When Prince Dan of Yan fled back to the State of Yan, Cheng Jiao and Meng Yi brought little Fusu and finally met Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji.
Zhu Xiang was extremely surprised: "Why did you bring Fusu here?"
Little Fusu, who could already run unsteadily, rushed over to Zhu Xiang as soon as he saw him, burying his face in his legs and crying loudly.
Zhu Xiang picked up little Fusu and patted his back: "Good boy Fusu, you must have had a hard journey."
Little Fusu wiped his snot and tears on Zhu Xiang's clothes and complained: "Uncle won't let Fusu eat meat!"
Cheng Jiao raised his hands and cried out, "It's unfair. The dry food you were given was all dried meat. How can it not be called meat?"
Zhu Xiang was puzzled: "Jerky? Can he chew jerky?"
Cheng Jiao said, "Uncle, I'm not that stupid. Of course I cut the dried meat into small pieces and soaked it in water before feeding it to Fusu."
Little Fusu started crying again, twisting his body while crying. Zhu Xiang almost couldn't hold him back: "It tastes bad! What tastes bad is not the meat!"
Zhu Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Are we in such a hurry? There should be enough time for Fusu to cook a meal on the way, right?"
Cheng Jiao put his hands behind his head, whistled, glanced away and did not answer.
Zhu Xiang looked at Meng Yi.
Meng Yi's body trembled and he gave a stiff smile.
Zhu Xiang sighed and said, "Cheng Jiao, you are in a hurry to leave because you want to send Fusu to me as soon as possible, right?"
Cheng Jiao immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes! That's right! Uncle, do you think Meng Yi and I are capable of taking care of a child? The journey is so dangerous. If Fusu doesn't see you sooner, what will happen if he gets sick or injured?"
He wanted to squeeze out a few tears, but couldn't, so he wiped his eyes vigorously with his sleeves: "Brother is really something, Fusu is still so young, how could he bear to let Fusu leave Xianyang?"
Meng Yi: “…” He once again looked at Master Cheng Jiao with a new respect.
Zhu Xiang was amused by Cheng Jiao's singing, reciting, acting and fighting.
He believed that Cheng Jiao was indeed afraid that something unexpected might happen on the way, causing little Fusu to get sick or injured, but Cheng Jiao acted so exaggeratedly that it seemed as if he was lying.
"Okay, stop being naughty, go change and wash yourself, and I'll give you a good meal when your aunt comes back." Zhu Xiang scolded with a smile, "Don't show up in front of your aunt with this sloppy look on your face, or you'll get a beating."
Cheng Jiao immediately put away his exaggerated expression and asked, "Is my aunt here too?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Of course."
Cheng Jiao complained, "Uncle, why didn't you tell me earlier? If I get beaten by my aunt, it will be your fault."
Zhu Xiang laughed and scolded again, "Get lost. It's your own fault. Meng Yi, it must be tiring to travel with Cheng Jiao. Go change and rest quickly."
Meng Yi hurriedly said: "It's not hard, not hard."
Little Fusu raised his little fist: "That's it? That's it? Don't beat your uncle? Beat him!"
Zhu Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Fusu, where did you learn these words from?"
Little Fusu said angrily: "Beat him!"
Zhu Xiang looked at little Fusu's expression, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "I understand, he must have learned it from Zheng'er."
"That's right!" Cheng Jiao pulled Meng Yi away, lest his uncle really listen to Xiao Fusu and hand him over to his aunt for a lesson. "Uncle, the weather is so cool, I want to eat hot pot mutton!"
Little Fusu put away his clenched fists and said, "Eat meat!"
Zhu Xiang said: "Okay, let's eat meat."
He looked up at the gloomy sky and said, "It's autumn again. Time flies."
Little Fusu was still insisting: "Uncle, eat the meat, and then beat me up after you've eaten the meat."
Zhu Xiang gently patted little Fusu's chubby buttocks: "You can eat meat, but don't beat your uncle. He has done a good job in sending a child as young as you to such a far place safely. Don't be willful."
Little Fusu pouted: "I don't, I'm willful."
Zhu Xiang said, "How about this. When your aunt comes back, you can complain to her. Your aunt is the most fair. Even your father will be beaten if he makes a mistake. As long as Cheng Jiao is really wrong, your aunt will definitely not show mercy."
Little Fusu tilted his head, his face full of confusion: "Uncle, aunt?"
He held his little head and pondered over who his aunt was.
When little Fusu met Xue Ji, he was still an ignorant crawling baby, so he had no impression of his aunt.
Zhu Xiang carried the crying little Fusu to the bathhouse: "Auntie is the wife of your uncle, the aunt of your father and uncle."
Little Fusu held his head. He still didn't understand.
At his age, his logical thinking is not yet at the point where he can draw inferences from one instance and sort out interpersonal relationships.
Zhu Xiang said: "You just need to know that Auntie is the most powerful one in our family. Even your father is afraid of her."
Little Fusu's eyes lit up: "Father, are you afraid of your aunt?"
Actually, I can't say I'm afraid. Zhu Xiang smiled: "Yes."
Little Fusu lay on Zhu Xiang's dirty chest which was stained by his tears and snot. He narrowed his big eyes and laughed, not knowing what he was thinking.
Zhu Xiang patted little Fusu's fleshy butt again.
No matter what this fat nephew is thinking, Xue Ji will make him feel the love from his aunt. Xue Ji can control Zheng'er, so why can't she control a little Fusu
After Zhu Xiang took little Fusu to take a bath and change clothes, Xue Ji hurried back and hugged little Fusu, and Zhu Xiang was disappointed.
Xue Ji scolded Cheng Jiao severely, and then scolded Zheng'er who was in Xianyang across the long distance. Then she hugged little Fusu in her arms and kept calling him "good grandson", with an expression of great heartache.
"Alas, my aunt's dear grandson has suffered. Zheng'er actually let you, who are so young, go on a long journey. What if you get sick?" Xue Ji said while wiping her tears.
Cheng Jiao took small steps to get behind Zhu Xiang and complained quietly, "My aunt looks like my eldest mother and my grandmother."
Zhu Xiang held his forehead. He knew he had made a mistake.
The youngest son and the eldest grandson are the lifeblood of the old man. Although Xue Ji was quite strict with Cheng Jiao, the "youngest son", she was not necessarily so strict with Fusu, the fat eldest grandson.
Besides, Xue Ji was still young when she raised Jiao. Now both he and Xue Ji are older and their mentality has changed. It may not be easy for them to have the heart to educate a young child.
Besides, Fusu was still young. In Xue Ji's opinion, what could such a young child do wrong? The faults were all the adults'.
"Xue, Zheng'er trusted us, so he asked Cheng Jiao to send Fusu to us." Zhu Xiang comforted her, "Cheng Jiao didn't let Fusu down on the way..."
"How come you didn't lose out?" Xue Ji retorted, "Even if you're in a hurry, there's time to boil water on the way, so don't you have time to prepare the meat?"
Zhu Xiang said: "In order to hurry, they can't go to the city to buy things. They can't just keep a few live sheep and pigs in the carriage and use them whenever they want."
Xue Ji said: "Why not!"
Xue Ji rubbed the chubby face of her complacent nephew and said distressedly, "The child is so skinny because he is hungry."
Zhu Xiang: “…” He really couldn’t say this. Zheng’er’s birth had made him anxious, and Xue Ji also said that Zheng’er had “lost weight again.” It seemed that Fusu’s future body shape would develop towards that of Zheng’er when he was young.
Zhu Xiang patted Cheng Jiao's shoulder and said, "Your aunt just feels sorry for Fusu for having to travel such a long distance at such a young age. She doesn't blame you."
Cheng Jiao sighed and said, "It's all my brother's fault."
Zhu Xiang said, "The soup base is ready, let's eat the hot pot. Xue, Fusu is hungry too."
Fusu opened his eyes and said, "Hungry!"
Xue Ji immediately wiped away the tears of distress from her eyes, smiled and rubbed her good grandson: "Okay, auntie will feed Fusu meat."
Fusu said sweetly: "Thank you, Auntie! Auntie, you are the best!"
Xue Ji smiled so much that her eyebrows were spread out, like ripples on a pool of autumn water: "So good."
Cheng Jiao lowered his voice and said to Zhu Xiang: "Uncle, Fusu is really smart. He treats my eldest mother and my grandmother the same way."
Zhu Xiang sighed in his heart. It seems that Fusu is targeting female elders.
I have to be stricter with him in the future. Xue Ji's discipline is ineffective, and if I don't harden my heart, I'm afraid Fusu will become a naughty child.
When the pot was served, Xue Ji did not ignore Cheng Jiao.
Although she still complained that Cheng Jiao did not take good care of Fusu, she never stopped helping Cheng Jiao to scald the meat, and she gave Fusu in her arms to Zhu Xiang to take care of.
After complaining about Cheng Jiao's failure to take good care of Fusu, Xue Ji started to talk about Cheng Jiao's homework.
After learning that Zheng'er had handed Cheng Jiao over to her for instruction, Xue Ji poked Cheng Jiao's forehead with her finger and said, "You must be too naughty and your elder brother can't control you, so he sent you to your aunt."
Cheng Jiao shook his head and said, "No, it's because I'm so awesome. My elder brother sent me to help my aunt so that she wouldn't be too tired."
"You're so good at talking!" Xue Ji laughed. "I want to see how good you are. When you get back to Nanqin, show it to your aunt."
Cheng Jiao said: "Leave it to me, I will definitely let my aunt see it clearly!"
Xue Ji poked Cheng Jiao's forehead again and said, "It's time for you to meet her..."
Cheng Jiao pretended to have a headache: "Stop, stop, stop, aunt, I'm still young, I haven't played enough!"
Xue Ji scolded: "You are still young, what do you mean by young? Your elder brother is..."
Xue Ji paused.
Cheng Jiao put down his chopsticks, covered his mouth with his hands and laughed: "My eldest brother was still young at that time, puff."
Xue Ji couldn't help laughing and said, "You and your elder brother, don't you want to get married soon? I think you and he will grow up only after you get married. Oh, forget it, I'll let you play for a few more years."
Xue Ji tapped Cheng Jiao's head, who was laughing so hard that he was bent over backwards. "Do you still want to eat?"
Cheng Jiao put down his hand that was covering his mouth and said, "Eat! I can still eat ten plates of meat!"
Zhu Xiang fed Fusu the meat rolls and said, "Keep your word. If you get an upset stomach, you are not allowed to eat meat for the next ten days."
Cheng Jiao's face fell: "I was wrong. Aunt, please take care of my uncle, he is bullying me again."
Xue Ji smiled and said, "We haven't seen each other for so long. What's wrong with your uncle bullying you?"
Cheng Jiao sighed: "Well, I am very filial, and my uncle can bully me at will."
Little Fusu didn't quite understand what the adults said, but that didn't stop him from laughing loudly when he saw his uncle's sad face.
Zhu Xiang flicked little Fusu's head.
What's wrong with this child's mocking face? How come he looks exactly like Zheng'er when he was a child? Did Zheng'er really lead him astray? When he was with Fusu before, Fusu was still an ordinary well-behaved child, not like this.
"A-choo." King Zheng of Qin put down his sword. Even though it was a cool autumn day, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The palace maid beside him immediately and attentively brought a silk cloth to wipe the sweat.
Qin Wang Zheng handed the sword to the palace maid and wiped the sweat off his face: "How about my sword moves?"
The palace servant said, "Your Majesty is a man who can fight on the battlefield, and his sword moves are sharp. How can we, who have no vision, evaluate it?"
King Zheng of Qin looked at the palace maid who was only in her teens but very clever, and nodded with satisfaction.
This palace maid was named Zhao Gao, and was a distant descendant of the Zhao clan. Because of their distant blood relationship, his family was basically the same as that of common people, and he had to perform corvée and military service. During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, his family was captured and became prisoners in the Qin-Zhao war. Because his mother could read and write, she was chosen as a palace slave, and Zhao Gao and his brothers were all appointed eunuchs.
Eunuchs at that time were rarely castrated, and most of them were normal men. Zhao Gao was no exception, so he was able to enter the court as a high official.
However, the kings of Qin in all dynasties were suspicious and conceited. Even if the ministers were tested by the great Qin Emperor, Qin Emperor would not trust them completely. He would make his own judgment after observation.
At least for now, he was still quite satisfied with Zhao Gao's cleverness, and he used it very effectively.
If Zhao Gao was really capable, he would send him to his uncle to study for a period of time. According to his uncle, this was called "gilding", so that when Zhao Gao held a high position in the future, no one would use his background to make trouble.
King Zheng of Qin was very considerate to those he valued. Even though Zhao Gao was just a prisoner of humble origin, he would plan a good future for him.
"Your Majesty, why do you start practicing sword every day?" Lin Zhi came over with a pile of documents without waiting for anyone to pass on the message.
Zhao Gao, with his back slightly bent, glanced at Lin Zhi secretly, and envy and jealousy flashed across his eyes.
Qin Wang Zheng said: "I haven't practiced sword for a long time, I'm afraid I'm getting rusty."
Lin Zhi did not doubt him and said, "You should really practice hard, don't be like Zhu Xiang and your father."
Qin Wangzheng frowned: "Uncle Lin, how can you compare your uncle and father to me?"
Zhao Gao's eyes flickered slightly. Is the King of Qin dissatisfied with the Prime Minister
He immediately had a storm of thoughts. The Prime Minister relied on his seniority to be so rude to the King of Qin, and even disdained the previous king and the Marquis of Changping. No wonder the King of Qin was dissatisfied.
King Zheng of Qin continued, "Based on my uncle and father's skills, I could have defeated them when I was ten years old."
Zhao Gao, who was in the middle of a mental storm, widened his eyes.
Lin Zhi said: "That's true. You are a student of Lian Gong and Li Mu, and you can personally lead the charge."
The corners of Qin Shi Huang's eyebrows were raised, and although his expression did not change much, one could still see the smug look that often appeared in his youth.
Lin Zhi glanced at Zhao Gao.
King Zheng of Qin waved his hand to let Zhao Gao leave, and walked to the stone table and sat down.
Lin Zhi carried the document to the stone table and said, "The new eunuch is too active."
Qin Wang Zheng flipped through the document and said, "Being overactive is not a problem, and being ambitious is not a problem either. I can tolerate it."
Lin Zhi said, "It doesn't matter if you can suppress him. He should be a good sword. But he may not be compatible with Zhu Xiang."
Qin Wangzheng paused while turning the pages of the book, frowned and said, "If he is not stupid, he will know how to please his uncle. My uncle is broad-minded and is extremely tolerant of people who are not compatible with him."
In other words, if Zhao Gao caused his uncle's direct dissatisfaction, then there must be a big problem with Zhao Gao, and Emperor Qin Shihuang was blind.
Lin Zhi stopped there and didn't continue to pay attention to this minor character.
He could tell at a glance that Zhao Gao had evil intentions, and wondered why Zheng'er, who was so smart, would let Zhao Gao serve him. However, as Zheng'er said, the ministers around the king were not necessarily noble people, and people with evil intentions were sometimes more likely to be used by the king.
A gentleman cannot be the knife in the hands of a king, but the king must have a knife in his hands, and then the role of the villain comes into play.
As long as Zhao Gao is loyal enough to Zheng'er, his villainous qualities will only allow Zheng'er to manipulate him better.
What's more, he has a group of elders to help him watch over him. He is just a small eunuch and cannot cause any trouble.
"The King of Yan was very surprised by the return of Prince Dan and had no intention of sending him to Qin." Lin Zhi changed the subject and talked about business. "When he saw that Qin had no reaction, he continued to let Prince Dan serve in the court and pretended that nothing had happened."
Lin Zhi stroked his beard and said mockingly, "The father-son relationship between him and Prince Dan is quite deep."
According to common sense, Yan State was not as powerful as Chu State and Qin State. After the hostage escaped, it would be too costly for the country concerned to pursue the matter, so they gave up.
What's more, when Xia Tong or King Yuan of Chu secretly fled back to their country, they left behind offspring. Their offspring could replace them as hostages, which would save face for the countries concerned.
Yan was already facing the crisis of national destruction, so it sent Prince Dan to Qin as a hostage to curry favor with Qin. When Prince Dan fled, he did not leave any offspring in Qin. If the King of Yan had been more sensible, even if he did not send Prince Dan back, he should have apologized first, and then discussed with Qin whether to replace Prince Dan as a hostage.
Leaving the Qin State aside and pretending that nothing had happened is an approach that has a self-deceptive and foolish beauty.
Lin Zhi said: "If he does this, we don't need to encourage them to assassinate, and we can send troops."
King Qin Zheng said: "Let's proceed according to the original plan."
Seeing that King Zheng of Qin was obsessed with the original plan, Lin Zhi was too lazy to keep a proper attitude.
He crossed his legs and winked, "Zheng'er, does Prince Dan really have a grudge against you? You are very persistent about this matter. What did he do to you? Tell your uncle and he will think about the extent of your revenge."
Qin Wang Zheng said with a straight face: "Really not."
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Then I can't let you waste time, manpower and material resources. Do you know how much effort I have to put into a successful plan and how much gold and silver the Qin State has spent?"
King Zheng of Qin's serious expression relaxed a little.
He pondered for a while and said, "Then... forget it?" Although he was a little unhappy, there was really no need to waste time and manpower and resources on the anger in the dream.
Lin Zhi said: "If he really bullied you, this little expense doesn't matter. Uncle will make him pay the price."
King Zheng of Qin hesitated for a moment and said, "I do have a grudge against him."
Lin Zhi asked, "But it's hard to say it out loud?"
King Zheng of Qin coughed dryly and glanced to the side.
What should he say? He couldn’t say that Emperor Ying Zheng was friends with Prince Dan of Yan in Zhao State before, and he deliberately let Prince Dan off the hook and allowed him to escape back to Yan State. As a result, Prince Dan sent someone to assassinate him, and he was not prepared because of his trust in Prince Dan, and was almost hurt
It’s hard to say what happened to Emperor Ying Zheng.
Lin Zhi nodded: "Since he really has a grudge against you, then we should proceed as planned. Only if he sends someone to assassinate you, can Qin take his head openly. I will go and tell Cai Ze, you wait for good news. But are you sure you want to be assassinated yourself?"
Qin Wang Zheng immediately puffed out his chest slightly and said, "I have fought in battles before, uncle, don't worry!"
Wasn't it just for that moment that he suddenly practiced sword skills every day
This time he will behead the assassin with one sword!
Lin Zhi laughed: "I think you are up to something bad. Never mind, we are prepared in advance, you will not be in danger. But we have to hide it from Zhu Xiang. If he knows, he will ride to Xianyang Palace to beat you up. Even Xue Ji can't protect you. Zhu Xiang usually indulges you, and if he is really angry, no one can stop him."
Qin Wang Zheng immediately said seriously: "I will never let my uncle know about this again."
Lin Zhi said, "Okay. Cai Ze and I will definitely be able to keep it a secret from him. It all depends on you."
King Zheng of Qin frowned and felt worried.
He was very confident in front of other people, making it impossible for people to tell what he was thinking, but he had no confidence at all in his uncle.
His tacit understanding of using facial expressions to order food from his uncle had its side effects at this time.
Lin Zhi tried not to laugh.
He could let Zheng'er do whatever he wanted, but he had no control over how Zheng'er would explain it to Zhu Xiang afterwards.
But he was really curious about what kind of grudge Prince Dan had with Zheng'er that made Zheng'er want to kill him in such a high-profile manner.
He is just a prince of Yan. If Zheng'er doesn't like him, he can kill him secretly after conquering Yan and exiling him. Zheng'er is going to destroy the prince of Yan and his entire family.
It's impossible that Prince Dan beat Zheng'er before he came to Zhu Xiang's house? Although Zheng'er was precocious and could remember things even when he was a baby, Prince Dan wouldn't be such a jerk that he would beat a child who was less than one year old, right? That would be very cruel.
Unfortunately, Xia Tong was not there, so he couldn't find anyone to ask about what happened back then.
Lu Buwei might know, but he definitely didn't dare to say it.
Lin Zhi left with regret, and King Zheng of Qin glared at Lin Zhi's back.
Obviously, he was well aware that Uncle Lin was trying to make fun of him.
He began to hesitate, wondering which one to choose between being scolded by his uncle and taking revenge in his dream.
But before he could hesitate, Prince Dan of Yan's actions made it clear to him that he didn't need to hesitate.
After returning to his country, Prince Dan was deeply afraid of Qin and the King of Qin, and he still did what he saw in the dream of King Zheng of Qin - he secretly recruited strong men and tried to assassinate King Zheng of Qin. The King of Yan actually supported him secretly.
Prince Dan covered it up very well. Lin Zhi and Cai Ze had been keeping an eye on Prince Dan and only then did they discover clues.
King Zheng of Qin suddenly realized. King Yan was also involved
That's right. How could the King of Yan not know about Prince Dan's actions in Yan State? Moreover, whether it was offering a city or sending an envoy, the King of Yan had to agree. The King of Yan must have been one of the masterminds. After the incident was exposed, he pushed all the faults onto his son, pretending to know nothing, and used Prince Dan's head to calm his anger.
From forcing Le Yi away, to constantly finding the wrong opportunities to attack the State of Zhao, to attempting to assassinate him, successive kings of Yan were extremely stupid.
Not to mention that Qin's defense was strict. Although Emperor Qin Shihuang was indeed assassinated accidentally due to negligence, according to common sense, it would be absolutely impossible to succeed in sending an assassin who had never had a record of assassination to penetrate the Qin Palace to carry out the assassination.
Even if the situation succeeded, the Qin State would only lose a king and would be able to elect a new king soon.
There may be chaos in Qin for a while, but given Qin's strength, it will not leave other countries with an opportunity to take advantage of it, it will only delay the offensive.
No matter which new King of Qin succeeds to the throne, the first thing he will do is to attack the State of Yan to take revenge.
The State of Yan was outside the Central Plains. If it was obedient enough, it might be able to stay until the end, and the lineage of the King of Yan might also be able to have a good end.
If they assassinated the King of Qin, they would fight to the death with the Qin State and aim to exterminate their entire clan.
Lin Zhi and Cai Ze were in a very strange mood. They always felt that Zheng'er had guessed that the Prince of Yan and Prince Dan were going to assassinate him, so he was angry in advance.
It must be an illusion.
How could someone plan revenge for something that didn't happen in the future
But it's hard for them not to think about that.
Because after learning about Prince Dan's actions, King Zheng of Qin practiced sword skills more frequently and seemed overly excited.
After ascending the throne, King Zheng of Qin was busy with government affairs and seldom traveled.
Now he even put government affairs aside, organized people to go hunting in Mount Li, and personally competed with the warriors who hunted wild beasts.
Watching King Zheng of Qin defeat the strong men nominated by the nobles one after another, Lin Zhi and Cai Ze put their hands in their sleeves and whispered to each other.
Lin Zhi: "Zheng'er is very energetic."
Cai Ze: "Zheng'er is very strong. Do we still need to secretly bring weapons to court?"
When Qin officials entered the palace to meet the King of Qin, they were not allowed to bring weapons. Only a few officials who were trusted by the King of Qin had the honor of bringing swords to court. Lin Zhi and Cai Ze had the honor of bringing swords to court during the reign of King Renwen of Qin, but they were too lazy to do so.
Zhu Xiang had the honor of bringing a sword into the palace during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, but he never brought it because it was useless. The honor of being able to take the King of Qin's lamb away at any time is much more powerful than the honor of carrying a sword.
Lin Zhi: "I don't think it's necessary. Zheng'er is better than both of us. He is worthy of being a student taught by Li Mu himself."
Cai Ze: "Should we tell Zhu Xiang secretly?"
Lin Zhi laughed: "When Zhu Xiang hears that Zheng'er was assassinated, he will definitely rush back with Xue Ji. If Zheng'er can hide it from him and his wife, we will let Zheng'er go this time."
Cai Ze raised his eyebrows: "I bet he can't hide it."
Lin Zhi's laughter is super loud.
King Zheng of Qin had just defeated a warrior and thought nothing of it.
There is a huge difference between the warriors raised by the nobles and the real warriors in the army. If I let them win with one hand, I can win.
Hearing Lin Zhi's laughter, he turned around and glared at him unhappily.
Uncle Lin is definitely up to something bad!
Zhao Gao noticed the displeasure on the King of Qin's face and seemed to be thinking about something.
(End of this chapter)