As expected, Xue Ji arrived home the next day.
When Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng woke up, Xue Ji was already preparing breakfast.
Zhu Xiang was helpless: "It's too dangerous to walk at night. Don't allow it next time."
Xue Ji smiled and said, "It's not dangerous because of the fire from the night patrols of the soldiers changing guards. I want to see you earlier."
Zhu Xiang looked at Xue Ji and said distressedly, "You've lost weight."
Xue Ji stroked her hair and said embarrassedly, "It's even darker. But you've finally become whiter and plumper."
Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji were looking at each other tenderly. When Ying Xiaozheng heard his aunt say that his uncle had become whiter and fatter, he laughed out loud.
He was in the voice change period, and his laughter was as hoarse as a big duck, which made his laughter more sarcastic.
Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji could no longer continue their affectionate relationship.
Xue Ji turned her face away shyly. Zhu Xiang pressed Ying Xiaozheng's head under his armpits and rubbed it hard.
"Xue, Zheng'er is now entering a rebellious period. Please take out your thin rattan stick and give him a good beating." Zhu Xiang said while rubbing Ying Xiaozheng's head.
Ying Xiaozheng pretended to struggle and loudly explained: "I didn't!"
Xue Ji watched the uncle and nephew fighting with a smile, and did not help either of them.
Only after Xue Ji came back did the family feel completely reunited.
Ying Xiaozheng proudly took out the first imperial edict to confer a title on a woman in the Qin State, as if he had issued the edict.
Now all nobles can ask for titles for their wives, and Zhu Xiang has already asked for the title of "Madam" for Xue Ji. From now on, "Madam" is not only a title of honor, but also a title of honor.
In addition, Xue Ji was awarded the title of "County Lady" and became "Lady of Wu County" for her contributions in raising Crown Prince Zheng and leading the invention of the new textile machine.
Zichu did not confer the title of "Lady of the State" on Xue Ji, but waited until Ying Xiaozheng ascended the throne before giving Xue Ji the title.
When Zichu conferred the title of Emperor Xueji on him, he also gave Zhu Xiang an additional fief of 1,000 households. Zhu Xiang then handed the fief to Zichu to find someone to manage it, and did not ask for much, only that the money be used for infrastructure such as irrigation, water conservancy, roads and bridges.
Zhu Xiang said angrily: "I used my fiefdom's money to help Xia Tong with the construction, but Xia Tong still accused me of being lazy and causing him trouble."
Xue Ji laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.
Ying Xiaozheng agreed with his uncle this time: "If I were in Xianyang, I would help my uncle manage it. I have to come to Southern Qin, and the journey is long. Isn't this something that can't be helped? I didn't let my uncle manage it himself, I just asked him to take care of it. I don't know what my uncle is yelling about. He is the King of Qin, and he should be in charge of the entire Qin State, but he still said that my uncle is lazy, hum!"
If I were to become a king, I would never be as lazy as my father!
Xue Ji tapped Ying Xiaozheng's forehead and said, "You are already grown up. You can't be as outspoken as you were when you were a child."
Ying Xiaozheng honestly admitted his mistake: "Yes."
Zhu Xiang looked at the honest Ying Xiaozheng and laughed angrily: "If I say one thing to him, he can say ten things back to me. If you say something to him, he will admit his mistake immediately. What kind of differential treatment is this? Huh? Zheng'er, what kind of differential treatment do you think this is?"
Ying Xiaozheng immediately entered the state of a rebellious teenager: "Isn't it that you are wrong, uncle?"
Zhu Xiang was about to grab Ying Xiaozheng and rub his head again, but this time Ying Xiaozheng swiftly hid behind his aunt, not giving his uncle any face at all.
Xue Ji smiled and sighed, watching the uncle and nephew quarreling again, it was so noisy that it gave her a headache.
After not seeing each other for a year, Xue Ji missed Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng very much.
But when she heard that the two had already set off, Xue Ji finished the work at hand first, and then hurried back to see her husband and children.
Before the meeting, Xue Ji kept imagining the scene of meeting her lover and children.
She thought she would cry, or laugh even more.
When they really met, she seemed too calm. Even when she smiled, she smiled helplessly at the overly lively uncle and nephew.
Looking back, it seems that the scene of our reunion now is no different from the scenes when the three of them had always been together.
"Okay, stop making trouble and have breakfast quickly."
"Alright... Zheng'er, watch out!"
"Huh?! Where's the truce we agreed on? Your uncle is despicable!"
"Hahahahaha, all's fair in war!"
"My dear!"
"Zheng'er, run!"
"Ah? Uncle, you made Auntie angry, why are you dragging me away?"
Xue Ji stood behind with her hands on her hips, scolding with a smile. Zhu Xiang pulled Ying Xiaozheng to run in front. Ying Xiaozheng leaned back slightly, very unwilling.
Li Mu was practicing martial arts in the courtyard. When he saw Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng running towards them, he almost couldn't stop himself and hit them with a bamboo pole.
Han Fei and Li Si had also gotten up, and no one knew what they were arguing about.
A new day begins in such a lively manner.
After Xue Ji came back, Zhu Xiang told her about an important event that had not been told in Xianyang City.
After the King of Qin was deposed, Chunhua died.
Xue Ji was stunned for a long time, and then her expression became extremely ferocious, which scared everyone present.
Ying Xiaozheng was caught off guard and his aunt pressed his shoulders, causing his neck to shrink.
"Zheng'er, what did she do to you? Did she hurt you?!" Xue Ji's voice was originally a little hoarse due to illness in her early years, but now it was so sharp that it hurt Ying Xiaozheng's eardrums.
Ying Xiaozheng quickly gave Zhu Xiang a look for help.
Zhu Xiang said slowly: "Even if we hide it from your aunt now, she will be able to find out from others. By then, your aunt will have heard too many half-true and half-false news, and she might be even more worried."
Ying Xiaozheng asked for help: "My uncle said."
Zhu Xiang smiled: "Are you asking for help from your uncle now? I, won't, tell you! You'll be responsible for it yourself."
Xue Ji gritted her teeth and said, "Did you deliberately provoke him?"
Zhu Xiang picked up the teacup to cover the gloating smile on his face.
What does it mean that no one knows a child better than his mother? He hadn't said anything yet, but Xue Ji had guessed most of it.
Li Si quickly said: "Han Fei and I have something else to do, can we say goodbye first?" This is something that cannot be heard or watched!
Han Fei also came back to his senses and said, "Yes, yes, yes!"
Zhu Xiang wanted to say that everyone in Xianyang knew about this matter, and there was nothing that could not be said or seen. After being reminded by Li Mu's eyes, he realized that what Li Si and Han Fei wanted to avoid was the scene of Xue Ji teaching Zheng Er a lesson, so he nodded in agreement.
"Let's not talk about this for now, Xue. Let's educate Zheng'er later." After Zhu Xiang calmed Xue Ji down, he said, "Let's talk about Han Fei first. Han Xiang Zhang Ping went there and wants to make his two sons your disciples."
Han Fei was delighted: "The mediocre Zhang family, who brought disaster to five generations of Han kings, is finally no longer the prime minister of Han?!"
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Fortunately, Han Fei was not in Xianyang at that time, otherwise, after Zhang Sheng and little Zhang Liang explained their purpose, Han Fei slapped his thigh and laughed three times, "What a good death, what a wonderful death, what a great death", and I am afraid that Zhang Sheng and little Zhang Liang would regard Han Fei as their enemy from then on and secretly send assassins to kill Han Fei.
What's the point of a master-disciple retreat? They've become our biggest enemy, our families!
After Han Fei was overjoyed, he realized that even if the Zhang family did not become the Prime Minister of Han, the new Prime Minister of Han would most likely be mediocre, or even more mediocre than the Zhang family. The joy on his face gradually subsided.
He frowned and said, "Never mind. Death is the greatest thing. The Zhang family's prime minister didn't do anything too bad. He was just incompetent. What? Doesn't Zhang Ping look down on me? He actually asked his son to worship me as his master?"
Li Si frowned and said, "Don't be fooled. He said that after you return to Han, the Zhang family will be at your disposal. But after Zhang Ping's death, the Han court may not recognize the Zhang family's name. Besides, if you want to be a prime minister in Han, it depends on the king's plan. The king didn't invite you back."
Li Si did not say that the Kingdom of Han was about to perish and only a small piece of land around Xinzheng was left, so Han Fei, what are you going to do back
He just calmly analyzed that the Zhang family was just making big promises to Han Fei but actually couldn't provide any benefits, so he told Han Fei not to believe it.
Zhu Xiang shook his head and said, "He didn't want you to return to Korea."
He told Han Fei about his subsequent conversation with the Zhang brothers and his speculation about Zhang Ping's last words.
Han Fei was stunned at first, then he raised his trembling hands to cover his face, and his back suddenly hunched.
Li Si cursed: "Although the King of Han is incompetent, has he ever been unfaithful to the Prime Minister of Han? It is a father's act to seek a way out for future generations, but is it necessary to be so anxious?!"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "If he doesn't become Han Fei's disciple while he is still a nobody, Han Fei will not promote his Zhang family in the future."
Zhu Xiang asked, "Zheng'er, don't you admire little Zhang Liang's intelligence?"
Ying Xiaozheng immediately defended himself: "There are many smart people, and what does his intelligence have to do with his father's schemes?"
Han Fei covered his face and took a deep breath for a long time before he calmed down.
He wiped his red eyes with his sleeve and said in a hoarse voice: "Duke Zhu Xiang helped me block it? Thank you, Duke Zhu Xiang. If I were in Xianyang, I would probably have to accept students."
Zhu Xiang waited until Han Fei calmed down before saying, "No, I didn't stop them completely. I made a bet with them."
Li Mu looked at Zhu Xiang, frowning slightly: "What trouble are you looking for?"
Zhu Xiang's superior attitude was completely destroyed by Li Mu's questioning. He said helplessly, "What do you mean by asking for trouble? As a minister of Qin, isn't it normal for me to make plans for Qin?"
"I didn't say it was abnormal." Li Mu asked, "What trouble have you brought upon yourself?"
Zhu Xiang: “…”
He ignored Li Mu's unfriendly tone and told him about the bet he had made with the two Zhang brothers.
Li Mu frowned even more: "Han is just a tiny country. Any Qin general can easily win by marching on the border. You are doing this in vain. Do you really value the talents of the Zhang brothers?"
Han Fei said woodenly, "Perhaps, but it is not the primary reason. Duke Zhu Xiang wanted to use the failure of the Zhang brothers to completely erode the Han people's sense of belonging to the Kingdom of Han."
Zhu Xiang did not answer.
Han Fei said, "Duke Zhu Xiang, if this is your opinion, I should return to Han."
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "People are close to each other. You are not allowed to go."
Han Fei thought to himself, Duke Zhu Xiang, you said I am not allowed to go, so should I not go
But he looked at the determination in Zhu Xiang's eyes and said, "Yes."
Zhu Xiang wanted to persuade him a few more times, but seeing Han Fei's dejected expression, he swallowed what he was about to say and sighed in his heart.
Han Fei was different from when he first entered Qin. He was already very mature. Han Fei knew what to do next, so it was meaningless for him to persuade him.
Zhu Xiang gave Li Si a look, asking Li Si to comfort Han Fei.
At this time, only the comfort and support of close friends could cheer Han Fei up.
Although the fact that Li Si was Han Fei's close friend is itself quite strange.
Li Si got a signal from Zhu Xiang, patted Han Fei on the back, and said, "Han Fei and I will take our leave first."
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Go ahead."
Li Si took Han Fei, who was staggering, away. Zhu Xiang sighed and shook his head.
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Uncle, don't worry too much. Since Han Fei is already in Southern Qin, I will not let him return to Han. If he insists on returning to Han, I will write to my father and ask him to quickly destroy Han, and he will be relieved. It's just a disruption of the plan. It's worth it for Han Fei to destroy one country first."
Zhu Xiang held his forehead with his hand: "Zheng'er, I know you want to say that Han Fei's current talent is worth Qin's detours on its road to unifying the world. But what you said... Alas."
Li Mu almost choked on his tea. Hurry up and destroy Han, Han Fei is worth it. Zheng'er, listen to what you are saying
He was somewhat worried about the mental state of the courtiers after Ying Xiaozheng became the King of Qin. Fortunately, he was a general and should be stationed at the border for a long time, so he didn't have to see this scene.
Xue Ji was more confused than before, but now she could barely understand some of the words.
She sighed, "Han Fei is so miserable."
Ying Xiaozheng was about to sneer at Xue Ji's words, but he rubbed his nose halfway through the gesture and said obediently, "There are many people in this world who are more miserable than Han Fei. The common people that my uncle makes us look down upon every day are the most miserable people in the world."
Ying Xiaozheng thought to himself that even if he was just expressing his bitterness, Han Fei's suffering was probably not as much as his uncle's.
After the demise of the Kingdom of Han, Han Fei would most likely be able to pick himself up and no longer have to suffer to support the Han royal family. But his uncle would probably still feel bitter when he succeeded to the throne.
He was very clear about some of his uncle's ideas, which he would never accept.
My uncle knows it very well too.
But my uncle would only smile when facing himself and everyone around him who had different ideas from him.
He used to think that the smile on his uncle's face was annoying, but now that he has grown up and matured, he realized that the smile on his uncle's face was a comfort to them.
"He may not care too much, may not be very upset, and may be able to laugh."
My uncle probably wants me and others to think this way.
Ying Xiaozheng glanced at Zhu Xiang and said, "Uncle, let's not talk about Han Fei anymore."
Zhu Xiang nodded solemnly: "Yes, it's your turn now."
Ying Xiaozheng: “…”
He regretted it.
Uncle, you just continue to feel miserable, Zheng'er will feed you Coptis chinensis!
I don’t have such an uncle!!!
Li Mu picked up the teacup to cover the upturned corners of his lips.
He was also waiting to see Ying Xiaozheng make a fool of himself.
Ying Xiaozheng stammered as he spoke of the good things he had done. Whenever he tried to embellish himself, Zhu Xiang would fill him in.
Zhu Xiang: You’re welcome (smiles).
The corners of Li Mu's lips turned down, and Xue Ji's expression became distorted and hideous again.
Ying Xiaozheng had never seen his aunt look like this before. He rarely felt scared, and couldn't help shrinking his neck.
Zhu Xiang felt a little nostalgic.
The last time Xue Ji had a devil-like expression was when she heard that Chun Hua was going to be brought back to Xianyang.
He pulled out a long, thin bamboo strip from his sleeve, handed the very smooth end to Xue Ji, and then held Li Mu's shoulders: "Let's go for a walk in the city."
Li Mu stood up: "Okay."
He gave Ying Xiaozheng, whose face was full of requests for help, a cold look, and left with Zhu Xiang who had his arm around his shoulder.
Ying Xiaozheng took a deep breath.
Uncle, when did you prepare the bamboo strips
I don't have an uncle like you!!!
Xue Ji took many deep breaths, and only after Zhu Xiang and Li Mu had disappeared did the ferocious expression on her face calm down.
Xue Ji said very calmly: "Zheng'er, kneel down."
Ying Xiaozheng quickly jumped down from the chair, fell to his knees, and raised his hands with his palms facing up.
honest!
(End of this chapter)