Ying Xiaozheng, who was always dressed in red by Zhu Xiang in previous years, appeared this time dressed in black, and the small hat on his head was replaced with the same coiled snake pattern on his jade ring.
The new little hat was sewn by Xue for Ying Xiaozheng according to Ying Xiaozheng's jade ring during the journey.
Ying Xiaozheng felt too hot in the carriage, and when he took off his fluffy coat, the jade ring slipped out.
The old King of Qin smiled and said, "Zichu may look heartless, but he actually values Zheng'er very much. This jade ring was given to Zichu by him when he was 18 years old."
For Zichu, a originally unpopular grandson of the Qin State, this was the only reward he received from the old King of Qin.
Ying Xiaozheng tilted his head and pretended to be well-behaved, but he was laughing in his heart.
Zhu Xiang pretended to know nothing and had no idea.
At first, he did not doubt Xia Tong's identity, but thought that Xia Tong, like Lin Zhi, had no influence on the original history, so he did not appear in the favorability list. The favorability of King Zhuangxiang of Qin reached three stars because King Zhuangxiang of Qin knew that he had saved his son.
As he gradually figured out some of the system's favorability evaluation criteria, he began to have doubts.
Just like the old King of Qin would not unlock his favorability just because he appreciated me, a qualified future king of Qin would not give me three hearts without ever meeting me.
It was just that his good friend Xia Tong, who came to his house to make a living, was Yiren, the hostage of Qin State. It was amazing that neither Lord Lin nor Lord Lian had discovered it. So Zhu Xiang kept this absurd guess in his heart and told no one.
It was not until Lin Xiangru, Lin Zhi, Lian Po, Li Mu and others came to see him off that Zhu Xiang found a folded paper letter from the farewell gifts of Lin Xiangru and Lin Zhi. The letter told Zhu Xiang how to find out Xia Tong's true identity.
In the letter, Lin Xiangru taught Zhu Xiang in detail how to pretend not to know Yiren's identity, making Yiren feel guilty, and how to use Yiren to gain a foothold in Qin without making a fuss.
"Burn after reading."
Zhu Xiang could tell from the wording of the letter that it had been written a long time ago. Lin Gong probably wanted to give it to him when he and Zheng'er left Zhao and returned to Qin.
Lin Xiangru did give the letter to Zhu Xiang when Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng left Zhao and returned to Qin. However, no one expected that Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng would part with them under such circumstances.
Lin Xiangru and his companions came in a hurry, and did not bring much as farewell gift. Each person only had a small bundle containing a few scrolls, a jade ornament, and some scattered gold nuggets.
In order to show his trust in Zhu Xiang, Bai Qi did not check the gifts Zhu Xiang received.
But Zhu Xiang believed that his friends would not include anything in their farewell gifts that would obviously make the old King of Qin fear him, so he sorted out the gifts in front of Bai Qi.
Bai Qi sighed, it could be seen that Lin Xiangru and others were really caught off guard by King Zhao's stupidity.
Then, he cooperated with Zhu Xiang in writing down the types and quantities of the gifts, and when he met the old King of Qin, he presented them to the old King of Qin together with Zhu Xiang's words and deeds.
Before going to bed, Zhu Xiang quietly opened the jade ring given by Lin Zhi and took out the letter paper in the middle of the hollow jade ring.
After Zhu Xiang found an opportunity to read the entire letter, he stuffed the letter into the brazier and stared at the leaping flames in a daze.
He was not angry because the Lin family had hidden the secret from him.
For his sake, Duke Lin even put aside the differences between Qin and Zhao and taught him how to be independent in Qin. How could he be angry? He just wondered if his existence had added a lot of troubles to Duke Lin that shouldn't have existed.
He was not angry at the stranger's concealment.
If we have to say how he felt after he confirmed that Xia Tong was really King Zhuangxiang of Qin, it was probably a little sour and a little regretful.
Zhu Xiang once held extravagant hopes. After entering Qin, he reunited with Xia Tong. Close friends supported each other, which might be a little comfort in a strange place.
But Xia Tong was King Zhuangxiang of Qin. The former hostage of Qin might have confided in him in desperate situations, but now he was the grandson of Qin, and the future crown prince and king of Qin. Their friendship ended here.
Zhu Xiang thought numbly that not only would he stop, he might even have to watch Xia Tong's favorability rating slowly drop, helplessly.
When treating a national scholar, the old King of Qin always gave him ample pomp and circumstance. He and Ying Xiaozheng got off the carriage first, and then he personally came to Zhu Xiang's carriage and asked Zhu Xiang to get off.
When the old King of Qin led Ying Xiaozheng out of the carriage, he felt that something was wrong when he looked at this fat great-grandson dressed in black.
He waved to the servants and wrapped Ying Xiaozheng with the red fluffy scarf that he usually wore. The little black ball had a circle of red fluff in the middle.
The old King Qin nodded. This was much more pleasing to the eye.
When the Qin officials waiting outside the city of Xianyang saw how well the King of Qin treated Zhu Xiang, there was no jealousy towards Zhu Xiang on their faces, only curiosity.
Zhu Xiang's reputation became more and more mysterious, and people even began to make up stories, saying that when Zhu Xiang walked through the fields, millet grew out of his footprints, and he looked nothing like a human being.
Compared to the old Qin King's kindness to Zhu Xiang, the Qin officials were shocked by the old Qin King's intimacy with Ying Xiaozheng. Many people's minds were in turmoil, and thousands of thoughts flashed through their minds in a blink of an eye.
Zhu Xiang got off the carriage with the help of the old King of Qin.
Cai Ze did not receive such treatment. He waited until Zhu Xiang left before leaving the carriage with everyone else.
When Zhu Xiang appeared, everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
As a very popular figure among the princes, Zichu was also in the crowd.
He almost cried out in surprise when he saw Zhu Xiang's gray and white hair mixed with strands of black.
Zichu clenched his fists, letting the pain of his nails digging into his palms calm himself down.
He stared at Zhu Xiang intently, forgetting to conceal his identity and the explanation he had been thinking about all night when he learned that Zhu Xiang was going to return to Xianyang.
Prince Zhu and Prince Zichu stood at the front of the welcoming crowd, and Zhu Xiang saw Xia Tong at a glance.
His eyes dimmed, and even though he had prepared himself for a long time, he immediately looked away.
The old King of Qin keenly noticed Zhu Xiang's expression. He lowered his voice and asked, "When did you know his identity?"
Zhu Xiang replied: "That piece of jade is not from Prince Yiren... it is a gift from Prince Zichu to Zheng'er."
The old King Qin was stunned for a moment, then said in annoyance: "Is it a gift from him? Alas."
He stroked his beard, feeling extremely regretful. He had thought he could enjoy the fun, but now the fun was ruined because of his own talkativeness.
"If you want to beat him up, I'll allow you to do so!" The old King of Qin patted Zhu Xiang's shoulder, then grabbed his short-legged great-grandson with one hand and Zhu Xiang's arm with the other, dragged Zhu Xiang and his great-grandson to Fan Ju, and shouted, "Sir, I have brought Zhu Xiang and Zheng'er back."
Fan Ju smiled and bowed: "Welcome to your Majesty, Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work. Prince Zheng, Duke Zhu Xiang, I, Zhang Lu, have long admired you."
"Zhang Lu" was the pseudonym Fan Ju used when he fled from the State of Wei. Although everyone now knows that Zhang Lu is Fan Ju, and many people directly address him as "Mr. Fan" or "Prime Minister Fan" when they meet, Fan Ju still stubbornly uses his pseudonym in front of others.
Ying Xiaozheng tugged at the old King of Qin's finger, raised his head and said aggrievedly: "Grandfather Zeng, Ying Hou has heard about you for a long time. Could it be that the bad things that my uncle said about Zheng'er have reached Ying Hou's ears?"
The old King Qin had developed a good habit of teasing his great-grandson in the past few months, and he immediately said, "Yes, your uncle is really bad."
Ying Xiaozheng pouted, looking aggrieved, but still obediently paid homage to Fan Ju as a disciple.
He has a special status, so to show respect to Fan Ju, it is most appropriate to use the etiquette of a disciple, which was taught by the old King of Qin.
After watching how the two of them got along, Fan Ju had some ideas in mind.
He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. It was clearly Your Majesty who wrote the letter to praise your intelligence."
Ying Xiaozheng immediately puffed out his chest proudly: "Zheng'er is indeed very smart!"
The old King Qin poked the head of the fat boy who had stolen all the limelight from his grandfather and said, "Okay, let's go back to the palace first and talk slowly."
The old King of Qin waved to the neglected Prince Zhu, picked up Ying Xiaozheng and put him in Prince Zhu's arms.
Prince Zhu: “???”
The old King of Qin said, "The women in your backyard can't teach Zheng'er well, so I will teach him myself. Your mansion next to the palace is given to Lord Changping and his wife, and they will still be responsible for taking care of Zheng'er. When you have time, you should consult Lord Changping more often, because he is the minister I leave for you. I hope that you and Lord Changping can be like me and Lord Ying."
The Zhou emperor divided the princes into five ranks: duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron. For example, when the king of Qin became a prince, he was only a "bo", but he was shameless. Inside the Qin kingdom, the people respectfully called the king of Qin "duke". The king of Chu was only a "zi", but he was even more shameless than the king of Qin. He said "I am a barbarian" and called himself "king".
Therefore, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the vassal states did not have the title of "Marquis". "The emperor, the vassal states, the ministers, and the officials who owned land were all called lords." The lords of the vassal states were a special honor at the level of "ministers and officials."
At that time, the military merit titles listed for the Qin lords had nothing to do with Shang Jun. They were extra rewards. For example, Shang Jun's military merit title was only the sixteenth-level Da Liang Zao.
During the Warring States Period, as various countries vied to become kings, the title of "Fengjun" was upgraded to "Fenghou". The status of "Hou" and "Jun" was equivalent, and the titles began to be used interchangeably. For example, "Yinghou" was often called "Yingjun".
The power of "Hou" at this time was even smaller than that of the original "Jun".
The "kings" in the Spring and Autumn Period and the early Warring States Period truly enjoyed leadership over their fiefdoms, which was equivalent to small princes, so the titles were the place names.
In the late Warring States period, powerful kings deprived the feudal lords of their right to manage their territories. Many feudal lords only enjoyed taxes and tributes, and their fiefs could not be passed on to future generations, so the title did not necessarily use "fiefdom", such as Wu'an Jun.
It was only after the First Emperor unified the world that the Qin Dynasty added the titles of Lun Hou (without fiefdom, called Guannei Hou after Liu Bang) and Che Hou (with fiefdom, called Lie Hou after Liu Che), officially changing the title of "Jun" to "Hou".
Although there was no explicit stipulation on the difference between Lunhou and Chehou at this time, the titles showed some difference in status. Yinghou (Jun) and Changpinghou (Jun) were both fiefs, equivalent to Chehou; Wu'an Jun was equivalent to Lunhou.
However, the old King of Qin had a change of heart this time and decided to give Wu'an Jun a real fief. With the fief, the "Wu'an" in "Wu'an Jun" was a real compliment.
From the differences in titles, we can see that in addition to merit, birth and the king's preference were more important for titles in the Qin State.
The old King of Qin gave Zhu Xiang the title of "Lord of Changping" with actual fiefdom. Zhu Xiang's status among the court officials had already surpassed that of Lord Wu'an (after Lord Wu'an had actual fiefdom, his status jumped to the top among all the feudal lords).
When the old King Qin wanted to win people over, he was really willing to do so.
He also told Prince Zhu in person that Changping Jun was not only my subject, but also the subject I left for you to assist in the administration. As long as Zhu Xiang did not carry out reforms or treason, it was basically certain that he would continue to be valued by the next generation of the King of Qin.
At this time, the expressions of all the Qin ministers and nobles when they looked at Zhu Xiang changed completely. It was difficult for them to hide their jealousy in front of the King of Qin.
Prince Zhu's face also changed. He was so moved that tears came down his face.
Finally, finally, his harsh father told him in public for the first time that he was entrusted with the affairs of state! In the past, his father always looked at him with disdain, as if he was about to issue an edict to depose him.
Is my position as the crown prince finally secure? If I live long enough, can I become the King of Qin
Prince Zhu suddenly thought of his beloved elder brother who had died of old age and illness. A basin of snow water poured over him and he calmed down.
It is difficult to live longer than your biological father.
"Yes! I will definitely treat Lord Changping well!" Prince Zhu accepted the order, then held Ying Xiaozheng firmly with one hand and held Zhu Xiang's hand with the other, "Lord Changping, you must have had a long journey and worked hard. I will hold a banquet in a few days to welcome you back!"
I have many children and grandchildren, and finally I have a subject of my own!
Being a crown prince under the old King of Qin, who has a strong desire for control and a very long life, Crown Prince Zhu's eyes lit up, and he was not even the first crown prince.
"Ding!"
Zhu Xiang watched as a pixel avatar frame symbolizing King Xiaowen of Qin appeared in the favorability list, and it climbed up with difficulty. Finally, it stopped at a little more than one heart, a little higher than Bai Qi.
Zhu Xiang, who was originally immersed in the sorrow of "my good friend is really Prince Zichu", felt extremely shocked.
How could someone be like Xinling Jun, who gave his heart to me the moment they met? Could it be that King Xiaowen of Qin, who only played a background role in the magically adapted Qin Dynasty TV series, actually had the same excellent quality of respecting the wise and humble as Xinling Jun
"Zichu, come and pay your respects to Lord Changping too!" Prince Zhu let go of Zhu Xiang's hand and pulled Zichu out from behind him.
Since Zichu returned to the country, he has done very well, and even Prince Zhu has received a lot of praise from his father. Therefore, he has become willing to establish Zichu as the legitimate son, and no longer loves Lady Huayang just because of her. At this moment, he specially brought Zichu to appear.
Zhu Xiang, who was still escaping, was forced to look Zichu in the eye.
"Zhu Xiang, I..." Zichu's lips moved. Even though he had made all the preparations, he guessed that with Zhu Xiang's personality, as long as he could come up with a reasonable explanation, Zhu Xiang would not blame him. But when they really met, he couldn't say a word, and only fear and anxiety remained in his heart.
With a "pa" sound, Prince Zhu slapped Zichu on the back.
Prince Zhu didn't know about Zichu and Zhu Xiang's past. He frowned and scolded, "How can you call Lord Changping by his name?"
Zhu Xiang looked at Zichu, who was grimacing and making a fool of himself in public, and realized that Prince Zhu probably didn't hold back when he slapped him, and had slapped him quite hard.
He spoke up for Zichu reflexively, "I have no given name or surname, so there is nothing wrong with calling me Young Master Zichu."
Seeing that the old King of Qin was still there enjoying the joke, Fan Ju was unwilling to return to the palace.
For the sake of his colleagues who had waited in the cold wind for so long, he interrupted and said, "Although Lord Changping has no surname, the common people in the world will probably recognize Lord Changping as 'Zhu Xiang'. It is indeed not wrong for Prince Zichu to call Lord Changping 'Zhu Xiang'. Your Majesty, you are tired from the journey, please return to the palace to rest."
The old King of Qin wanted to watch the excitement for a few more times, but when he saw the disapproval in the eyes of the Prime Minister, he nodded regretfully: "Return to the palace!"
Palace music sounded, and all the ministers bowed their heads to welcome the King of Qin again.
Zhu Xiang wanted to kneel down together, but was dragged forward by the old King of Qin.
The old King of Qin said, "Zhu, Zichu, ride in the same carriage with me."
"Yes!" Taizi Zhu followed happily, holding his beloved grandson from now on.
Zichu also lowered his head and followed the footsteps of the old King of Qin and Prince Zhu.
Fan Ju sighed, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. Your Majesty just won't give up on making fun of Prince Zichu? Forget it, as long as I don't embarrass Prince Zichu in public.
"Wu'an Jun, thank you for your hard work." The old King of Qin left the others behind to watch the fun, so Fan Ju had to step forward to comfort him.
Bai Qi said respectfully: "I have not contributed much. It is only because Yinghou is stationed in Xianyang and consolidates the rear that I have room to realize my ambitions."
Fan Ju stroked his beard and said, "Wu'an Jun is good in every way, except that he is too modest. Is this Cai Qing? I have heard of you for a long time."
Although he had never heard of their reputation, Fan Ju was still polite to the talents brought back by the King of Qin.
Cai Ze bowed and said, "I have heard of Ying Hou's reputation for a long time. Now that I have seen him, I finally get what I wanted."
Fan Ju laughed at himself and said, "It's a bad reputation."
Cai Ze said calmly, "I have heard for a long time that Ying Hou will repay kindness and revenge. He is a man of character. The kings of Yan and Zhao insulted me, but the king used me. I also want to learn from Ying Hou and repay kindness and revenge. I hope Ying Hou can give me some guidance."
Fan Ju was silent for a moment, then said, "I will accompany you to the palace first, and we will discuss the matter in detail later."
Cai Ze said: "Mrs. Changping and the rest of her family are in the car, can they be settled first?"
Fan Ju nodded and said, "Mrs. Changping is weak. Although she should have attended the banquet with him, Zhu Xiang requested in advance that His Majesty let me take Changping's family to Changping's residence first to settle down, and then the Crown Prince's Madam Huayang will host a banquet for them."
Because of the incident with Queen Dowager Xuan, the old King of Qin had no title of queen after the death of the queen from Chu State. They were not allowed to get involved in state affairs in the harem. Moreover, the biological mother of Crown Prince Zhu, Tang Bazi, had passed away due to old age. Therefore, the highest-ranking noble lady in Qin State now was Lady Huayang, the wife appointed by Crown Prince Zhu.
Although Lady Changping Jun did not attend the banquet, she was treated separately by Lady Huayang, and the old King of Qin also paid enough attention to Xue.
Fan Ju waved his hand, and a group of servants came out, leading the few servants brought by Zhu Xiang away.
Xue hugged her arms in fear in the carriage.
Whether it was the first time she came to a foreign country away from her homeland, or the fact that she was about to walk among the noble ladies under the name of "Lady Changping Jun", this ordinary woman from the countryside was filled with fear.
She could only close her eyes and constantly picture the appearance of Zhu Xiang and Zheng Er in her mind, so that she could gather her courage bit by bit.
She escaped today, but she must never escape again. Her lover finally asked the King of Qin to give Zheng'er to her to raise. She and her lover could not lose this only child. She could not escape.
Xue tried hard to open her eyes, quietly opened the car window curtains a little, and looked at the place where she, her husband, and Zheng'er were about to live.
The old King of Qin asked Zhu Xiang to sit next to him. Prince Zhu held Ying Xiaozheng and sat opposite Zichu.
Zhu Xiang was once again forced to look Zichu in the eye.
He now wanted to dig a hole in the carriage floor with his toes, then jump out of the hole and escape.
The old King of Qin had no pity for Zhu Xiang. He asked excitedly, "You two close friends have met again after so many years, why didn't you say a word?"
Ying Xiaozheng buried his face in the arms of his strange cheap grandfather, hiding the anger on his little face.
Damn great-grandfather, he’s bullying my uncle again!
The only person who didn't know the truth, Prince Zhu, was puzzled: "What close friend?"
Zichu knew he couldn't escape, so he bowed his head and said, "Zhu Xiang, I... I'm sorry, I didn't tell you my true identity."
Zhu Xiang took a few deep breaths and said, "Identity is not important. I understand. As for the matter of Zheng'er and Chunhua, we can discuss it slowly in private."
The old King Qin's face was wrinkled with laughter. It was a rare occasion for him to laugh so heartily.
Prince Zhu was still confused: "What is her identity? Who is Chunhua?"
The old King of Qin laughed and said, "Why do we have to talk in private? Let's talk now, Zhu Xiang, I will make the decision for you!"
Zichu: “…” Why has the situation become so complicated
Zhu Xiang was also thinking about this problem. Originally, he and Zichu would communicate privately. If they could get along, they would continue to be friends. If they couldn't, they would just be superficial friends. Now that the old King of Qin and the Crown Prince had gotten involved, neither of them knew how to communicate.
Even if they broke up, they didn't want to do it in front of the old King of Qin and the Crown Prince. Besides, Zheng'er was still here, and Zhu Xiang couldn't let Zheng'er see his long-awaited biological father at odds with his uncle who raised him.
But under the urging of the old King of Qin, Zhu Xiang could only force himself to explain, "Chunhua is my eldest sister. Eldest sister is a rural name, which means female elder brother..."
Zichu looked at Zhu Xiang's distressed expression and interrupted, "Your Majesty, my dear, please let me explain."
The old King of Qin saw Zichu's intention to protect Zhu Xiang. Although he wanted to laugh at the joke, he never thought of breaking up Zichu and Zhu Xiang. Only if the two of them maintained a close friendship could Zhu Xiang be more devoted to Qin.
So he nodded and said, "It is up to you to explain. I, the prince of Qin, cannot do anything that goes against benevolence and righteousness. If you can't explain it clearly, I will make the decision for Zhu Xiang."
The corner of Zhu Xiang's mouth twitched. Was this forcing him to forgive Zichu
(End of this chapter)