She teased her son, saying, "The Queen is mighty; even the King of Qin dares to bully her..."
That evening, the two had just finished washing up and were about to rest when they heard a loud 'bang,' and the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble as well.
Banban had just finished cuddling with her cousin and was being washed clean. She was feeling sleepy when the loud noise startled her awake.
She hurriedly tried to get down, but her legs were too weak, and she fell straight to her knees as soon as she touched the ground.
Ying Zheng hurriedly grabbed her waist and pulled her up, preventing her from falling awkwardly off the bed.
"What kind of behavior is this, rushing around like this?" He was also furious, checking her over to make sure she hadn't hit her head or anything else.
Banban was also terrified, her face pale as she wrapped her arms around his waist, constantly touching her face.
The bed is high; if someone falls face-first onto it, they might be disfigured.
Ying Zheng almost laughed in exasperation, slapping away her mischievous hand. "Is your only concern your face?" The head is the most important part of a person. If it's broken, how can you survive?
"I was terrified, and you still yelled at me." Banban pretended to cry, "It's all my cousin's fault. He made me kneel on the bed just now—" Her words stopped abruptly, her eyes red with resentment.
"...Alright, alright, alright." He dropped his act, feeling guilty, and gently massaged her head with his large hand. "I think that noise was probably from the alchemy furnace exploding."
She had been feeling resentful, but upon hearing this, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, I thought it was an earthquake."
An earthquake is a movement of the earth.
Banban was already very fair-skinned, and when she cried, her cheeks became even more rosy, with the redness spreading from the corners of her eyes to her cheeks. Her fair skin was tinged with this color, like a peeled lychee, making it difficult to apply any pressure, for fear of breaking her.
He cupped her small face in his hands, and their shadows on the ground merged once more.
Um?
Why did he kiss her again?
She shrank her slender neck to hide, tickling and squirming uncontrollably. "It tickles," she said, snuggling closer to him. "Shall we go and take a look?"
"Go." He kissed her eyelids and pulled on her clothes to put them on her himself.
"I didn't know an explosion in the oven was so loud, it was quite frightening," Banban said, raising her arm to let her cousin dress her.
She was used to it; her cousin had always liked to do everything himself. She still remembered that the day after their wedding, when he got up to pay his respects, he dressed her while she fell asleep in his arms.
After getting dressed, Qin Ju followed the sound and knocked on the door, confirming that the stove had indeed exploded.
The one who caused the explosion was a man named Mo Kun. When the two arrived, he was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, wishing he could die on the spot. Qin soldiers surrounded the house, making it impossible to pass through.
Ying Zheng paused briefly in front of Mo Kun, glanced at him briefly, and then turned his attention to the shattered alchemy furnace.
The fire has been extinguished. The eaves and beams are blackened with charcoal. Iron is hard, but even so, it is still in chunks, only slightly reddish.
Cold sweat trickled down Mo Kun's forehead and into his collar. He curled up in fear, not daring to raise his head. From this angle, he could just see the King of Qin standing in front of him, and his shoes were also different from those worn by ordinary people.
The silk shoes with gold tassels were made of the finest black brocade, which shone brightly under the dim candlelight. The silk threads on the shoes were embroidered with clouds, or were they dragon patterns?
Mo Kun examined it carefully and realized that the Qin state was famous for its black birds.
In the blink of an eye, he noticed that his shoes were slightly upturned, and that imposing and domineering aura emanated from him, making him dare not look at him more closely.
The King of Qin disappeared from Mo Kun's sight, and Mo Kun immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The next moment, a sharp halberd slammed into his vulnerable neck with a sharp clang. He screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground, trembling with fear. A warm stream then trickled down his thighs. "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This was an accident! It was an accident!!"
Banban, sleeves rolled up, half-squatted in front of the alchemy furnace, the pungent smell of gunpowder filling the air. He glanced at it, then immediately jumped back, "Why are you still—"
How disgusting!
The pale yellow liquid spilled on the ground, making her wish she had never seen it at all.
Ying Zheng casually stepped aside, his robes obscuring her view, and lowered his eyes, saying, "How did you refine it? You seem to know yourself what crime burning down houses is."
"This was an accident!" Mo Kun sobbed.
"This is exactly the unexpected event I desire." Ying Zheng lowered his head, leisurely examining him with a slight smile.
Mo Kun was stunned and couldn't react in time. He was then sent a chill down his spine by the cold glint in the King of Qin's eyes. He didn't dare to guess whether the King of Qin was being sarcastic or sincere. He just stammered, "This humble one, this humble one can write the prescription."
Ying Zheng straightened up with satisfaction and said loudly, "Write it. If you can write it, you will be spared. If you cannot, you will be dragged out of the city gate and beheaded as a warning to the public."
Upon hearing this, Mo Kun scrambled to his feet to grab a calligraphy brush, not caring about his soaked trousers and shoes.
"Get out and write it." Ying Zheng waved his hand impatiently and disgustedly.
"Yes, yes." Mo Kun nodded and bowed repeatedly as Chang Ge pushed him by the waist and led him outside.
As soon as he left, the palace servants immediately brought in wooden buckets and rags to clean the urinated area.
Banban picked up a pinch of grayish-black dust and gently fanned it into her nostrils. She carefully identified that it was indeed the smell of gunpowder, otherwise the house would not have been blown up and burned like this.
Her cousin squatted down beside her, stared at the mess on the ground, then looked up at the roof, his face also deep in thought.
A short while later, Qin Ju entered, carrying a yellowed piece of paper. "Your Majesty."
Mo Kun finished writing it.
Banban leaned closer to take a look and saw a simple line of words written on the paper: saltpeter, malachite, and charcoal. "It's exactly what Liu Shiqing said. How much of each should be added?"
“I’m afraid he himself doesn’t know either, otherwise he could have avoided the explosion.” With that, Ying Zheng folded up the note and handed it to Qin Ju. “Send it out of the palace to Meng Tian, explain the situation to him, and ask him to find an open space to experiment with it several times and choose the formula that can produce the greatest power.”
"I will assign him a few men to assist him."
Qin Ju immediately beamed with joy, nodded, and went out.
They then ordered someone to sweep up the black powder, but the two of them acted as if they had never seen it before. They found an open space and had someone stand guard with a basin of water beside them.
Ying Zheng took the torch and threw it in.
After throwing it, he felt a slight sense of dread, his eyes fixed on the other side.
The flaming stick landed on the black ash, paused for a moment, then burst into flames with a 'whoosh,' the fire instantly intensifying. A nearby palace servant nearly got burned in the face and fell to the ground in fright. "This isn't charcoal ash," someone said. Charcoal ash doesn't have such power.
Ying Zheng muttered to himself, having witnessed firsthand how the fire followed the black ash, burning wherever there was black ash, forming a line of fire.
“Witchcraft…is this witchcraft?” The eunuch knelt on the ground, his terrified pupils reflecting the fire and the King of Qin standing before it.
Some shallow-minded people cannot understand why the flames would follow the black powder; they have never seen such a magical scene before, as if the fire had come to life.
Humans have an instinctive fear of the unknown.
"May Heaven bless our Great Qin!"
"May Heaven bless our Great Qin!"
The palace servants around them shouted in gratitude. Banban looked around, then wrapped his arm around his cousin's arm and watched the circular, linear flames with him.
She directed the palace servants to scatter the gunpowder in the direction she indicated.
After returning home, Ying Zheng couldn't sleep all night, tossing and turning in bed. In the middle of the night, he simply got up and went to his study.
The last time he was like this, he was still very enthusiastic about drawing the blueprint of the dragon in one go. Now he was so sleepy, but he thought that his cousin was always very interested in weapons, so maybe he could really make something out of it. He rubbed his eyes and told Yun to send him some night snacks from the kitchen, and then he fell asleep peacefully.
The next day, someone heard that Mo Kun was not only not killed after the furnace explosion, but was also heavily rewarded. However, he was asked to stay in the palace to repair the buildings. The construction cost of the Qin Palace was enormous; it was feared that even if he used all his possessions, it wouldn't be enough to cover the repair costs.
Some people tried to imitate this, deliberately choosing areas with minimal damage to set off several furnaces. When Ying Zheng heard about it, he immediately ordered them to be taken away and dealt with.
He knew from the beginning that the people his cousin had chosen were all ignorant, cunning, and deceitful. They were not alchemists at all; they were all swindlers and villains. He killed them without hesitation.
"I heard that Huo Ziqian was still shouting that his brother was a doctor and couldn't be killed before he was dragged away," Cong Yun covered her mouth and chuckled. "But he was dragged away even faster as a result."
"..." What a hellish joke.
Killing the brother of a high-ranking official would bring even greater military merit. Huo Ziqian's words only made things worse, as they revealed how valuable his head was. The Qin soldiers were eager to chop him up quickly, fearing that someone else would get there first.
It is said that the earliest 'legal examination site' took place on the battlefield of the pre-Qin period, and Qin soldiers usually carried sacks on their left waist and Qin bamboo slips on their right waist.
The sack contained human heads, and the Qin bamboo slips contained the "Military Rank Law".
Those who could recite the Qin laws on the spot after killing someone, and who could recite them quickly and well, were the most swift killers and had the opportunity to gain military merit and a noble title.
You shouldn't laugh.
Banban silently tapped the small wooden bowl on the table with her gold hairpin.
Cong Yun didn't understand: "What is the Queen doing?"
Merit +1
Merit +1
Merit +1
...
He used a gold hairpin to knock over an overturned wooden bowl, offering a bribe to Buddha while praying to him.
That's quite devout.
After lunch, Zhao'er was brought over to play. Ying Zheng sat cross-legged on the carpet, his mountain-like body bent down to support his temples, his gaze following his son Wuxie's movements as he ate his toes.
Seeing her son happily munching on his food, his toes were covered in saliva and turned red.
He stared at him for a long time, then stretched out his foot to push aside his little feet and offered his own big foot.
The chubby baby was nearly knocked away by the bump, and used both hands to hug his father's feet, looking left and right in confusion, as if he didn't understand when his feet had become so big. He held on in bewilderment for a long time, blinked his big black eyes twice, and then really opened his mouth to take a bite.
At the critical moment, Ying Zheng immediately pulled his foot away and scolded him, "How could such a stupid and foolish person be my son?"
Zhao'er couldn't understand, and he sucked his hand in confusion.
"It will be too late if you don't work hard now." He pulled out a military book and helped his son sit up straight. "If you can't sit up, lying down without moving counts too."
"I will recite, and you will listen. Once you can speak, you must recite it for me." He leaned down and stared into his eyes, negotiating, "A year should be enough, right?" Even a stupid pig could memorize it by now.
"..." Banban, "Cousin, are you alright?"
Are you threatening a four-month-old baby??
She was so angry after saying that that she started to itch to grab something.
Seeing that his wife seemed to be looking for something to throw at him, Ying Zheng immediately put the military book behind him and explained, "I was just joking with him."
Explanation is obviously useless.
When Qin Ju came in, he saw that his king had two pinch marks on his face. He quickly lowered his head and pursed his lips tightly.
It's hard to say what sad things were on his mind at that moment.
Ying Zheng saw Qin Ju hunched over, his shoulders trembling, his face slightly dark. He asked for a bronze mirror to examine his own face, and after looking at it, he threw the mirror at Qin Ju.
The subtext is, what are you laughing at?
Qin Ju hurriedly knelt down to catch the bronze mirror, coughing silently, and didn't dare to look up at him.
Chief Secretary Li Si had important business to discuss with the King of Qin. Outside the council hall, he bumped into Grand Commandant Wei Liao. Both men had somewhat subtle expressions, exchanged greetings, and neither spoke.
Before long, the King of Qin arrived and walked past the two men, inviting them inside to speak.
The two tacitly put their hands together and went inside.
"I suppose you have come to see me for the same reason."
Wei Liao flattered, "Your Majesty is wise, we..." He then stopped abruptly.
Li Si glanced at him, then looked at the King of Qin, “…”
Did the Queen leave this?
So intense... No, the Queen doesn't seem like a fiery person.
Wait a minute, if we really have to talk about it, no one would dare leave a mark on the King of Qin's face.
It's still so obvious.
It's like a provocation.
Wei Liao recalled the last time he saw the Queen, he was almost glared at and had two holes punched in his body. Now even the King of Qin dared to bully her. The Queen was indeed mighty.
He silently bowed to the Queen in his heart.
The King of Qin restrained himself from touching his face, coughed twice to interrupt their expressions, and said awkwardly, "Speak."
Why are they all falling silent?
"Uh, Your Majesty, General Yang Duanhe has been swift and imposing lately, capturing nine cities of Zhao in succession. It is likely that Zhao is aware of Your Majesty's anger and has sent an envoy to Qin. The King of Zhao wishes to congratulate Your Majesty on your formal coming of age and assumption of power." Li Si paused awkwardly for two seconds before quickly getting into character.
Wei Liao said, "The King of Qi also wants to come to our Great Qin to congratulate Your Majesty on your coming of age and assuming personal rule." He stroked his beard. "Qi maintains neutrality and adopts a policy of being cautious in serving Qin, which can be considered as isolating the other states in order to protect itself. I think it is appropriate to welcome the envoy from Qi."
The phrase "serving Qin with utmost care" means to serve the Qin state with caution.
"The Queen of Qi is my aunt. Given Qi's attitude, it's no wonder she's involved. We must treat her with utmost respect."
Princess Yangman has been married into the State of Qi for many years.
"As for Zhao, it's fine if they come along too." Ying Zheng chuckled, his eyes full of contempt and mockery. "I haven't seen Zhao Yan for many years. Does he really have the audacity to enter Qin? Is he really not afraid of not being able to leave? Since he dares, how could I not welcome him?"
This was undoubtedly a test by the other states to see if they could stop their conquests. They were hoping that without Lü Buwei, King Qin would be a peace-loving and conservative.
Then they were wrong.
Upon hearing this news, Banban jumped up from the couch in surprise, "Will Princess Yangman be coming back too?"
"That's probably true," Ying Zheng coaxed with a smile. "Are you happy now?"
"Happy, happy!" Banban hurriedly got up and asked someone to pack things. "I wonder how Yangman is doing in Qi. We should prepare her favorite food and things she likes to use."
-----------------------
Author's Note: I've been adding extra chapters for seven or eight days in a row, but I only owe three chapters. How come I'm still owed? ??? You mean, I've only added one chapter in eight days, and I still owe two? What a standstill! [scratching head.jpg]
I'm done for. I've decided to take a week off. There will be no extra updates this week. I'll continue to owe you.
Currently: 2 chapters owed
Sending out red envelopes to everyone, muah! Also, I have a new cover, I don't know if you've all seen it. The old cover was a teenage version, this new one is an evolution! I had a graphic designer work on this cover for two weeks, and I chose my two favorite character illustrations, one of Qin Shi Huang [King of Qin] and one of Empress Banban [Queen of Qin]. I'll try to get the Emperor and Empress versions done after unification. I wonder if you can see the details on the cover clearly? If you're interested, you can see a larger version on my webpage!
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