After Lian Po and Li Mu arrived in Xianyang, Zhu Xiang did not need to worry too much, as they both knew how to get along with the Qin nobles.
Zhu Xiang couldn't worry too much about the two of them, otherwise the King of Qin would feel uncomfortable.
However, even if Zhu Xiang pretended not to worry, there were still rumors about Zhu Xiang everywhere in Xianyang. The rumors were nothing more than saying that Zhu Xiang's relatives and friends were too powerful and might undermine the power of the King of Qin.
The King of Qin is old and frail, and the Crown Prince is also in poor health. Prince Zichu may not be able to wait to inherit the throne and wants to become the King of Qin ahead of time.
When Xia Tong heard the news from his subordinates, he was being forced to drink a nourishing medicinal soup by Zhu Xiang and Xue, who were staring at him from both sides.
Although Zhu Xiang only knew some medical knowledge, Xia Tong's body was not able to absorb the food, which obviously meant that he had a stomach problem. Based on the teachings of the old professors, he made many "medicinal foods" that were very beneficial to nourishing the stomach.
But Xia Tong didn't like taking medicine. When the food was mixed with the taste of medicine, the picky Xia Tong thought it was more difficult to swallow than pure medicine.
Zhu Xiang could understand. Then he and Xue supervised Xia Tong to drink the medicinal soup on time every day to prevent Xia Tong from secretly pouring out the soup.
For healthy people, drinking soup will not only fail to nourish the body, but will also cause gout due to excessive purine levels.
Anyone with scientific knowledge knows that there is very little nutrition in soup. It just melts the umami substances of the ingredients, so it is particularly delicious. Most of the nutrition is still in the ingredients.
Therefore, the medicinal food that Zhu Xiang prepared for Xia Tong was meat and vegetables mashed into a paste.
Ying Xiaozheng encouraged his father: "Father, this is the food I often ate when my teeth didn't grow well. It's delicious! Of course, now that I have teeth, I don't need to drink porridge anymore."
Ying Xiaozheng, who is not yet old enough to change teeth, opened his mouth and smiled, revealing two rows of beautiful little baby teeth.
Xia Tong was so angry at his son that he almost broke the wooden spoon in his hand.
After hearing this shocking news, Xia Tong finally took this opportunity to spray the paste on Zhu Xiang, and then used the excuse that he was frightened to skip today's medicinal meal.
Zhu Xiang glared at Xia Tong.
Xia Tong coughed and pretended to be choked: "Cough, cough, cough, this is so cruel! Zhu Xiang, what if the king is suspicious of us!"
Zhu Xiang went to change his clothes in disgust: "Xue, change him a bowl. Xia Tong, do you think I only made one bowl?"
Xue was worried at first, but after hearing Zhu Xiang's words, she smiled and said, "I'll go right away."
Since my lover doesn’t seem to care much, maybe it’s not a serious matter.
Xue thought of the kind face of King Qin and felt relieved.
Xia Tong's face fell. He held his forehead and sighed. He would rather live ten years less than drink this kind of nourishing medicinal food!
Zhu Xiang was changing his clothes while thinking about the rumors.
He sighed deeply and looked out the foggy window.
Netizens who love history have a saying that they hope that the wise kings in history will live longer, but they also hope that the wise kings will die earlier.
When people get older, their thoughts are influenced by their bodies, and they are bound to become suspicious and paranoid.
Because when people who don't want to die are chased by death, their inner fear will grow day by day. Waiting to die is much more terrifying than death itself.
The King of Qin knew rationally that Zhu Xiang would never fight for power and profit, and it was absurd to say that he would sideline the King of Qin. The King of Qin also knew that he was dying, so Zhu Xiang, a minister who was not interested in fame and wealth, must be left to future generations, and was the most reliable candidate for regent.
But the King of Qin is also a human being, and it is impossible for him to be rational all the time. So he would check and balance, warn and warn the young people not to hope to seize power while the old wolf king is still alive.
But as a prince with no advantages in birth, Zichu would have difficulty consolidating his position if he did not stand out. If he stood out, he would be beaten. It was really...
Irritable.
Zhu Xiang pressed his forehead and sighed deeply.
Even if I change the King of Qin, it will be useless. The Crown Prince, Xia Tong, and even Zheng Er, after becoming the King of Qin, are first a king, and then themselves. Even if they trust me completely, I can't do anything that will make them feel torn between the identity of the monarch and my feelings.
Zhu Xiang took his time changing his clothes and found Ying Xiaozheng leaning against the door waiting for him.
Ying Xiaozheng just turned five years old. He has grown from three heads to five heads, but he is still a cute little boy with chubby cheeks and a chubby belly.
He crossed his arms, showing off his precocious look and trying to be cool, which made Zhu Xiang cover his mouth.
Ying Xiaozheng stood up straight and said unhappily, "Uncle, what are you laughing at?"
"Not laughing, not laughing." Zhu Xiang picked up Ying Xiaozheng and rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's face, "Zheng'er, do you have anything to say to your uncle alone?"
Ying Xiaozheng hugged Zhu Xiang's neck and whispered in his ear, "Uncle, has Zheng'er been a burden to you?"
Zhu Xiang frowned: "Who said that? Uncle, go beat him up!"
Ying Xiaozheng insisted, "Uncle, is Zheng'er a burden to you?"
Zhu Xiang said slowly: "Zheng'er, of course not. Zheng'er is your uncle's support. Without Zheng'er, your uncle would have collapsed long ago. The same goes for your aunt. You are the pillar of our family."
Zhu Xiang didn't lie.
At least Zhu Xiang himself, if he did not know that the world would be unified during his lifetime, and that Qin Shi Huang, who laid the foundation for the unification of the world and made "long-term division and unification" the general trend of the world, was his nephew, he might not have been able to cheer up from the successive blows.
The same was true afterwards. No matter how the old King of Qin beat him, even if the next Crown Prince Zhu or even Xia Tong became a qualified King of Qin, he would try his best to survive, at least to see the day when Qin Shihuang unified the world.
He was the uncle of Qin Shi Huang. It would have been a great loss if he died without seeing this important historical event.
Ying Xiaozheng tightened his arms: "Uncle, do you believe Zheng'er?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Of course."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "I heard that my uncle wants to go to Bashu. Uncle, go quickly. Going to Bashu will help you avoid the suspicion and surveillance of the King of Qin."
Zhu Xiang was stunned.
He looked down at the child in his arms, speechless for a long time.
Ying Xiaozheng said with a stern face: "Uncle, you should believe what you said. I have my elder uncle and grandfather to take care of me, and I have Xun Weng, Lian Weng, Fan Weng, and Bai Weng to teach me. The teacher has also entered Qin, so you can go to Shu without worry. I will also take good care of the elders on your behalf."
Zhu Xiang pinched Ying Xiaozheng's cheek and said, "Zheng'er, you are only five years old."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "I'm six years old!"
Zhu Xiang said: "In my uncle's place, one year of life is counted as one year old, so you are five years old."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I believe you, and it doesn't conflict with my worrying about you. You are still a child. No matter how powerful you are, when you are still a child, you should be protected by your elders. When the young eagle learns to fly, the old eagle will hover by the side to protect it."
He shook the child in his arms and walked towards the place where Xia Tong was forced to drink the medicinal diet: "Uncle will create a childhood where Zheng'er can fully display his talents and laugh easily. Uncle hopes that when you grow up and should take on responsibilities, you can smile happily and nostalgically when you recall your childhood with your elders, instead of frowning and complaining about why you have had such a hard time since you were a child."
Ying Xiaozheng's stern face fell: "Uncle, I'm not a child... Not an ordinary child."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Your uncle is not an ordinary uncle. Don't worry, your uncle can still protect Zheng'er. But Zheng'er is right, going to Shu County is indeed a good idea."
Ying Xiaozheng straightened his back and said, "Uncle and aunt, don't worry about entering Shu! Leave Xianyang to me!"
"Yeah." Zhu Xiang smiled.
After Ying Xiaozheng was carried away by Zhu Xiang and laughed at Xia Tong, he made the excuse of continuing the class and ran away, leaving Xia Tong no chance to scold him.
Xue shook her head and said, "Zheng'er has been too naughty recently and it's time to reprimand him. My dear, if you continue to let Zheng'er be rude to his elders, I will take action."
Zhu Xiang said: "Okay, I will be responsible for pampering her and you will be responsible for teaching her."
Xue glanced at Zhu Xiang and left angrily.
Xia Tongdao: "You can leave the matter of teaching Zheng'er a lesson to me."
Zhu Xiang said, "You'd better forget it. If you beat Zheng'er, he might become even more aggressive. Precocious boys always like to go against their fathers, but they are particularly well-behaved in front of female elders."
Xia Tong pinched his chin and tilted his head: "There is such a saying? How can I..."
He thought about it, if he was taught a lesson by the prince, he would only admit his mistakes verbally.
"Zheng'er knows that I have plans to go to Shu County. Did you tell him?" Zhu Xiang said as he sat at the head of Xia Tong's bed.
Xia Tong, the weakling, fell down again because of a late spring cold snap and had to rest in bed wrapped in a quilt.
Xia Tong shook his head: "I don't want you to go to Shu. Shu is full of poisonous miasma, poor mountains and bad water, and the people are uncivilized. It's too dangerous. Although staying in Xianyang is more depressing, at least your life safety can be guaranteed. But that was my previous thought."
Xia Tong smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty is really old. Even the princes are suspicious of him."
Zhu Xiang said: "Since he is suspicious of you, you should do your job well. Otherwise, if you keep a low profile temporarily because of his suspicion and pressure, he will think that you are resentful of him."
Xia Tong sighed: "It's really hard to do."
Zhu Xiang laughed and said, "It will be the same when you become the King of Qin."
Xia Tongdao: "I might be even more suspicious than you are now, so be careful."
Zhu Xiang rolled his eyes and said, "Then stop secretly throwing away the medicinal food. Live to your age first, and let Zheng'er be the crown prince for 40 to 50 years. Then, when he can no longer tolerate it, he will force you to become the crown prince."
Xia Tong almost choked with laughter: "Okay, okay, I'll try. You didn't avoid Zheng'er when you talked about Shu with Li Mu. Maybe Zheng'er guessed it himself. Sometimes I even suspect that Zheng'er is already an adult. Maybe now that Zheng'er is the King of Qin, he doesn't need your assistance."
Zhu Xiang said: "Say less unlucky things. Set a small goal first, let Zheng'er be the crown prince for at least ten years."
Xia Tong waved his hand: "Okay, okay, okay, if you say small goals, then it's small goals. I feel that my body is fine, and it will be easy to complete this small goal. Do you really want to go to Shu? How do you convince the King of Qin?"
Zhu Xiang said, "To be honest. The nobles in Xianyang are annoying. They only farm and talk a lot of nonsense. I don't want to bother with them. I'm going to the south to grow rice. The land in Guandong and the Central Plains is mainly planted with millet, sorghum and wheat, and the planting methods are relatively mature. Now that I have passed on the knowledge I know about farming, it's time to go south."
Zhu Xiang crossed his arms and shrugged, "Qin wants to unify the world, not just the Central Plains. The Central Plains has been cultivated for thousands of years, but the south has not. The customs and habits in the south are also different from those in the north, and Qin does not know how to govern the south. Your Majesty is a wise king. He knows how much benefit it will bring to Qin's unification of the south if I make achievements in Shu County."
Xia Tong pondered for a while, then sighed and said, "I want to go with you."
Zhu Xiang said, "You can't go. The Shu Marquisate has rebelled repeatedly before. Even if the Shu Marquisate has withdrawn now, if you go to Shu to be the prefect, you will be accused by others of being the third Qin prince to rebel."
Xia Tong sighed, "That's right. You want to take Zheng'er with you? Aren't you afraid that Zheng'er will get sick?"
Zhu Xiang said, "It's not that I want to take Zheng'er with me, but if I go to Shu, the king will definitely ask me to take Zheng'er with me. If Zheng'er is in Xianyang, I can also fake my death and escape; Zheng'er is by my side, and Shu is a long way away. I won't feel comfortable letting Zheng'er go back to Xianyang alone, and I will definitely come back with him. That's why I don't want to leave Xianyang."
Zhu Xiang knew that he doted on Zheng'er, and the King of Qin knew it too.
If Ying Xiaozheng stayed in Xianyang and was taken care of by his elders, Zhu Xiang might not worry too much. But if Ying Xiaozheng and Zhu Xiang went on a long journey together, Zhu Xiang would never leave Ying Xiaozheng alone and let others take Ying Xiaozheng home.
Xia Tong held his forehead with his hand: "He underestimated your doting on Zheng'er. Even if Zheng'er was in Xianyang, you would not abandon Zheng'er and leave alone. You have so many relatives and friends in Xianyang, no one of them can restrain your steps."
Zhu Xiang spread his hands and said, "Judge others by your own standards. Your Majesty is not you. You may not understand what you understand. Don't worry, I am absolutely sure that Zheng'er will not get sick because of the climate in Shu."
Shu was developed earlier, so as long as you don't go into the woods, there will be no poisonous fog and miasma. Other diseases are mostly caused by mosquito bites and heatstroke and humidity, which can be prevented in advance.
Even without Dujiangyan, the Chengdu Plain was a relatively prosperous place. With garlic, ginger and chili in hand, and not afraid of the heat and humidity, Shu was a better place for children to keep fit than Xianyang.
It would be better if Xia Tong could go together, but the King of Qin would definitely not agree.
"I have another reason for taking Zheng'er away." Zhu Xiang lowered his voice and said, "The Lord is suspicious of you, but doesn't he also suspect Zheng'er?"
Xia Tong sat up straight.
Zhu Xiang's house was full of Qin's spies, but Xia Tong's house was empty and the windows were open when he was alone during the day, so it was difficult for others to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Xia Tong gritted his teeth, his face trembling slightly: "How old is Zheng'er?!"
Zhu Xiang said indifferently: "Zheng'er is not only precocious, but children of his age often get sick, but he has hardly ever been sick. Occasionally he catches a cold and only coughs for a few days before getting better. Everything indicates that he is born with supernatural powers and is the king of Qin given by God. The king is old, and he is suspicious of others. It may not be because of rational judgment that someone can threaten his position, but also because of jealousy."
"Xia Tong, you also said that you were jealous of Zheng'er's intelligence and body. But Zheng'er is your son, so you are jealous and look forward to it. The King of Qin and Zheng'er are two generations apart, and Zheng'er's feelings for him are not as deep as he shows."
"I heard that an alchemist entered the palace to make an elixir for the King of Qin to prolong his life. He mentioned that Zheng'er was blessed by heaven, and he wanted to use Zheng'er's boy's urine as the medicine. What if the alchemist wants to use Zheng'er's blood and flesh next time?"
"I will take Zheng'er to Shu to hide from the limelight while the king is still incompetent. This is also a warning to the king."
Zhu Xiang laughed at himself, "I keep testing you one after another. If I don't do something, he will think my temper is made of clay."
A minister cannot just obey his king blindly, he also needs to play the game.
Although in history King Zhaoxiang of Qin was not so foolish as to believe in the advice of alchemists, Zhu Xiang would not gamble with his nephew.
(End of this chapter)