The Influence of Xinling Jun
너 나랑 일 하나 같이 하자
Honestly, until I met Xinling Jun in person, I hadn’t truly grasped how extraordinary she was. The savior of Handan. The honored guest of Zhao. The princess of Wei. One of the Four Lords of the Warring States. The titles attached to her name were all impressive, yet at the end of the day she was an outsider like me. It was remarkable that she had built an independent sphere of influence apart from Zhao’s tangled web of interests, but that also meant she could not interfere in Zhao’s domestic affairs. So I had assumed that no matter how great her reputation, without real power her actual influence could only be limited.
I was wrong. Now that I had met her, I understood. Her influence might not reach the political sphere easily, but for the very customers I wanted to court, it was absolute.
Why did Xinling Jun, who received far less official favor than Lord Pingyuan or Lord Jianxin, attract so many more retainers? I felt the reason the moment I spoke with her. And my trust in her grew in proportion.
She would work.
Beyond her striking appearance, Xinling Jun possessed a natural magnetism that drew people in. She did not treat me like a child; she spoke to me as naturally as to a friend. There was no sense of superiority or age-based authority. It was comfortable. The tension I had felt from her dazzling looks and imposing presence had vanished, replaced entirely by the pleasure of conversation.
When authority was needed, she blazed with fierce charisma. When she wished to embrace someone, she glowed like the steady warmth of a hearth. The cooking metaphor I had used earlier was not idle. Just as the same ingredients could taste dramatically different depending on how they were prepared, Xinling Jun adjusted her manner to suit the person and the moment.
At some point the conversation’s reins had passed to her—not seized, but gently handed over, as if I had chosen to give them. Before long I found myself explaining my plans for the trading company to her the way a junior employee briefs a superior on a project. This was probably not special treatment reserved for me alone. Most of her retainers had likely experienced the same thing and decided to stay.
This was how Xinling Jun managed talent and earned loyalty. With her name behind it, the trading company could not fail.
“Therefore, when we sell the goods, we must publicize the fact that Xinling Jun herself uses them.”
“I use them?”
“Yes. Even if the quality is the same—or slightly inferior—people will want to buy whatever Xinling Jun is said to use. They will do it for the satisfaction of owning something associated with someone they admire.”
The same principle had held in the twenty-first century. Consumers preferred products endorsed by famous celebrities even when comparable goods existed at lower prices. Some fan groups bought them in obsessive quantities. The positive image of the celebrity transferred to the product. Fans became loyal customers out of devotion, whether they needed the item or not. That was why companies spent fortunes on the right spokespeople.
“If Xinling Jun adds a personal comment or an anecdote, people will pay a premium to obtain it. And the knowledge that they must pay extra will only increase demand for direct purchases from the company.”
“People will flock. That leads to greater fame. Greater fame brings more buyers willing to pay premiums, which brings even more customers back to the company… You’re building an upward cycle.”
“Exactly.”
She understood at once. Xinling Jun’s wide circle of acquaintances had given her a quick grasp of implications; a single hint was enough.
“But is it wise to share these sales secrets with me? What if I cut you out and run the company myself?”
If she did, I would lose my investment and be finished—but the damage would fall on both of us.
“I trust that Xinling Jun is wise enough to recognize that would be a mistake.”
There was a form of marketing called viral marketing—spreading a product through indirect rumors rather than direct advertising. It had a fatal weakness: once people learned the rumors had been deliberately manufactured, they turned against the company with real hostility. Even two thousand years earlier, the principle would hold. If Xinling Jun openly ran the company and used these methods herself, unfavorable talk would eventually arise. Far better to leave the operation to an outsider like me and simply collect the profits from the publicity. Why go to the trouble when an easier, cleaner path existed?
Xinling Jun seemed to grasp the vulnerability I had pointed out. With a playful smile she withdrew the question.
“公子, one more thing.”
“Of course. Anything.”
She leaned in, bringing her face close to mine. Eyes the clear blue of the sky looked straight through me. She drew nearer still. Before I could react, the generous warmth of her bosom filled my vision.
She’s going to touch…
Reason told me to pull away. Instinct whispered to stay still. How exhausting these past days had been. Protecting myself was already difficult enough; the added weight of feeding and sheltering my people pressed on me like a compulsion. Especially after cutting ties with my family, the burden had grown heavier. I could never show weakness anywhere. I had to appear unshakable, because everyone was watching me. If I faltered, everything would collapse. I had endured this far only by clinging to the duty of meeting the expectations of those who believed in me.
So for just a moment…
In that brief span that felt like eternity, reason won.
What am I thinking…
I had let my guard down far too easily. I tried to lean back, but something caught me and held me fast.
A hand?
The realization came too late. I was already pulled into Xinling Jun’s embrace.
“Mmph!?”
“You little bundle of good fortune! Why did you only come now? Why didn’t you look for me instead of your brother-in-law from the start, hm?”
“L-Lord Xinling?”
I flailed, unable to process what was happening.
“Part of me wants to keep you here as a retainer, but that would be awkward for you as a prince, wouldn’t it?”
“More importantly, this—”
“For now, business partner it is. That works too.”
While she was lost in thought I slipped free. Truthfully, staying a little longer might not have been so bad, but a faint regret lingered. Before I could protest, Xinling Jun spoke again.
“You came because you knew my funds were running low, didn’t you?”
“…If I said no, it would be a lie.”
Was her financial situation so dire that she reacted this way? I had heard she maintained some independent income through retainers who ran businesses, yet…
“Don’t look so surprised. It wasn’t this bad until recently, but things have grown tighter.”
“Ah. Zhao’s support has decreased.”
“It would be unseemly to demand my share while claiming to help my homeland, wouldn’t it?”
Even with her own revenue streams, feeding three thousand retainers was no small task. Xinling Jun herself had begun eating modestly as her purse strings tightened. Then I had appeared with a scheme to make substantial money—after already proving my ability through currency exchange. She must have sensed immediately that this was worth pursuing.
No matter how renowned Xinling Jun was, living off another state’s charity for years would have been uncomfortable. I knew the sting of that humiliation well. Her position and reputation shielded her more than most, yet the sheer scale of her household made the burden considerable. Understanding that she saw in me a way out of that situation made her warm welcome easier to grasp.
“Still, are you certain? I am protecting a Qin princess. Qin is an enemy not only to Zhao but to Wei as well.”
I deliberately raised the issue she had left untouched. It might seem like stirring up trouble, but I believed it necessary. We were now partners. Large sums would change hands, and trust was required. We could not simply gloss over potential problems with pleasantries.
A shadow of old sorrow crossed Xinling Jun’s face, clouding the brightness that had been there moments before. Her eyes grew distant, as though gazing into the past.
“Is there any state in the world today without debts of gratitude or enmity? Yet to hate a child who has never even set foot on Qin soil simply because one hates Qin… that would be too cruel.”
If anyone had resisted Qin most fiercely, it was Xinling Jun. She had shattered the Qin army’s unbroken advance at Handan and remained one of the two generals Qin truly feared. Even so, she drew the line between debt and enmity with perfect clarity.
“And公子, do you know this?”
Xinling Jun held her hand out before my eyes, palm open.
“Does this hand look as though it is stained only with the blood of Qin people?”