After unifying the world, she "assumed the position of empress and became empress."
He knew perfectly well that these people were deliberately deceiving him, saying these things in a joking tone, but no one dared to take it as a joke. Some who couldn't bear it had already knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying a string of words admitting their mistakes.
Li Si muttered to himself, "I think these people have forgotten how dangerous royal power is, and they actually think that the King of Qin is as easy to fool as the King of Chu."
Li You frowned. "Even if the king is moved and takes the witch into his service, won't the child born still be of the Ying bloodline? How can the Chu people be so confident that a son of the Ying bloodline will restore the Chu kingdom?"
Where is the logic? Where is the reasoning?
“If you understand the logic of fools, then you’re in trouble.” Li Si told him not to take it seriously. “However, the women of Chu are truly graceful and beautiful. I think Your Majesty loves this kind of woman.”
This means that the Chu woman originally met the Qin king's aesthetic standards.
Li You disapproved, saying, "Father, if one truly loves a woman, one cannot see other women."
"Fine, fine, fine." Li Si immediately chased him away, wanting to punch him at such sentimental talk. "I see your heart has already run off with Princess Yongning. You are the son-in-law of the royal family, how can you be a member of the Li family?"
Li You: "..." Why say all this? "The princess only has me, and this is mutual."
When he got back, he complained to his mother that his father wanted to take a concubine, a girl named Chu!
Although there was no need to attend court every day in Chu, the daily memorials still needed to be reviewed as usual. So, while Ying Zheng was busy with official business during the day, Banban followed Ying Yue around to play and even enjoyed the Yangtze River.
No wonder the Yellow River is called the Mother River, while the Yangtze River has nothing. When the Yangtze River surges, it shows no mercy, surging and roaring, heading straight for someone who could be crushed to death.
Banban stayed in this place for more than half a month. He wrote letters to Ji Changyue, Yang Jiang, the Ji family, his son and daughter. He had to write two separate letters to his son and daughter, otherwise no one would be happy.
I received a reply a few days later.
Xing Shu couldn't write yet, so the letter paper was covered with scribbles and messy scribbles, as well as two ink-stained handprints, one big and one small, which must have been left by the brother and sister playing together.
Ji Changyue talked about palace affairs, interspersed with some minor matters of the court, such as Mi Dian's alcoholism, falling off a bridge and breaking half his leg, nearly losing his life but then regaining his senses.
However, the letter from the Ji family contained something that made me feel somewhat uneasy.
Ji Hao's son, Ji Wushi, was in the State of Chu. Xue Shi was so distraught that she almost went blind from crying. She went to his door, begging Banban to help her find out if he was still alive.
Zhu Heyang expressed Xue Suxin's guilt, saying that since she had asked so much, she could not refuse. So she wrote a letter to Banban, telling her that if she did not want to help, she should just say that she had not found it.
That night, Banban told Ying Zheng about it.
Ying Zheng said, "The family that Xue remarried into back then was indeed a high-ranking family. Lü Buwei never gave anyone a chance to criticize him in this regard. He must have been afraid that others would spread rumors that he had sent someone to intercept and kill Mr. Ji Hao. After all, once Mr. Ji Hao entered Qin, he would become my tutor and would naturally enter the court to serve as an official, and would naturally become part of the Crown Prince's faction."
Banban was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly realized what was going on. "If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Yan hated his cousin to the bone and that the State of Zhao wanted to kidnap my father and mother to coerce you, it's very likely that Lü Buwei did it."
Ying Zheng nodded and took her hand. "That's why Xue was exhausted after remarrying. Just managing the household affairs, winning people's hearts, and pleasing her parents-in-law took a lot of effort. It's not easy to gain a foothold in a high-ranking family."
"It was not her intention to neglect Ji Wushi. Back then, she and Ji Hao were deeply in love, so how could she not love this son? However, it was precisely her unintentional neglect that pushed Ji Wushi towards Lü Buwei. Now that things have come to this, it is only natural that she regrets it."
Banban sighed, "I just don't know if Ji Wushi is alive or dead now."
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, "He is not from Chu, so he certainly wouldn't have died on the battlefield for Chu. He's probably still alive. I'll send someone to search for him. You don't need to worry about it."
Another half month passed, and Banban felt so comfortable that she was practically covered in hair. However, after a month away, it was time to get down to business, so she suggested going back.
Ying Zheng was slightly surprised, "Aren't you very happy living here? Why do you want to go back?"
Banban told someone to pack up his belongings, saying, "I don't want to delay my cousin's important business. There will be plenty of opportunities to travel in the future, so why be greedy for this moment?"
"Besides, Ji Wushi has still not been found. My mother is a gentle person, and I can't count on my father. I need to go and help her."
As she was talking, she turned her head back and asked, "Do you think he might have gone back to Handan?"
Ying Zheng said, "I was just about to tell you that Ji Wushi has been found at the tomb of Mr. Ji Hao."
Now, Banban fell silent.
On the way back, she felt indescribably sad.
Ying Zheng comforted her, saying that the people he had sent had brought Ji Wushi back and were on their way back to Qin.
After some time, we finally returned to Xianyang.
Banban immediately summoned Xue Suxin and hurriedly paid her respects upon entering the palace. She was extremely anxious, "Your Majesty, where is my child now? Is he in any danger? He... he committed such a wrong thing, it is all my fault."
“He has returned to Qin and is currently being interrogated. Don’t worry, the King will personally question him and will not wrong him.” Banban looked at her carefully. “I see that you look haggard, which does not seem to be due to worry about your son these days.”
Xue Suxin was stunned and looked away. "To be honest, Wu Shi did such a thing. My husband's family cannot tolerate him. It's his fault, and it's also my fault for bringing shame to the family." As she spoke, two lines of clear tears streamed down her face. She said wearily, "In the end, it was my fault for forcing things all these years, and I even lost my son because of it."
"Marrying into a powerful and wealthy family is not as glamorous as I imagined."
Everyone has ambition, whether male or female, and having ambition is not wrong.
“This isn’t your fault.” But Banban wasn’t good at comforting people, so she said a few dry words and then asked, “If you want a divorce, I will help you.”
Xue Suxin forced a smile, "This concubine thanks you."
Ying Zheng personally inquired about it, and afterwards he felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
When Banban asked him, he gave a brief answer, saying that Ji Wushi resented Ji Hao for his excessive care for Ying Zheng, who was then a hostage, back in Handan. "He wished you were his real son! What am I to him? I'm just a stone on the ground!"
With Ying Zheng as a shining example, Ji Wushi, whose talent in martial arts was mediocre and whose studies could not compare to his, could not gain the favor of his biological father no matter how hard he tried.
After his mother remarried, she gradually neglected him, and at this time Lü Buwei became his pillar of support.
“Lü Buwei was indeed talented in teaching people. In Ji Wushi’s heart, Lü Buwei was his true stepfather.”
“Lü Buwei would not betray the Qin state. Ji Wushi was taught by him and never thought of betraying the country.”
“He was kidnapped by those who instigated Mi Qi to become the King of Chu, with the intention of using him to coerce me. Mi Qi rescued him and secretly sent him to Zhao… He refused to do such a shameless thing.”
"After going around in circles, it all comes back to Mi Qi." Banban felt complicated.
Mi Qi was truly born in the wrong era. He was a virtuous minister who lived in a greenhouse. In the end, when faced with the pleas of the remaining soldiers of Chu and their faces that did not want to surrender, he probably would have had a hard time refusing them. He had the blood of the Chu royal family flowing in his veins. He was not only the prime minister of Qin, but also a prince of Chu.
At that moment, Ying Zheng seemed to no longer hate him.
If Mi Qi truly used Ji Wushi to coerce the Qin state into withdrawing its troops, he would be placing Ying Zheng in the eye of the storm and on the moral judgment seat.
But he didn't do that.
The father's authority was restricted in the Qin law. After Shang Yang's reforms, it was stipulated that fathers could not arbitrarily punish or kill their children. This criminal law was very harsh. The Qin state advocated "filial piety" and also "mutual protection among relatives," which meant that relatives should supervise and guarantee each other.
Although Ji Wushi was her stepson, the family Xue Suxin remarried into clearly did not do these things. Instead, they left her to fend for herself without showing her any care whatsoever.
Xue Suxin is right. All these years have been in vain for her; that family looks down on her.
It just so happened that someone needed to be held accountable for Ji Wushi being kidnapped to the State of Chu, so Ying Zheng used this as an excuse to hold them accountable, severely reprimanded them, and after consulting Xue Suxin's opinion, ordered Xue Suxin to divorce her husband.
This is the first time in history that a monarch has forced his wife to divorce him.
Not long after, Xue Suxin went to the palace to say goodbye, saying, "I am going back to Handan with Shi'er, and I am hereby bidding farewell to the Queen."
Banban hesitated, "Don't you still have a son and a daughter left behind—"
Xue Suxin shook her head. "The first thing a person should do in life is to live for themselves. Those two children are not on my side, so I will not force them. I have already forced enough in this life."
Even if it's your own child, if they're not on the same path as you, what's there to be unable to let go of?
Banban sincerely praised, "You are very brave."
Xue Suxin was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Shi'er wants to start a school, just like my late husband did. I also want to be a teacher."
Banban was delighted to hear this, "That's great! I wish you all success in nurturing countless talents."
Xue Suxin had never heard this phrase before. She pondered its meaning and then sincerely praised it, "Your Majesty's words are wonderful. Thank you for your kind words!"
Hearing Xue Suxin say this, Banban knew that the story of "having students all over the world" probably didn't exist at this time, but that didn't prevent everyone from understanding that teaching people to read was no different from planting trees.
On the other hand, after six months of 'cold violence' against the State of Qi, Yao Jia sent back news that he had bribed several important ministers with a large sum of money to persuade the King of Qi to surrender to Qin, and even the Queen of Qi agreed to the proposal.
Although the King of Qi knew that the Queen of Qi was a princess of Qin and it was impossible for her not to think about Qin at this time, she had still borne children for Qi, so he was somewhat annoyed with Yang Man.
Yang Man ignored him and sent a message to Banban, saying that the King of Qi's attitude had softened, but he was too proud to admit it.
When the time was right, the Qin state officially launched an attack on Qi.
This was the last remaining fragmented kingdom on a map that had been shattered into countless others. On the day the Qin army marched out of the country, the people of Qin lined up in the city and cheered, "Conquer Qi and come back soon!"
Before the Qin army even arrived in Qi, the King of Qi was so terrified that he opened the city gates and surrendered, willingly submitting to the Qin king.
Yang Man stood on the city wall to welcome the Qin army, radiating an unprecedented vitality and looking several times more beautiful than usual. "I'm going home!!"
When the battle report was sent back to Xianyang, Ying Zheng and his ministers were discussing matters. When they saw that it was a battle report, they all held their breath in silence.
The soldier's face flushed red, and after kneeling down, he could barely speak. Finally, he simply shouted at the top of his lungs, "Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Qi has surrendered!!"
Ying Zheng, who had been holding his breath, suddenly became rapid, slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face beaming with approval: "Excellent!"
All the civil and military officials present bowed their heads in submission, their faces flushed with excitement: "Congratulations to our king for conquering the six kingdoms and unifying the world!"
The last piece of the map was captured without bloodshed, and the world was unified!
How could Ying Zheng not be in high spirits? He had every right to be in high spirits!
He is only thirty years old this year, and with the accumulated achievements of six generations, he swept across the land and unified the world.
Banban calculated the days and found that her cousin had completed the unification of the country almost ten years earlier than in history. She hadn't given him any prophecy except for his confession before the wedding, yet he was able to accelerate to this point. He was simply the world's number one tycoon!
It was as if, ever since he destroyed the Zhao state, his path of conquest had been accelerated, one after another.
Banban is already twenty-nine years old. She is Ji Chengyin, the Queen of Qin, the wife of the King of Qin, and the mother of two children.
Two months later, Ying Zheng established the title of Emperor, believing that his virtues surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and his achievements exceeded those of the Five Emperors. Naturally, Ji Chengyin, who was the Queen of Qin, succeeded him as Queen.
He wanted to establish a completely new central government system, overturning the existing one, with two prime ministers to check and balance each other and divide power.
After a heated discussion among the officials, nearly two months later, the central government established the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers system, with the Three Dukes being the Grand Commandant, the Chancellor, and the Imperial Censor.
The Grand Commandant held the reins of the nation's military power, which was personally controlled by Emperor Ying Zheng, thus leaving the position vacant.
Wang Wan was appointed as the Left Chancellor and Wei Zhuang as the Right Chancellor.
The Imperial Censor was responsible for oversight and adjudication, and could be understood as a deputy prime minister, a position held by Wei Liao.
The other nine ministers have all been appointed. It is worth mentioning that Li Si was appointed as the Minister of Justice, an official position in charge of criminal justice. According to common understanding, he is the head of the highest judicial organ.
Qin Ju was appointed as the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud, one of the Nine Ministers, while Han Fei still did not hold a formal official position and continued to serve as the Grand Tutor.
After resolving the official system, the question of what system to implement nationwide became a new one.
Chancellor Wang Wan proposed continuing the enfeoffment system, while Minister of Justice Li Si proposed the prefecture-county system, dividing the country into thirty-six prefectures for separate governance.
Regarding the choice between the enfeoffment system and the prefecture-county system, Ying Zheng was naturally unwilling to implement the enfeoffment system.
Who would want to divide the world they've worked so hard to unify again?
only.
Wang Wan looked respectful and serious: "Your Majesty, the six kingdoms have just been established. I request that the princes be enfeoffed as feudal lords to pacify the four directions. This is in accordance with the Zhou dynasty's strategy of long-term stability!"
Li Si turned his head and said, "His Majesty only has one Crown Prince, why bother with any further titles?"
Wang Wan choked, not believing that Li Si didn't know what she was saying. "Your Majesty only has one child. Is the Crown Prince also one? Are the Crown Prince's children also one?"
He did it all on purpose!
Before he could argue, Li Si stepped forward with righteous indignation, cupped his hands, and said: "Your Majesty! I have heard that King Wen of Zhou enfeoffed many princes of the same surname, like stars scattered across the sky. However, for five hundred years, the princes fought each other like tigers and wolves tearing at each other. Qi, Huan, Jin, and Chu all became powerful through warfare, and the emperor's orders could not even leave Zhou—"
"Is this something that can be imitated?"
These words caused an uproar in the court. Everyone saw the emperor's face suddenly darken, and they knew that Li Si had played right into his hands.
No matter how much he said, it was all in vain. Li Si then listed the problems of the feudal lords attacking each other, which the emperor could not stop.
Ultimately, Ying Zheng adopted the prefecture-county system.
As for how to divide the spoils, Ying Zheng wanted him to discuss it with Han Fei and come up with a plan that would satisfy him.
That morning, Banban looked tense and his whole body was taut.
Kui combed her hair and applied makeup, with Yun and Qianyin by her side. "From today onwards, you are the Empress. This servant is really finding it a little hard to call you that."
Today is the auspicious day for his formal ascension to the throne and his announcement to the world. He has indeed done what he said in the past: that one day when he succeeds, she will surely have a place beside him on the throne.
Cong Yun's cheeks flushed with excitement, and her hands trembled so much that she could barely hold the teacup and had no choice but to put it down.
“And what about me…” Banban roused himself, glancing at the ceremonial robes stretched out in front of him. Even though they were embroidered with golden phoenixes in gold thread, the main color was still black.
Gold cannot overshadow the composure of black, but its embellishment gives black a unique and dazzling brilliance.
The reforms of the previous dynasty naturally had to be followed by the reforms of the harem, and she was very serious about it.
After she was dressed up, Congyun tied her belt. Several shadows fell outside the door, and Banban looked up.
Ying Zheng appeared at the door, leading the crown prince and the princess on either side.
The black crown robe, predominantly dark, features a golden dragon climbing on his shoulders. The dragon is symmetrical on his shoulders and chest, extending all the way to the hem of the robe, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring presence that commands respect.
Ying Zhao's face was beaming with a bright smile as he waved his arms rapidly at her, the little golden dragon on his robes swimming around with him.
Xing Shu stood steadily beside her father, motionless, with a blank expression on her face, making one wonder if she was daydreaming. Suddenly, she reached out and tugged at her sleeve.
Those large, black, glass-like eyes added a touch of coldness and adorable charm to her.
"Too nervous to be flustered?" It was Ying Zheng speaking. He raised his eyebrows and stretched out his hand to Banban. "Hurry up and come here."
Banban smiled, stood up and walked towards him, until she placed her hand in his palm.
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Author's note: Here we go.
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