Chapter 132 No Retreat 44

Even though he had just knelt down and presented the Imperial Seal of the State with both hands, Prince Ziying of Qin kept his back straight. But once the seal was out of his hands, he couldn't help but feel dejected.

In a daze, he even saw the blood-stained hem of a dark robe beneath his blurred vision. He didn't have time to think about who was standing in front of him now, since Liu Bang had already gone to the side to have the imperial seal kept safe.

Who would dress like this on the battlefield, in such inconvenient combat attire, yet stained with blood?

Ziying stiffly raised his head slowly. He seemed to hear the sound of his bones rubbing together, and the moment he saw her, he felt the world lose its color and all things fall silent.

He stared at her blankly, then felt a pang of heartache. The moment he saw her, tears welled up in his eyes, as if he had been transported back to his childhood, when he had suffered injustice outside and couldn't wait to run home to find his mother and cry out to her.

"..." Ziying opened his lips, and in his imagination, he subconsciously uttered a sound similar to 'Qin'. He didn't know why he did it, but... that's what he did.

Reason told him this was strange, but grief had overwhelmed him, and reason couldn't pull him back.

Standing in front of Prince Ziying of Qin, Zhu Qing'ai was not surprised by his reaction. He was already saddened by becoming the ruler of a fallen kingdom, and besides, she could indeed be called the embodiment of 'Qin', albeit from the previous world.

It was easy for her to stir up emotions in an ordinary person; she didn't even have to do anything herself, and the other person was already behaving this way just by seeing her.

As soon as Liu Bang turned around, he saw this scene after handing the jade seal to his trusted confidant. His heart skipped a beat, as if he had indeed touched Ziying's hand when he received the jade seal.

Liu Bang was annoyed. He should have been more careful and worn gloves.

Judging from Ziying's expression now, he has clearly seen 'Qin'. His grief-stricken expression doesn't seem like he was frightened.

Instead, it's like meeting an elder with whom you can confide your troubles; you can cry without any restraint or regard for your image.

That's right. Although he calls Qin his ancestor every day, in reality, Qin is the real ancestor of the King of Qin, and he has nothing to do with it.

However, Prince Ziying of Qin had already surrendered, and it was impossible for him to go back on his word immediately, since the other person was even currently in his army.

Having reached this point, Qin had no room for backing out, and he even had the leverage to bargain. Thinking this, Liu Bang's mood immediately improved, and he waved his hand to have Ziying taken away for safekeeping.

Those around him didn't know why Prince Ziying of Qin was crying; they only assumed he was grieving for himself, and that he was so disgraced by presenting the imperial seal that he broke down in tears on the spot.

Only Liu Bang could see who Ziying, the Prince of Qin, was looking at. Even when he was being carried away, Ziying kept turning back to look at that figure.

Zhang Liang had a guess, and frowned, seemingly lost in thought. Meng Tian, ​​sensing something, also looked in the direction Ziying was looking, and sighed inwardly. Such was fate; it was truly a cruel twist of destiny that the one who could see 'Qin' was not an old Qin person.

Because of the large number of people around, Liu Bang couldn't go up and say anything to 'Qin'. He could only watch helplessly as the other party stood there for a moment, then turned around and walked leisurely towards the direction where Prince Ziying of Qin had been taken away.

Liu Bang casually made up an excuse, saying he still had questions for Ying Ziying, and then followed the people in front of him.

====

Prince Ziying of Qin was treated fairly well in Liu Bang's army. The room where he was temporarily placed was clean and tidy. Only the guards outside the door and his disheveled appearance as he was being carried there showed that he was actually a prisoner.

As soon as Ziying was placed in the room, he reached out and stopped the wooden door from closing. He stood in the doorway, peering out expectantly. He had just seen her follow him here, and he could still vaguely make out her shadow.

He didn't know why he did such a thing, but he just wanted to open and close the door for her, doing things that were out of character and only done by servants.

When that figure entered the courtyard, Ziying was happy for a moment, but then he saw Liu Bang following behind her. He frowned. If Liu Bang was here, wouldn't he be unable to speak to her alone?

For no reason at all, he wanted to talk to her alone.

But when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. He was now in Liu Bang's army, and he couldn't very well drive them away. He didn't even have the right to see them off.

It could only be Liu Bang who left voluntarily, not him who told people to leave.

Ziying had just been untied on the way and had already wiped away his tears with his sleeve. When Qin and Liu Bang arrived, he was at least able to maintain a relatively neat appearance, no longer the silent weeping he had just shown.

Ziying stood at the door to greet the spirit and the person. On the surface, he was naturally greeting Liu Bang, but in reality, he knew that the only person he truly wanted to greet was this tall and gentle-looking woman.

Liu Bang?

If possible, he never wants to see these rebels again in his life.

Ziying bowed to Liu Bang, unsure of how to address him. But since they had an agreement that whoever entered Guanzhong would become king, he deliberately said something flattering: "Ziying hereby congratulates King Liu in advance."

"No need for formalities, please rise quickly." Liu Bang was happy to treat Ying Ziying better in front of Qin. In his eyes, one was a ruler of a fallen kingdom, and the other's kingdom had already perished, so they probably didn't have long to live either.

This time, however, when he reached out to help Ying Ziying up, he deliberately avoided physical contact, supporting the other's arm through the fabric of his clothes.

Ying Ziying looked up, no longer caring about Liu Bang. The disappearance of the man's figure made him instinctively cry out, "Gone! Where did he go..."

Liu Bang feigned ignorance: "What's missing?"

Ying Ziying's face stiffened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "It's nothing, perhaps I saw it wrong."

"I have something to say to him."

Liu Bang hesitated for a moment, thinking that if the King of Qin surrendered with the imperial seal, the Qin state would be finished, so what was there for him to fear from Qin? She couldn't do anything to him anyway.

"You seem quite confident?"

The voice of 'Qin', which sounded like a half-smile, reached Liu Bang's ears. To his horror, he found that his hands were uncontrollably gripping Ying Ziying's hands.

He saw the shocked look in Ying Ziying's eyes, and at the same time heard a voice behind him: "Didn't I tell you that there has never been a time when a country was destroyed?"

“From the Xia and Shang dynasties onward, the state and the spirit complemented each other, but no spirit ever saw its own demise.”

It's a contradictory statement. Ying Ziying felt that the logic of this statement was flawed and incomprehensible, but Liu Bang understood the reason for this phenomenon in an instant. It's because the fall of a country is not instantaneous. The old spirit is devoured by the new spirit. The spirit dies before the country, which is perfectly normal.

Following this line of thought, was Ling really born only after the founding of the nation? Why was Qin so indifferent to him before, but now she wants to follow his army westward? He originally thought she was there to supervise him to treat the common people of Qin better and not to do such immoral things as massacring cities.

But the thought that popped into his head at that moment gave him a chilling guess: perhaps she came only to suppress the new spirit that was supposed to devour her after it was born.

When the Shang dynasty overthrew the Xia dynasty and the Zhou dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty, they were already independent states. It goes without saying that the Zhou dynasty enfeoffed vassal states. All things considered, he was the only one who started from scratch. No wonder 'Qin' chose him. He felt a wave of dizziness.

As she said, the plan was indeed impossible to execute in the present day; only by planning ahead could one achieve their goal.

He was also misled by her previous statement about Qin Er Shi, thinking that perhaps the other party had designs on him establishing a new Qin dynasty. Now he was doomed.

Liu Bang felt a chill run down his spine. The unknown was even more terrifying. Since he couldn't foresee what would happen after the fall of the country, no one could know what would happen to the nation after its demise and the loss of its national spirit.

Will his previous speculation about perishing along with the country really come to pass?

But Qin was standing there perfectly fine, and even controlled his hand to hold Ying Ziying's hand, so that the other party could see her.

He felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. The impression he had of her was that she couldn't kill people. What if all of this was just her plan?

Just to see Ying Ziying for this moment, perhaps there is some way to transfer his special ability to Ying Ziying.

Yes, why would he think that 'Qin' would help an 'outsider' like him?

His past experiences had made him lower his guard. He gave an ugly smile and said in a loud voice, "Ancestor, I'm just jealous that you treat others so well. I'm clearly your most filial son!"

Looking at Liu Bang's expression, Qin knew that he was probably overthinking things and even imagining things she didn't know. She released her grip on Liu Bang's hand and calmly said, "You two hold hands and go sit over there to listen."

====

Liu Bang never imagined that he would be able to sit hand in hand with the King of Qin in his lifetime, like good brothers, listening to 'Qin' speak.

Liu Bang holding Ying Ziying's hand: adorable jpg

'Qin' looked at Ying Ziying first: "Dynastic changes are a normal phenomenon. The fall of your country is not your fault. There is no need to be so afraid."

As if she had thought of something, she comforted Ying Ziying: "Don't worry, even if you surrender with the imperial seal, you will not be known as the king of a fallen kingdom."

She didn't explain it clearly, but the only two people present thought of the Second Emperor Hu Hai, and with that in mind, surrendering didn't seem so bad.

"As for you," Qin's gaze shifted, landing on Liu Bang, making Liu Bang nervous. He had already prepared a draft of his plea for mercy in his mind, but then he heard her say, "You can call yourself king, don't worry about me."

Liu Bang almost jumped up and shouted: How could I not care?!

You are from the Qin Dynasty!!!

However, he was at least slightly relieved, because surprisingly, 'Qin' didn't intend to kill him when he should have been able to make a move.

Of course, it's also possible that she discovered that her ability to see the spirits of the nation couldn't be transferred to Ying Ziying, so she temporarily let him go for the sake of potential future purposes.

Although it was unfounded speculation, Liu Bang only wanted to be extremely cautious at this moment.

"And you, are you still not content to have fallen to such a state?"

This question was clearly not directed at Liu Bang, but Liu Bang became very nervous upon hearing it, and not only nervous but also warily looked at Ying Ziying.

Ying Ziying hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "...I am unwilling, but Ziying is powerless to change the situation..."

"It's already a good outcome, and it would be even better if King Liu were willing to spare Ziying's wife and children."

He wasn't stupid. Unlike Liu Bang, who was blinded by his own involvement, he saw things very clearly. If Qin could help him return to the throne, there was no need to waste time talking to him. Wouldn't it be better to just kill Liu Bang first and then take him back to Xianyang?

Sure enough, seeing Qin nod slightly, he looked at Liu Bang and asked, "What do you think?"

Liu Bang, ever the shrewd one, said, "Ziying's wife and children are naturally safe. I would even like to invite Ziying to be my prime minister."

Ying Ziying felt slightly relieved. Liu Bang didn't need to lie to him about this. As for the matter of the prime minister, it was probably just a polite remark made out of respect for Qin, and shouldn't be taken seriously.

“This shall be considered an agreement between the two of you,” Qin paused, then said to Ziying, “You shall repay him with treasures.”

Liu Bang's true intention was that the wealth would still be his once it entered Xianyang, but he was happy to accept it if someone offered it to him, which could be considered a kind of 'compromise' between them.

He still felt that Qin's sudden remark was a bit abrupt, and he didn't know what her intentions were.

Ying Ziying immediately agreed to Qin's request. Even if he didn't give it up, the royal family's wealth would eventually belong to someone else anyway, so he might as well offer it up voluntarily.

After this conversation, the two men and one spirit reached a preliminary consensus. Liu Bang asked Qin with a grin, "Can I let go of this hand now?"

Although Qin later lost control of his hand movements, he still obediently held Ying Ziying's hand until now, when the conversation seemed to have come to an end.

"Whatever, I'll be waiting for you in Xianyang," Qin said casually, then looked at Liu Bang and said, "Remember to bring your 'way out'."

Liu Bang instantly released his grip and, with clean and decisive movements, bowed to the spot where the 'Qin' figure had disappeared. Ying Ziying also made the same gesture at the same time.

====

In the afternoon, after everyone had packed up, Liu Bang led a portion of his men into the city first, while the main force was temporarily stationed at Ba Shang.

After passing through one city gate after another, they finally entered Xianyang Palace, located within the inner city of Xianyang.

After the capital was moved, all the Qin kings of successive dynasties resided here.

Because the architectural style at this time was mostly towards building tall and grand structures, especially the palaces where the princes lived, and there was a habit of building palaces on high platforms, Liu Bang felt that the Xianyang Palace was even more magnificent than when he had seen it from afar years ago.

The interior decoration was even more magnificent than he had imagined; he was almost dazzled by the sight as he walked through the palace.

Because Ying Ziying remembered the matter of offering valuables, after showing Liu Bang the main hall used for court assemblies, he led his men directly to the royal treasury, which contained mostly the emperor's (King of Qin's) private property.

Liu Bang was dazzled when he entered. He swallowed hard to keep himself from losing his composure. He turned to the people behind him and ordered them to take out some of the wealth from the treasury as rewards.

Then, as if it were perfectly natural, they started arranging for people to stay, intending for them to settle down there.

Just thinking about how this magnificent palace would one day belong to him fills him with an overwhelming sense of joy.

Those who heard his command, apart from the ignorant soldiers who happily agreed, all frowned, including Zhang Liang.

Fan Kuai further advised, "Your Excellency, the great cause is not yet accomplished, the world is not yet settled, and Xiang Yu is still eyeing you covetously. How can you indulge in this? Although Xianyang is a good city, it is not a place you should stay now."

Qin, who had arrived long ago, had a different opinion. Her light voice reached Liu Bang's ears: "This is where the fortunes of the world converge, where the nation's fortunes are strongest. What's wrong with that?"

Liu Bang nodded frantically in his heart, "Yes, yes, what's wrong with such a rich and luxurious place?"

He also wanted to stay, but he had to admit that Fan Kuai's words made a lot of sense. Thinking about Xiang Yu leading an army of 400,000 men, he gave up.

Seeing Liu Bang's gaze fixed on thin air and his expression change several times, Zhang Liang was startled. The Qin Dynasty had fallen, but it still existed!

It's not hard to guess why Liu Bang hesitated. Zhang Liang then advised, "Fan Kuai's words make perfect sense. At this time, the world is not yet settled, and we are weaker than others. It is really not suitable to occupy Xianyang."

Just looking at the treasures in the vault, he couldn't believe those people wouldn't be tempted. These weren't just valuables; they were hot potatoes.

"Then let's return it first..."

Before Liu Bang could even utter the words "Ba Shang," he saw the expression on the face of the woman from Qin standing opposite him change. Her gloomy demeanor seemed to be more than just an expression; it was a tangible manifestation of her presence in the room.

The door slammed shut, and an unsuspecting person might instinctively look over and wonder where the sudden gust of wind came from.

He said, “You must not back down.”

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 21:13:40 and 23:32:34 on August 14, 2024!

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Planting Flower Family 27 bottles; 匚丅 12 bottles; Phoenix Moon 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!