Chapter 20: Stupid Emperor and Traitorous Ministers [Jinjiang Authentic Edition Only Released·Ha~]…
Ji Qing, who was wearing a green palace dress, closed her eyes and listened quietly to the painful cries of her adopted son, without saying a word.
It wasn't until the child was tired of crying, his voice was hoarse, and he began to cough and cry uncontrollably that she opened her eyes, bent down, and reached out to help the child who was rolling around on the wooden floor. While gently stroking the non-existent dust on his clothes with her fingers, she sighed coldly:
"Hu Hai, although I understand what you said, I can't help it. In this world, the fate of each person is so different."
"Why do you have to be the emperor's youngest son, born to a lowly Hu concubine and ignored by others?"
"The emperor's eldest grandson will be reborn. When your majesty is a hundred years old and the eldest son Fusu takes over the throne, the emperor's eldest grandson will be the crown prince of the Qin Empire. What does the title of An Guojun mean now?"
"As a young prince whose mother doesn't even hold a rank in the vast Qin harem, you live your life timidly and peacefully. Are you still dreaming of competing with the glorious eldest prince for the throne?"
"Oh - who are you? Can you win? What ability do you have to fight?" Madam Qing slowly slid her slender fingers across Hu Hai's chest, her eyelashes drooping, and her tone was like a wisp of smoke that disappeared without a trace when the wind blew.
But these words hit the child's heart like a hammer. Hu Hai was not shocked and widened his tearful eyes, but felt a little dizzy. After all, he was only four years old. His biological mother died early, and he lived in the harem where he could not see his busy father every day. The eighteenth prince had no one to discipline him, so it could be said that he was almost raised in a wild way.
Although he had a naughty temperament, his mind was still very immature. After hearing his adoptive mother's words, Hu Hai subconsciously frowned. He felt very uncomfortable in his heart. A nameless anger "buzzed" and rushed around in his chest like a headless fly, but he could not find an outlet to vent. However, his poor thinking made him unable to understand what this anger meant. He just relied on instinct, wiping his tears with the backs of his two little hands, pouting and sobbing aggrievedly, and continued to complain to his adoptive mother:
"Woo woo woo, Hiccup, but mother, I don't want to compete with big brother for the throne. I'm just angry and think that father is too partial!"
"That little bastard Qin Ying beat me up in front of my father yesterday, but my father not only didn't comfort me, nor did he punish him, he even gave Qin Ying such a huge reward today. I, Hu Hai, just don't accept it! Why should that little bastard inherit the title of my great-grandfather?!"
"Heh..." Madam Qing touched her fingertips with a sarcastic look, and sneered, "Hu Hai, your family background is not as noble as others, and your abilities are not as great as theirs. You have no knowledge, no ability, so what's the point of you not submitting? There are many people in this world who do not submit to him, but how many people are truly obedient to him?"
The more Ji Qing spoke, the lower his voice became. After a moment of silence, he turned to his adopted son and said:
"Hu Hai, if you really want your father to like you, then stop playing around all day and study hard with the doctor. If your father sees your ability, he won't treat you like a kitten or puppy all day long. He'll play with you when he's happy, and leave you aside for ten days or half a month when he's unhappy."
Hearing this, Hu Hai's expression of grievance turned a bit bewildered. Thinking about his father's coldness towards him yesterday and his past tolerance, he suddenly understood! It turned out that in his father's eyes, he, the Eighteenth Young Master Hu Hai, was just a cat or dog that could be summoned and dismissed at will! He was not important at all!
No wonder his father turned a blind eye even when Qin Ying bullied him so brazenly! That's right! How could the owner's casually raised kittens and puppies be compared to the eldest grandson born to the owner's eldest son?!
Hu Hai lowered his head, the more he thought about it, the more frustrated and aggrieved he became. His heart ached and swelled, and the two small hands hanging at his sides unconsciously clenched tightly. A thick anger flashed across his eyes, but the choking sound gradually subsided. After a long while, he raised his head, stretched out his two dirty little hands to pull on Madam Qing's wide green silk sleeves, and tried to open his eyes, which were red and swollen from crying, and whispered hoarsely to his adoptive mother:
"Mother, I understand. Hiccup, I don't want to be a kitten or a puppy anymore. I want new teachers to teach me. The doctors who teach me now just read from bamboo slips all day long. It's so boring. I can't stand their lectures at all."
Hu Hai pursed his lips and mustered up the courage to say, "I, I want a new good teacher."
The lady was not surprised when she heard this and immediately nodded in agreement:
"Well, okay. I'll have someone go to Zhangtai Palace tomorrow to tell your father and ask him to select a few new doctors for you."
"Hiccup, there's no need for father to choose. I want Zhao Gao to teach me. Let Zhao Gao teach me the Qin law." Hu Hai hiccuped uncontrollably.
When Madam Qing heard the unfamiliar name "Zhao Gao", she couldn't help but frown in confusion.
Hu Hai waved his hands and looked at his adoptive mother with shining eyes as he explained:
"Mother, Zhao Gao is the tall young man who picked me up and sent me back yesterday. He currently serves as the Secretary of State in the Zhangtai Palace, helping father organize the bamboo slips every day. After spending time with him yesterday, I found that he is very knowledgeable and well-versed in Qin law. I want him to be my teacher."
"So that's how it is," Madam Qing thought for a moment, then smiled and touched her adopted son's tear-stained, red and swollen face, saying distressedly:
"Okay, Hai, don't worry. I will definitely let this Zhao Gao you mentioned be your teacher. Poor old man, the emperor's eldest grandson is so hard-hearted and ruthless. Look at what he did to your face. If he had hurt your eyes, your future would have been ruined!"
"Good boy, go and have your nurse wash you and get you to bed."
Feeling a touch of warmth from his adoptive mother's lap for the first time, Hu Hai felt warm in his heart. He nodded his head and yawned, then was obediently carried to the bathroom by the wet nurse who was standing beside him as a background, to take a bath.
After the adopted son left, Ji Qing frowned and waved to the palace maid beside him, whispering:
"Tomorrow you will go and thoroughly investigate Zhao Gao's background."
The palace maid leaned over and whispered, "Yes."
The next morning, Ji Qing saw Zhao Gao's complete resume. Seeing that this man was a descendant of the Zhao royal family and had fought his way out of the hidden palace that could be called hell, he instantly became interested and specially chose a time when the emperor was free to go to Zhangtai Palace.
When the First Emperor learned from his wife that his youngest son, who was not motivated and lazy all day, actually took the initiative to ask to study with a new teacher for the first time in his life.
This is a good thing.
The First Emperor did not hesitate and immediately ordered Zhao Gao:
"Zhao Gao, from now on, you must set aside one hour every day to go to the Diligent Learning Palace and teach the Qin Law to the Eighteenth Young Master."
Upon hearing that his deliberate attempt to get close to the Eighteenth Prince yesterday had actually succeeded, Zhao Gao quickly suppressed his joy and respectfully bowed to His Majesty and said "Yes".
It was a month later when Qin Ying learned that this pair of notorious tyrants and treacherous ministers in history books had developed a teacher-student relationship and were having an affair.
…
In early May, the capital of the Qin Empire entered midsummer. The chirping of cicadas outside the window gradually became noisy. The high temperature made people feel listless during the day and some even felt drowsy.
Qin Ying, who is more than seven months old, crawls faster on the floor and sits alone for longer periods of time.
At the beginning of the afternoon, Qin Ying, who had just woken up from a nap, was still a little confused. After being taken down from the rosewood bed by his wet nurse, he yawned and lazily climbed up on the smooth waxed wooden floor.
When the little guy used his hands and feet to slowly crawl to the bedroom door, a pair of silk white socks and a black robe embroidered with water patterns suddenly appeared in his field of vision. He raised his furry little head and looked up along the edge of the robe in confusion, and saw a pair of straight long legs.
“Ha~”
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