Chapter 46 Does the King of Qin Have Feelings? (Part Two) "Only because of Han Ke..."
Ying Zheng was incredibly strong from a young age. At the age of six, he beat up Li Xie, the tutor of Crown Prince Dan, in the street and bit off one of his ears, causing blood to flow freely.
He was drunk at the moment, and no one could restrain him.
It's good enough if I'm not pinned down and unable to move...
She was truly terrified. Her drunken cousin was completely out of his mind, acting recklessly and doing whatever he pleased.
He wouldn't have given up if she hadn't pitifully cried and begged for mercy.
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The next morning, Ying Zheng woke up with a splitting headache.
Last night's drunkenness felt like I died yesterday; my mind is a complete mess. (That's all; fill in the blanks yourself. It failed the review twice; it's just one sentence.)
With a gentle press on his temples, Ying Zheng slowly recovered.
His cousin was fast asleep beside him. He slightly lifted the blanket and saw that she was covered in marks, with bruises all over her lower back. She looked pitiful, and her eyes were wet in her sleep.
There was indeed a bite mark on the flawless white skin on the inside of her left thigh.
Last night's overwhelming memories suddenly surfaced.
It's not just biting, it's also licking.
Then, leaning over that maddening secret spring forest, yearning to drink in the golden nectar.
The scene of his cousin kicking his shoulder, neck, and face is still vivid in his mind; it looks like she's pushing him or grabbing him, her fingers running through his hair.
Ying Zheng snapped out of his daze, tenderly stroked his sleeping cousin, and pulled her into his arms.
Banban was asleep when he was woken up. He rubbed his eyes and said, "...Cousin." He was off duty today, so he didn't have to attend the morning court.
As soon as she opened her mouth, she was startled by her own voice. How could it be so hoarse? "Ah! My throat is hoarse, is it going to never get better?" The more she spoke, the worse it sounded, so she immediately shut her mouth.
Ying Zheng couldn't help but feel guilty. He had never treated his cousin like this before. When they weren't close, he would at most ignore her and be indifferent. He touched her little face and said in a soft voice, "It's my fault. I bullied you."
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, but the memories of last night came flooding back, and Banban wiped away her tears with aggrieved feelings, "Cousin, you were so scary last night. I told you I couldn't take it anymore, but you wouldn't listen at all. It hurt so much."
Ying Zheng ordered Qin Ju to summon the imperial physician, helped her dress, and then held her in his arms, saying, "From now on, I will drink in moderation." Drunkenness can lead to trouble.
Ying Zheng was indeed quite energetic on weekdays. Moreover, he was often suppressed by Lü Buwei in court, so he was not happy being the King of Qin. He never showed the resentment in his heart to his cousin. No matter how angry and indifferent he was outside, he would always show her the best face when he returned to Zhaoyang Palace.
In bed, his needs were naturally great, but he had always been restrained and gentle, never wanting to hurt his cousin. Unexpectedly, he unleashed his less desirable side when drunk.
He was fine when he coaxed her, but after he got dressed, he looked unhappy and preoccupied. Banban didn't know what he was thinking and thought that her crying had annoyed him, so she turned away and ignored him.
After sitting for a while, she became genuinely sad.
Whenever the two have any disagreements, her cousin will always try to appease her.
Ying Zheng was lost in his own emotions when he looked up and saw that his cousin was silent. He quickly hugged her again and coaxed her.
"Where do you feel uncomfortable?" He reached out and tried to massage her waist. "I was just reflecting on myself, not intentionally neglecting you."
Banban perked up her ears, feeling a little better after hearing these words. She gave a low snort and pointed to her leg, "My cousin is a dog."
After thinking it over, he put his arm to her mouth.
Banban glanced at him, then cupped his hands and bit into them.
His teeth dug into my arm, leaving two rows of teeth marks.
Ying Zheng merely furrowed his brow slightly, showing no sign of pain whatsoever.
"He's thick-skinned and tough." Banban muttered to herself, and immediately pounced on his neck, biting and nibbling. She wanted to bite hard, but when she actually opened her mouth, she couldn't bear to hurt her cousin.
Ying Zheng held her in his arms, saying, "My cousin cares about me and wouldn't bite me." But if she kept licking him, things would get out of hand, so he quickly pulled her head out.
"Yet you're willing to bite me." Banban was very indignant, feeling that she was spineless.
He was speechless at her complaints, and kept wanting to laugh, so he could only keep apologizing.
The two embraced, and he grabbed her wrist, lifted it up, and kissed it.
The pulse throbbed, and the fair skin was as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing the bluish veins running through it, as if it would break at the slightest bite.
His wife nestled warmly in his arms, obedient and docile, no longer angry with him.
He kissed her again, feeling that she was such a tangible person, warm, with a comforting breath, and would leave a string of wet, warm kisses on his neck.
Her petite frame, when embraced by his chest, resembled the spring sunshine nestled in his arms (please forgive me, it's just a description of the embrace).
He cupped her small face in his hands, and the two gazed at each other with affection.
The blood vessels throbbed beneath the skin, and someone's heart was beating in unison.
He kissed her lips tenderly, and she hummed softly in his arms, her tongue darting out to entwine with his. She touched his face with her fingers, and then touched his long, flowing hair.
Her actions resembled those of someone comforting a child, gently touching their face and head.
The anger in Ying Zheng's heart vanished, and he nestled deeply into the crook of his cousin's neck, inhaling her delicate fragrance.
“My cousin doesn’t act like a noble king at all. How can a king do everything himself?” Banban thought it was strange that Ying Zheng would groom himself every day, bathe himself, and even sleep without the palace servants keeping watch.
Ying Zheng, however, said, "A king is not one who needs to be served."
My cousin didn't know that although he wouldn't have the palace servants keep watch at night, every night when night fell, he would have a squad of personal guards standing guard around Zhaoyang Palace. They would not easily allow any unauthorized personnel to step into the palace.
This seems to be the first time among all the Qin kings throughout history.
The King of Qin's sword was kept by his bedside at night so that he could draw it immediately in case of any unexpected events.
He didn't want anyone to come in to serve him, so when she lived with him, no one was allowed to come in for her personal grooming and bathing. Fortunately, her cousin was diligent. He didn't want anyone to serve him, nor did he want to lower his cousin's standard of living. After washing himself clean, he would wash his cousin clean as well, taking care of her in every little detail.
"You're destined to be a workaholic," Banban muttered under her breath, sighing earnestly.
"Isn't it good to be busy?" Ying Zheng teased her. "If I were to relax, my cousin's position as queen would be in jeopardy."
Indeed, if the King of Qin is unstable, the Queen is in the same boat.
Banban sighed like an old man, "I feel sorry for my cousin. The way he acted after getting drunk must mean he was wronged by the court officials during the day."
Ying Zheng lowered his long eyelashes and gently patted the back of her hand. "In this world, only my cousin loves me to the bone. I am very happy."
“We are husband and wife who will spend our lives together. If I don’t cherish you, who will?” Banban said earnestly. Besides, feelings are mutual. “My cousin also cherishes me very much. He never lets me suffer any grievances. I love my cousin.”
Ying Zheng closed his eyes and gently nuzzled his cousin's neck. "I also love my cousin dearly."
After the two washed up, they got up. The physician arrived, followed by a bowl of medicine brought by Qin Ju. Ying Zheng personally blew on it and fed it to his cousin.
Banban asked, "What kind of medicine is this?" Actually, she wasn't in so much pain that she needed to take medicine.
"It's a contraceptive soup, harmless to the body, and gentle on the skin." Speaking of last night, he still felt extremely guilty. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made his cousin drink the contraceptive soup.
"This is a one-time thing. I won't let you drink this again in the future."
Banban felt that her cousin was blaming himself too much, so she kissed his face and said it was okay, indicating that she didn't care, before obediently drinking the contraceptive soup.
The physician stood waiting to the side, his back stiff as he glanced at the bowl of medicine. The aroma of the medicine slowly wafted out, and he smelled the contraceptive ingredient inside, confirming that it was indeed a contraceptive soup.
Did the King of Qin personally feed the Queen a contraceptive soup?
Who would believe that if I told them?
The imperial family values offspring, and the Qin state is no exception. Without offspring, how can the empire be inherited? Rumors circulated that the queen's health was failing and she would be unable to conceive for three years, but it seems this is false, or even a fabricated message spread by the King of Qin himself.
Did the King of Qin truly love the Queen deeply?
If you love her, why not give her a child instead of making her drink contraceptive soup?
The imperial physician was deeply puzzled. Could it be that he was wary of the queen's family and did not want the future crown prince to be born from the queen's womb?
The Zhao faction in Qin is not strong; on the contrary, the Han and Chu factions are locked in a fierce battle. Why is Your Majesty taking this action?
I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out.
The physician looked at the couple and thought that one should not judge a book by its cover; they were not necessarily a loving couple.
After drinking a bowl of contraceptive soup, Banban's throat felt sticky and bitter, so she quickly ate the dried fruit that Qianyin had brought over.
The royal physician examined her carefully and said respectfully, "The Queen is a little weak." He said this somewhat awkwardly, glancing at the expressionless King of Qin, "She needs to rest and recuperate for a few days. During these days, she must not be too vigorous in her sexual relations."
Banban was embarrassed but forced to remain calm and didn't show it. On the contrary, the two maids, Qianyin and Congyun, blushed as red as monkey bottoms and leaned closer to watch the physician write the prescription.
Although they couldn't enter the palace to serve at night, they were the Queen's personal maids, so of course they wouldn't go back to sleep without worry. They would take turns waiting outside the palace, just like Qin Ju.
Last night, the King and Queen did indeed make love very late. Even in the early hours of the morning, you could still hear movement inside. (It's just one sentence; I haven't elaborated on what's so special about it. Unbelievable.)
Last night, Congyun was the one guarding the palace gate. Congyun was so tired of listening to it that she went back and told Qianyin about it. Sometimes it's quite strange. People who were originally at odds can suddenly become like sisters when they talk about such embarrassing things.
Banban turned to look at her cousin, who seemed completely unashamed. Instead, he asked the physician to prescribe some sugar pills to help his voice recover.
After eating the sugar pills, my throat felt clear and much better.
Although it was a day off, Ying Zheng did not relax. He spent the morning with his cousin, had lunch together, and then went to Xianyang Palace, where he held meetings.
Although the Xianyang Palace was large, it was usually used for court assemblies and for receiving officials to discuss official business.
The three main halls of Xianyang Palace are connected. Apart from the Xianyang Hall in the very center, there is the Chengzhang Hall on the left and the Council Hall on the right.
Ying Zheng went to the council hall, where there was a huge map of the six states that could be seen and stepped on, occupying half of the council hall. It was embedded in the map and looked like a pit when viewed from the platform.
Standing on the high platform, Ying Zheng gazed at the entire map of the six kingdoms.
The Qin state was located on the westernmost side, and the map below resembled an octopus with its claws outstretched. To the east, from top to bottom, were originally Zhao, Wei, Zhou, Han, and Chu.
When Prince Zichu of Zhuangxiang was in power, he conquered the Zhou Dynasty in one fell swoop, completely destroying the rule of the Zhou emperor, and the Zhou territory was annexed by the Qin Dynasty.
For centuries, people have believed that the Zhou emperor was the legitimate ruler of the land, and that the other states were merely fiefdoms granted by him. Even the six rulers who declared themselves kings had to rely on the Zhou emperor's bestowal of titles.
When the Zhou state was destroyed, the Qin state angered the other six states. To them, Qin's actions undoubtedly revealed its wolfish ambitions. Over the years, although there have been many powerful states, none of them seem to have openly expressed their desire to annex the other six states.
How to avoid angering the other nations?
A few days ago, under Meng Ao's leadership, the Qin state annexed twenty cities of the Wei state, opening up a connection between Qin and the Qi state further east of Wei. Thus, Qin gained another country bordering the Wei state to the east.
The tentacles of the Qin Dynasty have extended even further eastward.
Originally, Ying Zheng was worried about the alliance of six states to attack Qin. However, after the defeat of the five-state alliance a few days ago, all his remaining worries faded away, and now he was only ambitious about how to annex the six states.
How should we annex them? Which country should we target first?
This is a problem that needs careful consideration and early planning.
Qin Ju bowed as he entered. "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager Xia has arrived."
"The council chamber?" We're here.
Ying Zheng was caught off guard. Empress Dowager Xia was usually very private and rarely got involved in politics. She had never even been to the council hall.
"She was also with a young and beautiful woman," Qin Ju said, bowing even lower and holding his breath.
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that the King of Qin's gaze had fallen on him.
The hall was silent, and he gave no instructions.
Qin Ju and the others were filled with trepidation, already prepared to refuse Empress Dowager Xia. After all, a few days ago, the king had allowed the queen to humiliate Empress Dowager Huayang, and had even made Huayang Jun faint from anger, and had driven away Mi Ziyi, who had been carefully selected by the Mi clan.
"Please come in."
As soon as the soft voice fell, Qin Ju immediately raised his head.
Unable to discern the King of Qin's expression, he stood sideways, gazing at the map of the six states. The setting sun cast small shadows on his eyebrows and eyes, but his straight, rigid shoulders and neck inexplicably conveyed a sense of indifference.
"Yes." Qin Ju lowered his head and paced back away.
Zhao Gao was talking to Empress Dowager Xia in the corridor. He was indeed eloquent and could amuse people with just a few words. Qin Ju was displeased and became even more determined not to allow Zhao Gao to get close to the King of Qin, even though the King of Qin originally kept him around to monitor him and had no other intentions.
However, after so many days, Qin Ju had not discovered anything special about this eunuch, nor had he shown any signs of contacting foreign officials.
When Zhao Gao saw Qin Ju come out, he respectfully stepped back and handed the man over to Qin Ju to lead him inside.
"His Majesty invites the Empress Dowager in," Qin Ju said with a fawning smile, personally extending his arms to welcome the two inside.
Empress Dowager Xia smiled faintly, "Thank you for your hard work." She then gestured for the woman to follow her inside.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, Qin Ju carefully examined the woman beside Empress Dowager Xia. He had originally thought that the Queen was the most beautiful woman in the world, but he never expected that there were other beautiful women who could rival the Queen in other places.
The woman noticed Qin Ju's gaze, smiled slightly at him, and her eyes exuded a faint elegance and gentleness.
When she smiled like that, describing her as beautiful felt like a desecration.
Qin Ju hurriedly lowered his head, his ears burning. He was indeed a eunuch, but a eunuch was still a man.
After passing through three doors and two magnificent corridors, one finally enters the council hall.
Qin Ju brought the person there, gave them a reminder, and then left.
Empress Dowager Xia gazed at the map of the six kingdoms and said, "Zheng'er is on his day off today, yet he doesn't even get a proper rest. Why did he have to come to the council hall at this hour, making me search for him for ages?"
Ying Zheng frowned slightly upon hearing this, "Did Grandmother go to Zhaoyang Palace?"
Empress Dowager Xia wasn't stupid. "No."
The queen is naturally jealous; if she goes to Zhaoyang Palace, she might not be able to see the king.
"Oh." He replied absentmindedly, as if he had been relieved.
Empress Dowager Xia knew that the Queen and the King had a deep and affectionate relationship that was not easily interfered with by others. Empress Dowager Huayang failed because she underestimated the Queen and the Zhao family, thinking that she was as good at forbearance as Ji Changyue was back then, and that she could be manipulated by her.
They actually brought the person directly to the Queen; that's ridiculous.
It's not wrong to hope the Queen will release the person, but in matters between men and women, it ultimately depends on the man. If the King has truly taken someone as his concubine, no matter how much the Queen makes a scene, there's nothing she can do.
Empress Dowager Xia gave the woman a look.
"Is Your Majesty considering which country to begin with?"
Ying Zheng was talking to Empress Dowager Xia when he was suddenly drawn to the woman's voice. He glanced at her and asked, "Oh?"
The woman smiled and bent her knees, bowing her slender, beautiful neck. "Han Ke greets Your Majesty."
Empress Dowager Xia smiled and said, "This is our guest. I mentioned you a couple of times when you were little."
"Ordinary women either practice needlework or devote themselves to singing and music, but this girl is strange. She actually likes to read all kinds of strategy books and military books. Isn't that strange?"
“I didn’t want to bring her here, but the girl begged me, saying she wanted to serve the king. I was so pestered that I had no choice but to come and find the king.”
"What books one reads is entirely a matter of personal preference; there's nothing strange about it," Ying Zheng said casually, then stared at Han Ke and asked, "What insightful opinion does Han Ke have?"
The king's gaze was not without weight; on the contrary, it carried a subtle scrutiny, as if trying to pierce through her body and reach the depths of her heart to see through all her intentions.
When Han Ke came to Qin, he heard that King Zheng of Qin was a tyrannical ruler who was capricious and unpredictable.
He conscripted a million people to build a canal, not allowing them to rest, and they worked day and night in shifts to build the canal. The project has been going on for almost five years, and several people have died from exhaustion.
Not only that, but they also implemented a ban on alcohol, a blanket ban that prohibited ordinary people from brewing alcohol. Anyone found drinking alcohol in public would be arrested and forced to perform corvée labor, working day and night to repair canals.
The people worked tirelessly to cultivate the land, but in the end, all the produce was handed over to the imperial court, and they lived a hard life.
But since she was the daughter of a noble family from Han, she had to obey Empress Dowager Xia's orders to travel thousands of miles to Qin, and even try every means to become his concubine.
Han Ke smiled faintly and walked to the edge of the high platform. "Your Majesty, Han Ke's ideas coincide with those of Qin's Prime Minister Fan Ju, which is to befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones."
She pointed to several countries in the distance, "Among them, Qi and Yan are the farthest from Qin, so we can befriend them; while Han, Zhao, and Wei are located in the northeast, so we should destroy them first. In this way, the three Jin states will be destroyed, so what will Yan and Qi have to fear? They will be annexed sooner or later."
"The advantage of this strategy is that it can avoid being at odds with multiple countries at the same time. With the elimination of the Three Jin states, the strength of Qin will be greatly enhanced, and at the same time, it can deter the other countries."
"In Han Ke's view, the best solution is to form alliances for checks and balances and prioritize regional development."
"Alliance between two states can also sow discord among other states, undermining their alliance from within, making them unable to trust each other, and thus unable to unite against Qin."
Han Ke spoke with conviction and clear logic: "Prince Dan of Yan and the King have been friends since childhood. It would be easy for Qin to form an alliance with Yan. The only hard nut to crack is Qi."
Upon hearing the statement that Crown Prince Dan and the King had been close friends since childhood, Ying Zheng's expression turned strange, even carrying a hint of a smile. "Ji Dan and I are indeed close friends."
Han Ke keenly sensed the chill in the King of Qin's smile, and her mood plummeted. However, she didn't understand what she had said wrong, so she held her breath and listened carefully to what he would say next.
After waiting for a while, the King of Qin did not continue speaking. Instead, he turned around and looked her over a few times. His gaze was like a sharp weapon that nailed her to the wall, inexplicably captivating.
A fine layer of sweat instantly broke out on Han Ke's back as he quickly began to think.
The King of Qin addressed Prince Dan as Ji Dan, using his full name and surname, indicating that their relationship was not good, at least from the King's perspective.
Wouldn't her claim that they had been friends since childhood offend the King of Qin?
Why then did the Crown Prince of Yan publicize his many deeds with the King of Qin?
Han Ke's tongue went dry, and his hands clenched tightly beneath his wide sleeves. He wanted to say something to fill the void, "Your Majesty—"
He was interrupted as soon as he spoke:
"Does the Han guest know Qin minister Li Si?"
"Li Si?" Han Ke's tension and fear vanished instantly. She was completely bewildered and didn't understand what he meant, so she gestured to Empress Dowager Xia.
"It seems you don't recognize me." King Qin waved his hand, interrupting Empress Dowager Xia before she could speak. "Your strategy coincides with Li Si's. If you weren't strangers, I would have thought you were father and daughter, sharing the same head."
Han Ke, considering herself a noblewoman of Han, thought she couldn't be compared to a subject of Qin. Her smile faded slightly. "Your Majesty is joking."
"A strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones is a good one." The King of Qin strolled along, speaking slowly. "You should know that the weakest of the six states is Han. I can destroy Han with ease. If the royal family of Han knew that the daughter of their nobles was freely discussing strategies for destroying Han in Qin, what would they think?"
Han Ke's heart skipped a beat, "Your Majesty, Han Ke..."
“You look down on Li Si, consider yourself a nobleman of Han, but you are actually doing things that betray your country.”
Having said this, Han Ke's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but kneel down.
Ying Zheng chuckled and looked down at the woman kneeling at his feet. "Where does your confidence come from? Is it from your face?"
These words were extremely harsh, severely humiliating the person and tearing away the veil of shame.
The Korean guest was humiliated, his face turning red and then pale.
Empress Dowager Xia was also quite frightened and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Zheng'er, why scare Ke'er? She is devoted to Qin, and once she comes to Qin, she is naturally a Qin person. You can't belittle her like this. How can she live with any face?"
Ying Zheng ignored him completely, smiling slowly, his eyes filled with a mocking coldness, "You really don't recognize Li Si?"
The King of Qin was walking right beside Han Ke, whose forearm trembled slightly. "I don't know Li Si, and I've never seen him before."
Because of what she said, he began to question the reliability of the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, and even questioned his own ministers.
Such a suspicious and distrustful monarch... He is clearly not even of age yet. Although he is tyrannical, he should still be young and inexperienced. Where does this overwhelming aura come from?
Although he was smiling, Han Ke didn't dare to meet his gaze.
I can't imagine how the legendary Queen of Qin actually interacted with him. Was she also serving him with such trepidation and caution?
"Han Ke truly does not recognize Li Si. Your Majesty can send someone to investigate Han Ke's whereabouts in Qin. I don't even know what he looks like or which country he is from." Now, Han Ke can only try his best to prove his innocence, "These strategies were learned from Fan Ju, the Prime Minister of Qin."
As she spoke, her voice strained and filled with shame, "As for the treasonous act Your Majesty spoke of, it's only because...it's only because..."
"...Han Ke is devoted to the King and wholeheartedly cares for the Qin Dynasty."
"Heart's desire?" The King of Qin smiled.
Han Ke had hoped to impress the King of Qin with his strategic brilliance, but now he had failed miserably. He suppressed his shame and indignation and said, "Yes."
The King of Qin used the scroll in his hand as a prop, pressing it against Han Ke's chin, forcing him to raise his face.
This should have been an incredibly ambiguous gesture, but it was greatly diminished because he wasn't using his own fingers; his face was magnified and presented to Han Ke's eyes.
For the first time, she truly realized that the King of Qin had an exceptionally handsome appearance.
He was extremely tall, casting a shadow that completely obscured Han Ke. His imposing presence, like a small mountain, made people forget his appearance.
A small shadow was cast on his high nose and face, his thin, thick eyelashes drooped like a dark gray curtain, his lips were casually pulled back, and his brows exuded a sense of aloofness and coldness befitting a superior.
At this moment, the sarcasm on his face faded, replaced by a subtle, enigmatic look. "What can this affection bring me? Korean secrets?"
Does he really want her to betray her country?!
Han Ke's pupils began to tremble, reflecting the King of Qin's sudden realization after pondering, "It seems that it is not possible."
Empress Dowager Xia was equally terrified by this situation.
Could it be that King Zheng of Qin was wary of talented women? How could he question whether her strategies were stolen from others? Or even suspect that she had some connection with Li Si?
Before Ying Zheng returned to Qin, Empress Dowager Xia had already learned that the young man was suspicious by nature and not easily fooled. However, during his time in Qin, he had been quite respectful and always had a gentle smile on his face, so he did not seem to be easily fooled.
Now that he has become the King of Qin, he no longer hides it.
No, it's that he no longer needs to wear that gentle mask to deceive people.
At this moment, Qin Ju came in again to report, "Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived."
Han Ke clenched her sleeves, about to make a few more excuses, when she saw the King of Qin, who had been looking down at her, suddenly straighten up, his cold expression vanishing, and walk past her to his back.
The Korean customer was caught off guard and looked bewildered.
Did he just laugh?
It's a genuine laugh from the heart, not a cold laugh, a sinister laugh, or a mocking laugh.
She unconsciously turned around to look behind her, and through the towering palace gates, she could vaguely see the figure of a woman standing to the side; even the silhouette alone was enough to attract countless people to stop and stare.
The afternoon sunlight cast a beautiful halo around her. She didn't come in, but instead gently shook the King of Qin's hand and raised her face to speak to him.
The King of Qin gently touched her cheek, then leaned down, their shadows overlapping.
Han Ke immediately looked away, his heart pounding like a drum.
Legend has it that the King of Qin and the Queen of Qin grew up together and were so close that they were inseparable. Even when the Empress Dowager Xia brought her into the palace, she dared not go to Zhaoyang Palace first, for fear that the Queen would find out about her existence.
Before entering the council hall, these people were scorned by Han Ke, who thought that a king could not possibly have true feelings. He believed that the queen was simply jealous and had taken the king for herself, while the king wanted the Zhao, Han, and Chu factions to maintain a three-way balance of power, and was just trying to save face for her.
The scene of their shadows overlapping kept replaying in Han Ke's mind.
She began to doubt her own thoughts. Was it really true?
Could a tyrant like the King of Qin truly have a side that harbors personal feelings for his children?
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