Chapter 190 Young Ying Zheng in the mortal world of Central Plains...

At this time in the Central Plains, it was the 57th year of King Nan of Zhou.

Many people in later generations are unfamiliar with this year, but another year used in parallel with it is much more familiar.

——The 49th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

It was also in this year that Prince Ying Yiren of Qin, with the help of the wealthy merchant Lu Buwei, abandoned his wife and children and fled from the State of Zhao, recognized Lady Huayang as his mother, and transformed himself into the eldest son of Prince Ying Zhu.

The wife and son he abandoned in Zhao State both became famous in later generations. One was notoriously foolish, helping her lover usurp the throne from her own son; the other was renowned for her brilliance and strategy, ending the turmoil of the Warring States Period that lasted for over 200 years and establishing the first truly unified empire.

Fuli and Nezha were sent to the foot of Zhongnan Mountain by the Taoist master. Zhongnan Mountain was the Taoist temple of Yun Zhongzi. He probably calculated something and sent two Taoist boys down the mountain to give each of them two sets of clothes popular in the Central Plains, a bag of Qin coins and a bag of luggage.

The reason why it is the currency of Qin is because Zhong Nanshan is in the territory of Qin.

Since iron was invented by Fu Li, it has become popular in many countries to use iron to cast coins.

However, with the increasing frequency of wars in the mortal world, the iron mined was insufficient even to forge weapons. Many iron coins were confiscated by the state and remelted into weapons. As a result, nations began to revert to the old method of minting coins using copper, which is more brittle than iron.

The most popular coin in Qin today is the Qin Ban Liang (a type of coin), minted during the reign of Duke Xiaogong of Qin under the supervision of Shang Yang, the Great Minister of Coinage. The Qin Ban Liang boasts exquisite designs and generous weight, and merchants from all over the world are eager to accept Qin currency.

After thanking Yun Zhongzi, Fu Li asked the Taoist boy about the current year in the Central Plains. She immediately felt that she really had a destiny and that God was clearly on her side!

When there is no great catastrophe in heaven and earth, is there any way to quickly accumulate merit?

The answer is yes, many people know it, but few can do it.

Unfortunately, that is Fuli's strong point - Fulongting.

After bidding farewell to the two Taoist boys, the couple left Zhongnanshan and stayed overnight in a nearby village.

The laws of the Qin State were strict. One had to have a permit to travel, otherwise he would be arrested and imprisoned.

Fortunately, Yun Zhongzi had lived in Qin for many years and often disguised himself as an ordinary Taoist priest to go down the mountain to cure illnesses and eliminate disasters for the people. He was very familiar with the laws of Qin and there were corresponding documents in the luggage prepared for the couple.

Otherwise, as soon as they entered the village to complain, they would be visited by the Qin officials.

That night, Fu Li told Nezha about her idea of ​​supporting Long Ting, and Nezha had no objection.

"According to what the two boys said, the seven kingdoms in the Central Plains are at war. The Zheng family, who are in power in Shu, have also been unkind to the people. The entire mortal world is in turmoil. Which side are you going to support?"

Fu Li said, "Since we have come to Qin, it means we have a connection with Qin. Why should we go far away?"

Although many years have passed, Fu Li has never forgotten that this is a small world derived from the big world.

In the original world, the Qin Dynasty would end the chaotic times and Qin Shi Huang would unify the world. In this derivative world, unless there is a huge external force to forcibly reverse it, this major world node will not change.

If Fu Li is determined, she can naturally turn the situation around.

But why did she twist it?

History has proven Qin Shi Huang's success. If she supports another person, she cannot guarantee that the other person will have the ability and courage of Qin Shi Huang.

Instead of looking for a needle in a haystack to find someone who could compete with Qin Shihuang, it is better to go directly to the correct answer.

Nezha had no objection to her choice. To some extent, Nezha believed in her ability more than Fuli did.

In Nezha's view, the moment Fu Li decided to support the Qin State, the future glory of the Qin State was already doomed.

The two men rested for the night, and early the next morning, they took two Qin half-liang coins to thank the host.

The laws of Shang Yang of Qin did not allow large families to live together. After children reached adulthood, they would go through the process of getting married, marrying a wife, or marrying into a family. Except for the first child who stayed to support his parents, the rest of the children had to go out and live on their own.

Therefore, there were no extended families in the Qin State.

The family they stayed with had an eldest daughter who was married and supporting her parents. They also had a son and a daughter, so it was considered a large family.

The Qin people were hospitable and after checking their documents, they entertained them warmly and even took down the bacon hanging from the beams.

But when the two of them wanted to pay, the happy atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

The head of the family was a fifty-year-old man. He said with a stern face, "Although our family is poor, we can still afford to provide two meals for our guests. If the guests want to pay, don't set foot in our door again in the future."

From the old man down to the old woman and their daughter and son-in-law, all seemed very unhappy. Although the two children were still young, seeing the adults act like this, they also felt that their behavior of giving money was not right.

Fortunately, Fu Li reacted quickly and changed her words immediately: "Old man, you misunderstood. This money is not for you. I want you to help my wife and I prepare some dry food for our trip."

"Are you serious?" The old man was a shrewd man, so how could he not tell her previous attitude? But as long as Fu Li was willing to change her words, he wouldn't take it too seriously.

Fu Li nodded repeatedly and said seriously, "Of course it's true. My husband and I discussed it last night and decided to go to Zhao State to have a look. If you know where I can find a mule cart for sale, please help me."

The old man's expression softened, and he smiled, "A little dry food, it won't take much effort, and it won't cost that much money. One is enough."

He took a Qin half-liang coin from Fu Li's hand and instructed his son-in-law, "Mr. Ge, take them to the horse market to look at the mules." He then said to Fu Li, "My son-in-law's father is a livestock merchant. He has been influenced by his family since he was a child and will not let you two suffer any loss."

The old man had a sharp eye and had long seen that Fu Li was the one who made the decision among the young couple.

Fu Li thanked him again: "In that case, thank you very much, old man." Then he said to Ge Fu, "Thank you for troubling me, Brother Ge Fu."

Ge Fu laughed and said, "It's just a trivial matter, why bother mentioning it?"

He first asked the two to wait at home while he went out for a while. When he came back, he told them, "Uncle Heishi is going to the market today too. I have already made an appointment with him to go with us in his ox cart."

The village is a long way from the market. If I rely solely on my feet, I will be delayed on the road and won't be able to do anything.

Ge Fu led them to the village entrance, where Uncle Heishi was already waiting with his ox cart. Besides the three of them, there were four or five other people, young and old, men and women, riding in the cart.

Everyone squeezed into the car, and Uncle Heishi shouted, "Hold on tight!" He raised the bamboo whip in his hand, and it made a crisp "crackling" sound in the air.

The ox pulling the cart is an old yellow ox, which is quite human-like. There is no need to whip it at all. It can judge whether to go, stop or turn, and whether to turn left or right based on the position of Uncle Heishi's whip.

The oxcart traveled for a full hour before arriving at the horse market. Ge Fu thanked Uncle Heishi, agreed on a time to return, and waved goodbye to the villagers.

The three of them first went to the horse market to pick out a good mule, and then Ge Fu took them to the market to buy cloth shoes, oilcloth, bedding, umbrellas and other items needed for the long journey.

If he hadn't reminded them, Fu Li and Nezha, who were used to being gods, would never have thought of this.

The two thanked him repeatedly. Fu Li saw someone selling malt sugar at the market, so he bought a pound of it and secretly kept some as a thank you gift when he was about to leave.

It was also after visiting the market that the couple gained an intuitive understanding of the purchasing power of the Qin Banliang.

The mule was only two years old, in its prime, and after some bargaining, Ge Fu was able to get it for three hundred and a half taels. The oilcloth, umbrella, cloth shoes, bedding, and other items he bought at the market all cost him less than ten and a half taels.

It is the pound of malt sugar that is more expensive, costing three Qin half liang.

The bag of money Yun Zhongzi gave them was over two thousand in total. As long as the two of them managed it properly, it would be enough for them to use for a long time.

Fu Li thought about it and simply tore off another piece of cloth, preparing to cut some bamboo poles to make a sail after returning to the village.

Nezha asked curiously, "Why are you doing this?"

Fu Li smiled and said, "We are both disciples of the Xuan Sect. Even if we have lost our magical powers, our divination skills are still better than those of ordinary Taoist priests. The journey is boring, so we can become a pair of wandering Taoist priests. First, we can relieve our boredom and second, we can earn some money."

Nezha smiled: "Sister is really thoughtful and knows how to plan ahead. However, I still have a question."

Fu Li gestured for him to speak, and Nezha asked, "Since you are interested in supporting Qin, why did you go all the way to Zhao?"

If you want to support the Qin State, shouldn't you travel around the Qin State first?

Fu Li smiled and said, "Have you forgotten that a few days ago, Prince Yiren returned to the country, changed his name to Zichu, and was appointed as the Crown Prince by Gongsun Yingzhu?"

Ying Zhu was the eldest son of the Crown Prince of Qin, and Zichu was the future Crown Prince.

Nezha understood immediately: "Sister's target is Zichu's eldest son who stayed in Zhao State?"

"That's right." Fu Li nodded. "Adding icing on the cake is nothing compared to sending timely help."

Although many novels in later generations often portrayed Ying Zheng as extremely aloof, historical records show that he was a man of great emotion and temperament.

So, don't worry about him being suspicious of you if you do him a favor.

After making preparations, the two men formally bid farewell to the old man and his family, and drove the mule cart all the way to Handan, the capital of Zhao State.

After paying the city entrance fee, Fu Li followed the calculated direction, crossed the downtown area, and walked to a rather desolate street.

Those who live here are either impoverished nobles or hostages sent by various countries.

Two years had passed since the Battle of Changping, and the Qin and Qin dynasties had forged a blood feud that had cost the lives of 400,000 people. As the wives of a Qin prince, Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng were in a worse situation than even the most destitute nobles.

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When Fu Li first met Ying Zheng, he was only four years old. It was late autumn, and his clothes were thin, patched, and torn in places.

At that time, he was fighting with someone.

The people of Zhao resented the people of Qin, and the common people did not dare to provoke the nobles, but the nobles of Zhao had no such scruples.

Zichu left, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. The adults didn't want to make things difficult for him, so they secretly instigated their own children to bully the young Ying Zheng.

As befits the Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng was born with a strong will. To put it bluntly, he was a stubborn child from a young age.

Even though he knew he would suffer a loss, as long as he heard someone insulting his mother, he would rush up and fight with that person, and he suffered countless injuries for this.

Seeing three or four children surrounding him and beating him, Nezha couldn't bear it and immediately went to stop them, but was stopped by Fuli.

He looked over in confusion, only to see Fu Li staring at the bruised and battered little Ying Zheng with admiration in her eyes. "I think he'd rather fight back on his own than be rescued by others."

"But he obviously can't win."

"If he can't win this time, he might not be able to win next time." Fu Li's eyes were determined. "What he needs isn't someone to help him fight, but someone to teach him how to win."

Those Zhao people did not dare to really kill or cripple Ying Zheng, because Qin was stronger than Zhao. Even though they bullied the weak and feared the strong, they were still cautious.

Sure enough, seeing that Ying Zheng had a bruised face, an older child who had been watching hurried forward to stop him. The other children spat on him again and walked away laughing.

Little Ying Zheng lay on the ground, staring at the direction they left with a wolf-like gaze, as if he wanted to deeply imprint their appearance in his mind.

A moment later, two pairs of deerskin boots suddenly appeared before his eyes. Little Ying Zheng raised his head warily and was stunned.

——He had never seen such beautiful people. Were they gods who came to save him?