Bonus chapter for 20,000 nutrient solutions: "Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin"...
Not wanting to discourage their child, the parents remained silent.
Banban then said, "Children learn to speak slowly after they are born. You were also over a year old before you started talking."
The child felt like the sky had fallen, and left with a gloomy expression that seemed to say, "How many days will it take?"
Banban didn't take her son's words seriously, but Ying Zheng believed them. For the next few days, he looked very serious. When she asked him what he was thinking, he said that he had thought about it from all sides and felt that no minister's family background was good enough for his daughter. He also thought about the three golden lights that Xia Xingshan had mentioned and even began to think about the possibility of seizing territory on the other side of the ocean and giving it to his daughter.
Banban remained silent. He would take even a child's joke seriously. Sometimes he was incredibly superstitious. She would start arguing with him, saying things like, "Zhao'er said our daughter looks like you, so she might as well be able to conquer the world herself."
Ying Zheng thought about it and realized it made perfect sense. How could the Ying family have any cowards?
The winter snow melted in the spring breeze. Banban was six months pregnant and, once the pregnancy was stable, she couldn't wait to start eating. For some reason, this pregnancy was unusually stable. She sat on her cousin's lap deeply and didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Last month, the road was slippery due to rain, and she almost fell. She hurriedly summoned the imperial physician, who found that she was perfectly fine. The physician checked her pulse and said that the baby in her womb had a steady and slow pulse and was fast asleep.
She found it unbelievable and gently stroked her belly.
Is it really that calm and uneventful?
Or is it that you're slow to react and didn't feel any discomfort at all?
In March, peach blossoms bloom, and all are pregnant. In July, the State of Wei has already been destroyed.
As she expected, Wei's attempts to cede territory and sue for peace were futile. Qin used the method of flooding, soaking Wei's city walls and easily pushing down the city gates to attack the capital.
The King of Wei knelt down, trembling, and asked to become his subject.
Rumors circulated outside that the head of Fan Yuqi, for which King Zheng of Qin had offered a reward, had been captured and was being prepared to be sent to Qin.
Upon hearing this, Banban realized that the famous assassination attempt on the King of Qin was about to take place. He hurriedly checked Ying Zheng's sword to make sure he could draw it, and then had a dagger made for himself to carry with him.
There was never a precedent in history for a queen to carry a sharp weapon. Ying Zheng was very clever and guessed early on that such a thing would happen. Perhaps it was an assassination? Or something else. Seeing his wife looking nervous, he personally forged a dagger sheath for her.
Sure enough, a few days later, Meng Yi secretly met with Ying Zheng, and Banban was also there that day.
“There was a man named Jing Ke who attempted to bribe me, trying to persuade me to speak to you that the King of Yan feared Your Majesty’s divine might and dared not raise an army to resist. He was willing to devote the entire nation’s strength to becoming your subject, offering the head of Fan Yuqi and a map of Dukang in Yan, only asking to protect the ancestral temples and sacrifices of Yan.”
Meng Yi was a member of the Meng family, and members of the Meng family were all loyal. If Jing Ke tried to bribe a member of the Meng family, he would have really kicked a hornet's nest. He turned around and betrayed Jing Ke.
“Dukang is the most fertile land in Yan. They are certain that the king is greedy and will be tempted.” Banban curled her lip.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yi looked up and glanced at the Queen.
The Queen used bold words; he wouldn't dare say such things.
"I am indeed tempted."
Meng Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked up at Ying Zheng.
He strolled leisurely around the table, saying, "Since you have shown such sincerity, how can I not be moved? I will reward Jing Ke with a grand feast."
He acted immediately, ordering a banquet to be held at Zhangtai Palace to entertain Jing Ke and the envoy from Yan, and inviting all officials to admire Fan Yuqi's head.
Banban doesn't actually know much history, thanks to the fact that the teacher at the orphanage didn't teach properly and sometimes skipped around in the lessons. History isn't actually part of the elementary school curriculum, but he wasn't interested in English or Chinese, so he only talked about math and history.
Thanks to him, she knew that her cousin had lost face at the banquet. He said that he had been so eager to host the banquet, and that he was glad that the State of Yan had such awareness. As a result, he was pinned to the ground and stabbed by Jing Ke in front of all the civil and military officials in the country.
I still remember the teacher's astonished comment: "Qin Shi Huang has a pretty good back, you know. I could stab him more than a dozen times and still not hit him."
I didn't understand what the teacher meant by clicking my tongue back then, but now I understand it all too well.
As she was thinking, she unconsciously glanced at her cousin's waist.
That evening, she personally applied a layer of oil to the inside of the Qin King's sword scabbard to ensure that it wouldn't get stuck in the scabbard when she drew it.
Three days later, the Qin state hosted a banquet to invite Qin Wuyang, the envoy of the Yan state, and Jing Ke.
Despite repeated warnings from Banban about the danger, Ying Zheng paid no heed. In his exasperation, he blurted out, "Cousin, do you know that sometimes when someone wants to kill someone, aiming for a fatal blow, they will poison the dagger?"
"Alright," Ying Zheng cupped her face in his hands. "I know everything, what are you afraid of?"
"Of course I'm afraid of becoming a widow!"
"..." Ying Zheng pinched her mouth shut, "Don't talk nonsense."
"It's obvious even to a fool that Ji Dan was behind this operation. I've already investigated quite thoroughly these past few days."
"Jing Ke was originally from the State of Wei. He loved swordsmanship and traveled to various states. When he arrived in the State of Yan, Tian Guang recommended him to Ji Dan. Ji Dan appointed Jing Ke as a high-ranking official and gave him extremely generous treatment."
Banban interrupted him, "Wait a minute, does Ji Dan wield that much power in Yan? Isn't he the crown prince? How can he appoint officials at will?"
Ying Zheng countered, "Otherwise, why do you think King Xi of Yan would be so wary of him, even going so far as to send him as a hostage twice?"
"As the crown prince, he has many ministers who fawn over and serve him. Prince Xi of Yan is getting old, and all the nobles and powerful people in the country want to curry favor with Ji Dan. This is a matter of positioning."
"It's just that the King of Yan forced Ji Dan to be sent as a hostage, and the ministers had nothing to say about it."
If the crown prince is weak, how could he be feared by the king and cause him to rebel?
Banban: "I thought Ji Dan was a pitiful little thing."
"You feel sorry for him?"
"I didn't, why would my cousin think that?"
"You once said that many women feel sorry for men."
"I will only feel sorry for my man." She quickly tried to soothe him.
After calming the man down, he continued, "Qin Wuyang is the grandson of Qin Kai, a famous general of the Yan state. He came with Jing Ke as his deputy." As he spoke, he revealed a deep expression and pondered, "Qin Wuyang probably has some martial arts skills."
Banban: "..."
"I also heard that when Jing Ke boarded his carriage to go west, he sang a song, which became quite popular in the Yan Kingdom within a few days: 'The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold, the brave warrior departs, never to return.'"
Banban frowned, a sense of absurdity arising within him.
How can a villain who's about to be assassinated be so cheerful? He even knows the farewell song, and not only does he know it, he sings it... he sings it!
Maybe it's best not to sing so much at times like this.
Banban: Silence is Cambridge tonight.
Ying Zheng was not nervous at all. He pinched his cousin's face to make her feel better.
After this ordeal, Banban was no longer so nervous. In the original history, he was fine, and now that she had warned him in advance, nothing would happen to him.
The banquet officially began, and Banban took her seat with her cousin. She was dressed in a dignified and solemn court dress, which was not only the same style as his but also the same color, with black as the main color and vermilion trim, exuding great majesty.
Zhangtai Palace is much larger than Xianyang Palace. It has always been used to host banquets for foreign guests and can accommodate everyone.
Before long, the sound of drums was heard, indicating that Jing Ke and Qin Wuyang had arrived outside the palace and were being inspected by Qin soldiers to see if they were carrying any weapons.
A moment later, a servant called out his name, and Ying Zheng allowed him to enter.
The surrounding officials were a dense crowd, and a main road was cleared in the middle, where two figures slowly came into view.
The man at the head of the group was probably Jing Ke. He was holding a long, rectangular gift box, which, judging from its shape, contained a map of Dukang in the Yan state. The man a few steps behind was much younger and was holding a square box, which probably contained the head of Fan Yuqi.
Banban was astonished. Was Qin Wuyang really only eleven or twelve years old? At most thirteen, with a childlike face, he was covered in sweat and his face was deathly pale. He took two steps and then dared not go any further.
Ying Zheng was speechless. He had been looking forward to Qin Kai's grandson, but it turned out to be a coward.
The officials below looked at each other in bewilderment and whispered strangely.
Li Si and Han Fei were fellow disciples and were seated next to each other. Li Si sat with his hands in his sleeves, clicking his tongue and muttering, "Do they really have to send a coward who wears his heart on his sleeve to be sent to his death? What is the Yan state thinking?"
Han Fei remained silent, then said, "Whether they were forced or not is still unknown."
Li Si asked sarcastically, "You mean Prince Dan?" He didn't particularly like Ji Dan.
Han Fei raised his head and looked at the imposing Qin Palace. "The King of Qin has a fearsome reputation. It is unknown whether Qin Wuyang has ever fought on the battlefield. It is normal for him to be trembling with fear when he suddenly arrives in a place like this. I'm afraid he will lose his life here today."
Li Si did not reply immediately upon hearing this.
The two of them can bicker and joke around all they want, but when it comes to serious matters, they can still understand each other's emotions very well.
After a long pause, Li Si said, "If you are in a position, do your job. The life and death of others is not your concern. Thinking too much will only increase your sorrow."
The two were unaware of Ying Zheng's scheme, only thinking that Qin Wuyang was too timid and had done something wrong to anger Ying Zheng, which would probably lead to his death.
Jing Ke glanced back at Qin Wuyang, his expression somewhat grim. However, being a man of great experience and with a strong mental fortitude, he quickly explained to the King and Queen of Qin who were now engaged in combat:
“This is a rough man from the northern barbarian lands. He has never seen the emperor before, so he is afraid. He hopes that the emperor can be lenient with him and let him complete his mission.”
Jing Ke addressed Ying Zheng as "Son of Heaven," which was an attempt to curry favor.
Everyone knows that "Son of Heaven" was originally the title of the Zhou Dynasty king. All the states were enfeoffed by the Zhou king. Using "Son of Heaven" to refer to Ying Zheng was simply to praise his ability to establish a state and dynasty.
Ying Zheng was indeed delighted and didn't mind at all. He waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care and said, "Get the map."
The two went up on stage one after the other. Jing Ke opened the painting box and took out the map scroll.
Banban's heart leaped into her throat. Her hand, hidden in her wide sleeve, gripped the dagger tightly. Afraid of delaying her cousin's important business, she didn't look at Jing Ke, but instead focused her attention on the scroll.
The entire room was completely silent; the atmosphere was as heavy as compressed wood, with not a single breath of air able to escape.
Just as the scroll was halfway unfurled, Ying Zheng suddenly spoke up, "This map..."
Jing Ke was forced to stop. "What?" This map is real; it's to prevent the fake from being discovered.
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Author's note: Bonus chapter coming soon!
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