Chapter 101 The Assassination at Bolangsha 13
Liu Tuan originally wanted to say that if he didn't kill Liu Bang today, he would take his surname, but he knew his son too well and knew very well what that brat Liu Bang would say!
He knew without a doubt that Liu Bang would retort that it would still be under the surname Liu, so he dismissed the idea from the start and swore an oath only with his own name.
Liu Bang dodged and begged for mercy, claiming he would never anger anyone again.
Zhu Qing'ai watched the chaotic scene with interest. The liveliness at Old Liu's house was truly entertaining. She slowly walked to Lü Zhi's side and said with a light laugh, "Your husband is quite interesting."
Lü Zhi: "..."
Empress Lü covered her face with her hand; her husband was embarrassing himself again.
It's bad enough that she's embarrassed herself at home, but to make matters worse, she's here watching. It's one thing for Liu Bang to lose face, but it's another for her and him, as husband and wife, to lose face along with him.
So when Liu Bang looked at her pleading eyes, Lü Zhi stepped forward and stopped Liu's father. She said gently, "Father, don't be angry. Getting angry will harm your health, and you won't be able to discipline him."
Uncle Liu quickly stepped forward and said, "Forget it, Father, forget it. Third Brother will definitely know he was wrong this time and will never say such nonsense again."
Liu Tuan silently turned to look at Liu Bo, his thoughts almost written all over his face: Would Liu Bang be the kind of person who would settle down?
Liu Tuan: "Alright, what E Xu said is true..." He shoved the stick in his hand to Liu Xi, the second son, and told him to put it aside. He then took a few more breaths and said, "Oh dear, I'm getting old. Help me up."
Liu Bang, who had run out of the house, heard that the commotion inside had subsided and no one was chasing after him, so he knew that the matter was pretty much over. He immediately poked his head out to look into the house.
Zhu Qing'ai stood inside the house and looked out. She could only see a head peeking out from the middle of the door frame. It was Liu Bang, looking very nervous. She couldn't help but laugh.
Fortunately, she did not allow Liu Bang to see her at this moment, so only Lü Zhi heard the soft laugh. She subconsciously followed his gaze to the door.
She spotted the furtive person peeking around immediately. Lü Zhi: "..."
Lü Zhi came out from the inner room: "Come in, Father has calmed down." Then, as if still worried, she added, "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
Liu Bang: "..." He really didn't remember much. He was so excited when he heard what He said today that he forgot all about it.
But was the Dragon Boat Festival also an auspicious day in His eyes?
Of course he couldn't say that. As the Chu region before unification, this festival was of great importance. It was also because he was absent-minded when he returned. Otherwise, how could he not have noticed the atmosphere in the village?
"Hahaha, of course I remember. Isn't this why the family is gathered here today? How could I forget? I'll go find my father right now."
Empress Lü was still a little worried, so she added, "Try to say something nicer, or you'll upset your father again."
Liu Bang turned his back to Lü Zhi and walked into the inner room without turning his head, saying, "I know, I know, don't worry!"
Lü Zhi: ...I can't trust you at all!
She knew that Liu Bang's parents didn't really like him and even hated that their son wasn't ambitious. They often praised Liu Xi, who worked hard in the fields, and frequently taught Liu Bang to be more diligent.
However, Liu Bang certainly didn't listen to these words, otherwise things wouldn't be like they are now.
She whispered a few words to Zhu Qing'ai, who nodded and told her to talk about it during class that night, adding that Liu Bang might have to practice cooking skills someday.
Although Lü Zhi did not believe it, she did not say it outright. After smiling and seeing Him off, she went into the inner room.
****
After Liu Bang had appeased his father, he stepped out of the inner room only to be pulled away by his only younger brother.
He and his younger brother always shared common interests, and his younger brother understood his ambitions, so he didn't resist much and followed his fourth brother, Liu Jiao, outside.
When they were alone, Liu Jiao finally asked, "Brother, what's wrong with you today? Why did you say such things?"
He believed he understood Liu Bang and thought his brother's apparent laziness was just a facade.
He could see his own brother's excellent character and believed that Liu Bang wouldn't be so foolish as to say such a thing.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bang's eyes flickered, and he suddenly lowered his voice to ask his beloved younger brother, "Do you believe in gods?"
Originally, there was no need for this extra step. Most people believe in ghosts and gods, and you can easily get the answer "of course I believe" by asking just anyone.
However, Liu Jiao said, "Master Confucius said, 'You should not talk about strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' Brother, you should say less."
He looked around and figured that no ghosts or spirits would be so bored as to pay attention to them, these little shrimps.
He studied the doctrine of the mean, and while he believed in ghosts and spirits, he did not advocate pursuing their power. He believed more in his own efforts.
Liu Bang: "That's not what I meant, never mind... Do you think it's possible that we're related to the imperial family...?"
Liu Jiao: ...Do you think I look like someone from the Qin clan with the surname Ying...?
Liu Jiao looked at his third brother with a strange expression. His third brother was truly confused. He said tactfully, "Brother, such a thing might happen in a dream."
Liu Bang slapped Liu Jiao across the face in exasperation: "You brat, can't you trust your brother for once?"
Liu Jiao frowned and fell into deep thought. Could it be that his brother was actually hinting that he was going to rebel?
He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. His family, the Liu family, was a scholar-official family, and there was nothing wrong with thinking about restoring the country or making his own way in the world.
However, he still advised, "Although the people are dissatisfied... cough cough, it's too early and inappropriate now."
Instead of immediately accusing Liu Bang of being delusional, Liu Jiao subconsciously wanted to support Liu Bang's cause.
Although Liu Bang did not get the answer he wanted, he was very satisfied with his younger brother's subconscious support, and felt that his love for him had not been in vain.
"Let's not talk about rebellion," He would be displeased.
If one could legally become the Second Emperor of Qin, who would want to go through the trouble of rebelling?
Liu Jiao received his brother's words, but his understanding was clearly different from Liu Bang's. He nodded seriously: "Brother is still the most cautious."
Of course, you have to wait for the right opportunity; it's easier to fish in troubled waters.
“Brother, the other day I mentioned to Father that I wanted to go to school…”
Liu Bang generously replied, "No problem, no problem, leave it to me."
"I thank you in advance, brother!"
Liu Bang quickly helped the man up, saying, "We're all brothers, no need to be so polite."
He laughed and pulled the person away, chatting with his younger brother as he pondered how likely it was that 'Qin' was lying to him.
After all, judging from his family's reaction, it was impossible for Liu Bang to be some kind of prince who had been living away from home.
Their family genealogy is clear, and they could not possibly be members of the Qin royal family.
So why does 'Qin' refer to him as the Second Emperor of Qin?
Liu Bang couldn't understand it, but he also felt that Qin wouldn't be so bored as to deceive a mere Sishui Pavilion Chief. He had every reason to believe that what Qin said was not unfounded.
****
Zhu Qing'ai did not give Liu Bang another chance to ask. She had not made her presence known to Liu Bang for a long time. Even if Liu Bang had really mastered his cooking skills, she did not show up as promised.
There was no other reason than that time was slowly passing by and the time of the First Emperor's assassination was approaching. Recently, Zhu Qing'ai had been quite busy. At night, she would ask Lü Zhi to give her lessons, and during the day, she would squat near the First Emperor to see if what she had done in Mount Tai would cause historical changes.
She wasn't worried about Lü Zhi and Liu Bang; they were currently trapped in a corner of the world and had no chance to change it.
The variable actually lies with the First Emperor. She doesn't really care about a middle-aged man who is both familiar and unfamiliar, but she will ensure that he lives to the time he was supposed to live.
The reason she came in person this time was even simpler. Last time when she went up Mount Tai, she casually conjured two white deer to pull the carriage. Although she ended up taking the white deer, which were the two precious horses, for free, the carriage was still there.
Later, when the First Emperor traveled, he often rode in the same carriage that had been pulled by the white deer. This time, Zhang Liang's assassination attempt targeted that carriage. If the information was accurate, there would be no need to choose; the First Emperor's exact location would be known directly.
Historical records only vaguely state that Zhang Liang chose the wrong carriage when he attempted the assassination. Zhu Qing'ai was worried that the First Emperor would die prematurely because of this, so he recently staked out Bolangsha, also taking the opportunity to see the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty.
Zhu Qing'ai didn't know the exact location of the assassination attempt in Bolangsha; she could only monitor the entire Bolangsha area in real time, including the surrounding locations.
After scanning around, she finally found the two people in the reeds near the eastern route. The two were quite conspicuous, at least in her eyes.
Among them were a strongman and a handsome young man, and beside them were unidentified objects wrapped in cloth.
Zhu Qing'ai knew what was inside without even looking. As she got closer, she could see Zhang Liang looking solemnly into the distance, as if he were waiting for something.
She stared at the person, occasionally wondering whether to wait for someone to make a move before rescuing him, or to arrange a failed dream for him now, or to do both at the same time.
After a moment's thought, Zhu Qing'ai decided to have both. She looked at Zhang Liang with great heartache, wondering why such a top-notch strategist had come here to become a third-rate assassin.
She thought it was a miracle that the person could escape from such a rudimentary assassination plan, and she didn't know why they couldn't catch him.
She glanced at the strongman beside her. This man was truly brave, daring to carry out such a direct assassination plan. Was he already prepared to die for his mission?
Before she could think for long, the First Emperor's convoy could be seen in the distance. The convoy, consisting of thirty-six carriages, was coming from the west. She noticed that the muscles of the two men were visibly tense, and they were both focused on the distance, neither of them noticing the extra 'person' beside them.
Zhang Liang did not choose to take action directly, but observed. After the procession passed, he pointed to the chariot in the middle and whispered, "That's it."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing'ai no longer needed to guess; it was because of her that the First Emperor felt the chariot was protected by a god, so he didn't pretend to be mysterious and change the chariot.
Zhu Qing'ai raised her hand to her forehead, realizing that sometimes one shouldn't go too far. Just as the strongman threw his giant hammer to smash the carriage, she flicked her finger and a golden light flew out, temporarily covering the carriage with a one-time protective shield.
Zhang Liang and his men could only see the iron hammer reflecting the sunlight. They squinted instinctively, and when they opened their eyes again, the iron hammer had already hit the ground, while the target chariot was completely unharmed.
Zhang Liang angrily slammed his fist on the ground, gritting his teeth in frustration at the missed opportunity. He decisively said, "Split up!"
After saying that, he picked up a cloth bag and disappeared into the reeds, escaping the scene before the people there could come to search.
Zhu Qing'ai also knew why he hadn't been caught: the man had found a reed bed and changed into women's clothing.
Zhu Qing'ai: ...
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-06-09 22:10:55 and 2024-06-11 21:27:58!
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