In the imperial court, Ying Zheng sat upright at the head of the table and asked in a deep voice, "How is the Guanzhong region?"
Li Si stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, since the last sacrificial ceremony when it rained, the weather in Guanzhong has returned to normal. It rains every now and then, and many crops have come back to life."
"Moreover, with such favorable weather for crop growth, Guanzhong is sure to have a bumper harvest this year!"
Ying Zheng nodded, "You need to keep a close eye on things. If anything goes wrong again this time, you'll pay with your head!"
Li Si cupped his hands in obeisance and said, "Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Then Ying Zheng looked at Wang Jian and asked, "How is the investigation into Li Tuo's identity progressing?"
Wang Jian stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has investigated carefully and found that the fellow is actually a member of the old noble family of the six states. His entire family died in the war, which is probably why he came to bring disaster to Great Qin!"
Ying Zheng's eyes flickered slightly. "Remnants of the six states, huh? No wonder they resorted to such underhanded methods!"
"You are in charge of thoroughly investigating this matter. Do not let anyone involved escape. Kill those who deserve it. Make them understand that the laws of Qin are not to be taken lightly!"
Wang Jian's face was cold and stern. "This old minister obeys the decree!"
"There is another matter. Li Tuo has communicated with the border, and upon careful investigation, it should be with the Xiongnu. Perhaps the Xiongnu were also aware of this drought."
Ying Zheng's voice turned icy, "The Xiongnu?"
"First, invade the border to lure us into sending troops. Then, because of food shortages and heavy casualties, we will be beset by internal and external troubles, undermining the foundation of the Qin Dynasty before we can break through in one fell swoop. What a brilliant plan!"
Upon hearing Ying Zheng's analysis, Wang Jian's expression turned solemn.
He knew very well that Ying Zheng was right; if they rashly sent troops this time, it would undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the Qin Dynasty.
Wang Jian cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom in discovering the Xiongnu's scheme in time, otherwise we would have been in grave danger!"
Ying Zheng's expression was indifferent. "Compared to me noticing something was wrong, shouldn't the person who solved the root of the problem deserve more credit?"
As he spoke, he looked at Feng Quji, "Right? Prime Minister Feng?"
Knowing that Ying Zheng was giving him a warning, Feng Quji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. If it weren't for Consort Shu, the Great Qin would have faced unimaginable difficulties!"
"It was my fault for being petty. I will definitely visit you with gifts on another day to apologize and ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
He wasn't stupid. Although he had some disagreements with Consort Shu, she had now made great contributions and was favored by Ying Zheng. Going against her would be a foolish thing to do.
Moreover, it's not just Consort Shu who needs to be concerned, but also that young master.
Judging from Ying Zheng's current behavior, his concern for that young prince is something none of the other princes have ever shown.
These actions make one wonder if he intends to make that young master the crown prince.
Seeing that Feng Quji was somewhat sensible, Ying Zheng then looked at Wang Jian and said, "The Xiongnu have prepared such a generous gift for us; shouldn't we return the favor?"
"Make preparations for the expedition first. Once we've confirmed that there's no problem with the food supply, we'll send Meng Tian to lead the expedition and catch them off guard!"
Wang Jian cupped his hands in greeting, "Yes, sir!"
······
Inside the palace, Consort Shu was holding the little one, patiently teaching him to speak, "Mother, call me Mother!"
The little guy opened his mouth and tried to say, "Lang..."
Although it's far from perfect, it at least gets the gist of it. Consort Shu beamed with joy, "Good! That's it, Yu'er did a great job!"
The little guy blinked his bright eyes.
Could you give me a chicken leg as encouragement?
Consort Shu: ...
That won't do.
"Lang..."
"Lang..."
The little guy called out twice more, as if trying to amuse Consort Shu.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Just as the mother and son were playing, a voice rang out.
Ying Zheng entered the hall and saw Consort Shu, who was still holding the baby, preparing to pay her respects. He quickly stopped her, saying, "No need for such formalities!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Consort Shu said, then sat down.
Ying Zheng sat down opposite Consort Shu, his gaze falling on the little one. "Yu'er, have you missed your father?"
The little guy tried to open his mouth wide, "Sang, Sang Deng, Lao Deng!"
Ying Zheng looked puzzled. "What is Yu'er talking about?"
Consort Shu smiled and said, "It should be that I miss my father, my old man!"
Ying Zheng suddenly realized, and then beamed with joy, "I see, hahaha, this kid is really good!"
He picked up the little one, but the little one struggled in his arms, crying out, "Sa, saandsa."
"ball!"
She was so well-behaved in Consort Shu's arms, but she started fussing in his arms, leaving Ying Zheng completely bewildered. "What's wrong with her?"
Consort Shu was also somewhat puzzled. "He wants to go down."
Ying Zheng realized what was happening and put the little guy down. "I see."
The little guy crawled into the inner room using both his hands and feet.
Ying Zheng looked puzzled. "What are we going to do?"
Consort Shu also looked puzzled, "I don't know."
The two ignored him and Ying Zheng looked at Consort Shu, "After the sacrifice, the weather in Guanzhong returned to normal, and this year may even see a bumper harvest."
Consort Shu's eyes lit up with joy. "Then congratulations, Your Majesty."
Ying Zheng looked at Consort Shu gratefully, "I have to thank you for this."
Consort Shu smiled and said, "It's all what I should do. I just want to ease Your Majesty's worries."
Ying Zheng's gaze softened. "You are as gentle as ever."
As the two were talking, the little guy crawled back with a piece of cloth in his mouth, "Rei, Reigu!"
Ying Zheng looked at Consort Shu, "What does this mean?"
Consort Shu looked at the little one and smiled, "It must mean a gift."
Ying Zheng slapped his forehead. "I see. Don't worry, I've prepared a gift for the 128th time I'll see you. I'll have someone bring it to you in a bit."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
