Chapter 35 My Cousin Makes Sense: "You're quite disappointed?"...

"What do you mean by adding another layer of punishment?"

A hand gently shoved Geng'er's head.

Geng'er covered her head and turned around. It turned out that Zhu Shi had returned. She had gone to the General's Mansion to attend the flower viewing banquet this afternoon. As soon as she returned, she heard her son threatening the servants, and she was very angry.

"Mother!" Banban called out, "Mother, you're back!" "This is the eldest princess."

Yang Jiang was the first among the three princesses. Originally the eldest princess, after Ying Zheng ascended the throne, the Xia Dowager's faction made meritorious contributions in suppressing the rebellion. Since she was of Han lineage, she was honored as Princess Yang Jiang.

Although she is a princess with such an imposing presence, Yang Jiang is actually a year younger than Banban, only eleven years old this year.

Zhu knelt down to pay her respects, and Yang Jiang responded solemnly, personally helping her up, saying, "You don't need to be so polite."

Zhu was eloquent, and Yang Jiang finally understood where all her words came from. She almost never let her words fall flat; every word was pleasant and never made anyone uncomfortable.

Such a gentle and kind woman was someone Yang Jiang had rarely encountered. From a young age, she had only experienced deceit and treachery in the palace. She would think three times over if someone said something. How could any palace concubine be as gentle, caring, and sincere as Zhu Shi? She felt uneasy, yet wanted to stay a little longer.

Banban peeked out and pouted: "She really is gentle yet arrogant."

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Zhu was Yang Jiang's mother. She was so obedient that she was unbelievable, like a gourd with its mouth sawed off. Where was her former haughty and prickly demeanor?

On the carriage ride back, Banban was filled with suspicion. "You wouldn't have become friends with me just because you're after my mother, would you?"

Yang Jiang froze. "Are you crazy? This is the first time I've seen your mother!" She was clever and knew what the person opposite her wanted to ask, so she simply took the initiative to explain. "Several years ago, before you returned to Qin with your brother, I already knew of your existence."

"Huh?" Banban was slightly taken aback.

When it came to these secrets, Yang Jiang was incredibly frank, without the slightest attempt to conceal anything. "I truly have no friends in this deep palace, not because they dislike me."

Banban: Cough cough... I do feel like they don't like me much.

"Ever since Father King recognized Empress Dowager Huayang as his mother, Empress Dowager Xia has stopped appearing. She knows she shouldn't have a presence, and this is for Father King's sake."

“In the palace, both Liyang and Yingyue are close to the Chu faction. I cannot deal with them. I must keep my presence low, just like the Han faction. Therefore, I go alone.”

"And your mother?" Banban hesitated.

Xia Bazi was anything but low-key back then; she was always seeking a child and actively vying for favor.

Doesn't this go against the wishes of the Korean group?

"For a concubine, vying for favor is the proper way." Yang Jiang asked this as if she was puzzled. "Generals marching to war and cooks cooking are just doing their jobs. Concubines are naturally the same. What they are vying for is their future and their own destiny."

"Could it be that in your heart, concubines vying for the emperor's favor is wrong, a capital offense?"

"No." Banban shook her head. Her views had been influenced by modern times, and she subconsciously believed that apart from the principal wife, the other concubines were not virtuous, but it didn't seem like a capital offense.

Yang Jiang's two sentences shattered her preconceived notions. At that moment, she subtly lost the distinction between good and evil, leaving only the different women behind the veneer of wives and concubines.

Yang Jiang spoke frankly, “My mother wanted to be queen and had a son, but all of that was shattered on the day King Zhaoxiang asked my grandfather to bring my brother back to Qin. Later, I learned that my brother had a cousin who had gone back to Qin with him.”

"Empress Dowager Xia believes you are a rare commodity. Before she even met you, she said you were the first friend she had chosen for me. Now I can socialize freely without worrying about any taboos."

"That's why I'm curious about you. I know you're a year older than me, and I've wondered what you look like."

Banban got angry, "Then why are you glaring at me! No, I mean rolling your eyes at me!"

Seeing her arrogant question, Yang Jiang also got angry and stammered, "Who told you to stare at this princess the moment you arrived, with no manners at all? And you even smiled ingratiatingly at others. What are you smiling about?"

"I'm new here, am I not even allowed to smile at others?" Who was being so rude? Thinking this, Banban grabbed a soft pillow from the carriage and threw it at her. "You're sick!"

"You're the one who's sick! How dare you hit me!" She quickly threw it back.

"You're sick! You're sick! You're sick!"

"You're the one who's sick! You're the one who's sick! You're the one who's sick!"

The carriage was rattling and clanging, suggesting that the two princesses were fighting.

The driver quickly stopped the carriage, and the palace servants in front and behind rushed over, nervously lifting the curtain. "Princess?"

Two unanimously spoken words struck him like a dagger: "Drive your car!!"

Alright, what fighting? They clearly have a very close relationship.

A quarter of an hour before the curfew, the carriage returned to the Qin Palace. Neither of them spoke to the other, but when it was time to part, Yang Jiang turned her head and said, "Don't oversleep tomorrow, we still have to go to Qiu Chan's villa."

"I know, I care about time more than you do."

Yang Jiang thought to herself, "You're always so late."

Upon asking, it turned out that the King had not yet returned to Zhaoxin Palace and was still in Xianyang Palace. "What important matter is there today? It's getting dark. Has Your Majesty had your dinner?"

“No,” said the eunuch of Zhaoxin Palace, a dignified and mature man in his forties, with a fair complexion, no beard, and kind eyes. “An envoy from Korea brought a gift, and the king is holding a meeting with several ministers in Xianyang Palace.”

"A gift?" Banban frowned slightly.

"It's getting late, why don't you order the meal, Princess?" The eunuch's words were a well-intentioned urging, "It's time for us ministers to have our evening meal as well."

Banban understood his unspoken meaning and thought for a moment, "Alright." She ordered people to prepare, "Who are the ministers? Have the kitchen prepare something they don't mind. It's late at night, and they probably don't know how long the meeting will go on, so they shouldn't eat too much meat and fish."

"Let's have a refreshing bamboo shoot and shredded duck soup. Okra is in season right now, let them have a taste."

"Add two more seasonal dishes; also serve one serving of stir-fried wild mushrooms and diced meat, and steam more milk biscuits. Send some sweet and savory ones to go with it."

"Yes, Your Highness." The eunuch smiled and said, "Your Highness is virtuous and has the demeanor of a mistress."

"This...this shouldn't be said now." Banban quickly dismissed him; it was just a few casual words, utterly meaningless!

However, she was quite pleased with herself for being praised like that. She ate two extra bowls of food at dinner and took Qianyin for a stroll around the palace to digest her food. The moon was high in the sky, but Ying Zheng had not yet appeared outside Taxue Pavilion.

Feeling utterly exhausted and not wanting to wait any longer, I washed up and lay down to rest.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she was already drowsy when someone suddenly came in to report that the king had arrived. She rubbed her eyes but couldn't get up; she just turned over.

The next second, she heard her cousin rush in shouting "Cousin!"

"What is it?" Banban sighed, having no other choice but to get up.

Ying Zheng sat on the edge of the bed and spread out the map cloth in his hand. "I received a great gift today. Take a look."

"What is this?" she muttered, staring intently at the map. "What is this? A long line is marked out." It was as dark as spider silk.

"A ditch?" Banban realized. "Is this a ditch?"

Ying Zheng nodded and first praised her, "My cousin is intelligent."

He then said, "This map was presented by a master of water conservancy from the state of Korea, named Zheng Guo."

Banban was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Building a canal is a good thing! The Qin Dynasty has been suffering from drought for the past two years. My cousin told me that the harvest has been more than 30% less than before. If this canal is built, it will be a great thing for the country and the people!"

"I think so too." Ying Zheng's smile faded slightly. "However, the court officials all believe that Zheng Guo came with treacherous intentions and that this ditch should not be built. The Prime Minister even bluntly stated that this plan is a way to exhaust Qin."

"They say this is not something that can be accomplished in a day, but will take ten years, and that I have just ascended the throne and should not undertake large-scale construction projects. They say that if we exhaust the resources of the Qin state, it may give other countries an opportunity to take advantage of us. That is simply alarmist talk."

By the time he finished speaking, Ying Zheng had become angry, and his expression turned quite gloomy.

Banban asked in confusion, "It takes ten years to build a ditch? But Qin is currently suffering from drought. Without sufficient reserve granaries, we won't have the upper hand in battle, will we?"

Ying Zheng sneered, arrogance emanating from his brows. "Ten years? I think it will be at most three years. With the people of my Great Qin united as one, how can any other country compare?"

Banban nodded repeatedly, beaming with joy, "Cousin, if you want to build ditches, the farmers will definitely be happy and support you. We don't even need the Qin army."

Ying Zheng immediately grasped his cousin's hand, "Cousin is right. When the time comes, I will recruit commoners to build the canal, which will surely be twice as effective!"

Seeing his cousin's joy, Banban got out of bed and took out the saddle drawing he had made that afternoon from the box. "Cousin, look."

"What?" Ying Zheng looked closely. "This is...this is a horse?" He almost blurted out "pig," only realizing it was a horse when he saw the saddle his cousin had drawn.

“Cousin, look here.” Banban pointed to the arched footrests. “I went horseback riding with Yang Jiang today and realized that there was nowhere to put my feet. Riding a horse is already tiring enough, but it would be even more tiring if we were marching or fighting. If we put these on the saddle, we can stand up and fight!”

Ying Zheng frowned subconsciously, unfolded the blueprints and fell into deep thought. Ever since the invention of papermaking, he had never underestimated any of his cousin's ideas, so he carefully accepted the blueprints. "I'll accept them. Order a batch to be made and see how they turn out."

"No need!" Banban said smugly, "I've already ordered the people at Qiuchan's villa to make it. It will be ready tomorrow. Cousin, come with me tomorrow!"

Ying Zheng thought for a while and, finding nothing particularly important to do the next day, nodded in agreement.

"It turns out that my cousin wasn't just looking for fun; she was also dedicated to serving the people."

"I didn't." Banban pinched his arm.

After the two played around for a while, she asked with concern, "How was dinner tonight? Did the officials enjoy it?"

"They all praise you, don't worry." Ying Zheng stroked her hair, not mentioning that there had been some tension at the time, when the eunuch suddenly came in to ask if they wanted the meal served. He said that Princess Chaoyang was thinking of the king and the ministers, and had prepared a meal that suited their tastes.

This action broke the tension, and people began to flatter him. Everyone with eyes knew how Ying Zheng had treated the young lady from the Ji family over the years, so they praised her as exaggeratedly as possible.

"How did you praise me?" Banban pressed, wanting to hear the details.

Ying Zheng chose the most straightforward statement: "It is an honor for the Great Qin to have such a queen."

Banban wanted to be serious and nodded solemnly to show that she understood, but when she saw her cousin's eyes, she couldn't hold back anymore.

She laughed heartily, unable to contain her joy, "I haven't even been the Crown Prince's wife yet, but after I come of age, I'll be the Queen!"

"Are you still quite disappointed?" he asked.

"There are some," Banban agreed wholeheartedly. "It's a pity they were too young at the time."