Chapter 6 Qin 6
"As expected of barbarians, they run rampant..."
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Ying Zheng didn't hear what was said after that. He was carried into the house by Zhao Ji, who asked him, "What's wrong? Are people gossiping?"
Ying Zheng shook his head, got down from Zhao Ji's embrace, and followed behind her: "No."
"You didn't answer your mother's questions just now, you were just daydreaming." Zhao Ji was still very concerned about her son at this moment, after all, her son was the only one she was closest to.
The father who occasionally showed concern and affection for her because of his own interests only annoyed her.
"My son is thinking that the words he learned today are much more difficult than usual."
Zhao Ji, unsuspecting, relaxed and said, "My Zheng'er is so intelligent, he will always be able to learn. There is no child of the same age as my Zheng'er who is smarter."
"However, he can't just focus on studying." Zhao Ji had intended for Ying Zheng to occasionally rest and play like a child, but unexpectedly...
"Then, Mother, may I learn swordsmanship?"
"..." Zhao Ji felt that her words were superfluous. Was this what she meant?
However, she didn't hesitate for long before nodding helplessly, "I'll mention it next time your grandfather comes. It would be good to find Zheng'er a swordsmanship instructor..."
Ying Zheng nodded, glancing out of the corner of his eye towards the direction of the courtyard. Not seeing the withered green figure, he breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time wondered if he had really been studying for too long and his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Who is she looking for, and who has the right to provoke such a non-human spirit?
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Ying Zheng spent the entire afternoon at home, idly scratching the ground with a tree branch while thinking about the strange woman he had encountered that day.
Perhaps they aren't even human.
Indeed, he quickly realized that the 'person' who appeared in his house was probably looking for the woman who had helped him earlier that day and then mysteriously disappeared.
And that woman might not even be human.
Thinking of this, Ying Zheng expressionlessly poked the ant nest under the tree with the fork in his hand, and several ants scattered in a panic.
Ying Zheng remained unmoved, continuing to pretend to be an ordinary child, curiously poking at the ant nest under his command.
"Stop poking it, all the ants are going to die."
The gentle voice was very familiar; he had heard it when he went out earlier today, though it was slightly different from the tone of Zhao Ren's voice he usually heard.
"Don't look for me, you can't see me, and I can't stay here any longer."
“If that guy hadn’t found his way here, I wouldn’t be looking for you at this time…”
Ying Zheng paused in his actions, keeping his gaze fixed on the ant hole and not letting it wander around.
When he heard the sound, he noticed that the world around him had become quiet. There was no more chirping of birds, no more scolding of his neighbor's child, and no more sweeping from the servants nearby.
All he could hear was the woman's voice, and miraculously, he felt no fear; the gentle voice made him feel at ease.
He found it strange that this was happening. He could sense that the two people the other person had stopped earlier were coming for him, and that the other person was helping him. But he let his guard down just because of that, which was unlike him.
There have been instances in the past where children deliberately showed him kindness only to humiliate him in return, so he shouldn't have let his guard down so easily.
Zhu Qing'ai had no idea what Ying Zheng was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn't tell him. It was actually the cheap halo she had bought in the store that had come into play. It was useful, but its abruptness would arouse suspicion. It was something that was originally useless, but it suited her just right.
It's precisely because we need to raise suspicion that we can steer the discussion towards national consciousness.
The gentle female voice didn't mention who she was referring to, but suddenly her tone quickened as she said, "You can't see her. Don't let her find out you can see her. No matter what she says, don't admit it..."
Then the whole world became lively again...
Birds chirped and chattered on the tree branches, tilting their heads to watch the children squatting on the ground below, idly poking at an ant nest.
The old lady next door had a loud voice: "Look at the kids next door! I don't expect you to help with chores, but at least don't go out and cause trouble!"
"You dare to hide? I'll teach you a lesson today!"
Then came the sound of children crying...
A gentle breeze rustled through the branches of the trees in the courtyard, and Ying Zheng heard the leaves whispering softly.
And then there was a clear, ethereal voice. She leaned closer and called out Ying Zheng's full name: "Qin Zheng..."
Ying Zheng didn't react. Like a child who had finished playing, he dropped the branch in his hand and ran into the house with his short legs to find Zhao Ji: "Mother, I'm hungry."
"Hmm? Wait a little longer, we'll have dinner soon."
Zhao stood in the courtyard and chuckled softly, his voice growing increasingly ethereal: "Let me guess, why are you so concerned about a little child..."
She moved through the courtyard like a gentle breeze, seemingly unnoticed by the two maids inside, allowing a stranger carrying a long sword to intrude.
Zhao had entered through the courtyard gate as if she were strolling around in her own home, if you ignored the sword she was carrying.
She wore a deep robe with a curved hem, and her waist was adorned with jingling ornaments. The hem of the robe was gathered at the knees, while the skirt flared out like a trumpet. From above, it looked like a withered green lotus leaf that had reached the end of its life.
She walked slowly through the courtyard, her skirt trailing behind her as it brushed the ground without leaving a trace.
Although his movements seemed restricted by the clothes, preventing him from taking more than a step, he still walked step by step into the house.
The house wasn't very big to begin with. After searching the yard without finding the smuggled "small country", Zhao turned around and went inside.
At this moment, Ying Zheng was clinging to Zhao Ji's side, and Zhao Ji was very pleased with her son's affection, chatting happily with Ying Zheng.
When Zhao entered, this was the scene of a loving mother and filial son. She glanced at Zhao Ji indifferently and then looked away.
She looked up and surveyed the room's layout and decorations, wandering aimlessly around as if she didn't want to do anything.
Ying Zheng could clearly feel the sharp gazes directed at him, as well as the faint clang of swords in the air.
He was nervous, but could only focus on chatting with Zhao Ji.
After waiting for a long time without any further action from this 'person', Ying Zheng was instead greeted by a steaming hot dinner served by a maid.
After placing the food on the low table, the maid quickly bowed and retreated.
Zhao Ji pulled him down to kneel and said, "Eat quickly, these are all your favorite dishes. You must be tired from studying hard lately."
Ying Zheng shook his head, thanked Zhao Ji for her concern, and then began to eat.
"Qin Zheng...I know you can see me..."
Ying Zheng lowered his head to eat, when he suddenly heard a sound very close to him, and dark blue hair swayed gently in his sight.
He saw that familiar withered green, the color of that unknown non-human species.
No, he can't see.
Ying Zheng ate slowly and deliberately, occasionally complaining to Zhao Ji about what he didn't like to eat and that he didn't want to eat it next time, which led to Zhao Ji scolding him.
It's like a typical mother telling her child not to be picky about food.
Zhao maintained his bent-over posture, staring at the child eating in an orderly fashion.
She snorted: "She broke the rules set by Zhou for you, harming my people within my territory, yet you don't even dare to take responsibility?"
“Speak up, I know you can see.”
Ying Zheng felt the air around him suddenly turn cold, but he thought that if he really spoke up, he would be letting her down.
He persisted like this for a long time, so long that after he finished his dinner, he looked up and gazed past the person in front of him, towards what was probably Zhao Ji's direction: "Mother, I've finished eating!"
"She really can't see?" Zhao waved his hand curiously in front of Ying Zheng, then murmured, "Could it be that she was just passing by and came out of curiosity to take a look..."
"Tsk, Qin's wandering around like this needs to be treated." Zhao was quite annoyed, both missing Zhou's powerful days and hoping that Zhou would die soon so that she could reach a higher level.
As long as the Zhou dynasty did not perish, they would forever remain, in their minds, vassal states.
If Zhou is gone, the world may not belong to anyone else.
Who will be next week?
Zhao stood upright, watching Ying Zheng leave as he stood up, claiming he was going to the courtyard to digest his food. She didn't follow him, but glanced around before her figure gradually disappeared from sight.
****
Zhu Qing'ai, having removed her vest, happily followed along, eager to see Ying Zheng's reaction to her first appearance.
She hummed a song as she walked into the courtyard. Perhaps her acting was too realistic, causing Ying Zheng to still be playing the role of a proper child.
If she weren't certain that the other party had just seen her first alias, "Zhao," and that he could hear what she said under both aliases, she would have thought he really knew nothing.
Zhu Qing'ai exclaimed in admiration, "This acting is superb! He's a born actor!" Out of boredom, she sculpted a virtual golden statue and solemnly presented it to Ying Zheng.
Of course, Ying Zheng couldn't see this little golden statue.
It is because Zhu Qing'ai had been staying in Handan, the capital of Zhao, for several years without speaking to anyone, that she was so bored that she sculpted a small golden statue to cosplay the Oscars ceremony.
She left behind a virtual golden statue, clapped her hands, and left.
Now she needs to deal with the aftermath of today's incident...
****
Those two people were knocked unconscious by her weak electric current at noon, and nobody knows where they are now...
Zhu Qing'ai closed her eyes and scanned the entire city of Handan. After confirming the location of the two people, she quickly turned off the function. This function consumed too much energy, and she couldn't use it casually right now.
She cherishes her energy and is determined to use every bit of it wisely.
"Found it..."
She drifted towards the Zhao King's palace and soon arrived at Zhao Yan's residence. She saw the two familiar servants being carried out.
After listening for a couple of minutes, I learned that the two men had suffered a bout of hysteria and were acting completely insane. Young Master Yan had ordered them to be thrown out.
Zhu Qing'ai frowned slightly. Had they gone mad with fright? She felt no sympathy for these two people. To be willing to harm a four or five-year-old child just to curry favor was utterly despicable.
She went inside, still uneasy, intending to hear if Zhao Yan had any plans that would be detrimental to Ying Zheng.
As she listened, she realized she had been overthinking things. This man had probably forgotten Ying Zheng to the farthest corner of his memory. As for those two insane servants, what did they have to do with him? He was the high and mighty Young Master Zhao.
At this point, Zhao Yan was already discussing with his personal attendant where they would go for fun, completely ignoring the attendant who had suddenly gone mad.
Zhu Qing'ai's lips twitched, and she suddenly felt sorry for the current King Zhao for having such a son.
Of course, she also felt sorry for her own pseudonym 'Zhao'; if she were 'Zhao', she would definitely give the other person two big sinuses.
She turned and walked away speechlessly. She should have used that time to think about her own setup: why could the national consciousness, visible only to Ying Zheng, appear in front of everyone to save him…?
After thinking for a moment, she clapped her hands: "Of course, it's because only he won't go crazy if he sees it in real life."
That way, if there's a need to perform a dream-based ritual in the future, there won't be any conflict.
The rule set by Zhou, which Zhao mentioned earlier, is that a country should not easily appear in front of people to prevent large-scale madness among humans. Moreover, people should not easily see the country unless the country uses its own methods.
The reason for not using such methods to drive the people of enemy countries mad is even simpler: no powerful country that believes it can unify the world would take action against its future people, and a weak country has no right to do so.
Just like modern nuclear weapons, they exist, but are used more for deterrence than for direct use.
If both sides have it, then it's the same as having neither.
The matter of 'Qin' saving people is separate.
Zhu Qing'ai nodded, feeling that she was quite good at making up lies. However, she wouldn't tell the people who needed to know directly. It's best for people to discover the truth themselves. It doesn't matter if they don't discover it, as long as the misunderstanding isn't too far off.
Qin was not afraid of Zhao reporting her, because Zhou could not beat her. Zhu Qing'ai laughed arrogantly under Qin's guise. Only at this moment could one see the arrogance in Qin's gentle appearance.
A note from the author:
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During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, people ate only two meals a day. The morning meal, called "morning meal," was eaten around 9 or 10 am. The afternoon meal, called "evening meal," was eaten around 5 or 6 pm. No lunch was eaten. The variety of food was also relatively limited. The main grains were millet (also known as foxtail millet), rice, beans such as soybeans and edamame, sorghum, and wheat. In the Central Plains, millet was the staple grain, while in the Jiangnan region, rice was the main grain. In some arid and water-scarce areas, beans and wheat were the staple foods.
(The text directly mentions breakfast and dinner, such as millet, wheat, beans, bowls, and chopsticks. This is mainly because using unfamiliar characters like "晚享" (evening feast) might not be suitable for readers. Also, I need to think about the pronunciation of the character before I start writing... So the author decided not to make things difficult for himself.)
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Author: Daughter, have you forgotten something?
Zhu Qing'ai: What?
Author: The male protagonist has been sent to farm for three years by you!
Zhu Qing'ai: So he admitted his mistake... no, did he understand?
Author: Oh, how would I know? (eyes shift)
Zhu Qing'ai: Let him continue planting.
Author's note: My condolences to the male lead, sob sob (?).
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