Chapter 23 My Cousin's Hard Work (Part 2) "He always felt sorry for her..."
With the Crown Prince gone, everyone at Taxue Pavilion relaxed and became cheerful. Lady Youji brought in a maid from her home, explaining that she would be living in the palace from now on and would no longer argue with the Crown Prince about this matter.
The tension that had been building up at Taxuexuan these past two days has finally eased.
No one wanted to return to Yongxiang.
Banban returned to her familiar residence and asked Congyun to take out the seeds of the Riri Spring flower so that it could wake up properly, and she would plant it herself after she woke up.
As Yun coaxed Banban to sleep, she told her everything that had happened in the State of Zhao after Banban left Handan:
"Guo Kai, the Zhao minister who escorted His Highness the Crown Prince back to Qin that day, actually became Gongzi Yan's study companion." Meeting Banban's surprised gaze, Cong Yun was quite puzzled. "However, Gongzi Yan was not very satisfied with His Highness the Crown Prince's safe return to Qin. He was quite angry, but I don't know what he did, but within two days, Gongzi Yan and he were on good terms again."
Banban seemed to be deep in thought. "My cousin said that Guo Kai is a scoundrel who listens to Zhao Yan but is greedy for money. Sure enough, he's got some skills. At the very least, he's a smooth talker."
Cong Yun nodded, then suddenly remembered something else, "Prince Dan, who played with you, has also returned to Yan."
These words immediately piqued Banban's curiosity. "Is Prince Dan going back to inherit the throne?" Upon hearing the name Prince Dan, she suddenly recalled how familiar the name sounded when she first heard it. Slightly stunned, she unconsciously shook her head. "...He will not become the Prince of Yan."
Before Cong Yun could even speak, her own mistress had already answered her own question, "How did you know, mistress?"
Banban said, “My mother said that the King of Yan sent Prince Dan to Zhao as a hostage precisely because he was wary of him. How could he possibly make him the King of Yan?”
This was indeed said by Zhu, but Banban's certainty did not stem from this, but rather from the limited historical knowledge she possessed in later generations.
She still vividly remembers the famous story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, recalling every single word of the classical Chinese text. However, apart from well-known or familiar stories, she knows very little about other matters.
After chatting about other things, they both went to sleep.
I didn't wake up until noon.
After a quick wash, Qian Yin entered from outside, lifting the curtain. She first bowed, then said, "My lady, Her Majesty the Queen invites you to have lunch together."
"I just didn't know what to eat." This touched a nerve with Banban, so she quickly changed her clothes and, along with Congyun and Qianyin, hurried to Ganquan Palace to pay her respects.
Since Yun Chu entered the palace, although she had roughly explored most of the palaces while Banban was sleeping in the morning, she was not as skilled as Qian Yin, so she could only carefully memorize the routes.
On the way, Qian Yin carefully instructed, "My lady, I heard that the King and the Queen had a quarrel. The King stormed off, and the Queen is probably in a bad mood."
Yun's expression changed; did she know everything that happened in the Queen's palace?
"You had a fight?" Banban asked, slightly surprised. "Do you know what it was about?"
Qian Yin couldn't explain it too clearly, and she didn't fully understand either, "It seems to be about sending troops."
Then her subtext becomes clear.
The Queen summoned the king to relieve her boredom and fatigue.
Cong Yun smiled and coaxed Banban, "Little lady, the Queen is in a bad mood. You should try to cheer her up later. Maybe the Queen will be happy and reward you with jewelry."
Qian Yin listened from the side: ? ? ?
Do you really think this kind of coaxing will work? Isn't that a bit too blunt? People always have to have a rebellious streak, right?
The next second, Banban nodded and gave Congyun an approving look, "That's natural."
Qian Yin: "..." In the end, I was too tactful.
Damn it, one less credit. She was unwilling to accept it and gave Cong Yun a subtle glare.
Cong Yun pretended not to see anything. Little brat, who knows me well? Do I even need to say anything? Trying to act mature and sensible in front of me?
She knows her younger sister best. The younger sister is not stupid, but she doesn't like to think things through. She is naive and knows very little about the evil in the world. The worst thing she can think of is punishing people by not letting them eat or making them clean the house. Therefore, she is simple-minded. When communicating with her, you must speak literally. She will not think deeply about any additional meaning. But if you ask her to think about it carefully, she can understand it.
However, at this moment, she doesn't need to use her brain at all.
Before long, Ganquan Palace came into view.
The fact that the Crown Prince stayed up all night to go out of the palace to bring Xiao Zhao Ji back to the palace could not be kept secret from these shrewd people. Therefore, when they saw her, everyone treated her with great respect, some kneeling to pay their respects and others to greet her.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed.
Queen Zhao Ji, the eldest, was leaning against the couch, gazing out the window. When she heard the announcement, she snapped out of her reverie, and the younger Zhao Ji was already in front of her.
These two Zhao Ji, one older and one younger, came from the same family and were probably very close relatives in the Xianyang Palace.
With practiced grace, she greeted the Queen with a bright smile, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen."
Ji Changyue glanced at her sideways with annoyance, "I never knew you could be so polite."
Before she could call out to her, Banban leaned against her with a grin and said, "I went home for a while, and now I am the new me in front of the Queen."
"The Queen is so beautiful, truly a beauty that could topple cities, making it hard to look away!"
Ji Changyue laughed and pinched her nose, "You're just like your cousin, all affected and pretentious."
"Then you're not allowed to laugh, little sister." Banban said coquettishly, reaching out to press down on Ji Changyue's upturned lips.
Ji Changyue said she was asking for a beating, just then a palace servant came in to report that the meal had been prepared, and the two went out to eat together. Ji Changyue sighed, "If I were to give birth to another princess, even one half as lovely as you, the king would surely dote on her."
Banban opened her eyes wide and quickly looked at the woman's lower abdomen, "Is my aunt pregnant?"
"What are you looking at?" Ji Changyue flicked her wide sleeves and touched her belly in an annoyed tone. "No, if I were pregnant, why would I say such a thing?"
That wasn't her worry; what troubled her was that Prince Qin's favor was almost entirely focused on her, yet so many days had passed and her belly remained flat. The imperial physicians had been summoned, and they all said she was healthy and there was nothing wrong. So the problem must be…
Zichu's offspring are indeed few. It's probably not because he doesn't like women. His health doesn't seem to be a big problem at the moment, but it's strange that no one in the harem has been able to conceive for so long. Could it be that he suffered from hunger and constant targeting by the people of Zhao in his early years, leaving him with some kind of ailment?
The youngest princess, Liyang, was six years old. This meant that there had been no newborn cries in the palace for six years.
She couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. Fortunately, she already had a son, Ying Zheng, otherwise she would have become like Lady Huayang back then.
As the two Zhao Jis were chatting casually, someone came to report, "Your Majesty, Consort Mi and Princess Liyang have arrived."
I arrived just as I was thinking about it.
It's really bad luck.
Ji Changyue's lips twitched slightly, and she was about to get angry when the maid standing next to her coughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand.
Ji Changyue suppressed her anger and said expressionlessly, "Let them in. They must have something very important to discuss with me at this time."
Banban felt she shouldn't stay to see the people in the harem, but Ji Changyue pressed down on her shoulder and told her to just eat and not worry about anything else. "Just sit here and eat. This whole table is full of your favorite dishes. Don't worry about those people."
Ji Changyue is domineering, but very generous to her own people.
Banban obediently continued eating, and Ji Changyue also sat down, showing no intention of moving to another place to receive the concubines, which was quite arrogant and contemptuous.
Mi Liangren led her daughter Liyang in and they entered together. She first noticed the little girl beside the Queen, paused for a moment, then quickly lowered her eyes to greet her. Liyang was always sensible and showed great respect to her stepmother.
However, when she, as a concubine of Qin, bowed to the Queen, the little girl accepted it without any hesitation, showing no intention of getting up to avoid it.
Mi Liangren's face stiffened slightly. Before she could hide it, she saw the Queen staring at her with a faint smile on her face.
Ji Changyue looked at Liyang, "Second Princess, are you ready for your meal? Come and have some with Banban. Your mother and I have important matters to discuss."
This is not an inquiry, but a direct arrangement.
It's laughable that a princess of a nation would have to dine with the daughter of a wealthy merchant.
In Liyang, there is no right to say no; one can only bow one's head and agree.
Mi Liangren gently patted Li Yang's shoulder, signaling her to hurry over, and then followed the Queen's wide red skirt to the front hall.
After everyone left, Li Yang breathed a slight sigh of relief. Turning her head, she saw Ji Xiaoniang staring at her with her chopsticks in her mouth. When she saw her looking over, she immediately raised the corners of her lips and smiled.
"Princess, this is delicious, you should try it."
The first thing she said after sitting down was nothing else.
Li Yang was momentarily stunned, hesitated before picking up his chopsticks, and did not immediately put it in his mouth.
"What's wrong? Haven't you seen this kind of dish before?" Banban explained to her, "This is a dish from the Zhao Kingdom. It's made with sliced chicken and topped with a special sauce. There's a lot of dogwood in it, so it's a bit spicy."
"Ah, let me try it." Li Yang didn't mention that her hesitation just now was because the thought of whether the dish was poisonous had flashed through her mind. "It is indeed salty and delicious, with a slightly spicy and fresh taste."
The two dined together, but Liyang was too full to eat anymore. She had already eaten before coming, but Ganquan Palace was only now announcing lunch. She couldn't help but ask, "Miss Ji, aren't you curious what important matter my mother has to say to the Queen?"
He exclaimed, "Ah?" and asked her, "Do you want to tell me?"
"..." Li Yang said cautiously, "Miss Ji, have you heard that my father is going to send troops to attack the Eastern Zhou Kingdom?"
This prompted Banban to ask, "Aren't we going to attack the Zhao state?"
Liyang nodded, his tone suddenly becoming more urgent, "Yes, yes, that was originally the plan. The Zhao state dared to intercept and kill my brother's teacher, so we should teach them a lesson and dampen their arrogance. Ideally, we should capture Handan and conquer the Zhao state. What do you think?"
Banban realized what was going on. She wasn't really stupid, but she would pretend to be. "That's what I thought too, but the king's decision is not something we can change." As she spoke, she suddenly asked, "Is Mi Liangren from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty?"
For Prince Zichu of Qin to change his stance at a crucial moment, it must be because the Eastern Zhou had made a greater mistake than the Zhao state. With the Crown Prince and Queen standing behind her, she could not afford to take any rhetoric or do anything for anyone.
Wasn't it said that this young lady Ji was as stupid and dumb as a pig?
How did she realize that so quickly?
Li Yang gave an unnatural smile, his voice gradually lowering, "That's true."
“My mother was a noblewoman from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. She was sent to the Qin State by my father and has not returned home for many years. Recently, she has been missing home and has been crying all day long. I feel sorry for her.”
Seeing that Ji Xiaoniang did not react, Liyang slowly told the truth, "The Eastern Zhou is weak and cannot withstand the attack of Qin. Besides, isn't it the common people who suffer in the end? Why must we fight wars?"
Perhaps knowing that the divided nations would eventually be unified, Banban wasn't too emotional about it, but he still comforted her, saying, "Only when all the land is unified can the war truly end. Otherwise, this conflict will never stop. With so many countries divided, who is willing to be weaker than anyone else? Who isn't jealous of the strength of other nations?"
“It’s a good thing that the princess cares about the people; it’s a blessing for them.” Banban gently patted Liyang’s head and said with a smile, “If you’re worried about your mother, why don’t you ask the king to bring your mother’s family to Qin?”
Li Yang was stunned. He touched the spot where Ji Xiaoniang had touched him and stared at her blankly.
Ji Xiaoniang seemed to lack any sense of national or familial sentiment. Rather, she genuinely believed that the Qin Dynasty was the legitimate and only one. As a princess of Qin, she would feel pity for her mother's maternal family, but she did not. When the topic of attacking the Zhao Kingdom came up, her expression did not change at all, and she showed no resistance whatsoever.
Why? Wasn't Zhao her native hometown?
Was her naivety and foolishness an act? Was she playing dumb to outsmart others?
Thinking this through, Li Yang felt that Ji Xiaoniang's innocent smile had a hidden meaning, and she dared not stay any longer.
Oh dear, why did the second princess say she was full and wanted to leave after only a few bites?
Banban sighed. She hadn't even introduced any other Zhao dishes to her yet, and she was already feeling quite upset that she couldn't get them to go.
After she finished her meal and was sleepy, Ji Changyue returned with a faint smile, followed by many maids carrying trays.
"Wow, is this a gift from Mi Liangren to her aunt? She wants you to be her go-between!" Banban ran over to look at them one by one.
"How do you know?" Ji Changyue thought for a moment, then raised her eyebrows. "What did Liyang tell you?"
"It's nothing. I just said why we have to fight a war. In the end, it's the common people who suffer."
"Ha, crocodile tears." Ji Changyue scoffed and sat down. "When Your Majesty wanted to attack Zhao, why didn't anyone step forward to say that war always brings suffering to the people?"
Banban touched the gold and silver jewelry on the tray, then turned around and asked, "My aunt has agreed to be the go-between?"
"I agreed, but I didn't say I would definitely do it." Ji Changyue ordered another meal to be served. "I originally supported Your Majesty's swift attack on Zhao, but I didn't expect that Eastern Zhou would be so audacious. They have been frequently forming alliances with other feudal lords to jointly plan an attack on Qin!"
She sneered repeatedly, "How audacious! Knowing your own weakness, you should keep quiet and keep your distance! Jumping out to act like a clown at a time like this is truly deserving of a beating."
Banban couldn't reply, and just kept laughing while eating fruit.
Fortunately, Ji Changyue didn't need her to respond. She probably just needed an outlet for her emotions. In Qin, everyone was an enemy. The concubines in the harem had natural opposing interests to her, so they couldn't be friends. Zichu couldn't get along with her.
Thinking about it this way, I immediately thought of Lü Buwei.
She then asked, "How is the Xue family being settled?"
A maidservant nearby spoke up, “Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is very proper and has already prepared a residence for Lady Xue. He said that after she finishes her mourning period, he is willing to find her a good man who is no less than Mr. Ji Hao.”
Ji Changyue snorted, "What should I do? It seems that Prime Minister Lü is afraid of his wife's power and dares not accept Xue Shi."
Something about this sounded wrong. Fearing that Lady Ji might misunderstand, the maidservant quickly tried to persuade her, "Perhaps it's not because of that, Your Majesty. Think about it, Mr. Ji Hao was His Highness the Crown Prince's first teacher, and His Highness the Crown Prince values his widow very highly. If the Prime Minister doesn't handle this well, wouldn't he be offending His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Banban looked up at the Queen, finished eating the fruit, rubbed her eyes, and said sleepily, "Sister-in-law, I'm sleepy."
Upon hearing this, Ji Changyue readily agreed and waved her hand, "Then you should go back and rest. By the way, take a look at these good things and see if there's anything you like, take it all with you."
Naturally, it was another round of coquettishness and nagging; they went empty-handed but returned laden with gifts.
Back at Taxue Pavilion, Banban studied the newly acquired jewelry for a while, especially liking a beaded necklace. At this time, pearls were extremely precious, even more so than gold.
This is a complete pearl necklace, worth a fortune.
Cong Yun helped her put the beads on and praised, "Young lady, you look so beautiful. These beads make you look even fairer."
Banban is extremely fair-skinned. Her skin is a delicate white that has never been exposed to the sun, pure and flawless. Therefore, even a slight touch of pressure will leave red marks, requiring careful protection.
Qian Yin came out after making the bed. "Young lady, shall we rest now? I'll go fetch some water so you can wash up?"
"Wait a bit, I'm not sleepy." Banban didn't turn around, just waved her hand. "Oh, right, take out the seeds for the periwinkle, I want to plant flowers!"
Cong Yun smiled and said, "Yes."
Qian Yin was completely confused. Just now, when they came out of Ganquan Palace, the young lady clearly looked extremely tired. How come she was no longer sleepy when they arrived at Taxue Pavilion?
It's scorching hot outside; perhaps the heat is making me too hot to sleep.
She quickly added another basin of ice and brought it in, placing it in a corner of the screen.
When Banban was in Handan, she hired a gardener to teach her how to grow flowers, and she did it quite well.
She took the flower seeds that Yun had prepared and began to plant them.
After a busy afternoon, the soil in front of the bamboo grove at Taxuexuan was moist, with small pits where seeds had been sown, awaiting good news.
Before dinner, she instructed Congyun to prepare some Zhao dishes, and then went to bed to rest.
It was the cool touch on her face that woke her up. Half-awake, she opened her eyes and saw a blurry figure touching her face.
"Cousin..."
Ying Zheng put his arm around her waist. "You're still half asleep and you want to be hugged? You must be tired today."
"Hmm..." she responded shakily, her eyelids fluttering as she was about to fall asleep again, but her hands still wrapped around his neck. "I've planted them all...the seeds from Handan."
Those were all plants that Ying Zheng personally dug up and collected for her, including the blooming and scattering seeds of the periwinkle.
“I saw it.” Ying Zheng gently patted her back. “Go back to sleep if you’re tired.”
Banban struggled to open her eyes and sat up. "No, I'm hungry."
Ying Zheng: "..."
It seems that being hungry is more important than being sleepy.
Touching the chain on his chest, Banban snapped out of his daze, rubbing his eyes as he asked, "Cousin, do you think it's pretty?"
"Your mother gave it to you? It's beautiful," Ying Zheng examined it carefully. "It suits my cousin very well, and the Lingyun bun hairstyle makes her even more beautiful."
"Lingyun bun, Lingyun bun, you only like this one." Banban rolled her eyes. No matter what hairstyle she asked her cousin, he would say Lingyun bun without hesitation. But she was tired of it, and he was still tired of it. "After watching it for so long, cousin must have learned it by now."
Ying Zheng was really itching to try it after hearing this, and said, "Why not? Come on."
Banban: "?"
Without saying a word, he pulled me away.
Unfortunately, Ying Zheng wasn't very good at scalping and couldn't control his strength, hurting Banban several times. She covered her head and kicked his shin, saying, "It hurts, be gentler!"
"Alright, alright, I'll be gentler." Ying Zheng softened his grip, looking rather flustered.
The strands of hair in his hands were fine and soft, like the finest silk. They would slip through his fingers if he wasn't careful. After finally getting them straight, he began to comb them according to the steps he remembered.
However, the black hair that seemed to possess a spirit in Qian Yin's hands was now sliding back and forth in his palm like a disobedient little rabbit.
Looking through the bronze mirror, Banban saw a thin white gauze wrapped around his left hand. "Is your hand better, cousin? Why is the gauze so thin?"
Ying Zheng focused on combing his hair. "Hmm, the physician has a solution."
"The physician is really amazing." Banban thought of her blisters and mouth ulcers.
A few moments later.
Is it done?
"No, please wait a moment."
...
"Is it not ready yet?"
"…Well."
"Alright, alright, alright."
Banban propped her head up and looked carefully at herself in the mirror. "?"
"Is this the Lingyun bun?"
Aren't those two rabbit ears?
She raised her hand, and Ying Zheng got up and ran, saying, "It's time to eat, cousin, let's go."
Banban was exasperated, but understanding that his hands were not in a convenient position, she impatiently called Qianyin over to comb her hair again.
After she finished combing her hair, Ying Zheng was already sitting down waiting for her, but he hadn't even touched his chopsticks yet.
Qin Ju bent down and poured some fruit wine.
"Why is my cousin drinking?"
Ying Zheng simply said, "Your alcohol tolerance is too low; you should practice."
It seems he had been drinking and sleeping with Prince Qin for almost a day, and he needed to overcome this challenge. My cousin has always been competitive, and no matter what he doesn't know, he will do his best until he does.
Banban remembered something. "You all go out first. My cousin and I have something to talk about."
Qin Ju looked at Ying Zheng, who nodded. He then immediately called the other palace servants to leave together.
"What's wrong? Are you angry that I combed your hair and want to settle things with me?" Ying Zheng still had the leisure to joke.
Banban glared at him, then sat down beside him and became serious. "Cousin, I think there's something strange about my aunt and Lü Buwei."
Ying Zheng suddenly stopped what he was doing. "Hmm?" He narrowed his eyes.
She recounted everything that had happened at Ganquan Palace, and then adopted a look of seeking clarification.
Ying Zheng fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he said, "You don't need to concern yourself with this matter."
Immediately, he asked Banban, "How did you figure that out?" Wasn't she clumsy and slow in this regard?
“Because I remembered that my mother once said that my aunt was once Lü Buwei’s concubine. I see that my aunt seems very lonely and has no one to talk to. So her relationship with the king must not be as good as it seems on the surface. Is she friends with Lü Buwei?”
Ying Zheng sighed and patted his cousin's head. "Mother wouldn't do that. She's just trying to win over the Prime Minister." What Prince Zichu of Qin could give her, Lü Buwei couldn't. She couldn't possibly rekindle her old flame with Lü Buwei.
Besides, she has a son named Ying Zheng, so what she wants right now is definitely not love. But it is true that she gets along better with Lü Buwei. "I will try to spend more time with her when I have time."
"Okay." Originally, Banban was also puzzled by her aunt's attitude towards Lü Buwei, but Ying Zheng explained it to her, so she stopped thinking about it. "I will spend more time with my aunt in the future and visit her often!"
"Thanks a lot."
"I'm not tired." Banban really didn't feel tired, because she hadn't done anything. But when she did something, her cousin said she was tired and seemed to feel sorry for her.
"You've worked hard, cousin." She smiled and put some food on his plate. "Please eat more, cousin. You always love this sashimi."
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