Chapter 107: The Future Splendor [Jinjiang Authentic Edition Exclusive Release·Curious]...
He had no idea of Zhang Liang's future achievements, nor did he understand why the emperor's eldest grandson valued this down-and-out Korean so much.
In his opinion, this prison has never had such a bold suspect since it was built. He is obviously a person who has committed a crime. Now the grandson of His Majesty the Emperor has condescended to come to this cold prison to see him in the cold weather. Not only does this person not have the slightest awareness of being a suspect, he still sits on the straw pile against the wall with a sneer on his face. He doesn't even have the slightest desire to stand up and salute the respect that should be shown to the royal family. He even dares to openly ridicule His Royal Highness with words in front of so many people. Either he values his own talents and abilities too much and is confident that the people in the royal family will not be willing to kill him, or he is extremely arrogant and stupid and does not want to live anymore.
The poor little grandson of the emperor was so smart that he must have understood Zhang Liang's malicious and sarcastic words and was getting angry.
Alas, Zhang Han sighed inwardly and subconsciously wanted to see the young emperor's grandson's anger. But when he lowered his eyes, he saw that the young emperor was not angry at all. Instead, he stared at Zhang Liang with an infatuated look. He was stunned. This expression was familiar to him! When His Majesty was holding Han Feizi's handwritten posthumous works in the palace and reading silently over and over again, his handsome face had the same expression as he stared at the bamboo slips.
???
What's going on? Grandfather and grandson are clearly two generations apart, so how could their temperaments and preferences be so similar?! No wonder the Chief Justice had to sourly tell him that anyone associated with Han Feizi, even within the Qin imperial family, was a succubus! It's going to be tough!
Look, the emperor's eldest grandson, a three-year-old kid, hadn't seen Zhang Liang, the anti-Qin leader, for a year. Now they met in prison. Zhang Liang hadn't done anything yet, but with just a light kiss of his lips, the emperor's eldest grandson was hooked and his eyes were wide open.
[Alas, thankfully the Court Inspector didn't come with His Highness Changsun today. Otherwise, if the Court Inspector had seen Zhang Liang's audacious mockery of His Highness Changsun, wouldn't he have been furious again, running to the Zhangtai Palace in grief to complain to His Majesty?]
Qin Ying, who was unable to hear Zhang Han's complicated mutterings behind her, suppressed the shocking and absurd emotions that seemed to have crossed time and space. Then, with her eyes shining brightly, she walked up to Zhang Liang, took her copper-framed hand warmer from the bowing jailer, and forced it into Zhang Liang's red, frozen hands. She looked at him with sparkling eyes and smiled sweetly, saying,
"I've been so busy all year that I haven't had time to see you, and yet you're already complaining about me. It's clear you've taken me to heart. Otherwise, how could love turn into resentment?"
Zhang Han's eyelids jumped: "..." [How could a little kid who hasn't even been born for a thousand days say such nonsense? ? ?]
"Bang!" A muffled sound echoed. Zhang Liang, who had just lifted a rock to vent his frustration, had unexpectedly ended up hitting himself in the foot. Seeing the chubby boy's dark, bright eyes that seemed to see through him, his heart skipped a beat. He looked away, a bit embarrassed and flustered. But the warm warmth emanating from the copper furnace walls penetrated his palms, uncontrollably flowing through his meridians into his gloomy heart, spreading throughout his limbs and bones, and surprisingly dispelling most of the resentment he had accumulated over the past year.
Seeing Zhang Liang's expression, Qin Ying's smile grew even brighter. Not disdaining the simpleness of the place, she lifted her winter robe and sat down on the straw pile beside Zhang Liang. She cupped her tender cheeks with her two small hands, staring at the scattered straw on the ground with a rather distressed look, and sighed,
"Alas, the master misses me, and I miss him too."
"But you're only three years old now. Studying, eating, and sleeping take up all your daytime hours. Grandfather loves you like a treasure and is afraid you might get into an accident. He rarely lets you go out alone, even in the royal city. If you were ten years older, let alone coming to see Master in prison, you could even move in and be his neighbor across the stone wall. But it's just a regrettable fantasy."
Embarrassed Zhang Han was digging his toes into the ground in his boots frantically.
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Hearing the sudden mechanical electronic sound in his mind, Ying, the little chubby boy, with his cheeks propped up by his two small hands, couldn't help but glance sideways at Zhang Liang beside him. If it weren't for the system broadcast in his mind, he would have really been intimidated by Zhang Liang's expressionless face. He couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart: "Although Liang Baihua often threatens to turn evil in prison, he's just as sharp-tongued as Lin Daiyu when he gets angry, so he's actually very easy to appease."
Zhang Liang, who was separated from "Daiyu" by more than 1,700 years and two dimensions, naturally could not guess what the fat baby next to him was thinking of him. It was impossible for him to say that he was not annoyed at all for being left here by Qin Ying for a whole year. But he also understood that letting a baby come to the prison to see him, the anti-Qin bandit leader, might not be reassuring or willing for Qin Shi Huang, let alone his father, even the mild-tempered eldest prince Fusu.
Regardless of whether Qin Ying's words were sincere or not, they did give him a way out. Zhang Liang, who knew when to quit, tugged at the cuffs of his prison uniform with his fingers in a calm voice.
"The eldest grandson of the Emperor is a treasure held in the palm of the hand of His Majesty Qin Shi Huang. It's freezing cold today. Why did the eldest grandson of the Emperor condescend to come to this prison to see the suspect Liang?"
Hearing Zhang Liang's words, Qin Ying also smiled and replied:
"To be honest, sir, I came to visit you in the prison today. I do have two things to tell you."
"Heh—there are so many talented people in the court, but I'm not very well-educated, and I'm a criminal. I'm afraid I can't help His Royal Highness the Grandson with his doubts."
Ying·Little Fatty simply chose to ignore the sourness in Zhang Liang's tone, and chattered to herself:
"Sir, you should know that the uncle and nephew of the Xiang family, who are sharing this cell block with you, are the direct descendants of the former famous Chu general Xiang Yan. Like Mr. Zhang Liang, they both harbor a fervent desire to oppose the Qin Dynasty. However, under the sincere counsel of Mr. Xiang Liang and Master Xiang Ji, they have recently come to realize that opposing the Qin Dynasty is a dead end in today's world."
"Once the uncle and nephew came to their senses and were ready to join the light, Mr. Xiang Liang, hoping to redeem himself for meritorious service, not only compiled the identities of all the remnants of the fallen Chu state who harbored rebellious motives against the Qin Dynasty into a thick paper volume, but last month he also accompanied Internal Secretary Meng Yi on a thousand-mile expedition back to Chu, ready to assist him in wiping out those restless remnants of Chu with both internal and external forces!"
"Master Xiang Ji is even more remarkable. Not only has he turned prodigal, he has also set ambitious goals. He doesn't intend to be a general of a vassal state of Chu, but a general of the Great Qin Empire! He wants to subdue the barbarians for the Great Qin, expand the territory, and restore the Xiang family of Chu to its former glory as a military family. He wants General Xiang Yan, who sleeps underground, to be proud of his eldest grandson~"
"Well, the power of the two descendants of military commanders after they suddenly awakened is truly formidable. At the beginning of the year, I was busy for most of the month, communicating with Master Xiang Yu who was stranded in Xianyang. Now that I've finally finished my work, I took advantage of these two days of rare free time to rush to the prison to see you. Do you feel my sincerity? Are you moved?"
Zhang Han put his hand to his forehead and inadvertently shook off the goose bumps that had appeared on his arms.
Zhang Liang, who was sitting to the side, subconsciously pursed his lips. He truly hadn't expected the Xiang uncle and nephew to switch sides so quickly! What on earth had Qin Ying done to them?
He glanced at the chubby boy beside him with an inquiring look. The little guy had chubby cheeks and an innocent and cute face, but he knew in his heart that this was just a deliberate disguise of the little devil. The whiter the little devil's face was, the darker the means he used in secret. He was exactly the same as the big devil who had a colorful reputation among the seven heroes decades ago.
He frowned and asked directly:
"What methods did you use to threaten the Xiang family outside?"
Qin Ying looked at Zhang Liang in surprise and said slowly:
"Sir, I swear to God! I didn't do anything! I simply took Mr. Xiang Liang and Master Xiang Ji to the suburbs to admire the magnificent autumn scenery within the royal mausoleum, and explained the truth to them. Perhaps the scenery within the royal mausoleum is unique in the world, and the two descendants of the Xiang family were moved and were able to follow my suggestion. Seeing the bright future after submitting to the Qin Dynasty, they voluntarily abandoned the dark and joined the light."
Zhang Liang turned his head and sneered. He didn't believe a single word that the little devil said with such an innocent look on his face.
His eyelashes drooped, and his expression was cold and indifferent, as if he was keeping people at a distance.
"Qin Ying, you don't need to try to test me here. I don't have the power in Xianyang that the Xiang family has in Chu. Even if I spent all my family wealth over the past decade, I could only build up a small force in Hanyang, a suburb of the city. Now you have wiped them out with precision and imprisoned them all here. Not a single one has escaped."
Qin Ying grinned and said:
"Of course, Ying believes what the gentleman says."
"I was merely using the story of the Xiang family uncle and nephew abandoning their dark ways to join the light as another example for Mr. Zhang Liang. That day, I had said everything I should have said and every promise I could have made, all clearly and completely, to Mr. Zhang Liang in that snow-covered courtyard in the East City and West Market."
"Sir, as the son of the former Prime Minister of Han, and having studied diligently under Han Feizi, I don't believe you would willingly waste your days in this simple prison."
"My father and I are both experts in recognizing and cherishing talent. If you had understood the reality earlier and, like the Xiang family, surrendered to the Qin Dynasty as soon as possible, put aside your unrealistic rebellious thoughts, and devoted yourself to the development of the Qin Dynasty in the future, let alone a mere position as a Zhidianlang, I would have placed you by my side as a high-ranking official, bringing honor to our family. But then again, my father's heart is as unpredictable as a needle in the sea. Now that I am willing to give Mr. Zhang Liang a break, if Mr. Zhang Liang can seize the opportunity, he will naturally escape from this prison. But if Mr. Zhang Liang continues to waste my kindness, who knows if one day my father will be angry and lose his patience, and directly issue an imperial decree to tattoo all of you, a hundred or so people, as prisoners, and send you to the bitter cold frontier to build the Great Wall."
"Are you threatening me?"
Zhang Liang unconsciously clenched his hands.
Qin Ying swept her eyes over the pile of short, cut straw stalks in the corner and continued in a calm voice:
"Ying did not threaten you, sir. I just explained the situation to you."
"Now that the world is settled, the Great Qin's military strength is growing stronger. With the production of paper and the widespread dissemination of printed notices, even the common people thousands of miles away can learn about the latest political decrees in the imperial capital through notices. There is no possibility of information being disrupted by remnants like you."
"Furthermore, in the past two years, the Black Bird has bestowed upon Great Qin numerous high-yielding, fresh, and improved varieties. On several imperial farms outside the city walls, disciples of the farming families have been diligently cultivating these varieties day and night, expanding their production. The world's current population is no more than 20 million. In ten years at the shortest, and twenty at the longest, the wise farmers of the imperial farms will surely be able to cultivate those exotic grains, capable of yielding a thousand kilograms per mu, to a point where they can be found in every household. While we can't say that every commoner in Great Qin will have enough to eat, combined with the myriad wild vegetables in the Wild Vegetable Atlas, we can at least prevent the common people of Great Qin from starving to death during the lean season like the common people of the six kingdoms outside the Great Wall did in the past."
"Sir, you are a brilliant man, chosen from among thousands. You should understand that the common people's daily desire is simply to have enough food. If over 20 million common people no longer starved to death during the reign of our Great Father, do you think that the common people of this world would be incited by you, the fallen nobles who are vainly trying to overthrow the Qin Dynasty and restore your motherland?"
Qin Ying spoke slowly, staring straight into Zhang Liang's eyes with clear eyes, as if she wanted to see through her handsome eyes the panicked heart beating in Zhang Liang's stomach.
Zhang Liang felt like he was daydreaming:
"Qin Ying, are you kidding me? If the crops in the fields can produce 300 kilograms per mu, it's already a blessing from heaven, a bumper harvest with good weather and good harvests. How can there be a high-yield grain that can produce 1,000 kilograms per mu?"
Qin Ying looked at Zhang Liang's face, which was filled with shock and bewilderment. She only raised her eyebrows slightly, and her tone was calmer than his expression. "There are countless things in this world that you don't know. If I say there are, then they must be there. I won't say anything else. You also saw my grandfather's face before in Zhangtai Palace. He is forty-three years old this year. Do you dare to say that my father is younger and more handsome than him?"
Zhang Liang was choked by the sudden turn of events from the fat kid. Qin Ying, however, turned her face to the side and cupped her chubby cheeks with her two small hands, saying with a smile:
"The Xuanniao is the god that protects the people of Qin. Thanks to the Xuanniao's blessing, my grandfather has regained his youthful vigor. So what's so surprising about a high-yield grain that produces a thousand kilograms per mu?"
Following the little fat boy's words, Zhang Liang couldn't help but recall Qin Shihuang's overly young and handsome "middle-aged face" in his mind, and couldn't help but close his eyes in a somewhat autistic manner.
Good wishes to be at peace but the rope does not stop.
"Not only can the Qin imperial family handle the important matter of food, but they also have specific regulations for the important matter of clothing. Perhaps you are still unaware of my great-grandfather's plans. He possesses a magical cotton seed and a recipe that can transform lowly wool into woolen clothes."
"Perhaps in a decade or two, cotton seeds will be cultivated on a large scale in the fields of ordinary people throughout the country, and the methods of spinning wool into yarn and crocheting it into clothing will be mastered by ordinary people across the country. By then, more than 20 million people will be able to use cotton and wool clothing to withstand the severe cold of winter, and the elderly and children will no longer be frozen to death in the wind and snow."
"Alas, my great-grandfather has the ability, the courage, and the financial resources to solve the most pressing problems of food and clothing for the common people in the future. I really can't imagine how the common people would be fooled into rebellion by you remnants of evil."
Hearing the little devil's calm and childish words, Zhang Liang's lower teeth almost bit through his pale lips. He held the small hand warmer tightly in his hands with both hands, and the emotions in his eyes were extremely complicated.
The territory of the Qin Dynasty was so vast and the population was so large. Even if the disciples of the imperial farm stayed up all night to cultivate seeds, Zhang Liang would never believe that in ten or twenty years, those precious alien seeds that could produce a thousand kilograms per mu and keep out the cold and warm would fly into the homes of ordinary people without exception. However, it must be said that the little fat boy used such straightforward words that could be imagined to describe the future prosperity of the Qin Dynasty.
If Daqin's future development could really follow the precise path described by Little Fatty...
What a prosperous and powerful empire that would be!
Zhang Liang's heart beat faster and faster, but the confusion in his eyes became stronger.
The history books remaining in his head told him that the "golden age" described by Qin Ying had never existed before. He would be forty years old in a few years. Would he be able to see it in his lifetime?
Zhang Liang's eyebrows jumped sharply, but Zhang Han, who was standing beside him, had his eyes shining and his face was full of admiration for the Emperor.
[Congratulations to the host! Zhang Liang's real-time favorability has increased from "0" to "10%." Please keep up the good work! You will definitely be able to successfully win Zhang Liang in the new year!]
"Shua——" The little fat boy suddenly stood up from the straw pile. Zhang Liang, whose hands and feet were once again faster than his head, stood up as well. He subconsciously asked the short fat kid beside him:
"Qin Ying, are you leaving?"
Upon hearing this, the little fat boy raised his furry little head and said to Zhang Liang with a bright smile:
"Yes, Mr. Zhang Liang, didn't I tell you when I came here that I had two things to tell you? Now that I've finished talking about them, and the days are short in winter, I naturally have to hurry back to the royal city."
After saying this, Qin Ying didn't wait for Zhang Liang to speak again. He just reached out and patted Zhang Han's thigh, then led the jailers out of the prison.
Before leaving, Zhang Han looked back at Zhang Liang with cold eyes, frowned, and whispered, "Zhang Liang, the ruler is the ruler, and the minister is the minister. Some things can be done once or twice, but not three times. You understand what I mean."
Zhang Han said this in a cold tone, and without waiting for Zhang Liang to make a specific response, he immediately stretched out his long legs and quickly caught up with His Royal Highness the Emperor's eldest grandson.
Zhang Liang, standing beside the straw pile, watched with a complicated expression as the group of people disappeared in front of the cell door. They came and went in a hurry.
He sat back on the straw pile with his hands clenched, his head hung, and said nothing.
The sky outside the small window in the stone wall gradually darkened, and the biting cold wind blew in through the gap in the window.
The remnants of the anti-Qin rebels living in other cells also vaguely heard a few words of the conversation between His Royal Highness the Emperor's eldest grandson and their own family heads during the day.
Han Huo originally wanted to shout "Master", but ever since the emperor's eldest grandson led his men back to the royal city, there has been no movement from the last row of cells across the street.
He was worried that speaking would disturb the master's thoughts, so he had to suppress his worry and shut up.
After a while, when the sound of falling snow outside the window sounded again, the sound of iron chains and copper locks colliding with each other in front of the door rang out again.
The prisoners subconsciously looked towards the door and saw several black-clad jailers walking in with a blanket in their arms.
In the cell at the end.
A dim oil lamp on the stone wall was swaying constantly due to the influence of the cold air, making Zhang Liang's face flicker.
The small hand warmer he held in his palm had long since gone cold, but he was reluctant to put it down.
It was not until he saw several jailers carrying bedding come in, bend down to spread the mattress on the straw pile, and spread the quilt on it, and then bowed and retreated that he subconsciously put down the small hand warmer and moved closer to the bedding. The quilt and mattress were both made of fine leather, and they felt very soft and warm. Naturally, they were the new benefits he had after Qin Ying came today.
He put down the frozen hand warmer, pulled the quilt over himself, closed his eyes and leaned against the cold stone wall. His mind was completely messed up by a fat baby with a chattering mouth.
The quiet snowy night seems to magnify people's thoughts.
Zhang Liang closed his eyes, and in a trance, he seemed to truly see the imperial splendor that the Little Devil Star had described in the daytime, a scene never before recorded in history books. A tiny voice deep within him told him: "If the Little Devil Star came again and continued to describe the glorious future for him, he might just do the same as the uncle and nephew of the Xiang family, "abandoning the dark and joining the light," and submit to the grandfather and grandson. He wasn't giving up, but... he was just too curious about that unrealistic and illusory scene..."
Unfortunately, after dawn, Zhang Liang discovered that the little devil did not come.
It's November, and the little fat boy still hasn't come.
It was the end of December, and Prince Xiao'an still hadn't come.
It was spring, and the three-and-a-half-year-old Emperor's eldest grandson seemed to be extremely busy, and no one was even allowed to step into the prison gate.
But this time, Mr. Zhang Liang, who had been left "out in the cold" for half a year without a word from the baby, suddenly...
Spring has returned, the ice and snow have melted, and all things are reviving. According to this system's detection, the host Qin Ying and Zhang Liang's strategy favorability has reached "60%". The mission progress is very good, and the future is bright. Please don't let up!
A sudden spring thunder sounded, followed by precious rain as fine as cow hair falling from the sky.
Ying, the little chubby boy, was standing on the palace overpass with his grandfather, wearing a black robe and gazing towards the northern suburbs. When he heard the mechanical electronic sound suddenly ringing in his mind, the curve of his mouth could not help but become bigger and bigger.
He thought that if he went to the prison twice more, he would be able to completely pluck Zhang Liang, the little white flower on the hilltop!
The little prince was in an extremely happy mood and looked up at the spring swallows that were flying back from the south and chirping with joy and hiding in their mud nests on the eaves of the palace. His beautiful phoenix eyes seemed to be filled with endless shining light.
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