Chapter 43 (End revised) Portrait of a Woman (Two-in-One) "No..."

The days passed peacefully.

Because of the locust plague this year, although there are countermeasures, Banban did not hold a grand birthday celebration this year. She said that people are almost unable to afford food, so how could she be extravagant?

She said it reluctantly, but her heart was sincere.

Ying Zheng ordered someone to weave a dance costume with gold thread. No one knows how it was embroidered. It was clearly made of pure gold, but it was extremely light to the touch and not heavy at all.

The dance costumes shimmered in the winter sunlight, reflecting a mesmerizing glow.

Banban was overjoyed and had her hair styled into a high bun. She put on a dancing costume and danced lightly under the moon. Ying Zheng composed music for her, and the chime bells played a melodious ancient tune under his hands.

“Golden Thread Robe…” Banban casually uttered a name, because it was also embroidered with gold thread.

“This name is not good.” Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, then said, “How about calling it Golden Silk Chasing the Moon?”

My cousin has always had an artistic side. He loves listening to songs and likes to name things he likes based on lyrics and music. Banban knows this, and after thinking about it carefully, she also thinks it sounds very nice. "Very good."

Rather than saying that 'Golden Silk Chasing the Moon' is the name of the dance costume, it would be more accurate to say that these four characters are his description of his wife tonight. He felt that at that moment, she was like a stream of light chasing the moonlight.

The fabric used to make "Golden Silk Chasing the Moon" was named "Xihe Binding".

It is obvious that Xihe cloth is a rare type of cloth that cannot be obtained simply by having money.

The cloth shop owner shook his head at the wealthy gentleman who came to buy cloth, "This guest, you are not from Qin?"

The wealthy man, with a large belly, was indeed not from Qin. "I come from Chu. Shopkeeper, why is the Xihe Fu so expensive?"

Upon hearing that he was from Chu, the shopkeeper couldn't help but look down on him, asking, "Do you know the origin of Xihe's name?"

The wealthy gentleman, of course, had no idea. "This..."

—“Xihe in Xihe Fu is said to be the sun god, so Xihe Fu is naturally a metaphor for the sun being bound, or even, to put it more bluntly, the sun god being bound.”

Who is speaking?

The two turned their heads together and saw a slightly thin man with a short beard, yellowish skin, and a pair of smiling eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, this name was given by the King of Qin?"

"And who are you?" The shopkeeper, displeased with the man's confident and flippant tone, felt he was disrespectful to the King of Qin. "Are you also from Chu?"

“I am indeed a man of Chu,” the man smiled slightly and nodded politely. “I am Li Si, a retainer of the Prime Minister.”

Upon hearing Lü Buwei's name, the shopkeeper immediately dropped his resentment, saying, "So he's from the Prime Minister's residence."

Li Si was unconcerned about the shopkeeper's subtle attitude and explained to the wealthy man from Chu, "This Xihe cloth is made from the raw materials that the King of Qin gave to the Queen as a birthday gift. It is naturally incomparably precious. It is made by twisting molten gold into thin threads, melting white feathers, and then threading them through a needle to embroider the cloth."

"Its high price is due to the fact that the raw material is gold, and it cannot be cleaned normally. It will be damaged if you are not careful, and once damaged, it cannot be easily restored."

The wealthy gentleman was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant, "Is it that gold silk moon-chasing garment?"

Before anyone could admit it, he exclaimed with great emotion, "I've heard a lot about the love between the King of Qin and the Queen of Qin in the State of Chu, but I never imagined that the King of Qin would put in such a deep effort."

It seems there's some truth to the rumors that the Queen of Qin was a demon in disguise...

Li Si saw through the rich man's thoughts and took the initiative to say, "Sometimes, rumors are not necessarily true. Just the saying that the Queen likes to eat locusts is just a countermeasure she came up with with the people's well-being in mind. With this rumor, the people were able to get rid of the locusts more effectively, and the locust plague was eliminated in less than a month."

"The King of Qin and the Queen have been together since they were five years old, and it has been more than ten years since then. Their relationship is naturally very close. It is a good thing that the King of Qin loves the Queen. It is enough to prove that the King of Qin is loyal and righteous and will not mistreat the people."

The wealthy gentleman listened and said, "That makes sense."

"And another thing, the wine-flavored cakes were also our queen's idea. I remember they've already spread to the other vassal states." The shopkeeper curled his lips. "Eating our queen's food and then slandering her reputation behind her back, is this what justice is in the six states? I really can't praise it."

The wealthy man from Chu blushed instantly. "This...this wasn't something I spread!" He flicked his sleeve and walked away.

Li Si, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, leisurely watched the departing wealthy gentleman, and after a long while, shook his head and smiled helplessly.

The shopkeeper began to look at the guest differently based on his few words, but he hadn't forgotten the subtle directness in the man's tone when he spoke of the King of Qin. It was hard to put into words, but he probably wasn't very respectful.

He smiled at him, his tone slightly firm, "You are a retainer of the Prime Minister, and therefore a retainer of my Great Qin. You must be here to make a name for yourself in Great Qin. In that case, you are a Qin citizen."

"A Qin person is one whose body and bones belong entirely to Qin. Only in this way can you make a name for yourself in Qin. What do you think?"

Li Si naturally wouldn't refute this, and nodded in agreement, "The shopkeeper is right, I've learned something."

The shopkeeper tossed the towel over his shoulder, glanced at him, and went into the shop without looking back.

Li Si was often curious about why the Qin people were so cohesive, as if they could never be broken up.

The people's worship and admiration for the King of Qin were ingrained in their very bones. Even though the throne changed hands three times in a short period of time, their love and devotion never wavered.

That's enough.

Li Si advised himself.

Wasn't it precisely because you were swayed by the Qin people that you decided to follow the Qin state?

Just then, a servant came looking for him. "Mr. Li Si, I've finally found you! What are you doing here?"

He discovered that this retainer named Li Si particularly enjoyed strolling around Xianyang City.

"I wonder what important matter the Prime Minister has to discuss?" Li Si asked gently.

"The Prime Minister is going to the palace and says he wants to take you with him."

Upon hearing this, Li Si immediately became serious and hurriedly lowered his head to tidy his clothes.

—He finally had the opportunity to meet the King of Qin.

Despite being busy with the New Year's banquet, Banban didn't feel tired at all. As the year drew to a close, palace affairs became increasingly complicated.

Qian Yin entered from outside, curtsied, and said, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager Huayang has sent someone to invite you, saying that all the members of the Ying clan have entered the palace today and she wishes to bring you along to pay your respects."

Banban was suspicious; would Empress Dowager Huayang really be so kind?

"But when?"

"There's no rush. Let the Queen prepare properly."

Banban pursed her lips. "Then I'll have dinner with the King before I go. You go and tell her."

"Yes." Qian Yin withdrew.

Banban waited for her cousin to dine with her, but after waiting for a long time, he still didn't come out of Xianyang Palace. Banban wanted to eat first, so she sent someone to ask what was going on.

The pale-faced eunuch returned and said that the King of Xianyang was receiving the Prime Minister and his retainers in the palace.

"When did you meet her?" Banban asked, frowning.

It was around 1-3 PM.

"..."

They started talking around 2 PM, and it's already 7:30 PM now, and they're still not done. What's there to talk about?

Do you not eat, and does the King of Qin not eat either?

Banban kept muttering to himself the whole way, his resentment was greater than that of a ghost.

Cong Yun covered her mouth and chuckled to herself. The Queen was concerned about the King's health, but this concern made her confused. Without the King's orders, how dare those people leave first?

Inside the Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng had a pleasant conversation with Lü Buwei and Li Si. He found that Lü Buwei, his retainer, was indeed quite talented, and many of his ideas coincided with his own.

However, they were indeed chatting, discussing the book that Lü Buwei wanted to read. Li Si had traveled extensively throughout the various states, observing and exploring before finally choosing Qin. He had recorded many interesting events that occurred in other states and recounted them to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng was so engrossed in listening that he didn't even notice the time.

Qin Ju strolled in, interrupting the three's conversation, "Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived."

Before he could finish speaking, he immediately saw his cousin's furious face, and his scattered interest instantly returned to his mind. He quickly asked, "What time is it? Why didn't you remind me?"

Qin Ju said with a bitter face, "Servant..."

Look at what you're saying! You're so caught up in the gossip, who dares to remind you? You're asking for trouble!

Li Si was puzzled, but then he saw the King of Qin at the head of the table quickly roll up the manuscripts and bamboo slips on the table and put them under other books, and then spread out a map of the six states.

This behavior... how can you tell if he's acting guilty?

The Queen was almost upon him, and he hurriedly rose and bowed to the Prime Minister, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"Get up."

Li Si flicked his sleeves, stood up, and sat down again.

"I noticed it was getting late, and after inquiring, I learned that Your Majesty and the Prime Minister had not yet had their dinner. I instructed the kitchen to prepare some hot dishes, so please have some."

After saying this, he turned to the side and gestured for the palace servants to bring in the dining table.

The two officials quickly rose and bowed again to express their gratitude.

When Ying Zheng heard his cousin refer to herself as a "concubine," he knew she was indeed somewhat angry.

"Concubine" is a self-deprecating term used by women, not a term used to refer to themselves as concubines. However, over the years, he had never heard his cousin refer to herself as "concubine".

He welcomed her to sit down, saying, "Your Majesty is very kind; I am delighted."

When no one was looking, Banban glared at him and casually flipped through her cousin's desk a couple of times.

Maps, scrolls, bamboo slips—you name it.

Li Si astutely observed that the moment the Queen reached out to overturn the table, the King of Qin stood silently to the side, not uttering a word, but his gaze followed the Queen's hand.

Seemingly finding nothing, the Queen raised her eyes and glanced at the King of Qin, who immediately smiled.

For some reason, Li Si also breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and met the King of Qin's gaze. The King gestured for Li Si to be quiet, and Li Si nodded almost imperceptibly.

Only one map?

Perhaps he's really busy with important matters.

Banban was suspicious, but it was not good to be angry anymore. She took the initiative to pour him some salty milk tea, saying, "This is salty milk tea from the grasslands. It has a unique flavor. Please try it. If you don't like it, we also have porridge and soup."

Li Si hurriedly replied, "Your subject has been curious about this salty milk tea for a long time, and never expected to be able to taste it in the palace."

Once the Queen arrived, the King of Qin did indeed get down to business.

"With the passing of the King of Wei, Crown Prince Zeng of Wei set off to return to Wei yesterday afternoon. What are your thoughts on this?"

After a moment's thought, Lü Buwei said, "Your Majesty, this is undoubtedly a good opportunity for Qin."

Li Si nodded. "To be honest, Lord Xinling, Wei Wuji, has been indulging in alcohol these past two years, so he's really not much of a threat anymore."

"What kind of threat is he?" Ying Zheng's expression was tinged with amusement and disdain. "Back then, he stole the military tally through the hand of the King of Wei's favorite concubine, Ruji, forged an imperial edict to replace the general, and utterly defeated my Qin army, saving Zhao from dire straits."

"People say he has a chivalrous spirit, but in my opinion, his chivalry is actually based on Lady Ruji."

"Afterwards, he fled to the State of Zhao for ten years and dared not return to Wei. No matter how important the military tally was, it was a serious crime for Ruji to assist a foreign minister in stealing the tiger tally. He managed to escape and gain a reputation for chivalry, but Ruji had to die tragically in his place."

Of course, this is from the perspective of the Qin people when looking at these events.

In reality, all the people of the six states praised Lord Xinling and sang praises of Lady Ruji as the embodiment of loyalty and righteousness, describing her as a chivalrous woman who "sacrificed herself to save Zhao".

However, in Ying Zheng's view, Ruji was a victim of political struggle, and the image of "loyalty" and "heroine" was binding her. That history was ultimately in the past, and no one knew what her true thoughts were.

She even sacrificed herself to help Lord Xinling, Wei Wuji, and her story was hidden behind Wei Wuji.

Li Si listened quietly and couldn't help but praise, "Your Majesty's compassion for the weak will surely lead to great achievements."

"This is a good opportunity. I believe that our Great Qin should send troops to attack Wei."

Banban didn't interrupt, and she really couldn't offer any useful opinions. She listened quietly. The dinner lasted for more than half an hour, and Li Si and Lü Buwei withdrew one after the other.

At a time when the Wei kingdom was undergoing a change of throne, the Qin army's attack at this time was tantamount to taking advantage of the enemy's weakness to kill them. However, war is indeed cruel.

Ying Zheng gently propped his temples up. "When King Zhaoxiang returned to Qin to ascend the throne, he was also a hostage. If King Wu of Qin hadn't been too martial and disdainful of literature, and hadn't been killed by lifting a tripod as a show of force, King Zhaoxiang wouldn't have been able to inherit the throne. His death was sudden, and King Zhaoxiang was welcomed back to Qin overnight. The surrounding states were also eyeing Qin covetously, wanting to take advantage of Qin's weakness and destroy it."

Banban rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. "I'm really curious about King Zhaoxiang. I've never met him."

As she spoke, she looked around to make sure that none of the palace servants were inside the hall, and that Xianyang Palace was as secure as an iron fortress, so she said casually, "I have seen his name in history books. Whenever the King of Qin is mentioned, it refers to King Zhaoxiang, and no one else."

Ying Zheng put down his chopsticks. "Oh? The King of Qin is only him? What about me?"

Banban thought to himself, "Didn't you say you weren't curious? Liar."

“My cousin is…” Banban drawled, his curiosity growing, “I won’t tell you.”

Ying Zheng: "?"

"Isn't my cousin supposed to be very smart? He can guess everything. Well then, guess for yourself." Banban snorted softly, moved aside, and took a seat next to him.

"..."

Banban pretended to eat, happily picking out the food he liked. After a while, he turned to look at his cousin, who was actually thinking.

She became curious and asked, "Hey, aren't you curious about what history book I'm talking about?"

“You can tell just by the name,” Ying Zheng said. “What’s so curious about it? It’s just that it’s from a similar period to the Qin bamboo slips from Shuihudi.”

...You could have guessed that.

No, the words "history book" are too interpretive, leaving no room for suspense.

The chronology is indeed very much like a history book, which records almost all of Qin's foreign wars and major events that occurred each year.

Seeing that he still couldn't guess, Banban had a strange feeling that he had finally won a round. His cousin had annexed six kingdoms, so there were no more feudal lords. His cousin was above the king, so how could the king be worthy of him?

Although it is unknown who invented the title of emperor, it has been inherited by dynasties for two thousand years.

But...

Throughout the two thousand years of feudal dynasties, there have been countless emperors, and their posthumous titles often share the same characters, yet no one dared to reuse the character '始' (first).

"Cousin, please beg me, and I'll tell you." But he didn't ask, and Banban was about to burst with pent-up frustration.

"I don't want to know." Ying Zheng said decisively.

"?" You don't want to know?!

Banban grabbed his collar, pleading, "Please, beg me!"

"I don't ask for anything."

"No, we must beg."

"...I don't ask for it!"

The two joked around for a while, but Banban still couldn't get her cousin to change his mind. He was quite proud and refused to beg her. He knew her better; she would eventually lose her temper.

Okay, I won't ask for it.

Banban's cheeks turned red from holding back his anger, and he stood with his hands on his hips, furious.

"Then I won't tell you!"

"Fine, don't tell me then."

Ugh, how can anyone be so infuriating?

Unable to bear it any longer, Banban picked up a book from the table and threw it at him.

Qin Jian rolled to the ground after being hit, and she unfortunately stepped on it, letting out a cry of "Ah!" and falling backward. Ying Zheng reacted quickly, grabbing her waist and pulling her into his arms, "Is this how you bring trouble upon yourself?"

"You're thick-skinned, it won't hurt you." Banban pulled hard on his face.

She didn't fall, but the table, which was crooked, toppled over with a 'bang'.

The stacks of books and scrolls on the table all slid off, and a piece of paper slowly drifted down to Banban's hand.

She peeked out.

Ying Zheng: "...???"

"What's this?"

The paper is a portrait of a woman.

"..." Ying Zheng said quickly, "This was painted by Li Si. He painted it. He was talking to the Prime Minister about interesting things in various countries. He said that there was a woman who was so beautiful that she caused the royal brothers to fight over her, which almost shook the stability of the dynasty."

"Why is Li Si's painting on your cousin's desk? Didn't you see it?" Banban said with a forced smile. "It's even tucked among the books. Perhaps you want to take it out to appreciate it often to relieve boredom, and you can't get enough of looking at it once or twice."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I did take a look."

"Just out of curiosity."

"My cousin came in too fast, I didn't have time to return it to him."

"Keep making things up." Banban stood up and shoved him hard. "You're not allowed to go back to Zhaoyang Palace tonight. I shouldn't have come to Xianyang Palace. I've delayed the King and his ministers from appreciating the beauties."

The queen turned and left, with the King of Qin chasing after her.

The palace servants who had passed by dared not look directly at him and turned away to avoid him.

She arrived at Ganquan Palace in a huff. Ji Changyue hadn't rested yet either. Hearing that the Queen had arrived, she came out of the inner chamber and saw Banban crying and sobbing in front of her.

Ji Changyue hugged her to comfort her and coaxed her to ask what had happened.

Inside the room, a maidservant presented new clothes, which a man calmly and slowly put on. From here, he could hear the conversations outside clearly. He asked, "Has His Majesty and Queen arrived?"

The maid nodded, "You'd better not go out."

“I know.” The man put on the eunuch’s robes. “I will wait for the Empress Dowager here.” There was a bloodstain on his face that ran from his jaw to his temple. It was somewhat frightening, but it did not detract from his appearance. On the contrary, the scar made him look more masculine.

As he listened, he understood.

The young queen was crying and sobbing, as if she was blaming the King of Qin for secretly hiding portraits of other women from her. She was extremely jealous and being very unreasonable.

It turned out that the King of Qin had reverted to his youthful appearance when arguing with his wife, and he wanted Li Si to come back for a face-to-face confrontation.

"That would make my cousin lose face!"

"I really just pressed it casually, I'm worried my cousin will be jealous if she sees it."

"Then why did you lie to me! You pretended to cover it up with a map, but you just chatted with them all afternoon, making me wait for you for so long, and I was starving. In the end, you were looking at portraits of beauties."

"..."

"I won't do it again next time." Lao Ai was slightly surprised that the King of Qin would say this, and couldn't help but peek through the semi-transparent screen.

What's the difference between saying that and me saying I won't do it again next time?

It turns out he really did love the Queen; it wasn't just a pretense.

Lao Ai pondered it carefully.

He didn't die; he had been staying in Ganquan Palace for some time. Lü Buwei helped him fake his death and escape, allowing him to re-enter the palace under a different identity as a lowly eunuch serving the Empress Dowager. During the day, he would apply powder to cover his face and speak in a high-pitched voice, so outsiders couldn't tell that he wasn't a eunuch.

In the outer hall, Ji Changyue scolded Ying Zheng with a stern face, "The most taboo thing between husband and wife is lying. You should never deceive Banban under any circumstances, and you are not allowed to use the name of doing what is good for her to do deceitful things."

Ying Zheng felt extremely embarrassed, his face tense. "Zheng'er understands." He was so old and still being scolded by his mother. He couldn't save face, but he also knew that his mother was right.

Banban snorted. She has powerful backers!

"Your mother has already scolded him for you, so don't be angry." Ji Changyue smiled and patted Banban's head. "How could I not know Zheng'er? He's afraid you'll be angry because he cares about you."

"I know," Banban whispered, "I did it on purpose." Only her aunt heard this.

Ji Changyue was surprised and pinched Banban's little face, "You child."

"I'm going to stay a little longer," Banban said loudly on purpose, and plopped down on the small couch.

Ying Zheng could tell she was doing it on purpose; his face clearly showed it. He first apologized to Ji Changyue, "I'm sorry for disturbing Mother's rest. It was my fault."

"Mother has not been out and about these past few days. Is she feeling unwell?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Ji Changyue felt a warmth in her heart and gently straightened her son's clothes. "I understand what Banban said. You must continue to eat as usual. Don't do this. You are still young and need to take good care of your health so that you can do more for the Great Qin in the future."

"Alright." How could Ying Zheng disagree? He felt quite guilty.

When he got to his cousin's side, he patiently coaxed her again, asking if she was still hungry and what she wanted to eat.

Banban was actually no longer angry when her cousin said he wouldn't do it again next time, but she felt that it would be embarrassing if she calmed down too quickly, and she also couldn't make her cousin take it seriously, so she pretended that she was still angry.

Ying Zheng took it seriously, of course. After a moment's thought, he realized his mother was right. Deceiving someone under the pretext of being afraid of upsetting them was even more deceiving and more heartbreaking.

Thinking of this, he felt genuinely ashamed and solemnly declared, "From now on, no matter what happens, I will never lie to my cousin again."

Upon hearing this, Banban, feeling wronged, grabbed his hand and said, "I'm angry because my cousin lied to me. I know he didn't do anything to the woman in the painting."

"You swear you'll never lie to me again."

"I swear."

"Alright then." Banban smiled broadly and snuggled into his arms. "Then I forgive you."

The young couple reconciled as before. Ying Zheng turned around and saw Ji Changyue sitting by the fireplace through the curtain, gazing absently at the snowy night outside the window with one hand supporting her face.

Recalling Banban's probing a few days ago, he couldn't help but wonder if his mother was unhappy living in Ganquan Palace, and his heart grew heavy.

But how can he solve this?

"Mother."

Ji Changyue was slightly stunned, slowly regained her senses, and turned her head to look at him.

"It's been a long time since you've called your mother so affectionately."

After returning to Qin, most of her sons called her "Mother Queen," a more affectionate term that was only used in Zhao.

"It's getting late, we won't disturb your rest any longer."

"Mother, I'm so sorry." Even Banban sincerely apologized. "Tomorrow I'll invite a storyteller to the palace, and we can listen together, shall we?"

Ji Changyue chuckled, "What are you listening to? You must be very busy lately. It's not too late to listen after the New Year. You should all go back and rest."

They said their goodbyes, and the figures of the two people separated.

Ji Changyue stood under the eaves, gazing out of Ganquan Palace.

Time seemed to slow down suddenly.

As Ying Zheng walked, he slowed down. He heard his cousin's chattering voice and, as if sensing something, turned around.

His mother's figure was still standing outside the palace gate when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The cousin seemed puzzled.

Ying Zheng patted her hand gently to comfort her, then quickly walked back.

The moonlight shortened his shadow, and as he ran, his shadow gradually changed from that of an eight-foot-tall man back to that of a young boy.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Ganquan Palace, Ji Changyue was stunned, "Zheng'er!"

Ying Zheng calmed his breathing and said with utmost seriousness, "Mother, please wait a little longer. Once our Great Qin conquers Handan, your son will avenge you!"

Ji Changyue stared blankly at her son, seemingly processing his words. As time passed, she understood, her eyes suddenly reddening. She then nodded vigorously, "Okay, of course I believe my son."

Banban returned from Ganquan Palace with her cousin, constantly peering at him with curiosity.

"What are you looking at?" Ying Zheng felt uncomfortable and pushed her head away.

"Cousin, I admire you greatly today."

My cousin's words were exaggerated; every single one was full of praise.

"Stop fooling around, hurry up and wash up and go to bed."

"Oh dear... Oh no, did I forget something?"

"What is it?"

At this moment, the Ying clan members sat in a row at Empress Dowager Huayang's residence. Empress Dowager Huayang was getting tired of smiling and her face gradually darkened.

This little queen is showing her no respect at all?