An imperial edict stated, "If he dies, Li Si shall be buried alive with him."
The tour lasted a year and a half. Upon returning to Xianyang, Ji Changyue mentioned Ying Zhao's marriage. He was now sixteen years old, and Ying Zheng had already set a wedding date at that age.
Ying Zhao was the crown prince, and his marriage should be treated with great care.
Banban discussed with Ying Zheng, planning to ask him what kind of woman he liked on a certain day, but unexpectedly, he went to the battlefield with Meng Tian again.
Banban turned his head, and Xing Shu was gone.
She was completely enraged and ordered someone to send an urgent message to bring back the Crown Prince and the Princess.
Although the imperial court had made ample preparations before this war against the Xiongnu.
However, the Xiongnu were elusive, and Meng Tian had to lead a large army to sweep across vast areas, the hardships of which need not be described.
—Xing Shu is only twelve years old!
Coming to her senses, Banban realized something was amiss; Ying Zheng was far too calm and showed no sign of urgency.
Only after pressing him did I learn that he had known all along.
Indeed, without his approval, who would dare to take the princess to the battlefield?
Enraged, she started hitting him randomly.
After calming down, Ying Zheng said, "Xing Shu has loved martial arts since childhood and is quite skilled at such a young age. However, she has lived too smoothly, and her methods are ruthless and cruel. Her mind is unsettled and she is unaware of the hardships of the world. Being too lonely is not good. How can anyone be willing to follow her?"
“She is not willing to be outdone and does not want to be subordinate to her brother. How could she agree to be just an ordinary princess?” Ying Zheng only found out this by accidentally discovering that she would stare blankly at the unfamiliar territory on the other side of the ocean on the map.
The Qin Dynasty's territory was already vast enough, but there were completely unfamiliar territories on the other side of the sea.
In the past, Ying Zheng ordered a small team to go out to sea to explore other continents. Those people drew up maps, which Ying Zheng would occasionally take out and look at.
He was warlike and enjoyed the thrill of conquering other states, whether through strategic maneuvering or suppression, but he had to admit that the advice of his officials and wife was quite reasonable.
The Qin state needs stability and should not launch another large-scale war for at least forty or fifty years.
Moreover, naval warfare is a completely new field, and it cannot be taken lightly; he never underestimates his enemy.
He is pleased that his children, whether sons or daughters, will not be ordinary people. If Xing Shu is interested in this, he has no reason to refuse.
Banban recalled Xia Xingshan's description of the three golden lights, and ultimately fell silent, deciding not to mention it again.
In this campaign against the Xiongnu in the north, Meng Tian led 200,000 elite Qin troops northward with unstoppable momentum, recovering lost territory and continuing to advance northward.
The war was swift and decisive, lasting nearly a year. The Xiongnu Chanyu Touman was forced to migrate north, and at the same time, Meng Tian brought back a prophetic map.
The prophecy reads: "The one who will destroy Qin is Hu."
Meng Tian said angrily, "These barbarians must be the Xiongnu. In my opinion, we cannot let them go. We must pursue them and wipe them out completely."
Banban and Ying Zheng both fell silent.
Ying Zheng noticed that Banban's gaze had fallen on him more than once, "..."
Meng Tian was rambling on, trying to persuade Ying Zheng, when the Empress suddenly snorted coldly and turned away.
He paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "Huh—"
Looking again, Ying Zheng seemed to let out a long sigh, put down the divination chart, and covered his face with one hand.
Meng Tian was confused. What does that mean?
"This matter requires careful consideration," Ying Zheng said. "Now that offense and defense are easy, it is not difficult to defeat the Xiongnu. Since they have captured several cities of our Great Qin using guerrilla tactics, it is not unreasonable to learn from their superior techniques."
Meng Tian realized that if he continued his northern expedition against the Xiongnu, he might not be able to be allocated another 200,000 troops, which was also a source of his confidence.
The Qin state was confident, and there were reasons for that confidence.
Meng Tian accepted the order and stated frankly that he was confident and unafraid of a protracted war, and had long wanted to kill the Xiongnu who had brought shame to the Qin people.
As Banban came out of the council hall, someone came in to report that Meng Tian had returned to Qin with many Hu women, all of whom were extremely beautiful. They were all presented to Ying Zheng, hoping that he would accept them and vowing not to go south to harass the Qin border again.
However, Meng Tian knew what was going on and didn't dare bring those Hu women into the palace for the time being.
She stood outside the corridor.
A short while later, Meng Tian came out, and the two met face to face.
Meng Tian hurriedly bowed, as if he were still the same young man who was delighted to have caught Ying Zheng's eye many years ago. However, he knew in all of this that it was all an act. How could a tactician be a hothead? Heh!
Sure enough, he seemed to have just remembered that a group of Hu women were waiting outside the palace, and he became much quieter, looking extremely guilty.
Ying Zheng followed closely behind and heard the Empress say, "General Meng is wholeheartedly devoted to Your Majesty; his sincerity is evident to all."
Meng Tian: "..." He gave Ying Zheng a quick glance.
Ying Zheng waved to him, and he quickly made his escape.
Banban smiled and said, "I wonder what Your Majesty would name a child born to a Hu woman? Hu Hai? What an adorable nickname! It means 'little pig'."
The palace servants dared not listen to His Majesty and the Empress's private conversation, and each of them turned their backs to them.
Before long, someone secretly peeked over and saw that the two figures were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps His Majesty had taken the Empress away.
Xing Shu has changed a lot since returning from the Northern Territory. If she used to be willful and reckless, she is now much more restrained and usually shows a cute and kind smile when facing guests.
He has a gentle demeanor reminiscent of Ying Zheng after he returned to Qin.
Their pretense was exactly the same.
She wanted her to tell her what had happened during the march, but she refused, as she was the type to only report good news and not bad. Instead, she just smiled sweetly, kissed her cheek, and said she loved her mother the most.
Banban pinched a layer of hard muscle on her arm, feeling a sharp, jarring pain.
Ying Zhao's marriage was put on the agenda. During Ying Zheng's several tours of the country, Ying Zhao also went out to make frequent trips incognito.
He met the daughter of a local prefect, who was calm, dignified, and poised yet playful and lively; she was a capable woman skilled in both literature and martial arts.
The opportunity for her to meet Ying Zhao was a local martial arts competition. Unwilling to be let down or looked down upon because she was a woman, she tied up her black hair and showed off her skills.
It's a very cliché plot, but Ying Zhao admires her greatly.
Ying Zheng thought the woman was excellent and had the qualities of a queen mother, so he immediately arranged the marriage.
Because Qin has recently relaxed its restrictions, and because the people of Qin are not particularly concerned with trivial matters, not all women in Qin are devoted to staying at home to be good wives and mothers. Gradually, women's martial arts have become popular.
As the empress, Banban proposed that the selection and examination system should not be limited by gender, and the idea that "men and women are no different" gradually became popular among the people.
Banban had pondered this question before. In her later life, she heard that women were naturally weaker than men. In her opinion, this natural weakness was not a true natural weakness at all.
However, the discipline and training of women over thousands of years has led to a decline in female genes. How can women become stronger without exercise?
Therefore, she made no attempt to hide her delight at the Crown Prince's wife's combination of literary and martial talents. As the Empress, she had to set a good example and provide the common people with the right guidance.
Therefore, she picked up her equestrian skills again after many years of neglect. She felt that she should learn to ride a horse, and at least be able to passably ride and shoot.
Unable to stop her, Ying Zheng had no choice but to teach her himself, and he was always impressed by her teaching.
"The Empress is determined to set an example for the world; how can I stop her?"
Banban was also frank and open, and said in a sweet voice, "I am very happy to see everyone getting better and better." She pestered him, "Cousin, don't be lazy, teach me quickly."
For months on end, she never complained of hardship or fatigue.
That's just the kind of person she is; once she sets her mind to learning something, she won't give up no matter how difficult it is.
Ying Zheng was not entirely at ease; he was both pleased and filled with jealousy.
After two years of learning, she was able to ride a horse and hunt, but she couldn't hunt prey that was too big or too small... such as rabbits, because rabbits are small and fast.
That winter, she hunted a male deer and was overjoyed. She specially invited her future daughter-in-law to the palace for a meal.
She peeled off the deerskin and made it into a blanket, stuffed it with goose down, and carefully sewed it up, placing it in Chengzhang Hall so that Ying Zheng could sit or lean against it.
Over the years, Meng Tian led his elite personal guards in batches to wage guerrilla warfare on the grasslands, inflicting heavy losses on the Xiongnu, who knelt and wept on the grasslands in the winter. The northern border was pushed forward again and again, and the territory of the Qin state was expanded.
Ying Zheng was pleased and personally helped Meng Tian put on the pheasant-feather crown.
The feathers of the pheasant come from the pheasant, a bird known for its bravery and fighting spirit. It fights relentlessly, never giving up until one of its feathers is dead. Using its feathers as a crown symbolizes the bravery and tenacity of a military general.
His Majesty personally bestowed pheasant feathers upon the military generals; this is an immense favor.
Five years later, the Lingqu Canal was completed.
The construction of the Great Wall was put on hold, and construction was temporarily halted. The abundant rice farming and fishing in the Baiyue region aroused Ying Zheng's covetousness, something that the Central Plains and the Qin state did not possess.
The vast, unconquered lands and tribes in the south posed a potential destabilizing factor for the Qin state, and he believed that the Qin territory would only be safe if it bordered the sea.
Just then, the Lingqu Canal was completed, connecting the Xiangjiang and Lijiang Rivers, allowing both soldiers and provisions to be transported directly from the Central Plains to the front lines by waterway.
Having been emperor for many years, Ying Zheng was no longer as reckless as when he was still the King of Qin. He abandoned the idea of conscripting 500,000 troops and advancing in five routes. Instead, he appointed Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo and adopted a steady and pragmatic strategy, attacking while establishing strongholds and resettling people along the border.
To minimize the damage from the war, we steadily advanced southward to conquer the Baiyue tribes.
This war, due to its slow pace, lasted for nearly five years, ending with the establishment of Hainan Prefecture, Guilin Prefecture, Xiang Prefecture, and Minzhong Prefecture, and Lingnan was completely incorporated into the Central Plains.
Ying Zhao married at the age of twenty, and his granddaughter was born the following year.
After discussing with Ying Zheng for half a year, Xing Shu finally obtained 70,000 troops and countless ammunition and weapons, and began her journey across the sea. Her explanation to Ban Ban was: she wanted to go out and see the world.
Banban asked her to write back often, and she agreed with a smile.
But can 70,000 people really manage?
This doubt crossed her mind.
Xing Shu later wrote back, and only then did Ban Ban learn of her and Ying Zheng's intentions.
Those 70,000 men were the elite of the elite, and were thoroughly warmongers. Over the years, they had been won over by Xing Shu, and they voluntarily followed her to explore overseas.
This means that the 70,000 people were given to Xing Shu, and they belonged to her; Ying Zheng would no longer ask her to return them.
"But isn't 70,000 too few?"
“At first she only wanted 10,000. Over the years she had become very familiar with the development overseas and didn’t take them seriously,” he said, pretending that it would be very embarrassing for her to come back in disgrace if she lost. “She went back and thought about it for more than half a month and raised the number to 70,000.”
Although life overseas is still like ancient society... he hesitated in every way, and from then on, he kept thinking about his daughter sending letters back every month.
In the second month, she noticed something was wrong.
Good heavens, her daughter stole Wang Jian! Wang Jian is already very old, how many more years can he live?
Ying Zheng's expression was strange: "She used the excuse that there was an elixir of immortality overseas to coax Wang Jian onto the ship. If Li Si hadn't only had eyes for me, he would have been tricked too."
Three more years passed, and a white Qin flag rose from the alien land. This was exactly the same as the black Qin flag, only the color was different.
Banban hurriedly looked for a map to identify it, and lo and behold, Australia!
According to her people, further northeast, there are two adjacent continents with backward agricultural technology, a huge piece of fat meat that she wants to claim for herself.
Does it mean North America and South America?
Banban wasn't sure either. Encouraged by his sister, Ying Zhao blurted out that Qin also had a lot of land bordering the west, which might be incorporated into Qin's territory. He was then severely scolded by Chunyu Yue.
He asked, "Is the princess's situation the same as that of the Qin Dynasty?"
The common people of Qin had endured more than two hundred years of war, during which Shang Yang's reforms established a system of agriculture and warfare, and they also survived one hundred and thirty-five years of brutal corvée labor. Although Qin had unified the world, it was still severely weakened and needed to recuperate.
He strongly opposed launching another large-scale foreign war.
Chunyu Yue kept muttering to himself, hoping that Ying Zhao could be a benevolent ruler. As for Ying Zheng... how could he dare to have any expectations? This man thought he was a virtuous ruler, but in less than two years, his true colors were revealed. He immediately launched a southern expedition against the Baiyue and fought for another five years, making Chunyu Yue very anxious, fearing that it would cause turmoil.
Fortunately, the domestic situation was good, thanks to the Empress's constant comforting words, and his own ability to combine firmness with gentleness, which resulted in good public acceptance.
In that year, Wang Wan retired due to old age, and Ying Zheng appointed Li Si as prime minister.
Li Si has served Qin Shi Huang since he came of age and assumed personal rule, from the age of 22 when the emperor was born until now at the age of 50. He has finally become the prime minister, and although he has Xiao Heng as the right prime minister to check him, he has still achieved his dream.
Finally, it was confirmed that Li Si was the prime minister who would follow Hu Hai in rebellion in Banban's memory, and Banban's heart finally died.
That night, she pondered and looked for an opportunity to tell him.
Ying Zheng, however, handed her an imperial edict.
As they unfolded the scroll for a closer look, they were immediately stunned.
There was no other reason than this was his will. If he were to die, he wanted Li Si to be buried with him, and granted him the right to be buried with him in the Lishan Mausoleum: "Enter the mausoleum to serve the emperor, continue to be loyal and virtuous, and be his assistant in the afterlife forever."
This means that even as a ghost, Li Si would continue to be loyal to him, and the two would continue to be ruler and subject in the underworld.
Banban was completely bewildered: "Even if you die, you still want to sleep with him? Then I won't die, you two can die. I still want to be the Empress Dowager and enjoy life. Zhao'er loves me, I can have anything I want."
Ying Zheng: "?"
Which word means "sleep together"?
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Author's Note: I wanted to land smoothly, so this chapter took a long time to finish. There's probably only one more chapter left before the main story ends. There's an extra chapter today, so I'll update one more chapter in a bit and then it'll be over.
The side story will begin with the modern setting, the one that Banban Shengzhao dreamed about as a child.
There is an age difference, and they are still pseudo-bones, but this time they are not related by blood. There will be a lot of forum-style content in the middle because the modern side story is set a thousand years after the book, and it will describe at a relatively large extent how people in later generations view the emperor and empress of the Qin Dynasty a thousand years ago.
The setting is that Zheng Ge has memories, while Ban Ban initially has no memories.
There's a lot of extra content; I've seen all the comments you've written about what you'd like to see, and I'll write them all.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
