Chapter 74 Discarding Prejudice: "Can this immortal fruit prolong life?"...
Ying Zheng coaxed his wife to go rest for the afternoon. When she came out, Geng'er immediately bowed and pleaded, "Brother-in-law, I really can't get along with Lord Weiyang. He always tricks me."
"Please let me go!"
"I think they just can't stand people with different surnames."
Ying Zheng turned over the teacup, poured a cup, and gently pushed it over, "Which royal family doesn't xenophobic? In their eyes, the Qin royal family has probably suffered under the influence of foreign ministers for too long."
Hearing the sigh in her brother-in-law's voice, Geng'er hesitated for a moment, then obediently sat back down.
"But is it really true that Lord Weiyang is targeting you?" He stroked the teacup with a half-smile, glancing lightly at the soup.
"..." Geng'er rested her chin on her hand, coughed dryly, "His child is fine, isn't he? I didn't do it on purpose."
"A three-year-old child is at a very vulnerable age; how could you throw him into the water?"
“I could hold my breath when I was three years old, and I thought he could too.”
Ying Zheng: "..."
"Lord Weiyang is over forty years old and is happily welcoming his young son. How could he not fight you to the death?"
"At worst, I'll become his son in the future."
A reckless scoundrel.
Ying Zheng's face was tense, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Are you worthy?"
Geng'er's eyes widened, and she pointed at Ying Zheng, saying, "As expected, you've shown your true colors since my sister isn't here." Why is she even insulting him now?
Ying Zheng: "Tsk."
Geng'er immediately withdrew her finger from him, her face displaying the same 'guilty conscience and self-righteousness' as her older sister.
Ying Zheng knew best how to handle this simple-minded, headstrong young man. He beckoned to him with his finger, "Let's have a match. If you lose, you'll have to listen to me."
Upon hearing this, Geng'er's eyes suddenly lit up.
Banban wasn't sleepy at all, but she was coaxed into taking a short nap. She didn't feel very comfortable when she woke up, so Yun helped her get up.
"His Majesty and Prince Geng'er went to the martial arts arena."
Do whatever you want.
Banban pouted, "I'm a little hungry."
Yun helped her get dressed with great care. "The kitchen has prepared the steamed egg custard you mentioned before you went to sleep, garnished with tender fish slices. It smells so good. Would you like some?"
Banban nodded and ordered chicken again.
After tidying up and preparing, she sat down to eat. The physician said that eating some fish was good for the fetus, so the cooks in the kitchen would think of ways to remove the fishy smell and cook it every five or six days. Even her cousin, who loved to eat fish, got a little tired of it after eating it for many meals.
Congyun has matured a lot since two years ago. Although she still talks to Banban without any restraint and says whatever comes to mind, she is extremely tight-lipped and cautious when she is outside.
“When I was waiting outside, I heard the King talking to Prince Geng’er about the affairs of the royal family. He said that the lords, led by Lord Changping and Lord Weiyang, are very xenophobic. They are afraid of Prime Minister Lü and have not made any moves yet. But if the King were to take over the government, there would be no shortage of unrest.”
After catching the key words, Banban pondered for a while and remembered a text from his textbook called "A Letter of Advice Against Expelling Foreign Guests".
After reading the order, the King of Qin suddenly realized his mistake and immediately ordered the expulsion of the guests to be rescinded.
"Perhaps." So, her cousin really wanted to expel all the foreign guests because of the protests from the royal family? She felt the reason wasn't that simple.
After a meal, Ying Zheng returned from outside, smelling of sweat. "You're awake?" he asked, looking surprised.
"It's all because this one in my belly eats too much." Banban rolled her eyes in annoyance.
After washing up, Ying Zheng took her for a walk to digest their food, and Banban then brought up the troubles that plagued the royal family. "Are you very troubled?"
"Congyun is very loyal to you. She tells you everything she sees and hears." Ying Zheng chuckled. He wasn't disgusted by her behavior. On the contrary, he thought Congyun was a qualified personal servant. She also had a lot of inertia in her thinking, believing that a husband is a husband and a wife is a wife. She stood on the wife's side and had to completely side with her.
However, he and his cousin are one, which is probably hard for Cong Yun to understand. She grew up in the Ji family and, like Ji Xiu and Zhu Shi, they each had their own space and secrets.
"Of course." Banban tugged at his wrist.
"No worries." (This is just an act to fool someone.)
He was about to leave when he saw the worry on his face and immediately sat back down.
Teenagers at this age often think they are the most capable, able to help adults share their troubles, want to do things for others, and are eager to demonstrate their own value.
"I've made up my mind." He took his wife's hand, and the two strolled together.
"There was a loophole left in the Zheng State's canal construction project back then, so I have a reason to send Lord Changping to supervise it. After the coming-of-age ceremony in two months, this old matter will surely be brought up again."
Banban nodded. "Zheng Guo was a spy. He originally intended to weaken Qin, but little did he know that his cousin knew his intentions. He used the cohesion of Qin to break his plan and turned the plan to weaken Qin into a plan to strengthen Qin. However, only Lord Changping knew about this. Last year during the New Year, he came to you about this matter. You asked him to keep it a secret and dealt with a group of criminals who had been exposed."
As she spoke, her tone gradually became hesitant, "You did this on purpose?"
“Only the dead can keep secrets forever. I’m letting him continue to supervise the construction. He knows what I’m doing and he might understand what I mean.” To put it bluntly, leaving Zheng as a loophole is to provide Changping Jun with an excuse to launch an action to resist foreign invaders in the future.
“Once I dismiss Lü Buwei, it will be time to deal with the numerous followers and outsiders he has gathered throughout the court. Back then, he recruited so many retainers to write his book, including many talented individuals, and gave them all official positions. Even today, a large portion of the officials in the Qin court are his people.”
This is something Ying Zheng cannot tolerate; they must all be expelled!
But Ying Zheng was only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time, and he had already started laying the groundwork so early.
No wonder Lord Changping, a prince of Chu, was willing to kneel at his feet and claim the throne; this is the tacit understanding between the ruler and his subject.
"Without the xenophobic mentality of the royal family and nobility, these strategies would have no chance of being implemented."
Banban grumbled, "I can understand why they're unhappy. For many years, the Qin Dynasty has been employing officials from outside the capital. How could the royal family and nobles be happy about that? These are real official positions and titles, and they've all been snatched away by others." This is no different from being parachuted in. For a long time, the Ying clan has been in a situation of having only a nominal title and no real power.
Ying Zheng replied, “Qin is located on the frontier, isolated from the other six states, and has never been respected by them. Qin started with horse breeding, which is not considered legitimate by other states. The Qin people’s xenophobia is naturally because outsiders are also ostracizing us.”
This was a novel perspective, something Banban had never considered before. She blinked and asked, "Is it because the Qin people are particularly skilled at raising horses, resulting in strong and healthy horses?"
"I suppose so." Ying Zheng was amused by her tone. "That's why even the women of Qin are particularly fierce and shrewish. Many men yearn for the gentle and virtuous women of the six eastern states, but unfortunately they look down on the Qin people. The Qin people love to fight and seize territory everywhere, which is incomprehensible to them, so they call them barbarians."
The King of Qin was at least insulted in a slightly more palatable way, being called a "tiger and wolf ruler".
"You yearn for it too?" Banban said with a forced smile, pulling his face and demanding an explanation. "Otherwise, Your Majesty will have to sleep in the stables tonight."
"Your Majesty must have inherited your ancestors' talent and be particularly skilled at raising horses, right?"
If an ordinary person said this, they would be torn apart by chariots many times over.
"I only admire one person."
Ying Zheng suddenly seemed oblivious and remarked, "He doesn't raise many horses; he's given them all to the palace servants. But he's particularly good at raising rabbits."
Banban: "?"
Her cheeks flushed red, and she laughed in anger, "You're sick."
Plain language, yet the insults strike right at the heart.
First there was a horse named White Rabbit, then there was raising rabbits.
Instantly, it reminded Banban of her teenage years, when she was frustrated by her aunt's full figure while she was flat-chested... Now, things are indeed different, and it's all thanks to him.
He got excited and demanded that she answer whether it was right or wrong.
Qin Ju led a group of eunuchs to deliver tribute when they bumped into the Queen kicking the King. The King did not move aside, and Qin Ju said something that made the Queen clench her fist and repeatedly punch his arm.
Qin Ju turned his head and told the people to wait a while before going over. He was already used to the king and queen flirting. The eunuchs had never seen such a scene before. Their eyes were wide open, and they couldn't help but try to peek, but he pressed their heads back down.
After the two of them bickered for a while, it was Banban who first noticed Qin Ju waiting on the side and quickly called someone over.
Memorials from various places were piled up in boxes, and tributes were delivered in boxes upon boxes.
If Banban hadn't prepared the paper in advance, it would probably have taken several cartloads just to transport the Qin bamboo slips containing the memorials.
Ying Zheng's face darkened and his head ached upon seeing these. "The memorials from various places are meaningless, full of nonsense. They can repeat the same greeting over and over again." In addition, the gifts sent were all unremarkable items. It was only because he was well-mannered that he didn't waste paper by replying with "get lost" or "shut up."
Actually, I was cursing them out in my heart.
"Some of the places that give out blind boxes are quite interesting." Banban smiled, it seemed only she understood the joy of opening blind boxes, and said happily, "Let me see!"
"This box is heavy." Banban found the corresponding memorial, unfolded it, and began to read. After reading two lines, she immediately threw the memorial away. "Quickly open this, there are naphthalene fruits inside!"
"It's sour and unpleasant to eat," Ying Zheng commented. "Didn't you dislike eating naphthalene fruit?"
The memorial stated that this is the Qixia Nai fruit from Penglai, which is green when raw and turns golden when ripe. Its fragrance can be smelled from afar and it is said to be good for one's complexion.
He said it was a fairy fruit from Penglai.
The previous words didn't matter, but as soon as the words "immortal fruit" came out, Ying Zheng immediately put down what he was holding and wanted to open the box himself.
The box was opened, and inside came a neat array of golden apples. Banban held her breath. These apples were indeed different from the reddish apples she had seen since childhood. She took one out and placed it in her palm. It was about the size of her hand, and each one was perfectly shaped.
As soon as the box was opened, the sweet aroma of apples wafted out.
"Immortal fruits," Ying Zheng repeated, staring intently at the fruits. "Can eating them prolong one's lifespan?"
"..." Banban snapped back to reality, "No, cousin! Feudal superstition is unacceptable!"
"Is it written on it?" He frowned slightly and tore open the memorial to take a look.
"No, but nothing in this world can make you immortal." Stop thinking about crooked and evil tricks!
How come he's still a villain? If someone spreads a rumor that eating Tang Sanzang's flesh can grant immortality, wouldn't he be the first one to send someone to find him? It's quite possible, isn't that what Xu Fu did?
So the mountain king and his wife were actually the two of them.
Ying Zheng was very disappointed. Qin Ju washed two apples, and he ate them and tasted them. "They are indeed much sweeter than ordinary apples. They are sweet and refreshing, with a pleasant aroma and a unique flavor."
However, he was displeased and angry: "Who gave permission to name it Immortal Fruit? It's all show and no substance. If you don't have the ability, don't make things up."
Seeing that he was about to punish someone, Banban quickly raised his hand, "I love to eat it, I love to eat it, let them send some every year."
Ying Zheng swallowed the rest of his words, holding his breath, and glanced sideways at Qin Ju, "Didn't you hear what the Queen said?"
Qin Ju was completely bewildered, but obeyed and went out.
If the King of Qin were old and only had a few years left to live, the pursuit of prolonging life and immortality would not be remarkable. But the King of Qin is only twenty-two years old, and he is already—?
Banban snorted, patted his chest, and poked and pointed, "It's better for my cousin to take good care of his health than anything else. He can live to be a hundred years old. Why bother pursuing things that extend lifespan? Those are all illusory things."
Ying Zheng, however, had his own reasons. He held her hand and said, "If it were all just empty talk, where would your precociousness come from? It must not be an isolated case."
These words left Banban speechless, and she really couldn't retort. From his perspective, if there weren't some miracles in the world, how could she have transmigrated and been reborn?
"I was just asking casually, don't overthink it. I won't eat random things." Even this naphthalene fruit, which has been called a divine fruit, he wants to have it tested for poison.
“I can’t argue with you,” he said, his mind always working quickly. He pointed fiercely at his eyes and slid them toward him, “but I’ll be watching you.”
Ying Zheng greatly admired her appearance, resting his face on the back of his hand, a faint shadow falling on his high brow bone. "Thank you for your trouble, Your Majesty."
After reviewing the memorials and tributes, the two went to find Ji Changyue.
Yingyue was accompanying Ji Changyue at Ganquan Palace. She was reading a book and occasionally explained things to Ji Changyue that she didn't understand.
—"What are you reading?"
Upon suddenly hearing the king's voice, Ying Yue was startled and hurriedly stood up to bow.
Ji Changyue seemed to be in better condition than a few days ago, with a smile on her face, and she gestured for people to help the queen sit down.
Yingyue gently touched Banban's elbow and asked her in a low voice how she was doing.
Banban nodded and said that he felt fine, and then simply took her hand and touched his stomach.
She noticed that Yingyue was curious and wanted to touch it.
Ying Yue was slightly startled, her earlobes suddenly turning red, and she gripped the book tightly with her other hand, but couldn't help but gently touch it again.
Banban's gaze inadvertently fell upon the book's cover, and he saw it clearly: "Lüshi Chunqiu?"
Ying Zheng immediately turned his head and looked at the book.
Yingyue said, "It is indeed the Lüshi Chunqiu. Thanks to the Queen's engraving and printing skills, many copies of the Lüshi Chunqiu have been reproduced and sold in recent days. I heard that it is highly praised by some people. The Queen Mother said that she wanted to see what kind of book the Prime Minister could make."
I can almost picture Ji Changyue's disdainful tone.
"The Annals of Lü Buwei were not written by the Prime Minister, Mother. They were compiled by the many retainers he recruited. The Prime Minister was at most a subscriber." Banban wanted to say that he was the chief editor or the chief planner, but she felt that they would not understand.
“I knew it.” Ji Changyue rolled her eyes without any restraint. “Some of the stories inside are quite interesting, and he couldn’t have written them.”
"Just now, Yongning mentioned that a man had lost his axe and suspected that the neighbor's son had stolen it. So he observed the man's walk, speech habits, and expressions day and night, concluding that he looked exactly like a thief. Unexpectedly, not long after, he found his lost axe in his own home. The next day, when he saw the neighbor's son again, he observed his words and actions again and felt that he was no longer a thief."
"Who do you think this is?" Ji Changyue asked, adopting the air of someone engrossed in reading a novel. After listening, she would add her own comment, "It must be a story written by someone from Zhao."
Haha, the earliest example of regional discrimination in history.
Banban suppressed a laugh, "I know, this means that if people look at a person or a thing with subjective prejudice, they will distort the facts."
Yingyue nodded and glanced at it. "This excerpt is from the chapter 'Removing Tolerance,' where 'tolerance' refers to limitations and deception. It is about how people's prejudices can affect their judgment."
Ji Changyue nodded thoughtfully, "Even a small story can contain such a truth."
After chatting and laughing with the two, Banban noticed that her cousin was staring at the "Lüshi Chunqiu" book with a blank expression. His expression was not exactly angry, but it was not much better.
She immediately fell silent, quickly told Yingyue to close her book, and pulled them aside to talk about other things.
How awkward! What a coincidence! Ying Yue was reading the story of "Suspecting the Neighbor of Stealing the Axe," which struck a chord with Ying Zheng's prejudiced heart.
Ying Yue looked slightly bewildered, and not wanting to ask in public, she closed the book and changed the subject.
As night fell, the group dined together at Ganquan Palace. When they came out, Yingyue took the initiative to say, "These days, Mother enjoys listening to me read books and stories to her."
"This is a good thing." Ji Changyue herself lacked knowledge and experience. Although she was always being deceived, she was also a victim. Her desire to broaden her horizons was entirely beneficial.
Ying Yue didn't actually know what had happened to Ji Changyue these days, but now that she was her daughter, she just had to serve her with filial piety every day.
"What happened just now?"
This question concerns the compilation of the "Lüshi Chunqiu".
Banban didn't want to explain too clearly, so he said vaguely, "It's nothing, Your Majesty is just in a bad mood today and doesn't want to listen to these stories in your spare time."
She didn't elaborate, and Yingyue didn't press for details, simply saying she understood.
The two then discussed marriage arrangements. Ji Changyue prepared a dowry for her, and as her sister-in-law, Banban should add to it.
“You’ve met Li You.” She keenly sensed a subtle difference in Ying Yue’s attitude.
Yingyue looked slightly uncomfortable. "My mother also wants me to get to know him as soon as possible. He... is indeed a good person."
This is quite strange. In the past, she was very enthusiastic and straightforward towards Meng Tian, like a blazing sun. But now, when Li You is mentioned, she becomes like a gourd with its mouth sawed off. If you stare at her for too long, she will get angry and embarrassed.
Pretending is done without restraint, but true feelings cannot be faked, nor can they be faked.
Ying Zheng waited quietly in a sedan chair. After an unknown amount of time, his wife finally arrived. "You always have so much to say. Don't we live together in this palace?"
"Are you getting impatient? You can leave now," Banban said.
Ying Zheng remained silent for a while before saying, "I didn't want to trouble you."
"I know, this is what's bothering you, isn't it?" Banban smiled and took out a rolled-up book from her wide sleeve. The cover bore four characters: Lüshi Chunqiu (The Annals of Lü Buwei).
“We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings just now. Although I also dislike Lü Buwei, why don’t you set aside your prejudices and take a look?”
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