The coup ended and "Banban gave birth".
As the royal carriage walked through the streets of Xianyang, the people lined both sides and cheered. Nothing was more exhilarating than their king assuming personal rule, which also symbolized the impending end of the reign of the powerful minister Lü Buwei and the passing of his era.
The King of Qin's accession to the throne marked his first step in consolidating his royal power.
He used Lao Ai to force him to rebel, and then captured Lü Buwei and the Empress Dowager, thus gathering all the scattered royal power.
The former Marquis of Changxin, now a prisoner, Lao Ai, used the seals of the Empress Dowager and the King of Qin to forge an imperial edict and mobilize tens of thousands of troops from all over Qin. These included local armed forces from various counties in the capital Xianyang, the imperial guards of the Qin palace, the cavalry of the Qin palace, and even some nomadic tribes and their retainers who belonged to Qin.
Those who were unaware that Lao Ai was plotting treason were not guilty of any crime, and were not convicted.
Lao Ai's tens of thousands of retainers, servants, confidants, and cronies were all dealt with; the leaders were beheaded, and the rest were exiled.
Lao Ai was defeated and captured. Empress Dowager Wang, filled with rage, had him killed, his body torn apart by chariots, and his entire clan exterminated.
The following month, the King of Qin, citing Lao Ai's recommendation of Lü Buwei as a pretext, punished Lü Buwei.
The consequences of Lao Ai's coup had far exceeded the limits of what the civil and military officials could do to exonerate Lü Buwei. Even so, all the officials in the court knelt down and begged the King of Qin to be lenient with him.
Ying Zheng considered these actions to be incredibly audacious.
He stood coldly on the high platform, “Do you all think you can still restrain me now? Wishful thinking! Do you think I have no one to rely on? Is this court my domain or Prime Minister Lü’s domain?!” At the end of his words, he slammed his fist on the table and roared, his voice echoing throughout the hall.
The ministers' faces changed, and they trembled as they shouted, "Your Majesty, we dare not," not daring to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Lü Buwei knelt down, slowly removed his court hat and placed it on the floor, saying, "I have abused my power, allowed treacherous officials and traitors to enter my court, and caused chaos in the Qin Dynasty. My crimes are too numerous to recount."
“Please,” he slowly bowed his head, “the king will punish me.”
The King of Qin's cold and stern aura vanished abruptly, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, raising their heads to look at him on the high platform.
“Lord Wenxin, Lü Buwei, you are indeed guilty, guilty of disloyalty and disobedience.”
Lü Buwei lowered his head even further, listening attentively to what he had to say.
"You are a former minister of the late king, and have served me since the time of his death. You have made great contributions to the state. However, as the prime minister, you have indulged your retainers and colluded with palace women, which led to the chaos caused by Lao Ai, which brought turmoil to the Qin state, nearly endangered the ancestral temples, and shook the world. This is disloyalty!"
"You presented me with the 'Lüshi Chunqiu' and addressed me as 'Uncle,' yet you formed cliques and pursued personal gain, causing the court to know only the Prime Minister and not the King of Qin! You have overstepped the bounds of propriety and shaken the foundation of the state; this is disloyalty!"
"Besides, you instigated Cheng Jiao's rebellion, undermined the morale of the army, and caused him to flee into the Zhao army camp. Lü Buwei, what are you trying to achieve?!"
Lü Buwei suddenly raised his head, his expression changing drastically.
"Do you think I am unaware?" The King of Qin looked down at him, his brows and eyes revealing barely suppressed sarcasm. "Is it something you wanted to see the prince of Qin betray his country and defect to Zhao?"
"I have tolerated you for far too long!"
Lü Buwei closed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, please punish me."
The King of Qin naturally wanted to punish him. His gaze was sharp as a knife, and his decision left no room for doubt: "Your virtue is not worthy of your position, and your merits and demerits cannot be offset. However, I will not spare you any punishment because of our past relationship."
"Effective immediately, you are hereby dismissed from your position as prime minister, your seal of office as Marquis Wenxin and your fiefdom in Luoyang are revoked, and you are to be immediately relocated from Xianyang to Shu. You are forbidden from returning to the capital for eternity without an imperial edict!"
The King of Qin completely ended Lü Buwei's political career, leaving him no room for maneuver.
Lu Buwei gave a wry smile, took a deep breath, and respectfully said, "This humble subject obeys."
The entire court was silent as everyone watched Lü Buwei's departure. They felt sorry for him but had nothing to say.
"Fan Yuqi, under the instigation of Lü Buwei, has instigated Cheng Jiao to rebel. He has now fled to the State of Yan. The order has been given to exterminate his three clans. Whoever can bring back his head will be rewarded with a thousand catties of gold and a fief of ten thousand households!"
The officials prostrated themselves, saying, "Our king is wise and brilliant."
When this news reached the ears of Crown Prince Dan of Yan at the hostage residence, he felt a deep sense of crisis. "He has finally seized power... We can no longer hesitate."
However, "Fan Yuqi... he's in the Yan state." He pondered this, realizing that this was an opportunity for him.
Fan Yuqi was originally a general of the Qin state, and on the surface he was deeply trusted by the King of Qin, but in reality he followed Lü Buwei.
If Fan Yuqi can be persuaded to defect, this would be a great help in assassinating the King of Qin.
He could wait no longer; he had to leave Qin!
With her wedding date fast approaching, Ying Yue swept everything off the table in a fit of rage, shouting, "Now that things have come to this, why doesn't my brother kill Lü Buwei?!"
Li Youze stood by the window, glanced outside to make sure no one was there, closed the doors and windows, and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
“He killed my brother, it was him!” Ying Yue’s eyes were red, filled with bitterness and resentment. “My mother wanted me to watch him die before she died, so that I could avenge my brother.”
"He's being relocated to Shu, and we'll never see him again. How can we talk about revenge then?"
"He made so many mistakes, why not kill him? Why not kill him?" Ying Yue was completely baffled.
Li You sighed, sat down beside Ying Yue, hesitated for a moment, and then gently took her hand. "Your Highness, my father has already explained to me in detail why the King did not execute Lü Buwei."
"Firstly, it was Lü Buwei who brought King Zhuangxiang back to Qin and worked tirelessly and strategically for him, which led to his ascension to the throne. Without him, King Zhuangxiang would probably still be a hostage in Handan today, and there would be no King of Qin today."
"He may hate Lü Buwei, but he cannot change King Zhuangxiang's will. This is a great favor."
“Secondly,” Li You said, lowering his voice, “Lü Buwei has a large following in Xianyang. Killing him would be too costly. Dismissal or exile would be the best that can be done. Killing him in Xianyang would only cause political turmoil. Your Majesty cannot and should not kill him. This is the scope and limitation that you, as the King of Qin, must have.”
Ying Yue remained silent for a moment, trying to process what she had to say, then looked up at him and asked, "Since Li Si has said so, what is his insightful opinion?"
She could tell that Li Si was a smart man, and that his ambition was no less than Lü Buwei's; he also wanted to become prime minister.
"Use constancy to govern all changes," Li You said. "Think about it, Lü Buwei served two generations of Qin kings. He was exceptionally talented and even assisted King Zhuangxiang in destroying the Zhou dynasty. Now that he has been dismissed, he is the fattest piece of meat in the eyes of the other states. Who wouldn't want to win him over and have him become their prime minister?"
How will His Majesty view this situation?
"Do you know how Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi, died back then? He refused to listen to King Zhaoxiang, stubbornly refused to fight, and repeatedly offended King Zhaoxiang. King Zhaoxiang exiled him and moved him to another place, hoping to force Lord Wu'an to submit. But Lord Wu'an was a tough guy. As a subject, he dared to argue with the king and never bowed his head."
"As soon as he left King Zhaoxiang, he was like a piece of meat thrown into a pack of wolves. Everyone swarmed around him. Even many military generals in the Zhaoxiang Dynasty still regarded Lord Wu'an as their leader."
"If Lord Wu'an cannot be used by us, and if he is brought under the command of others, then Qin will face a passive situation or even besieged. Therefore, for the safety of Qin, King Zhaoxiang had no choice but to painfully give him a sword to commit suicide."
"The current Lü Buwei is just like the Lord Wu'an of yesteryear."
"So, according to you, we'll just wait?"
"Just wait."
Ying Yue remained silent for a few moments, then said awkwardly, "Thank you for coming to comfort me at this time."
"What does it matter? We are about to get married, and the princess will be my wife." Li You scratched the back of his head, his gaze wandering.
Yingyue fell silent, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Both of them were embarrassed, but their hands remained clasped together on the table.
The two talked for a while longer, then Ying Yue put on her veil, boarded the carriage, and left. Outside the Ji residence, Yang Jiang was waiting anxiously. Finally, she waited until Ying Yue was gone, then angrily berated her, "What took so long to talk? Curfew is coming soon, are you trying to kill me?"
"Just saying. You don't have a husband yet, so naturally you wouldn't understand me," Ying Yue retorted.
"?" Yang Jiang slapped her buttocks with his palm. "I want to see just how thick your skin is."
Ying Yue blushed at her sudden action, "You, you, you! How vulgar! What kind of behavior is this!"
"Hehe." Yang Jiang chuckled triumphantly, then ran off without looking back.
After returning to the palace, Banban spent a long time tidying up. While massaging her legs, Qianyin recounted the events of that day, "Nearly half of the palace servants in Qin Palace were slaughtered. Those people either couldn't hide in time or were found and killed. Lao Ai had never suffered in the deep palace and didn't know there were many places where people could hide."
"Our people are all alive, just a little frightened."
Banban sighed, "After listing them all, submit the death certificates to me. At the very least, you should provide compensation to their families. This is truly an undeserved tragedy."
Qian Yin covered her mouth and laughed, quite moved, "The Queen has grown up, and her actions are more considerate and kind."
“Back then, Empress Dowager Huayang’s younger brother, Mi Chen, launched the Huayang Palace Coup. At that time, the king had just ascended the throne and was almost overthrown. If the king hadn’t won over Meng Ao and General Wang Jian when he was the crown prince… they would probably be dead by now. I really don’t know what the situation is now.”
"I was too young to understand back then. The Empress Dowager comforted all the palace servants who died at that time." At that time, all Banban knew was that when she opened the door the next morning, the strong smell of blood made her unable to speak. She did not yet have a real understanding of blood and human life.
“I’m going to be a mother, of course I’m all grown up.” Banban urged her to hurry up and get things done. “How much longer can I keep you around? I should squeeze you out of you a little more.”
Upon hearing this, Qian Yin blushed deeply, muttered "This servant will ignore the Queen," and ran out in a flash.
As night fell, when Ying Zheng returned to Chaoyang Palace, Banban was looking at the list, calculating how much money would be spent.
He looked tired, but his spirits were high, and a faint smile remained on his face. "You're feeling heavy, so leave all of this to the palace servants."
“This is all money, where don’t we need money? But we still have to spend what we need to spend.” Banban rambled on, “They can’t calculate as fast as I can, and they have other jobs too.”
Ying Zheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, slowly squatted down, and pressed his face against her belly.
Banban was startled by his sudden action and couldn't help but put down his brush.
"Is my cousin unhappy?" She unconsciously softened her voice and gently touched the back of his neck and shoulders in a comforting manner.
"This kind of thing will never happen again." He knew his wife was heartbroken over those lives; she was always kind and forgiving, and never harsh on others.
Then you'd better make sure you sit firmly on the throne.
Banban thought to herself, "That's what I'm complaining about."
In history, the Qin Dynasty collapsed, Xiang Yu led his army to massacre the city of Xianyang, burned the Qin palace, the fire burned for three months without going out, and killed the surrendered Qin prince Ziying. What does this mean...?
She bent down and hugged him.
The shadows of the two were cast on the ground, stretched infinitely long.
The next morning, after the morning court session, Banban was sunbathing when he heard that someone from the previous court had proposed holding the Empress Dowager accountable, but Ying Zheng rejected the proposal.
Meanwhile, Zheng Guo, who was still building canals, was exposed as a spy for Han. The royal family was thrown into turmoil and rose up in resistance, using this as a pretext to oppose foreign officials entering the court and to expel them all.
Banban already knew the details of this matter; her cousin had told her beforehand.
As expected, he would feign resistance against the imperial court officials for a period of time before agreeing to the decision to expel the foreign guests. His purpose in doing so was to expel Lü Buwei's remaining supporters from the court, not to actually expel the foreign guests.
However, this is likely also a test for Li Si, a test of how Li Si will save himself.
Banban sat in the courtyard, hesitating. In an instant, many thoughts rushed into his mind. Could the prime minister who followed Zhao Gao in forging the imperial edict be Li Si?
My cousin likes Li Si and will definitely make him prime minister, even if not in the next few years, then in the future.
...It doesn't look like it, does it?
Li Si was a rather funny and lovable minister.
Sometimes she felt that the way Li Si looked at Ying Zheng was like a fanatical idol looking at their idol.
Thinking of this, she was quite curious about how Zhao Gao was doing lately. Around noon, she summoned Qin Ju. As soon as Qin Ju heard the Queen mention Zhao Gao, he immediately became very attentive.
He smiled apologetically, "It was my fault. I was sent to take care of Zhao Gao that day..." He paused for a moment, then gave the Queen a knowing look, "Unfortunately, Lao Ai, who was bloodthirsty, killed him."
Banban gave a soft "oh".
Qin Ju's heart tightened. "Does the Queen intend to use him? I was completely unaware. It is my fault."
"No, not really." Banban waved his hand. "Just asking casually."
It wasn't just a coincidence; anyone with a brain would know it was Qin Ju's way of eliminating dissidents. Zhao Gao was kept by Ying Zheng but not put to use for a long time. Qin Ju didn't know what he meant, but he must have felt that keeping Zhao Gao was a hidden danger. This was a golden opportunity to kill him once and for all.
Everyone in this palace has their own ideas.
Banban had no objection, because she had wanted to kill Zhao Gao back then.
Yingyue's wedding date was set for May 13th. Before the wedding, Banban set up a feast and invited everyone to dine together.
In public, Yingyue referred to Banban as Sister-in-law Wang, "I thought Sister-in-law Wang was going to invite everyone to have antique soup."
“It’s hot now, so it’s not very appetizing. His Majesty also forbids me from using ice too early.” As she spoke, Banban pouted unhappily. “I will invite you to the palace for antique soup in winter.”
Yang Jiang said, "This is for your own good." She thought to herself that Banban's belly was really scary. She had also become quite plump, but her face still had the innocence of a young girl, looking like a blooming pink peony.
"I was just saying that offhand." Banban raised her chin; she wouldn't blame her cousin.
Yang Jiang: Okay, okay, my tooth really hurts, it hurts for no reason.
After all that commotion, Banban is now having some trouble sleeping. She's usually very active, even when she's sleeping, but now that she's pregnant, she can't easily turn to her side, and she occasionally gets leg cramps at night.
She never knew that leg cramps could be so painful.
One time, she was half asleep when she opened her eyes and saw her cousin leaning against the bed, half asleep, his hands mechanically massaging her legs.
Her feet were swollen and she couldn't wear her old shoes anymore, so he had a batch of larger ones made. He had the physician examine her carefully every day. She was in pain, unable to eat or sleep well, and he was so anxious that his mouth was covered in blisters.
She even found the way he sometimes stared at her belly in the middle of the night rather frightening. It seemed like the fatherly love she had finally developed was almost completely gone. It was a bit funny, but it was true.
On May 13th, Yingyue officially got married amidst the deafening sound of gongs and drums, with red decorations lining the ten miles of streets.
Banban attended for a brief half-hour. Feeling heavy-hearted, she couldn't stand for long and soon returned to the palace to rest.
The next day, after she woke up, Cong Yun massaged her legs and feet, and "Young Master Geng'er poured Li You a good drink."
"Truly childlike, mischievous and playful." Just as Banban finished speaking, he suddenly felt a heaviness in his stomach, and a strange pain emerged.
She gasped and quickly grabbed Cong Yun's shoulder.
When Yun noticed the amniotic fluid flowing between the Queen's legs, she exclaimed, "Oh dear!" Her legs immediately went weak, and she quickly stood up, supporting herself on the round table. "I'll go and call the physician!"
With the due date approaching, several female physicians were waiting in the side hall of Chaoyang Palace.
The King of Qin was debating with members of the royal family and court officials in the court when Qin Ju suddenly trotted in, said something hurriedly, and before the officials could respond, the King of Qin left them behind.
This time, even the dim-witted Changwenjun guessed what had happened and exclaimed, "Has the Queen given birth?"
"If you calculate the date, it is indeed true."
"This is a good thing."
"Our Great Qin has finally had an heir born."
All the civil and military officials were overjoyed, discussing what the Queen and the King's child would look like.
"Then shall we all..." disperse?
"It's over?" You're crazy.
"Of course we'll wait!"
"The Queen gave birth to the Crown Prince of Qin. Where do you think you're going?" I think you're getting too cocky.
Lady Zhu and Lady Pang entered the palace early in the morning, their hearts breaking with anticipation. As a mother herself, Lady Zhu understood the hardship of childbirth best, and she shed tears, leaning against a palace servant, saying, "My son has suffered so much, suffered so much."
Ying Zheng was right by the bedside, but the physicians wouldn't let him in. He gave them a stern scolding, his face grim, as if he wanted to kill them.
He never knew that blood was filthy. Even a king could not bear to see it. If he could be bothered by the blood from a woman's delivery room, he might as well quit being the King of Qin and just die. Was his life so fragile?
A buzzing sound filled Banban's ears, and she couldn't hear what they were saying. It sounded like they were arguing. Her cousin had gotten angry again, and he was very scary when he got angry.
She gripped his hand tightly, and he immediately quieted down, leaning over the bed and looking at her anxiously. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but from his lip movements, she could tell he was calling her name, "Banban."
The sound came from afar, then receded again.
With one last effort, the baby cried loudly. She was too tired, and her eyelids, unable to withstand the fatigue, slowly closed.
The imperial physician brought the baby over to show him, saying, "Your Majesty, look, it's a boy."
"What are you looking at! Get out of my way!"
"The Queen isn't moving! Go check on her! What use are you all to me!"
The King of Qin's voice trembled, as if he wanted to shake her, but dared not touch her.
The imperial physician, holding the young prince, was embarrassed. "...Your Majesty, the Queen is just exhausted and has fallen asleep."
The King of Qin was still not in a hurry to react, and the genuine fear on his face was almost comical: "Ah?"
The physician should have been surprised, because she had never seen the King of Qin with such an expression on his face before; it was very incongruous and unreal... but she couldn't help but laugh.
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Author's Note: My period started, so there really won't be any extra chapters today. A painful mask...
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