Chapter 197: The Shu Kingdom’s noble lady saw him thinking about something,…
Seeing him lost in thought, Wukong thought he wanted to do the same thing, so he said, "Don't even think about it. You won't be able to do it in the Central Plains."
Ying Zheng nodded, his chubby little face filled with deep agreement. "Forget the mountains. Even a small hill in the Central Plains is a noble territory. How could they allow merchants to occupy it?"
Out of pride, even if the nobles really built such a place, they would only invite people of similar status to visit for free, turning it into a place to show off their status without considering profit.
Wukong smiled and threw the peach into his arms: "Come, eat the peach, eat the peach. You are still young, don't think too much, or you will age prematurely."
Ying Zheng took a bite and smiled sweetly: "Delicious!"
"Even if it's delicious, you can't eat too much." Wukong laughed. "My father personally cooked the python meat. If you don't eat enough at the table later, he will definitely hold a grudge."
Ying Zheng's smile froze on his face. He rubbed his stomach and said bitterly, "Brother, you tricked me!"
——Because the fish was so fresh and the fruit was so sweet, he couldn't stop and had almost finished it.
Wukong laughed heartily and gave him some advice: "When you go down the mountain later, walk a little further on your own. I guarantee you'll be hungry by the time you get home."
Ying Zheng thought about it, then nodded with a bitter face: "It has no other choice."
When he actually left, he realized that things were far from as simple as he had imagined.
Not to mention that going down the mountain was more difficult than going up, at least there was Wukong watching on the side. Whenever his feet slipped, he would pull up his collar in time to help him steady his body, and he never fell even once.
Ying Zheng was a very brave man to begin with, and after two or three times he became even more courageous and was not afraid of slipping again and again.
But why is this road so long?
As he walked, he silently calculated the time in his mind. As he calculated, he almost thought he was too tired and remembered it wrong.
Otherwise, why did it feel like only a short time when we came here, but when we left, it had already been more than an hour, and there were still endless mountains in front of us?
"Brother, how long will it take?" he asked for the third time.
Wukong chuckled and said, "If I take you away, it will be in the blink of an eye. If you leave on your own...it's still too early."
After walking for another half an hour, little Ying Zheng was so tired that his legs were shaking. He finally decided to put aside his pride and ask for help: "Brother, I can't walk anymore. Please take me back."
Wukong asked him, "Don't you feel full?"
"I'm not full anymore, not at all." Ying Zheng shook his head repeatedly, and his stomach, which was covered by his little fleshy hands, made a few "gurgling" sounds at the right time.
The little bit of food he had eaten earlier had already been quickly converted into energy during his continuous walking.
"Okay then." Wukong lifted the hem of his skirt and tucked it into his waist, then squatted down and patted the ground. "Come on up, I'll carry you on my back."
Ying Zheng walked over tremblingly, put his arms around his neck and climbed onto his back. Wukong stood up easily, shook him up again, said "Hold on tight", and let him experience the feeling of speeding for the second time.
Looking at the rapidly retreating scenery and listening to the whistling wind past his ears, young Ying Zheng wondered in his heart: Is this really a speed that a mortal can achieve?
But he was smart enough not to ask any more questions, and he didn't mention it to anyone after he returned, but kept the secret in his heart.
When they returned to their residence, Nezha's python feast was already prepared, including one grilled one, one fried egg one, one boiled one, one stir-fried one, and a pot of snake bone soup.
Ying Zheng took out a wooden tray, put a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup on it, and divided out several dishes into portions, and brought them to Zhao Ji's room.
Zhao Ji had originally wanted to come out to eat after hearing the noise outside, but when she saw her son bringing the food in, she was startled: "Zheng'er, what are you doing?"
Ying Zheng said seriously with a chubby face, "Teacher said that the maid I found for you will be here soon. From now on, you will have someone to serve you, so you won't have to eat with the guests anymore."
He couldn't possibly say, "I think the two teachers and senior brothers are not ordinary people, but I can't say it out loud, for fear that you will offend people if you go out," right?
If she really said that, Zhao Ji would be frightened. But if she had the chance to return to Qin in the future and felt her position was secure, no one knew what trouble she would cause.
So, Ying Zheng decided to tell a white lie.
These words touched Zhao Ji's heart. She subconsciously straightened her back, her face as beautiful as a flower, and praised, "My son is truly filial!" After a pause, she said with reserve, "Your father sent these two retainers here. Although they may not be very smart, at least they are quite practical. When I see your father in the future, I will ask for their credit."
Ying Zheng smiled and agreed with a few words, then walked out.
Neither Fuli nor Nezha asked about the mother-son relationship. Wukong, on his first day, didn't know Zhao Ji's dining habits, so he didn't ask.
After finishing the meal, Wukong said goodbye and left, agreeing to come back the next afternoon.
The next afternoon, he really came, bringing with him two tall and pretty girls.
The two girls looked to be in their twenties, wearing clothes in the style of Shu. One had a single bun and wore a lying rabbit head, while the other had a high bun and a gold hairpin.
Wukong brought the two of them to Fuli, who first called Ying Zheng over to take a look at them before sending them to Zhao Ji.
Ying Zheng was young and had little experience, let alone the ability to judge people. Fu Li hadn't had time to teach him yet.
However, he just felt that the two women in front of him were different from the women in the Central Plains.
It’s not that women in the Central Plains are not strong enough or not smart enough, but they are just missing something.
It was not until many years later that Ying Zheng, who had seen countless people, gradually realized that women in the Central Plains lacked confidence compared to women in Shu.
But the four-year-old Ying Zheng didn't think so much. He just felt that they were extraordinary and he was relieved that his mother was being taken care of by them.
So he asked, "What are your names, ladies?"
The one with the bun bowed and said, "My name is Xuan, and I come from the Dai family in Shu."
The one with the high bun also bowed and said, "My name is Cuo, and I come from the Zheng family in Shu."
Ying Zheng was surprised at first that they were all from Shuzhong, but then he felt relieved when he remembered that his two teachers were also from Shuzhong.
Dai? Zheng?
If he remembered correctly, the first royal family in Shu was the Dai family, and the Zheng family was the current royal family, which, even though it was on the verge of extinction, had not yet been overthrown.
"You two are both descendants of royal families. It is really unfair for you to serve as maids for my mother." Ying Zheng behaved very politely and maturely.
He thought he was being courteous, but he didn't realize that his limited height, just a little above four heads, and his rosy, chubby cheeks made him look more adorable the more serious he looked.
Dai Xuan and Zheng Cuo's gazes softened. Dai Xuan smiled and said, "Sir, there's no need to be so. Although we were born into a royal family, we are only from side branches and not the eldest daughters. We don't receive much protection from our family."
Zheng Cuo interjected, "Coming to look after the Madam and the Young Master is a good opportunity for us. As long as the Madam and the Young Master return to Qin safely, our future prospects will definitely be much better than if we stayed in Shu."
To put it bluntly, I am optimistic about the future of the mother and son, and I believe in their character.
Hearing them say this, Ying Zheng felt much better.
People who express their desires directly are much easier to deal with than those who say no but think about what others are forcing on them.
"I'll leave my mother's care to you two in the future."
Zheng Cuo said, "Don't worry, sir. We already knew Madam's habits before we came here. We just need a little adjustment."
In fact, what they understood was not Zhao Ji's habits, but Zhao Ji's personality.
Although they were not the eldest daughters in their families, in the matriarchal society of Shu, mothers treated all their daughters equally. Whatever the eldest sister could learn, the younger sisters could also learn. As for how much they learned, it all depended on their individual abilities.
As the eldest daughter, the only advantage she has over her younger sisters is the allocation of family resources.
Among the women of Shu, as long as their families had the means, which one would not want to study, learn martial arts, take the civil or military examinations, and become an official?
Official families like theirs have one more advantage than ordinary people, that is, their elders have taught them how to identify and employ people since childhood.
As long as they understood Zhao Ji's personality, with their abilities, they would be able to quickly figure out the rules of survival around Zhao Ji.
The two accompanied Ying Zheng to meet Zhao Ji and observed the mother-son relationship with a cold eye. It was soon clear that Zhao Ji held the higher ground of filial piety, while Ying Zheng held the higher ground of intelligence. So far, the mother and son were in a state of conjugate symbiosis.
But as Ying Zheng grew older, this balance would be broken sooner or later, and Zhao Ji would be completely suppressed by Ying Zheng sooner or later.
When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, the two men helped Zhao Ji to sleep, and then they discussed future plans on two beds side by side in the same room.
Should he teach and support Zhao Ji, suppressing Ying Zheng before he could grow up? Or should he secretly turn to Ying Zheng and subtly restrain Zhao Ji so that she would not cause trouble for Ying Zheng?
Dai Xuan said, "The current monarch of Qin is extremely old. If he were to live, he wouldn't have many more years left in his mortal form. And the crown prince of Qin, Ying Zhu, Prince Zheng's grandfather, is rumored to be frail and ill."
Zheng Cuo added, "Crown Prince Ying Zhu has already established a crown prince, who is none other than Prince Zheng's biological father, Ying Zichu. After Gongsun Zichu returned to the country, his biological mother, Xia Ji, sent her niece to Zichu, who may have been pregnant."
The Central Plains countries were just the opposite of Shu. The throne was only inherited by men, which was an advantage for Zhao Ji and her son.
After all, Prince Zheng was the eldest son of Gongsun Zichu.
But if Xia Ji became pregnant and gave birth to a prince, Gongsun Zichu would most likely make Lady Xia his principal wife for the sake of Xia Ji, the biological mother.
In this way, Lady Xia's son became the legitimate son, and the advantages of Zhao Ji and her son disappeared.
But they were out of reach of the Qin State, so they could only start with Zhao Ji and her son, making them both better, so good that once they returned to the Qin State, Gongsun Zichu would not be able to ignore them.
The two thought of Zhao Ji, whom they had met today, and sighed almost at the same time, feeling that they still had a long way to go.
So, don’t think about choosing loyalty between mother and son. The key is to help Zhao Ji improve first!
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