Chapter 42 The Taste of Wei
"Young master, why are you crying...?"
Lord Xinling stared blankly at the water stains on his hand. Yes, why was he crying...?
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Hidden in the shadows, Zhu Qing'ai put away the eye drop bottle, concealing her merit and fame. There was no way she would buy a halo just for this; she was stingy.
She didn't care what Lord Xinling's actual feelings were, as long as he appeared to be crying.
She glanced around at the group of soldiers she saw. Not all of them were Lord Xinling's personal guards; there were also people from other countries who had come to invite him to a meeting.
Even if Lord Xinling issues a gag order, the people here might not necessarily keep the secret to themselves.
****
Lord Xinling stood at the entrance of the camp, not in the rain, but after catching the golden light, he suddenly burst into tears.
He hadn't noticed this when he rushed out, and when he touched his tears, he didn't realize it until someone pointed it out to him.
"...It's nothing," Lord Xinling wiped away his tears. How could he, the commander-in-chief, shed tears on the battlefield? "This matter must not be spread. You saw nothing today."
"Young master, what are you holding? Would you like me to take it and put it away?"
Lord Xinling then looked down at his palm, where the tiny glimmer of light he had been holding had long since vanished.
Light is something that shouldn't linger in one's palm; it should be visible but intangible. Yet, seeing this sliver of light disappear, he was unexpectedly heavy-hearted.
It wasn't because of the tears he had just shed, but because of the metaphor behind the strange phenomenon; he had a bad feeling.
People at this time tend to believe in this, not to mention that the strange phenomenon today was neither too close nor too far from them. Although they were not affected, they could still barely see what was happening.
Besides the Qin army on the opposite side being able to see the black bird soaring through the clouds, the allied forces of the five kingdoms could also see it.
Sure enough, just as the strange phenomenon showed signs of disappearing, someone couldn't wait to invite him to 'discuss military affairs'.
The black bird broke through the clouds, dispelling the rain and fog. This was not a good omen for them. Lord Xinling whispered to the people around him for a while, then got up and followed the foreign soldiers who had come to invite him to the next tent.
As soon as he entered, he saw the people sitting in the tent. He straightened up and was in a state of pre-battle preparation. He believed that if he could persuade them once, he could persuade them a second time.
He smiled and performed the proper courtesies to everyone before taking his seat in the main seat.
He had just sat down when someone spoke up. It was the general sent by the King of Han. He said, "His Majesty issued an order a long time ago, requiring me to lead my troops back. I could have waited before, but this morning I received an urgent edict. I really can't delay any longer."
Lord Xinling sneered inwardly. Of course he knew about this; he had been the one to persuade the other party to stay this morning.
The conversation subtly suggested that the Han general was likely to be ambushed by the Qin army if he left alone in the face of battle. This was all meant to imply that even for his own safety, the Han general should stay with them rather than act alone and be defeated one by one.
Now that they see strange phenomena occurring on the edge of the battlefield, they are unwilling to wait even a day longer.
But Lord Xinling did not want to let them leave. The morale of the army was already low. He had just ordered his men to appease (deceive) the soldiers. He said that this strange phenomenon was an auspicious sign, a good omen, and a celebration of their victory in advance. He said that the light breaking through the rain curtain and the peace and tranquility were auspicious signs.
They said, "Yes, Lord Xinling, Qin is attacking your Wei state. We've already given you a lot of face by coming here... Whether you leave or not isn't your decision, is it?"
"Oh? Are you all planning to just disperse and wait for the Qin army to catch up and devour you?"
The crowd fell silent again. It was impossible before, but it's very possible now. Qin has plenty of grain and can support its people. It's not impossible that they could catch up and force them to take some prisoners.
"This won't work, that won't work, so Lord Xinling, what do you suggest we do?"
A loud noise interrupted their argument, and Lord Xinling abruptly stood up: "What's going on outside?"
A soldier rushed in, looking flustered: "General, it's terrible! The Qin army is attacking!"
The battleground was in complete chaos, and even the people sent by Lord Xinling to appease them couldn't stop it.
****
In reality, the Qin army did not actually attack. They simply used the catapults after the rain, but instead of stones, they used explosive charges.
Standing near the catapult, Meng Ao picked at his ear: "Looking at the chaos on the other side, it wasn't for nothing that I brought this heavy thing all the way here."
He tried to hint to Ji Yu, who was standing to the side, "I wonder if there are any other ways to use explosives. We can't always carry catapults."
Ji Yu: ...
She was only responsible for researching gunpowder; she wasn't a real member of the Mo family who was also involved in upgrading catapults.
What's the point of asking her that? She just stays silent.
****
While the Qin army leisurely threw explosives at the opposite position, throwing the allied forces into chaos, Zhu Qing'ai had already returned to Xianyang. After all, her host and the person she was focusing on was still here.
Today was another regular workday.
****
When Qin walked in, Ying Zheng was practicing simplified Chinese characters; he had already begun learning a script that hadn't yet become popular.
Ying Zichu originally intended to learn it, but he recently fell seriously ill and the matter was dropped.
Ying Zheng looked up at Lai Guo and keenly noticed that his mother seemed to have grown an inch taller.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me with such surprise all of a sudden?"
"Mother, you seem to have grown taller?" Ying Zheng looked thoughtful. So even the spirits of the state could grow taller? Then what does the height of 'Qin' depend on? Is it the territory? But when the territory expanded so much, he didn't seem to remember his mother growing taller in any particular place.
Qin sat down next to Ying Zheng. The tables and chairs in Qin were the most modern they ever had; both dining tables and desks were already in place. After sitting down, she smiled upon hearing this and said, "Yes, there are so many..."
She raised her hand to indicate a slight increase in length, about two centimeters, which means she has grown less than an inch taller by current standards.
"How did you find out so quickly?" It seems she hadn't even said anything, yet Ying Zheng had already discovered this.
"Zheng always observes things very carefully when it comes to his mother."
Qin smiled and nodded, not seeing anything wrong with observing these things. She said, "This time I only ate Wei, so I only grew less than an inch. When you see me again after the next war, you might find that I'm taller."
She made no attempt to hide the fact that she had eaten her 'neighbor' from next door, and even tasted it and told him: "The taste is not bad. I didn't expect that she, who often wears a simple gray outfit, would be warm and sweet and sour inside, a bit like a fruit."
Ying Zheng put down his pen and ink, also very concerned about the fall of a country: "Has the Wei Kingdom already fallen? General Meng's speed is astounding."
“No, not at all,” Qin casually conjured a fan for herself. The fan was semi-circular, resembling a single door, with simple patterns woven from fine bamboo strips. She raised her hand and gently fanned herself. She was in a good mood after devouring Wei, and she was smiling no matter what she said. “However, Wei has indeed been devoured by me. Only some inhuman wandering consciousnesses remain within the territory of Wei. There is nothing to fear.”
At this moment, Qin still had the mood to laugh, and covered his lips with his fan, his gaze fixed on the void, as if recalling the taste of Wei.
She suddenly laughed, and Ying Zheng asked her curiously why.
"It's just that they ran away as soon as the fighting started. I have to say, they really have a good grasp of the situation."
"I suppose he won't be coming for several months, right?"
They are the kind of neighbors who are very complicated. They can visit each other, but if given the chance, they will definitely devour each other without hesitation.
She just ate one of her neighbors' food, so the rest of them probably won't bother her for a while.
"To live in this world is the greatest blessing..." She hummed an unknown tune while fanning herself in high spirits. If you listened carefully, you could tell that it was a popular tune in Qin territory recently.
Ying Zheng almost heard it as "the greatest delicacy," but even if he misheard, there was no difference between the two.
Because of this conversation, Ying Zheng's life goal suddenly changed, from the rather vague goal of dedicating his life to a powerful state to Qin, to the goal of presenting Qin with a feast known as the world.
Her mother's neighbors or sisters, her enemy country/follower mother, will be the first to be served on the table, but only as ingredients.
Qin was unaware of Ying Zheng's changing ambitions. She was still thinking that after conquering the six states, she should write a book called "The Taste of the Six States," because such a memorable event shouldn't be known only to her.
She conjured up a piece of paper covered in dense writing with a wave of her hand, but looking at it felt unsettling; it was no fun with only her country seeing it.
She turned to look at Ying Zheng, slapped the paper in front of him, and instructed people to temporarily ignore the simplified Chinese characters and copy down this article about the State of Wei for her records.
Ying Zheng did not copy it down, but first read through its contents out of curiosity.
After reading it, he had only one thought left... He was amazed at how complicated his mother's relationship with the other 'neighbors' really was.
This so-called "post-meal review" wasn't entirely about that aspect. The first part was something like a eulogy, followed by an introduction to "Wei's" preferences, and only at the very end was it about how it tasted.
The mother also wrote in her summary: "[It's best eaten directly; no seasonings are recommended. Those who wish to try it should keep this in mind.]"
Although he felt that the logic behind it was really hard for humans to understand, Ying Zheng still copied it obediently.
Qin was quite satisfied with this, but her smile ended there.
When Meng Ao returned to the capital in triumph, she realized that sometimes one shouldn't eat the country in front of humans.
****
The Qin woman who went to greet Ying Zheng was in a good mood. To put it another way, it was as if she was the one who ate the fruit, and Meng Ao and the others were there to clean up the mess for her.
When Meng Ao's army returned, in addition to bringing back news of their victory over the allied forces using gunpowder, they also brought back a supernatural tale that resembled a legend.
Qin was not surprised. She knew this would happen even when she was hiding from people. After being alone for hundreds of years, she also hoped that one day she could meet her child.
The next second, her expression froze.
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Author's Note: Zhu Qing'ai: I hope to publish a book called "National Classics" in the future to give future generations a little shock.
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Wow, some kids guessed it! Next time I'll definitely think of something else (huh?).
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