Chapter 45 Drunkenness (Part 2) "He was completely naked, and his eyes were wide open..."
Qian Yin was very perceptive; she gave the other palace servants in the hall a look, and they all withdrew from the inner hall.
Banban was afraid that her cousin would take away the hard-won spice box, so she quickly put it into her small jewelry box. "Geng'er is different from my cousin."
"What's different?" Ying Zheng was even more dissatisfied, especially by her self-righteousness, and immediately picked her up and carried her to the bath.
Banban was slightly startled and flailed her toes in protest, "I just washed! No!"
Ying Zheng ignored her and deliberately wet her undergarments when they arrived at the bathhouse. "It seems you need to take another bath."
Banban wasn't angry at all; instead, she playfully poked his chest.
The bathing pool in Zhaoyang Palace was built to be large; one pool could easily accommodate seven or eight people, and steaming hot mist filled the room.
When the kitchen staff came to deliver dinner, Qian Yin shook her head, "I'm afraid we won't eat until later. You can take it with you now, so it doesn't get cold."
The palace servant from the kitchen glanced into the hall and immediately understood.
The clothes become transparent when wet, outlining the human figure, whether graceful or resolute.
Banban's breathing was unsteady, and she opened her mouth wide to search for oxygen, while her cousin sucked the saliva from her mouth.
A hand held her buttocks firmly, preventing them from slipping.
The water in the bathtub splashed rapidly with a series of loud gurgling sounds.
Everywhere was humid and hot, almost suffocating. Her cousin was her only support, and she was addicted to clinging to him.
In the seconds before she lost consciousness, her eyes were glazed and lifeless, yet she still subconsciously stretched her body as much as possible to accommodate the strong pressure from the owner of that hand.
Unfold, unfold even more.
Until a burst of white light from above, she went limp, her head slowly tilting to the side and resting on his shoulder, revealing a section of her delicate, fair skin above the water.
It looked as if tears were rolling down, but not from anger or sadness.
The man who had been so forceful and unyielding just moments before had now softened. Banban could faintly hear him praising her in her ear, saying things like, "My cousin is so amazing, so well-behaved," and he kept going on and on.
Banban gradually regained her senses and was so embarrassed by what she heard that she raised her hand and scratched him, but he grabbed her hand and kissed her close to his mouth.
After splashing around underwater for a while, we washed and dried ourselves off, and then did it again on the bed.
This time, he was undoubtedly gentle and considerate of her feelings, doing everything he could to please her.
Banban, who was originally sleepy, is now completely wide awake. Having tasted the sweetness, she clings to his waist, sometimes wanting him to go faster, sometimes wanting him to go slower.
After cleaning up, I went out for a late-night snack.
Ying Zheng said that spices were nothing special, and he would get her as much as she wanted.
"The King is so powerful, of course he can have as much as he wants. But Geng'er is different. I don't know how he got it to Xianyang." It's not that the gift is so precious, but that it's the sentiment of the person who gave it. "Just like the golden bell anklet my cousin made for me back then."
Back then, Ying Zheng was weak and didn't have much money. The gold he received was obtained from other hostages. He had put a lot of effort into making it for her, so it was truly incredibly precious.
Ying Zheng wasn't oblivious; he simply said "oh" and said no more.
He wanted to re-fasten her anklet; the gold had been worn for a long time and didn't look as new or as shiny.
But Banban said he still liked this one and wanted to wear it, so he came up with a plan to melt down the gold bell and reforge it.
Banban thought for a moment, "Then let's get a new one. I don't want to change this one."
This old anklet symbolizes her extraordinary past with her cousin.
A few days later, a new anklet was made. The sphere of the bell core was carved into a sleeping rabbit. Ying Zheng liked bells, so he put it on his cousin so that no matter what she was doing, he could hear her right beside him.
If his cousin is with him but the bell doesn't ring, he will stop what he's doing and turn to look for her.
After the New Year, it will be Ying Zheng's birthday.
When the monarch celebrates his birthday, the whole country rejoices.
During this time, Banban was engrossed in researching iron pots and cakes. She couldn't improve the fermented steamed buns made with yeast in a short time, and she had no idea how to do it, as her knowledge was really limited.
It would be a waste not to eat the half vat of lard in the palace. Besides, she had never eaten stir-fried dishes in all the years she had been in this era. At first, she didn't think much of it, but recently she has been thinking about it more and more. She even dreams about eating a lot of food, and she is still confused when she wakes up.
Fortunately, my cousin's birthday was approaching, so the cast iron pot was made, and the cake was roughly replicated.
The palace had never imagined that the materials used for forging ironware could also be used to make a large pot for cooking; it was all quite novel.
On the day the iron pot was made, the cooks in the kitchen gathered around the master chef to prepare the dishes. The master chef muttered to himself, "The Queen ordered that it be stir-fried over high heat with plenty of oil, and that the ingredients be plentiful."
"It smells wonderful, it really smells wonderful!"
The palace servant stared longingly at the stir-fried meat slices in the pot, their aroma filling the air and the oil sizzling.
The state banquet was prepared in a very conventional manner, but once you get tired of the same old dishes, what's so new about it?
As evening fell, she instructed the palace servants to carefully place the cake on the dining table. Ying Zheng and Ji Changyue, who had been waiting nearby, couldn't help but be curious upon seeing this.
"What is this? Banban, what ingenious idea have you come up with this time?" Ji Changyue looked closely and saw that the large pastry was square, with a white layer, and it was soft and limp when it was raised, but it was well shaped, and a sweet aroma wafted in the air.
Unable to make too many colors of butter, Banban tried his best to stir the fruit pulp and juice, and barely managed to make light purple and pale yellow.
Both of these were made from the purple, thorny fruit picked by Tuo Qinju. The flesh of the fruit was also purple, and after being crushed, it was quite colorful. The light yellow color was made from the juice of the tangerines that Yang Man had sent to the palace every month.
She wasn't very good at painting; the petals and patterns on the cake were framed by a skilled painter from her birth chart, and the words in the center were written by her.
The name Ying Zheng had too many strokes to write properly; after trying for a long time, it just turned into a mess of creamy paste. So she simply wrote the four characters "Happy Birthday".
"This..." Ying Zheng hesitated. He could tell almost instantly which parts were done by his cousin and which were done by others.
It's incredibly ugly.
Is this stuff really safe to eat?
"What's with that expression on my cousin's face?" Banban bristled on the spot; she had worked hard all day!
"...It's anticipation." Ying Zheng coughed and asked seriously, "Is it meant to be cut open before use?" It's so big.
"Of course." Banban took out a knife.
Ji Changyue was startled. When did people in the palace start serving knives at meals? This was shocking! "Why weren't they cut up in the kitchen?"
"It's better for my cousin to cut it himself. Today is his birthday, and he's the luckiest person here." Banban handed him the knife. She originally wanted to put a candle in it, but then she thought that candles were used for sacrifices at this time, and putting them in food would only be considered as offerings.
"You always have so many ideas." Seeing that her son didn't object, Ji Changyue naturally didn't say anything.
Ying Zheng stared at the novel pastry for a moment, then cut it in half flat, revealing the three layers of fruit filling inside.
The fruity aroma mixed with a hint of alcohol in the pastry, and the outer layer was covered with a smooth layer of cream. The flavors were blended together wonderfully.
"Is it delicious?" Banban asked nervously, clenching her fingers tightly.
Ji Changyue and her son exchanged a glance and both burst out laughing.
"tasty."
"It's sweet and delicious, and must be many times more popular than wine-flavored cakes. What did my cousin name it?"
"cake!"
"..."
What an ordinary name! "Made from eggs?"
"My cousin guessed it right away." Banban found it quite novel.
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, "How about calling it Crimson Snow and Crispy Clouds?" The more he thought about it, the better he felt it was. After much deliberation, he thought, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas mentions a white jade called Bai Langgan, which describes a white, crystal-clear jade. It is often used to symbolize purity and preciousness. Cutting it open reveals a wealth of wonders, which is quite fitting. Bai Langgan is also a good name."
Ji Changyue covered her mouth and laughed, "Zheng'er also has a pursuit of beauty, but Bai Langgan is too obscure. It would be better to name it Jiangxue Suyun, which combines appearance, color and taste, and is easy to understand."
Banban thought to herself, "She didn't even name the cake."
However, the name my cousin chose was indeed high-class; it sounded like something ordinary people couldn't afford.
After enjoying the fresh Jiangxue Suyun (crispy snow cloud) as a first taste, the restaurant served a variety of stir-fried dishes.
None of them had ever eaten stir-fried dishes before, but Ji Changyue, finding it novel, ate an extra bowl of steamed rice. Banban instructed the cooks to use plenty of oil and heat, and the stir-fried dishes were exceptionally appetizing. Not only Ji Changyue, but everyone else's mouths watered.
On the occasion of Ying Zheng's birthday, Meng Ao also brought back some good news.
Meng Ao led his troops to attack Wei and won a great victory, capturing twenty cities in Wei. At the beginning of Qin, Dongjun was established, which directly bordered Qi.
This made it much easier for Princess Yangman to send people between Qin and Qi. They were all happy, but Yangman wrote that Qi was in a tense atmosphere.
Banban was worried that if she sent a message back to Qin and revealed any secrets of Qi, she would be punished and killed by the King of Qi. He told her to just talk about everyday matters.
Yang Jiang savored the crimson snow-white pastry stuffed with peach flesh and said irritably, "How could Aunt Yang Man not know this? The more you say that, the more homesick she will feel, and the more she will feel that Qi is not her home, and that she will have to be cautious in everything she does."
Banban rolled her eyes at her before calming down, "Then tell me how to write it?"
Yang Jiang sat down next to her and took a closer look. Good heavens, she had been writing and revising, making the bamboo slips uneven. The wrong words should be scraped off with a scraper, but she kept scraping, which made the bamboo slips uneven.
She paused for a moment, then said, "Do you think my brother will laugh when he sees the letter you wrote?"
"Why are you laughing?" Banban asked, dissatisfied. "My handwriting isn't ugly."
"It's nothing." Yang Jiang hurried over, unable to bear mocking her, "Why don't you use letter paper?" She was still using bamboo slips.
“It’s easy to preserve,” Banban said. “I always felt that the letter paper would get damaged.” In fact, the quality of paper at that time was incomparable to that of later generations. “Letters can be taken out and read from time to time.”
Yang Jiang thought it made sense, and the two of them sat down together to discuss how to reply to Yang Man. By the time they finished writing, it was getting dark.
"She said the atmosphere in Qi was tense..." I'm afraid it's not good.
"Now that Qin and Qi are directly adjacent, Qi is naturally filled with fear and anger. It is only because our great Qin is growing stronger that others are afraid." Yang Jiang didn't care at all, and even felt proud.
Yang Jiang was intelligent, but ultimately insensitive to matters of state.
Banban, being a person from a later era, knew that the other six states were not incompetent or cowardly; otherwise, Qin would not have been able to consolidate the achievements of six generations before finally unifying the country.
That evening, Banban shared this worry with her cousin.
Ying Zheng gently patted her lower back and comforted her, "It's nothing more than seeking an alliance to attack Qin. Qin has been through quite a lot. Don't worry, go to sleep."
After hearing what his cousin said, Banban was no longer worried.
The next day at noon, the two were having lunch together when Qin Ju bowed and came in, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, a physician has been summoned from Ganquan Palace."
Banban was greatly alarmed, "Is my aunt sick?"
The two of them, without even having a meal, hurriedly went to Ganquan Palace.
Hearing that the King and Queen had come to visit the Queen Mother, the eunuch who came out to greet them was slightly surprised and stiffened, then lowered his head to lead the two inside.
"Where is the imperial physician? How is the Empress Dowager?" Banban asked anxiously as soon as she entered.
Ji Changyue lay on the bed, her face pale, but her eyes were unusually bright. She beckoned Ying Zheng to sit on the edge of the bed. "It's nothing, I just used the wrong thing and I'm not feeling well."
Having said that, she waved her hand, signaling the physician to leave.
“It must be because the palace servants didn’t serve you well enough.” Banban took her aunt’s hand. “Is your stomach upset? Let me rub it for you, Mother.” As she spoke, she reached in to put her hand in.
Ji Changyue was startled and immediately grasped her hand. "No need, no need... You child, why are you so enthusiastic?" After saying that, she realized that she had overreacted and softened her voice to scold, "You are the Queen now, how can you do everything yourself? Just let the palace servants do it."
Ying Zheng sighed, thinking to himself that not all women are as carefree and adorable as his cousin, without any scruples. "I will order someone to find a few skilled physicians who are good at massage to serve the Queen Mother," he said, turning to urge Qin Ju, "Hurry up and have the physicians in the clinic write prescriptions and prepare the medicine as soon as possible."
Qin Ju bowed and agreed, "Yes."
"No need, my son is so kind." Ji Changyue slowly lay down. "I want to rest for a while now, I'm too lazy to move, let's talk about it another day."
"Then Mother, please rest well. I will not disturb you any longer," Ying Zheng said gently and with concern.
Ying Zheng was concerned about his mother and repeatedly questioned all the palace servants in Ganquan Palace. He also inquired about what the Empress Dowager had for lunch. Her personal eunuch, Lao Ai, stepped forward and said in a high-pitched voice, "The Empress Dowager had roasted mutton for lunch. Perhaps the mutton was not properly deodorized today, and it was particularly muttony. It is not good for the Empress Dowager to eat it."
Banban listened and empathized, saying, "Lamb does have a strong gamey smell, and it makes my stomach uncomfortable."
"May I have your name?"
"Pu Lao Ai." The eunuch lowered his body even further.
Strange name.
Banban instructed him, "Take good care of the Empress Dowager. If she feels unwell at all, report it to Chaoyang Palace immediately."
Lao Ai respectfully replied, "Yes."
Only after the King of Qin and the Queen left did Lao Ai slowly rise. He took off the eunuch's black hat, glanced at the little palace servant beside him, and said, "Go, you know what medicine to prescribe. Remember to avoid the King and Queen's people."
The maid's face paled slightly, and she nodded, biting her lip.
Banban was too lazy to walk, so she was carried in a sedan chair. After all that work, she was starving and leaned weakly on her cousin's shoulder. "If you don't remove the muttony smell, you really can't eat it. It's just like pork that has never been castrated. It's so smelly that you can't eat it at all."
Ying Zheng simply said to go back and have someone bring him some hot food.
He still remembered the first time he learned that castrated pork could be eaten. It was in Handan, the capital of Zhao. He figured it was his cousin's idea. This way of eating quickly became popular in Zhao. Before that, pork was truly inedible.
"It's true that some older people are physically weaker," Qian Yin said, offering words of comfort.
Banban was quite puzzled. "My sister-in-law is still young. How can she be considered old? You should be punished." She snorted and gave Qianyin a light glare.
She thought of the age at which her cousin had died, and her heart skipped a beat.
Although people in ancient times did not live very long, in my general impression, people in their forties or fifties were still in their prime.
Qian Yin quickly apologized, saying she had misspoke. She was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat, but the King of Qin did not react.
He asked softly, amused, "What? Why are you pinching me?"
Banban released her grip on her cousin's arm. "It's nothing," she said, lifting her face with a sweet smile and kissing the corner of his lips.
Two days later, Ji Changyue's health did not improve.
Ying Zheng became thoroughly worried.
She consulted a fortune teller who said that Xianyang Palace was unlucky for her and that she might have been harmed by something, which was why her health was not good. She wanted to move to a different place to live.
"Did the Xianyang Palace offend the Empress Dowager?" This reason was too strange, and Ying Zheng's first thought was not to believe it. He frowned and disagreed with Ji Changyue moving away. "Empress Dowager, I have never been separated from you since I was a child."
Ji Changyue's expression froze slightly. After a moment of silence, she sighed, "Zheng'er, your mother will be back soon, and Banban will be with you."
Banban, who had never been separated from her aunt, asked with tears welling up in her eyes, "How is my aunt? Is she feeling unwell?"
Hearing her call her "sister-in-law" shows how worried she really is.
Ji Changyue softened her heart, "I'll only stay for a few months at most, and I'll definitely come back soon. Look at the two of you, how can I not worry about you?"
Ji Changyue insisted, and the two juniors tried to persuade her to stay, but to no avail, so they had no choice but to agree.
Ji Changyue selected a separate palace in Yongdi, and set off the next day with a few familiar palace servants.
Inside the carriage, Ji Changyue looked unwell, appearing listless and weak. She was indeed not feeling well, but she was not ill.
Lao Ai brought over the medicine in a jar, blew on it gently, and brought it to her lips.
Ji Changyue didn't drink it, and even turned her head away in annoyance.
Lao Ai's eyes darkened slightly, then filled with worry. "Empress Dowager, please drink some medicine. This is for your health. Otherwise... if you are still sick when you return, the King will be suspicious."
Upon hearing this, Ji Changyue stared intently at Lao Ai. "Aren't you angry? Aren't you upset?"
Lao Ai gripped the bowl tightly, a hint of reluctance creeping into his brow. "My life was given to me by the Empress Dowager. Everything else is just material possessions. Only the love between you and me is the most important thing. I love you first and foremost, and everything else comes second."
Ji Changyue was quite moved and softened her tone, "It's good that you understand."
"We will spend the rest of our lives together, and neither of us will be lonely. But we cannot have a child. If I hadn't been in danger of losing my life by aborting him immediately, I wouldn't have traveled so far to Yong to give birth."
"Upon delivery, immediately..." The last two words were too cruel, and Ji Changyue, mindful of Lao Ai's feelings, ultimately didn't say them. She explained carefully, hoping this man could understand her, "As the Empress Dowager, I cannot confuse the Ying bloodline, so he cannot be kept alive. This is not only for Zheng'er, but also for the Great Qin. Lao Ai, you must understand me."
Lao Ai nodded with difficulty, "I know, but..." As if he had struggled for a long time, he cautiously probed, "If it is my daughter, please spare her life."
Ji Changyue was taken aback, pursed her lips, leaned against the carriage, and sighed after a long while, "We'll talk about it later."
"Sit down next to me, I'm tired and want to take a nap."
She had always wanted another child, boy or girl, so that Zheng'er could have more children to keep him company. However, during the three years she spent in the Qin Palace, Zichu was in poor health and she was unable to conceive.
She had an affair with Lao Ai, and in less than a year, he got her pregnant. It was all her fault.
Lao Ai got up, gently embraced Ji Changyue, and coaxed her to sleep.
In reality, he harbored deep resentment and intense hatred.
If he hadn't bribed the imperial physician and lied to Ji Changyue that she would be in mortal danger if she had an abortion, how could this child have survived until now?
At least the first step has been accomplished; once they reach Yongdi, he won't be able to say whatever he wants.
He understands women best. Ten months of pregnancy—even if a woman didn't want the child at first, the fetus is still with her for ten months. He doesn't believe that she, as a mother, could be so heartless as to take his life!
He contorted his face and kissed Ji Changyue's forehead, repeatedly murmuring how much he loved her.
In his heart, he cried out, "Empress Dowager, you'd better stand on the side of this villain!"
Xianyang Palace.
Ying Zheng was concerned about Empress Dowager Ji Changyue and repeatedly urged people to go and inquire, wanting to know if she had safely arrived at her separate palace in Yong.
However, he soon forgot about the Empress Dowager.
Because Qin launched an attack on Wei and occupied twenty cities, the pent-up anger and resentment of the six states over the years finally erupted. The five states of Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi formed an alliance, elected the King of Chu as the leader of the alliance, and launched a joint attack on Qin.
This is the spring of crisis.
Banban's worries came true. Although she knew the outcome—that her cousin would be the victor—the fact that the five-nation coalition was attacking Qin was still terrifying.
Ying Zheng hadn't had a proper rest for several days, and on several occasions he angrily berated the other five states in front of Banban for being too arrogant and audacious.
...Although the phrase "going too far" is not suitable for my cousin to use.
Cough cough.
Banban kept a straight face and pretended to comfort his cousin, "We can just send troops to fight them."
"We have already set out, and our troops are now arrayed at Hangu Pass." What Ying Zheng felt humiliated about was not those things, but rather, "The five allied forces have captured my Shouling—a truly shameful disgrace!"
Yes, my cousin has always looked down on the five kingdoms. Although he knows they are not to be underestimated, he doesn't take them seriously at all. In his mind, conquering the five kingdoms is only a matter of time.
The Qin state sent troops to resist the combined forces of the five states.
The Qin state was indeed stronger, and it managed to break through the allied forces in one fell swoop, thus ending the five-state alliance.
On the day of his triumphant return, Ying Zheng was in high spirits and drank with his ministers.
He came back drunk, and Banban barely glanced at him, even though she knew he was happy inside.
Qian Yin and the others came out soaking wet. "Your Majesty, His Majesty is extremely wary and does not allow anyone else to serve him." Judging from their expressions, they were quite frightened.
The King of Qin never parted with his sword. If he felt unsafe, he would draw it and brandish it. Who would dare to approach? Would they be courting death?
Banban stiffened: "..." She's unhappy just because she's not here!
My cousin never lets anyone near him, whether male or female, so whenever he gets drunk, she's the one who takes care of him. Who knows?
Banban reluctantly resigned himself to letting them leave and going in himself.
As soon as she entered, she saw her cousin dancing with a sword in a daze, his clothes half off, which he guessed he had taken off himself, and no one else could touch him at all.
In no time, he stripped naked, and Banban was stunned, his gaze unconsciously glancing down again and again.
She tried to approach him, wanting only to push him into the pool.
The sound of bells could be heard faintly in the bathtub.
Ying Zheng suddenly put down the Qin King's sword, his eyes shining with an astonishing light. He spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone carrying a peculiar meaning, "Cousin?"
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