The old King Qin's expression changed very quickly. If Zhu Xiang had not been a commoner in the Warring States Period for so many years and was very good at observing people's words and expressions, it would have been difficult to catch the gloom in his kind smile.
The old King of Qin smiled and said, "I never thought you were so affectionate. All the girls in the world envy your wife."
Zhu Xiang shook his head and said, "The importance Xue and I attach to each other cannot be simply explained by the word 'deep affection'. Girls all over the world may envy Xue now, but if it was before today..."
Zhu Xiang paused for a moment, organized his words, and continued, "I have behaved strangely since I was young. Except for Xue, no one would believe the nonsense I said."
"When both my parents passed away and I was seriously ill and bedridden, my elder sister took away all the family property and left me. I knelt in front of the itinerant doctor to ask for medicine, and knelt from house to house to beg for fine food to nourish my body."
"After I joined Lord Lin's school, I stopped the nobles from buying land at low prices, went to Changping to lobby the Zhao army, and was thrown into prison after returning to Handan... She has been living in anxiety, but she hardly complains. When she occasionally complains, she will add "It doesn't matter", worried that I will feel burdened."
Zhu Xiang's words were filled with a pleading tone: "After I became seriously ill and could not have children, she married me without any regrets. Which woman would envy her at that time? If I didn't treat her well, I would be worse than an animal."
"After my mother abandoned me, my aunt hated my mother's ruthlessness, but she still treated me as her own son." Ying Xiaozheng stood up and knelt on the carriage. "After my uncle left home, my aunt was in poor health and couldn't lift heavy objects, so she still held me every day. My aunt took me to escape to Lian Weng's fiefdom, took me back to Handan, and took me to the prison to save my uncle..."
He raised his head and said, "The princes of Qin are deeply influenced by their maternal relatives. My uncle and aunt are not nobles, and their family background is simple. My uncle and aunt have no biological children, and I am their only blood. My uncle and aunt are both virtuous and will not cause trouble. I have no worries about maternal relatives."
Ying Xiaozheng suddenly interrupted, and Zhu Xiang was almost scared to the point of picking up Ying Xiaozheng and shielding him behind him, begging the old King of Qin not to be angry.
But seeing the old King of Qin's downturned mouth, Zhu Xiang held back.
The fact that the old King of Qin did not continue to wear that mask-like smile when Zheng'er disobeyed him showed that he was not angry.
Although what Zheng'er is doing now is dangerous, it may also be his chance to win the old King Qin's true favor. Since Zheng'er has made up his mind, he cannot hold him back.
"I am in poor health and don't like women. If Your Majesty fills my backyard with beauties, I can only open an embroidery and weaving workshop for them and teach them to be self-sufficient and self-reliant." Zhu Xiang sighed, "It seems not bad to think this way?"
Ying Xiaozheng glanced at his uncle who suddenly started to joke. His uncle seemed to have a talent for making jokes no matter what the atmosphere was.
"I thought you would sell them out." The old King of Qin also had a strange expression. Zhu Xiang's joke almost made the old King of Qin, who was trying to scare Ying Xiaozheng, forget his words.
Zhu Xiang said: "Wouldn't that be an insult to the emperor?"
Old King Qin: “…” If you let them become embroiderers and weavers, isn’t that an insult to me
He ignored Zhu Xiang's unreasonable behavior and said to Ying Xiaozheng with a stern face: "What do you mean by relatives at such a young age? Do you think you are the King of Qin?"
The old King of Qin's words were very hurtful, but Ying Xiaozheng was not afraid.
Ying Xiaozheng regarded the old King of Qin as his future self, and used his own mentality at that time to infer what words and deeds would satisfy the old King of Qin.
"My grandfather is the crown prince of Qin. My father was recognized by my grandfather as his legitimate son and will also be the crown prince of Qin in the future." Ying Xiaozheng tried to keep a straight face and said, "My father came to Qin with the help of Lu Buwei, and my mother was given by Lu Buwei. She is the bond of interest between my father and Lu Buwei. My uncle is a rare great sage in the world, and my father will definitely win over my uncle. Moreover, my grandfather and my father want to continue the feat of my great grandfather to destroy the six kingdoms, and will do their best to prevent the noble ladies of the six kingdoms from interfering in politics. So my father will definitely make me the crown prince."
Ying Xiaozheng said confidently: "I am not the king of Qin, but I will definitely be the king of Qin in the future, and the king of everyone in the world!"
Zhu Xiang's back was wet with cold sweat.
Although my son is the son of the first emperor, I have never seen him so domineering before! What's going on? Is there really such a thing as dragon energy? As soon as the dragon energy of the old dragon is forced, the dragon energy of the son of the ancestor dragon also "bangs" out and competes with the dragon energy of the old dragon? !
"Zhu Xiang, did you teach your nephew what to say?" The old King of Qin asked Zhu Xiang without answering.
Zhu Xiang shook his head vigorously: "It's not me!"
The old King of Qin looked at the sweat on Zhu Xiang's forehead and said, "It's definitely not you. Zheng'er, who taught you that?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "No one taught me, I figured it out on my own. But it was Lin Weng who analyzed the situation of Qin for me."
The old King of Qin immediately asked, "Lin Xiangru? You are still so young, and he is teaching you how to become the King of Qin? What does he mean by that? Isn't he afraid of teaching a powerful King of Qin who will destroy his State of Zhao?"
Ying Xiaozheng said, "I was still young, maybe Lin Weng didn't think too much when he taught me? But Lin Weng was not afraid of teaching a powerful King of Qin. As my uncle said, the world originally belonged to Zhou. The Zhou royal family fell, and there had to be a new king to unify the world. Although Lin Weng cared about King Huiwen of Zhao, he also cared about the common people and hoped that the world would be unified."
The old King of Qin slapped his thigh excitedly: "Does he think Qin can unify the world?!"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "The King of Zhao is incompetent. Since Zhao has no hope of unifying the world, when Lin Weng evaluated which of the six countries had the hope of unifying the world, he naturally only evaluated based on the actual situation."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Of course, Lord Lin would not tell Zheng'er that he was optimistic about Qin's unification of the world, but Zheng'er did not say that Lord Lin had said that! What a superb language art! My nephew is really born smart!
The old King of Qin was so happy that he stood up immediately, but just as he left his seat, he sat down again: "Lin Xiangru loves Qin so much, why doesn't he join Qin!"
Ying Xiaozheng's chubby face almost twitched. I only said that Lin Weng was optimistic about the strength of Qin. Isn't this a bit far from Lin Weng's "love for Qin"
Zhu Xiang looked at the top of the old Qin King's head. He was still waiting for the old Qin King to stand up and then hit his head on the top of the carriage.
Pity.
"Mr. Lin said he was old." Ying Xiaozheng lowered his head and said. Thinking of Lin Xiangru's appearance when they parted, his eyes welled up.
"Is that so... He is indeed old." The old King Qin sighed.
The Lin Xiangru he recalled was still the brave and fearless person he was in Mianchi.
So many years have passed.
The old King Qin looked down at his wrinkled hands, feeling extremely frightened.
He is old too.
At this moment, the old King of Qin suddenly missed those people who had been outlasted by him, especially King Wuling of Zhao and King Huiwen of Zhao.
"Forget it, Zheng'er, get up." The old King of Qin was a little bored. "Zhu Xiang, I wanted the crown prince to choose a smart daughter to marry you, and send more beauties to decorate your backyard. With Zheng'er here, it's okay if you are not happy."
Zhu Xiang understood the old King of Qin's implication. If Zheng'er died young, he would have to marry into the Qin royal family again, otherwise the King of Qin would not trust him.
There was not a single important official of the Qin State whose family members did not marry into the Qin royal family.
Although after the marriage, the King of Qin was still suspicious and the ministers still had their own thoughts, it was no different from not having the marriage.
"Thank you, my lord! When we have a rest, I will immediately make you a delicious meal!" Zhu Xiang moved to the front of the old King of Qin and knelt down, then pulled Ying Xiaozheng up, held him in his arms and rubbed his knees.
The old King of Qin laughed and scolded, "Do I need this bite of yours? If it doesn't taste good, I will punish your nephew to copy books. Alas, you and Zheng'er are indeed the children raised by Lin Xiangru."
(Ding, the favorability of King Zhaoxiang of Qin is unlocked.)
Zhu Xiang felt mixed emotions as he looked at the old Qin King who looked like he had half a heart hanging on his shoulders.
After several years of trial and error, Zhu Xiang barely understood the system's favorability division rules.
The description of favorability is not directly linked to the actual number of "hearts". For example, Xu Ming and Xiang He have repeatedly stated that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to save each other, but their favorability towards him has not reached the level of four hearts, which is "a close friendship".
This is because Xu Ming and Xiang He were willing to sacrifice themselves not for Zhu Xiang, but for the great sage Duke Zhu Xiang. If they did not know Zhu Xiang, they would also die for him.
For the same reason, the favorability of Pingyuan Jun and Pingyang Jun was unlocked only when Zhu Xiang left Zhao. At this time, they looked at Zhu Xiang not as a "talent who can bring benefits to Zhao", but as a flesh-and-blood person.
It was Xinling Jun who gave Zhu Xiang one heart when they met, and gave him another heart when they just parted, which made Zhu Xiang feel deeply moved.
The beginning of "favorability" may come from Zhu Xiang's talent, but it does not stop at Zhu Xiang's talent. The system's strict favorability evaluation pays more attention to the pixel character's personal feelings towards Zhu Xiang.
When he left Zhao, Lian Po and Li Mu's favorability had risen to three hearts, Xianghe and Xu Ming's favorability was slightly lower than Zheng'er's father's, Cai Ze's favorability had just surpassed Zheng'er's father's, and Lin Xiangru's favorability was only a hair's breadth away from four hearts.
Now the old King of Qin finally regarded himself as a "human being". Because the old King of Qin had developed a family affection for Zheng'er, did he love Zheng'er and his dog as well
"Zhu Xiang, tell me more about Lin Qing." The old King of Qin sighed and asked, "Lin Qing was ignored by King Zhao. Did he suffer a lot?"
Ying Xiaozheng looked up and Zhu Xiang lowered his head, and the uncle and nephew looked at each other in surprise.
Ying Xiaozheng: I'm sorry, I overestimated myself.
Zhu Xiang never expected that he failed to borrow the power of Lin Gong in Zhao State, but when he came to the King of Qin, Lin Gong helped him gain half the favor of the King of Qin
"I have suffered a lot..." Zhu Xiang whispered.
Lin Gong did not suffer much material hardship, but he suffered too much spiritual hardship.
Before taking a break again, Zhu Xiang and the old King of Qin talked entirely about Lin Xiangru.
It seemed that because the old King of Qin recognized Zhu Xiang, he no longer cared about his reputation and indulged in his curiosity and affection for Lin Xiangru. He did not hide his attention to Lin Xiangru, which made Zhu Xiang feel jealous.
He thought, it would be great if Lin Gong could enter Qin.
But if Duke Lin had not experienced the Return of the Jade to Zhao and the Meeting at Mianchi, he would not have been valued by the King of Qin. And Duke Lin, who had experienced the Return of the Jade to Zhao and the Meeting at Mianchi, would not have been able to enter Qin.
Ying Xiaozheng was exhausted and soon fell asleep in Zhu Xiang's arms.
After Zhu Xiang had poked the dimples on the cheeks of the sleeping Ying Xiaozheng several times, the old King of Qin also stretched out his fingers and poked the dimples on Ying Xiaozheng's cheeks twice. He nodded to Zhu Xiang, Zheng'er's face was indeed easy to poke, and Zhu Xiang's diary of raising a child did not lie.
When getting off the carriage, the old King of Qin personally pinched Zheng'er's cheek to wake him up, and then led Ying Xiaozheng, who was rubbing his eyes and yawning, out of the carriage.
At this moment, the old King of Qin and Ying Xiaozheng were like a pair of great-grandfather and great-grandson from a normal family. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Sima Jin and Wang He were stunned. Bai Qi almost slipped and fell into the bushes.
Cai Ze looked at Zhu Xiang. Zhu Xiang winked at Cai Ze. Cai Ze fell into deep thought.
I don't understand what Zhu Xiang's eyes mean. Forget it, I'll ask him when I have the chance.
Seeing that Zhu Xiang was not nervous, Cai Ze casually put the matter behind him for the time being.
Xue stood a few meters away, wanting to get closer to Zheng'er but not daring to go forward.
Ying Xiaozheng waved his hands vigorously at the snow: "Aunt! Aunt! My clothes are soaked with sweat!"
The old King Qin looked at Xue and ordered with a cold face: "Change Zheng'er's clothes."
"Yes!" Xue immediately stepped forward, picked up Ying Xiaozheng, and ran towards the carriage containing Ying Xiaozheng's clothes.
"Watch your step!" Zhu Xiang warned, "I'm going to make a feast, porridge, rice, noodles, what would Xue like to eat?"
"Zheng'er wants to eat potato flour!" "Make what Zheng'er wants to eat."
Ying Xiaozheng and Xue answered one after another.
The old King Qin, who was looking at the snow critically, now had a little less indifference in his eyes.
It is inevitable that a child will be attached to the "mother" who raised him, just as he once had the ability to expel all influence of his mother, but still hesitated for many years.
A "mother" who comes from a humble background, has no other children, and is devoted to Zheng'er is indeed the easiest to control. He was convinced by Zheng'er.
"Zhu Xiang, Zheng'er is only four or five years old, and he talks only about interests. Aren't you disheartened?" The old King of Qin said mischievously as he stood beside Zhu Xiang, who was squatting on the ground making a fire and cooking.
Zhu Xiang did not even raise his head, showing no fear at all: "I am very proud, but a little sad. It is because I did not protect Zheng'er well that Zheng'er has to understand so many things when he is only four or five years old."
When the old King of Qin saw that Zhu Xiang's words were genuine, he was really proud and distressed. He didn't know why, but he felt a little blocked in his heart.
"Zheng'er actually refuted what I said. Aren't you worried that he will annoy me?" The old King Qin continued to ask.
As Zhu Xiang poured dogwood oil into the water, he said, "Mr. Lin once said that Mr. Qin can be ambitious and cunning, but he cannot be mediocre and foolish."
The old King of Qin was stunned, then he sighed: "Lin Qing is really my confidant. Even though Lin Qing is old, I still hope that Lin Qing will come to Qin. I am willing to take care of Lin Qing in his old age."
Zhu Xiang threw the meat and bones he had picked up from the old King Qin's supplies into the pot to make soup.
What you can't get is the best. If Lin Gong really went to Qin, I'm afraid the old King of Qin would not have this attitude.
"Your Majesty, speaking of Lord Lin, I have something to ask of you," said Zhu Xiang.
The old King Qin smiled and said, "This is the third request you have made to me. Go ahead."
Zhu Xiang said, "I know that Your Majesty is aware of the news of Zhao. If Lord Lin and Lord Lian return home due to old age and illness, please allow me to visit them secretly."
"Returning home in old age and illness" is a euphemism, which means returning home in a coffin.
The old King Qin's smile faded and his brows furrowed.
After a while, he sighed and said, "Go ahead. Bring Zheng'er with you and kowtow to Lin Qing. Xue Ji will stay in Xianyang."
Zhu Xiang was not surprised by the old King of Qin's request, but he still couldn't help feeling a little self-mockery.
He will probably never meet elders like Mr. Lin and Mr. Lian again.
"Thank you, sir."
(End of this chapter)