Lu Buwei mean by "buying" Zichu?
“好商人会买一样便宜的东西，然后等它变得很贵”
- How old is Zheng when he becomes king?
“只有十三岁，就成了秦国的大王”
- What does Zheng secretly do every night?
“我每天晚上，都在数日子”