Chapter 8 Chapter 8 He really can’t do this kind of physical work…
Ying Zheng lowered his head and his eyes fell on the bamboo slips in his hand. He seemed to be concentrating, but in fact he didn't see anything.
It has to be admitted that Ying Zheng was shaken, but the magical power he had personally experienced made him more convinced of Zhu Dan's identity as a disciple of the immortal.
As an emperor who has been seeking immortality for many years, how can he let go easily when he finally caught the real immortal?
Even Ying Zheng thought darkly: Zhu Dan said that her current divine power could not cure me. Is this true or just an excuse? If divine power can't cure me, then what about divine flesh and divine blood?
But in just a moment, Zhu Dan's eyes appeared in Ying Zheng's mind again.
There was no awe in those eyes, more like heartache.
It is normal to have no reverence, but things have changed since Zhu Dan received the teachings from the immortals. Ying Zheng forgave her for calling him Brother Zheng casually. This is the confidence and casualness of the immortals' disciples.
Is it heartache? Qin Shi Huang had never seen such a look in his life.
His mother, Zhao Ji, had nothing but resentment towards him. She resented his father for abandoning them and resented the humiliation they suffered in Zhao State because of him.
Ying Zheng suddenly realized that Zhu Dan calling him Brother Zheng was not rude or disrespectful, but rather had a certain degree of intimacy in his words.
For the first time, emotion overwhelmed reason.
Ying Zheng found that he didn't want to hurt the other person, didn't want to hurt such a rare and sincere heart.
And thinking back rationally, he wanted to use the flesh and blood of the gods to prolong his life, but were the gods also paying attention to their disciples?
If he did it, there would be no turning back.
But if I let Zhu Dan leave Xianyang, and she sees the people outside, will she be disappointed in me like Fusu?
Moreover, the remnants of the six kingdoms have not been completely eliminated. What if Zhu Dan is injured by them?
Ying Zheng was faced with a difficult choice.
"You, let me think about it."
*
"Empress Wang, don't worry about me. I'll just sit here and wait for His Majesty to figure it out." Zhu Dan was very familiar with this familiar face that he had seen several times.
Wang Changshi looked at Zhu Dan sitting on the chair as comfortable as if he was in his own palace, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
Thinking back to when Zhu Dan had just patted the king on the shoulder in such a disrespectful manner, the king, as usual, indulged him and said nothing.
On the other side, Ying Zheng leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
He was used to sitting on his knees, so it was a bit awkward to suddenly change his posture. But he had to admit that it was indeed a lot more comfortable this way. Is this how all gods sit?
His body was still warm, and before he knew it, Ying Zheng fell asleep.
He dreamed of...a god!
I couldn't see the immortal's face clearly, but I remembered that his robes fluttered, and he had an air of being detached from the mundane world. His voice was gentle, but it gave people a firm and resolute tone: "I will protect her."
Ying Zheng opened his eyes and looked up at the hourglass not far away.
Less than a quarter of an hour had passed.
Ying Zheng made up his mind. Zhu Dan was protected by the gods, and the remnants of the six kingdoms would not be able to harm her. If she wanted to go to Lantian County, let her go. Ying Zheng remembered that Meng Yi had a villa there, and he would occasionally stay there for a while.
Finally, Ying Zheng thought of Fusu and asked him to go with him.
*
Zhu Dan thought that Zheng Ge would take a long time to think about it, but she didn't expect that he came out of the hall in just five minutes and told her that she could go to Lantian County and he would prepare a ceremonial guard for her.
Is ceremonial procession just about giving money and things to people?
How can this be embarrassing? Zhu Dan rubbed his hands and agreed without hesitation: "Then I'll go pack my things and leave later."
Seeing her like this, Ying Zheng thought about the seven-day appointment and wanted to tell her not to rush, but Zhu Dan had already run out quickly. He laughed. Zhu Qing was always in a hurry. He raised his hand and said, "Call the Shaofu here."
Zhu Dan went to say goodbye to his friends.
"Su, you should make paper well. The road may be tortuous, but the future is bright." Zhu Dan earnestly told her the knowledge points about papermaking that he knew.
Xiang Lichun looked reluctant: "We have to go too?"
Zhu Dan glared at him and said, "Of course, if you don't go there, who else can I turn to for inventions I want to make in the future?"
She was thinking that it was better to do something familiar than to do a novice, but Qin Mo felt that it was his cooking skills that conquered Zhu Dan, and even the introverted Xiang Liyuan curled his lips.
What can I do?
Your Majesty couldn't persuade Zhu Dan, so they had to go.
Zhu Dan also brought Liu Bai along.
She is not very interested in art, but as a painter, wouldn't she be an expert in drawing with a little training?
The Shaofu came with a ceremonial guard to pick someone up. Zhu Dan saw at a glance a tall and handsome young man who stood out among the guards and eunuchs.
He also stared at Zhu Dan with a strange look in his eyes.
It seems that like Liu Bai, they are not very willing to work for him. Zhu Dan came to this conclusion and looked at the Shaofu: "Who is this?" Who is this relative?
A subtle glint flashed across the Shaofu's eyes, but he said naturally, "This person is called Meng Qi, and he is the nephew of the family of Meng Yi, the Lord Meng."
Monkey? Zhu Dan had never heard of him.
They are just members of the Meng family, so I can rest assured.
"Set off."
Zhu Dan got on the carriage. The Shaofu glanced at Monkie, and Monkie reluctantly lifted the curtain and followed.
"You!" Zhu Dan glared at him. The carriage was so small, and it was difficult for him to breathe after such a tall guy came in!
The Shaofu quickly tried to smooth things over: "Mr. Zhu, this time when you go to Lantian County, you and your group will be staying in the other courtyard of Lord Meng's home. If you have any instructions, please tell Master Mengqi."
"Oh." Zhu Dan raised her eyelids. It turned out that he was not a relative of hers, but a local boss that Zheng Ge had found for her.
He can be responsible for purchasing supplies, inquiring about local conditions, etc.
There is no need to trouble Meng Yi to provide support.
That’s right, he is already a high-ranking official, how could he have time to play house with me?
The carriage began to move. Zhu Dan looked at Meng Qi and thought of Fusu, who was going to build the Great Wall with Meng Tian. He couldn't help but ask, "I heard that Master Fusu offended His Majesty and was exiled overnight. Has he left Xianyang yet?"
This barbecued pork bun should be sent to the Great Wall for a few years of forced labor so that he can understand the sufferings of the people.
Fusu's own Monkey: "..."
He saw the gloating in Zhu Dan's eyes, as well as a hint of sympathy.
It's normal to gloat over someone else's misfortune, but sympathy?
"Mr. Zhu hates Fusu?"
"Hateful." The voice sounded familiar, and Zhu Dan curled her lips. "But considering his miserable future, I won't bother with him."
"His...future?" Fusu's pupils shrank.
Zhu Dan tried it and found that he still couldn't reveal the plot, so he shrugged.
Fusu was a little panicked for a moment: What will my future be like... No, this is just the alchemists playing tricks, how can I believe them?
Fusu hated alchemists very much. He believed that his father was bewitched by them and ate the elixir.
After a long silence, Fusu asked, "Why does Zhu Sheng hate him?"
"Because he belittled Zheng Ge and made Zheng Ge angry." Zhu Dan said without hesitation.
Fusu disagreed with this. He thought that his father valued Zhu Dan very much and wanted to persuade her to influence his father.
Considering that he was not Prince Fusu at the moment, he spoke very tactfully, but to his brainless fan Zhu Dan, he sounded like a criticism of Zheng Ge's lack of morals and his mindless flattery of Confucian scholars.
She immediately sneered and felt that she really had a filter for the Meng family.
The Meng family is indeed loyal to Zheng Ge, but not all members of the Meng family are Zheng Ge's supporters. The Qin Dynasty did not engage in literary inquisitions like the Qing Dynasty, so they were really spoiled!
"You think Zheng Ge burying the Confucian scholars alive is cruel, but the Confucian scholars jumping around and trying to split the Qin Dynasty, isn't that also malicious?"
"You said that once the world is unified, benevolent governance should be implemented, but did the Qin Dynasty really unify the country?"
Fusu fell silent.
The Qin Dynasty seemed to be unified, but in reality, this situation was maintained solely by his father. That was why he was eager to change it. But would change make things better? What if it got worse...
Zhu Dan felt the alchemy cauldron jump, subconsciously looked over, and immediately gasped.
This person actually contributed ten strands of spiritual energy to himself? !
What just happened?
What's so special about him?
You know, even Zheng Ge doesn’t have one, and neither does Su, Xiang Lichun and Xiang Liyuan.
Zhu Dan stared at Monkie and subconsciously said to him:
"Have the Confucian scholars you're referring to ever offered any practical advice on how to govern a country, other than constantly talking about benevolent government?"
She knew why Monkey had this kind of personality. This was Fusu's style.
That’s right, Fusu was the heir recognized by Zheng Ge, so the Meng family naturally approached him. Otherwise, Zheng Ge would not have exiled Fusu and let him go to find Meng Tian.
When it comes to good strategies for governing the country, how can Fusu remain silent?
His teacher, Chunyu Yue, was a great Confucian scholar of his time. He loudly expressed his political views, but Zhu Dan was illiterate and didn't understand much of what he said. However, this didn't stop her from hitting the nail on the head: "Confucianism opposes the county system and calls for a restoration of the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty. But the fact is that the Zhou Dynasty existed in name only, and many countries competed for hegemony. This kind of constant conflict and miserable life is what you want?"
Fusu's face flushed, but he couldn't refute.
Even though he recognized Confucianism, he still admitted that his father's unification was a great achievement.
There were many hegemons who took turns during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but none of them could accomplish this.
Zhu Dan was delighted to see that two more strands of spiritual energy had grown.
So Monkie deserves to be criticized.
She cleared her throat and continued, "Does the so-called benevolent government of Confucianism actually win the hearts of the people of the world and make them admit that they are not from the Six Kingdoms, but from Qin?"
"How is this possible?" Fusu smiled bitterly. Even now, there are still remnants of the six kingdoms who want to assassinate his father.
"But I can." Zhu Dan said confidently, "I came to Lantian County for this."
Fusu looked at her steadily and shook his head, thinking that he was really stupid for saying so much to her.
Throughout the rest of the journey, no matter how Zhu Dan provoked him, he didn't say a word.
More importantly, the spiritual energy was no longer growing. It seemed that all the wool of this sheep had been plucked out by himself. Zhu Dan felt a little annoyed. He should have been more restrained earlier.
After a bumpy ride to Lantian County, she got off the carriage with a grin and walked into the villa.
The housekeeper led the way in front. Since there were only servants here, Zhu Dan suddenly felt less uncomfortable living in someone else's house.
After putting down her luggage, she couldn't wait to take Monchi shopping to check out the market.
After going out, Zhu Dan looked around with some curiosity. He didn't feel it when he was in Xianyang Palace, but when he came to Lantian County, he really felt the poverty and backwardness of the Qin Dynasty.
Houses are generally one-story only, and two-story ones are rare. They are generally made of mud and covered with thatch.
The experience of this ancient street is much more real than that in later generations.
In addition to walking on the streets, Zhu Dan also went into the alleys. Some families were having dinner. Zhu Dan saw a child crying loudly because his teeth were knocked out by eating hard beans.
Is this... bean rice?
Beans...soybeans? Zhu Dan clapped his hands. "I can make tofu!"
"Monkey, let's go buy some soybeans. His Majesty gave me a hundred gold coins, so let's buy one hundred gold coins first."
Fusu looked at her in disbelief. "So much? Mr. Zhu, this is the money you need to buy the ingredients for alchemy!"
Zhu Dan made the final decision: "Let's buy this one."
I arrived at the grain store and discovered that soybeans were very cheap. One hundred gold taels were actually equivalent to two thousand taels of gold?!
This is really too much. There will be more than enough after buying the grain shop.
The guy looked at them with a rather unfriendly look, thinking they were there to cause trouble. Zhu Dan compromised and only bought half of the stock.
In addition to soybeans, I also bought two stone mills.
There aren't many of these things in the store. If the customer is not in a hurry, you can write down the size and have it custom-made.
Zhu Dan then ordered five more. The ceremonial guard that Zhengge had given her had many strong and healthy guards, so it would be a waste if they were not used.
When the grain shop clerk delivered several carts of beans to the villa, his originally gloomy face instantly blossomed into a smile as beautiful as a flower: "So it's the daughter of General Meng's family..."
The clerk was very attentive and wanted to adjust the goods and offer discounts, fearing that Zhu Dan would get angry and complain.
Their boss can't afford to offend General Meng.
Zhu Dan was amused and a little sad at the sight, so he waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary. Your soybeans are of good quality. I'll buy them again if I need them in the future."
"Thank you for taking care of the business!"
The stone mill was installed and the beans were soaked. It seemed that they would be soaked overnight, but Zhu Dan was still craving for soy milk.
Because she had made a lot of money from Monkie, she didn't hesitate and took out ten kilograms of soybeans first.
Fusu saw the beans grow rapidly with his own eyes, and his eyes widened into round shapes.
Zhu Dan shook his head proudly: "What are you standing there for? Go grind beans."
"Me?" Fusu pointed at himself in disbelief.
"Of course it's you. You're so tall and big, and you look like a good worker."
As a result... Fusu stopped pushing the mill after only five minutes, panting.
Now it was Zhu Dan's turn to be in disbelief: "You are too bad, this is a scam."
Although Fusu felt wronged, he was not weak. In fact, the Confucian scholars at that time were not weak and sour. On the contrary, they dared to tour the six countries with swords, and they had real skills.
But although he can fight, he really can't do this kind of physical work.
"Move aside, let me try." Zhu Dan pushed Monkie away in disgust. She was in good health and was good at thinking, so she quickly found the right posture and angle.
Seeing how easy it was for her, Fusu was not convinced, so he pushed another millstone, and the two of them ground ten pounds of beans as if in a competition.
The guards watching from the side were filled with helplessness, while the slaves and housekeepers were trembling with fear. How could they be idle while their master was working?
But they wanted to help, but the other party wouldn't let them!
Could it be that grinding beans is the latest popular hobby in Xianyang?
Finally it was over. Fusu took a few deep breaths, feeling extremely tired. He was shocked in his heart: wheat flour is so rare, no wonder everyone in Qiandu who I saw on the street was eating wheat rice. Some people couldn't even afford wheat rice and could only eat bean rice.
——Bean rice, in his impression, is for livestock to eat, such as the horses he raises, he would feed them beans.
She didn't feel anything when the slaves ate bean rice, but was it really so hard for the common people?
He didn't notice that Zhu Dan was staring at him, and her eyes were full of surprise, because this person had contributed spiritual energy to her again, replenishing the two strands used to stimulate the growth of beans.
So this Monkie is really a masochist, right? When others criticize and torture him, he responds with spiritual energy?
Zhu Dan couldn't help but feel the urge to do something, but having seen the previous example of people taking advantage of others, she finally held back.
The beans are all used up, and we can't ask him to grind wheat.
Actually, it’s not impossible, Zhu Dan thought, but she was hungry, so she decided to eat first.
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