The killing of Xu Fu was celebrated with "deer blood wine".
Ying Zheng returned from his inspection tour and discussed with Wang Wan and others how to strengthen the border. As the sun set, they finally came up with a plan.
He decided to relocate 30,000 commoners to live at the foot of Langya Terrace. To compensate them for the hardships of the relocation, he exempted these 30,000 commoners from taxes for a total of twelve years.
This move is intended to strengthen control over the new area, especially the former heartland of the State of Qi, which needs to be properly arranged. This will not only promote the integration of the two regions but also drive economic prosperity.
Li Si proposed to have another inscription carved to praise Ying Zheng's great achievements.
Ying Zheng agreed.
These two matters alone will take a considerable amount of time, so the group will likely have to stay in Langya for a while.
After finishing his work, he asked Qin Ju to check if there was anything lacking in the residences of the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Crown Prince and Princess, and to arrange for them to stay as soon as possible so that they would not be uncomfortable.
A eunuch strolled over and spoke to Qin Ju. Qin Ju then approached him and said, “Your Majesty, the Empress was unwell this afternoon and summoned a sorcerer. Xia Xia reported that the sorcerer had made a mistake, and the Empress had him branded and nose cut off, and imprisoned. Now the sorcerer keeps submitting memorials saying he has important matters to discuss with you.”
Li Si and Wang Wan were discussing the land of Qi with Ying Zheng when they wisely shut their mouths.
"Made a mistake? How is the Empress now?" Ying Zheng frowned and stopped in his tracks.
Even with Qin Ju's quick wit, there was a moment when he didn't realize that Ying Zheng wasn't concerned about what the sorcerer was going to say, but rather about how the empress was doing.
He reacted quickly, bending down, "Aunt Yun has already ordered the physician to examine the Empress's pulse. The Empress is slightly deficient in qi and blood, which is due to fatigue. She will recover after resting in bed for two days."
Ying Zheng immediately waved his hand, telling Li Si and Wang Wan to go back and rest as well, "You two must be tired from the journey. We'll discuss this matter again tomorrow."
Li Si knew that he was going back to visit the Empress, so he smiled, bowed his head, and withdrew with Wang Wan.
Ying Zheng hurriedly returned, but his cousin, who was lying in bed with a pale face as he had expected, did not appear. Instead, she was holding sliced persimmons and leaning against a small couch, eating them with relish. She looked bewildered when she saw him return so early.
"Huh? Cousin—" Before she could finish speaking, he suddenly cupped her face and pinched it, looking her up and down. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Ying Zheng, annoyed, took the persimmon slice from her hand. "I heard you punished a sorcerer."
"..." Banban exclaimed, "How did you find out so quickly? You must have planted someone by my side!"
"Don't I have the Empress's people by my side?" Ying Zheng retorted.
Banban shut her mouth, secretly glancing at him. Seeing that he showed no signs of anger, she snuggled into his arms, saying coquettishly, "I was just worried about my cousin, afraid that he wouldn't eat or sleep well. How would my cousin know?"
There were countless maids and eunuchs serving in Chengzhang Hall and the Council Hall, each with their own duties. She bribed almost most of them. They did nothing on ordinary days, but spent a lot of money bribing his palace servants just to monitor who he would look at more often and who he would say more words to.
Such a ridiculous situation, how could he possibly expose it?
Even when she was most short of money, she never dismissed those people.
It seems that in her heart, he was ranked before all the people of the world.
"What do you think?" He asked, a half-smile playing on his lips, pinching her chin.
"I don't know." Feeling guilty, she quickly changed the subject. "Why did my cousin come back? I don't like that sorcerer, so I punished him."
"If you don't like it, then kill it."
She hesitated slightly, turned her head to look at his expression, and met his helpless doting gaze. "If you punish him with corporal punishment, there's no guarantee he won't hold a grudge. Keeping him around will only cause trouble. This is called cutting the weeds at the root."
“But…we need a reason to kill him, and I haven’t thought of one yet.” Banban had never killed anyone before and was quite inexperienced in this area, so he first imprisoned Xu Fu.
“You are the Empress, and you don’t need a reason to decide life and death.” He gently lifted her cheek. “Since becoming Queen, and even now as Empress, everything you have done has been good, and you are loved by all the people. Even if you kill someone without reason, the people of the world will exonerate you and think that someone must have offended or hurt you, which led to your death.”
After thinking about it carefully, he realized, "That makes sense."
Is this the importance of creating a persona?
If Ying Zheng were to do these things, killing would be killing, entirely based on his whim, and no one else would have the right to interfere. He cared even less about other people's opinions or views. However, his cousin wasn't like that; she needed a legitimate reason for everything she did, which, to some extent, seemed to stem from her extremely high moral standards.
She is a truly kind person.
"The sorcerer said he had something important to tell me in person." Only then did Ying Zheng bring up what Qin Ju had said.
Banban immediately tensed up, "Cousin, are you going to listen?"
"Then tell me yourself." Ying Zheng chuckled, thinking to himself that he already knew.
Banban observed his expression repeatedly, fiddling with his collar, and slowly said, "He said that there are three fairy mountains in the sea, inhabited by immortals, and if one can find them, one can obtain the elixir of immortality."
Ying Zheng: "...?"
She was keenly watching his expression and immediately pointed at his face, "You're tempted! You're tempted! You're about to be fooled!"
Ying Zheng silently grasped her fingers. "Alright, alright, it's all fake. I will never believe that there is anything that can grant immortality in this world again. It's all just a lie to make things easier for themselves."
"Really?" Banban refused to believe it, turning his face to make him look into her eyes. "You said before that with my knowledge of future generations, it's normal for other miracles to occur in the world, it's just that you haven't encountered them yet."
“I’ve met him.” He corrected her wording, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
Banban was slightly taken aback, then realized that he was talking about herself.
He said jokingly, "So, all I need to do is hold on to you."
“No need to rush,” she said, though she didn’t quite understand, but she was used to expressing this warm affection. “I’m not a flying goddess who can fly away.”
He smiled gently, stroking her soft, silky hair. "Are you really alright? Did he hurt you anywhere?"
"No, that was just an excuse I made up." Banban chuckled. "My cousin checked everything, except for the mouth."
"How to check?"
Knowing full well the answer, she kissed him passionately, their lips and tongues exchanging a kiss, and she urged him to take a bath.
After everyone left the small couch, Banban poked her head out and called Congyun in. She whispered a few words to her, and when she finished speaking, her last sentence was simple and direct: "Leave no survivors, secretly."
"Yes, sir."
Banban was in a great mood, not only because he solved the historical problem of Xu Fu, who was said to have taken thousands of boys and girls across the sea to Japan, but also because he heard from his cousin that he no longer believed in immortality.
During dinner, Banban noticed a wine cup on the table. Upon closer inspection, the wine was a deep red color, with a fragrant aroma and a faint sweetness.
She picked it up, smelled it, and took a small sip.
The spicy and stimulating flavor rolls down the esophagus into the stomach, and the burning sensation slowly appears.
"What kind of wine is this?" she asked.
"It's a mild tonic wine, made with deer blood as a base, which is most effective in replenishing qi and blood," Congyun explained. "This afternoon, the imperial physician examined your pulse and said that you were deficient in qi and blood, so His Majesty ordered this wine to be made to replenish your body."
"Deer blood??" Banban exclaimed in surprise.
"Indeed." Cong Yun asked with concern, "Is it working well for you? I can smell a faint, sweet, fishy odor."
"Huh? I didn't taste it." Banban isn't very sensitive to fishy smells and loves eating offal and seafood. "Perhaps the good cooking process masked the bloody taste."
To verify this, she took several sips and indeed did not taste any blood.
Just as Ying Zheng emerged from his bath and changed clothes, he saw her drinking deer blood wine. As he passed by, he gently shook the wine pot, symbolically reminding her, "Don't overindulge."
She was already somewhat drunk.
He was still thinking about having a meal.
On the table was a plate of persimmon slices she had eaten that afternoon. Persimmons are astringent before they soften, and she likes them crisp. The fruit farmer had a way to remove the astringency of the persimmons by soaking them in warm water and changing the water every now and then. After soaking for a while, the persimmons would turn into firm, sweet persimmons, which were perfect for slicing and eating.
"This is delicious." Banban poured him a glass as well.
He verbally agreed, but in reality, he didn't drink the deer blood wine. Instead, he kept putting food on her plate.
In no time, she was full and started clamoring to take a bath, saying that she smelled of alcohol and was uncomfortable.
He had no choice but to take her to take a bath.
Inside the steaming bath, Banban felt dizzy and lightheaded, the heat rising and churning her body until she was burning hot. After a long while, she murmured, "Cousin..."
"Um?"
"Did you do something bad?"
"..."
"What."
She angrily bit his arm and reached out to tear off his clothes.
Ying Zheng raised his hand to stop her, only to find that she was a little stronger than usual. Her collar was quickly torn open, revealing her collarbone, which was wet and shimmered with a captivating glow in the candlelight.
She was like a puppy, sniffing his scent and burying her head in his chest, biting and nibbling endlessly.
His arm moved downwards and, sure enough, touched the overflowing stream, causing his breathing to quicken slightly involuntarily.
She wouldn't let him move and leaned down to press him down.
The last time it was this direct, she cried out in pain for a long time, saying she was uncomfortable.
This time it was completely different; she was very impatient and clung tightly to him.
He loved her like this. The two rolled onto the soft blanket, their positions reversed. He lifted her waist, making it easier for him to take her.
Deer blood wine is truly a wonderful thing; it nourishes the body and satisfies the needs of both partners.
In the end, her voice was hoarse, and an overwhelming emptiness swept over her mind and body. The flame that was extinguished could always be rekindled soon after.
The two were already obsessed with each other's bodies, and with the addition of deer blood wine, things got even worse, to the point of being unbearable.
Once they've tasted the sweetness, they become so infatuated that they can't separate from it and can't extricate themselves.
On the bed, her tears fell again and again; these were tears that flowed after her body reached its limit, not because of pain or unwillingness.
Listen to his heavy heart, feel his burning kiss.
-----------------------
Author's note: Who understands? I'm hopelessly addicted; it's a verb (whispering).
As usual, there will be an extra chapter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
