Chapter 14 Qin 14

Ying Ji got the result he wanted and gave away the large mansion he had prepared. He saw that Taishu Jiu seemed to have suddenly had an inspiration and was thinking about some profound question.

He made several hand gestures, signaling the people around him to leave with him and not disturb Taishu Jiu's thoughts.

After getting some distance from Taishu Jiu's temporary thatched hut, Ying Ji finally spoke, giving his youngest son a new task.

“It’s not right for Mr. Taishu to live in such a house for the sake of the country. Go and arrange for someone to buy all the land around Mr. Taishu’s land, build a wall around it, and build a big house next to that thatched house.”

"Two houses, one inside and one outside the city, so you can live whichever you like. We must make sure that you are comfortable wherever you are."

"I will." Yingzhu agreed, only to realize later that his father hadn't said who would pay for it, so was he the one to pay?

When Yingzhu wanted to ask his good father again, he saw that the man had already walked away and was about to get into his carriage to return to the palace.

He remained silent for a while before deciding to find a solution himself. Although his father's sudden move puzzled him, he quickly filled in the blanks in his mind.

He realized that his father must have asked him to use the opportunity of repairing Taishu Jiu's house to get closer to him. This showed how much his father valued him!

So many ministers in the court were explicitly forbidden from approaching this place, and the security around the area was ostensibly relaxed but actually tightened to ensure that no foreign spies could infiltrate.

His father was actually willing to let him spend money on Mr. Taishu. How could this not be considered a sign of trust?

Yingzhu felt exceptionally comfortable spending this money; it wasn't just a bill, it was a sign of trust.

So Yingzhu returned to his residence with a bunch of freshly completed tasks, his obvious good mood leaving Lady Huayang completely bewildered. She wondered what had happened to her husband during his trip, why he was grinning like that...

****

After returning to the palace, he continued to review the mountain of letters and scrolls, thinking about the kind of paper he had seen with Taishu Jiu as he read the contents.

If the cost is not high, it would be suitable for carrying text.

If silk, though lightweight, is expensive, then he cannot afford it.

Even if he could afford it, none of the officials, big and small, who wrote to him couldn't.

Ying Ji read the bamboo slips until evening. After the palace lights came on, he read for a while longer before putting down what he was holding. In the instant he put down the bamboo slips and looked up, he seemed to see a figure.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked again. There was no one in the direction of the palace entrance. He then looked at the servant who was standing quietly in the corner waiting to be summoned. The servant stood there with his head down, respectful and motionless, and did not seem to be the source of that shadow.

So... he misread it?

Ying Ji narrowed his eyes. Had he really gotten so old and his eyesight deteriorated to this extent?

Ying Ji was not seeing things; in the direction he was looking, there was indeed a 'person' or more accurately, the state of 'Qin' rather than a person.

Qin walked forward slowly. She had come to inform this person in advance that he would die in a few years and that he should prepare for the handover.

It's hard to say what the person behind the pseudonym is really thinking.

Qin watched as Ying Ji subtly surveyed his surroundings, even probing the attendants in the hall, but he didn't gain any useful information.

It was getting late, so Ying Ji got up and decided to go back to his bedchamber to rest. He couldn't deny that he was getting old; at this time of year, he could still read a couple more books.

Ying Ji walked down the corridor, followed by silent attendants. He returned to his bedchamber, where maids helped him remove his clothes. He then lay down on the bed alone, preparing to fall asleep.

Just a moment before he closed his eyes, he saw the dark shadow looming overhead again. He suddenly opened his eyes, threw off the covers, sat up, and carefully looked around.

After a long while, only the sound of movement could be heard as a servant entered the inner room and asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"...It's nothing, you can go now."

"Yes." The attendant, not daring to disturb him further, quickly withdrew.

Ying Ji silently looked at the decorations in the bedroom, unable to see any place where someone could hide.

He frowned. Why was his vision so blurry today?

Filled with self-doubt, he lay down again, ready to sleep.

Qin knelt beside Ying Ji, showing no particular expression at his suspicious reaction, and simply waited quietly for him to fall asleep.

However, she had failed many times in trying to send messages through dreams, always unable to bypass the human brain's protective mechanisms. This time, it was barely a routine attempt, and 'Qin' was indifferent to whether it would succeed.

Success would be best, but failure wouldn't have much of an impact. In any case, she already has a cub who can see her, and this cub is almost certain to become the next King of Qin, so she has no reason to rush things.

Whether Ying Ji can receive guidance from her dream depends entirely on fate.

Once Ying Ji was fast asleep, 'Qin' closed his eyes, as if he were resting, but in reality he had entered Ying Ji's dream and was trying to send him a message in his dream.

****

In his dream, Ying Ji sat upright in the main hall, surrounded by the same hall where he used to hold court and discuss state affairs.

'Qin' stood below, his face blurred.

Ying Ji looked at the people below, and unconsciously stood up and walked down, feeling an inexplicable sense of closeness and...trust.

To what extent did this inexplicable closeness and trust reach? Ying Ji felt that if a woman whose face he couldn't see asked for his throne, he would give it to her.

After realizing this idea, Ying Ji himself felt it was absurd; he was truly insane.

Or... this unknown deity is the culprit behind his daytime hallucinations!

But he knew his own heart very well and had no intention of confronting her. In his dream, his thinking was sluggish and he followed his instincts more. He even went down the steps to stand at the same height as her and asked her in a friendly manner who she was and whether she needed help.

"If you came to my dream because of a grievance, I will definitely stand up for you."

After saying that, Ying Ji wanted to take it back. The closer he got to her, the more he could appreciate the weight of history she carried.

Although the fog covered her face, obscuring her true appearance, he could guess what kind of indifferent and wise eyes she possessed.

The woman, dressed in black with a gentle and dignified demeanor, spoke. He saw her lips, hidden beneath the mist, move as she spoke: "..."

"..."

"..."

"You're going to die soon."

She spoke at length without making a sound. He tried to decipher her lip movements through the thick fog, but as soon as he understood one sentence, he forgot the previous one when she said the next.

"How much time do I have left?" he heard his own voice ask so calmly. He had once wondered what it would be like when his time was up.

Now that he had received such a premonition in his dream, he found himself accepting it calmly. He had lived for a very long time, and his only worry and concern was the Qin Dynasty.

Qin had not yet conquered the six states, and he still felt regret.

However, in recent years he has experienced countless times his own powerlessness, and no matter how unwilling he was, he could not stop the passing of his life.

"..."

Ying Ji could barely make out two words the other person said. He couldn't hear the specific year, but he figured it couldn't be more than five years.

What will the future hold for the Qin Dynasty?

Ying Ji's words were not directed at others, nor were they a question he was waiting for an answer from; rather, they were a question he was asking himself. He had worked diligently for many years and had finally brought the Qin Dynasty to where it was today. He was still uneasy about handing it over to others, even those who were his descendants.

His gaze drifted blankly, his mind growing increasingly muddled in the dream, making it almost impossible to discern the figure before him.

The answer might only be found after his death. He struggled to wake up, wanting to remember this premonition and arrange everything before he died...

Sensing Ying Ji's inner turmoil and his complete devotion to Qin, 'Qin' paused for a moment, then sighed: "..." Since Fei Zi's time, you have all been working for me for hundreds of years. How can I pretend not to see it...

Ying Ji did not hear these words; he only heard a faint sigh, and then the figure in black disappeared.

The next figure to appear was a young child. He slowly walked into the hall, looked up at himself with a somewhat blank expression, but there was no fear in his eyes.

That composed demeanor suggested he wasn't from an ordinary family.

That look in his eyes... Ying Ji suddenly became excited...

Ying Ji, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, said with certainty, "You are my descendant."

Ying Zheng looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, wondering why he would dream of such a scene, since he had never been here before.

But the person in front of him called himself "I, the King" and also claimed to be his relative. He probably knew where he was. Was this the Qin Palace he had imagined?

Perhaps his desire to wake up was too strong, because the surrounding buildings were gradually turning gray and white, and the scenes in the distance had even broken and disappeared. At this point, it was too late for Ying Ji to think about not waking up. Dreams are not something he can control.

Ying Ji didn't even have time to grab Ying Zheng's hand; he could only hurriedly ask, "What's your name?"

"When you come again next time, I will take you to see it up there."

Qin, who had concealed his presence, twitched at the corner of his mouth and thought to himself: You want a next time? Do you think it's that easy?

Isn't this the best person to entrust with our care?

Although he only glanced at it, he believed it must be a sign from heaven, and that heaven had given him the answer to the question he had asked!

"..." Ying Zheng looked up and saw the throne of the King of Qin above him. He was puzzled. Did he actually want to become the King of Qin? He was trapped in Zhao, yet such thoughts had quietly emerged without Ying Zheng's knowledge.

As the dream shattered, Ying Zheng uttered his name.

Both Ying Zheng and Ying Da were kicked out, but Ying Zheng thought he was dreaming about it because he had been thinking about it during the day, and he was also very sleepy. Thinking that he had to go to class the next day, he turned over and went back to sleep.

****

Ying Ji was much more excited. He almost woke up the moment he heard Ying Zheng say his name. He immediately got up and found a pen and ink. He didn't have time to look through the blank bamboo slips. He was afraid that he would forget these things, so he used whatever was available to write down the five words he remembered on the corner of his clothes.

The former was about himself, the latter about the future of Qin. He was thinking about which of his grandsons or great-grandsons would be named Zheng.

He dared not sleep anymore, repeatedly recalling the few remaining memories of his dream, afraid that he would forget them.

He was certain he had never seen the child; he felt he hadn't created a person entirely from imagination, and he didn't think he had that ability.

He used his dagger to cut off a piece of cloth, held it and laughed for a while before putting it down and looking up. He thought about calling someone in to serve him; since he couldn't sleep anyway, he might as well…

"..."

Ying Ji's breath hitched. He slowly turned his head and finally saw a faint... human-shaped outline beside him...

A note from the author:

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The following is just a little bit of information, and it's not actually very important, because even the author might have forgotten it while writing it (huh?).

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Did I mention that I would revise the story from time to time, but I won't revise it for now if I don't have time? I've been busy lately. Yesterday was my birthday, and I went out to play and have dinner. I almost didn't finish writing this chapter. I thought I would have to take a day off today, but thankfully I finished it.

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As a response, "诺" does not distinguish between superiors and inferiors; its meaning is similar to "然". Soldiers also use "诺" when receiving orders (or because the sound is short and abrupt, and its tone is low and not clear, so they carefully say "诺" to respond).

It is used only when the inferior is addressed to the superior, the young to the old, or when it is a command from above. It can also be used as "respectfully agree".

The ancient Chinese word "喏" is the same as "诺". During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was extended to become a respectful term used when greeting someone face to face (pronounced like "惹"). It was called "唱喏" and "拜手" was called "拜舞".

"唯唯" is similar in meaning to "唯" and is used as a humble response, without distinction of rank. The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Fan Sui and Cai Ze, states: "The King of Qin knelt and asked: 'Sir, how can you please teach me, Fan Sui?' Fan Sui replied: 'Yes, yes.'"

"谨诺" means to obey orders, and its meaning is the same as "唯".

In Classical Chinese, there are two main words used for responses: "唯" (wéi) and "诺" (nuò). The difference lies in the speed and deliberation: "唯" is quick and abrupt, while "诺" is more relaxed. A slow response is called "诺," and a quick response is called "唯." When addressing a superior, a subordinate should respond quickly with "唯" to show respect, rather than the leisurely "诺." If expressing seriousness, "谨诺" (jǐn nuò) should be used instead of "诺." The *Book of Rites* states, "When the father commands, one should respond with '唯' but not '诺.'" The *Correct Interpretation of the Book of Rites* explains: "(When the father commands) '唯而不诺' means to respond with '唯' but not '诺,' because '唯' is more respectful than '诺.'"

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