Even if I die, I will stay by your side.
Ultimately, no definitive solution was found for the matter of Ji Wushi.
Autumn passed, and winter arrived.
Banban's birthday celebration was grand this year. Compared to last year's somewhat awkward stage play, this year's performance was much more elaborate. The actors' ability to sing the story was becoming more skillful, and the play was performed in four acts.
The potato harvest was good. In the cold winter, every household could get a bag of roasted potatoes from the Sixth Hospital. As the winter snow fell, many commoners on the street would toss roasted potatoes in their palms and eat them without even peeling them.
Only then did the people realize that these potatoes were planted by order of the King of Qin, and that the Queen herself had instructed them to be distributed to them for consumption.
How can this not be considered sharing joy with the people?
Everyone sincerely wished the Queen a long and healthy birthday.
After his birthday, the whole palace was busy with the New Year celebrations, and Banban had little free time to pay attention to Zhao'er. His relationship with Han Fei had visibly improved a lot.
Just as the celebrations were taking place, news arrived from outside that King Zhao had passed away, Crown Prince Qian had ascended the throne, and the "prostitute queen" Zhao had been made Queen Dowager, with Guo Kai appointed as prime minister.
"Zhao Yan died just like that." Banban gently rubbed the roasted chestnuts, peeled them, and popped them into her mouth to eat.
In her mind, these historical figures who left their mark either died spectacularly or lived lavishly. However, after living here for so many years, she realized that they were just ordinary people.
"After Zhao Yan ascended the throne, the former Crown Prince Zhao You was sent to Qin as a hostage. After returning to Zhao, although he was granted the title of Lord Chunping, he was not given important positions. Zhao Yan always feared and was wary of him." Ying Zheng placed the peeled chestnuts on a plate and pushed it in front of his cousin. "After Zhao Qian ascended the throne, he promoted Zhao You again and granted him the title of Marquis Chunping. The Empress Dowager Zhao had no enmity with Zhao You, so she probably intended to give him an important position."
"Isn't there really no difference between Lord Chunping and Marquis Chunping?" Banban wondered. At least in the Qin state, Lord and Marquis were actually of equal rank. One was the title used when the Zhou emperor was still alive, and the other was a new title that emerged after the fall of the Zhou dynasty.
“That’s the subtlety of it all.” Ying Zheng took a handkerchief and gently wiped his hands. “Would you like to eat more?” he asked.
"I'm not eating anymore. Peel some more for Zhao'er later."
Ying Zheng continued peeling and roasting chestnuts as instructed, patiently explaining the subtle difference to her: "The title of Marquis is the second of the five ranks of nobility in the Zhou Dynasty, for example, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron."
“In the early Zhou Dynasty, the emperor enfeoffed many feudal lords, including the rulers of Qi, Jin, and Lu, who were all marquises.”
"The previous rulers of the Qin Dynasty also started as marquises and dukes."
Banban said, "I understand. Oh, a marquis is a ruler of a vassal state who has independent autonomy and the right to rule. They have their own territory, army, and bureaucracy."
"The title of ruler is merely an honorary title that grants one a fiefdom." She said, utterly astonished, "Could it be that Zhao Qian intends to give Marquis Chunping real power?!"
Ying Zheng nodded slightly. "Perhaps. The title of Marquis has been out of use for many years. The title of Sovereign has replaced the title of Marquis. The states also started from the Marquis title. Naturally, they would not want their brothers to follow the path they once walked."
Banban deliberately whispered to him, "Already? Qin also had Marquis Wenxin and Marquis Changxin." No wonder when Lao Ai rebelled, his cousin specially issued an edict ordering Lü Buwei to lead troops to quell the rebellion; he really did have his own army.
“…Tsk.” Ying Zheng simply pinched her lips, signaling her to shut her mouth.
She struggled to break free and grabbed his hand, asking, "Won't Zhao Qian's actions interfere with Wei Liao and my cousin's important matter?"
"Whether he can accomplish this or not is his concern, not mine." Ying Zheng clapped his hands clean, sighed, stood up, and turned to look out the window: "It's snowing."
Just as he finished speaking, Zhao'er's voice came from outside. It was getting late, and it was time for him to return.
They had dinner together, and the three of them built a snowman in the yard.
Zhao'er was still young and had never seen a snowman before. He was dressed in thick, bulky clothes and it was difficult for him to walk. The snowman was more than twice his height, with two wooden swords stuck in its waist. Its eyes were inlaid with black charcoal. When he looked up, the snowman seemed to be looking down at him.
"Zhao'er!"
Suddenly, Banban poked his head out from behind the snowman and shouted.
Zhao'er's little body trembled with fright, and she fell to the ground with a thud, immediately bursting into tears.
The culprit, Wulang, laughed heartily, unable to straighten his back as he helped the snowman.
Ying Zheng squatted down beside his son, "Why are you crying? You're too timid."
"And you're talking about him too." Banban turned her head to admire the snowman she had built, then turned back to look at him proudly. "When my cousin was eight years old, I also built a snowman for you. You and Zhao'er had never seen a snowman before, so you stared at it from left to right. Suddenly, I jumped out from behind and called to you. You were so scared that you drew your sword on the spot and shouted, 'Who is it?'"
"..." Ying Zheng said, "I don't remember it. There was no such thing."
Banban said he was being stubborn, and helped Zhao'er up, saying, "Your father is just like you, don't cry. Look, this is made of snowballs piled up from the ground, only a little taller than you, and it can't move or talk."
Zhao'er was suspicious. She rubbed her eyes and wiped away her tears with her little hands, then poked Ying Zheng's chin.
"You and your father build another snowman together. Your mother still has palace accounts to settle, so she'll come find you later." Banban got up, rubbed her son's head, and then touched her husband's headdress.
"Hmm." Zhao'er's words were ambiguous.
Task: Build a snowman.
Executor: Ying Zheng, Ying Zhao.
The father and son followed the figure of the one who gave the order as he disappeared through the palace gate, then turned back to look at each other.
Ying Zheng sat cross-legged in the snow. "Let's begin."
Zhao'er urged in her childish voice, "Father, snowman."
Ying Zheng: "You build it yourself."
Zhao'er: "?"
"If you build it yourself, I'll secretly give you a piece of candy."
Zhao'er's eyes lit up, and he immediately fell silent, quietly following his father to sit in the snow. Despite the inconvenience of wearing thick leather gloves, he still tried his best to roll snowballs.
He learned from his mother's steps in building a snowman, knowing to first make a large one for the body and then a smaller one for the head.
He huffed and puffed, sticking his bottom out and pushing the snowball with all his might, making it bigger and bigger, his face turning red like a little pig. After pushing for a while, he would stop and pat it to make the snowball rounder.
Ying Zheng was also making snowballs, but Zhao'er thought he wasn't making snowmen; he was even using a twig to carve them.
After an unknown amount of time, his son nudged Ying Zheng's arm. He looked up and saw that the two snowballs, one large and one small, had been successfully made. Although Zhao'er was clumsy, the snowballs were as round as possible.
He said, "I can't lift it, Father, please help me."
Ying Zheng picked up a small snowball with one hand and placed it on top of the large snowball.
The snowman he built wasn't even half his own height; it was tiny, crooked, and plainly cute.
Inside the palace, Banban finished calculating the accounts and muttered to himself as he compared the expenses with those of previous years, "I didn't spend much, so how come it's double what it was last year?"
Cong Yun murmured beside her, "Your Majesty, you've given away quite a lot. You've given away gifts for Qian Yin's marriage, Princess Yongning's marriage, Lord Wang Wan's eldest son's wedding, and even for Mr. Lü's funeral. You've also given gifts for General Yang Duan's remarriage, Lord Meng Yi's marriage, and even for Young Master Geng'er's engagement to Miss Li."
Banban was completely overwhelmed. He put down his brush and covered his head, exclaiming, "My money! My money!!"
Even Yun couldn't bear it: "Princess Yongning is about to give birth, and we don't even know if she'll have a son or a daughter."
Another sum of money!!!
She and her cousin only celebrated Zhao'er's birthday banquet this year, and her own birthday was also included, that's all, they couldn't make it!
After settling the accounts, I felt quite depressed.
We need to hurry up and make money!
Forget it, I'll think about it tomorrow. It's already evening, so let's not worry about it.
Standing on the veranda with a hand warmer in hand, snow was falling heavily. My husband and son were each piling snow on their heads. I calmed down and felt a sense of peace. I asked someone to warm up some milk so that we could each have a bowl before bed and have a warm, good night's sleep.
Zhao'er meticulously built a snowman, stuffing charcoal blocks onto its head. Although the snowman's eyes were slightly slanted, it was still quite adorable overall. He stood up, tugged at Ying Zheng, and held out his hand, "Shutang."
What kind of school? A school for going to school?
Banban tilted his head in confusion.
Qin Ju coughed twice, remaining silent and avoiding eye contact with the Queen.
Ying Zheng: "No."
Zhao'er pursed her lips, looked up at the darkening night, blinked suspiciously, and asked, "Tomorrow?"
Ying Zheng: "Neither tomorrow."
Zhao'er panicked immediately, clutching her father's clothes tightly, "Father, you lied to me!"
When have I ever lied to you?
“A snowman, a library.”
"When did I say I'd give it to you?" Ying Zheng gently patted his son's head, met his suddenly widened eyes, and glanced perfunctorily at the little snowman. "It's ugly, but considering your hard work, I'll keep my promise... ten years from now."
Zhao'er was so angry that she was already sobbing, but she stubbornly refused to show weakness and cry.
Banban: "..."
Good grief, you're using the same trick you used to fool Ji Dan on your own son?
"Cousin!!" she yelled at him speechlessly.
Ying Zheng froze, turned his head to glance quickly at his wife, grabbed his son by the back of his collar, and they went back to the eaves together.
Upon seeing his mother, Zhao'er immediately hugged her neck and began to complain. However, he couldn't speak clearly, and some words were pronounced unclearly, so Banban couldn't understand what he was saying at all. But she did catch a key word.
What is a study hall?
"Shutang." Zhao'er's little hands moved nimbly in front of her chest, making a peeling candy motion.
"..."
"Butter candy?"
Banban was amused and exasperated twice in a short period of time. "You can't eat the candy, Zhao'er. You still have teeth. Eating candy will hurt your teeth. How about this, if you can speak long sentences fluently without stuttering or making any mistakes, your mother will personally give my Zhao'er two pieces of candy, okay?"
Having learned from his father's experience, Zhao'er stared at Banban's face, as if carefully considering whether there were any loopholes in her words. In the end, his trust in his mother prevailed, and he obediently nodded.
"Open your mouth, let your mother see how many teeth Zhao'er has grown."
"ah."
Banban observed carefully, "One, two, three... Oh my, there are twelve now! The little white heads of the molars are also popping out," she praised with a smile, "That's great, Zhao'er is working hard, and Zhao'er's teeth are working hard too."
The little one in her arms was indeed happy, hugging her mother and kissing her cheek.
Ying Zheng's gaze shifted from his son's face to hers.
"Then let's go back to the room with the wet nurse. Mother has had some hot milk prepared. Drink it before you go to sleep."
Zhao'er nodded, and sensibly got down, taking the initiative to hold the wet nurse's hand.
The couple watched their son disappear. Banban turned around and slapped Ying Zheng's arm. "What are you doing!" she yelled at him in a low voice.
Ying Zheng clutched his arm: "It hurts."
You're in pain for no reason...
"Don't lie to your son!"
"I didn't lie to him."
"Even fraud is unacceptable!"
"What a great scam, what a clever word."
Deception and trickery sound more sophisticated than simply 'cheating'.
Was she there to help him expand his vocabulary?
"I'm letting him know first how treacherous people can be, so that he won't be fooled when he grows up." Ying Zheng put his arm around his wife's shoulder and urged her to return to the inner palace.
"You just want to trick him for fun, are you really that kind?" A person who wanted to stop using his brain and relax as soon as he returned to Zhaoyang Palace pinched his waist.
"I--"
"No excuses allowed."
"You keep saying 'no' and 'forbidden' all the time. You're so mean to me."
Before Banban could retort, she was suddenly lifted into the air. She shoved his chest in annoyance, but couldn't withstand his strong shoulders and neck pressing against her. "How long has it been since you praised me like that?"
"???"
Only the two of them remained in the inner room. Without any hesitation, he threw the person onto the bed and climbed on top of him.
"Cousin, Zhao'er is our child." She stammered, embarrassed and annoyed, and kicked him, but he grabbed her ankle and took off her shoes and socks.
"Hey! You kissed my feet but you can't kiss my mouth!" Banban bristled, struggling wildly. "I haven't even showered yet! I stink!"
“You never move around in the palace all day, and even your shoes and socks are spotless,” Ying Zheng sniffed her fair and rounded toes, “and they smell nice.”
"Don't move." He mimicked her tone and used his socks to tie her wrists behind her back.
Banban blushed with fright. "You...you...you mustn't do anything rash!"
He was incredibly strong; if he really wanted to bully her, she would have no chance of resisting. Not only did he tie her hands, but he also covered her eyes with a ribbon.
In this way, all her senses were focused on touch, hearing, and smell.
Even a gentle touch from him could send a shiver through her.
Looking back, isn't this just a cosplay of a tyrannical ruler in a chaotic world and a woman who was kidnapped?
As they reached their climax amidst their entanglement, he pressed his ear tightly against hers and asked, "If something had really happened to me back then, would you have remained a widow for me?"
This refers to the year Lao Ai rebelled.
Unable to break free of her bound wrists, she used her legs to forcefully restrain him, saying, "I won't, I won't marry someone else while pregnant with Zhao'er, and make him call someone else 'father'."
Even though he knew she was answering on purpose, he still laughed in anger.
"Ouch!" she cried out in pain, biting his shoulder and whimpering a few times, feigning weakness and pitifulness, "Cousin, don't bully me."
His breathing was uneven and intermittent.
He wrapped his arm around her back, untied her wrists, and gently massaged the delicate skin of her wrists with his fingertips.
“You bullied me too,” he replied.
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him haphazardly. "I love my cousin the most. He is the best husband in the world. It is my greatest fortune to marry him. If he dies, I will never live alone." She rambled on and on, picking out what he wanted to hear.
He was reluctant, "Then forget it."
After saying that, she slowly gave a warm smile, "Even if I die, I will stay by your side."
Banban: "Huh?"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, “I enter your dreams every night.”
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Author's Note: There will be an extra chapter today!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
