Chapter 9 He was ruthless. "I'm worried about my cousin."...
The fact that Banban slept in the same bed with her cousin did not cause any reaction from the adults. However, since the two were still young, whenever they slept together, Congyun would stay up all night to keep watch.
Banban felt sorry for Congyun not resting at night, and gradually stopped lingering in her cousin's room.
In late October, Ji Hao's wife gave birth to a son, and Banban accompanied Ying Zheng to pay his respects.
She remembered her cousin saying that Ji Hao could afford to eat crabapples, and thought he was rich. She wanted to go and see him. The gift was arranged by Madam Zhu. It contained the finest jade and a ruby necklace. It was packed so that she could carry it without it being too heavy.
The tiny baby lies in the cradle and sucks its toes.
Banban and Ying Zheng peeked out together. She reached out and carefully poked the baby's chubby cheek. Ying Zheng held her hand and said, "You can't poke like that."
Why?
"A baby's skin is delicate; if you poke it, the baby will get sick."
"Oh." Banban withdrew her hand and obediently stopped poking.
"Zheng'er knows so much."
The two turned around, and the one speaking was the child's mother, Madam Xue. She was dressed in a deep red robe, with delicate eyebrows, long eyes, an oval face, a slender waist, and a strong scholarly air.
"Is this Miss Ji?" She came forward with a smile and affectionately stroked her two drooping breasts.
When meeting elders, one must be polite. Banban bowed to Ying Zheng before speaking, saying, "My cousin knows everything."
Lady Xue covered her mouth and laughed, glancing at Ying Zheng, who had a calm expression.
“Then my son will be very fortunate when he grows up, having his mother and Zheng’er as role models.”
Banban's eyes lit up, and she patted her chest, "I can sing, I'll teach him! I can also dry flowers, embroider sachets... I can dance a little, and I can also write and recite."
Madam Xue patted her head affectionately and bent down, saying, "Wow, she's amazing! I've heard from your cousin's teacher that he has a clever and intelligent cousin. Seeing her today, I can confirm that her reputation is well-deserved."
She's easily flattered; her cheeks flush red, and her eyebrows can't hide her smugness. Everyone who sees her has to call her adorable.
Even during the midday meal, she still acted like a 'clever and clever' person, pretending to be sensible as she served food to Ying Zheng, saying, "Cousin, be careful of fish bones, it wouldn't be good if they got stuck in your throat."
Seeing this, Madam Xue suppressed a laugh.
Ying Zheng was helpless, but he didn't expose her clumsy smugness.
This is eel, and it doesn't have many bones. This is just something that Zhu Shi said a lot at home, and she just copied it after hearing it so often.
After finishing their meal, Ji Hao and Ying Zheng went to the courtyard to talk about martial arts. Banban rested her head on her arm while watching the child, and as she watched, she began to feel sleepy.
I don't know what time I fell asleep.
When she woke up again, she was covered in sweat and got up in a panic.
Looking around, she realized she was still in Ji Hao's house. The baby's babbling sounds came from the cradle next to her, and she was covered with a blanket, which Xue Shi had probably brought.
She sat on the bed, wiping her sweat and lost in thought, when suddenly a commotion arose outside the window, as if someone was calling out her cousin's name.
Banban quickly threw off the covers, hurriedly put on her shoes, and pushed open the door to go out.
In the courtyard, three or four guards drew their swords and faced Ying Zheng, whose face was gloomy and whose sharp gaze was piercing. Behind the guards stood two young men who were older than him, dressed in fine clothes, with fair skin and noble demeanor.
Surrounded by these people with their swords drawn, Ying Zheng was not intimidated at all. Instead, he suppressed his anger, his dark pupils concealing hatred.
His hand gripped the sword hilt tightly, and he looked like a small beast poised to pounce.
Banban was initially angry, but then his mind went blank.
She recognized who those two people were.
Crown Prince Zhao You and his son Zhao Yan.
She was timid and didn't dare to cause trouble, but then she thought of how good her cousin had always been to her, how could she not stand up for him? She clenched her fists, mustered her courage, and rushed out, shouting, "Don't bully my cousin!"
After a few seconds of silence, Zhao Yan looked at the girl with surprise and chuckled.
Startled, Ying Zheng quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, then turned to run away.
"Hey—" Zhao Yan casually reached out to stop him, "Weren't you quite formidable just now? Now you're trying to run away as soon as this girl arrives?"
His response was a furious, resounding clang of a long sword. The sharp tip nearly grazed Zhao Yan's fingers, but he managed to pull back quickly enough to avoid serious injury.
Ying Zheng pursed his lips, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and warned with barely suppressed anger, "Stay away from me!"
The person who had been holding back and hadn't drawn his sword suddenly drew it, nearly injuring his own brother.
The smile on Zhao You's lips gradually disappeared.
Zhao Yan's face was dark; he felt like killing Ying Zheng. "You!"
Banban was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she clung tightly to her cousin's sleeve.
"You're really not leaving." Zhao Yan smiled sinisterly. "You've been practicing well lately, but you may not be able to surpass me."
Having said that, he coldly ordered, "Men, stop Zhao Zheng! Don't let him step out of Ji Hao's house!"
When Zhao Zhengyi was mentioned, his voice was ambiguous for a moment, "You are a member of the Zhao family, and you must obey the orders of your superiors."
Ying Zheng stiffened violently, his chest moving in an eerie stillness, his fingertips gripping the sword hilt turning white from the force.
Crown Prince Zhao You smiled slightly, "It's just a competition, you wouldn't be afraid, would you? My brother sincerely invited me, it would be ungrateful to refuse."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ying Zheng unleashed a sword strike, each move aimed at killing.
Zhao You was startled and hastily retreated, astonished by the ruthlessness of the young man's attack. Zhao Yan, on the other hand, was extremely excited and waved his hand to signal the guards to get out of the way.
Banban turned and ran away.
When Xue found Ji Hao, who had run away from home, she was covered in sweat. She ran into Ji's youngest daughter, who was sobbing and saying that she wanted to find her father and call for help.
Ji Hao was covered in sweat and, ignoring the two women, hurriedly ran back.
Upon returning, he witnessed a scene that nearly made his eyes widen in horror. Who else could it be but his beloved disciple Ying Zheng, who was pinning down Zhao Gongzi Yan? The sword was just two inches away from slitting his throat, terrifying Zhao Yan so much that he wet himself in fear.
Prince Zhao You and others pointed at him from behind, angrily demanding that he put down his sword.
"Zheng'er!" Ji Hao shouted sternly.
Ying Zheng ignored him, his eyes red as bulls, his voice trembling with rage as he looked at the terrified Zhao Yan: "You were the one who clamored for the competition, and now you're the one begging for mercy. Is this the talent of a prince of Zhao?"
He looked down at him and pressed his sword down hard, saying, "The state of Zhao has descendants like you who bully the weak and fear the strong. Its destruction is only a matter of time."
This is extremely disrespectful.
Zhao You's face was as black as coal, and his finger pointing at him trembled uncontrollably. "You...you have such audacity!!"
He was so frightened that he almost lost his liver and gallbladder. If his younger brother lost his life along with him, he would lose his position as crown prince. "Let him go, let him go, we were just joking about letting him go."
The sharp blade pressed tightly against Zhao Yan's neck, leaving a bloody gash, and the two or three guards dared not make a move.
Ji Hao blocked Ying Zheng's sword with his hand, forcing him to put it away. "What nonsense are you spouting!" He stepped forward and slapped Ying Zheng. "Quickly apologize to the Crown Prince."
He didn't move, and the atmosphere became tense for a moment.
After an unknown amount of time, Ying Zheng slowly removed the sword.
For some reason, the two men gave Ji Hao face, hastily leaving behind the words "You just wait" before scurrying away.
Banban couldn't understand the undercurrents; she only saw her cousin beating up Young Master Zhao. Admiringly, she clapped her hands and scurried over, exclaiming, "Cousin is so amazing!" She had been thinking of going back to get reinforcements, but it turned out she didn't need to.
Moreover, this was the first time she had ever seen her cousin like this, like a sharpened sword. It turned out that her cousin was usually very gentle with her! But when he really got fierce, he was like this.
Even Zhao Yan, a noble young master, was beaten so badly he was running for his life. How impressive!
"With so many swords, what are you doing here?" Ying Zheng's thoughts were sluggish, and he was barely aware of anything. "Aren't you usually very timid?" He could tell from how she chickened out when she heard that Prince Dan was the crown prince last time.
"I was worried about my cousin," Banban said coquettishly, tugging at his watch loyally. "It's so good that my cousin is alright, I was so worried."
Her bright, star-like eyes reflected in his, gradually awakening his consciousness.
Ying Zheng snapped out of his reverie and muttered something under his breath. She didn't hear it clearly and was about to ask when he reached out and gently touched her face, comforting her, "I'm fine, don't worry."
Ji Hao was standing to the side and overheard everything.
My usually cold and aloof disciple would even use a soft, awkward voice to call others idiots.
However, what needs to be said still needs to be said.
Before leaving, Ji Hao spoke to Ying Zheng alone.
On the way back, Ying Zheng's expression was terrible; he kept a sullen face and seemed lost in thought. She kept asking him, but he wouldn't say anything, which annoyed her.
"Did the master scold you? I was wondering why the Crown Prince suddenly showed up and startled me. He even went out. Why would he be so mean to you? Does he think we can just let the Crown Prince bully people?"
She was hurting herself as she cursed, thinking, "What kind of world is this? Just because I'm the crown prince doesn't mean I'm so great!"
Ying Zheng didn't speak, but took her hand.
He would leave Banban for bed at night.
On the bed, she heard her cousin's resentful words: "The shame done to Zhao will be avenged in the future."
"Report, report, report." Banban, nestled against his chest, muttered, "How saintly must one be to forgive and forget? Those who have bullied us should all come to a bad end."
After muttering something incoherently, she patted his back haphazardly, trying to lull him to sleep in her indistinct voice, "Good baby, go to sleep, tomorrow is another new day."
Whether he was truly lulled to sleep or not, he didn't speak again, and the arms that had been tightly holding her gradually loosened their grip, until they began to stroke the soft strands of hair on her head again and again.
The next day, Ji Hao made a special apology to Zhu Shi, Ji Changyue, Ying Zheng, and Banban, saying that a friend had invited him to the academy to pick up something, but unexpectedly, the Crown Prince Zhao suddenly showed up, and he was caught off guard and almost caused a disaster.
Ji Changyue forced a smile and bowed, "It's nothing... My daughter and I have never been popular in Zhao, so being targeted is nothing."
Ji Hao remained silent. In the Battle of Changping, Qin massacred 400,000 Zhao soldiers. The King of Zhao was furious, and the people of Zhao were also filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could kill the Qin people themselves to vent their anger.
Verbal attacks are nothing compared to the countless attempts and ambushes they've faced over the years. It's a miracle that Ying Zheng and his mother Zhao Ji have survived unharmed.
In mid-November, on the morning of the 14th, the Ji family was making preparations for the sixth birthday of Ji Chengyin, the only daughter of the Ji family.
Ji Xiu hosted a banquet for guests from all directions; his house was packed with people, and the atmosphere was lively and bustling.
Ji Changyue sewed a spring garment for Banban, laid it out to check it, and turned around to ask her son for his opinion, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Where is Zheng'er?" She suddenly had a bad feeling.
The maid Xia'er looked bewildered and hurriedly said, "Gongsun has always forbidden us servants from following him, and I didn't know that."
Ji Changyue's face suddenly darkened, and he roared, "Today is Chengyin's birthday, and the house is full of Zhao people. The Zhao people have a grudge against the Qin people, and they all see the Qin people as thorns in their side. What if we run into him! Go find him now!"
This child has never given her a moment's peace. He's smart, but he never listens to his mother!
Ji Changyue was furious, but she also felt that her son wouldn't go to the front of the crowd.
She searched frantically for three rounds before finally finding him at the main gate of the courtyard. He was sitting on a tall tree branch, lying with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.
The inner courtyard was bustling with laughter and cheerful conversation. Banban was held in Ji Xiu's arms, her cheeks flushed with rouge. Her smile never faded. Surrounded by countless children her age, she handed out candies to them one by one, her eyes filled with joy.
The child probably knew that the Qin people were not welcomed by the Zhao people, and besides, he was Gongsun, and if he showed up, he would ruin his cousin's birthday banquet, so he participated in her birthday in this way.
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