Chapter 61 The Queen and the King of Qin "He felt that the King of Qin should not be close to women..."
After a brief moment of stiffness, her body gradually relaxed, and she gave him a wronged look, "Cousin..."
She took his hand and gently pressed it against her cheek, nuzzling and snuggling close.
Ying Zheng understood perfectly what her expression meant.
In every cold, hard moment of his life, she would display this attitude, silently revealing all her softness, trust, and dependence.
Her soft eyes conveyed only one sentence: I give you my whole heart and soul; you can do whatever you want with me.
—Just trying to appease him.
In reality, he has a terrible temper, like a rock in a latrine. His brief show of weakness is just to coax him like a child.
He can't possibly fall for it every time.
He was the King of Qin, the master of this country.
He transformed the hand that was gripping her waist into a gentle embrace and commanded, "Speak quickly."
Seeing that his attitude had softened, Banban breathed a slight sigh of relief, inwardly cursing him for not being able to take a joke; he would always take her casual remarks seriously.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she put on a sweet smile.
Qin Ju leaned against the wall and dozed off. He was also very sleepy at midday. Usually, no one would want to see the King of Qin at this time, so he could take a nap.
The apprentice, Qin Xia, brought over some tea and quietly offered it to his master.
Qin Ju brushed aside the tea leaves, took a sip, and said critically, "The temperature of this tea is just right today. You've improved."
Qin Xia smiled ingratiatingly, "I owe it all to my master's guidance."
Just as the two were about to exchange words, a loud bang was heard from inside. Qin Ju nearly dropped his teacup, quickly shoving his sleeves and rushing in. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you alright? You frightened me so much—"
Before he could finish speaking, he swallowed the words back down his throat.
The desk was tilted a few inches, and the chair had overturned. The loud noise must have come from the chair. The King of Qin was sitting on the ground, and the Queen was straddling his belly, her hands supporting her on his ears.
You didn't see me, you didn't see me, you didn't see me—
Qin Ju turned and walked away, pacing silently, raising his sleeve to cover his face, his complexion both white and red.
It was also a coincidence that as soon as he stepped out, he bumped into the brothers Lord Changping and Lord Changwen, who were walking together. Chief Secretary Li Si was also there. These people had been getting a little closer to each other lately.
Qin Ju looked embarrassed and anxious. After forcibly swallowing it back, he put his hands together to stop them, saying, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen."
Changping frowned, glanced past Qin Ju at the curtain behind him, and asked, "Who's inside?"
Qin Ju hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is there something urgent? If it is, I will go in and inform them."
"It's nothing urgent," Changping-kun said impatiently. "Who's inside?"
Li Si noticed something amiss in Qin Ju's expression, coughed twice, and Changping Jun, seeing this, held back, saying, "Never mind, Lord Prefect, there's no need to trouble yourself. We'll wait a bit."
No one spoke, and the surroundings fell silent.
A woman's startled cry suddenly came from inside the curtain.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three of them stood still. Lord Changping and Lord Changwen looked at each other, while Li Si turned to look at the sky, lightly scratching his brow with his fingers, seemingly lost in thought.
After waiting for about half an hour, the queen came out from inside.
She seemed surprised to find several people waiting outside. After her initial shock, she quickly lowered her hand that was lightly tugging at her clothes. Her expression changed several times before she calmed down. "So it's Lord Changping and Lord Changwen. Have we been waiting for a long time?"
"No, no," Lord Changping bowed his head in greeting.
He felt a strange sense of relief.
Since ascending the throne, no woman had ever entered or left his side. Although he later married his childhood sweetheart, the Queen, he never took any other woman as his concubine.
Contrary to rumors that the King of Qin was deeply in love with the Queen, Lord Changping was more inclined to believe that the King of Qin was not interested in women.
This also explains why the queen has not conceived in all the years since her marriage.
He was also secretly anxious. If the King of Qin had no more children, he would have to find a way to help. Should he find a sorceress to perform a ritual? He dared not ask the imperial physician; what king didn't value his dignity?
What other explanation is there besides the King of Qin being incompetent?
It couldn't possibly be that the queen was using contraception; that would be utterly ridiculous.
He and the Queen were deeply in love, but they hadn't gotten pregnant even after three or four years of such affection. There's no other way to show such love!
He was relieved to suddenly see the King of Qin and the Queen in the Chengzhang Palace in broad daylight. It seemed that the King of Qin had come to his senses and was now preparing to enjoy the company of women, perhaps because he was anxious about having offspring.
Ying Zheng sat down again, and Qin Ju led Changping Jun, Changwen Jun, and Li Si in. He greeted Changping Jun, who had a strangely amiable smile on his face.
His laughter made him feel uneasy.
Ying Zheng: "..."
He and the Queen did nothing, and if they had, they wouldn't have done it in a place like Chengzhang Hall, but clearly these people misunderstood.
Li Si cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the princess of Chu has arrived in Qin."
"The princess of Chu?" Ying Zheng paused slightly, raising his eyebrows.
"The princess's carriage did not come directly to Xianyang. Instead, it stayed in Shu for more than half a month and even bought a house. It seems that she was going to stay for a while."
Changping Jun continued, "I heard that the Queen of Chu is ill and there is no cure. The Chu people have heard from somewhere that there is a temple of the God of Medicine in Shu. If you worship there for forty-nine days, you can move the God of Medicine."
Ying Zheng said ambiguously, "He is indeed a filial son."
Li Si suggested with a smile, "That Temple of the God of Medicine is very effective. People from all over the world come to worship there all year round. The Queen is in poor health. Why don't you take her to see it too, Your Majesty?"
Changping glanced at him, his upturned eyes conveying the message: What are you doing?
"The Chief Secretary is right. I will consult the Queen before making any decisions."
Changwenjun's expression showed slight dissatisfaction, and he opened his mouth, "Your Majesty wants more—"
Lord Changping elbowed him and interrupted, "Your Majesty should still ask the Queen, after all, the Queen is not in good health."
Are you crazy? How can you blurt out anything like that? Is there a problem with the King of Qin asking the Queen's opinion? No problem, they are husband and wife, what nonsense are you spouting?
Changping Jun wanted to kick his brother in court.
Li Si was not a simple man; he was able to discern the King of Qin's curiosity about ascending to power from the King's brief comment, "He is indeed a filial son." He immediately laid out a way for the King to step on him.
After exchanging pleasantries, Changping Jun got down to business.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that there have been frequent movements in the Changxin Marquis's residence."
"oh?"
"The Marquis of Changxin has thousands of servants, and more than a thousand have come to his door seeking official positions as servants of Lao Ai. Your Majesty must be on guard." Lord Changping earnestly advised, "Not only that, Wei Wei Jie has also come to his door many times. I heard that the two have a very close personal relationship, and Zuo Yi listens to him in everything. Even the Grand Master of the Palace is very respectful to him."
"The Prime Minister's three thousand retainers are only interested in writing books, so what is the purpose of Marquis Changxin? He openly disregards the King."
Lord Changwen also spoke up angrily, "And that Inner Historian Si, he's always been arrogant and looks down on everyone, he doesn't work for the king, he runs off to hang out with Marquis Changxin every other day, what kind of behavior is that?"
"He is in charge of governing the capital, how can he be so lax?" It can be said that he has the position of governing the capital Xianyang, and such a person should not be close to any ministers.
The people Chang Wenjun mentioned were not high-ranking officials, but their positions were very important.
For example, Zuo Yi was in charge of supervising the manufacture of bows and crossbows and transporting them to the border. He was mainly responsible for the army's logistics, which was of utmost importance.
The Commandant of the Guards was one of the Nine Ministers, specifically responsible for guarding the Qin Palace.
Changwenjun spoke with a flushed face and a thick neck, wishing he could personally kill Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai.
"You mean that Marquis Changxin is forming cliques for personal gain?" The King of Qin gently put down the memorial. "Then you have misunderstood Marquis Changxin."
"Zuoyijie was ordered by me. I have recently made a new discovery: iron, when smelted by carbonization, can produce something even harder than iron. The Queen named it steel. I think it is very good. I have asked the two of them to study it and improve the crossbow head."
“You’ve achieved remarkable results these days, take a look.” With that, the King of Qin took out a new crossbow head for them to examine. “A long steel sword would surely be just as good.”
Originally, the Qin state did not have long swords, only swords. "If we could use such sturdy materials to upgrade all of the Qin state's weapons, our combat strength would also increase significantly."
Changping Jun was taken aback, then took the crossbow head with both hands, and the three of them leaned together to compare it carefully.
"Our Qin weapons have always been forged from bronze. However, bronze is a soft material that is easy to dull, deform, and is brittle. If it is not polished from time to time to maintain its condition, it will also change color."
Ying Zheng stood up, walked around the desk, and explained with a smile, "This steel weapon has extremely high hardness, is also much sharper, has excellent toughness, will not curl or break easily, and is even very easy to obtain raw materials for, making it inexpensive to forge."
Not only did they touch and examine it, but the group also went outside and used it together, coming to the conclusion that the steel crossbow head was indeed sharper and harder.
Now Lord Changping and Lord Changwen had nothing to say.
"I will entrust the matter of improving weapons to Lord Changwen. If you are worried about Marquis Changxin, then go and supervise him. It will put your mind at ease."
Lord Changwen was stunned. It was only after Lord Changping nudged him that he reacted, quickly and excitedly kneeling down, "Your subject obeys!"
Li Si remained silent. If he hadn't previously discerned that the King of Qin intended to deal with the factions of Empress Dowager Huayang, Lü Buwei, and Marquis Changxin, he might have truly believed that the King genuinely wanted to use Marquis Changxin.
Since receiving his fiefdom, Marquis Changxin has been excited and proactive, and his attitude towards serving the King of Qin is exceptionally sincere. Presumably, he came from humble origins and had never been given important responsibilities before. Suddenly being entrusted with such a great task, he seemed to have been overwhelmed by it, and there was nothing wrong with him.
It is unclear whether someone was restraining or warning him from behind, or whether he was truly only serving the King of Qin.
If it is the latter, why would the King of Qin include him in his scheme?
Lord Changping and Lord Changwen received their orders and left. Qin Ju strolled in and said, "Your Majesty, the tutor of the Crown Prince of Yan has arrived."
The fact that the Crown Prince of Yan had not entered the palace for some time, yet he sent his attendant Li Xie into the palace this time, was enough to reveal his dissatisfaction with the King of Qin.
"Let him in," the King of Qin said casually, then turned to Li Si and said, "Chief Secretary, please sit down and do not stand on ceremony. Qin Ju, give the Chief Secretary some tea and snacks."
Qin Ju slowly stepped back, saying, "Yes."
The position of Chief Secretary was to assist the King of Qin in handling government affairs and to be responsible for planning strategies. It was not an ordinary official position. In the words of the Queen, it was like a secretary-general.
The King of Qin had never heard this term before, so he found it quite novel and remembered it.
Li Xie, head bowed and trembling with fear, entered and knelt down to pay homage to the King of Qin.
The King of Qin did not wake him, and asked with a leisurely air, "What did Ji Dan summon you to the palace for this time?"
Li Xie swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he cautiously inquired, "The Crown Prince has sent an official to inquire when he may return to Yan?"
If I'm not mistaken, the Crown Prince of Yan has asked this question many times already, hasn't he?
Li Si seemed to be deep in thought. He knew of this three or four times already. In his opinion, this Crown Prince of Yan was tactless and not very smart. Now that he had come, there was no reason for him to leave.
Does he really think that this hostage mission to Qin is only for the Qin-Yan alliance?
Has he forgotten what a proton is?
"Ji Dan is eager for an answer, and I will give it to him." The King of Qin looked down at Li Xie with a smile, speaking slowly and deliberately, "When his hair turns white and his horns grow, I will let him go back."
“Black, black-haired…” Li Xie was dumbfounded, his pupils suddenly contracted, he knelt on the spot and looked up, his eyes reflecting the high and mighty King Qin, whose lips even had a kind smile, but the words that came out were as cold as ice.
Was he mistaken about what he heard with his one ear, or was the King of Qin truly so heartless?
He even said that he would only let the Crown Prince of Yan return to Yan if the crows' heads turned white and the horses grew horns.
But such a thing is absolutely impossible, it's absurd!
The King of Qin coldly dismissed Li Xie.
Li Si felt that he was probably looking forward to seeing the Crown Prince of Yan's expression after Li Xie told him these words.
Li Xie returned to his residence, feeling weak all over. Ji Dan had been waiting for him for a long time and anxiously greeted him upon his return, "How did it go? What did the King of Qin say?"
Li Xie burst into tears, sobs streaming down his face: "Your Highness, he won't let us go!"
"How could this be—" Ji Dan's expression froze on her face, completely bewildered. "He said it? I don't believe it."
"The King of Qin said he would only let us leave Qin if crows turned white-headed and horses grew horns. Your Highness, how could a crow's head be white? How could a horse grow horns? He was determined not to let us go! He was plotting revenge against you; he harbored a grudge against you!"
"Hold a grudge against me? Why would you hold a grudge against me? I never hurt him." Ji Dan was puzzled, and after a few moments of confusion, she suddenly shot a sharp look at Li Xie. "It was you?"
Li Xie knelt down, crawled on his knees to Ji Dan's legs, and hugged him. "Your Majesty, I did it all for you. Back then, that Zhao Zheng was a dog who looked down on people. Your Majesty is the Crown Prince, and your status should be equal to that of Crown Prince Zhao. Yet he dared to be impolite to you. So I had people surround him to test his skills..."
"What else?" Ji Dan had a bad feeling.
"No, nothing else, it's just that he was insulted." Li Xie didn't dare to meet Ji Dan's gaze.
"How did you insult him?" Ji Dan's voice suddenly turned cold. He was incredulous. "You called him a bastard in front of me back then, but you didn't insult him like this to his face?"
Li Xie dared not speak out, not only to his face, but he also incited other hostages to insult him, and repeatedly tipped off the people of Zhao about the location of the King of Qin, so that they would send people to arrest him.
Perhaps Li Xie's expression was too obvious, because Ji Dan's mind went blank and a ringing sound followed.
Ji Dan paid no attention to what he said next, his mind filled with his father's instructions and the earnest expectations of the officials.
It turns out it was never going to be finished from the start.
No wonder... no wonder the King of Qin looked at him like that.
"Your Highness, I am truly indignant at his attitude. If Your Highness wishes to befriend him, he should kneel down to express his gratitude!"
Not only did the King of Qin not fight, but he also fought with Ji Dan. It would have been better if they hadn't fought, because after the fight they became friends and admired each other's martial arts skills. "That King of Qin is impolite and unruly, yet you not only don't hold it against him, but also treat him with tolerance. Why should he?" These words fully expressed Li Xie's jealousy and indignation as his companion.
"Fool! That's because he's a prince of Qin! What does it matter who he is! Do you think I'm willingly letting this go?!" Ji Dan's eyes were bloodshot as he drew his sword. "You've ruined me, ruined the Yan state!"
"temple--"
With a 'thud,' the sword pierced Li Xie's body.
"You deserve to die! You deserve to die! You deserve to die!!" Ji Dan was furious and stabbed Li Xie dozens of times.
Li Xie, his face still bearing deep fear and disbelief, breathed his last.
"I actually gave up my hope of going home for your meager loyalty." After everyone else had died, he collapsed to the ground, his face filled with despair.
After an unknown amount of time, Ji Dan got up, her clothes stained with blood. "Someone, prepare the carriages and horses. I want to enter the Qin Palace."
Night fell.
The Qin palace was lit with lanterns, and Li Si was invited by the King of Qin to dine with him. It was at this moment that Qin Ju came in and said that the Crown Prince of Yan was requesting an audience.
Without a second thought, the King of Qin frowned impatiently and said, "I will not see you."
Qin Ju hesitated for a moment, then whispered in the King of Qin's ear, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Yan is covered in blood."
Li Si had no idea what Qin Ju had said. Upon hearing this, the King of Qin's expression subtly changed, and he regained his interest. He even laughed out loud. He then said to Li Si, "Chief Secretary, go and wait in the side hall for a moment. I will have a table set up and come to find you shortly."
"Yes." Li Si naturally had no objections, but he was a little disappointed.
King Qin waited quietly for a moment, and sure enough, he saw Ji Dan enter with bloodstains on his clothes. "Ji Dan, you've come." He smiled slightly, as if he were very welcoming to him.
For a fleeting moment, Ji Dan felt that the King of Qin knew what he had done. The smile on his face seemed to be praising and approving him. But beneath that facade, he felt that the King of Qin was full of malice and mockery towards him, making him feel utterly ashamed.
He knelt down helplessly and bowed his head, saying, "This humble subject has come to the palace to plead guilty to the King of Qin."
King of Qin: "What crime have you committed?"
Ji Dan: "In the past, a foreign minister indulged his companion in harming the King of Qin, which led to a great mistake. It was because the foreign minister failed to restrain him properly. I hope the King of Qin will not take his anger out on the State of Yan."
The person at the head of the table did not speak immediately; instead, there was a deathly silence.
Ji Dan's face gradually turned pale, and she felt weak all over.
After an unbearable silence, King Qin finally spoke, "Ji Dan, do you think I am such a narrow-minded person?"
"Or perhaps you are judging others by your own standards."
Ji Dan suddenly raised her head, her expression blank.
The King of Qin rose and strolled in front of him. “I have heard that you often complain about the State of Qin in your residence, that I have treated you coldly, that the people of Qin have treated you badly, and even that the Queen has made you pay money.”
He leaned down, his eyes reflecting a deep, dark light under the lamplight in the room. "Have you forgotten that you came here as a hostage, not as the crown prince?"
"You have been loudly proclaiming the excellent relationship between us, intending to intimidate the other states and prevent them from eyeing Yan with covetous intent. I understand this and have never refuted it." The King of Qin smiled slightly, his voice soft, but his words carried great weight. "As for you, perhaps you have believed the rumors yourself after hearing them so many times."
“I have indeed deliberately neglected you, simply because decades ago I was the son of a hostage, and you were also a hostage. Now I am the King of Qin, but you are still a hostage.”
"If you can no longer provide me with any benefit, do you deserve my courtesy?"
The King of Qin mocked and ridiculed, as if to say, "And you, aren't you jealous of me too?"
Ji Dan's hand, hidden under his sleeve, suddenly clenched and tightened, leaving bloody marks on his palm, revealing his unwillingness to the world.
He was embarrassed, but could only suppress his embarrassment, saying, "Yes, it's all my fault."
"I beg the King of Qin to show leniency and allow me to return to Yan. I promise I will never speak recklessly again."
"Return to Yan?" King Qin laughed heartily, but the next moment his face turned cold. "Ji Dan, you are too naive."
"You are being held hostage in my Great Qin. The fundamental purpose is for your father to submit to me in exchange for Qin's guarantee that it will not attack Yan. This is the fundamental political need of the Qin-Yan alliance. I will not let go of such an important bargaining chip because of your personal request."
"Before the Qin Dynasty breached the gates of the other states, you were merely a tool, not a tool to appease the King of Yan."
Upon hearing this, Ji Dan immediately lost all strength, her face turning deathly pale.
"No, my father wouldn't do this to me. I want to go back, I want to go back." He couldn't believe his father would treat him like this. Didn't the Prince of Yan want his son to go back either?
The King of Qin stood up and looked down at him. "Go back? My Qin is the center of the world! Why should I return to Yan? Yan is just another new territory of Qin in the near future. Just wait and see."
Ji Dan pulled away from his father's backstab, his face filled with horror, staring at the King of Qin with complete unfamiliarity. His arms were trembling, fear and resentment filled his heart, and blood seeped from between his clenched fists.
He moved his lips, resentment rising in his heart and taking over his entire being.
The tyrant, the Qin dynasty, he was nothing but a beast!
Kill him! He must be killed!
That night.
When Banban heard about Ji Dan's entry into the palace, she scoffed and said, "You might as well have killed your cousin. He must be harboring hatred towards you right now, and he might even send assassins to kill you."
Ying Zheng didn't take it seriously and dismissed it with disdain, saying, "Then let's go."
"..." Banban was speechless. Just as she was about to explain, he interrupted her, "No need to say more. If you know about something, I must have already turned the crisis into an opportunity. It's not a big deal."
It's not a big deal! But it's really embarrassing and awkward!
He didn't like to hear any of these 'prophecies,' so he swallowed his words and thought that if that day ever came, she should secretly prepare a weapon so that he wouldn't be unable to draw the Qin King's sword when the time came.
She muttered, "Ji Dan actually blamed me for making him pay compensation. He smashed so many valuable items. Does he think the money in our Great Qin comes from thin air? Making those ornaments took a lot of effort and time. These things are free, so why shouldn't I make him pay? Truly, all crown princes are arrogant!"
Upon hearing the key words, Ying Zheng turned to look at his wife.
"What are you looking at? I didn't say anything about the Crown Prince of Qin." Banban said confidently and arrogantly.
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