Time goes back to when Cai Ze and Zichu just took Ying Xiaozheng out, and Cai Ze habitually put Ying Xiaozheng on his neck.
"Huh?" Zichu staggered and looked at Cai Ze and his fat son who was holding Cai Ze's head in disbelief.
Cai Ze and his fat son sitting on his shoulders turned their heads at the same time and looked at him puzzledly.
Zichu took a deep breath and said, "How shameful!"
Cai Ze came back to his senses and laughed: "Sorry, I'm used to it. It was Zhu Xiang who brought it up first."
Ying Xiaozheng rested his chin on Cai Ze's head and said, "Father, both Lin Weng and Lian Weng let me sit on their shoulders, what's so strange about that? Although Xun Weng didn't let me sit on his shoulders, he never said anything to me. You are more dignified than the Confucians."
Zichu: "... Is this how you talk to your own father?"
Ying Xiaozheng turned his head and said: "Humph, if you can't win the argument, then act like a father."
Zichu felt itchy again.
Seeing Zichu's bad face, Cai Ze immediately said, "Zheng'er, don't be rude to your father."
"Zheng'er was not rude." Ying Xiaozheng turned his head and bowed to Zichu perfunctorily, "Dear father is magnanimous and will not argue with a child."
If the grandfather had not been there, Zichu would have started beating the child.
"Did you learn this from Zhu Xiang?" Zichu frowned. He wanted to criticize Zhu Xiang for raising a child, but he was in the wrong after all, so he held back and said, "Come down quickly."
"My great-grandfather didn't say anything when he saw my uncle taking a walk with me on his back." Ying Xiaozheng hugged Cai Ze's head tightly and raised his fleshy chin provocatively.
Cai Ze hurriedly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Zheng'er has short legs, and he's prone to falling if he's led by the hand, and he's too heavy to carry. This is indeed easier. Young Master Zichu, do you want to try it?"
Zichu frowned: "Brother Cai, you can just call me Xia Tong. I..."
Ying Xiaozheng snorted, "My uncle always said that my father was weak. He couldn't hold me. Uncle Cai, please don't make things difficult for Zichu."
Zichu became angry.
Then, this is the scene that Zhu Xiang saw.
He laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten his back. He held onto the stove and said, "Xia Tong, why are you still so easily provoked? You even fell for Zheng'er's provocation, you... Hahahahaha!"
Zichu put his heavy and soft fat son down from his neck. His thin face flushed and he wanted to turn around and leave in embarrassment.
But Zichu was stubborn all his life, and he couldn't run away from his best friend's ridicule. He rubbed his stiff neck and said, "Don't you want me and Zheng'er to get closer? Why are you still laughing?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Zhu Xiang held his waist and smiled, "When Zheng'er sat on your shoulders, did you finally feel the joy of being a father?"
Happy? He just finally felt that Zheng'er was indeed well raised by Zhu Xiang, and it was really heavy. He had never carried such a heavy thing since he returned to Qin.
However, when the child surrounded him with the warm breath of sweet milk, Zichu's heart was indeed touched.
He recalled the time when he first saw the child. Although his heart was full of calculations, his excitement and joy were all pretended. But after pretending for so long, he didn't know if he really had feelings for the child.
"He was very domineering when he was born." Zichu talked about his memories, "The midwife washed him and handed him to me. I shook him, and he punched me in the nose and gave me a sidelong look, as if telling me to stop making noise."
Ying Xiaozheng, who had been carried by his father all the way, was in a complicated mood: "..."
Xue smiled and said, "My dear, I said that when a child is born, his eyes are not fully developed, so he can't see clearly because of the grayness in front of his eyes. Zheng'er definitely didn't do it on purpose. He was just curious."
"Xue Ji, you have worked hard to raise Zheng'er." Zichu's attitude towards Xue was much more sincere than Zhu Xiang.
"It is a bit hard." Xue said.
Ying Xiaozheng raised his face in disbelief and looked at his aunt who despised him.
Xue touched Ying Xiaozheng's chubby face and said with a smile: "Raising a child is not hard."
Ying Xiaozheng looked at his aunt's smile, his cheeks puffed up, and he hugged Xue's legs.
"What are you doing here? Is the king urging us to eat?" After Zhu Xiang had laughed enough, he wiped his hands, poked the back of Ying Xiaozheng's head, and when Ying Xiaozheng turned his head, he moved over with a piece of braised pork.
Ying Xiaozheng opened his mouth and said "Ah-wu", squinted his eyes and shook his head while chewing, then wiped the oil on his mouth onto his aunt's apron.
Xue signaled to Zichu with her eyes, see, I told you that raising a child is hard.
Zichu wanted to scold Ying Xiaozheng again, but seeing Xue's eyes looking down at Zheng'er who was wiping her mouth on her apron, which were so gentle as if illuminated by a layer of soft light, he endured it for the time being.
He decided to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Zhu Xiang about Zheng'er's education. Although Zheng'er was indeed smart, he should not be spoiled.
"The Lord asked us to bring Zheng'er to the kitchen to eat secretly and see if there is anything we can help with." Cai Ze had seen enough of the excitement and smiled, "Zheng'er dares to act like a spoiled child in front of the Lord. Even though I have seen it many times, my palms are still sweating."
"Zheng'er, you've worked hard." Zhu Xiang sighed. He picked up another piece of braised pork slices and fed it to Zheng'er. Then he put the braised pork slices and braised kelp in a small bowl and said, "Go take it to your great-grandfather."
Ying Xiaozheng rubbed his aunt's apron before letting go: "Uncle, it's not enough. Not enough for Zheng'er to eat."
"Let your great-grandfather try a little first. If he thinks it tastes good, come and tell me." Zhu Xiang winked at Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng understood immediately. He held the small bowl, grabbed Zichu's sleeve and ran out.
Zichu was puzzled: "Why... Watch your step!"
Zichu looked back at Zhu Xiang, who nodded to him. He sighed and followed Zheng'er.
Cai Ze rolled up his sleeves: "What else do you need to prepare?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Put the braised chicken and duck in the oil and fry them."
Cai Ze reached out and took the sleeve tie from Xue's hand, tied his rolled-up sleeves, put on an apron, and helped Zhu Xiang fry the braised chicken and duck.
When Zhu Xiang was about to arrive in Xianyang, he thought about how to give an impressive gift to the two most important figures in the Qin State - Yinghou Fan Ju and Crown Prince Zhu.
Zhu Xiang gave away all the preserved food in his home to the people of Zhao who came to see him off, so he decided to replace it with braised food.
The spices used in the stew, in addition to those extracted by Zhu Xiang, other farmers could collect in the mountains. He prepared a lot.
When Zhu Xiang went to the palace for a banquet, Xue came to his new home and started cooking, so she boiled the marinade first.
After breaking the big bones and putting them into the marinade to cook for half the night, Xue couldn't sleep, so she put on her clothes and went to the kitchen in the second half of the night to prepare the food that needed to be marinated.
The old King of Qin and his ministers came here for a meal and accidentally got the chance to taste the braised food that Zhu Xiang was preparing to give away.
The meat dishes include chicken, duck and eggs; the vegetarian dishes include kelp knots and potato chips.
“There are not many vegetarian dishes that can be braised now. Once tofu is made, we can braise tofu and bean skin. We can also dig spring bamboo shoots and braise them. In July and August, we can braise lotus root slices.” Braised dishes alone are not rich enough, so Zhu Xiang plans to steam a few more white flour buns. The braised meat should be eaten between the white buns.
Unfortunately, Zhu Xiang left Handan before the winter wheat he secretly promoted was harvested, and had to eat wheat flour from Qin.
The Baiji steamed buns used by the old Shaanxi people to stuff meat should be kang steamed buns. But the Qin flour tasted too bad and did not have time to ferment. The rough steamed buns could only be eaten by steaming. After steaming, Zhu Xiang kang-fried them to make the surface more crispy.
The wheat at that time was very different from modern wheat in properties. There were only about ten grains on each ear of wheat, and they easily fell apart after maturity. When harvesting, the grains had to be picked up in the field, which was not only troublesome but also easy to rot. The taste was also very different. Even if it was ground into flour, the taste was extremely bad. It tasted like modern coarse wheat flour that was deliberately not removed the bran for the sake of nutrition.
After thousands of years of breeding, the grains of modern wheat grow firmly on the ears, and each ear has about 40 grains. If it is a high-yield variety, the maximum can reach 80 grains. Not to mention the taste.
Although there were no chemical fertilizers and pesticides in that era and the wheat yield could not reach that level, the high-quality winter wheat he brought should produce at least thirty grains per plant, right
After Zhu Xiang won two varieties of winter wheat, he used Lian Po's land to cultivate many seeds. He took a small part of the wheat varieties to Changping as bargaining chips, and left the rest in Handan.
When he left, most of the high-quality winter wheat seeds had been planted, leaving only a small portion of seeds to prevent crop failure.
"I thought you would be depressed for a while after arriving in Qin, but I didn't expect you to recover so quickly." Although there were servants helping to light the fire and cook, there was nothing taboo about this. Cai Ze sighed and said, "You look no different now than when you were in Zhao."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I am not outstanding in other aspects, but I am generous and adaptable. I finally managed to save my life, but if I depressed myself to death, how ridiculous would that be? My life in Xianyang is definitely better than in Handan. If I don't live my life with a smile, how can I live it with tears?"
"When your hair turns back to black, I will believe you." Cai Ze glanced at Zhu Xiang's hair.
Zhu Xiang stroked his hair and said, "Look again next year, my hair will definitely return to its original black and shiny color."
"Well, that's the best." Cai Ze looked at the steamed white buns that Zhu Xiang had put in the steamer, "I miss the wheat flour you cultivated. This doesn't taste good at all."
"I used to eat this too. Why aren't you picky?" Zhu Xiang mocked Cai Ze. "The winter wheat in Handan should be heading soon, right? It should be ripe by the end of April."
As he put the steamed cakes into the steamer, he said hopefully, "The winter wheat I'm promoting this time tastes good, and it increases yields from seeds, so it can increase yields even in the nobles' fields. Even if the King of Zhao has complaints about me, he should promote the new wheat variety in Zhao after tasting the food made from the new flour."
Cai Ze nodded and said, "We will plant wheat in winter, millet and beans in mid-spring and early summer, and sow some potatoes in scattered fields. The people of Handan should have a good life this year."
When Zhu Xiang thought of this, his eyebrows could not help but bend into a crescent shape. When Ying Xiaozheng smiled, he looked exactly like Zhu Xiang. It was true that the nephew resembled his uncle.
He hummed a tuneless song and said, "After the harvest in the fields outside Handan this year, we should be able to save enough seeds to spread to other parts of Zhao State."
Lin Xiangru slept for a long time, and suddenly opened his eyes: "What month is it?"
Lin Zhi, who had been reading beside Lin Xiangru's bed, rushed forward excitedly and choked up, saying, "It's almost March."
Lin Xiangru's voice was very clear and loud. He hadn't spoken in such a clear and loud voice for a long time: "It's March, the wheat planted by Zhu Xiang is about to ear, right?"
Lin Zhi was stunned.
He opened his mouth slightly, his face trembled a few times, and he forced a stiff smile: "Yes, it's time to ear the seeds."
Lin Xiangru opened his eyes and looked at the bed curtains: "Before I left Handan, I visited Zhu Xiang in prison. Zhu Xiang told me not to let the farmers miss the farming season. Plant wheat in winter, beans in summer and winter, and dig potatoes in front of the house in autumn, and the people of Zhao will have a better life."
"Yeah... yeah... I feel better." Lin Zhi held Lin Xiangru's hand that was stretched out from the bed, like a dead tree, and said, "Father, the doctor is in the outer room. I'll go call him. Father, wait."
Lin Xiangru looked at Lin Zhi deeply, with a kind smile on his face: "Don't go, if you go, your father won't be able to wait for you. Help your father to go to the courtyard to have a look."
Lin Zhi raised his head suddenly, his vision blurred by tears: "Father..."
Lin Xiangru said, "Help me go out. I want to see the trees, the wind and the sky. Spring is here. If you don't go out and see it, I will think it is still winter."
"Yes." Lin Zhi's body went limp.
He let go of Lin Xiangru's hand, walked to a corner of the room like a wandering soul, and pushed out the wheelchair.
The wheelchair was made by Zhu Xiang and the Mo family as a gift to Lian Po, who had injured his leg on the battlefield. Lian Po said that Zhu Xiang cursed him to be lame, and waved his crutches to hit Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang was not only beaten with a cane by Lian Po, but his wheelchair was also confiscated. Lian Po showed off his wheelchair to everyone he met, and the wheelchair became a must-have seat for the elderly in Handan City.
When Lin Xiangru left Handan, his health was already poor, so Lin Zhi prepared a wheelchair in advance in case of emergency.
After returning to his hometown, Lin Xiangru's health deteriorated rapidly and he could only travel in a wheelchair. After more than ten days, the wheelchair was also vacant.
Now, I can use the wheelchair again.
Lin Zhi carried Lin Xiangru to the wheelchair, folded the quilt and covered Lin Xiangru with it, then pushed his father out.
A slightly warm breeze blew over his face, and Lin Xiangru smiled again.
He watched the big trees in the courtyard sprout new buds, saw new green sprouting on the gray ground, and saw birds chirping and building new nests on the branches... The sun was warm, and spring had indeed arrived.
Zhu Xiang once said that winter is the most dangerous season for the elderly. As long as they can survive the winter, most elderly people can live another year.
Lin Xiangru squinted at the sky, as if enjoying the warm spring sunshine.
In Handan City, scholars were competing to copy Xunzi's "Sacrificial Oration" on wooden slips.
They sang, "The Book of Rites says, 'The people mourn without showing sorrow to them, and they respect without showing respect to them.
No one taught the people to grieve for these heroes, but the people mourned for them on their own; no one taught the people to respect these heroes, but the people respected them on their own. It was because the heroes died to protect Duke Xiang of Zhu…”
They chanted sadly, "The people pointed to the place where Duke Zhu Xiang lived and lamented, pointed to the field where Duke Zhu Xiang walked and wept, pointed to the place where Duke Zhu Xiang was assassinated and the righteous men died, and beat their chests and stamped their feet, wailing loudly.
The snow washed away the blood of the heroes, and the mud covered the corpses of the heroes. The sorrow of the people was like a frozen lake that could not be vented, and the anger of the people was like a burning flame... "
They were angry. "A mountain ten thousand feet high crumbles into rotten soil, and a dam a thousand miles long collapses into an ant hole. The frozen lake water keeps piling up. When the flames of anger melt the frozen sadness, where will the pouring lake water flood?!"
Before the copying of the "Funeral Oration" was completed, the soldiers of Zhao State had already rushed into the gathering place.
The scholars fled with the wooden slips in their arms, their bodies like cunning rabbits; the soldiers chased them with weapons in their hands, their steps heavy and slow. Soon the gathering was over, the scattered wooden and bamboo slips were burned, thick smoke rose, and Handan City became quiet again.
Lian Po sat on the pavilion, holding a jar of wine and laughing.
He looked up at the thick smoke in the sky, took a sip of wine, and choked on it until tears came out.
The servant came to report: "My Lord, the King of Zhao has issued an urgent decree that Yan State will take advantage of our country's harvest failure to send troops to attack Zhao."
"No matter how weak Zhao is, it is not something that those rubbish from Yan can covet." Lian Po put down the wine jar drunkenly, "Put on my armor."
"only!"
"You don't have to go with me. Lead a team to deliver the fine seeds left by Zhu Xiang to Yanmen County." Lian Po took a deep breath and smiled bitterly, "The fine seeds that Zhu Xiang left for the people of Zhao must be planted on the land of Zhao."
“… Yui.”
Lian Yuan, a servant of the Lian family who had gone to Changping with Zhu Xiang, knelt on the ground and punched hard, with blood dripping from the back of his hand.
When Lian Yuan left the city, the farmers and the Mohists traveled together through the mountains.
"Duke Zhu Xiang once said that when it snows, the wheat seedlings should be flattened and covered with snow. The wheat seedlings will stand up again next year. This is indeed true. We deceived the officials in this way, hoping to save some of the harvest."
"Most of the officials don't know what potatoes look like. When the wheat ears come out, they won't let the farmers pull up the wheat that is about to be harvested in order to collect taxes."
"It only takes three months for potatoes to grow. Planting them now in the barren land should be able to save the famine."
"It's just that we don't have enough seeds. Potatoes love warmth, and all the potatoes that the officials forced us to plant in winter froze to death. Alas."
"Changping harvested a lot of potatoes last fall, so there should be some left. Can we…"
Xianghe sighed: "Even if there are many Zhao people in Changping, the Qin army will never allow the smuggling of food into Zhao. Maybe Zhu Xianggong will have a way, but..."
Xianghe closed his eyes in reluctance and nodded heavily.
"Meat porridge, braised vegetables, crispy chicken, crispy duck, white steamed buns... I can almost handle it." Zhu Xiang arranged the crispy chicken and crispy duck, and decorated the plate with newly grown tender leaves. "Let's go, serve the dishes!"
While Cai Ze was tidying up his appearance, he said worriedly, "Zheng'er sent the braised meat over, but His Majesty didn't allow anyone to continue using it. Is it possible that the braised meat doesn't suit His Majesty's taste?"
"If it's not to your liking, the Lord will definitely send someone to tell me." Zhu Xiang said, "I guess the Lord is just embarrassed to urge me."
Cai Ze was full of disbelief. How could the King of Qin be embarrassed
He followed Zhu Xiang nervously, carrying the food box and walking out of the courtyard where the kitchen was.
The old King of Qin and others were sitting at the gate of the courtyard. They had set up a tent and placed a table on it, and were sitting on cushioned mats chatting.
When Zhu Xiang and Cai Ze appeared, everyone looked up at them.
Ying Xiaozheng spoke for the elders around him: "Uncle, you finally showed up. Zheng'er is starving."
"Sorry, sorry. I should have served some dishes first." Zhu Xiang said embarrassedly, "Zheng'er, you should come and urge your uncle."
Ying Xiaozheng sighed: "Zheng'er is afraid to disturb his uncle's cooking. Hurry up, Zheng'er is starving."
"Okay." Zhu Xiang read out the dishes like a waiter in a TV show, "Five fried braised ducks, five fried braised chickens, a braised vegetable platter, steamed buns, and minced meat porridge are here!"
Zhu Xiang placed a braised chicken and a braised duck in front of the King of Qin, Fan Ju, and Bai Qi, respectively, and they divided the remaining two braised chickens and ducks.
Zhu Xiang felt that the three old men couldn't finish a whole braised chicken, but it would be a shame to ask them to share it, right? So it was wasted.
Zichu had no complaints about not being able to have the braised chicken and duck alone, and even smiled. It was obvious that Zhu Xiang's impolite treatment of him was very helpful to him.
"Your Majesty, if it doesn't suit your taste..."
Before Zhu Xiang finished speaking, King Qin, Bai Qi and Fan Ju skillfully took out short swords from the private room, cut off the chicken legs and stuffed them into their mouths.
"Great!" King Qin glared and ate the meat faster. In a blink of an eye, the meat of the whole chicken had been cut down to only the head and wings.
He stuffed the head into his mouth and swallowed it with a crunch. He then sucked the wing with a crunch. Only two bones were left of the chicken wing.
The King of Qin let out a long sigh, wiped his hands and dagger with a handkerchief, drank a cup of honey water in big gulps, picked up a white steamed bun, and hesitated for a moment.
When the stunned Zhu Xiang came to his senses and was about to tell the King of Qin that the white steamed bun that had been cut in half was going to be used to hold the braised meat, the King of Qin had already picked up the chopsticks and put the bulging braised meat into the white steamed bun and was devouring it.
Zhu Xiang swallowed.
Okay, I believe it. Don’t tell me there was no steamed buns made of white flour before the Qin Dynasty. I declare that the way to eat roujiamo is definitely engraved in the DNA of the ancient Qin people!
How come our ancestors engraved everything into their DNA
"Uncle, aren't you hungry?" Ying Xiaozheng held up a chicken leg and tried to feed it to Zhu Xiang.
The King of Qin, who was chewing on a roujiamo, had his eyes glued to the chicken leg.
Zhu Xiang patted Ying Xiaozheng on the back and said, "Go."
"Oh." Ying Xiaozheng stood up and ran to the King of Qin, "Grandfather Zeng, have some chicken legs."
The King of Qin smiled and said, "Good, you are so good."
The King of Qin accepted the chicken leg from Ying Xiaozheng. Zichu, who was holding the other chicken leg, and Cai Ze, who was holding the duck leg, froze in their hands.
But they had already taken a few bites and could not give any more to the King of Qin, so they could only bite the bullet and continue to gnaw.
Ying Xiaozheng's eyes sparkled: "Uncle Zeng, do you want to eat duck legs? Zheng'er will get them for you."
King Qin nodded: "Okay."
Ying Xiaozheng happily took the duck leg cut by Zhu Xiang and handed it to the King of Qin before returning to eat the meat.
During this exchange between Ying Xiaozheng and Bai Qi, he put down his dagger and wiped his fingers one by one with a handkerchief.
He had eaten up all the braised chicken and duck, leaving only the bones clean and shiny.
Zhu Xiang originally thought that when the banquet started, the King of Qin would say a few polite words, and then according to etiquette, who would pick up the chopsticks first and who would pick up the chopsticks later, or raise the cup and take a sip first.
Who would have known that the King of Qin and his prime minister and general did not follow any etiquette at all. They just took out their daggers and started eating the meat as fast as if they were about to march to war.
The King of Qin and General Bai Qi are fine, but why do you, Prime Minister Fan, only have half a braised duck left? Aren't you anorexic
"Why didn't you prepare such delicious food for me on the way?" The King of Qin was a little unhappy.
Zhu Xiang was not frightened. He explained, "The marinade requires a variety of spices such as cinnamon bark, grass fruit, cumin, fennel, star anise, etc., plus cane sugar and bean paste to be boiled overnight. There is no such condition on the road. However, after the marinade is boiled, it is stored in an ice cellar. Every time you eat it, add water and boil it. It can be used for ten days."
In fact, it could be used for a month, but Zhu Xiang was afraid that it would go bad if not stored properly and cause the King of Qin to have diarrhea, so he only said it could be used for ten days.
The King of Qin was puzzled: "That sounds troublesome. Did you know that I was coming to dine today?"
"I don't know." Zhu Xiang shook his head. "I asked Xue Ji to prepare the marinade yesterday. I wanted to go home today..."
Under the sharp gaze of the King of Qin, Zhu Xiang changed his words: "Today I will go home and stew some chicken and duck for the King of Qin, Ying Hou and Wu An Jun."
"You are thoughtful." The King of Qin wiped the crumbs from his mouth. "I have heard of some of the spices you mentioned. They are used in the eight delicacies of Zhouli. As for the rest... what is cumin?"
Zhu Xiang said, "I tasted cumin and other spices when I bought herbs from the mountain people. Your Majesty sent people to my house and I taught them how to grow them."
The King of Qin nodded and said, "Most of the manors near Handan are owned by the royal family. Don't you need some experimental fields? The manors and fields are at your disposal. I will give a few more manors to you and Zheng'er... and Zichu."
Although it took an awkward pause for the King of Qin to remember Zichu, Zichu was already very grateful that the King remembered him.
Zichu was grateful and embarrassed.
He originally wanted to protect Zhu Xiang after he arrived in Qin, but before he did anything, Zhu Xiang and Zheng'er helped him earn a farm.
He had a bad feeling. Would he continue to be favored by Zhu Xiang and Zheng Er in the future? That would be so embarrassing!
While expressing his gratitude, Zichu was wondering if he could do something to benefit Zhu Xiang and Zheng'er.
After eating a chicken and a roujiamo in one breath, the King of Qin slowed down his eating speed and started to taste the food.
Fan Ju rubbed his stomach and tasted the food with the King of Qin.
The servants filled the pots with honey and wine, and the King of Qin and Fan Ju toasted each other, speaking eloquently and quoting from classics. Although there was no poetry at this time, there were many classics and poems, enough for people at this time to use, and finally there was a little bit of the feeling of an ancient banquet.
After the King of Qin and Fan Ju slowed down their eating speed, Zhu Xiang and others did not dare to bury their heads in their food. They listened to the King of Qin and Fan Ju talking with their ears erect, and occasionally joined in a few words.
Zhu Xiang had a very good memory and could follow the words of the King of Qin and Fan Ju. However, he only tried to smooth things over when Cai Ze and Zichu could not. As for Bai Qi, he was pretending to be dumb.
Ying Xiaozheng didn't want to participate either. He climbed into his aunt's arms and acted like a spoiled child, asking her to feed him meat.
At this banquet, the King of Qin allowed Xue to sit at the same table, which finally showed his approval of Xue.
After the meal, Bai Qi ate the braised chicken and duck and drank a large bowl of porridge; the King of Qin ate the braised duck and could not drink the porridge; Fan Ju looked at the remaining half duck and felt very greedy, but his slightly bloated stomach told him that he could not eat any more.
Fan Ju smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't expect that I would be greedy today."
Zhu Xiang said hurriedly: "I soaked some dried hawthorns, Ying Hou can use some to help digestion."
"Okay." Fan Ju smiled and said, "You can help Lin Xiangru... Lin Qing take care of his health. I believe it. I will stay at your house for a while, and I am sure my health will get better."
Fan Ju had a poor appetite and could only drink goat milk and rice porridge every day to nourish his body. He had not eaten meat so freely for a long time.
The King of Qin said earnestly, "Based on the amount you and Wu'an Jun eat today, you will definitely be able to accompany me for a long time. Take care of your health for a while, I will use you in the future."
Fan Ju and Bai Qi were moved and expressed their gratitude.
Zhu Xiang's eyelids twitched. Fortunately, he didn't have to go to the court, otherwise he would have to practice his acting skills to make his eyes brimming with tears anytime and anywhere.
Should I always put a ginger bag in my sleeve to smoke my eyes? Zhu Xiang sighed in his heart. It's hard to be a high official.
After the meal, the King of Qin was very satisfied.
Zichu and Cai Ze were sent by the King of Qin to accompany Fan Ju and Bai Qi to continue cleaning the house, and Xue followed them; the King of Qin took Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng for a walk to digest the food, and told Zhu Xiang why Zheng'er, who went to pay a visit to Lady Huayang, suddenly appeared in Zhu Xiang's house with him.
"Madam Huayang... is ill." Zhu Xiang sighed and said, "Your Majesty, Madam Huayang doesn't like Zheng'er, the son of Miss Zhao."
The King of Qin was interested and asked, "What do you want? I'll make the decision for you!"
When Zhu Xiang heard the word "be in charge", his heart trembled.
He smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, Zheng'er and I are fine. I'm just worried that something might happen to her. Alas."
The King of Qin asked, "Why do you say that?"
Zhu Xiang said honestly: "Madam Huayang cannot recognize that she is a Qin woman, not a Chu woman. Even if she is loved by the prince, she will be depressed and sad in the future."
The King of Qin laughed and scolded, "She is demonstrating against you, but you are thinking about her?"
Zhu Xiang shook his head, "I was thinking about myself. Even if Madam Huayang no longer likes Zheng'er and me, the status of Zheng'er and me will not be affected by her temper. If she gets depressed and hurts her body, the Crown Prince who loves her will definitely be dissatisfied with me and Zheng'er. I have offended the Crown Prince for no reason."
The King of Qin smiled and shook his head: "If he dares to do this, I will not forgive him."
"The prince will definitely not be angry with me, but people cannot control their emotions." Zhu Xiang said, "And if Madam Huayang gets into trouble, the nobles of Chu, who occupy half of the court of Qin, will probably become my enemy."
The King of Qin laughed and said, "Are you scared?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I'm not afraid, I just think it's troublesome."
The King of Qin asked, "If you don't let me make the decision for you, how are you going to deal with it?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Since the Crown Prince is not here this time, he must have been trying to comfort Madam Huayang. When Madam Huayang is willing to see Zheng'er, I will let Xue go and talk to her."
King Qin frowned: "Xue Ji? She is just a commoner, how can she persuade Madam Huayang? Why don't you go?"
Zhu Xiang said, "As both of us are women, Lady Huayang will be less vigilant. Xue is the wife of Lord Changping. She used to be able to calmly face the scholars who argued with me, and now she can also chat and laugh with the ladies of Qin. I believe her."
The King of Qin stopped and looked at Zhu Xiang for a while, then asked suspiciously, "You taught her? Why did you teach her? She can help you take care of the backyard, and she has fulfilled her duty as a wife."
Zhu Xiang lowered his head and smiled, "Maybe so. It's just that I go out so often, and Xue has nothing to do. She can only sit at home and wait for me. That kind of life is too boring. I hope that when I'm not around, Xue can live a fulfilling life and won't miss me too much. So as long as she is willing to learn, I will teach her."
The King of Qin was silent for a while, then he put away his smile and said quietly, "You are truly kind, faithful, and pure to your family and friends. Will you treat me the same way?"
Zhu Xiang said embarrassedly: "Your Majesty, if I ever treat you like this, you will be like Lord Lin, carrying a ruler in your sleeve at all times."
The King of Qin was stunned, then burst into laughter.
Ying Xiaozheng, holding Zhu Xiang's hand, looked up at the scene and kept muttering to himself.
My uncle was so frank with my great-grandfather. Was it because he really had no ulterior motives or was he doing it on purpose
Oh, it’s so complicated. Today I can enter the dream room and let my dream self think about it.
Ying Xiaozheng yawned and rubbed his eyes.
In the Prince's Palace.
Prince Zhu stood in front of Lady Huayang's bed. Lady Huayang was crying and looked dejected.
"My father ordered Wu'an Jun to lead the Qin army to Handan to welcome Duke Zhu Xiang. I heard that when Duke Zhu Xiang returned to Qin, Wu'an Jun drove the chariot for him, and my father ordered people to play music to welcome him. Who did you listen to and treated Duke Zhu Xiang's nephew badly?" Prince Zhu was so angry that he almost laughed, "You want to go against my father?"
"No, I dare not. I am really ill." Madam Huayang said in horror, "No one has spread rumors. I..."
She looked at Prince Zhu's cold expression, lowered her head and sobbed in silence.
"I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that only if Zichu becomes your adopted son can he have the possibility of inheriting the throne of King of Qin. And he betrayed you and allowed the son of a Zhao woman to be favored by the king and father." Prince Zhu looked at Madam Huayang's panic-stricken expression, sighed, sat beside Madam Huayang, and patted Madam Huayang gently on the back.
Madam Huayang fell into Prince Zhu's arms, sobbing.
"Huayang, do you think I'm stupid? I know what you're thinking, and my father has acquiesced. Otherwise, even if the hostage escaped back to Qin, he would still be sent back to Zhao." Prince Zhu gently patted Madam Huayang's back and said, "My position as the crown prince, my position as the crown prince after I become the King of Qin, and who my crown prince should be, are all decided by my father. Even after my father passes away, my father will have the final say, do you understand?"
Madam Huayang nodded with a withdrawn expression.
Prince Zhu said: "In the future, don't have much contact with those people. You helped them once, they should be satisfied."
Madam Huayang choked up and said, "Yes."
Prince Zhu added: "Now that Zichu has entered the eyes of the emperor and father, his status is no longer given by you. Although I have appointed you as the principal wife, the prince's wife can be appointed by the emperor and father at will. Do you understand?"
Madam Huayang trembled and covered her face, saying, "Does Your Majesty still want to make Xia Ji your wife?"
Prince Zhu asked, "Why not? I am no longer the Lord of Anguo, Huayang. If you are not sober, I cannot protect you. Your father will not tolerate the appearance of a queen or queen mother whose heart is not in Qin. You were sober before, why are you sober now? As long as you are on good terms with Zichu and Zheng'er, you and your brother can enjoy wealth and prosperity."
Madam Huayang put down her hands that were covering her face and said in a trembling voice, "Yes."
"Get ready to receive Zheng'er tomorrow." Prince Zhu patted Lady Huayang on the back again, stood up and said, "I'm going to go and apologize to Lord Changping."
Madam Huayang grabbed Prince Zhu's sleeve and said, "My dear, I'm sorry..."
Prince Zhu smiled and comforted him: "It's nothing, have a good rest."
Madam Huayang let go of her hand and watched Prince Zhu leave. Then she fell on the bed, trembling with fear.
How could she have lost her mind and dared to disobey the order of that terrible King Qin!
After Prince Zhu walked out the door, he looked back and sighed in his heart.
Although he doted on Lady Huayang, he had more than twenty children, and it was obvious that his doting on Lady Huayang was just that.
When Queen Dowager Xuan was in power, his and his brother's wives were naturally the same as their father's queen, and could only be noble ladies of Chu. However, he did have some genuine affection for Lady Huayang, because she had no children, treated him wholeheartedly, and did not associate with the Chu ministers in the Qin court.
I hope she will do the same in the future.
(End of this chapter)