When Zhu Xiang came back, he finally met King Zhao for the first time.
But this meeting is almost the same as not meeting at all.
Zhu Xiang knelt on the ground and bowed to the King of Zhao. When he looked up, he saw only a gorgeous carriage and a crystal clear curtain on the carriage door that reflected the sunlight. The King of Zhao was vaguely visible behind the curtain, and only his outline could be seen.
However, King Zhao at least praised Zhu Xiang personally and rewarded him with a lot of money.
Zhu Xiang saw King Zhao covering his face with his sleeves through the swaying curtain.
Zhu Xiang understood. The King of Zhao had driven here, so he must have thought about getting out of the car to help him personally, and was fully prepared to show respect to the wise.
But the place stinks.
These 100,000 Zhao soldiers had not changed their clothes or taken a bath for two or three months, and a thick layer of dirt had formed on their bodies.
In order to get home as soon as possible, they had marched for nearly ten days. Now they had a strong smell of fresh sweat on their bodies, which combined with the old dirt that had accumulated for two or three months, the smell was absolutely terrible.
Even he himself, who could take a bath every day in the military camp, had not washed for more than ten days on the way back. He had become accustomed to the stench on his body, and the King of Zhao would definitely not be able to stand it.
The current King of Zhao was just a young man under 30 years old, who grew up in a honey pot with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had never suffered, so even though he was fully prepared, he was able to sit in the carriage without vomiting when faced with the stench attack that seemed like a biological weapon. He had already done his best.
Zhu Xiang admired the old King of Qin a little. The old King of Qin was cruel to others and himself. In order to watch the fun, he actually participated in the stinky harvest celebration and laughed all the time.
Compared with the old King of Qin, the current King of Zhao is so immature.
During the Battle of Handan, even the nobles could only eat wheat and bean rice, and the city was filled with the stench of dead bodies. Only when the King of Zhao could smell it every day in the palace would he change.
Can King Zhao complete his transformation now
Zhu Xiang didn't know.
After rewarding him, the King of Zhao hurried back to the palace, and Pingyang Jun also left with him.
Pingyuan Jun, who had been to the military camp, visited other countries, and was detained by Qin, could endure the harsh environment better than King Zhao and Pingyang Jun. He stayed and appeased Zhu Xiang and the Zhao soldiers.
"The king has urgent matters to deal with in the palace. Zhu Xiang, you have suffered a lot, hurry home and rest. After a few days of rest, the king will summon you again." As long as Zhao Sheng recognized that the other party was a scholar, he was very humble. He held Zhu Xiang's hand and choked with tears.
Zhu Xiang also wanted to choke up, but he couldn't, so he could only pretend to be moved with a hoarse voice.
Fortunately, Zhao Sheng really respected Zhu Xiang. Seeing that Zhu Xiang was indeed overworked, he let Zhu Xiang go home without being overly polite.
Zhu Xiang hurried home, and before he even reached the door, he shouted, "Xue, Zheng'er! I'm back! Did you miss me?"
The door was wide open, Zhu Xiang rushed over, but instead of seeing Xue and Zheng'er, he saw Xun Kuang and Cai Ze with gloomy faces.
Zhu Xiang: "...Xunzi, I'm sorry, I was too loud!"
"Glad you're back." Xun Kuang looked at Zhu Xiang and said, "Come in quickly."
"Okay! I'm back!" Zhu Xiang said with a smile.
Cai Ze looked at the long convoy behind Zhu Xiang and asked, "Is this a reward from the King of Zhao?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and nodded: "Yes, I'm rich!"
Cai Ze snorted coldly and said, "Xue Ji and Zheng Er have been taken to General Lian's fiefdom. I will go find them now."
The smile on Zhu Xiang's face disappeared: "Ah, so that's it."
Xun Kuang patted Zhu Xiang on the shoulder and said, "Take a shower first, change clothes, and wait for them to come back. Don't worry, they are fine."
Zhu Xiang wanted to force a smile that would reassure Xun Kuang and Cai Ze, but he couldn't.
He began to feel scared.
Although Zhu Xiang had thought about the possible dangers his family might encounter when he was sent to Changping, he was sure that the close ministers of the King of Zhao would not make outrageous slanderous remarks before he returned to Handan. If someone tried to test them, even if Lord Lin and Lord Lian were no longer trusted by the King of Zhao, their qualifications and reputation would be enough to protect Xue and Zheng'er.
The facts were just as he had guessed. But when he heard that the situation was so serious that Lord Lin and Lord Lian needed to take Xue and Zheng'er to Lord Lian's fiefdom and hide them, he was still terrified.
"I told you to take a shower and change your clothes!" Xun Kuang slapped Zhu Xiang hard on the back, almost knocking him to the ground.
Zhu Xiang hurried to the bathroom. Hiss! Xunzi was still so strong!
Although Xue and Zheng'er had left, the servants still stayed at home because Xun Kuang and Cai Ze were looking after the house.
Upon hearing that the master had returned, the servants had already boiled hot water, prepared clothes, and made chicken soup.
There were still a lot of unsolidified soap bath balls at home, so Zhu Xiang asked an old servant to help him rub his back. He only stopped when his back was sore.
Zhu Xiang asked the old servant to leave, took a pair of scissors and cut his hair shorter before starting to wash his hair.
The requirements for haircuts at this time were not as strict as those in later generations when etiquette prevailed. Even in the era when etiquette prevailed, people would secretly trim their hair with scissors and shave off the messy hair on their temples with razors to make their hairstyle look more neat.
However, this time Zhu Xiang cut a little more at once so as not to let the old servant see it and prevent him from screaming.
"It feels much more refreshed." After washing his hair, Zhu Xiang wrapped his head with cloth, put on a silk robe, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Now Lord Pingyuan, Lord Pingyang and King Zhao had all sent him a lot of silk. With Zhu Xiang's status, he could finally wear silk clothes openly.
Silk clothes are indeed more comfortable to wear than fine linen clothes.
The servants knew Zhu Xiang's preferences, so they prepared a hand-cranked fan with a brazier in front of it to blow Zhu Xiang's hair.
Xun Kuang came in and said, "I asked Cai Ze to pick up Xue and Zheng'er."
Zhu Xiang said: "It may be dangerous to bring them back now. Let them continue to live in the fiefdom of Lord Lian."
Xun Kuang gave Zhu Xiang a look that said, "I knew you were up to something bad." He said, "We have already returned to Handan. If Lian Po still holds your family, I'm afraid someone will falsely accuse Lian Po of treason."
Zhu Xiang was stunned, then lowered his head.
Xun Kuang said to the servant who was waving the fan, "You go out."
The servant left immediately, and Xun Kuang helped Zhu Xiang to fan the room.
Zhu Xiang quickly said: "Xunzi..."
Before he could finish his words, Xun Kuang hit him on the head with a ruler.
I don’t know when it started, but Xun Kuang also started to like putting a ruler in his sleeves.
"The weather is getting colder, don't get sick." Xun Kuang, who washed his hair in the cold weather and then ran around, scolded Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang hunched his shoulders and obediently blew his hair in front of the fan.
"Tell me what you did in Changping." Xun Kuang said.
Zhu Xiang said: "Can we wait until Lord Lin and Lord Lian come back before we talk? Otherwise, I have to say it again... Ah, it hurts, it hurts, teacher, I was wrong, I will say it now, immediately!"
Xunzi was fond of Zhu Xiang, but he was ruthless when he attacked him.
Zhu Xiang rubbed his forehead. This force was much greater than that of the King of Qin.
Zhu Xiang did a lot of things in Changping, but to sum up, it was just planting potatoes.
When Xun Kuang heard that Zhu Xiang offered potatoes, papermaking and sugar-making techniques in exchange for Zhao soldiers, he frowned and looked full of disbelief.
"I have been to Qin. Based on my understanding of the King of Qin, he will not give in so easily." Xun Kuang said, "Bai Qi took the initiative?"
Zhu Xiang said firmly: "It's possible!"
Xun Kuang glanced at Zhu Xiang and said, "Do you know that you are not good at lying?"
Zhu Xiang: "... I didn't lie!"
Xun Kuang snorted coldly and said, "If Bai Qi takes the initiative, he may be sentenced to death by the tyrant before he returns to Qin."
Zhu Xiang sighed: "Really? The King of Qin is so cruel, and Wu Anjun is so miserable!"
Xun Kuang took out his ruler.
Zhu Xiang quickly shut up.
Xun Kuang asked, "You don't want to say it, do you?"
Zhu Xiang defended himself: "I said it all, I really said it all."
Xun Kuang said with empty eyes: "The King of Zhao is young and hot-tempered. Even if he knows that if Changping is lost, the five small cities will basically be meat in the mouth of the Qin army. But the first major decision he made after taking power suffered a disastrous defeat. He must be angry and will definitely not want to really give the five small cities to the King of Qin. Although papermaking, sugar making and potatoes are important, the Qin people can send people to Zhao to secretly obtain them."
Xun Kuang looked at Zhu Xiang who was trying hard not to feel guilty and said, "These conditions are not enough to win back the surrendered soldiers of Zhao State."
Zhu Xiang whispered, "Maybe they saw my talent and wanted to win me over?"
Xun Kuang laughed: "That's possible. But you have to give them a reason to make them wait for you for three months to grow the potatoes."
Zhu Xiang's voice was even quieter: "Maybe they wanted to wait until we planted the potatoes before killing us, but the potatoes turned out to be a bumper harvest, and the King of Qin was very happy and agreed to let the Zhao people go?"
Xun Kuang said: "Your words may convince Lian Po."
Zhu Xiang: “…” In fact, Lian Gong is not that stupid.
Xun Kuang looked at Zhu Xiang deeply and said, "Zhu Xiang, you refuse to tell me the truth. The truth should be that your life will be threatened."
Zhu Xiang was speechless.
After revealing so many flaws, he still wanted to deceive Xunzi. It was really a pipe dream.
Xun Kuang said, "You have to understand that if something happens to you, I may abandon you, but Lin Xiangru will definitely try his best to save you, and Lian Po may also help. Do you want to catch them off guard and let them die for you without knowing anything?"
Zhu Xiang immediately said: "I don't have it!"
Xun Kuang scolded, "Then speak out! A wise man will ask the elders for advice, while a fool will solve everything on his own. Do you want to be a fool?!"
Zhu Xiang's body trembled, she lowered her head, and clenched her skirt with both hands.
"I..." Zhu Xiang closed his eyes, "I..."
Xunzi's rebuke tore off the mask of hypocrisy in his heart.
Yes. If the King of Zhao really wanted to execute him, Lord Lin and Lord Lian would definitely try their best to rescue him. If they encountered danger while rescuing him, wouldn't he be harming them
Can you really ignore the dangers that others may encounter just because you close your eyes and can't see what happens next
"I..." Zhu Xiang said with difficulty, "I lied to the King of Qin. My achievements in Changping will surely cause panic among the ministers of the King of Zhao who framed me. The King of Zhao is also a person who only listens to one side and believes the other. He might kill me."
Xun Kuang sneered: "If he kills you, he will become the second Duke Mu of Qin, able to weaken the State of Zhao without bloodshed?"
Zhu Xiang didn't say anything, which meant he agreed.
Xun Kuang took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and pierced Zhu Xiang with a sharp gaze: "Your heart is with Qin."
Zhu Xiang closed his eyes: "I want to unify the world as quickly as possible. Countries are constantly fighting each other, how many civilians have died in the war? This world was originally the world of Zhou. Since Zhou is no longer able to control this world, it is time for someone else to take over! Instead of splitting the land of China into several pieces to fight each other! We are of the same roots, why are we so eager to fight each other!"
Zhu Xiang shed tears: "I not only want to use my death to exchange for my neighbors and fellow countrymen, I also want to use my death to pave the way for the unification of Qin. I am indeed ashamed of Lord Lin and Lord Lian, I..."
"Because you showed your talent? Because you made contributions? Which monarch would kill a scholar because he showed his talent and made contributions?" Xun Kuang gently patted Zhu Xiang's back. "Your status as the uncle of Qin's hostage is not a reason for him to kill you. Do other countries appoint nobles from other countries as officials? The ancestral tomb of the King of Chu was lost, but didn't Chu still have a prince serving Qin?"
Xun Kuang was really helpless.
He thought Zhu Xiang had done something stupid, but... Oh, was Zhu Xiang too kind? Even Mencius, the hypocrite who always talked about benevolence and righteousness, never said that people should be so kind.
Zhu Xiang convinced the King of Qin that he had made great contributions and if the King of Zhao killed him, he would become the second Duke Mu of Qin. The King of Qin believed him and released Zhu Xiang and the surrendered soldiers of Zhao to return home.
Did Zhu Xiang do anything harmful to the State of Zhao during this period
No. Instead, Zhu Xiang tried his best to show his talents and seek benefits for the State of Zhao.
Is this also considered to be unfair to Lin Xiangru and Lian Po? Xun Kuang believed that it was Lin Xiangru and Lian Po who were unfair to Zhu Xiang!
"Have a good rest, leave the rest to me." Xun Kuang said, "I will tell them the truth. They won't blame you, and you can't blame yourself either."
Xun Kuang patted Zhu Xiang on the back again. He had never been so kind to his own descendants.
Traveling to study and work as an official could lead to the danger of having the whole clan wiped out. Therefore, after the various scholars who traveled to study and work as officials had their families and had children, they would leave their families to live in a safe place, stay away from their families, and even never go back to visit their families for the rest of their lives.
That's what Xun Kuang is like.
He hadn't seen his descendants for a long time, and poured all his affection into his disciples.
"Teacher..." Zhu Xiang wiped away her tears, "Thank you."
"I'm your teacher, why are you thanking me?" Xun Kuang stroked Zhu Xiang's half-dried hair. "The chicken soup is ready. Eat something and get some rest. When you wake up, Xue and Zheng'er will be back."
Zhu Xiang nodded tiredly.
After telling the secret in his heart, Zhu Xiang felt exhausted both physically and mentally. He really wanted to fall asleep and never wake up.
Zhu Xiang ate two chicken legs, drank a bowl of millet porridge made with chicken soup, simply rinsed his mouth, and fell asleep.
Xun Kuang looked at Zhu Xiang's sunken cheek and tucked the corner of the quilt for Zhu Xiang with heartache.
He returned to his room, prepared his most formal attire, and waited for Lin Xiangru and Lian Po to come over, then he grabbed them and gave them a good scolding!
You two old men are incompetent and cannot advise your own king. Look what you have done to Zhu Xiang!
Zhu Xiang slept until the afternoon of the next day.
He got up to ask, but Xue and Zheng'er hadn't come back yet. He ate something and fell asleep again.
Xunzi came forward and stopped all those who wanted to disturb Zhu Xiang from entering the door. He told everyone that Zhu Xiang was sick from exhaustion and was now recuperating. If they really wanted to make friends, they should not come and disturb him now.
Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, relying on his high status and thick skin, came to visit secretly.
Zhu Xiang was sleeping soundly.
After Zhao Sheng left, he told everyone that Zhu Xiang was really sick and so weak that he couldn't even get up.
Those who were genuinely trying to make friends or were just pretending to flatter finally quieted down.
Xue and Zheng'er's carriage finally returned home.
When Xue and Zheng'er returned home, Zhu Xiang was still awake.
He sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, looked up at the sparse dates on the tree, his face full of heartache.
My jujube tree, you can bear so many jujubes, but because I was not here and did not prune the branches for you, you only produced so few. Did the snow miss me so much that it did not even water you
In the past few years, the jujubes from the jujube trees could be eaten for several months after being dried. Can the jujubes now last until the beginning of spring
"uncle!"
The child's sharp and piercing voice rang out, causing pain in Zhu Xiang's eardrum.
He stood up and ran out the door.
Before he ran to the door, a fat boy squeezed in through the gap in the door opened by the servant.
"Uncle!" The fat little boy made a "ton ton ton" sound, and his short legs pushed the ground so fast that Zhu Xiang had hallucinations of Hot Wheels.
"My Zheng'er!" Zhu Xiang stood firm and let the little fat boy fall on him.
He picked up Zheng'er and rubbed his soft face: "Zheng'er, do you miss your uncle?"
"Yes." Ying Xiaozheng, who was still a child and therefore very frank, hugged Zhu Xiang's neck and started howling.
Zhu Xiang, who was happily rubbing the soft little face of his own cub, was frightened by Ying Xiaozheng's sudden loud crying and almost jumped up. He hurriedly coaxed the child: "Zheng'er, don't cry. Uncle is back. Nothing happened. Uncle has made great contributions. He will be a high-ranking official and live in a big house in the future. Zheng'er will have endless snacks in the future!"
Ying Xiaozheng didn't listen to what Zhu Xiang said at all. He held Zhu Xiang's neck and continued to howl. He didn't cry much, but he had a lot of snot and saliva, which made Zhu Xiang's face, hair and shoulders wet and sticky.
Zhu Xiang: “…” It’s really hard to take care of children.
"Xue, Xue help me!" Zhu Xiang anxiously asked for help.
Xue walked slowly towards him and choked up: "My dear, you deserve it."
"Xue, save me!" Zhu Xiang said pitifully, "If you don't pity me, at least pity Zheng'er. Zheng'er's voice has become hoarse from crying."
The volume of Ying Xiaozheng's crying rose again.
Xue walked forward, stroking Zheng'er's back with one hand and grabbing the cloth on Zhu Xiang's other shoulder with the other hand: "My dear..."
"I'm fine." Zhu Xiang said gently, "I'm back."
"Welcome back. Zheng'er and I are fine too." Xue leaned her head on Zhu Xiang's shoulder and finally cried out.
"I'm back, everything is fine." Zhu Xiang rubbed Xue's hair, then rubbed... uh, Zheng'er's snot-covered cheek.
Today I can add another entry to the "Diary of Raising the First Emperor's Cub".
Look, there is a dirty Qin Shi Huang cub with snot and saliva all over his face! Zhu Xiang's suppressed mood was finally released, and he smiled brightly: "Don't cry, I'm back. I was just on a business trip. I told you that I met the King of Qin and Wu'an Jun! Zheng'er, do you want to hear your uncle tell you the story of your great-grandfather?"
Ying Xiaozheng finally listened to Zhu Xiang's words. He sniffed and said, "I want to. Uncle... Uncle has seen Grandfather Zeng?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Yes. My uncle also told Zheng'er's great-grandfather that Zheng'er was a little fat... Ouch!"
Ying Xiaozheng was so angry that he bit Zhu Xiang's shoulder.
Damn uncle! Not only did he not help Zheng'er to speak well of him in front of Grandfather Zeng, but he also slandered Zheng'er! Zheng'er is not a little fat boy, and he will not grow up to be a big fat boy who can crush a horse!
"Puchi." Xue also burst into laughter, "You only know how to bully Zheng'er. Go take Zheng'er to take a bath and change clothes, I'll pack the luggage."
"Okay." Zhu Xiang then remembered that there were still two elders and two friends. "Where are Lord Lin and Lord Lian?"
"Xun Qing dragged him away, and Cai Ze followed him." Lin Zhi complained, "You only noticed me now?"
Zhu Xiang was very puzzled and asked, "My eyes are already occupied by Xue and Zheng'er, how can I still see you?"
Lin Zhi said unhappily, "You still have the mood to make me angry. It seems that you have not been abused by Wu Anjun."
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "Who do you think Wu Anjun is? If Wu Anjun was dissatisfied with me, he would definitely kill me with a knife, why would he do such troublesome things?"
Lin Zhi said, "That's true. Let's go take a bath together. I've been driving for several days and I'm sticky all over. I can't stand it. Zheng'er, are you happy that your uncle will take a bath with you?"
Ying Xiaozheng said with a straight face: "Not happy!"
Lin Zhi pinched Ying Xiaozheng's snot-stained face and said, "Hahaha, I knew that Zheng'er would be happy."
Ying Xiaozheng: “Not happy!”
Snow smiled and shook her head, leaving to pack her bags, leaving the three men to make a scene.
Zhu Xiang held Ying Xiaozheng, who was waving his little fist at Lin Zhi from a distance, and the three of them went to take a bath together.
Zhu Xiang just rinsed his body and got up from the bathtub to change his clothes.
Lin Zhi and Ying Xiaozheng had a water fight in the bathing pool and were evenly matched.
"Are you the same age as Zheng'er? Hurry up and take a shower. It doesn't matter if you catch a cold. If Zheng'er gets sick, I will drag you to Xunzi's class with me." Zhu Xiang threatened.
"Okay." Lin Zhi shouted, "Zheng'er, surrender quickly!"
Ying Xiaozheng, with his round belly sticking out, got ready: "Zheng'er won't surrender!"
Zhu Xiang shook his head and went out to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
These two will probably continue playing for a while.
After arranging the dishes for lunch, Zhu Xiang made red date cake by himself.
Mix eggs, yeast, batter, red date paste and brown sugar water together and beat them. Put them in a bowl over warm water to accelerate the fermentation. When the fermentation is complete, garnish with a red date and steam it in a pot to make the sweet and delicious red date cake.
When Zhu Xiang put the red date cake into the steamer, Lin Zhi, with Ying Xiaozheng on his neck, walked into the kitchen, "Zhu Xiang, father and uncle Lian are calling you over. They seem very angry, be careful."
Zhu Xiang said, "Okay. Don't bring Zheng'er to eat secretly in the kitchen."
Lin Zhi said, "Go quickly. Who am I to have an affair with Zheng'er?"
Zhu Xiang glanced at Lin Zhi. Zheng'er is so fat, you are at least half responsible!
Zhu Xiang walked to the front hall, where Lin Xiangru and Lian Po were sitting on the armchairs with gloomy faces, as if they were about to interrogate a prisoner.
Before the two elders spoke, Zhu Xiang spoke first: "Mr. Lin, Mr. Lian, I have thought about it. Since the King of Qin has released me and the people of Zhao, I don't have to fulfill my promise. The art of diplomacy is to deceive the king of the enemy country and succeed!"
Lin Xiangru and Lian Po were stunned for a moment, then they both held their foreheads and laughed.
Xun Kuang coughed dryly: "It's good that you know."
Zhu Xiang showed a smile that was a little embarrassed, but very proud.
After returning home, he didn't want to die.
I don’t want to make my elders sad, I don’t want to make my friends sad, and I don’t want to make my family heartbroken.
Anyway, I and the Zhao surrendered soldiers who were willing to return to Zhao have all returned to Handan, so the King of Qin can't do anything to me even if he's angry. Even if he wants to attack Handan, the situation is not on his side now.
"As long as I pretend to be sick, stay at home obediently, don't show off, and don't ask for an official position, even if they are jealous of me, what can they do to me?" Zhu Xiang said what he had been thinking about in the past few days, "I will continue to work diligently for the king of Zhao and be loyal to the state of Zhao. What reason does the king of Zhao have to kill me!"
As long as I don’t commit suicide, I won’t die!
"Well said." Lian Po slammed the table. "It's time for the king to call me back to the court. I will tell the king that your status and position may arouse jealousy, and ask him to give you a sinecure."
Lin Xiangru nodded: "Now the king should rely on Lian Po and me. Pingyuan Jun and Pingyang Jun also promised to protect you."
Zhu Xiang nodded vigorously.
(End of this chapter)