The debate refuted the claim, stating, "This action was to protect the Queen."
Ying Zheng slightly curled his lips, appearing as a virtuous monarch: "The map of Dukang in Yan should be viewed by my ministers. Envoy, please turn the map over."
Jing Ke had never imagined this would happen. Which king wouldn't see it for himself first before showing it to his ministers? And some kings wouldn't even show it to their ministers.
Is the King of Qin really that generous?
He was momentarily dazed, but then insisted, "This important item is only to be shown to the King of Qin."
King Qin let out an "oh," as if suddenly realizing something, and then said to Queen Qin with displeasure, "In that case, Your Majesty, please step aside. Qin Ju, take Your Majesty to the side."
Banban froze, instinctively reaching out to grab Ying Zheng's sleeve, but he remained unmoved, merely glancing at her.
Qin Ju was strong, and under the pretext of helping Banban up, he forced her to get up, while desperately trying to wink at her.
Banban lost her balance and was forcibly taken away from the platform to protect her stomach; her heart was pounding wildly.
Before she could react, the map had already been unfolded, and Jing Ke suddenly lunged forward, dagger in hand, and charged at Ying Zheng.
He reacted extremely quickly, or rather, he had anticipated that Jing Ke would use this move, and kicked him in the stomach.
Jing Ke was too slow to strike, and only managed to cut off Ying Zheng's sleeve before he tumbled off the high platform, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He was horrified, "You—"
"You know martial arts?!" he exclaimed, his pupils trembling slightly.
The King of Qin, seated above him, glanced at his right hand. The light and shadow from outside the hall swept across his face, leaving a sharp and unsettling mark. "Indeed, a dagger was hidden in the picture. The dagger was revealed when the picture was unrolled?"
Jing Ke quickly glanced at the Queen of Qin beside him. She was stroking her swollen belly, looking visibly shaken. "You made me flip the map just now because you knew I would refuse, so you could use that as an excuse to get rid of the Queen!" He sneered, as if he had been insulted. "As expected, wicked people love to assume the worst of others. I'm not like you! I would never harm women, children, or the elderly!"
The entire room fell silent; the change was so swift that it left everyone speechless.
It's utterly absurd that an assassin could pass through Qin's strict checkpoints to enter Zhangtai Palace, even with the king's tacit approval. This is like luring someone into a trap.
The military officers immediately came to his aid, and the Qin soldiers outside the palace held long spears, ready to subdue Jing Ke.
Li Si was so shocked that he almost dropped his wine vessel. He stared in astonishment. Han Fei was already terrified and held his breath. He hurriedly looked towards the Crown Prince's seat, fearing that Ying Zhao might not understand and rush out.
Fortunately, the young prince was held down firmly by Meng Yi and Meng Huan. If his mouth hadn't been covered, he would have screamed out loud.
Turning his head, Li Si, as if his backside was nailed to the ground, tried to rush out with the general. His face immediately darkened, and he grabbed Li Si and pressed him firmly back into his seat, yelling at him with a headache, "Are you crazy!"
"Let go!" Li Si shouted, his face flushed and his neck thick.
"You, you, you're just a weak and feeble official. I can't even push you away. Are you going to go and die?" Han Fei stammered in frustration, determined to hold him down no matter what.
In the center of the hall, the King of Qin raised his hand to stop them and said calmly, "Step back."
In a moment of urgency, Meng Tian cried out, "Your Majesty—"
"Step back!"
Reluctantly, everyone stepped back, making room in the empty hall once again.
"Who gave you the confidence to think you could assassinate me today? Are all my military officers just for show?" The King of Qin's eyes were shrouded in shadow beneath his crown.
He descended the steps gracefully, looking down at Jing Ke who had rolled to the ground.
Jing Ke faced the sword at the King of Qin's waist. His face contorted for a moment, and the heat of the flames quickly ignited his entire body: "You know martial arts, yet you don't even draw the King of Qin's sword. Do you think I'm not worthy?!"
He stood up, gripping his weapon tightly. "To prevent others from entering the palace is arrogance!" he roared, then swung his sword at the King of Qin.
The King of Qin stood still, neither retreating nor fearing.
Upon seeing this, Jing Ke's resentment reached its peak, and he wished he could plunge the poisoned dagger into the King of Qin's neck.
Just as the dagger was about to touch the King of Qin, he finally moved.
Jing Ke was most skilled at swordsmanship, having mastered the use of both swords and daggers to the extreme. This was his proudest martial art. However, at this moment, he keenly sensed that the King of Qin was extremely fast. Despite his imposing and robust physique, he was strangely not clumsy at all.
Despite dozens of thrusts, he couldn't even touch the hem of the King of Qin's robe!
He couldn't touch him, yet he could swiftly and playfully elbow him.
Jing Ke staggered, barely regaining his balance, his side aching terribly. The suffering of the various states, the misery of their people, flashed before his eyes. He gasped for breath, his eyes hardening: "Ying Zheng! I spared your life to capture you alive and force you to sign a treaty returning the lands of the other states. Did you really think I couldn't defeat you!"
"Return the land?" The King of Qin raised an eyebrow. "Return it, and then what?"
"And then?!" Jing Ke sneered, deftly flicking his poisoned dagger. A mechanism, activated somewhere, caused it to extend to twice its original length, transforming it into a much more lethal long dagger.
"Tyrant! If you immediately issue an edict to return the territories of the other nations and cease your conquests, you may escape death!"
"The people of the world are suffering because of you, do you know your crime?!"
The tip of the dagger trembled with the emotion of its owner, gleaming with a cold, sharp light.
"The territories of the various states? That's utterly ridiculous." The King of Qin walked slowly. "Ha, the territories of the various states you speak of are the fiefdoms of the Zhou royal family. The Zhou royal family was annihilated by my Great Qin long ago, and their fiefdoms are now my own. What's wrong with me taking back my lost fiefdoms one by one?"
"You—" Jing Ke insulted him, "Shameless scoundrel!!"
When the King of Qin saw him in a fit of rage, he suddenly smiled and said, "A sparrow flaps its wings to try and stop the thunder."
"If you want to talk about the suffering of the common people, I have a lot to say."
"The states of Qi and Lu fought each other for a century; what became of the people of both states?"
"this…"
"The three-year war between Zhao and Wei resulted in the mutual slaughter of many cities. What did it matter to the common people of both countries?"
"Those ones--"
"Is it my doing that the people of Chu burned their fields and forced them to relocate their capital? The suffering of the people in other countries is all my doing! There are many other massacres of the common people, but I don't need to personally read them to you!"
Jing Ke was speechless, his mind blank. "You...you're just making excuses!" He snapped back to reality, his face darkening. "The world has suffered under Qin for too long. If it weren't for Qin's tyranny, how could there have been so many chaotic times?"
"The suffering today will bring benefits for generations to come!" The King of Qin interrupted him loudly, unable to believe that such a swordsman, who was clueless about state affairs, would want to kill him for such a short-sighted reason.
His roar was like thunder, so powerful that Jing Ke's legs went weak. "Can your sword sever the flames of war that have raged for three hundred years, or can it fill the abyss of desire that has plagued the land?"
"Without my Qin state, who will be the next powerful nation in the world? As long as the map of the world is shattered, war will never stop! If you really care about the people of the world, why don't you go and persuade the kings of the other states to submit to me? If we can achieve victory without losing a single soldier, why use human lives to fill the gaps in our victory!"
“You—fallacy, fallacy!” Jing Ke’s fingertips trembled violently as he tried to argue, “At least when the states were self-governing, the people still had a peaceful life.”
"In a life of comfort, is your vision limited to the powerful and wealthy families?"
"There have been 312 major battles in Guandong, and there are 67 instances of records of 'exchanging children to eat'," the King of Qin pressed closer to Jing Ke, "Tell me, how long will this kind of autonomy continue?"
"I have enslaved the people for the sake of building water conservancy projects. Other countries are suffering from drought, and the powerful and wealthy are driving up grain prices. There are many bones of people starving to death on the streets. Meanwhile, my Great Qin has abundant grain, and the Queen regularly distributes grain and provides relief. Where is my mistake?!"
He was completely speechless in rebuttal. Jing Ke was never good at debate or argumentation, let alone the fact that the person opposite him was a high and mighty tyrant. How could he possibly win an argument with him?
What's most infuriating is that these words touched his heart... he actually thought the King of Qin was right.
But if the King of Qin is in the right, is he the one who is wrong? Is it the Crown Prince? Or Tian Guang?
He went to Qin to repay the Crown Prince's kindness and Tian Guang's entrustment of his life. A scholar will die for one who understands him. He had no regrets and was not afraid of the arrogance of the powerful Qin. Even if he was alone, he was not afraid.
Jing Ke didn't understand much; he only knew that if the King of Qin stopped his conquests, the other states wouldn't need to frequently conscript soldiers to resist Qin, families wouldn't lose people every now and then, and the streets and houses at night wouldn't be filled with the sounds of mourning.
He looked up at the sky and sighed, his eyes red-rimmed, then suddenly stood up and shouted, "Stop talking!"
Before the King of Qin could retaliate, a black medicine pouch swiftly hurled itself at him, striking Jing Ke squarely on the back of the head. The heavy impact nearly caused him to fall again.
Jing Ke angrily kicked the medicine bag away.
The King of Qin was slightly surprised and looked at the person holding the medicine bag, which was none other than Xia Wuqie.
No one in the hall was carrying a weapon. Xia Wuqie's medicine pouch was probably the heaviest thing. He clenched his fist and shouted. Although he didn't dare to step forward, he was still good at cheering people on: "Your Majesty is mighty!"
"..." The King of Qin was quite moved and exclaimed, "He loves me so much."
The military officers standing by: ? ? ?
They refused to admit defeat, and one by one they took off their hats and shoes, and they all tried to smash Jing Ke with all their might.
Li Si buried his head in searching for plates, smashing them one by one with a "whoosh whoosh whoosh."
Jing Ke's emotions were interrupted: "?!" He went berserk.
"Ahhhhh, King Qin, prepare to die!!" He rushed towards Ying Zheng with red eyes.
"What's so scary about swordsmanship?" The King of Qin shook his head, having already seen through him, and said contemptuously, "An incompetent fool."
Jing Ke didn't even see the King of Qin's movements clearly. He only heard a sharp "clang," as if the King of Qin's sword had finally been pulled out. Suddenly, the smashing of things around him stopped, and there were no more shouts. A chill ran down his spine.
He touched his neck and found his hand covered in blood, which was flowing down his clothes.
Jing Ke turned around in a daze, and Qin Wuyang, kneeling on the ground, came into view. His expression was full of terror, and he was trembling like a leaf.
The world slowly darkened.
He failed to complete the task assigned to him by the Crown Prince... Originally, he was supposed to wait for an excellent deputy, which required an opportune moment, but the Crown Prince was worried that he would change his mind, so he hastily gave Qin Wuyang to him.
The Crown Prince is far too impatient...
It's such a pity about this child.
In the last second of his vision, Qin Wuyang's eyes were bloodshot, as if he had been stimulated by the sword that had sealed his throat, and had been given unprecedented courage.
He scrambled over quickly, picked up the long dagger that Jing Ke had dropped, and cried out, "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!"
Meng Tian moved with lightning speed and kicked him away.
The turn of events was so sudden that both Meng Yi and Meng Huan were shocked and unable to restrain the Crown Prince. Overwhelmed with resentment, the Crown Prince vanished in a flash. When Meng Yi hurriedly reached out to grab him, he saw him pick up the long dagger that had rolled down and suddenly plunge it into Qin Wuyang's chest.
Qin Wuyang's pupils widened in terror, and before she could resist, she stopped breathing.
"You dare to harm my father? I will kill you first!"
As the childish yet vicious insult subsided, the hall fell silent. No one could have imagined that the four-year-old crown prince would behave in such a way.
"Zhao'er!!" Banban rushed over in a hurry, her head spinning with fright.
Ying Zhao turned around, his wide eyes brimming with tears, and burst into a loud sob, throwing himself into Banban's arms, throwing away the long dagger.
Banban was even more afraid that something would happen to him. His pitiful cries stirred her emotions, and she cried along with him.
Ying Zheng was also taken aback by his son's actions. He immediately knelt down on one knee, patted the back of Ying Zhao's head, and embraced the mother and son in his arms, his expression gradually softening.
"Your Highness is so brave, we are in awe."
It was Li Si's voice. These words awakened all the officials, and in an instant, everyone in the hall knelt down, shouting, "Your Highness is brave! We are in awe!"
Banban cried miserably and shoved Ying Zheng hard, "What are you laughing at? You're still laughing!"
Amid cheers, Ying Zheng shook his head seriously, "You're not allowed to laugh even if you want to. Your Majesty is quite imposing."
His son's eyes were blurry with tears, just like his wife's when she was young. Ying Zheng pressed his head into his arms and praised, "Good son."
The family of three embraced each other. Ying Zheng glanced at Jing Ke's corpse and said, "Though foolish, his courage is commendable. Let him have a whole body."
Qin Ju bowed deeply, then raised his voice and said, "Jing Ke's courage is commendable; grant him a complete corpse—"
Ying Zheng acted as if he hadn't heard him, "Bury his body on the highest hill in Xianyang. I want him to witness with his own eyes how my Great Qin conquered the other states, extinguished the flames of war that had raged for centuries, and brought peace to the people of the world."
Qin Ju smiled and said, "I am Wang Renshan."
The following month, Ying Zheng used this assassination attempt as a pretext to officially launch an attack on Yan.
When the matter was exposed, King Xiyuan of Yan heard about it while he was in Yan. In his fear, he slapped Ji Dan and cursed him, wishing he had no son at all.
"Heaven is going to destroy my Great Yan!!"
"You fool!" The King of Yan's face flushed with joy and anger, veins bulging on his forehead. He grabbed Ji Dan by the collar and roared, "How could you be so naive! What use is the death of the King of Qin! Qin's 600,000-strong army can wipe out the entire Great Yan in an instant. This will only bring Qin's hatred towards us!"
Ji Dan was filled with fear and said, "Father, Father, this was just a poorly planned situation. If Jing Ke had succeeded, Qin would have been thrown into internal strife and would have been unable to focus on attacking the other states."
"You know your plan was flawed!" King Xi of Yan raised his voice. "What are you going to do?! When the Qin army's iron hooves break down the gates of Yan, are you going to be the first to stop them?!"
"Father, I was wrong, Father." Ji Dan shed two streams of tears, filled with remorse.
The Prince of Yan shoved Ji Dan's collar away forcefully, trying to calm his breathing. After a few moments, he calmed down.
Ji Dan felt a bad premonition as she looked at the King of Yan.
"Guards, cut off the crown prince's head and send it to Qin to appease the King of Qin's anger."
"Father!!!"
"Dan'er, don't blame your father. You did something wrong. Millions of people in Yan still have to live. They are all innocent. Zhao Jia suggested cutting off your head to please the King of Qin. Your father was forced by the situation." After the King of Yan finished speaking, a group of armored Yan soldiers took Ji Dan away.
On the day Jing Ke's body was buried, Banban stood on the city tower and glanced at it from afar.
From her perspective, she was furious that this person wanted to kill her husband.
However, perhaps because she was a later arrival, her anger was more complex.
In the Qin state, where laws were strictly enforced, Qin soldiers dared not enter the palace unless there was an assassination attempt, otherwise it would be a capital offense. Jing Ke, an ordinary swordsman, had such courage out of his compassion for the people of the world.
However, the march of history will not stop for anyone.
A few days later, the Yan envoy delivered Ji Dan's head.
Ying Zheng was afraid of frightening Banban, so he didn't let her see it. He himself stayed with Ji Dan's head for a long time, no one knew what he was thinking inside.
After coming out, he inexplicably said, "I killed someone for the first time when I was four years old. Zhao'er has my style. From this day forward, you shall attend court every day to listen to the government's affairs."
Banban was quite frightened. "Cousin, won't this exhaust Zhao'er? He has to attend classes during the day, and besides, whether he can understand them or not is another matter."
Ying Zheng: "Anyway, even if he doesn't understand, he'll raise his hand and ask."
Banban: "..." You really know your son.
-----------------------
Author's note: Here I am, it's late today, so here's a red envelope for everyone!
The number of wars mentioned in the example of exchanging children to eat was made up by me, and I don't know the exact number, so please don't take it seriously.
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