How to Cultivate a Ten-Thousand-Mile Empire for the Young Emperor Qin?

Chapter 43: Cold roast lamb

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"The prince of Qin must not do anything that goes against benevolence and righteousness."

When the old King of Qin said this, Prince Zhu almost bit his tongue.

"Father, do you believe what you said? Do you think Zhu Xiang and Zi Chu would believe it? They were so embarrassed that their bodies tensed up.

Ying Xiaozheng turned his head silently in Prince Zhu's arms, looking at his young father who was hardly the same as the one in his dream memory, waiting to hear how he would argue.

Zichu had prepared many sophistry words, but when he took another look at the white snow on Zhu Xiang's hair, the words he had prepared got stuck in his throat.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "After I was sent to Zhao as a hostage, Qin and Zhao went to war. I was humiliated by Zhao and lived in poverty. I hid my identity and worked as an accountant in Zhu Xiang's house..."

Before Zhu Xiang could say anything, the old King of Qin interrupted: "Wait, even if you are in financial difficulty, you can't just find a family to help you."

Zhu Xiang: "..." There's no need to be so harsh and force him to analyze himself. I know why he came to my house to help. He must be curious about my farming skills and he can get close to Mr. Lin by the way.

Zichu swallowed his saliva and explained in detail: "I have heard that Zhu Xiang has a reputation of saving countless lives, and Zhu Xiang is a retainer of Lord Lin. If I work for Zhu Xiang, I may have a chance to meet Lord Lin."

The old King Qin stroked his beard and said, "It is worth it to get Lin Qing's guidance, even though it is a bit humiliating."

Zichu and Zhu Xiang, who had not yet reconciled, could not help but exchange a look that showed their tacit understanding even after so many years.

Zhu Xiang: I got goosebumps.

Zichu: I agree.

"Because no one in Zhao State valued me, I asked a guard who looked like me to stay at home pretending to be me. I lived in Zhu Xiang's house and no one noticed." Zichu spoke at a much faster pace, "Until Lü Buwei found me... The king and Yan Qin should know what happened after that. The reputation of 'rare goods can be hoarded' has spread throughout the seven countries."

The old King Qin and the Crown Prince could not stop nodding. The father and son now looked like real father and son, and their expressions of watching a good show were almost identical.

Ying Xiaozheng silently raised a little hand.

After several months of living together day and night, the old King of Qin already knew that this was a habit that Ying Xiaozheng learned from Zhu Xiang, and he would raise his hand first when he wanted to interrupt a conversation with his elders.

He asked kindly, "Zheng'er, do you have anything to say?"

Zichu looked at Ying Xiaozheng.

Ying Xiaozheng said crisply, "Dear father, when Lü Buwei had a secret conversation with you, it should have been just you and him, with a few servants at most. Why is it that the rumor of 'rare goods are worth keeping' has spread throughout the seven kingdoms only a few years after my father returned to Qin? Although Lü Buwei is not cautious, he definitely does not dare to publicize his merits before he gets the benefits."

Zichu's eyes instantly softened when he looked at Ying Xiaozheng.

He said, "Zheng'er, it was spread by my father."

Zhu Xiang took a deep breath, then thought for a while, and his expression calmed down again.

Then he realized that he was the only one who took a deep breath and everyone was looking at him.

The old Qin King asked: "Are you surprised?"

Zhu Xiang, whose inhalation sound was discovered, said awkwardly: "Ah... Well, I was a little surprised at first, but when I thought that Zichu was Xia Tong, I was not surprised anymore."

The old Qin King continued to ask: "Why?"

Zhu Xiang didn't want to say anything good about Zichu, but he couldn't deliberately use derogatory words in front of the King of Qin and the Crown Prince, so he stammered, "Xia Tong is very smart."

Ying Xiaozheng quickly continued to ask questions to divert his great-grandfather's attention: "Could it be that the cooperation with Lu Buwei was also planned by my father?"

Zichu shook his head: "No, although Lü Buwei was only a commoner and a wealthy merchant, my father was in such a difficult situation at that time that even other commoner and wealthy merchants looked down on him and would not help him. So it was indeed Lü Buwei who first discovered that 'rare goods are valuable'. My father is very grateful to him."

He had never expected that the low-key Zhu Xiang would get involved in the Changping incident, and his grandfather would trade Handan for him to Qin. If he had waited a few more years, he would have returned to Qin with Zhu Xiang...

If he had known earlier... If he had known earlier, he would have done the same. He would rather take the initiative to seize the opportunity and take the situation into his own hands.

The old King of Qin took out a box of candied plums from the cabinet under the handle of the carriage seat. "Go on, how did you get involved with that... Zhu Xiang's sister is called Chunhua, right? How did you get involved with Chunhua?"

Zichu said: "After Chunhua abandoned Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji, she sold herself to Lü Buwei's family as a singer and later became his concubine."

He showed a sneer on his face: "Lü Buwei is not stupid. As a businessman, if you want to send me to Qin, you have to let me pay a deposit. I don't want to..."

Although he no longer felt any waves when he thought of this incident, he still found it difficult to speak of it in front of Zhu Xiang, his grandfather and his father, so he remained silent.

Even if he remained silent, the blank space was easily filled in. But the old King Qin urged while eating candied plums: "Ben doesn't want to, and then? Is he thirsty? Zhu, give him some water."

Prince Zhu: “Ah?” I poured water for my son

Ying Xiaozheng quickly jumped down from his grandfather's arms, skillfully took out the kettle and poured water into the cup, then handed it to Zichu.

The style of the carriage that the King of Qin rode was slightly different from that of the Central Plains, but the specifications were always at the level of the Zhou emperor, requiring six horses to pull it. The spacious carriage not only had a cabinet for storing snacks, but also a stove that could be stuck on the carriage to warm water.

"Dear father, have some water." Ying Xiaozheng held the water cup.

Zichu silently took the water cup from his son and felt an urge to jump out of the carriage window.

Did he have to dissect all the humiliation and conspiracy of a few years ago in front of his grandfather, father and son

He could have said this to Zhu Xiang in private, gotten Zhu Xiang's forgiveness, or even played a bit of a sympathetic role. But saying these things in front of his grandfather and father, whom he wanted to please, and his son, whose dignity he needed to maintain...

Zichu had been a miserable hostage for so many years, and his heart had become extremely strong, but he still couldn't bear it anymore.

After Ying Xiaozheng served the water, he put away the cup and obediently climbed back into his grandfather's arms to sit down.

Prince Zhu happily hugged Ying Xiaozheng and said, "Zheng'er is so good. He can pour water for his elders at such a young age. Lord Changping, you taught him well."

Prince Zhu has more than 20 sons and nearly 100 grandchildren. He only likes women and has no interest in his children and grandchildren, leaving them all to others to raise.

He was already 38 years old when he became the crown prince. Few of the ancestors of the Qin kings lived past 50. He never thought that he could become the crown prince, so of course he could not educate his descendants well. If his descendants were too outstanding, it would be a disaster.

Now Taizizhu looked around among his sons and grandchildren, revealing the same look of disgust as his biological father.

He was embarrassed to find that not only did he, who had been eating, drinking and having fun for nearly forty years, have to learn from scratch how to be a qualified Crown Prince and King of Qin, but his children and grandchildren also had to learn from scratch how to be the descendants of the crown prince.

Therefore, the scheming Zichu and the smart and well-behaved Ying Xiaozheng scored more points in his heart.

"Zheng'er is born to be well-behaved." Zhu Xiang said.

He was now digging hard at the carriage floor with his toes, trying again to make a hole in the carriage and escape.

Although it was Zichu who was roasted on the fire, he still felt embarrassed for others!

The old King of Qin was not embarrassed at all. He continued to urge Zichu to speak quickly with great interest.

Zichu could only continue to play the old King of Qin and say: "Lü Buwei wanted me and the concubine he sent to give birth to a son, and make him the legitimate son to ensure the wealth and prosperity for two generations. I was reluctant at first, but when I found out that Zhu Xiang's eldest sister was among the concubines Lü Buwei sent, I accepted the gift."

Prince Zhu's expression twitched.

The old King Qin glanced at his useless youngest son and said, "He is your son, you can ask whatever you want."

"Yes." Taizi Zhu cleared his throat and asked curiously, "How does he know that you and his concubine can give birth to a son? What if you can't give birth?"

Zichu gritted his teeth and satisfied his father's curiosity. "If the baby can be born, that would be the best. If not, he can continue to send concubines to fill my backyard and strengthen his control over me. Chunhua became pregnant with Zheng'er less than two months after entering my room, which was exactly what Lü Buwei had planned. It happened that Han State dragged Zhao State into the battle of Shangdang, and there might be a dispute between the two countries. Lü Buwei used Zheng'er to attract Zhao State's attention and brought me back to the country."

Zichu celebrated Zheng'er's full moon in a high-profile manner. Everyone knew how much the Qin hostage, who was in poor health, valued his first son. So when the people who were following him saw that Ying Xiaozheng was still in Handan City, even if Zichu had temporarily left Handan City, they thought that Zichu was just visiting friends again and would be back soon.

There are very few hostages who can escape back to their own country, and even fewer who can escape without being sent back. You can imagine the difficulty that Zichu downplayed.

Zhu Xiang wanted to dig the ground with his toes while pretending to be a mushroom. After hearing what Zichu said, he couldn't help but say: "I understand that you are eager to return home. Whether it is concealing your identity or choosing a concubine who will do the least harm to you when you conspired with Lu Buwei, if I were in the other place, I would not find a better choice. But! The child is innocent, do you know what will happen to Zheng'er after you leave?!"

Zhu Xiang became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. Even though the old King of Qin was still eating candied plums, he couldn't help but raise his voice and said, "I know you. You must be thinking that Zhao doesn't dare to completely break off relations with Qin, and Zhao has already lost a hostage, so it will definitely keep Zheng'er as a hostage and won't hurt him."

"After you enter Qin, you will become the adopted son of the Crown Prince's wife. The more noble your status is, the safer Zheng'er will be. Even if Qin and Zhao go to war, the King of Zhao will do his best to protect Zheng'er and Chunhua. Fortunately, after you become the Crown Prince, you can send Zheng'er and Chunhua to Qin, just like King Wuling of Zhao did at that time, and intervene in the fight for the throne of Qin."

"Yes, according to your plan, Zheng'er may not be in danger of death." Zhu Xiang clenched his fists, his face flushed, "But have you ever thought that although Zheng'er is not in danger of death, he will suffer how much humiliation?"

"I know." Zichu said calmly, "That's how I got here."

Zhu Xiang's angry expression froze.

After a while, he slowly stretched out his hand, held his forehead, and said in a voice that sounded like laughing and crying: "Yes, you are right, you came here in the same way."

Zichu lowered his head.

The King of Qin's behavior had disrupted all his plans. Now he had completely lost the initiative and could only passively wait for Zhu Xiang's decision.

Zichu came to Zhao when he was still a child. Although he was older than Zheng'er, he had no mother, no support from Lu Buwei, and he remembered more things than Zheng'er.

Compared to the suffering he had endured, Zichu thought that Zheng'er's suffering was nothing.

Zheng'er didn't remember anything when he was young. He was protected by his biological mother and secretly funded by Lu Buwei. However, he forgot some of the bullying when he grew up. Even if he couldn't forget it, it would be good to turn it into hatred and motivation.

Moreover, children are prone to dying young. Although Zichu hoped that this child who was related to Zhu Xiang would survive, he actually did not hold much hope.

Zichu had already decided when Zheng'er was born that he would tell Zhu Xiang about this only if the child could survive; if the child died, as long as Chunhua was dealt with, Zhu Xiang would not know that a nephew died as a result of his conspiracy.

How could Zichu, who entered Zhao at a young age and was able to escape back to Qin and become the crown prince's legitimate son, be a handsome and upright person

"Was it your plan that Zheng'er was abandoned by Chunhua in front of Zhu Xiang's door?" Seeing the pain in Zichu and Zhu Xiang's expressions, the old King of Qin threw another piece of candied fruit into his mouth.

Zichu shook his head, "This is something I didn't expect. I only told Chunhua about Zhu Xiang's news. Chunhua is vain and shouldn't abandon Zheng'er who will let her enjoy wealth and honor. If the situation in Zhao is not good, she will know the news about Zhu Xiang and will hold Zheng'er and ask Zhu Xiang to take him in... I thought she would give in to Zhu Xiang."

Zhu Xiang gritted his teeth: "You still want Chunhua and I to reconcile?!"

Zichu was a bit desperate: "Aren't you still thinking about Chunhua even if it's not Zhu Xiang? Whenever Xue Ji scolded Chunhua, you would defend her; when you mentioned Chunhua, you still called her 'eldest sister'; during the New Year's Day, when you worshipped the tablets of your parents, you would light a stick of incense for Chunhua!"

Zhu Xiang defended himself: "Not cursing people behind their backs is the most basic courtesy. I helped her burn incense during the New Year because I didn't want to make her parents sad!"

Zichu chuckled: "Faced with the person who almost killed you, you didn't drive her out of the house in front of your parents' tablets, but instead lit incense for her. You are obviously soft-hearted, so don't make excuses. Xue Ji also said that you are still thinking about Chunhua!"

Zhu Xiang said angrily, "She took the family's money and ran away with the broker who bought the girls for the merchants. It was obviously a scam. I thought she was dead. I just don't want to bother with the dead!"

Zichu spread his hands and said, "Just say that Chunhua held Zheng'er and knelt in front of your door begging you for a bite of food, would you give it to her?"

Zhu Xiang touched his waist.

He didn't bring a sword, so he couldn't use it to smash to death this bastard who was obviously wrong and was so rude!

"When we return to the palace, I will give you the sword, and you can compete with Zichu." The old King of Qin wiped his hands with a handkerchief and said contentedly, "I understand. Zhu Xiang does not care about Zichu's deception, but he hates Zichu for abandoning Zheng'er. Zichu, you have calculated everything, but you did not expect Chunhua to give up even wealth and abandon Zheng'er at Zhu Xiang's door."

Zichu cupped his hands and said, "I really didn't expect this. But this is just fine."

What a fart! Although Zhu Xiang knew that this was better, he wanted to beat Zichu up even more.

In fact, when the two were in Zhao State, they did not get along well.

Zichu was deep-minded, while Zhu Xiang was overly upright. The two had very different ways of dealing with people and their thoughts and opinions, and they would almost fight with each other with swords every day.

Lin Zhi was clapping on the side, cheering for the two men, “Fight, fight!” and “Good fight, good fight!”

Three years had beautified their memories, leaving only the warmth of close friends. After they met, their anger towards each other began to rise again.

Even though Zichu knew that he was in the wrong, Zhu Xiang didn't care about his deception and only cared about the fact that he was not nice to Zheng'er, which still made him want to curse.

Let's not talk about his plan for Zheng'er, he has a clear conscience. Even if there is, Zhu Xiang, you don't think about yourself, but only stand up for the child who abandoned your elder sister and deceived your friend. What's wrong with you? !

Zichu looked at Zhu Xiang's gray hair and thought that Zhu Xiang had become mature and rational after experiencing so many blows.

It now seems that Zhu Xiang should just go and farm, as the Qin court is not suitable for him.

How can someone who doesn't think about himself protect himself in the court of Qin, where there are so many powerful people? !

Ying Xiaozheng looked at his uncle, who was originally a little sad but now was so angry that he was about to jump up and hit someone, and then looked at his father, who was originally full of guilt but now looked like he was looking at a dead wood. He pulled at the brim of his hat, not understanding why the situation had developed to this point.

He wrote this scene down and thought about it slowly in his dreams.

Old Prince Qin and Crown Prince Zhu watched the fun to their heart's content.

The old King of Qin also got the information he wanted from this excitement.

This grandson is indeed extraordinary. If he is well trained, he can become a talented person.

Lü Buwei was talented but had no foresight and had a high opinion of himself. Even now, he did not realize Zichu's plot against him and still thought that Zichu was obedient and could be used.

Zhu Xiang was indeed soft-hearted, and Zheng'er was his weak spot. As long as Zheng'er did not die young, he did not have to worry that Zhu Xiang would defect to another country.

Zichu's friendship with Zhu Xiang was actually genuine. He actually ignored his own situation and was angry at Zhu Xiang's naivety and stupidity.

As for Zheng'er... Zheng'er is really talented.

The carriage slowed down and entered the palace.

The old King Qin said slowly: "At the banquet later, you two will fight in public to settle this feud. I will be the one to decide!"

Zhu Xiang and Zi Chu, who were fighting with their eyes, said: "???!"

The old Qin King said: "Just consider it as a way to cheer me up."

Zhu Xiang and Zi Chu: "..."

At this moment, they inexplicably developed a feeling of solidarity against the enemy.

Although Zhu Xiang was the actual Lord of Changping.

Although Zichu was the adopted son of the Crown Prince's wife.

But as the younger generation, what could they do when the old King of Qin asked them to dance with swords to entertain them

It was not convenient to fight with swords in this attire, so the two were taken to the inner room by palace servants to change into Hu clothing, and finally had a chance to be alone.

Zhu Xiang started to curse, "Lin Li once said that your mind is darker than the sea of Qi, and I still spoke for you. Now it seems that it is true!"

Zichu fought back, "Lin Li said that you are like water, which only reflects others but not yourself. Sooner or later, you will kill yourself. I think you are going to die now!"

Zhu Xiang: "I feel like you and I are talking at cross purposes?"

Zichu: "I think so too."

The two pondered for a moment and understood what the other wanted to say.

Zhu Xiang scolded, "I forgive you for lying, but you're still not happy, right? Zheng'er is so well-behaved, don't you feel the slightest bit of guilt when you see Zheng'er?!"

Zichu argued: "Don't use your high moral standards to judge others. I was sent to Zhao as a hostage. Do you think the King of Qin and the Crown Prince feel guilty about me? At least I have planned a way out for Zheng'er. Have they given me a way out? The royal family of Qin... the royal family of any country is like this. Zhu Xiang, since you have already entered the game, you should abandon your naivety!"

Zhu Xiang said: "If you are not my friend, why would I care about your morality?"

Zhu Xiang's lips moved, but in the end he said nothing. He just sighed and picked up the sword.

The two men walked out of the inner room, came to the brightly lit hall, and drew out their unsharpened swords.

They wore armor, bracers and helmets, and whoever's sword fell first would lose.

After returning to the country, Zichu practiced hard for three years the courses that noble children should learn, and his swordsmanship was no longer the same as it was three years ago. Although he was in poor health and had little strength, his swordsmanship was gorgeous and tricky, and he could always find Zhu Xiang's gaps.

Zhu Xiang was taught by Xunzi personally, and he got rid of the stage of using the sword as a firewood stick. Although he didn't have any prediction and didn't observe carefully, he made a flying brick with great force.

Zichu thrust at an angle, and Zhu Xiang jumped and chopped. Zichu drew back his sword and spun around to dodge, and Zhu Xiang jumped and chopped. Zichu saw Zhu Xiang's weakness and slashed horizontally with his sword to attack Zhu Xiang's lower body. Zhu Xiang chopped horizontally this time, and then jumped and chopped again...

Zichu was speechless. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Zhu Xiang, is this the only move you can make?!"

Zhu Xiang didn't care about his image at all: "I am much stronger than you, so of course I will use my strengths to attack your weaknesses. Why bother with fancy moves? As long as I strike fast and hard enough, you won't be able to resist. Watch me!"

Zichu raised his sword with both hands to block, but felt pain in his palms, so he quickly withdrew his hands and stepped back.

Seeing that Zichu had fallen into a losing streak, Zhu Xiang quickly followed the strategy of "attack when the enemy is tired" and danced his sword into an airtight "X" and chased after Zichu.

Although three years had passed, Zichu still turned and ran as a reflex: "Zhu Xiang! That's not how you use a sword!"

"Watch this!" Zhu Xiang integrated his embarrassment and anger along the way into the sword moves taught by Xunzi, ignoring the fact that it was now a banquet, and chased after Zichu and attacked him.

Since they are being treated like monkeys anyway, I might as well beat them up first.

"Are you really going to chop me?" Zichu turned around to block, and the sword in his hand was almost knocked off.

The old King of Qin laughed loudly: "Zi Chu, quickly go around the pillar!"

Ying Xiaozheng, who was standing next to Prince Zhu and watching his uncle beating his father with excitement on his face, suddenly froze in smile.

After receiving the tip from the old King of Qin, Zichu immediately hid behind a beam.

Zhu Xiang chopped the pillar with his sword, and the recoil almost made his sword slip out of his hand.

Zichu immediately seized the opportunity and stabbed Zhu Xiang under the armpit with his sword. When the strike missed, he immediately turned around and moved away, continuing to rely on the pillar to limit Zhu Xiang's powerful chopping.

The two of them walked back and forth beside the pillar, making the ministers who were attending the banquet look so tense that their faces were almost cramped.

Ying Xiaozheng covered his eyes silently.

Hmm, that's strange. It's his uncle and father who are embarrassed, so why does he feel angry and embarrassed

It must be an illusion.

“Bang!”

After the two men fought for a long time around the pillar, all the ministers were trembling with fear, fearing that they would lose their heads if they made a noise they shouldn't make. Zichu, who was weak, ran out of strength and stumbled. Zhu Xiang caught up with him and snatched his sword away.

Zhu Xiang held two long swords: "I won! Hahahaha, I beat you again, this time it's not a draw!"

Zi Chu, with weak legs and hands, sat down on the ground and cursed in a low voice: "Are you fighting with swords?! You might as well carry a hammer!!"

"The loser should not quibble. The more you quibble, the more embarrassed you will be." Zhu Xiang habitually said sarcastically, then he remembered that they were now surrounded by the king and ministers of Qin, "Your Majesty..."

The old King of Qin clapped his hands and laughed: "Great! Lord Changping is strong and powerful, and he is also a warrior! Bring me my reward!"

The palace maids came in one after another, holding trays in their hands. One of the trays stopped in front of Zichu.

The cover on the tray was opened, revealing a number of gold, jade, jewels, silk and satin on it, and in front of Zichu was a glass of wine.

Zichu's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he felt a strong sense of crisis.

"Properties are just vulgar things, not a great reward." The old King of Qin smiled and said, "Zi Chu, toast to Lord Changping. I order you to take Lord Changping as your teacher. From now on, you must respect your teacher and do your duty as a disciple."

Zichu: “Huh?!”

Zhu Xiang: “Fuck!!”

The two looked at each other, feeling exhausted.

They realized that if the two of them did not reconcile, the old King of Qin would have more ways to torment them.

Zhu Xiang: "Your Majesty, I am not very knowledgeable..."

The old King of Qin interrupted: "I have spoken, and I will not take it back. Zichu, although you have many teachers, this is the only one I asked you to toast. I hope you understand."

Zichu tidied up his appearance and picked up the wine glass: "Teacher, please."

Zhu Xiang: “…” It’s over, the situation between brothers has turned into a situation between father and son.

The old King of Qin and Zichu have already lost face to this extent. If Zhu Xiang does not accept it, he will be ungrateful.

He took the glass awkwardly, drank the slightly sweet wine, and felt like he was on a pirate ship.

"Okay, go change your clothes." The old King Qin waved his hand with satisfaction.

Zhu Xiang and Zichu left in embarrassment.

They returned to the inner room, asked the palace servants to leave, and changed their clothes silently and mechanically, looking extremely tired both physically and mentally.

"Zhu Xiang, no matter how you think of me now, please pretend to be reconciled with me." Zichu held his forehead and said, "If you don't want to be tormented by the king again."

Zhu Xiang glanced at Zichu and said, "Call me teacher."

Zichu gritted his teeth and said, "Teacher!"

Zhu Xiang nodded: "The boy is teachable."

Zichu saw Zhu Xiang's expression and asked in surprise, "Are you not angry with me anymore?"

Zhu Xiang straightened his clothes and said, "Except for feeling sorry for Zheng'er, I wasn't angry from the beginning. I've said before, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't do better than you."

"If you don't hide your identity, how can you get along with me? How can Lü Buwei trust you to support you if you don't accept his concubines? Even if it's disgusting that you designed Chunhua to come to me, I would help you if you told me clearly in advance." Zhu Xiang said, "But I know that if you told me in advance, the plan would not succeed. You dare to do this because you trust me."

A sentence once again emerged in Zichu's mind, "A gentleman can be deceived by his tactics."

Zhu Xiang was a gentleman, so he could understand and accept his friend's difficulties, but he was angry about the harm his friend had done to others in this matter.

"My feelings towards you are complicated now, but it's just because of your identity." Zhu Xiang looked at the system page and saw that Zichu's favorability had actually increased a little after he made a fool of himself in public. He smiled freely and said, "Your calculations all come from the fact that you are a prince of Qin. Such an identity will make you do many helpless things in the future. I still believe in you now, but I don't know how much I can trust you in the future."

Zichu bowed his hands and wanted to make a promise, but he put them down dejectedly.

"Xia Tong, do you know what I experienced in Handan?" Zhu Xiang asked.

Zichu shook his head: "I know a little bit, but not everything."

"I was imprisoned by the King of Zhao, who sent his secret guards to kill me. The jailer and prison guard died for me." Zhu Xiang wrote lightly, "The people of the country stormed the prison for me and escorted me dozens of miles outside Handan. Lin Weng, Lian Weng and my new friend Li Mu saw me off, but we may have been enemies on the battlefield when we meet again."

Zichu thought of Lin Xiangru and Lin Zhi, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"I don't have much to begin with. After entering Qin, I have no relatives. Apart from Xue and Zheng'er, I only have two friends, Cai Ze and you." Zhu Xiang said, "When you need me in your plans in the future, please let me know and I will help you. You have returned to Qin and are valued by the King of Qin and the Crown Prince. You can defeat the enemy with the kingly way."

Zhu Xiang changed his clothes and bowed to Zichu: "Prince Zichu, please follow the king's way."

Zichu looked at Zhu Xiang's mottled hair hanging down, and a bitter feeling rose in his mouth.

"You are my only friend, and Lin Li is half of my friend." Zichu bowed to Zhu Xiang, "I am still Xia Tong now, please rest assured, my friend."

They both stood up at the same time and walked towards the door.

On the way, Zichu said, "Your name is Zichu, and your courtesy name is Xiatong. Does that sound good? Zhuxiang, why don't you give yourself a courtesy name?"

Zhu Xiang: "I'm too lazy to remember another name. I don't care, and it's none of my business if others care."

Zichu was speechless. Aren't you a disciple of Xunzi

When they were about to take their seats, Zichu asked again, "Is Cai Ze the counselor who came to Qin with you? Did you get to know him after I left?"

Zhu Xiang said, "Not long after you left, he came to my house and worked as an accountant."

Zichu was speechless again. Does your account office specialize in attracting talented people

After they sat down, the two of them stopped talking.

The old King of Qin raised his cup and started a banquet, and the ceremony of Zhu Xiang's entry into Qin finally ended.

After the banquet, Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng were kept in the palace by the old King of Qin for one night. In order to once again express his appreciation for Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng, the old King allowed Zhu Xiang to return to the residence of Lord Changping to rest.

Ying Xiaozheng was brought back to the palace by Prince Zhu, and after spending a few days with Lady Huayang, he was sent back to Lord Changping's residence.

When Zichu left, he promised to protect Ying Xiaozheng. Ying Xiaozheng hugged his grandfather's neck tightly, buried his head in his grandfather's arms, and ignored his father who was extremely embarrassed.

When Zhu Xiang returned home, Cai Ze was also at home.

His importance to the King of Qin was not as great as Zhu Xiang's. The King of Qin had not yet arranged a residence for him, so he temporarily lived in Zhu Xiang's house, waiting to be employed by the King of Qin.

Seeing Zhu Xiang drink a large bowl of meat porridge first after returning, Cai Ze was surprised: "Don't you live in the palace? How can the King of Qin starve you?"

Zhu Xiang wiped his mouth and said, "Why call me King of Qin? Call me Your Majesty. I went to the banquet yesterday. After Xia Tong and I had a fight, the roasted and boiled meat had already solidified into one piece when it was served. It's not easy to eat too much for breakfast today. Aren't you starving?"

Cai Ze raised his voice: "You had a fight with Xia Tong? In front of the King of Qin?!"

Xue also ran out holding up her skirt and asked, "Have you seen Xia Tong? Is Xia Tong okay?"

Zhu Xiang said, "Sit down and talk slowly."

He first poured a cup of hot water, and then slowly told his wife and friends about Xia Tong's identity, his confrontation with Lu Buwei, his plans for Chunhua and Zheng'er, etc.

Xue sighed and said, "Xia Tong is so pitiful that he actually married Chunhua, that stupid and vicious woman."

Zhu Xiang held up the water cup to cover the corners of his mouth. He knew that Xue had a very thick filter for Xia Tong. In addition, Xia Tong's calculations not only did not hurt Zhu Xiang, but also benefited Zhu Xiang. In Xue's eyes, Xia Tong might get a few more points.

It was indeed a touching thing in the eyes of people of that era that a prince of Qin State concealed his identity and became close friends and relatives with a commoner, and deliberately wanted to share wealth and honor with this commoner.

Cai Ze also thought so, but he knew that Zhu Xiang would not think so.

Zhu Xiang's sense of morality is much higher than others. Although he is usually strict with himself and lenient with others, Xia Tong is not an ordinary friend. If Zhu Xiang has different interests from him, he will feel very uncomfortable.

Even though Xia Tong was a prince of Qin, Zhu Xiang valued feelings rather than interests, so the theory of interests was useless to Zhu Xiang.

"Why did you fight with him?" Cai Ze asked, "King Qin...didn't His Majesty reprimand you?"

Zhu Xiang shook his head and sighed, "Xia Tong and I originally wanted to resolve this matter privately, but the Lord insisted on seeing Xia Tong and I make a fool of ourselves. He first asked Xia Tong to speak his mind in the carriage, then asked us to duel swords at the banquet, and finally asked Xia Tong to toast me and worship me as his master. A bunch of messed up orders came down, which ruined Xia Tong and I's plans."

Cai Ze was curious: "What are your plans?"

Zhu Xiang said: "Xia Tong may want to tell me how miserable he is and how helpless he is, kneel down and cry for my forgiveness, and then show his deep fatherly love for Zheng'er. He knows me very well, and if he does this, I will indeed be soft-hearted."

Xue asked, "How are you going to deal with this, my dear?"

Zhu Xiang sighed again: "I am going to follow Mr. Lin's teachings and cry to Xia Tong, telling him how much I trust him and how much I care about our friendship. If he tells me the truth, I will definitely help. But even if I can achieve a good result by cheating, my sense of morality cannot allow it... What do you nod?"

Xue said: "My dear, that is indeed the case."

Cai Ze said: "Xue Ji is right. Lord Lin just asked you to treat Zi Chu honestly with your true nature. How did you do it?"

Zhu Xiang coughed dryly and said, "First, I cursed him in front of the king, then I chased him and beat him up in the name of a sword fight, and finally I accepted his apprenticeship wine and asked him to respectfully call me teacher..."

Xue: “Puff…”

Cai Ze: "Ahem... "

Zhu Xiang looked up at the sky: "Then I added what Mr. Lin taught me and reluctantly forgave him."

Xue and Cai Ze: “Hahahahaha!”

Xue wiped away the tears from her laughter, and the fear she had about coming to a foreign country dissipated a lot: "My dear, you are lying to Xia Tong, right? You must have forgiven him from the beginning."

Zhu Xiang scratched his cheek and said awkwardly, "I really meant it when I scolded him for ignoring Zheng'er."

Cai Ze covered his mouth with his sleeves: "I think what worries you most is the loss of your friend Xia Tong. You are testing him."

Zhu Xiang sighed, "Yes, I was testing him. It's great that he is still Xia Tong."

Zhu Xiang did not deceive Zichu. He really had too little, so he cherished every friend. Even if the other party was the future King Zhuangxiang of Qin, maintaining this friendship was doomed to be treading on thin ice, but he was unwilling to give up.

Besides... maintaining this friendship is more beneficial to Zhu Xiang.

Zhu Xiang can now consider his relationship with the people around him that he cares about from the perspective of interests.

Xue touched Zhu Xiang's cheek, bringing him back to his senses from his thoughts.

"My dear, where is Zheng'er?" Xue changed the subject.

Zhu Xiang said: "Zheng'er was taken home by Zichu, saying that he was going to see Huayang Fu..."

"Uncle, I'm back! I'm so hungry!!"

"Zhu Xiang! I have brought you and Lord Wu'an to your house for dinner!!"

Zhu Xiang: What rice? ? ! !

(End of this chapter)