Chapter 44 The young master ascends the throne 44

Meng Ao's gaze fell into the void, wondering if the deity he had seen before was there, but why wasn't it saving the king?

In his view, it certainly couldn't be the gods' fault; it must be that even the gods couldn't cure the king's illness. Thinking this way, Meng Ao actually felt much better.

He glanced discreetly at the former Crown Prince Zheng, now the new King of Qin, who was already showing signs of grief beside him. Fortunately, his younger family had made good relations with the new king beforehand. However, even without such prior arrangements, the power transition between the old and new kings would not have a significant impact on the Meng family.

Knowing his own strength and the personalities of the younger generation, Meng Ao was very confident.

Lu Buwei was a little confused. Why did these two seem to understand something? How could he not understand?

The unpleasant feeling of knowing that there was a secret between the emperor and his ministers, but he was the only one among the four who didn't know about it, suddenly welled up inside him.

Although the king entrusted the new king to him and even made the new king address him as "Uncle," he was still anxiously wondering what the new king and Meng Ao knew, and whether he was the only one of the four people present who didn't know.

He racked his brains, trying to figure out what was going on. He thought those two vague "Qin"s couldn't possibly be meant to refer to the Crown Prince (Former) Zheng; why would someone call their son by his full name at this time of year...

He glanced around discreetly, so there were still people there, people he couldn't see.

When Qin saw Lü Buwei's gaze sweep over him, he chuckled softly. This prime minister was indeed quite perceptive. It was a pity that getting to meet him for the first time was the most difficult. If one was fortunate enough to meet him for the first time like Meng Ao, one would have some subtle connection with him afterward, and meeting him for the second time would be much easier than for ordinary people.

However, she didn't want to help Lü Buwei. He wondered what it had to do with her.

In her view, it's all about fate, and you can't force it.

Ying Zheng knew exactly who was sitting in the direction his father was looking, so he wasn't surprised by the two murmurs.

He heard a sigh from his mother, and upon careful calculation, he realized that three Qin kings had died in quick succession.

For a moment he was shocked, but he remained calm and, with a sorrowful expression on his face, ordered his attendants to announce the news of the King of Qin's death.

The first to arrive at the Qin King's palace were Zhao Ji and Empress Dowager Huayang. One had only been queen for a few years before being promoted to empress dowager, and the other had been promoted twice in a row.

They both looked unwell, but Zhao Ji was faking it, while Empress Dowager Huayang was genuinely distressed.

When Zhao Ji approached, Qin noticed the almost overflowing joy emanating from her. She raised an eyebrow, thinking how interesting this woman was, showing no grief whatsoever at the loss of her husband.

However, she herself didn't seem too sad, so let's not talk about others.

As for Zhu Qing'ai, she knew that Zhao Ji had already shed all her tears back in Zhao. The fact that she didn't burst out laughing when she came to see Ying Zichu at this time was already a great favor.

Zhu Qing'ai had no doubt that if Ying Zheng were the only one present, Zhao Ji would definitely hold her son and weep with joy.

It's better for a husband to be the King of Qin than for a son to be the King of Qin; it's better to be the Queen than the Empress Dowager.

Zhu Qing'ai set off a tiny, inconspicuous virtual firework for Zhao Ji, congratulating her on finally becoming Empress Dowager. It was truly a cause for celebration (crossed out).

****

Ying Zichu's funeral preparations were made exceptionally quickly, perhaps because everyone was already quite skilled at it. When they knelt in the mourning hall for the third time to mourn the late king, they all displayed appropriate expressions.

Qin noticed that Qin's feelings were more genuine than the previous two times. She thought about it and realized that Qin might be feeling resentful about her own difficult fate because she felt that she had just figured out the king's personality when he passed away.

The funeral ceremony was no different in form from the previous two, except that the person kneeling at the front had changed.

The person who ascended the throne changed from Ying Zhu/Ying Zichu to Ying Zheng. The people of Qin were in a calm mood and there was nothing particularly special about it.

However, she still harbored a basic fondness for the Qin people towards Ying Zichu, and wouldn't truly be completely unmoved by his sadness.

Because she had just fought a battle with several countries, she had already banned entry from these countries. Even though the countries sent envoys to mourn the late King Ying Zichu as was customary, she did not allow them to enter.

When she received the message that Chu insisted on sending, her lips twitched slightly. This country was really boring. The other countries were all well-behaved and hadn't bothered her lately. Even Zhao had stopped standing on the border and shouting at her. Only Chu was still so persistent.

She didn't know whether to scold her for being boring first or praise her for her perseverance.

'Qin': ? ? ?

She immediately crushed the wisp of breeze, and the sound shattered in the air until it disappeared from everyone's ears.

Qin's pupils trembled slightly. Besides being annoyed by Chu's provocative remarks, he was also thinking about the matter of mutual restraint. Could it really be that the feng shui of the Qin state was bad?

No, how could she think that?

Qin took a deep breath and exhaled softly, dismissing the thought from her mind. It couldn't possibly be a problem with her feng shui. Chu actually believed in this; how superstitious!

She sneered, hoping that when she called, 'Chu' would believe that it was because of her bad feng shui that she was eaten.

Qin silently added Chu to his list of grudges, but still patiently stayed there.

With the current king ascending the throne at a young age, it's inevitable that there will be those who question him. After all, the previous king had so many brothers, and Qin also has a tradition of succession by younger brother. Although Ying Zheng was promoted from crown prince to king of Qin, it's still uncertain whether he can truly secure the position at such a young age.

If someone were to cause trouble on the spot, she would have to find a way to create some kind of 'divine mandate' for Ying Zheng, using external force to suppress those restless forces and deliver a crushing blow. At this point, she thought, maybe I should let 'Zhao' in...

If we're going to create momentum, we're missing a tool country.

Tool State 'Zhao': ?

****

After a while, the crowd dispersed, and Ying Zheng, exhausted from dealing with the people from before, still remembered to find a moment to comfort 'Qin'.

"Mother, you don't need to take what that small country said to heart. The lifespan of a person is predetermined, how could it possibly be related to you?"

Qin hesitated, then said tactfully, "Actually, it's not certain. If you exercise regularly and eat healthily, you can live a long life."

"Of course, the most important thing for the powerful and wealthy is not to eat the pills made by those alchemists, so that they can live longer."

She had always found it strange that the Qin royal family supposedly had a longevity gene. Just look at Ying Ji. Ying Zhu's reign was short, but he didn't die young. If he had been able to control his desires and not have more than twenty children, he probably could have lived two more years.

Ying Zichu was the other extreme. He died of a serious illness in his thirties, seemingly having inherited none of the longevity of his father and grandfather.

"Why does Mother think Zheng would eat that kind of thing?" He frowned, as if recalling the scene he saw when he visited Taishu School. It was really hard to say what had been refined in those alchemy furnaces.

He frowned deeply; even if someone forced him, he would never eat those things.

Zhu Qing'ai: My suspicion stems from the fact that you've eaten it in the past!!

"You really won't eat it?"

Ying Zheng nodded: "Of course not. I know those alchemists are all liars. Of course, the chemistry is real, so they are still somewhat useful."

Qin said quietly, "I don't believe you. Swear it."

Zheng swore that he would never take anything like the Golden Elixir again.

Ying Zheng made the oath without hesitation, and Zhu Qing'ai recorded it without hesitation as well.

Her voice was tinged with laughter as she raised her hand and lightly tapped the air, creating a gentle breeze.

Ying Zheng was astonished to find that the oath he had just sworn had been preserved.

Seeing Ying Zheng's astonished expression, Qin found it quite amusing. She said, "I usually only save the sounds I want to hear."

She crushed the provocative voice message that 'Chu' had just sent, keeping only the ones she wanted to hear.

Guosheng, unable to control her own development while alive and already living such a tiring life, naturally wants to treat herself better. It's perfectly justifiable for her to do things like listening to flattering 'slander'—actions that resemble those of a tyrant.

She believed that honest advice was hard to swallow and that anything she didn't like to hear was just nonsense.

Ying Zheng didn't pay attention to his mother's slightly wicked behavior; he was curious about what kind of sounds his mother had managed to preserve.

"Does Mother have any other voices besides this one? May I hear them, Zheng?"

Having gone through so many Qin kings, there must have been ancestors who said things his mother wanted to hear; he might even have had the chance to hear his ancestors' voices.

Qin neither agreed nor refused outright, but instead asked, "Are you really curious?"

Ying Zheng nodded firmly, and Qin thought for a moment before nodding in agreement: "Of course, but... there are conditions."

"Please speak, Mother."

Even if it weren't for that, he would do anything he could if his motherland asked him to.

Qin leaned down and whispered a few words to him. Even if no one could hear her, she still wanted to maintain this sense of ritual. Ying Zheng showed a knowing expression and nodded in agreement.

****

It was almost inevitable that the forces within Xianyang would stir up again. It was at this time that Lü Buwei stepped forward. While mourning the late king, he did not forget to instruct his trusted confidants to carry out their duties.

The most important first thing was to send troops to strictly guard Taishu Da Liangzao's precious fields and the school that had been open for less than two years.

He made the most of the tiger tally left to him by the King of Qin, and with Meng Ao's secret assistance, the matter proceeded very smoothly.

After receiving a report from his subordinates in the evening, he was temporarily relieved and turned his attention back to the various forces in the court, with a particular focus on the brothers of the late Prince Chu.

When Ying Zichu ascended the throne, some people jumped out to voice their opposition. Now that Ying Zheng is even younger, Lü Buwei is even more worried.

Lü Buwei was very determined to support Ying Zheng in ascending the throne and securing his position as King of Qin. His life was already tied to the lineage of the late Prince Chu, and unless he no longer wanted the position of prime minister, he would never change his support. He had to help Ying Zheng ascend the throne in order to maintain his own position.

Thus, everyone who becomes a stumbling block for Ying Zheng will become his enemy.

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Author's Note: Lü Buwei: Am I no longer the late king's most beloved minister? (choking back tears)

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