"Your Highness, please don't imitate this!" he said ominously.
The scale of the welcoming banquet was not particularly large. These crops needed to be planted before the results could be known. For example, Ying Zheng sent an advance team to plant potatoes on the edge of wasteland. They found that potatoes had a short growth cycle and high yield, were easy to eat and very filling, but were very easy to damage the soil and could not be planted frequently.
Back at Zhaoyang Palace, his wife was sitting on the veranda, munching on something; he recognized it as potato pancakes.
Potato fritters are easy to make. Steam the potatoes, cut them into cubes, mix them with batter, spread them into round fritters, and deep-fry them in an iron pan. Drain the oil, wrap them in parchment paper, and enjoy. They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a savory and delicious flavor.
Ying Zheng wasn't used to the food and got tired of it after a couple of bites, but she loved it.
A railing was laid outside the corridor, and a thick layer of soft blankets was placed inside to make it easier for Zhao'er to climb around without falling outside.
He's only eight months old, but he can already stand up by himself while holding onto things, and after standing, he can even slowly move around while holding onto things.
It typically takes at least fourteen months for a baby to stand steadily and attempt to walk, and at least fifteen months to learn to walk independently.
The wet nurse praised the Crown Prince to Ying Zheng more than once, saying that he was healthy, growing rapidly, and intelligent.
He was easy to manage, so his wife didn't need to worry about him much. Surrounded by a number of old women and maids, she ate delicious food while flipping through the account books in her hands.
She was busy with her own things and ignored Zhao'er, but Zhao'er was very clingy.
It tried to climb onto its mother's lap, its chubby hands reaching for the potato pancake in her hand, its drool wetting her sleeves.
Banban lied without thinking: "You can't eat it, it smells bad."
Zhao'er sucking his thumb: looking hesitant, listless, and pleading.jpg
The next moment, the baby on her lap was taken away. Banban raised her head and saw Ying Zheng against the afterglow of the setting sun. She immediately put down the account book and said, "Cousin! You're finally back. Hurry up and take care of your son. I'm exhausted." This was an exaggeration; she was deliberately being coquettish.
Ying Zheng, without changing his expression, pulled Zhao'er's hand out of his mouth and then wiped it clean on his own chubby body. "Don't bother your mother."
His lips twitched, and his pitiful little face trembled.
Ying Zheng immediately pinched his mouth shut, "You're not allowed to cry either."
He wiped his hand, which was covered in drool, on Zhao'er's body. He was very clean and couldn't stand even his son's drool. "You should rest well. I'll take him to take a bath and wash up."
"Mmm-hmm." Banban nodded repeatedly.
After finishing his business, her husband returned home and took away their clingy child.
Banban took out the clean clothes of the father and son and placed them on the soft couch next to the bathtub.
My cousin is very easygoing when it comes to food. He's fine with anything, and he'll eat whatever everyone else is eating. He's very easy to talk to.
Yun rubbed and massaged his neck and shoulders, saying, "It's time to eat tender bamboo shoots again. How about we have bamboo shoot soup today?"
"Let's have shrimp and bamboo shoot soup. No need for too many seasonings, just the fresh flavor is enough. Zhao'er can have some too." Banban thought to herself, "The spring chives seem to be ripe by now?"
“Yes, it’s the perfect time to eat,” Congyun replied.
"Then chop them up and mix them with the scrambled eggs cooked in hot oil, and wrap them into dumplings." Dumplings were gradually made after dough could be fermented two years ago. Banban would eat them occasionally. They were not very rare in the Qin Palace, and for some reason, not many people liked them.
The dumplings, once wrapped, resembled horns, and were called "jiaozi" in the palace. Since she didn't know the origin of the name "jiaozi," she simply followed suit and called them jiaozi.
After giving her instructions on what to have for dinner, she went out for a walk and watered the seeds in the trough. Now, the area was divided into many square plots, each planted with different crops.
Grapes, watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic.
Garlic sprouts can also be stir-fried, making them a versatile food.
Banban took these things very seriously. He had also learned in detail how to grow flowers and plants, so he figured it would be similar to growing other things. He asked for a few seeds and planted one of them himself, while Ying Zheng gave the rest of the seeds to the farm workers who specialized in growing crops.
I finished processing all the ledgers while I was at it, and felt refreshed.
The father and son also finished showering and came out.
Zhao'er was used to his father taking him to bathe. He wasn't afraid when he got into the water and was very well-behaved. After his bath, he snuggled up on Ying Zheng's shoulder, his soft baby hair dried, and his pair of bright eyes looked around.
Once on the bed, she rolled around and played, waving her little hands and tugging at the bed curtains. When she touched Ying Zheng's Qin King sword, she tried to lift it up and examine it by using both her hands and feet.
However, the sword was too heavy, and he couldn't lift it no matter how hard he tried.
After thinking for a while without finding a solution, I switched to using my mouth.
Ying Zheng had already changed his clothes. He lifted the man up by the collar and looked down at him, saying, "You want to eat everything?"
Zhao'er: "Ah!"
Ying Zheng pinched his little face, pried open his mouth, and counted. A few days ago he had four teeth, but today two small teeth had sprouted on either side of his upper front teeth.
Perhaps it's teething, which is why it likes to chew on things?
He seemed to be deep in thought, and with the pad of his thumb through his mouth, he gently massaged his son's gums.
Zhao'er felt uncomfortable being twisted, so she grabbed the big hand and opened her mouth to bite his thumb.
Ying Zheng reacted quickly, immediately shaking off his hand, his disgusted lips twitching slightly.
...Just washed clean.
In his entire life, he can only tolerate his cousin's saliva; nothing else really matters.
The cooks in the kitchen were quick and efficient, and soon the steaming dumplings were cooked and served. The wet nurse fed Zhao'er small sips of cooled bamboo shoot soup.
Banban chatted with Ying Zheng, saying, "Now that he's eaten these kinds of foods, Zhao'er doesn't like drinking milk as much."
"Perhaps these taste better than milk." No one is more qualified to say what human milk tastes like than Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng asked the wet nurse what a baby of this age could eat.
The wet nurse said respectfully, "You can eat some puree as well. Other kinds of puree are also fine. The Queen's favorite mashed potatoes are perfect, and mashed fruit puree is also very good. However, you should eat it in small amounts, just a small spoonful at a time. You can eat more when His Highness the Crown Prince is older."
It seems that milk is still the staple food for us.
Ying Zheng glanced at it; the small bowl in the wet nurse's hand contained only a thin layer of bamboo shoot soup, less than a mouthful for an adult, just for Zhao'er to try something new.
After drinking that small sip of bamboo shoot soup, he was taken away by the wet nurse to be breastfed. Perhaps knowing he couldn't drink anymore, he stretched out his little hands and cried loudly, looking quite pitiful.
The couple seemed completely unaffected, turning a deaf ear and focusing solely on their own food, not even sparing Zhao'er a glance.
Unlike when the baby was first born, if he made even the slightest whimper, they would rush over to check on him and ask what was wrong.
After you've eaten and drunk your fill, rinse your mouth.
When Ying Zheng mentioned sending troops to attack Han, the King of Han trembled with fear and immediately took the initiative to send Han Fei out of the city gate.
"Now that we have Han Fei, does my cousin intend to withdraw his troops?" Banban wondered.
"We will not retreat." Ying Zheng said calmly. "I ordered them to feign a retreat, then turn around and catch them off guard. We must break through the gates of Han and capture Xinzheng."
Banban: "..."
How can retreating ten miles not be called a retreat?
Making Han Fei witness the destruction of the State of Han was cruel enough; it directly cut off his escape route and bluntly told him that if he did not serve the State of Qin, death was the only thing waiting for him.
"Will he be truly convinced?" I'm afraid not.
"Whether he is sincere or not, I will carefully discern. It is merely the destruction of a country, not the massacre of a city. If he still cares about the people of Han, he will surely serve me." Ying Zheng revealed a confident smile, a subtle nonchalance spreading across his brows.
“If my cousin says so, then it must be so.” Banban never questioned his thoughts and decisions. “There is one more thing, which I’m sure my cousin already knows.”
"Ji Dan has escaped," Ying Zheng said.
"Oh, yes, so my cousin knew." She was displeased. To prevent Ji Dan from escaping, she had sent many people to guard him closely for the past two years, but he still managed to get away. "He's restless and eager to escape. He must be looking for revenge on my cousin. My cousin must be very careful."
"He won't get to the Qin Palace," Ying Zheng said casually. "Revenge? It's nothing more than sending some assassins to try and kill me. How can a few assassins compare to tens of thousands of Qin soldiers?"
"Hmph, courting death." His contempt and disdain were undisguised, as if he were talking about an insignificant ant that could be easily crushed with a flick of his finger.
Aside from these, the Zhao court and the country have been in great turmoil lately. "Queen Zhao and Guo Kai are in perfect harmony, conspiring together in evil deeds." Speaking of this, Ying Zheng's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Crown Prince Jia was framed for having an affair with Consort Zhao, which was discovered by Zhao Yan himself. He was so angry that he took to his bed. No one knows what happened in between. In addition, the officials in the court who did not support Zhao Qian were all dismissed by Guo Kai. In a short period of time, Zhao Jia's position as crown prince was already unstable. Guo Kai took the lead in changing the heir apparent, and Zhao Yan, in a fit of anger, agreed."
"What! What!" Banban immediately pressed, "What happened in between?"
"I'll find out and tell you."
Okay.
However, "it's normal to get sick from anger." Banban sullenly peeled chestnuts and ate them. His concubine and son had rolled around together. What man could accept that? "The concubines of Zhao are out of favor, and their titles are all just for show. If they want to climb up to the crown prince, they are probably just being manipulated."
"Not only that." Ying Zheng said without changing his expression, "Queen Zhao is domineering and cruel. Whoever Zhao Yan dares to favor, she will kill. She has openly beaten concubines to death more than once or twice, and Zhao Yan has always turned a blind eye. Under the Queen Zhao's oppression, those concubines are afraid every day and do not even dare to dress up carefully. If they can get on the Crown Prince's ship and escape such an environment, who would be unwilling?"
Being favored by Zhao Yan once would mean facing the relentless targeting of Queen Zhao. Who would dare to compete for his favor then? They would probably avoid Zhao Yan like the plague.
They were all astonished.
Even though Ji Changyue was arrogant in the past, she didn't dare to beat Zhuangxiang King's concubine to death. Is Queen Zhao really that bold? But this is probably because she was spoiled, since Zhao Yan was willing to pretend not to know anything about her.
...Zhao Yan went along with Queen Zhao's actions, never considering that his wife was too jealous and he should be deposed and replaced. It was quite unusual of him.
Because men of this era were not very accepting of overly jealous wives, especially kings, and it was not common among ordinary nobles.
From this perspective, Zhao Yan clearly loved Queen Zhao, but he couldn't stay with her alone and always wanted to have affairs with her.
Is a man's love and his sexual desires really separate?
He had all sorts of strange thoughts.
She really wanted to ask her cousin about it, but she also felt that the question was too strange.
Fifteen minutes later.
Ying Zheng: "What do you want to ask? Why are you hesitating?"
Banban asked her the questions she wanted to know the truth.
Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment.
"Don't you know either, cousin? I was just asking casually." Banban leaned forward and touched his eyebrows.
“I’m just thinking about how to describe it.” After a moment, he said, “Do you remember the mandarin ducks I mentioned to you before? Male mandarin ducks are not monogamous with female mandarin ducks. They may even try to mate with other female mandarin ducks while they are with a certain female mandarin duck.”
"When this happens to Yuanyang, it cannot be called betrayal in human terms."
“Even animals that have not yet developed intelligence have an instinct for survival, namely reproduction. However, male mandarin ducks reproduce quickly and easily, completing multiple reproductions in a short period of time, while female mandarin ducks bear the responsibility of giving birth, which takes several times longer and requires more energy. Therefore, female mandarin ducks must consider more factors when choosing a mate and select the best one. In the process of selection, they will invest their emotions.”
"The same principle applies to people."
This was the first time Banban had interpreted this kind of thing from this perspective, so she hesitated. "You mean, for men, this kind of thing is just a pure, ingrained reproductive instinct, like eating when hungry or drinking when thirsty, without having to pay any price?"
"Women's reproductive instincts need to last for a long time, so they have higher requirements for their partners."
Ying Zheng nodded. "So, Zhao Yan's love is real. You can understand his inability to control his body as a strong primal instinct remaining in his bones. This primal instinct refers to the instincts left by an uncivilized wild animal."
His animalistic instincts were too strong, and he opened his eyes wide in astonishment.
"Can I interpret this as meaning that anyone who can't control themselves is an idiot?"
The biggest difference between humans and savages is that humans have reason and are not controlled by primal desires.
Ying Zheng's eyes were serious. "All the most intelligent people in this world know clearly what they want."
"Mandarin ducks are like this, but people are not mandarin ducks. How to act depends on one's own choice."
Banban stroked his chin seriously, "It seems that my cousin is a more senior person than Zhao Yan."
"He is not worthy to be compared with me." Ying Zheng smiled and leaned in to hug her and give her an intimate kiss.
Cong Yun happened to come in, and before she could finish speaking, she vanished, probably having run out again.
Ying Zheng: "..." He glanced unhappily towards the outside of the palace.
"You can't blame her, this is the outer hall." Banban hurriedly patted his chest to comfort him, and left a series of kisses on his lips as if to coax him.
"What's the matter?" she asked loudly.
Cong Yun shuffled in hesitantly, head bowed and knees bent, "His Highness the Crown Prince has finished nursing and is fussing about wanting to play with His Majesty and Queen."
Oh, I completely forgot about my son.
Banban immediately got up, forgetting all about her cousin.
Ying Zheng's arm, which was around his wife's shoulder, found nothing. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a long sigh, trying his best to remain calm.
Cong Yun was filled with unease. As soon as she entered the room, she sensed the king's oppressive atmosphere. She lowered her head and quickly looked at the crown prince's face to ease her anxiety.
Zhao'er: A gloomy, tense expression mimicking his father.jpg
Cong Yun: "..." Help! Your Highness, please don't learn this nonsense!
-----------------------
Author's note: Here we go.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
