"Zhao Xiheng, Zhao Xiheng." Wei Li had just released his horse and was running in with the map in his hand. Before he even saw her, he called out her name.
"What?" Zhao Xiheng, with a large bump on her head, asked in a muffled voice, pulling the book off her face as she looked at Wei Li, who had rushed in like a gust of wind.
Wei Li grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from the couch. "Look."
He unfolded the map and placed it on the small table next to Zhao Xiheng.
Zhao Xiheng gave Wei Li a subtle look, as if she were looking at an idiot. "You came all this way just to show me the map?"
She must have looked at this map hundreds of times since she was a child.
When Wei Li pushed the map open and displayed it completely in front of Zhao Xiheng, the expression on her face instantly froze.
What is this map that's shattered like a piece of mutton stew?
She looked at Wei Li, her eyes asking, "Is this true?"
Wei Li nodded, "It's pretty close. This is a rough sketch; the detailed drawings are still being prepared."
He reached out and supported Zhao Xiheng's back, giving her a point of support.
Wei Li has a sharp tongue and always likes to annoy her, but he doesn't lie.
Zhao Xiheng stared at the map, her eyes wide, meticulously matching each detail.
Yinping County and Anding County were recovered by her father in the sixth year of his reign. Now they no longer belong to the Zhao family or the Great Zhou Dynasty. One is surnamed Hu and the other Jiang, and they belong to other people.
There are also dozens of places like Yinping and Anding.
She knew her uncle was neither cut out for conquering new territories nor for defending them. She had even had the worst-case scenario in mind: that one day, the Great Zhou might fall apart. But witnessing this land crumble even more than she had imagined still sent a shiver down her spine.
A chill ran from her lungs all the way to the top of her head, making her tremble and unable to breathe.
She was really heartbroken. Her father had died on the battlefield, and the land he had guarded was reduced to fragments less than ten years after his death.
What was the point of his death? What was the meaning of his death? Since the ending was like this, why couldn't he have lived a good life? If he had been a little more selfish and become a clay emperor residing in a high temple, perhaps he would have lived to be a hundred years old.
She lowered her head, feeling that her thoughts were far too extreme and selfish.
Who could have predicted that the Great Zhou would end up like this? We're not gods. Her father did the right thing; he's a hero. He won't regret any of his decisions. He said that from the moment he decided to step onto the battlefield, he never intended to live.
But as long as he lives, the borders of the Great Zhou will be peaceful, the women of the Great Zhou will not have to go to marry foreign rulers, and not a single penny of the Great Zhou will flow into other countries as tribute. He did a great job, really a great job!
But she's really feeling terrible right now.
Tears fell onto the map, blurring the ink and creating a hazy mess.
Wei Li looked at the map, now streaked with tears, and felt a strange lump in his throat. "Zhao Xiheng..."
In fact, it was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that neither Emperor Shunhe nor his two sons were fit to be emperors. Moreover, most of the rebellious princes were hereditary rulers with deep-rooted power.
When Zhao Xinglie was alive, he could keep the vassal kings in check, and even arrogantly felt that they were not to be feared. But not all emperors are like Zhao Xinglie.
Zhao Xiheng didn't look up, but said softly, "I miss my father."
She was a little clever, but that little bit was enough to protect herself; she couldn't do more than that. Looking at the map, she felt powerless.
She had been living a comfortable life in Pingzhou for several months and had almost forgotten how chaotic things were outside.
Zhao Xiheng had never had any great ambitions since childhood, and Zhao Xinglie never forced her to become a princess who was no less capable than any man; he simply let her be happy. For the first time now, she wondered if she could have held on if she had diligently practiced martial arts and studied governance.
Once the territory is fragmented, war is inevitable, and with war comes death. But the deaths aren't from conquering new territories, but from internal strife within the Great Zhou. If one of the feudal lords shows signs of being a wise ruler, things will be alright; otherwise, it will be endless war.
Wei Li was silent for a moment, then said in a high-pitched voice, "It's alright, I'm still breathing, so you won't die."
If things continue to develop this way, Zhao Xiheng will likely become the princess of a fallen kingdom without a doubt.
Zhao Xiheng doesn't need comfort right now; all comfort would be useless. If Wei Li said, "It's okay, don't worry, everything will be alright," Zhao Xiheng would feel helpless, like she was sinking to the bottom of the water with no one to pull her up.
But Wei Li said in a very lighthearted tone, "It's okay, as long as I'm still breathing, you won't die."
She looked as if she had been pulled out of the water.
That's one good thing about Wei Li; he never speaks empty words, he's always down-to-earth.
At this moment, Zhao Xiheng wanted to say a few more words to him. She wiped away her tears and, unusually, became a little sentimental, saying, "But there will be war, and people will die."
“Oh.” Wei Li nodded. “But before the Great Zhou became the Great Zhou, it also had to fight and die to unify its territory. I was reading the Records of the Three Kingdoms last night, and it said that the general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, there will be unity, and after a long period of unity, there will be division. Your ancestors have been in power for almost a hundred years. Your uncle is not good enough, so we can only follow the natural order.”
"But who will become the new overlord who unifies the world? I don't know if he's any good or not." Zhao Xiheng said something that even she herself felt was useless.
Wei Li couldn't answer her question, so he blurted out, "Anyway, it can't be your two cousins."
Although Zhao Xiheng knew this fact, she still felt a little uncomfortable when Wei Li said it so bluntly. She turned around and said, "Then I won't talk to you anymore."
This time, Wei Li didn't say anything sarcastic. "Then why don't you take a nap?"
Can't sleep?
"Then you're going out to play?" He regretted saying it as soon as he said it. What was there to play? Didn't he say he'd lock her up for life?
"No, it's cold outside. When it's warm, the ground is all muddy and wet, and it won't look good if it gets on my skirt," Zhao Xiheng said. She felt uncomfortable after looking at the map.
When she sent Xiao Tao away, she thought that her uncle would not be able to defend the country sooner or later, and she even told Xiao Tao, "If you see any signs of a wise ruler, send me a message to put your mind at ease."
Less than half a year later, the prophecy came true.
She and her father are sometimes quite alike; they're both quick-witted, but only when it comes to bad things.
Zhao Xiheng didn't really care whether the person in the high hall of the temple was a member of the Zhao family or not. She just hoped that the one who would unify the world in the future would be a good emperor like her father.
She glanced sideways at Wei Li, but it was clear that this person was not Wei Li, even though he controlled a large area of Pingzhou.
"My lord, what do you plan to do now?" Zhao Xiheng asked him, holding a soft pillow.
In the current situation, if you don't attack others, they will attack you. Given Wei Li's bad temper, no emperor will be able to tolerate him in the future.
If he doesn't fight for power, he'll probably be beaten to death. If he does fight for power, he's actually not a good candidate for ruler in Zhao Xiheng's eyes.
Wei Li was still thinking that Zhao Xiheng had always been reluctant to go out, and that was the reason. He was caught off guard by her question and didn't know how to answer.
He leaned back casually and said nonchalantly, "I'm too lazy to fight, I'll just wait to die. Whoever kills me can decide."
Zhao Xiheng puffed out her cheeks. She shouldn't have asked him. Old dog, just die and be done with it.
Then Wei Li added, "Of course, I have to strangle you before I die. We'll share the same bed in life and the same grave in death, so you can't get away."
Zhao Xiheng shuddered and looked at his expression. He spoke very seriously and did not seem to be faking it.
Damn it, she even thought Wei Li was quite reliable.
Wei Li shouldn't wait for someone to kill him; he should just die right now.
Zhao Xiheng rolled over on the small couch, pretending to be asleep, ignoring him. If Wei Li were ever on his deathbed, she would definitely climb over the wall and run away first, or wait for Wei Li to strangle her?
Well, her nominal family is now falling apart, and she's practically a princess of a fallen kingdom. That dog Wei Li will definitely treat her even more casually in the future, and he might even marry ten or eight concubines tomorrow to spite her.
Zhao Xiheng fell asleep while thinking about it. When she woke up, Wei Li was no longer there.
The maid handed her a small pouch. "Madam, this is what the master left for you before he left."
Zhao Xiheng weighed it in her hand; it rustled inside, as if it contained rice.
She opened it and found a packet of seeds.
Zhao Xiheng looked up, "???"
What does Wei Li mean by this?
She rummaged through the seeds and found they were all different – some were corn, some peanuts, and some she didn't recognize.
Each one is crystal clear, plump, and perfectly round.
"The lord said that if you have nothing to do, he has prepared a plot of land in the courtyard for you to plant. The seeds include corn, eggplant, chili peppers, and corn kernels."
"Huh? What idiot?" Zhao Xiheng sat up straight.
"It's ginseng."
Zhao Xiheng frowned. She had heard of everything else, but ginseng? Ginseng cultivation? Did Wei Li see that her country was about to fall and make her grow ginseng to sell in order to repay the money she had spent recently?
She hasn't even become a princess of a fallen kingdom yet, and Wei Li already dares to order her to farm. If she really becomes a princess of a fallen kingdom, wouldn't Wei Li treat her like a maid?
Instead of waiting for Wei Li to marry ten or eight concubines to spite her, she was instead made to farm by Wei Li.
I'm even angrier now!
Men, they're all liars! A few months ago he was like he was possessed, saying things like, "I'll treat you well," and "Buy whatever you want." Now his true colors have been revealed! Pah!
She tossed the bag of seeds onto the small table and refused to go!
After rolling around on the tatami mat a few times, she looked up and asked, "Can ginseng be grown?"
The maid shook her head. "It depends on luck. They usually can't be grown."
She didn't discourage Zhao Xiheng. Growing ginseng isn't as simple as just scattering seeds. Ginseng farmers usually buy pre-cultivated ginseng seedlings. Madam is so pampered and precious; she probably hasn't even grown corn before. Asking her to grow ginseng right off the bat is probably too much of a burden.
Judging from the way the maid looked at her, Zhao Xiheng knew that it was highly unlikely that the seed would grow. But people are generally shameless, and Zhao Xiheng didn't think she was any different.
"No, I have to study it." She picked up the seeds.
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