70 Chapter 70
◎Handan.◎
The next day, Ying Zheng did not arrange any official business, but just as he joked last night, he took Fusu out to watch the people of Handan walk.
Before and after the Qin army attacked Handan, the people of Handan were in a state of panic for a while. After all, there were still people from Zhao who had experienced the Battle of Changping alive, and the past when almost every family in Zhao was in mourning was still before their eyes, so they could not help but be terrified.
However, within a few days, the people of Handan realized that the Qin army did not seem to be planning a massacre. Soldiers of that era certainly did not treat common people well, but the people of Handan wanted little; as long as the Qin army didn't kill anyone, they would be able to put their minds at ease.
Then, the Qin army began to count the population, restore order, and preach Qin law. Officials specially sent from Qin State also taught them animal husbandry...
Gradually, the people of Handan began to understand their character. No matter whether King Zhao was in power or King Qin was in power now, they still had to live their lives. In fact, King Qin gave them a much better life than King Zhao.
This makes people feel a bit mixed.
However, there are only a few people who think about these things. Most ordinary people can only see the days ahead.
Walking slowly along the road in front of the palace, Fusu casually looked at the passers-by. They seemed to have not experienced the destruction of their country and were still living ordinary and normal lives.
This is good, Fusu was thinking, when he heard his father also say: "Not bad."
Fusu smiled and said, "It is all thanks to my father's grace that the people of Handan have been able to return to normal life in just a few days."
Ying Zheng lowered his eyes and rubbed his eldest son's head: "You have contributed to this as well."
Fusu nodded happily and said, "Except for my father, I have made the greatest contribution!"
"You're quite good at taking advantage of others." Ying Zheng laughed. "Where's your humility and prudence?"
Fusu shook his head and said, "Being humble and cautious is something you should do in front of others. There's no need to pretend in front of your father."
Ying Zheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Okay, it's good to be able to pretend." He patted his eldest son's shoulder. "You want to watch the people of Handan walk? Watch carefully so you can pretend when you go back."
Fusu groaned and shook his head: "There's a lesson from the past, Father. If I learn this, I won't be able to walk. How embarrassing it will be for you!"
Ying Zheng laughed and said, "Thank you so much, my son, for thinking of me."
"Yeah!" Fusu nodded repeatedly without any hesitation.
After laughing and joking for a while, the father and son slowly stopped and walked quietly.
Fusu looked back at the Zhao Palace, which was getting farther and farther away. He raised his arm and took his father's sleeve, asking, "Father, have you ever been to the Zhao Palace before?"
The abscess must be opened before it can heal, and Fusu did not think that avoiding the topic would be the only way to comfort his father.
Ying Zheng stopped and turned to look in a direction different from the Zhao Palace. "Before leaving Zhao... I came here once."
Fusu followed his father's gaze and held his father's broad hand. "Father, do you want to go take a look?"
Ying Zheng looked down at his eldest son, and suddenly remembered that when he left Handan and returned to Qin, he was almost the same age as Fusu is now.
The reason why Ying Zheng came to Handan was nothing more than the humiliating experiences in his youth.
So, of course he had to go.
"That place is a bit far." Ying Zheng said, "Let's walk around here first."
Zhao Ji's family was just a wealthy merchant family with low status and no qualifications to live in the city center. If they wanted to go there, they had to take a carriage. This was the time for their subordinates to prepare the carriage.
Fusu looked around and pointed in a busy direction: "Okay, Father, let's go there!"
Ying Zheng and Fusu were both in casual clothes. Although everyone knew at a glance that they were nobles, and the people of Handan had already witnessed the King of Qin's procession entering the city, no one dared to speculate that the King of Qin was walking on the street with his son so carefree.
The direction Fusu pointed to was Handan's commercial district. In addition to shops selling all kinds of things, there were also restaurants and even taverns. It could be said that there were hundreds of businesses coexisting here.
The State of Zhao did not suppress merchants, so this area was very prosperous and looked more popular than the area around the royal palace.
Forget about restaurants and hotels. The food and drinks outside are definitely not as good as those in the palace. Besides, Ying Zheng thinks they are dirty and doesn't even bother to look at them.
As for toys and supplies, Ying Zheng had no interest in them. When Fusu bought a few children's toys and asked the eunuchs following him to pay, he couldn't help but say in disgust: "Don't you need yours at home? You want these dirty things."
The shopkeeper's eyebrows jumped. He took a look at the customer's luxurious clothes and extraordinary demeanor, swallowed his saliva, and didn't dare to say anything. He even didn't dare to accept the money handed to him.
Fusu smiled and said, "Father, when we go out, we must bring back some local specialties. Otherwise, if the children come to make trouble for you, I won't care."
"It's really tacky." Ying Zheng said disdainfully again, "I'd love to bring them plenty of things, but you think this is good?"
Fusu had the money left at the store, and as he walked away with his father, he said, "Father, for children, the quality of something is not important. What matters most is its rarity. As long as they have never seen it before, they might be so fond of a stone that they can't let it go."
Ying Zheng thought about it and commented: "It's a bit silly."
Fusu: “…”
"Father, they are all children, and so am I. We children are very fragile." Fusu said seriously, "So you can't call us stupid, otherwise we will be sad."
"Oh." Ying Zheng smiled. He leaned over and pinched Fusu's cheek. "You seem smarter than them."
Fusu: "..." This doesn't sound like a compliment.
As they walked and shopped, they ran into acquaintances - Li Si, Li You and Mi Qing.
Because they could see that the king was in disguise, they did not dare to reveal his identity and only stepped forward to pay their respects.
Fusu saw that their followers were also busy with their belongings, so he said, "Li You, Mi Qing, you bought a lot of things too."
Li You smiled and said, "Buy some small things from here for the family, young master too?"
"Yes, I'll give it to the children to play with when I get home." Fusu nodded and said seriously, "We brothers are all so kind."
Mi Qing smiled and said, "Yes, it's all thanks to you setting an example."
Fusu readily accepted the flattery of this joke: "Well, I am just that good."
Ying Zheng pulled his eldest son's ear and said with a smile, "I see you are getting carried away and forgetting the seriousness of the matter."
Fusu rubbed his ears and looked at Li Si: "Mr. Li, do all of you fathers like to bully your sons?"
Li Si... For the first time in his life, Li Si felt that he was a tongue-tied person. He really didn't know how to join in the parent-child jokes between the Wang family father and son.
Seeing that Li Si did not answer, Fusu looked up at his father and said, "Father, you see, Mr. Li never bullies his own sons. When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. You should learn from Mr. Li!"
Li Si laughed and said, "Your Majesty has always loved you the most. We all see it. How can my love for my son compare to your Majesty's love for you?"
Ying Zheng knocked Fusu on the head and laughed, "Did you hear that? Look at what others are saying, you heartless brat, you even say your father is bullying you!"
Fusu wrinkled his nose and said, "Alright, father loves me the most and he never bullied me. Later, I will pick out some local products for him to take back. Mi Qing..." He changed the subject and said, "Changping Jun must have never been to Handan. You should also buy some local products to show your filial piety."
Mi Qing said, "Thank you for thinking of my father. I have already made my choice."
Fusu turned to Li You again and said, "Li You, have you also given it to Mr. Li?"
Li You was stunned for a moment. No, his father is here...
Li Si coughed lightly and said, "Sir, he gave it to me."
Mi Qing also said, "Li You bought it."
Fusu smiled and said, "Oh..."
Just as he started talking, Ying Zheng said, "No more playing around. The carriage is here. Fusu, let's go."
Li Si secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please take your time."
Li You and Mi Qing also bowed and saw him off respectfully.
Fusu sighed regretfully: "I still have one thing to say."
Ying Zheng picked him up and put him in the carriage, saying, "We'll talk about it next time."
The three of them watched the carriage drive away. Li Si wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and said, "It's rare to see the eldest young master so innocent."
Li You laughed and said, "The eldest son is always childish in front of the king."
"Really..." Li Si thought thoughtfully.
…
As the saying goes, when one person prospers, everyone around him prospers. However, Zhao Ji rose from queen to queen mother, but her family didn't benefit much because they didn't follow her to Qin. Later, when the Lao Ai incident broke out, Zhao Ji's family was extremely glad they had made that decision.
After the carriage stopped, Ying Zheng looked indifferently at the courtyard that had once protected him. Even though he had been ridiculed and despised here, they still let him survive - although the reason was simply that they were afraid that the Qin people would retaliate in the future.
The owner of the house and their neighbors soon heard the noise, and they came trembling with fear to pay their respects to the nobleman of Qin, even though in their minds they had no idea who this nobleman was or why he came there.
Ying Zheng did not get off the car. He lowered his eyes and looked indifferently at the people kneeling on the ground like ants.
The neighbors of this mansion left Ying Zheng with an impression of unbearableness and humiliation. Even though they did not beat or insult him, Ying Zheng, who had been repeatedly warned by his mother and already knew her true identity, was deeply hurt by just a look from her.
Suddenly, someone tugged at Ying Zheng's sleeve. When he turned around to look, the coldness in his eyes had not yet disappeared, but the other party was obviously not afraid.
Fusu gestured and said, "Father, I want..."
More than twenty years had passed, and Ying Zheng had always believed that he could not forget the contempt and humiliation he had suffered that year. He thought he was still brooding on it, but...
Ying Zheng held Fusu's hand and shook his head.
"Huh?" Fusu blinked. If it could make his father completely stop caring about the past, he would support his father's act of revenge. He was afraid that his father would worry about him, so Fusu took the initiative to bring it up, but he didn't expect his father to refuse.
Ying Zheng raised his hand and ordered, "Go back."
Fusu was even more confused. He asked anxiously, "Father...are you just going to let them go like this?"
Ying Zheng rubbed Fusu's head and chuckled softly, "Handan... is a good place. I don't want to see blood again."
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