Bonus chapter for 16,000 nutrient solutions: "I'll make them kneel..."

In the end, the industrious queen was busy until the silver moon was high in the sky.

After the New Year, Ying Zhao and Geng'er remained as close as ever, even closer than before. Geng'er married Li Menghua, and he went early in the morning.

Banban went that day as well, since the bride was someone she had watched grow up, and the groom was her younger brother from the same parents.

The Li family has been riding high these past few years. The eldest son, Li You, married the legitimate princess, and the youngest daughter married the queen's younger brother. Li Si's ties with the Zhao faction have become increasingly tight.

He couldn't stop smiling all day.

Yang Jiang and Banban watched the ceremony together, leaning against the window and observing the lively scene downstairs. For a moment, she was slightly lost in thought.

It wasn't that Banban wanted to observe her, but rather that she herself was too obvious. After thinking for a moment, she pretended to be casual and said, "A few days ago, I heard the King mention Han Fei. Han Fei is wholeheartedly devoted to the common people of Han. His son is still in Han. He probably wants to bring him over, but is afraid that bringing him over will become a handle for the King."

"Wouldn't this concern disappear if we placed it in Korea?"

Yang Jiang rested her cheek on her hand, "Perhaps it's because I'm worried that I've lost my composure."

"What will become of my child without a mother? Your Majesty wishes to bestow a marriage upon Han Fei, so that he may settle down in Qin and serve Qin well. What do you think?"

"The child won't die without its mother, will it? There are so many servants around." Yang Jiang cursed subconsciously, then realized something and unconsciously met Banban's probing gaze. "..."

"Oh? You—"

"I don't!"

The two glared at each other, each speaking faster and more decisively than the other.

"A liar will never get to eat crispy mountain in his/her life."

"...?"

Yang Jiang was at a loss, and a look of frustration appeared on her face. "Do you really favor Han Fei?" Banban asked with a look of doubt.

“I…” Yang Jiang stammered, “I don’t understand either. When he was famous all over the world a few years ago, I heard a lot about his deeds and read all the books he wrote.”

So you're a fan?

"Besides, he and I are cousins, so we are always closer than others. At first, he refused to believe that I was doing well in the Qin Palace. He showed concern for me many times. He was handsome and gentle with me... In short, it was all his fault, not my own idea."

"According to your words, does he look down on you?" Banban was furious and slammed his fist on the table. "He's a widower with a son. His reputation as a prince has been wiped out by the fall of his kingdom. Marrying a princess would be a stroke of good fortune for him. What is he pretending for!"

Upon hearing Banban's words, Yang Jiang burst into tears on the spot, wiping her eyes and shouting, "You say you're not good enough for me, and you won't even speak to me anymore!"

“Then I won’t marry him.” Banban frowned.

Yang Jiang: "I couldn't help it."

"What can't you resist?" Can't resist peeking at him?

Oh dear, that's how feelings of affection are; you can't help it. She used to always steal glances at her cousin.

“I can’t help it—” Yang Jiang touched her neck, a blush rising on her tense face, “I said I wouldn’t get married. If he doesn’t agree to marry me, I’ll go find other servants or actors.”

"???"

Under Banban's astonished gaze, Yang Jiang was incredibly embarrassed, "He was very angry, so..."

"At once?"

“He agreed, and even said he didn’t want to see other people.”

"..."

Does that mean you can just carry him on your back?

Being a princess must be so awesome!

Did she miss something? She became queen after only two years as a princess.

Although I had heard that the people of Qin were simple and open-minded, and that two people who liked each other could do whatever they wanted anywhere as long as they had a place to cover themselves, these were things that only happened between common people.

It turns out that there are rules and etiquette among nobles and royalty, which are not absent, but they are just kept very secret!

"So, who are you two now?"

"There must be something going on between them."

Banban desperately pursed her lips, raising her hand to cover her forehead as if to hide it. Damn it, I managed to choke back my lip. "Mmm..."

No wonder she spoke so harshly, even with a hint of disgust, when mentioning Han Fei's son; she probably hated that the son had ruined her plans.

Banban gossiped for a while longer, having gathered enough information.

It's tough on Han Fei, who's thirty years old, yet he still has to be at Yang Jiang's beck and call. He has to obey her every command if she wants to see him. Sometimes he'd catch musicians and entertainers coming out of her palace, and he'd be furious, but he wouldn't dare to lash out. After all, he was the one who brought up this situation. Yang Jiang initially wanted to marry him, but he didn't want to.

Sometimes he would doubt himself, wondering if he was inadequate, which was why Yang Jiang summoned the actors again.

They had to work hard at night, and during the day they also had to deal with the energetic prince.

Isn't this making things difficult for this quiet, honest man?

Banban was really hard to break down; her kind smile didn't disappear until evening. Ying Zheng asked her what secret she knew.

Is it that obvious?

"obvious."

"Okay, I'll tell you."

The couple huddled together behind the bed curtains and whispered for over an hour. Talking about these secrets, they were no longer sleepy or tired. They were full of energy and couldn't fall asleep until the middle of the night.

Banban told Ying Zheng this secret, which she considered to be very explosive, and proudly put her hands on her hips, saying that if she weren't so capable, he wouldn't have been able to get his hands on this kind of gossip.

Ying Zheng then uttered three or four even more explosive statements, leaving her completely stunned.

It is said that in the past, before the states had declared themselves kingdoms, Duke Xiang of Qi and his younger sister Wen Jiang secretly fell in love and committed incestuous acts. Not long after, they married their respective husbands, and Wen Jiang and her husband Duke Huan of Lu returned to Qi, where their old feelings for each other were rekindled.

Subsequently, Duke Xiang of Qi, fearing that Duke Huan of Lu would harm his sister if he knew the truth, devised a plan to smother her in his carriage.

"It is unprecedented in history for a king to murder the king of another country for love."

"This really can't compare." Banban wanted to eat some melon seeds, but there weren't any available at the moment, so she had someone bring in some roasted chestnuts. "And then? Did the siblings spend every day together after that?" The biggest obstacle was gone.

Ying Zheng shook his head. "Duke Xiang of Qi was so infatuated with his younger sister that his harem was left empty. His concubines harbored resentment over this and conspired with ministers to rebel. One winter, they tricked Duke Xiang of Qi out of the palace to go hunting and killed him during the hunt."

“Wen Jiang is quite a character.” He became more serious when he mentioned her. “Although Wen Jiang is unrestrained, she has an exceptional insight into politics and is extremely adept at navigating social situations.”

The latter is just a metaphor, not a genuine compliment to Wen Jiang's dancing skills.

"She and Duke Zhuang of Lu, the son of Duke Huan of Lu, were of mediocre talent and had to rely on Wen Jiang to govern the country. Before long, Wen Jiang took control of the military and political power of Lu and transformed Lu from a weak country into a military power. She won many victories in the wars between the states. Therefore, she was never despised for her scandalous affairs in Lu. On the contrary, she was given a grand funeral. Duke Zhuang of Lu even granted a general amnesty to show his grief over her death."

Banban sighed and rested her chin on her hand, "Indeed, she is a remarkable person. No matter how frivolous and dissolute she may be in private, they are just insignificant embellishments in her life and cannot affect her achievements."

"Wen Jiang must be an extraordinary and charming woman. I really want to meet her."

"This is a story from the long river of history. You can't see her, but if you have some free time tomorrow, you might find a portrait left behind."

So, she began to look forward to tomorrow.

—The result was that it wasn't found.

There was no paper back then, so how could there be portraits? Even if there were portraits drawn on cloth, how could they have been preserved in the Qin state?

It was just a trick by her cousin to get her to go to bed early!

Banban was sulking, but when she learned that Yang Jiang was doing well and not lonely, she became quite curious and went to visit her every few days.

If we could live together in the Qin Palace for the rest of our lives, that would be pretty good!

After telling her about Wen Jiang's interesting stories, Yang Jiang tried to draw the Wen Jiang in her mind. She was not a beautiful woman with a face that could topple kingdoms, but her eyebrows and eyes were steady and revealed a confident smile. With just a few strokes, she made people believe that she had a strong charm.

“Sometimes, a woman’s charm doesn’t lie in her appearance.” Yang Jiang gently stroked the painting. “Alright, here you go.”

Banban was taken back to Zhaoyang Palace and had it framed for safekeeping. Ying Zheng also came over to take a look.

As the weather gradually warmed up, in May, after Ying Zhao's birthday banquet, the Qin state once again launched an attack on Zhao.

King Qian of Zhao listened to slander and replaced Li Mu, the general at the front line, on the eve of battle. Before returning to Handan, Wang Jian, a general of Qin, reminded Li Mu that the trip might be dangerous and advised him not to return to Zhao, but to leave or go to Qin.

Li Mu and Wang Jian were separated by a river, both clad in armor.

He laughed fearlessly, “I have rendered great service to the State of Zhao. My king will not treat me like this. If I fail once, so be it. Next time, we will surely have another chance to fight on the battlefield.”

Wang Jian sighed and advised, "You know Zhao Qian better than I do. Li Mu, why cling to this shaky hope? Zhao has had two incompetent rulers in a row. You should serve a wise ruler so as not to waste your talents."

Li Mu was silent for a moment, and the smile on his face slowly faded. But after a few breaths, he smiled again and looked at Wang Jian across the river. "I never thought that even now, you would be the one to tell me the truth."

He smiled and said, "Time flies, how many more years do I have left to live?"

"you--"

"If my death can awaken the pedantic Zhao ministers, what harm is there!" Li Mu shouted, his eyes resolute and unwavering.

The sound echoed precisely to Wang Jian's ears. He watched Li Mu's retreating figure and sighed softly.

"Your Majesty, Li Mu was indeed born a man of Zhao and died a soul of Zhao."

But can Zhao Chen really be awakened?

Not long after, news came from the State of Zhao that Zhao Qian had ordered the execution of the traitor Li Mu, and the newly appointed general had arrived at the front lines.

Wang Jian was unable to advance on the defensive line established by Li Mu, and the battle was deadlocked. With Li Mu dead, the morale of the Zhao army collapsed.

Wang Jian and Huan Yi launched a fierce attack from two directions, defeating the Zhao army. One side advanced like a hot knife through butter. The Zhao state was originally mired in famine and lacked military supplies, making it difficult to resist the Qin army. If it weren't for Li Mu, the country would have been destroyed long ago. With Li Mu's death, the last obstacle disappeared.

Guo Kai, fearing the Qin army, actually opened the city gates, allowing the Qin army to drive straight in.

After the fall of Handan, King Qian of Zhao was captured, and the former Crown Prince Zhao Jia led a portion of the Zhao royal family to escape.

Banban was woken up early in the morning by her cousin shaking her, "Banban!"

Rubbing his eyes, he saw Ying Zheng's barely concealed, excited joy: "Our Qin army has utterly defeated Handan! Let's pack up and head back to Handan!"

"Those who have humiliated you and the Empress Dowager, I will make them kneel at your feet and beg for mercy!!"

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Author's note: Here we go.