Chapter 63 Seeking a Child: "He's gone a bit too far!"...

The first echelon of Qin soldiers cleared the way, scouting the terrain and inhabitants along the route to Shu. The second echelon moved at a similar speed to the King and Queen, maintaining a visible distance between them and the chariots, forming a protective encirclement. The final echelon consisted of highly skilled assassins who were adept at concealing themselves, following closely behind.

At least it was so-so; she really thought there were only two carriages and more than twenty ordinary-looking cavalrymen protecting them along the way.

To travel from Xianyang to Sichuan, one must take the Golden Ox Road.

Jinniu Road is not a flat and wide road, but a rugged road that either winds through or cuts through the mountains.

After the rain cleared, Qin Ju had blankets laid out on the cliff halfway up the mountain, curtains hung up, and tea sets and food brought out so that his masters could get out of the carriage and relax.

"Wow--"

Geng'er spread her arms and ran to the edge of the cliff to look out. Her excited little face turned red, and she quickly ran back to the carriage, shouting, "Liao Liao, look!"

Li Si got off the carriage first, then propped himself up with his arms so his daughter could help him down as well, and finally helped his wife to the ground.

As soon as Li Menghua got out of the car, her daughter Geng'er pulled her hand and led her to admire the scenery.

Looking around, he relaxed and said, "Truly a wonderful sight, a wonderful sight."

The round sun, like a tangerine, climbed out from the mountain ridge, its golden rays refracting and spreading out in a light golden mist mixed with the dampness of the rain, covering the entire mountainside.

Looking back, the mountain path was shrouded in mist, and the muddy soil was studded with pebbles. Mountain birds flew over the heads of the crowd, their wings fluttering lightly and nimbly as they chirped.

Petals, battered by the rain, lay scattered on the mud, a disheveled yet beautiful sight. Sunlight streamed in, shimmering the muddy water with iridescent light, and the wet, tangled flowers were a scene of decadent splendor.

Banban plucked a flower with her delicate hands and gently touched its stamen. "Wildflowers growing in the mountains have such tenacious vitality."

“If you pick it, it will die; how can it remain resilient?”

There are always people who make sarcastic remarks and lack understanding of romance.

"..." Banban replanted the flower in the soil, "You're making it sound like I've done something heinous."

"Aren't you complaining about being hungry? Come and have a meal. The scenery here is beautiful; you'll surely like it."

The palace servants grilled beef and mutton over charcoal, and everyone rolled it up in vegetable leaves to eat. After lunch, they enjoyed tea and the scenery together.

Banban shared the peach milk tea she brought with Li Menghua and Gu Shi. The women huddled together and talked. Ying Zheng and Li Si initially appreciated the scenery, but then they started talking about state affairs. Geng'er, being young, sat cross-legged to the side and would occasionally chime in with a question.

Smoke from the chimneys at the foot of the mountain slowly drifts through the valley.

Li Menghua nestled in her mother's arms, "Mother, there are people downstairs cooking."

"If you weren't so far away, you could still smell the fragrance." As she spoke, Banban tried to sniff the tip of her nose.

Li Menghua imitated her and vigorously twitched the tip of her nose.

What do you smell?

“A muddy, fishy smell,” Li Menghua tilted her head and thought for a moment, “and the roasted mutton we just ate.”

"Then you should drink some milk tea to get rid of the muttony smell, it's awful." Banban looked disgusted and waved her hand to fan herself.

Li Menghua chuckled and opened her mouth wide with an "Ah!" revealing a mouthful of broken teeth as she breathed on Banban.

Madam Gu was shocked and immediately grabbed her daughter's shoulder, trying to pin her down. Her eyes seemed to say, "You crazy brat!"

Unexpectedly, Banban not only wasn't angry, but also pointed at her mouth and laughed out loud.

Li Menghua immediately covered her mouth, forgetting that her shed gums hadn't grown new teeth yet, and apologized tearfully, "Your Majesty, please don't laugh anymore."

Because of covering her mouth and missing teeth, her speech was unclear, which added to her charmingly naive appearance.

Seeing the broken gums, the group started talking about losing teeth.

Gu said, "There's an old saying that goes, 'Top teeth are thrown under the bed, bottom teeth are thrown on the roof.' I hope that the newly grown teeth will be as neat and well-proportioned as the baby teeth, and ideally, they should grow straight in the direction in which the baby teeth were discarded."

"So, the husband embedded the missing teeth into the roof and under the bed."

“I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” Banban recalled carefully, “Years ago, my father melted my lost tooth together with resin and made a pendant, which he stored in a bag along with my baby hair that had been cut off.”

Li Menghua's eyes widened. "So it's true that everyone loses teeth. Brother Geng'er didn't lie to me."

Gu Shi glanced at the Queen's reaction and saw her laughing along, which put her at ease. She then pretended to be angry and said, "Didn't your father comfort you and say that everyone loses teeth and there's no need to be sad? You don't believe your father, but instead believe outsiders?"

Li Menghua pouted and retorted sullenly, "That's because Father always lies to me and teases me all the time, but Brother Geng'er would never lie to me."

"If your brother heard you say that, I don't know how jealous he would be."

"I won't say it in front of my brother. Do I think I'm that stupid?"

This self-righteous and clever little face amused many people.

Geng'er wanted to know what her younger sister Liao Liao had said, but she couldn't leave, so she kept turning her head to look over. After receiving a flick on the forehead from Ying Zheng, she became quiet.

They traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently to eat, drink, and enjoy sightseeing along the way, and it was five days later when they finally arrived in Sichuan.

Li Si got off the carriage to rest and overheard the King of Qin telling the Queen the story of the Five Ding Opening the Mountain.

Upon seeing Li Si approach, he immediately instructed Li Si to speak.

Li Si, with his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, began to recount the story in a slow and deliberate manner: "Legend has it that during the reign of King Huiwen of Qin, King Huiwen wanted to conquer the ancient Shu Kingdom. Hearing that the King of Shu was a womanizer, he decided to send the King of Shu five stunning beauties from Qin. The King of Shu was overjoyed when he heard about this and immediately found five strong men to go to Qin to welcome them."

"Are the Five Ding Warriors simply strong and powerful men?"

“Indeed, the Queen is wise.” Li Si smiled. “After receiving the five beauties, the Five Ding Warriors passed by Qiqu Mountain and suddenly encountered a python. They fought with the python, and the python was defeated and fled. The Five Ding Warriors grabbed the snake’s tail and refused to let it escape.”

"With a roar, the python pulled and ripped, causing the mountains to collapse and the earth to split open, thus creating a road."

"This road is the ancient Qin-Shu road we traveled on our way here."

"..." There are too many things to complain about, and I don't know where to start.

Banban's expression was indescribable. He looked up at his cousin, wondering if he also thought the story was too absurd and that was why he was unwilling to tell it himself.

This appears to be the dying fantasy of five strong men before they managed to overeat a giant python.

She said dryly, "When we're out and about, just call me Madam."

When Li Si heard the Queen say this, he pretended to look at her face carefully, then sighed and shook his head. Under the questioning gazes of the two, he said, "The Queen is naturally beautiful and does not look like a married woman at all."

Ying Zheng: "?"

Banban: "!"

Do you mean I'm old?

Before he could even get angry, his wife grabbed his wrist and said, "Cousin, let's call each other brother and sister! I like it that way!"

Li Si was stunned, and quickly tried to cover it up, "Uh, Your Majesty is also in your prime."

“Very good, very good,” Banban said happily. “Then don’t hug me anymore, let’s get away for a bit.”

"That's settled then. I'm going to the inn to freshen up. Qianyin, you take some people to look around the area and buy some clothes and jewelry that people from Sichuan wear. I want to wear them."

Ying Zheng slowly turned his head and glanced at Li Si, his gaze as if he wanted to kill him.

Li Si: "..." Is this reasonable?

He only meant to compliment someone on their youth, but who knew the Queen would respond with such a remark, putting him in an unjust position!

Qian Yin moved with exceptional speed, and by the time she had finished washing and dressing, brand-new clothes were already laid out beside the bed.

"Just now on the street, I saw many novel clothes, which were indeed completely different from those in Xianyang."

Qian Yin helped her twist her hair, and Ying Zheng also leaned down to admire it for a moment, shaking his head and saying, "The people of Shu still retain the traditions of the ancient Shu Kingdom in their clothing. They believe in the Bronze Age civilization, and both the colors and styles of their clothes are full of theological and religious flavor."

“This one looks good,” he said, pointing to the second set.

The light yellow sleeveless short jacket was covered with an extremely transparent silk outer garment, and a wide belt was tied around the waist. The style of the clothes was quite simple and neat, but the nobility was reflected in the intricate embroidery on the fabric and the skirt. The skirt was decorated with dragon patterns, animal face patterns and cloud and thunder patterns.

At that time, it was said that only the emperor could wear items without dragon patterns.

They found a local hairdresser to do Banban's hair. Women in Sichuan often braid their hair, and many of them would coil it on their heads after braiding it. Banban found it troublesome and only had it roughly braided and hung down her lower back.

Turning his head, he saw that Ying Zheng was also wearing the distinctive clothing of the Shu people. He was slightly surprised and was about to take a closer look at his wife when he saw her burst out laughing:

“Cousin, it looks like you’re about to go to the fields to do farm work. I’ve never seen you wear clothes like this before.”

"..." After a moment of silence, Ying Zheng gently squeezed her shoulder and neck. "Let's go, sister, it's time to eat."

She pushed his hand away coquettishly, moving a respectful distance, and said seriously, "Don't touch me like that anymore. We're siblings now, not husband and wife. It's not good if other people see us."

"...?" Getting into character so quickly?

His lips twitched, but he forced himself to endure it.

When they arrived at the inn for their meal, Li Si had already ordered the food. "Young lady, young master, this dish is 'Five Ding Opening the Mountain,' which is an extension of the story you were discussing earlier. Would you like to try it?"

As they were talking, a veiled woman entered from outside. She walked with graceful steps and her skirt flowed like a lotus flower.

As soon as she entered, the waiter rushed forward to greet her, "Oh, Miss Hualian is here."

The woman nodded slightly, took out the money and handed it to him, saying, "The usual amount, Five Ding Mountain flavor is stronger, more spicy."

"It looks delicious," Banban muttered to himself.

The woman looked in the direction of the voice, her eyes, hidden behind a veil, curving slightly as she gave Banban a kind smile.

Banban smiled politely at her and then went to see Wuding opening the mountain.

The cubed meat, drizzled with a flavorful and savory sauce, looks somewhat like a sweet and sour dish made from different ingredients, in my opinion.

"Aren't you locals? This Wuding Kaishan dish is made with diced chicken, duck, fish, rabbit, and pork, and is served with braising liquid, rock salt, and Sichuan peppercorns. It's sweet and sour with a touch of spiciness, and the flavor is rich. Everyone who's tried it thinks it's delicious."

"The one you were just looking at was said to be a maid of a noble lady from another country. That noble lady was very fond of Wuding Mountain-Opening and ate it almost every day."

Banban was eager to try it. She had known for a long time that Shu was the Sichuan of later generations, and Sichuan cuisine was known for its strong flavors and spiciness. She had been looking forward to it for a long time.

"Is this Rongcheng?" Banban asked Ying Zheng in a low voice.

"That's right." Ying Zheng nodded. "The noble lady from another country that the waiter mentioned is probably the princess of Chu."

"What a disappointment." Banban rolled her eyes at him. "I don't care about her. When can we go see Dujiangyan? I heard Zhang Yilou is also in Chengdu."

"Really? Then wait two more days." He casually picked up a piece of Wuding Kaishan, and coincidentally, he was eating his favorite fish meat.

"You did it on purpose." Banban pinched his waist angrily.

The fish cooked in every inn is so fresh and tender; is this the advantage of being near the water?

Ying Zheng had lived in the interior since childhood and had not seen many lakes and seas, so he longed for these places.

Before they had finished their lunch, a man dressed as an ordinary citizen came and presented Ying Zheng with a rolled-up piece of paper.

After leaving the inn, the man quickly disappeared.

Banban peeked out, looking bewildered, trying to see what was written on the paper.

But as soon as she leaned in close, she was pushed away. "Little sister, we're siblings, don't get so close, people will misunderstand."

"???"

Hahaha.

Actually, she wasn't angry.

She simply became serious, mimicking someone's tense expression of suppressed anger, saying, "There can be no secrets between us!"

"..."

Ying Zheng was completely obedient and immediately handed her the note.

Today, this boomerang will stab her, then it will stab him.

Li Si and Gu Shi couldn't understand it at all, feeling that the couple was speaking in riddles, and dared not utter a word.

Banban quickly read through the note, which clearly described Hua Lian's situation: where she lived, who her master was, how long she had lived there, how many servants she had, and her preferences.

The text states that after the Chu princess arrived in Shu, besides kneeling and worshipping at the Temple of the Divine Physician every day, she also did good deeds and helped the poor and weak, never revealing her name, remaining low-key and kind-hearted.

After reading it, I developed a liking for the Chu princess. Through the descriptions between the lines, a beautiful and gentle woman came to life on the page.

After lunch, the group rested for a while before getting back to their own tasks.

In the afternoon, he accompanied her to the Temple of the Divine Healer, where there were no longer any attendants or guards.

Banban was still worried. "Cousin, if we don't let anyone follow us, what if there are assassins?"

“Someone’s following us, don’t turn your head and look around.” Ying Zheng took her hand and looked like a gentle and refined young master. “Since we’re here, let’s offer a prayer. It might be effective.”

Banban really wanted to say that the type of child one has is inextricably linked to the father, so why bother praying to any particular temple? But then she thought about it again, and her cousin has no bad habits, is energetic, and strong... so it seems there's no need to worry about that at all.

Thinking this, she fell silent.

Ying Zheng brushed aside his wife's hair, his fingertips lightly touching her slightly red earlobe, and couldn't help but lean down.

"This is outside, there are people around." Banban hurriedly pushed him away.

This person is so used to being unrestrained in the palace that he can kiss whenever he wants without ever thinking about being seen.

Ying Zheng pursed his lips, a hint of impatience spreading between his brows and eyes, and suddenly quickened his pace while holding her hand.

"What are you doing!" She was a little slow to keep up with his sudden speed.

"Hurry up and get to a secluded place."

"……"Neuropathy!

A few steps later, we arrived at the Temple of the Divine Healer. The temple was towering and empty, with only a few women occasionally kneeling in worship with sorrowful expressions. The huge statue of the deity was obscured, her face hidden behind her closed eyes, holding a small lotus vase in her hand.

Isn't this a statue of Nuwa? Where is this divine healer from?

Good heavens, they even dared to copy Nuwa.

"Isn't this the statue of Nuwa?" she couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"It seems so." Ying Zheng examined it closely.

Before she could finish speaking, Banban was kissed squarely on the cheek. Terrified, she not only pushed him away but also tried to hit him. "Do you know what happened to the last king who blasphemed the Goddess Nuwa?"

“I’m blaspheming you, not Nuwa.” “This temple is for healing, and you and I are praying for a child. This is in accordance with the will of the gods and can be considered an offering to the gods.”

Such good logic, such a reasonable argument, that she couldn't refute it.

She was completely enraged and glared at him.

As they were talking, two women came in together. They tried to pull their hands out of his palm for a long time, but they couldn't. Frustrated, she pinched him randomly.

He knelt down with his head turned to the ground, saying, "My husband and I have been married for many years without children. We beg the divine physician to have mercy on us and grant us a child."

The two were putting on an act, but the woman who came from behind sneered, "Whether you have a child or not, it's useless to ask a miracle doctor; you still have to rely on yourself."

Upon hearing this, the two turned around to look.

One of the two women was Lianhua. She stepped half a step away from the woman in the lead, showing respect for her.

The woman had a gentle face, as if she came from a scholarly family, and possessed a restrained and gentle temperament that made people want to quiet down and listen to her speak.

"Have you even tried to have a child? Your inability to conceive has nothing to do with your wife. If the seed isn't good, why blame the soil?"

"...?"

"...??"

Silence fell over both faces.

Good news! The Chu princess didn't recognize the two people in front of her as the King and Queen of Qin.

Bad news! How could such sharp and blunt words come from the mouth of a gentle and kind person? She was practically cursing Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng's face suddenly turned dark, which terrified Banban. "Stop talking, stop talking, sister! He's gone a bit too far!"

The encounter with the Chu princess was very unpleasant.

Banban watched as her cousin looked like he wanted to kill someone, and she comforted him with a bitter face, "Actually, you're very capable."

"……Shut up!"

Was my cousin doing it on purpose or by accident?

That night, she was thoroughly violated, and the next morning her legs were trembling, and she no longer made a fuss about wanting to see anything about Dujiangyan.

To put it simply, my cousin's method was brutal. After Banban had washed up and sat down, the Chu princess was suddenly brought over bound hand and foot. She was no longer as straightforward and arrogant as yesterday; she was trembling with fear, her mouth stuffed up as she kept making "mmm" noises.

Lianhua did not follow. She only learned after asking around that when her cousin sent people to capture the Chu princess, they killed her without any mercy.

That lady, who had only met Banban twice, smiled at her, and walked with the graceful sway of a lotus flower, died just like that.

He showed no particular pity for ordinary lives, and would eliminate any life that harbored even the slightest doubt.

They simply believed that the princess's personal maid was most likely a spy for Lü Buwei.

In a moment of daze, Banban quietly placed a lotus flower in full bloom by the water's edge, gently pushed it, and let it drift away into the distance.

After watching the lotus flowers drift away for a while, she got up and went back to her room in the inn.

Geng'er, along with Madam Gu and Li Menghua, invited her to dine together.