Chapter 3 Qin 3
Zhu Qing'ai instantly lost all interest in continuing her stroll. She drifted back to the courtyard where Tai Shujiu was, comforting herself that it didn't matter since it was her first time being a system and she didn't understand anything, since she still had a senior.
She decided to consult her predecessors about how to become a renowned official through the imperial examinations if the imperial examinations had not yet been implemented in this era.
Who knew that Taishu Jiu also got stuck for a moment. He had never had this experience before. In places where there was no imperial examination, he would never have renamed himself the Imperial Examination Famous Minister System, which resulted in the matched routes and reward points being based on the imperial examination as the main premise.
But unfortunately, her former host now found the newly appointed system to be a newbie, so that's exactly what she did.
Taishu Jiu honestly shook his head, saying he didn't know.
The shape of the bamboo-green misty ball did not reveal the awkward smile she should have given. She had just tried it casually and unexpectedly succeeded.
Who would have thought that the system permissions would be swapped? Actually, this problem can't be blamed on her, but now that it's already like this, she should think of a way even if it's just for herself.
It's better to rely on someone who is simply a system than on her; no one is better at finding loopholes than a person.
She hesitated for a moment, and a bad idea flashed through her mind. She half comforted and half encouraged Taishu Jiu, saying, "It doesn't matter if there is no imperial examination. You can first get into a high position and then invent the imperial examination. Then you can ask the emperor to let you take the exam together."
She also checked the achievement system within the system and felt that the idea was more and more feasible. Only children make choices; she wanted it all. She wanted the points for instant advancement, and she also wanted the points for the imperial examination!
She calls it a win-win situation: earning points from two different paths in one lifetime!
She didn't care how outrageous the operation was; in other words, she was confident that she could find a ridiculous yet reasonable excuse to carry it out.
For example, to suppress ministers who haven't passed the imperial examinations, one could force those who have passed the exams to be certified before taking office. This makes it much easier to suppress dissidents.
She couldn't think about it anymore; if she did, she suspected she might drag Taishu Jiu down with her. The difference between being remembered for good or being infamous for eternity was just a thought away.
****
During the first week after his transmigration, Taishu Jiu diligently studied in the courtyard to become a qualified human being and to get rid of the inhuman habits he occasionally brought with him.
Currently, Zhu Qing'ai, the instructor, says: "Remember to eat every day! People will die if they don't eat! The cycle of food intake is an essential process."
This is very simple logic, and any normal person would understand it. However, during the first few days after Taishu Jiu became human, Zhu Qing'ai would still remind him on time. Otherwise, she suspected that her host would become the first person in the history of transmigrators to starve to death.
While Taishu Jiu was diligently watching documentaries and trying to correct his behavior, Zhu Qing'ai was not idle either. She first toured the entire country they were currently in and figured out their current time.
They are currently in the State of Qin, and the current King of Qin is King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji. If she were to determine the year, it would be the fiftieth year of King Zhaoxiang's reign.
She went to find Bai Qi as soon as she realized who the King of Qin was, but only found a cold-hearted Bai Qi in Duyu.
Okay, the goal of persuading Ying Ji to let Bai Qi go can be crossed off her little notebook.
The event she could accurately identify was that she met Ying Yiren, who had fled back to Xianyang and had now changed his name to Ying Zichu.
Six years until Ying Ji dies, and seven years until Ying Zhu dies, Ying Zichu will succeed him as King of Qin, and there will be six years until the future First Emperor Ying Zheng returns to the country.
Ying Zheng is only a little over two years old now. Zhu Qing'ai suddenly got excited and spent a week practicing modeling, creating a projection model of herself in a withered green robe and a beautiful woman. She used the data flow she had to directly control the activities of this persona, but occasionally she would not control it well and would perform a dark crawling on the spot.
When she left enough money for Taishu Jiu and went to Handan in the State of Zhao with the mindset of seeing giant pandas, she couldn't help but show a kind smile like an old mother when she saw that little dumpling.
The little cub is not even old enough to be a naughty child yet, it's so cute! Just like the elementary school students she used to take care of, it's even quieter and more well-behaved than the elementary school students.
She did not deliberately hide her current projected appearance, which was the first disguise she had created.
However, in order to sneak into the Zhao residence, the adults couldn't see her; only her target, Ying Zheng, could see her.
Fortunately, a child who is a little over two years old will not tell adults that a stranger has entered the house.
Knowing the current time, Zhu Qing'ai had a few thoughts, but didn't think about them any deeper.
Now that she's in Handan playing with her child, she's more carefree; if things get really bad, she can just throw away this disguise.
She wore a dark green, curved-hem robe that blended seamlessly into the surrounding scene, but her overall demeanor was different from those around her. She did not have the sorrowful look of those around her; instead, she stood to the side with a smile on her face, secretly watching Ying Zheng being held in Zhao Ji's arms.
Their eyes were filled with wonder and affection for the well-behaved human cubs.
Ying Zheng turned his head and saw the unfamiliar adult standing quietly. He didn't cry or make a fuss, but just stared at the person curiously, and even blew a bubble.
The bright, dark eyes held the curiosity of a child, a time when life is still carefree.
Zhu Qing'ai frowned slightly, pursing her lips to suppress the urge to exclaim that she was charmed.
Zhao Ji was unaware that her son was interacting with a stranger. She was sobbing softly because Ying Yiren had abandoned her and her son and run away. Holding Ying Zheng, she looked at him with worry and sighed softly, "I don't know where we, mother and son, should go..."
Her father was discussing her and Zheng'er's fate with the other stewards of the household, and at that moment, she felt more fear than resentment.
But she held her child tightly in her arms. She didn't know how to persuade her father to save her and her child, but she was also unwilling to give up her child.
Upon hearing Zhao Ji's words, Zhu Qing'ai instantly understood their current predicament.
Although those familiar with history know that Ying Zheng would return to Qin alive, but...
This is not history that is already set in stone, but the present that has infinite possibilities.
Zhu Qing'ai decided to go to the Zhao family's meeting place. If their decision was not satisfactory, she would find a way to make them 'willing' to help hide Zhao Ji and her son.
****
Zhu Qingai used the system's built-in small-range scanning function and successfully located the location of Zhao Ji's father and other influential figures in the family.
They were discussing the matter of Zhao Ji and her son in a room. This decision concerned the family and was important, but not necessarily necessary.
The Zhao family was a wealthy family in Handan, the capital of Zhao, and had previously had many business dealings with Lü Buwei. Offering their daughter Zhao Ji to Prince Ying Yiren of Qin was merely an investment.
Compared to other investment methods, marrying off one's daughter is undoubtedly a low-cost, high-return, and relatively low-risk endeavor.
Even in the current situation, this is still the case. They do not need to directly participate in Ying Yiren's plan to escape back to Qin, nor do they need to risk accompanying Ying Yiren back to Qin. Even if they want to sever ties with the two, they only need to sacrifice a daughter and break off relations with him.
For the sake of the family, no one would care about a woman's sacrifice.
If there hadn't been this escape incident, and if Ying Yiren had been able to return to Qin safely with the merits of being a hostage in Zhao, and then become Ying Zhu's favorite child, then their investment would have been profitable. But now the situation has changed.
Before that, they needed to decide whether to risk the pressure from King Zhao to help Zhao Ji and her son hide.
Keep in mind that their family is based within the territory of the Zhao state...
The significance of this investment lies in their belief that Ying Yiren has potential, while the less important aspect is that Ying Yiren might not care much about Zhao Ji and her son.
They were already extremely wealthy; it wasn't really necessary for them to gamble their entire family fortune on a single son.
Therefore, many of those present at the discussion expressed their opposition, as they were mostly content with the status quo and unwilling to take risks.
Some even complained outright: "I opposed offering Wu'er up like a songstress back then, and the current situation only proves that Ying Yiren doesn't care about her."
"Why not hand that brat over and let Wu'er stay at home for two years? Once the rumors have died down and people have forgotten about this, she can remarry into a good family."
The middle-aged man who spoke had a glint in his eyes. If one did not know the current situation, one might think that he doted on Zhao Ji.
But as for Zhu Qing'ai, who was standing by watching them talk, she felt that this so-called good family was more likely to be "investing" in the family again.
Zhao Ji's father, his face grim, rebuked them, his sharp, brooding gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Absurd! If that young master Yiren had died on the road, so be it, but if he doesn't die..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood his unspoken meaning.
The question returns to the beginning: should they help hide Zhao Ji and her child, especially the two-year-old infant?
At this moment, someone came in from outside and whispered a few words in the ear of the head of the family, who had been calmly remaining silent.
The patriarch suddenly stroked his beard and laughed: "We're all family, so let's not be so formal. Zheng'er is, after all, a descendant of the Zhao family. How can we kick him out?"
"How about this, let Wu'er take a few maids and go hide at our house on the outskirts of the city."
"Patriarch, this...?"
The Zhao family patriarch remained calm, not even glancing at the person who showed disapproval. He spoke meaningfully to Zhao Ji's father: "Young Master Yiren has successfully returned to the country and changed his name to Zichu. He has now recognized Lady Huayang as his mother. You should go and say goodbye to Wu'er properly, and let her live peacefully in the house in the suburbs."
A look of joy flashed across Zhao Ji's father's face. He stood up, bowed deeply to the head of the family, and hurriedly turned to leave to talk to Zhao Ji about the matter.
A note from the author:
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Actually, I found it a bit strange when I was researching. Zhao Ji was the daughter of a wealthy family in Handan, the capital of Zhao. Why would Zhao Ji become a concubine of Lü Buwei and be given to Ying Yiren? I had never thought about it before, but now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense.
The fact that the Zhao family was able to protect Zhao Ji and her son after Ying Yiren fled shows that they are not a simple family. When I think about it, the reason that the Zhao family had business dealings with Lü Buwei and wanted to invest in Ying Yiren suddenly makes a lot more sense.
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It's okay if you don't agree; just consider it the author's personal interpretation.
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