Chapter 76 A Dreamless Night?
With the implementation of the new household registration system, those who stayed in Qin for a long time could obtain Qin citizenship. Short stays in Qin were prohibited during wartime, and those without Qin citizenship would be expelled from Qin after a specified period.
Although it is still within the stipulated grace period, Xianyang is, after all, the capital of a country. Not to mention other regions, at least everyone here, whether they are native Qin people or people from other countries, has Qin household registration.
Ying Zheng already knew that the deceased dancer and her accomplices were spies who had been lurking in Qin for some time, but had obtained Qin household registration in order to stay in Qin due to recent policies.
According to the Qin laws that the Qin people had to abide by, the punishment for traitors was the extermination of their entire family.
Ying Zheng knew, of course, that the families of these assassins were not in the Qin state, which was exactly the result he needed.
'Qin' started to chime in, saying, "But I see that these people have only recently acquired Qin citizenship, and they are still foreigners. Their three clans are not even within the territory of Qin."
Ying Zheng said with a smile, "They dared to offend the national spirit, so they should have thought about their fate. As for their three clans not being in Qin, that's easy to deal with. We can start a war with Chu and Wei. I will definitely exterminate these people and their three clans to give my mother an explanation."
"Let the whole world see what happens to those who dare to be presumptuous in front of you."
Qin, having known the script all along, immediately spoke up: "Excellent."
The ministers below knew perfectly well that the two above were putting on an act, and they probably even had their lines rehearsed long ago. Besides, they were already planning to take action against the other countries anyway, and now they just had another plausible reason.
It doesn't matter what other countries think, as long as they think it's reasonable.
Just shout "Your Majesty is wise!" and that's it!
Meng Wu stood up and stepped forward: "Your Majesty is wise! As a descendant of 'Qin,' I do not wish to see my ancestors frightened. I am willing to lead the troops into battle!"
Other military officers: ?
No, you've already grabbed it?
The Meng family is truly a family tradition; even after Meng Ao died, Meng Wu still came along to compete with them. It's infuriating!
Listen to this nonsense! How could the nation be frightened by a mere assassin?
Don't think that the people present don't understand anything. Guo Ling's body is illusory, and no one can touch her at all. Even if the assassin was targeting Guo Ling, the dagger would only pierce the air and would not have any effect on 'Qin'.
"These people have no respect for our ancestors. This humble general is willing to avenge our ancestors and Your Majesty!"
Alright, another one jumped the gun!
This time, they dared not stand idly by any longer. They had already fallen behind, and they dared not remain silent. One by one, they expressed their filial piety to Qin and their loyalty to the King of Qin, vying fiercely for the opportunity to lead the troops.
Meanwhile, Qi Wangjian, who was also sitting at the table listening to these words, could only try to minimize his presence. These killing gods were too terrifying. This was his welcoming banquet, right?
King Jian of Qi had a slight doubt about life, but dared not voice his doubts. He could only drink another cup of wine to calm his nerves.
Never mind, there's nothing else that's important, as long as this doesn't involve him.
After waiting for the people below to start arguing and make a mess of things without reaching a conclusion, Ying Zheng finally spoke up to stop them.
Did he really forget to speak up and stop them? Actually, he deliberately waited for the people below to finish speaking before he spoke up and reprimanded them. He didn't even punish them. Instead, he waved his hand and told them to continue sitting at the table, announcing that the banquet could continue.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, King Jian of Qi, absentmindedly ate quite a bit, and the banquet finally came to an end.
****
After the banquet, Qin left immediately, while King Jian of Qi was invited by Ying Zheng: "It is quite a rare meeting between the King of Qi and me. Would the King of Qi be interested in appearing on the news tomorrow?"
King Jian of Qi hesitated for a moment: "What is the CCTV Evening News?"
Ying Zheng: "Li Si, come and answer the King of Qi's questions."
"Yes," Li Si said with a polite smile, bowing to King Jian of Qi again, and then explained, "This news broadcast is quite simple; it's something we Qin people watch every day..."
Li Si explained how the news broadcast operates and introduced which channels are currently broadcast on the Sky Screen, with the news broadcast being the earliest channel to start each day.
Finally, he emphasized, "This is a channel that can be seen throughout the entire Qin territory, so it can be considered a declaration of our friendship to the King of the whole country."
Li Si was referring to the two monarchs, but King Jian of Qi interpreted it in his mind as the two countries being on friendly terms.
His eyes lit up: "Excellent, very good. I wonder what the King of Qin wants me to prepare? Can we decide in advance what was mentioned above?"
Ying Zheng said, "We had a conversation before the banquet, so let's repeat it once we're on the celestial stage."
King Qi nodded in agreement. He thought that since the control of the sky screen was ultimately in the hands of 'Qin', anything that couldn't be said probably wouldn't be broadcast. With this general direction, there was no need to worry about offending the King of Qin.
****
King Jian of Qi returned to his temporary residence, still pondering what form tomorrow's news broadcast would take and whether it would truly be able to be seen throughout the entire Qin state.
He was so excited that he couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. But during this time he also figured something out: with the national spirit in hand, the King of Qin would surely be able to do what he said.
Before falling asleep, King Jian of Qi's last thought was that when he returned to his country, he would use the New Qin Dictionary to find the spirit of the nation!
Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about it during the day that he dreamt about it at night, but after King Jian of Qi fell asleep, he really saw a strange figure. She was wearing light gold clothes, and the dark patterns on the clothes were somewhat similar to the character 'Qin', but also quite different.
It's like the patterns embroidered on clothes aren't from the same land...
King Jian of Qi, as if possessed, exclaimed, "'Qi'?"
Although I really wanted to declare myself the legitimate heir of the Qi royal family, I felt incredibly insecure inside.
Hearing his call, Qi slowly turned to face the King of Qi: "Why are you so nervous and guilty?"
King Jian of Qi: ...
Would he dare say it was because his ancestors plotted to usurp the throne...?
Qi turned around, but didn't walk towards him, remaining standing in place: "Even if you're not royalty, you're still a Qi person. What are you so nervous about? Do you think I'd kill you?"
King Jian of Qi understood the implication: since both were people from Qi who were kings, it made no difference to her.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help feeling uneasy. If there was no difference to Qi, would Qi want to establish a new king because he was too useless?
So it seems that it's best not to seek out the national spirit when you return to your home country, as the national spirit may not be satisfied with every monarch.
Qi pursed his lips, somewhat speechless, and said, "You do have some self-awareness."
After saying that, he added with a hint of exasperation, "How do you think I could appear in your dream right now? You're in the Qin Kingdom right now!"
King Jian of Qi was momentarily stunned, and subconsciously asked, "Why?"
"Of course I came with you. I'm also at the banquet tonight. The King of Qin saw me. Did you see me?"
King Jian of Qi was shaken to his core, and even his dreams began to falter. Indeed, he had not seen any other strange people at the banquet, nor had he seen the figure of 'Qi'...
With his not-too-stupid brain, he figured out one thing: even if he took the dictionary back to China, he probably wouldn't see Qi.
Seeing the thoughts written all over King Jian of Qi's face, 'Qi': ...
She was silent for a moment, then posed a profound question: "Why do you think you can see me by using Qin's dictionary?"
King Jian of Qi: ...
Those who discovered that even with a dictionary, they couldn't find the spirit of another country, had already vaguely guessed this simple truth. It's not that they didn't understand the truth; they just didn't want to.
King Jian of Qi was the same; it seemed that as long as he deliberately avoided thinking about it, there was a glimmer of hope.
He murmured to himself, falling into self-doubt. The surrounding environment began to feel cramped, with the buildings on both sides closing in on him.
Qi frowned, not wanting to feel stifled in someone's dream, so she dispersed and left Qi Wangjian's dream. However, she did not leave immediately, but stood beside Qi Wangjian.
Beside her lay the sleeping King Jian of Qi, and on the other side appeared the suddenly appearing 'Qin'. 'Qin': "What? Did you succeed in sending a message in my dream?"
Qi's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say whether it was a success or not.
Qin suggested with great interest, "How about we make a bet about this dream?"
"If you succeed, I promise you I'll be the last one to die."
Qi was tempted, but felt it would be embarrassing to agree, so she said coldly, "If you're curious, just watch from here. No need to make a bet."
Qin didn't care about the bet; she was just bored and wanted to have some fun: "Okay, I was thinking of giving you something..."
Without even asking what it was, Qi said directly, "Let's gamble!"
"You didn't even ask what it was?" What if she suddenly decided to send a pile of garbage...?
Qi didn't care: "Whether we win or lose, things will just stay the same."
“You seem to see things quite clearly.” ’Qin’ found a chair in the hall and sat down, while ’Qi’ sat opposite her, and the two countries began their game of chess.
****
After King Jian of Qi woke up and dressed, he subconsciously picked up the new Qin dictionary on the table, and in an instant, there was a 'person' next to his table.
King Jian of Qi: !!!
King Jian of Qi was startled, but quickly recovered and respectfully bowed to Qin with the courtesy due to a junior.
Compared to Qin, who is hundreds of years old, he is only a few decades old, so it is normal for him to show respect to his junior.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Qin looked him up and down: "Did you sleep well last night?"
Upon hearing this question, King Jian of Qi hesitated for a moment. Should he then sleep well?
To be honest, after experiencing such a stimulating scene at the banquet yesterday, he shouldn't have slept well under normal circumstances. But wouldn't saying this be subtly criticizing the King of Qin for his poor hospitality?
Therefore, King Jian of Qi, with great tact, said, "I slept very well yesterday, without any dreams. It was as relaxing as sleeping in the Qi Palace."
"You didn't dream at all last night... Are you sure?"
Qin stared at King Jian of Qi's expression. King Jian was such a terrible actor that he could guess almost everything about Qi's thoughts just by looking at his facial expressions.
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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 2024-05-21 21:54:04 and 2024-05-22 11:46:27!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 65499647 (30 bottles); Zhiyue (14 bottles); Xiaowu, fox, Bingye, Mrs. Xu, and 69588267 (1 bottle each).
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