"Are these cousins aware of this?" she asked angrily.
"Brother" is a more affectionate term than "elder brother," almost like a playful term of endearment. Only toddlers who have just learned to speak and are not yet able to pronounce it correctly will call their older brother "brother."
In ordinary families, regardless of gender, people address their elder brothers as "elder brother" as a sign of respect. However, Banban was taught by Zhu Shi from a young age to address Ying Zheng as "cousin."
It can express both closeness and respect for him.
The first thing he asked was, "Do you treat all your brothers like this?" He immediately put himself in her most intimate position.
She said at the time, "I only have one older brother, my cousin."
Even so, Banban almost never called Ying Zheng "brother".
Perhaps because of this dream, she woke up particularly early. It turned out that Qin Ju was calling out to Ying Zheng from outside, saying it was time for the morning court session. He was a self-disciplined person, and even if he was still sleepy, he would immediately sit up to wake himself up.
She lay on her side on the soft pillow and quietly called to him, "Brother."
He paused for a moment, then immediately turned around, his eyes meeting her playful and languid gaze.
"You're going to court—oh dear, what are you doing?!"
Before she could finish speaking, he pressed her down again, her body trembling. Startled, she quickly pushed him away, afraid of being called a femme fatale who would bring ruin to the country and interfere with her cousin's political affairs.
But how could she push him away? She was forced to have sex with him quickly, muffled and choked.
It turns out that men shouldn't be easily provoked early in the morning; is the term "brother" actually more effective than "husband"? His body wakes up earlier than his brain.
After he finished, he hurriedly got out of bed to shower and change, leaving only Banban lying on the bed rolling her eyes at him, letting out a lazy sigh, and preparing to go back to sleep.
Fortunately, it seems that the morning court session was not late.
After waking up again and quickly washing up, Yun helped her change her clothes. She moved Zhao'er to the warm main hall early in the morning. He was full of energy and as soon as he saw his mother, he cried out and opened his arms for her to hug him.
"Oh dear." Banban took him. "You've already weighed down Zhao'er, so you must have had quite a breakfast." This was a joke. As she spoke, she instructed Congyun to add two more dishes and a bowl of hot milk to the wet nurse's meals from now on, giving her whatever nourishing food she could to help her recover.
Zhao'er obediently hugged her mother's neck and nestled on her back.
The new year passed and it was Ying Zheng's birthday. His birthday celebrations were always grand, but this year's was particularly solemn. This was not only because it was his birthday and the country was celebrating together, but also because the dates for the visits of Qi and Zhao to Qin were set, exactly on his birthday.
Ying Zheng wanted to get it done quickly, as he had other important matters to attend to.
When asked what it was about, he said he was preparing to send troops to attack the State of Han, intending to force the King of Han to hand over Han Fei.
Banban: "..." After thinking about it for so many years, I'm finally going to get my hands on it.
This is truly something to celebrate! :)
As the queen, Banban took this matter very seriously and prepared for it for several months.
It was a rare sunny day, and the warm winter sun shone on everything. Amid the beating of drums and the playing of music, the Queen of Qi, whom she had been eagerly awaiting, appeared in her field of vision.
The King of Qi and the King of Zhao were politely deferring to each other on the red carpet. In the end, the King of Zhao went first, and the King of Qi followed closely behind in a gentle manner.
The two women were at odds, but their respective queens were not so complicated. The two women came side by side, hand in hand, and seemed to have exchanged a few words.
Due to the solemn occasion, Banban suppressed his joy and nodded to the two queens.
Yang Man's eyes were filled with excitement as she grabbed her hand, "Banban!"
"Empress Qin." The woman beside Yang Man smiled demurely.
This was the first time Banban had met the Queen of Zhao. She had heard her name from Zhu before, who said that she had once married a Zhao official. After the official died, she somehow ended up working as a prostitute in a brothel, where she met Zhao Yan, who was then a prince, by chance.
Zhao Yan was so deeply in love with her that he wanted to marry her, which made King Zhao sick.
Later, it was her cousin who told her.
As the crown prince, Zhao You was sent to the Qin state as a hostage. When Zhao Yan ascended the throne as King of Zhao, she rose from a lowly prostitute to become a queen. She became a role model in the hearts of many women, but was also looked down upon by men. All the states called her the "Queen of Prostitutes".
Banban was slightly taken aback. She looked at her carefully for a while and couldn't help but smile and praise, "Empress Zhao is unparalleled in beauty. Even I, as a woman, have to take notice of you."
The Queen of Zhao subconsciously touched her face. She could hear the sincerity in the Queen of Qin's words, and her cheeks flushed slightly. Then she smiled even more genuinely and said, "You're talking about me, but I think you're just as good. Praising me is just being modest."
"Empress Qi just praised me in the same way. Your whole family is cut from the same mold."
"Of course!" Yang Man covered her mouth and laughed.
This joke instantly dispelled the politeness and awkwardness between the three women.
During this visit to Qin by both countries to congratulate the King of Qin on his assumption of power, the King of Qin said that he had nothing to offer them but to bring out all his Qin soldiers for their viewing pleasure.
Once fully equipped and ready to go, the Qin army, armed with brand-new longswords, spears, and crossbows, marched in a powerful and disciplined display, causing both the King of Zhao and the King of Qi to lose face.
King Qi fared slightly better because his queen was a member of the Qin royal family, but King Zhao almost turned pale. If Queen Zhao hadn't pinched his lower back, he would have jumped up and down.
Damn it, is this just a bluff? The key is that these Qin soldiers seem to be even better than Zhao's cavalry. What are those long swords made of? Bronze? Iron? Iron breaks easily, doesn't it?
He stared intently, trying to understand.
After looking at it for a while and confirming that it was neither iron nor bronze, Zhao Yan was so angry that his chest and abdomen heaved, but he still forced a smile, which made his face stiff.
Lord Changping stood to the side, with Li Si beside him. The two of them naturally saw Zhao Yan's expression and exchanged a few pleasant whispers.
Even the King of Qin preferred to pay more attention to the King of Qi, which seemed to be a slight neglect of Zhao Yan.
The King of Zhao's visit to Qin was primarily aimed at seeking peace and ending the war, as the weaker party has no human rights.
Banban dislikes Zhao Yan and wishes he would suffer even more.
Are you scared? It's right to be scared.
A strong nation makes its people strong. The Zhao king's expression greatly encouraged the Qin soldiers, and they fought even harder.
The steel longsword alone made him uneasy; what would happen if the other weapons were brought out? There were even better ones still under development, which Ying Zheng kept hidden.
Those that I dare to demonstrate directly to them are already fully mature products, and I'm not worried that they will notice anything or imitate them.
Who would have thought that the invention of steel was based on my cousin wanting to cook in an iron wok?
On such a grand occasion, Ji Changyue, as the Empress Dowager, was obliged to attend. Her complexion had been relatively rosy lately, but upon seeing Zhao Yan, her face darkened, revealing an barely suppressed rage.
"Mother?" Banban gently patted her hand.
Ji Changyue snapped out of her daze and forced a smile, "I'm fine, it doesn't bother me."
Banban became suspicious. She didn't seem to have met Zhao Yan before when they were in Handan. Why was she looking at him with such hatred?
After the military parade, it was time for the banquet.
While Banban was reviewing the menu, he waved to Yun to come over.
She strolled over from the clouds, lowering her voice, "Your Majesty, I have already sent people to investigate."
“In recent years, the Empress Dowager’s reputation has not been very good in Zhao, especially in Handan,” Congyun said with her eyes downcast. “Actually, I already knew the reason just now, but I didn’t expect that after investigating, it was indeed the case.”
"How is it bad?" Banban paused, taking a breath.
"Years ago, the Queen and the Queen Dowager returned to Qin with the King. Before long, everyone in Handan knew about it. At first, it was alright, but after the King was made Crown Prince and the Queen Dowager was made Queen, things got out of control. Even our servants were pelted with rotten eggs when they went out to buy groceries, saying..."
Cong Yun couldn't continue speaking, pursing her lips.
"What did you say?!" Banban immediately raised her eyebrows, deeply displeased.
"They say the Ji family's ancestors were unclean, that their surname came from the Yan state, and that they secretly raised Qin people. No matter how you look at it, they don't seem like Zhao people. They say we are... are the scum of Zhao."
As she spoke, Yun began to wipe away her tears. "Back then, when the mistress of the family was pregnant with young master Geng'er, it would cost many times more gold than usual to invite a doctor to examine her. Ordinary people considered our family unlucky and were unwilling to deal with the Ji family."
"And...and...and some people staged a ballad to slander the Empress Dowager as a lewd cat demon, a woman who has many husbands, and is immoral and corrupt. They also said that you, the Queen, who is related to her, are a rabbit demon. They said that rabbits are inherently lewd and have a strong reproductive ability. If you go to Qin, you will probably benefit the people of Qin and are not worthy of being a Zhao person."
"Only in the last two years, when the Queen has made some great achievements, have the criticisms of you in the State of Zhao gradually subsided."
The words had barely left his mouth when all the fruit platters on the table were overturned and knocked to the ground. Banban was already furious: "What kind of talk is this?!"
Upon seeing this, Cong Yun couldn't help but cry out, "The patriarch fought them to the death for this, and even had his head broken."
"The Queen of Zhao came from a brothel and suffered humiliation from various states. He must have heard it all before and knows best how to attack a woman to destroy her heart."
Banban stared wide-eyed in disbelief, her hands trembling slightly as she lowered them. She could feel her blood surging, her heart racing, her limbs stiffening, and an indescribable rage almost overwhelming her.
She didn't even know how she was helped to sit down.
Another bomb was dropped from the clouds:
"No one from the madam's maternal family is alive now, including the old lady. Apart from a few people who fled to Zhao with Mr. Ji Hao, the entire Ji family is gone."
Banban froze, wondering why only Congyun had come to Qin. Where were the maids from the Pang family? Where was Zichan from the Zhu family?
I thought they had been dismissed and were being let go.
Unexpectedly—
No wonder! No wonder Ji Changyue had that kind of expression.
She abruptly looked away and turned to Cong Yun, "Do all these cousins know about this?"
Cong Yun wiped away her tears and shook her head. "His Majesty hasn't been to Handan for a long time. He doesn't know, and no one will say such things. Saying them will only make His Majesty angry. Those who suffer from His Majesty's anger are the servants. They are afraid and won't say anything on their own initiative."
"The Empress Dowager probably wouldn't tell the King, would she?" She wasn't quite sure at this point. "The head of the family and the old lady instructed me on the way to the palace not to say anything that might upset you."
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Author's Note: I probably wrote too much last week [mainly because I write slowly and late, only starting to type at 3 PM, which leads to excessive eye strain at night]. I was still using the computer at 11:30 PM, and due to eye strain, I've developed conjunctivitis these past two days. My eyes are constantly secreting milky white mucus, which is making them sticky. I've been using eye drops, but they don't seem to be helping much. A friend recommended that I go to the hospital to have my eyes cleaned tomorrow, saying that conjunctivitis can lead to eye stones, which scared me to death. I'll try it tomorrow…
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