Bonus chapter for 14,000 nutrient solutions: "Good cousin."...

I appear in your dreams every night.

Just a few words sent a chill down my spine.

I always felt that he meant more than just what he said on the surface.

"What do you want to do in my dream?" She inhaled softly, her fingers gripping his back.

"Let's be husband and wife." He kissed the side of her neck.

Is it a love story between a human and a ghost? He follows you everywhere during the day, and even enters your dreams at night.

"You—" Banban was speechless, angrily biting him, but her body was honest. Perhaps these words, "I'll haunt you even if I have to die," were like cold water, clinging tightly to the surface of her skin. She felt uncomfortable, yet a surge of heat rose within her.

Unconsciously, she rubbed the back of her foot against his leg, the golden bell on her ankle making a soft, trembling sound, 'jingling'.

He was naturally the first to notice her reaction, and deliberately slowed down his pace to arouse her eagerness.

She nuzzled against his neck repeatedly, her face flushed a beautiful rosy blush, and her breathing quickened. Opening her eyes, she saw her fingertips digging into his back. "Me too."

"What?"

"If I die first, I will never leave my cousin, even as a ghost. If you dare to get close to anyone, I will enter your dreams and scare them all away, so that you can only belong to me." She was about to cry, her voice trembling at the end.

He kissed her with satisfaction, murmuring praise, "Good cousin."

On a snowy night, snowflakes fell softly, accumulating to a thickness of half a palm.

The room was so hot it made you sweat, and the soft, whimpering sounds continued for a very long time.

When I woke up, it was already the next day.

Before Banban even opened her eyes, the soreness in her lower back and the burning sensation in her groin hit her first.

She checked it over and smelled a medicinal fragrance, which meant her cousin must have applied medicine for her. There was no broken skin or injury... but it was swollen.

She lay on the bed for a while, then dressed herself.

Cong Yun came in carrying neatly folded new clothes. She was slightly surprised to see that the Queen was awake, and immediately came to the bedside. "Why didn't you call me when the Queen woke up?"

...She was embarrassed.

Banban changed the subject, "Has the snow stopped outside?"

“Stop! The palace servants swept the snow into the grass jars early this morning. I specifically told them not to sweep it all away, in case the Queen wants to play with it?” Cong Yun rambled on. “The Queen loves to play with snow at home.”

"His Highness the Crown Prince got up early to attend his lessons and stayed by your bedside for a while. After I served him his meal, he went to the detached palace."

"Huh?" Banban rubbed her temples. "Am I still half asleep?"

Cong Yun nodded. "You were tired, and His Highness didn't call you. He just rested quietly for a while."

“This child is sensible.” Banban sighed. “He’s so well-behaved, just like the King when he was young.”

When it comes to this, Yun and the Queen share a common opinion.

“Back then, Ah Jiao, who was in the Empress Dowager’s room, had a good relationship with me and told me a few interesting stories about the King’s childhood.” Cong Yun straightened her skirt and spoke wittily, “She said that when the King was four years old, he had just returned to the Ji family and would lie by the Empress Dowager’s bedside every night to watch her. He would not sleep, but he would not disturb the Empress Dowager’s sleep either; he would just lie there quietly.”

Banban was slightly lost in thought. Was her cousin having nightmares back then not because he was being well-behaved?

When she was little, she didn't understand why her cousin was always woken up in fright every night. Sometimes she would even be woken up by the noise, and he would be covered in cold sweat, pale-faced, and clenched his fists.

At these times, she would warmly hug his shoulders, gently pat him with her little hands, and sing him the lullaby that Zhu used to lull her to sleep.

"When I was four years old, I wasn't very familiar with my cousin." Back then, he slept alone and endured countless long nights by himself.

Later, he met her.

The two often slept side by side.

To be honest, Ying Zheng never liked to get close to people.

If he hadn't always been so stubborn, forcing her to follow suit and sing and dance every day, she wouldn't have actively clung to him just to be lazy.

She relentlessly pursued him. He initially resisted and became wary, then acquiesced, and was often speechless at her behavior. Eventually, he quietly took care of her, but this only lasted for a little over six months.

Looking back now, it seems that was the easiest time to get close to my cousin.

For the rest of the long years, he ended up clinging to her instead.

I got up and washed up. The weather was sunny today, and I was in a rare good mood, so I asked Congyun to do my makeup.

As I went outside, I saw a snow-white rabbit on a handrail under the eaves.

Banban paused for a moment, then moved over and bent down to examine him closely.

"This servant thinks it was made by His Majesty." Congyun scratched his head.

Banban recalled the scene from last night when Ying Zheng and Zhao'er sat together in the snow making snowballs. At the time, he hadn't seen what Ying Zheng was busy with. He hurriedly took Zhao'er back, leaving his hands empty.

Is this it?

The snow rabbit is pure white. Although the snow has stopped, the weather is still cold. The snow has frozen into a crystal-clear block. The rabbit's ears are perked up alertly, and the rabbit is looking to the side warily. Its round eyes are also white.

Banban stroked the rabbit's ears and carefully put it back down. At that moment, she hoped that the day would stay cold for a while longer so that her little rabbit could live a long life.

Recalling the past, Banban felt a surge of affection for her husband, and eagerly went to Chengzhang Hall at noon to deliver lunch to her cousin.

Actually, there's no need for her to bring food.

At his command, the kitchen staff immediately brought in a table laden with food.

Meng Wu, Meng Tian, ​​Lord Changping, Wang Wan, Yang Duanhe, Wang Jian, and Li Si were all present.

Wang Jian was quite old, but he was still vigorous. The others were younger, and when they heard that the Queen had arrived, they all stood up to greet her.

Banban hurriedly called for them to rise, saying, "Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise quickly. You are all pillars of the Qin Dynasty."

Ying Zheng agreed, "The Queen is right."

Unexpectedly, there were so many people here. She had only brought two portions of food, and felt a little embarrassed. She asked Congyun to hide the food box, and said to herself, "It's almost noon, so please don't leave. I've ordered the kitchen to prepare some warm food. It's cold in winter, and the journey is long. Leaving would only make you suffer."

The ministers glanced at the King of Qin's expression and, seeing that he had no objections, Wang Jian took the lead in expressing his gratitude, followed closely by the others.

Lord Changping and Li Si kept their eyes downcast and remained silent, their hands tucked into their sleeves. They exchanged a glance, clearly having both noticed the food box carried by the Queen's maid.

The food preparation was quick and the dishes were exquisite; soon, tables were brought out one after another.

The group continued discussing business while eating.

They were discussing when and how to attack the State of Zhao.

Banban knelt beside Ying Zheng, opened the food box and took out the food he had brought, placing it on the table between the two of them.

Ying Zheng paused for a moment, "...At present, Zhao is alert, Wei is passively protecting itself, Chu's attitude is wavering, Qi has long been pro-Qin, and Yan is far to the northeast. It seems that it is best to target Zhao first."

When the State of Chu was mentioned, Lord Changping suddenly raised his head and looked at Ying Zheng.

Banban said in a low voice, "Cousin, I made it myself."

Ying Zheng grasped her hand, indicating that he understood.

Li Si said, "Your Majesty, in the past, King Wuling of Zhao promoted the adoption of nomadic dress and cavalry archery, which enabled the Zhao state to become a powerful nation that could rival the Qin state. At its peak, it could even attack the Xiongnu in the north and resist the Qin state in the west. Famous generals emerged in great numbers, such as Lian Po and Li Mu."

"However, after the Battle of Changping, the State of Zhao quickly declined from its peak. Lord Wu'an lured the enemy deep into his territory, divided and surrounded them, and annihilated the Zhao army. This broke the back of an entire generation of young and strong men in the State of Zhao. The State of Zhao was no longer able to resist Qin. Now, it was only Li Mu who was supporting the precarious situation."

"The terrain of Zhao is an extreme predicament, a land of four battlegrounds. To the west lies Qin, to the south Wei, to the east Qi and Yan, and even to the north the Xiongnu. This kind of multi-front warfare is the most exhausting for our military strength. Unlike my Qin, which has the stable rear of Yiqu, it is already in a precarious situation and not worth fearing!"

If it weren't for Empress Dowager Xuan's scheme to ambush and kill the King of Yiqu, making Yiqu territory the most secure rear area for Qin, Qin would still be experiencing the same predicament as Zhao.

The others nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Yang Duanhe scoffed, “Two years ago, Zhao took the initiative to attack Yan and seized twenty-three cities from Yan. In the name of saving Yan, Your Majesty ordered the General and I to attack Zhao in two separate routes. Didn’t Zhao have to obediently hand over those nine cities to our Great Qin?”

Zhao Yan even personally visited Qin to seek peace during the Spring Festival last year.

"General Yang, you must not underestimate the State of Zhao." Ying Zheng shook his head. "After the Battle of Changping, our Great Qin has launched repeated attacks on the State of Zhao, only to suffer repeated defeats. Is it really true that there is no one in the court who can match Bai Qi?"

Yang Duan was speechless. He really wanted to say that Bai Qi was the God of War, and it was normal for others not to be able to compare. He admired Bai Qi very much. However, he was not bad either. Thinking about it carefully, he did think of some unusual things.

Banban thought to himself, "The Zhao state is still a powerful force, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. We really can't underestimate them."

Wang Jian then spoke up: "The State of Zhao is not to be feared. However, Li Mu is putting up a stubborn resistance. A relentless attack will only intensify the resistance of the people of Zhao, making them more united and cohesive."

If we were to fall into the same stalemate as King Zhaoxiang, it would indeed be unnecessary to launch repeated strong attacks on Zhao without success, which would only result in the needless sacrifice of Qin soldiers. Although casualties are common in military campaigns, how could a general not cherish his soldiers?

Banban said, "The Zheng Guo Canal is nearing completion and will be open to water in less than two months. In that case, we might as well wait and see. Once spring arrives, we can irrigate the fields and this year's harvest will surely double." These are all reserve military rations. "Even if the Zhao state resists fiercely, we will not be afraid to prolong the battle."

The King of Qin was eager to attack the State of Zhao, and was even bursting with excitement, but the Queen dared to call a halt at this moment.

Even Wang Jian subtly suggested that they should make careful plans, without saying that it was not advisable to attack in winter.

Ying Zheng didn't react much, picked up his chopsticks and said, "Never mind, let's eat."

Li Si touched his nose and followed the other ministers in picking up their chopsticks.

At this moment, Qin Ju bowed and entered, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, and Grand Tutor Han is waiting outside the hall."

Li Si put down his chopsticks and immediately peeked outside.

Han Fei and Li Si were from the same school, and while their relationship wasn't exactly close, they were quite familiar with each other.

"Let him in quickly. It's freezing outside. Are you going to make the Crown Prince wait outside?" Ying Zheng said, his face showing displeasure.

Qin Ju quickly slapped his mouth as if to admit his mistake, and went out to greet the Crown Prince.

These officials were no strangers to the Crown Prince. The King of Qin would bring the child to Chengzhang Hall from time to time, so it could be said that they had watched the Crown Prince grow up.

As soon as the little man entered, everyone present unconsciously felt a bit more affection for him and stared at him intently.

Looking at Han Fei again, her loving expression vanished.

"Father and Mother are not home, Zhao'er is all alone." The little guy started blaming people as soon as he came in. "Sir, take me home."

Li Si took a deep breath. That sweet, childlike voice, that charming way of speaking—his chosen prince! Courageous and intelligent, how did Han Fei become his tutor?!

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Author's note: Here we go.