25 Chapter 25
◎Queen Dowager Huayang.
Ying Zheng had no queen, and the internal affairs of the harem were managed by the Nushi and Zhanshi. These two positions were originally responsible for managing the affairs of the queen and the crown prince. Now that there was no queen and crown prince, it was within their responsibilities to manage the affairs of the king's harem.
The affairs of the people in the palace can be managed by the female historians and the chancellors, but inviting the wives of the court officials into the palace is not something they can control.
Ying Zheng couldn't give this order either. He was a king, and if he ordered his ministers' wives to enter the palace, who knew what kind of gossip would spread.
Fortunately, there was no queen in the Qin Palace, but there was a queen mother who could order the ladies to enter the palace.
The queen mother that Fusu was thinking of was certainly not his father's mother, his grandmother Zhao Ji, but his father's grandmother, his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother Huayang.
The Queen Mother Huayang was the queen of King Xiaowen. Like Fusu's mother, she was also a Chu person.
Unlike Zhao Ji, Ying Zheng brought her back purely as a political show to avoid being branded as unfilial in this feudal society that values filial piety.
Ying Zheng had respect for his grandmother, the Queen Dowager Huayang, for whom he had no feelings. After all, if she had not adopted King Zhuangxiang as his heir, the throne of King of Qin would never have fallen into Ying Zheng's hands.
Moreover, Queen Dowager Huayang was much smarter than Zhao Ji. Whether during the reign of King Zhuangxiang or after Ying Zheng ascended the throne, she never tried to use her status as a nominal elder to interfere in state affairs, but just quietly lived out her retirement in the harem.
After reporting to his father, Fusu met the Queen Mother Huayang smoothly. However, when he wanted to pay his respects, he was stopped by the palace servants.
Empress Dowager Huayang smiled softly and said, "No need to be so polite. Please sit down."
The Queen Mother Huayang looked like a very graceful and elegant old lady. She had a smile on her face, but she didn't look warm at all. She was just being polite and courteous, giving people the feeling that she was someone who could only be admired from afar.
Fusu wisely sat down at a suitable distance from her. It was good that he didn't have to bother pretending to be a loving grandparent, Fusu thought, and explained his future intentions without any hesitation.
The Empress Dowager Huayang's reply was also very straightforward: "You set a date, and I will send someone to do it."
Fusu blinked his eyes. No wonder his father looked so relaxed when he mentioned Queen Dowager Huayang. It was so easy to talk to her.
If there is something to say, say it; if there is nothing to say, there is no need to communicate. This is the attitude of Queen Dowager Huayang in the Qin Palace.
Obviously, this is also the attitude that Ying Zheng needs and likes. He doesn't want to play the role of deep affection between grandparents and grandchildren with others.
Fusu said, "Thank you, Queen Mother. Please ask the ladies to come over immediately the day after tomorrow."
Empress Dowager Huayang nodded and smiled, "Okay, then we'll go invite them today."
Fusu also smiled politely and said, "Okay, thank you, Queen Mother."
After the discussion, Fusu immediately asked to leave. As expected, the Queen Mother Huayang asked someone to see him off and had no intention of keeping him.
After coming out of Queen Dowager Huayang's palace, Fusu was still a little dazed. He had only met Queen Dowager Huayang once in his previous life, when she died and Fusu mourned for her. If it hadn't happened again, Fusu really didn't know that Queen Dowager Huayang was such a person.
Fusu stood there and sighed for a while before leaving Ganquan Palace.
Since Queen Dowager Xuan, all the queen dowagers of Qin State have lived in Ganquan Palace. Now, in addition to Queen Dowager Huayang, Zhao Ji also lives here.
Like Queen Dowager Huayang, Fusu had never met Zhao Ji in his previous life, except that he mourned for her according to ritual after her death.
Therefore, it was difficult for Fusu to invest his feelings in someone he had never met, even if she was his blood grandmother.
Not to mention that she also betrayed her father, the most important person in Fusu's heart. Even if there were feelings, it would be difficult for them to be positive.
Zhao Ji died after Qin destroyed Zhao. Ying Zheng went to Handan in person and killed his former enemy. When he came back, Zhao Ji died.
Fusu no longer remembered how his father reacted when he heard about this, but the mother-son bond they once shared had long since faded away.
After the Lü Buwei Rebellion, the father was left with only disgust towards his biological mother. He did not allow his children to see Zhao Ji, and he did not allow Zhao Ji to see anyone except the people who served her.
Moreover, at that time, the Qin State was busy with the cause of unification, and my father was busy with state affairs and military affairs, so he probably didn't have time to express his feelings.
All the way back to the palace, Meng Hua was waiting anxiously. Although Wang Li did not show it obviously, there was expectation in his eyes. The older Li You and Mi Qing looked indifferent, as if they did not expect Fusu to achieve the purpose of this trip.
"Young Master!" Meng Hua saw Fusu first and hurriedly went up to him to pay his respects.
Wang Li was a step slower, but he ran faster and had longer legs, so he and Meng Hua ran to Fusu together and said, "Young Master!"
Li You and Mi Qing arrived late, but Fusu ignored them. He had no intention of keeping them in suspense, so he first said to the two men in front, "The Queen Mother has already sent people out of the palace."
As soon as these words were spoken, Meng Hua and Wang Li cheered. Even Li You and Mi Qing, who were slower, heard these words, so they quickened their pace.
Li You and Mi Qing came over to express their gratitude first: "Thank you very much, young master."
Fusu smiled and said, "It's not shameful to miss your mother. Although you two are older, there's no need to be so reserved. Just laugh when you're happy."
After Meng Hua and Wang Li thanked Fusu, Meng Hua smiled and said, "Young Master, you are right. I always laugh whenever I want to."
Li You and Mi Qing felt quite helpless when they heard this. It wasn't that they were reserved, but they were older and thought more.
The eldest son's mother died young, and they were concerned about his feelings, fearing that he would be saddened by the scene, so they did not dare to show too much joy. They did not expect that this would cause this misunderstanding.
Of course, it is also possible that the eldest master teased them like this because he knew their concerns and wanted them not to think too much. After all, the eldest master did this just to make them happy.
Given the eldest son's intelligence and understanding, this is indeed very possible.
Thinking of this, Li You and Mi Qing felt ashamed at the same time.
Li You hurriedly said with a casual smile, "I'm happy, that's what I do. Meng Hua, does everyone have to shout and scream like you?"
Mi Qing agreed with a smile, "Yeah, we're not little kids anymore, so we naturally don't dare cry. It's against the law."
Meng Hua immediately refused to comply: "I was just joking, who's crying? I'm not crying!"
Fusu patted Meng Hua's shoulder and said with a smile: "In the past few years, you can still cry whenever you want, but it will only last for a few years."
Meng Hua immediately said, "I won't cry! A Qin Dynasty man sheds blood but not tears. Young Master, I never cry!"
Wang Li shook his head and said, "If you're not crying, then who was that person we saw crying last time? Wasn't it someone named Meng Hua?"
Meng Hua couldn't defeat four people with two fists, and he couldn't win over four people with one mouth. He could only pick the softest person and try to win him over as an ally: "Master, we are together, why don't you side with me? You... can you bear it?"
Meng Hua applied Fusu's tactics very well. Fusu could only bear it and changed sides immediately: "Yes, yes, the one crying at that time was not Meng Hua. I can prove it, it was definitely not Meng Hua!"
However, the change in camp seemed to be making things worse, and it almost made Meng Hua cry.
Fortunately, Fusu knew when to stop and not to bully children too much. He held Meng Hua's hand and said with a smile, "We are two children. Children will cry. I cry too. The three of them cried when they were young. When we grow up to their age, we will definitely stop crying."
Meng Hua tilted his head and looked at them, saying, "You really can cry?"
Li You and the other two: "..."
At the eldest son's glance, Li You spoke on behalf of the group, "That's right. Everyone cries when they are young, and so do we."
Meng Hua thought for a moment and then asked quietly, "Does the king cry?"
I don’t know whether the king will cry, but if you keep asking, your father will cry.
Fusu raised his hand and covered his mouth, saying helplessly, "I seem to have been too relaxed with you, Meng Hua. Please ask General Meng to teach you more this afternoon."
Trouble comes from the mouth. For the honor of your Meng family and the three clans, Meng Hua, you have to let your father give you a good scolding!
Meng Hua knew he was in the wrong and didn't dare to refute. Even though he was afraid of his father, he still nodded vigorously.
…
Before the Queen Mother Huayang's decree was announced from the Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng had already heard the news. At that time, he was accompanied by Meng Yi to watch the progress of the engraving.
In feudal society, a large amount of knowledge has always been in the hands of a small number of people, and this phenomenon has become more and more obvious as time goes by.
In this late Warring States period, although the royal family has many collections of books, the aristocratic families may have books that the royal family does not have.
Therefore, after carving the Qin Law, Ying Zheng ordered Meng Yi to start printing the books in the palace.
One is to keep more backups, just in case.
Secondly, before woodblock printing could help Ying Zheng attract knowledgeable people from foreign countries, it could first help him to collect rare books in Qin.
Ying Zheng put down a newly engraved plate and said with a nonchalant smile, "Who is the youngest one after all? He seems to be worrying about everything. From what I see, Fusu seems to be the elder of the four of them."
Meng Yi smiled and said, "The eldest son is kind-hearted, considerate of others, and thoughtful. He is not like an ordinary child. He is rare in the world. At first glance, he looks like the king's son."
Ying Zheng laughed, looked at Meng Yi and asked curiously, "Did you learn this from Fusu?"
Meng Yi said doubtfully, "I do not understand what the king means."
Ying Zheng laughed and said, "You were never so flattering before. I think it was Fusu who corrupted you."
This wasn't an act of anger. Meng Yi smiled reassuringly and said, "Your Majesty has wronged the eldest son. I am his teacher, and it is I who should teach him."
Ying Zheng thought about it and made an unreasonable conclusion: "In my opinion, Han Fei's teaching is not good enough."
Meng Yi: “…”
What has Han Fei done to displease the king recently?
When Ying Zheng didn't hear a response, he frowned and asked, "Do you think what I said is wrong?"
Meng Yi: “…”
Meng Yi said respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise."
Ying Zheng was finally satisfied. He ordered his attendants, "Go and invite the eldest son to dinner."
Meng Yi was very confused. He thought the next sentence was to replace Han Fei. If not, what did the king mean by that?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
