The fool "spends all day insulting Ying Zheng."
Banban pinched her son's chubby cheek, leaned down to look him over, and said, "You don't learn the good things, you only learn the bad ones. You're deliberately trying to scare Congyun. Your mother doesn't like you anymore."
Zhao'er immediately changed her expression, her eyes filled with tears as she reached out to her for a hug.
Yun couldn't help but chuckle, and carefully handed the crown prince to the queen to hold.
Holding her son close, Banban ignored her cousin's speechless gaze, sat down next to him, and kissed him on the cheek when he wasn't looking.
Zhao'er immediately waved his arms, wanting to kiss his father as well.
Ying Zheng politely declined, pushing his small face away: "You'd better not."
Banban didn't understand why her cousin was so disgusted by her son's saliva, so she changed the subject and said, "Qianyin's wedding is approaching, you should give Xu Jinghe a few more days of wedding leave."
“Three days is enough.” Ying Zheng said without changing his expression. “When we got married, we only had three days off.” In fact, he had already resumed his busy work on the second day.
As he spoke, he lay down on the small couch and teased his son with the tassel on his wife's sleeve. "You shouldn't overly flatter Qian Yin, lest Xu Jinghe use you as an excuse to do whatever he wants."
Banban thought for a moment, then moved closer to him. "But didn't you say he was a good person?"
“People are most vulnerable to the test of power, and judging from his appearance, his character is indeed quite good.” Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, “Finding a good husband for her has already fulfilled my duty as a master. If I give her too much more, what will Cong Yun think?”
His wife always thinks the best of everyone around her, which is good, but it also means he has to pay more attention to her.
Banban glanced at those beautiful eyes and said unhappily, "Am I that stupid? If Cong Yun wants to stay by my side for the rest of her life, I will definitely treat her even better."
Zhao'er raised her little hand and occasionally grabbed at the tassels of her mother's hair.
Ying Zheng, deeply understanding his nature, always raised the bar just when he was about to seize the opportunity and lowered it when he was about to give up, always keeping his competitive spirit at its highest point.
This cycle repeated itself, and he pouted, widened his eyes, puffed out his soft cheeks, clenched his fists tightly, and then threw a soft punch.
Banban laughed so hard he almost fell over.
After laughing, he symbolically slapped Ying Zheng and coaxed, "My poor darling, your father is so mean."
"Where is it broken?"
"You used to tease me like this when you were little. It seems that my cousin only has one trick for coaxing children. He's still using the same trick after all these years."
I still remember him lifting up the object she wanted, and just as she was standing on tiptoe to grab it, he would suddenly pull her up, and she would fall into his arms due to the inertia.
He even pretended to ask her why she was hugging him.
"..." Ying Zheng tugged at her sleeve again, this time no longer teasing the child, and placed the tassel in his little hand.
While the child was playing with the tassels, he suddenly squeezed over and grabbed Banban's chin, covering it with his face.
After pushing and shoving twice without success, his palm gradually changed from pushing to stroking.
Zhao'er lowered his head and studied the tassels on his mother's sleeve intently. After studying them for a while, he simply put them in his mouth and rubbed them with his bare gums.
Feeling his small shoulder being squeezed, he suddenly looked up, only to see nothing as a large hand covered his face completely.
Zhao'er: ...Is it getting dark?
In the middle of the night, Banban once again experienced the feeling of being bullied by her cousin.
He teased her until tears streamed down her cheeks, which finally made her feel better.
Perhaps because he was too eager, she felt a secret pain and asked him to step back a little.
“I told you not to rush, but you wouldn’t listen.”
"Isn't it all your fault?"
Banban pinched his arm, her eyes welling up with tears of grievance.
"Does it really hurt?"
"real!"
He immediately got up and asked someone to summon the physician.
"No." She clung to him, pressing his head against her chest. "Just a little rub and a kiss will do the trick."
He did as instructed, and asked with concern what kind of pain it was.
She stammered for a while, "I was too hasty just now."
After much back and forth, they finally understood what had happened. She only said that she would never dare to sit on his lap again, without any restraint.
He kissed her earlobe and said meaningfully, "You've always been like this since you were little, always rushing to eat all the delicious food in one bite."
Upon hearing these suggestive words, her fair neck turned completely red, and she angrily left a series of teeth marks on his neck.
After biting for a while, I heard him chuckle softly in my ear.
She deliberately tightened her grip, wrapping her arms around his neck and trapping him against her.
Sure enough, the hand on her waist suddenly tightened its grip, "Hiss..."
The next moment, he rammed back even more fiercely.
This posture is like a general arriving at his most familiar battlefield, where he can roam freely across rivers and seas, invincible, and whether to attack or retreat is entirely up to him.
Even if she closed a few inches of the city gate, it could not stop his steps.
After several rounds, she was completely routed and lost control of the entire operation.
The interplay of heavy and rapid passages creates a perfect musical movement.
When she got up to get up after they finished, she couldn't even control her toes properly and he had to carry her. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to cover her face and die.
Ying Zheng pried her hands away, saying, "When you were six years old, on a snowy night, you didn't want to go back to your own courtyard because it was cold. You insisted on sleeping in my bed. When you got up in the middle of the night, you were scared and asked me to accompany you when you got up."
"Stop talking...stop talking!!"
He was so young then, he didn't even have the concept of gender difference in his mind. Besides, he was only seven years old at the time, so what was the problem?
How old are they now...? She's already twenty-one.
"Put me down."
"Your cousin will help you take it off."
She nearly scratched his face, but no one could stop him from doing what he wanted. No one knew where his perverse sense of humor came from, and he ultimately succeeded.
Back in bed, her calves were trembling.
Only one word is on my mind: pervert!
The next day, he went to court with the faint red scratches remaining on the side of his neck.
On the day of Qian Yin's wedding, Banban did not leave the palace to attend the banquet.
Qian Yin had few relatives left, and no one to help her make arrangements. Banban prepared all the necessary items for her, and even the bright red wedding quilt was made by her personally selecting the fabric and having it sewn.
The second time, early in the morning, Qian Yin and Xu Jinghe went to the palace to pay their respects to her, and she finally saw Xu Jinghe in person.
Qian Yin's radiant appearance, styled into a woman's hair bun, made Banban feel both melancholy and delighted.
She woke him up and carefully examined Xu Jinghe.
He had the typical physique of a soldier: tall and strong, with bronze skin, thick black hair, long eyebrows that reached his temples, a high nose bridge, regular features, and an aura of masculinity that was both striking and captivating.
Qian Yinsheng's gentle and kind demeanor made her seem like a sensible and capable matriarch. A delicate blush rose on her cheeks as Banban stared at her.
"Your Majesty the Queen."
"I think you two are a perfect match, and I couldn't help but stare at you for a while, which made you shy."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jinghe blushed instantly.
It wasn't appropriate for the newlyweds to stay for a meal, as it would make them feel awkward. Banban gave them some gifts and then sent them out of the palace. Before they left, he earnestly instructed Qianyin, "If you have any difficulties, you can submit a petition to the palace and tell me. We have been master and servant for a time, so I will naturally protect you."
Qian Yin's eyes reddened, and she nodded vigorously, solemnly kowtowing to her.
A little while later, Cong Yun came in to serve her. Banban noticed that her eyes were also red and asked her what was wrong. She said, "I ran into Qian Yin and spoke to her for a few words."
She was quite melancholy. "How can I put it? I've lived with her for over ten years, and I really can't bear to part with her."
Banban deliberately said, "Then you should marry her along with her."
"You always tease me, I'm not leaving." With this teasing, Cong Yun's melancholy vanished instantly, and she affectionately hugged her forearm and acted coquettishly.
As they talked, the two of them took Zhao'er to Taxue Pavilion to visit Xuanxi and Xuanjiao.
"They've reached the age of old age, what are the Queen's plans?" Congyun asked.
Banban had also asked, and pandas gradually mature at the age of four and begin to have a mating season. After hesitating, she said, "These two are siblings, so I'm afraid it's better to keep them separate."
"If we select Pixiu from Yunmengze and transport them back to Xianyang, what if they don't like the Pixiu we bring? It would be a waste of manpower and resources."
At that time, it wasn't as convenient as it is now with modern cars coming and going; it would take several days to get from there to Xianyang.
After discussing it with Ying Zheng, they finally decided to let Xuan Xi and Xuan Jiao go back to their hometown for a "blind date". If they found someone they liked, they could stay there.
It's really not good to make a young couple live apart; that would be terrible.
However, once you raise them, you should raise them until they are old. Otherwise, if you suddenly release them into the wild, they will not have any survival skills and will die anyway.
You'll have to take extra care of the servants you feed and give them extra rewards.
In the past few days, Zhao'er has shown signs of wanting to speak, making "ah ah" noises all day long and vaguely imitating other people's pronunciations.
The three parrots kept under the porch, after listening to the sounds so much, actually started to imitate them.
Zhao'er said "Ah," and the three of them also said "Ah."
Finally, on the day that summer arrived, the one-year-old Zhao'er pointed at the cage and said, "Fool."
Li Si was reporting military intelligence when he exclaimed, "What?" He wondered if he had misheard.
Ying Zheng also turned his head to look at his son: "...?"
The first sound wasn't "father" or "mother," but "idiot"?
Ying Zheng and Banban both lost the bet.
His lips twitched for a long time before he reassured Li Si, "The Crown Prince was not insulting you."
Li Si choked, and could only say, "I suppose His Highness the Crown Prince also thinks that the State of Han is foolish."
The wet nurse knelt on the ground, not daring to cover the prince's mouth, her face full of embarrassment, her hands awkwardly unsure of where to put them.
Li Si: "Han Fei this time—"
"idiot!"
Who is it again?!
Li Si turned his head and glared wildly.
The prince clapped his hands excitedly, "Father... Ahh~!"
It turned out to be the parrot in the cage speaking.
Li Si: "..."
Ying Zheng was also intrigued by this, and ordered his men to take the cage down. The three parrots fluttered around in the cage, chirping incessantly, and he couldn't tell which one had spoken human language earlier.
If the father doesn't pay attention to the parrot, he naturally won't be able to tell the difference.
Zhao'er opened the small door of the cage, and her small, lotus root-like hand suddenly reached in and roughly grabbed the white parrot.
The parrots scattered and fluttered about, chirping in alarm.
Li Si was somewhat astonished and couldn't help but glance at the Crown Prince's small face several times.
Babies typically don't have the concepts of gentleness and roughness in their minds, and they can't control their strength well. This is because they haven't been confined by worldly rules and regulations, which is why some children seem to adults to have an innocent cruelty about them.
Putting aside the Crown Prince's rough actions, what was even more alarming was that he was able to accurately grab the one he wanted and immediately hand it to Ying Zheng.
This is more than just intelligence.
His observational skills were astonishing, and his speed and strength far surpassed those of ordinary children.
Ying Zheng didn't think his child was cruel. He happily caught the parrot and praised him by patting his head, "Zhao'er is indeed clever. Just be gentler next time. These are your mother's beloved pets. She will be sad if you hurt them."
The prince seemed to understand but not quite, and gently poked the parrot's wing with his finger.
Seeing that he did as he was told, Ying Zheng rubbed his head, carefully examined the white parrot, and, noticing that it was no different from the other two, put it back in the cage.
Turning his head, he noticed that Li Si was staring intently at Zhao'er, his eyes shining like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey.
"cough."
Li Si snapped out of his reverie, quickly tucked his sleeves into his pocket, and continued his report, "Han Fei will return to Xianyang with the army tomorrow. The state of Han has already been destroyed, so he will surely serve Your Majesty willingly."
"What was Zhao's reaction?" Ying Zheng asked after a moment of contemplation.
Li Si said, "King Zhao has been bedridden for a long time. I heard it was because of the matter of changing the crown prince, which led to the disintegration of the court and unrest. When the news of the fall of Han reached his ears, he guessed that Zhao would be next. Beset by internal and external troubles, he was filled with resentment and fear every day, and he was already dying. It was probably in the next two days."
Ying Zheng chuckled, "It was expected, but I didn't expect him to die so soon."
The idea of instigating the Queen of Zhao to change the crown prince was actually proposed by the Queen herself. Li Si was unaware of this and kept saying that the State of Zhao was courting its own destruction, so how could it easily change the crown prince and shake the foundation of the country?
It's better not to appoint a crown prince at all than to appoint one and then depose him.
"Crown Prince Zhao Qian is overseeing the state and has dispatched Li Mu to lead troops to guard the border, focusing on defending the Taihang Mountain pass. At the same time, he is attempting to unite with the states of Wei and Chu to resist Qin."
Li Si smiled and said, "It's a pity. Zhao has a treacherous minister named Guo Kai. The Grand Commandant's plan was very successful. Those powerful and noble people were bribed and do not agree to the alliance. I'm afraid Zhao Qian's idea will not be achieved."
Ying Zheng smiled and said, "In any case, the destruction of Han by my Great Qin is a good thing. Issue an order to lift the alcohol ban for three days and properly reward the Qin army and the people."
Li Si's face lit up with joy. "Yes, sir."
Half a month later, the army returned to Qin territory, and Han Fei was brought to Xianyang under strict guard and imprisonment.
When Banban heard that Han Fei had been sent to Qin, his face turned ashen and numb, his heart filled with despair. He was still clutching a stack of memorials in his hand, titled "Preserve Han." He wanted to persuade King Zheng of Qin not to attack Han first, but before he could see them, Han had already been destroyed.
Who could have imagined that King Zheng of Qin was only feigning a retreat and had no intention of letting Han go at all?
With only 45,000 troops, the Han army was easily defeated. The Qin army did not even need to exert its full strength to destroy the Han army so easily and humiliatingly.
Banban counted on her fingers, and she still remembered that her cousin had only taken ten years to annihilate the six kingdoms. Now that the state of Han had been destroyed, it might take even less time than in history.
She ordered the palace to be thoroughly cleaned and tidied up, and settled Han Fei there, providing him with the best food, clothing, and daily necessities.
Li Si once lived there, and the area was heavily guarded, making escape impossible.
Having learned from Ji Dan's example, and fearing that Han Fei might be killed by someone, Banban kept a close watch on him, determined to keep him under his nose.
However, Han Fei was consumed by rage over the destruction of his kingdom and refused to listen to reason. He spent his days insulting Ying Zheng, who was not angry but also refused to see him.
The first birthday banquet for Zhao'er was held at this time, and it was organized by Ying Zheng himself and was exceptionally grand.
Han Fei had been dejected for more than half a month. One day, hearing the commotion outside, he slowly came to the door and asked, "What's happening outside? Has Qin won another battle?"
Qin Bing was no longer the meticulous and cold man he had been a few days ago. He smiled gently and said, "It's our Crown Prince's birthday banquet. He's already one year old. I'll ask the consul for some sweet candy later. You probably haven't had any before. It was made by the Queen herself. I'll share some with you to share in the joy."
Han Fei's stiff expression changed slightly. "Your queen personally prepared food for you?"
"Yes!" Qin Bing said with pride. "They not only give us food and supplies, but also other people. Those six disease clinics were set up for us, so we don't have to pay for medical treatment."
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Author's Note: I'll start adding extra chapters tomorrow. Today is my last day off, so I'm taking a break.
There's no ranking this week, so I'm on a waiver... Perfect timing to catch up on the missed chapters. I currently have 17,000 nutrient solutions, and after the last bonus chapter, I've reached 12,000. I owe a total of 5 chapters, and my plan is to finish them off in one week, adding one chapter each day in addition to my regular daily updates.
P.S.: My eyes are fine now. It was mild conjunctivitis, and the redness subsided after just one day of using eye drops. I've been using Hylo eye drops for the past few days. Some people in the comments recommended them, and my friend also recommended them, so I bought them. They really work! I've been feeling great these past few days! I noticed a few people in the comments also mentioned eye discomfort, so take good care of your eyes!
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