Bonus chapter for 26,000 nutrient solutions: "She heard his heart..."
Although the matter was ridiculous, everyone present knew perfectly well why the emperor wanted to appoint a tree as an official, so no one dared to object.
After the rain stopped, we set off again. When the sun was blazing, we finally arrived at Liangfu Mountain in Mount Tai. The Fengshan ceremony was being held there.
Since there was no reference point, Ying Zheng innovated on how to perform the abdication ceremony, dividing it into the "Feng Ceremony" and the "Abdication Ceremony." The former was performed at the top of the mountain to worship Heaven, while the latter was performed at the bottom of the mountain to worship Earth.
At the foot of Mount Tai, the rain has stopped.
The Confucian scholars looked up at the clear sky and shook their heads, saying, "It is truly a decree from Heaven that the Fengshan ceremony was held on a rainy day. It is not that we are deliberately making things difficult for Your Majesty, but rather that Your Majesty's virtue is unworthy of your position!"
There was no one here. They already harbored resentment because Ying Zheng didn't listen to them and dismissed them, so they dared to complain.
Chunyu Yue glanced at him sideways, opened his mouth, and then closed it again.
After a while, seeing that they were going too far, he turned cold and said in a tone that was both a reminder and a warning, "Walls have ears."
"Dr. Chunyu, what did we say wrong? Wasn't it you who dared to speak frankly that His Majesty was unworthy of his position?" Why pretend now?
Chunyu Yue held back for a moment, then said directly, "Why don't you dare to speak frankly in front of His Majesty?"
“Speaking frankly beforehand is admonition; whether His Majesty listens or not is up to him. But speaking behind his back afterward is mockery and overstepping one's bounds. Now that the Ying family has become emperor, you and I are his subjects. It is only right for subjects to serve the emperor. How can we only care about our own desires and disregard the country and the world?”
"What did you say? You're saying we hold a grudge against His Majesty?!" The scholar jumped up, "You're the one who's pedantic!"
Chunyu Yue didn't even look at them: "You know whether it's right or wrong. As subjects, you should be true to your word and respect your superiors and inferiors. I think the reputation of Confucian scholars has been ruined by you."
"You—" These words made their faces flush red with anger, then turn ashen.
On the mountain, Ying Zheng personally presided over the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, ordering people to offer wine, meat, silk and other fine items. The mountain was filled with all sorts of objects, showing great sincerity. He personally performed the kneeling ceremony three times and then said, "I have received the mandate of Heaven and obtained the mandate of Heaven, therefore I perform the Fengshan ceremony."
His devout attitude made Banban unsure whether he truly believed in the existence of gods, so she could only join him in the prayer, hoping that heaven would bless the Qin Dynasty for a long and prosperous future.
The same applies to the worship of the earth.
After the Fengshan ceremony concluded, he ordered Li Si to inscribe the "Mount Tai Inscription" to record his achievements in unification.
Climbing the mountain is difficult, and going down is not necessarily easier, but fortunately, going down is not so painful, and Banban can walk on his own.
They descended the mountain, picked up the scholars who had been left behind, and the main force continued onward.
Banban asked, "Where do we go next?"
Ying Zheng pointed out the direction to her, "Further over there is Langya, which is the heartland of Qi. Qi surrendered without a fight, and they are the most disdainful of unification. If that were all, it would be fine. However, this place is located at a port and is Qi's most important military stronghold. We must be wary of it."
Therefore, he had to stop at Langya to thoroughly investigate the area along the coast.
Banban pouted and nestled against his chest. "How could you be truly afraid of your cousin if you've never been beaten? Qi surrendered not because they were genuinely afraid, but because they realized they were isolated and helpless and couldn't win." But that was their own doing.
Ying Zheng naturally agreed, "My cousin is right, and we must take it seriously."
His long, slender fingers gently massaged her waist, shifting her position to make her more comfortable.
After descending from the mountain, the road became much flatter, and the royal carriage was spacious enough that the two of them could lie down and rest without using up all the space.
Nestled in his arms, she whispered, "Cousin, you're tired. Let me give you a massage."
"No, let's not." He chuckled, taking her fingers in his hand. "Holding you for a moment to rest is enough." With that, he pulled her into his arms.
"Aren't your legs sore?"
“I have practiced martial arts for many years, so this journey is not difficult for me.”
"Okay." She lay down limply, lifted her cheek, felt something prickly against her cheek, touched it, and said, "My cousin's beard has grown."
He touched it and found it was covered in a prickly stubble. He looked down and saw his cousin's still youthful and delicate face, like that of a young girl.
For a fleeting moment, my mind went blank.
“I’ll shave it off tonight when we rest.” He held her face against his chest to avoid pricking her.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Let's not shave anymore." Banban struggled to keep her head down, not wanting him to press her down; she hadn't seen enough yet.
Ying Zheng: "Hmm?"
She was absolutely captivated by his looks, especially in the dim light inside the car, where shadows flowed across his face, leaving a mesmerizing impression. Leaning against him, she held her breath and leaned down to kiss him gently. "You look good even like this. I like it."
She looked him over carefully from left to right, and couldn't resist kissing his chin again.
At this time, his demeanor was completely different from that of his carefree and aloof youth.
Mature and dignified, with a hidden sharpness, a glance or a smirk reveals the charm of a mature man.
"Is that so? I remember my cousin rarely shows such an attitude." He clearly didn't believe her, and even subtly observed her expression. Only when he saw the love and passion in her eyes did he hesitate to put away his attitude.
“Praising you was wrong.” Banban shoved him.
It wasn't appropriate to make any big movements in the car, so he pulled his arm back and pressed her directly against him, grabbing her chin and forcing her closer.
Their breaths mingled, and the air seemed to soften with warmth.
After a passionate kiss, still dazed, she heard his voice, "My cousin has remained the same all these years, just as charming and beautiful as she was on our wedding day."
He was thirty-four, and his wife was thirty-three, but she looked like she was fifteen or sixteen, unchanged, with delicate, flawless skin and the same innocent and pure look in her eyes.
He wanted to shave off his beard immediately because he didn't like the beard that grew every day, which would gradually widen the gap between him and her in appearance.
Hearing his praise, she didn't think much of it.
"Am I that young?" He touched his face and said smugly, "That's because I take care of myself every day. My cousin's skin is so rough every day, of course he looks older than me. Besides, you're a year older than me."
Her youthfulness stems from her youthful mindset, a childlike mentality that has remained unchanged for many years.
She hadn't experienced much hardship, and the occasional sadness she felt was only when she was with him.
Ying Zheng smiled and said, "Then it seems I'll have to secretly use my cousin's things."
Upon hearing this, Banban hesitated for a moment, "That won't do. The care products that men and women should use are different. Besides, the health preservation methods that Xia Wuqie taught are also very effective." She quickly said, "When we get back, I'll have someone make some that my cousin can use."
He naturally agreed, going along with her wishes.
She gently stroked his brow, "Now that you've become the ruler of the world, there are more unpleasant things happening to you. My cousin always has a frown on his face."
She cupped his face in her hands, placed a kiss on his brow, and urged him, "Don't frown."
The gentle touch landed on his skin, as light as a feather yet as heavy as a boulder, pressing down on him and causing a sour, astringent feeling.
Ying Zheng's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he lifted his eyelids to forcefully kiss her lips.
She was slightly dazed after being bitten, but then returned the kiss passionately. As she kissed him, she nestled against his neck and couldn't help but bite him back. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, wanting to melt into his body.
He stroked her long hair.
She could hear his heartbeat, which was accelerating, pounding strongly.
"What's wrong?" he asked, amused.
"I don't know. I felt that my cousin seemed unhappy just now, so he wanted to hold you tightly." After saying that, she didn't know what to repeat, so she just looked into his eyes and said, "I love you."
His breathing slowed and became heavy after hearing this sincere expression of love. After a long while, he smiled, cupped her smiling face in his hands, and said, "I love you."
"I love you."
He kissed her soft lips tenderly again, and said, "I love you."
"Why do you say it so many times?" Banban asked.
"I was afraid you wouldn't hear me." He gently pinched the tip of her nose and coaxed, "Go to sleep."
The vague gloom in his heart vanished instantly, and he held her even more tenderly.
"Okay~" Banban closed her eyes as instructed, intending to take a nap.
Although the ride was much smoother, it still swayed when turning or going uphill. Banban woke up and, half-asleep, realized that she was still in her cousin's arms.
It was warm in her arms, and her neck was damp; the sensation was very familiar to her.
When they were intimate, he liked to kiss her there, but this was the most vulnerable spot on a human body and also the location of arteries. Sometimes, when he was extremely aroused, he would bite her neck. Even though he didn't bite hard, she would still tremble and shrink back slightly.
Exhausted and sleepy, she no longer cared about trembling. "Why did you bite me again?" she mumbled sleepily, but her hand instinctively hooked around his neck, gently stroking the back of his neck and his black hair with her palm.
This is an attitude of being completely defenseless and letting others take whatever they want.
She soon fell asleep again.
When I woke up again, I was called by the clouds.
Banban sat up, touched his neck, took out a small bronze mirror and looked at himself. Sure enough, there was a faint reddish-purple hickey.
My cousin is a dog.
He told her to go to sleep, but actually he was secretly sucking on her neck.
After alighting from the carriage, Ying Zheng was talking to Wang Wan. She rolled her eyes at him as she passed by, then ordered her men to pack their things and settle down in Langya. Since he was going to patrol the coastline, he would naturally stay for some time.
As she packed her things by the cloud, she whispered, "Your Majesty, there are quite a few alchemists in Qi who seek immortality and magic. I just inquired outside and heard that there is a man named Xu Fu who is very talented, respected, and remarkable. It just so happens that the ointment you used for your face during this tour is almost used up. Why don't you summon him to take a look?"
"……What??"
"Xu Fu?"
"It is indeed Xu Fu. Have you heard of him?" Cong Yun asked in confusion.
Banban: "..."
Cong Yun added, "I heard that he can find the elixir of immortality, but I don't know if it's true or not."
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Author's note: Here I am, super early today!
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