The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 159 The Road to Atonement, the Only Light
Peach Blossom Palace is Ji Yaoyao's palace in the King of Han's Palace.

It is divided into a main palace and eight side halls.

After playing around with Master Cheng Jiao, Bai Wuxia walked out of the main palace gate, looked back at the closed door of the back room, and closed the main palace gate.

The girl's eyes were determined. She stroked the Qin sword at her waist and walked out of Taohua Palace.

She walked on the white stone paved road, looking at the pink peach blossoms blooming on both sides of the road, and lowered her head slightly.

She hoped that the next time she came here, she would be the host rather than a guest, and that the peach blossoms would be as beautiful as they are now.

Since the great-grandfather Bai Qi was imprisoned, the Bai family disappeared in the Qin State.

As a woman who has been taught military tactics by her grandfather Bai Qi since she was young, it is her duty to restore the glory of the Bai family.

When she was about to leave the courtyard in front of Taohua Palace, an officer holding an axe stopped her.

The axe-wielding officer said in a deep voice:
"Madam has ordered that you are not allowed to go out."

The girl's pretty face was slightly cold:

"I am a follower of Lord Chang'an, not a member of your Peach Blossom Palace."

The officer holding the axe looked at the girl carefully, and stayed on her delicate face for a long time. After the girl's face changed from slightly cold to extremely cold, he sneered and said:
"That's right, it's you, come here brothers!"

The officer holding the axe gave a shout, and more than ten officers nearby arrived and surrounded the girl.

The girl was filled with shock and anger, and she grabbed the hilt of Qin Jian with her slender hands:
"what for?!"

The official holding the axe took a step forward and tapped the ground lightly with the axe, making a slight "dong" sound.

"By Madam's order, please ask the girl to enter the side hall. Madam wants to see you."

The girl looked around at the faces of the dozen or so eunuchs, thought for a moment, and then released her hand from the hilt of the sword:
"Which side hall? Lead the way."

In the side hall, Bai Wuxia sat on the chair and waited for a short time, less than half an hour.

The palace door creaked, and Ji Yaoyao, dressed in a green robe, walked in, with a strange smile on her face.

The green robe was embellished with gems and had exquisite embroidery.

The sound of her jewelry jingling as she walked was clear and melodious, which was a very obvious Korean aristocratic attire.

Bai Wuxia immediately stood up, bowed his head and saluted:

"lady."

Ji Yaoyao stopped and looked at the girl for a moment.

He walked forward, gently held the girl's hand, caressed it, and said lovingly:
"Such a pair of white and tender hands would not be beautiful if they were stained with blood."

Bai Wuxia's body trembled, but she didn't say anything. This was something she learned from her lecherous apprentice.

When you don't have a clear understanding of the situation, say less and make fewer mistakes.

She lowered her head, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Ji Yaoyao's hand pass across her palm, climb up her arm, and then stroke her cheek.

Ji Yaoyao hooked Bai Wuxia's chin and lifted it up with slight force.

She acted frivolously, touching the girl's pink lips with her fingers and even trying to put them into her mouth.

Bai Wuxia closed her lips tightly and clenched her teeth, feeling angry and disgusted.

This emotion had only been there for five breaths when it turned into shock and anger.

"Is there no more men in the Bai family? You, a girl, need to show your face in public." Ji Yaoyao said with a smile, "Lian Po is already an old man, but he can still defeat 600,000 with only 130,000 men. Wu'an Jun is in good health, so why don't you let the world know the name of the butcher again?"

At this moment, a trace of murderous intent flashed through Bai Wuxia's heart.

The news that her grandfather was not dead was a secret among the secrets of the Qin State. The only people who knew about it should be her, her apprentice, and the King of Qin.

The girl wanted to kill the person to silence him at first, but then she thought that the lady in front of her must have heard the news from her little disciple.

And although her apprentice was only seven years old, she admitted that she was much more advanced than her fifteen-year-old self in terms of mental ability.

The person the apprentice trusts...can she trust him not to leak the news?
She froze in place, as if she were under a spell.

She was unwilling to admit that the reason she didn't take action was not because of trust or not.

But the woman in front of him is his apprentice's mother, that's all.

Ji Yaoyao smiled faintly and waited for a moment. When Qin Jian still didn't come out of his sheath, the smile on her face became more sincere.

"Very good, you still have some trust in Jiao'er." Ji Yaoyao nodded and retracted her fingers: "Then I will have a few more words with you, sit down."

Bai Wuxia did not move.

The corners of Ji Yaoyao's mouth twitched slightly, and she chuckled without making any sound. She put her hands on the energetic girl's shoulders and pushed her back into the chair.

This time, Bai Wuxia used a little force to resist, but it was still as if she didn't resist at all, and was easily pinned down by Ji Yaoyao.

The Vitality Girl learned from this.

If she had attacked just now, she wouldn't have been able to kill anyone in just three or two moves.

Ji Yaoyao found a chair and sat down. She leaned back and yawned lazily.

She looked after her son all night last night, and early in the morning she dragged the stupid king to look for Gongzi Fei.

Although she was still feeling well mentally because of her son's presence, she could not hide her physical fatigue.

Rubbing his eyes, Ji Yaoyao looked at the girl in front of him who was emitting cold air, like a piece of ice.

Thinking that his son was indeed amazing, he was able to melt such a large piece of ice, and raised his chin slightly:
"Are you just leaving?"

The girl said nothing because she felt so complicated.

Ji Yaoyao stroked her forehead gently, and was a little speechless.

The women she had faced seriously in the past were both Zhao Ji and Lady Huayang.

Although their personalities and ways of dealing with things are different, they can all communicate.

Making demands, receiving requests, weighing the pros and cons, and giving answers is a standard way of communication.

Say nothing, ask nothing, this... can't go on at all.

"Didn't Qie'er teach you political tactics? You are like this..." Ji Yaoyao tried her best to organize her words: "Because we have very little time, and we need to reach a consensus as soon as possible, so if you continue to remain silent, you may get the worst result."

She put away her smile, sat up straight, and said seriously:

"Will you continue to remain silent?"

The narrowed almond-shaped eyes brought tremendous pressure to the energetic girl. She was completely different from the gentle Madam Ji seen in the Qin Palace.

Bai Wuxia pursed her pink lips and spoke with difficulty:
"How did Madam know I was leaving?" The voice was a little hoarse, as if a lark had damaged its throat by singing.

Ji Yaoyao nodded secretly, it was a good thing to be able to communicate.

She put her weight on the back of the chair, her eyes slightly widened, a smile on her lips, trying to convey a relaxed feeling to the nervous girl:

"That's not the point. The point is, are you just going to leave like this?"

"……Yes."

"You walked thousands of miles with Jiao'er and accompanied him through the most difficult time. Didn't you even say goodbye before you left?"

"If we can see each other again in the future, there's no need to tell me. If we can't see each other in the future, there's no need to tell me either."

"This is really the temperament of the old Qin people." Ji Yaoyao sighed: "You Qin people like to do things and don't like to talk. This is not pleasing."

"I think that at least they are more likable than the Koreans who are full of calculations."

Ji Yaoyao laughed and clapped softly:

"This statement is not like that of a Qin person. It must be influenced by Jiao'er. This child has never lost in an argument since he was a child."

After a pause, he hummed with a smile on his face, his voice slightly lowered:

"When the late king was alive, we never lost anywhere..." Upon hearing the word "late king", the figure of King Xiaowen of Qin immediately appeared in Bai Wuxia's mind.

Although according to language habits, Ji Yaoyao, who is a Han people, should be referring to King Xi of Han.

But Bai Wuxia was very sure that the lady was talking about King Xiaowen of Qin.

"Do you remember what Jiao'er looked like when the previous king was alive?" Ji Yaoyao asked naturally.

Bai Wuxia thought about it and nodded:
"remember."

Ji Yaoyao waited for a moment, but nothing came of it. Seeing that the girl in front of her didn't seem to want to continue speaking, she was amused and suddenly felt that the King of Han was not so stupid.

Unless the King of Han intended to play dumb, he would not just answer "I remember".

Ji Yaoyao continued to ask:
"What does it look like?"

Bai Wuxia answered honestly:
"Lawless, lazy, obsessed with pleasure..."

The girl said more than ten words in one breath, none of which was a compliment.

Ji Yaoyao listened with a smile, and said at the right time after Bai Wuxia stopped talking:

"what about now?"

"Now..." Bai Wuxia hesitated.

It’s not that she didn’t know, but she was not used to using a lot of words to praise people, especially her little apprentice.

Ji Yaoyao smiled and continued:

"Now, are you full of wit, shrewdness, and a ravine in your heart..."

After saying more than twenty commendatory words in one breath, Ji Yaoyao finally stopped talking.

When she was speaking, she decided that she had to say more than Bai Wuxia, as if this would prove that her son's strengths completely outweighed his weaknesses.

The girl listened silently and waited for the lady's follow-up.

Ji Yaoyao took a sip of water and said:
"So do you like the current Jiao'er or the previous Jiao'er?"

"Now." The girl said without hesitation. The spoiled young man in the past really wasted his talent!
The girl felt a little suppressed by her passive response, so she asked again:
"Madam, do you like the old one?"

"I like them all." Ji Yaoyao did not hesitate and blinked: "I like my Jiao'er no matter what he becomes."

The girl said "Oh" and stopped talking. She felt suppressed again.

Ji Yaoyao observed the girl's expression, and her eyebrows softened:
"Qian'er has always valued affection since he was young. In his eyes, family affection is much more important than royal power.

"This is probably an important reason why the late king and King Zhaoxiang of Qin loved him, in addition to his extraordinary talent.

"This child, once he loves someone, he is both passionate and reserved.

"He would break into the king's room when he was in the middle of a religious ceremony, point his finger at him and yell at him. He would also go to the Imperial Medical Office every two days or so and ask Li Yue to explain the king's condition and write down everything the king should avoid.

“At the beginning, except for me and the late king, almost everyone thought that he was so diligent for power.

"Until the previous king passed away.

“After this child was imprisoned in Xianyang, those people realized that they had misjudged my son.

“Thus, a prince of Qin was born who was not a crown prince but was loved by everyone in the court.

“Everyone knows that if you help my son, he will really remember and really repay you.

“After all, my son is the only one who dares to abandon everything, sacrifice his life, and speak out for the death of the late king.

“The Queen Mother Huayang helped my son so that the Chu family would have a way to survive in the future and so that my son would remember her kindness.

"It's the same with Duke Biao and Duke Meng."

Ji Yaoyao stood up, took two steps to Bai Wuxia, and touched Bai Wuxia's head:
"You got everything they wanted."

"What?" The girl opened her eyes wide, a little dazed, not understanding what she had gained.

Ji Yaoyao chuckled, thinking that this was such a lucky child, and continued:

"The death of the previous king was a great blow to Jiao'er.

"The death of the previous king at the hands of Qin Zichu was an even greater blow to Jiao'er.

"No need to tell me, I know."

She held Bai Wuxia's mouth as she tried to explain:

"The former king asked for death on his own initiative, and Qin Zichu did not kill him. I know that."

Bai Wuxia nodded, that's it.

Although the king did not admit it, she believed in the judgment of her father and apprentice.

Deep down, she was unwilling to follow a king who had killed his father.

"But." Ji Yaoyao changed the subject: "Without Qin Zichu, the late king would not have died, right?"

Bai Wuxia pursed her lips and remained silent.

She doesn't like to tell lies, and she didn't tell lies before she was taught by a certain perverted apprentice.

Ji Yaoyao turned her head and looked towards the main palace. Her son was waiting for her inside:

"The former king took the initiative to give up his throne to Qin Zichu and sacrificed himself for the Qin State. Qiao'er could understand and comprehend it, but he could not accept it.

“He was in pain, but he didn’t say it.

"He likes to be funny, and he also likes to act like he expected everything.

"Do you always think he can figure everything out?"

Bai Wuxia nodded unconsciously. This was the fact. Everything had been going smoothly along the way.

Ji Yaoyao lowered her head.

Bai Wuxia couldn't help but tremble in his heart when he saw the lady with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

[Isn’t it...?]
Ji Yaoyao blinked, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she said with a smile:
"Where in the world are there so many perfect plans?

“Behind every seemingly foolproof strategy are countless possibilities of failure.

"He traveled through five countries, Zhao, Yan, Chu, Wei, and Han, and met countless people. How could he know clearly what each person was thinking?

"If that villain Mao Sui had acted more quickly, he wouldn't have been able to leave Zhao State. And how many Mao Suis were there along the way?

"He said he cherished his life, but he was gambling with his life."

Bai Wuxia's eyes flickered.

As Ying Chengjiao's personal bodyguard who slept in the same bed with him, she commanded all the Qin elite soldiers and Lin's followers who protected Ying Chengjiao.

She knew very well how many assassinations they had encountered along the way.

Sixty-eight times.

Ji Yaoyao wiped away her tears:
"He could not accept that the late king had sacrificed his life for the Qin State. He believed that it was because of his constant playfulness that the late king had to place his hopes on his father.

"So even though he knew that the late king's last wish for him was to live well, he still left Qin and traveled around the countries for the late king's dream of strengthening Qin.

“This journey is a road of atonement for Jiao’er, and it should have been dark.

"But because of you, Bai Wuxia, he has light. You are his only comfort on this road."

The girl was stunned, her big eyes revealing clear stupidity:
"Really? In fact, he has always taken care of me more..."

Ji Yaoyao smiled:
"Why, didn't he tell you? This shouldn't happen.

"He always likes to send out good emotions, and keep bad emotions to himself to digest slowly. If he can't digest them, he will keep them in his heart and not express them."

(End of this chapter)