The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 174 Engagement, Bai Qi takes sides

Gongsun Zhi left in a daze, and the old minister forgot to greet anyone present before leaving.

In the face of life, he briefly forgot the power he had been seeking all his life.

Ying Chengjiao stared at the old man's back.

I watched the old man stagger and almost fall to the ground several times, but he stood up again and continued walking by himself.

Everyone has to walk their own path.

"Do you think it's possible, my Lord Imperial Physician?" The young man raised the corners of his mouth, full of sarcasm.

After the old man left, he turned into the mean young man Cheng Jiao again.

"Alas." Li Yue sighed with a different meaning from before, and said with a wry smile: "Yue only understood Bingshu today. Young Master, if you don't learn medicine, you are really wasting the talent given by God."

Xishi Bingshu, the chief astronomer of the Qin State, always believed that it was a waste of Prince Chengjiao's talent not to specialize in astronomy.

This is not a talent given by God, this is high school biology and some common sense... Ying Chengqiu complained in his heart, waved his hand fiercely, and said in a deep voice:

“It’s useless for the Imperial Physician to praise me.

“As the Imperial Physician, you have the right to stop others from taking medicine, but you let Ying Bai take ten bottles of Yangqi Pills.

"You are to blame for the death of the previous king!"

As soon as Ying Chengjiao's words came out, the imperial doctors who had been listening to gossip with their ears perked up all remembered their unfinished work.

Some remembered that they had not picked the herbs, some remembered that they had not dried the herbs, and some remembered that the herbs were not dried. No matter what happened to the herbs, they could not stay in the Imperial Medical Bureau anymore!
How could the cause of the late king's death be so openly stated? This would lead to the beheading of the king and even the extermination of the entire clan!
The chief physician Li Yue had long been accustomed to the boldness of Prince Chengjiao. This was a tough guy who dared to investigate the cause of death of the previous king and confront the current king face to face after the previous king's death.

The most shocking thing is that after the confrontation, Prince Chengjiao was sent to the Xianyang Prison where there was basically no survivor, but he was released in a few days without dying!

Not only did he not die, he was also made a king!
Li Yue, who was also quite old, sucked his teeth, and the cold wind penetrated between his teeth and was inhaled into his stomach.

Although he was mentally prepared, he was still frightened when Master Chengjiao really spoke out.

Even if Master Chengjiao dared to say this, he didn't dare to listen, let alone respond.

If he could run away, he would also like to take care of the herbs.

Li Yue smiled bitterly, bent down 90 degrees, and kept a very low posture.

He acted like "I was wrong, I am guilty" and said nothing.

There are some things that only Master Chengjiao can say.

Ying Chengjiao naturally knew that Li Yue could not stop what happened back then.

The will of two generations of Qin kings is useless even if there are ten imperial physicians.

He brought up the past in order to make use of the opportunity.

Seeing that the temperature was almost right, his expression eased a little and his anger faded a lot.

"I will not talk about the past. I want to ask you something about the present." The young man looked serious and said in a deep voice, "How is the king's health?"

According to historical records, King Zichu of Qin died hastily three years after he ascended the throne, and the cause of his death was not recorded.

There must be a reason for death. Just because it is not written does not mean it does not exist.

Judging from the way my father controlled his subordinates, he should not have been killed by someone. The history books seriously underestimated my father's abilities.

The boy made two guesses about the cause of his father's death:
1. Disease.

If this is true, then the imperial physician Li Yue must be aware of it.

Although the young man thought that the possibility was very low, his father did not look like he was seriously ill.

As far as he could remember, his father's health was the best among those around him.

But to be on the safe side, he still asked for confirmation from the imperial physician Li Yue.

2. Overwork causes illness.

In history, when King Zichu of Qin succeeded to the throne, Qin changed three kings within one month. It was a time of panic and turmoil, and other countries were eyeing it covetously.

Now, since Ying Chengjiao traveled around the countries to quell foreign threats, Prince Chu of Qin only had to deal with domestic affairs for most of the past six months, and government affairs were greatly reduced.

When the treaty is signed, Qin will enter a ten-year period of flood control, mobilizing the entire country to build canals, and no troops will be sent east, so King Prince Chu of Qin still does not need to consider foreign wars.

In this way, Prince Chu of Qin would not die from overwork.

The young man looked at the imperial physician Li Yue carefully, not missing a single detail.

As long as he was sure that his father was fine, he could go to the Jixia Academy with peace of mind and follow the path of his choice.

Li Yue...felt a chill in his heart, this was exactly what he was afraid of.

The former king is dead, but the king is still alive.

The death of the imperial physician Zhang Ling was too strange, and Li Yue did not want to be involved in this dispute at all.

His heart was surging with rage, stirring up huge waves, but his face showed no flaws at all.

He had served three generations of Qin kings: King Zhaoxiang of Qin, King Xiaowen of Qin, and King Zichu of Qin, and his cunning was even greater than some young officials in the court.

"May your Majesty be in good health." Li Yue looked respectful.

"Oh? Really? Why is it that the pulse I took for the king is not like this? The pulse shows that the king has only two years to live." The young man narrowed his eyes and said, "Since you mentioned the Grand Historian just now, you should know that my talent in astronomy is not inferior to medicine. I observed the sky and found that the king will not live more than two years."

The reason why he took Li Yue's pulse in front of him was to let Li Yue know that he was not talking nonsense and that he really knew how to take Li Yue's pulse.

The surprise and astonishment on Li Yue's face did not seem fake:
"When did you take the king's pulse? Does the pulse really show this?

"This...this...how is this possible?
"Sir, please don't talk nonsense!"

Young Master Cheng Jiao walked up to Li Yue and stared into his eyes:

"Li Yue, do you dare to swear that everything you said is true?"

At this moment, Ying Chengjiao was very glad that he was not born after Sima Yi.

When someone of status and position swears, it is highly credible.

Li Yue did not hesitate at all and said in a serious voice:
"I, Li Yue, swear before the heavens and earth that I will use my medical skills to find out that the king is in good health and his holy body is safe!"

The young man waited for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter and patted Li Yue's thigh:

"Of course I believe in the Imperial Physician. How can my medical skills compare to the Imperial Physician's?
"It seems that I took the pulse wrong and observed the sky wrong."

Li Yue touched the cold sweat on his forehead, smiled bitterly, waved his hands and said:

"Sir, don't say such boastful words anymore. You still want to live a few more years."

Ying Chengjiao achieved his goal, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his face visibly relaxed a lot.

He tilted his head, smiled and said to Xia Wuqie:
"Study hard, I have high hopes for you! You will be the next Imperial Physician of the Qin State!"

Then he nodded to Li Yue, said "goodbye", and took Wang Jian out of the Imperial Medical Bureau with ease.

Xia Wuqie was stunned.

He never thought about becoming the imperial physician.

He always thought that it would be great if he could stay in the Imperial Medical Bureau when he grew up and become an imperial physician.

Li Yue didn't breathe a sigh of relief until Master Chengjiao disappeared. He patted his beloved disciple on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"What are you in a daze for? Are you shocked by Master Chengjiao's medical skills?"

Xia Wuqie came back to his senses, blinked, and nodded:
"Yes, Master Chengjiao is not even as old as me, but he can already feel a person's pulse..."

"You are so naive. You were fooled by Master Chengjiao." Li Yue gently tapped Xia Wuqie's forehead. "Master Chengjiao's pulse diagnosis was correct, and most of what he said during the diagnosis was also correct. But he also said a lot of things that were not in line with medical principles. Didn't you hear it? Did your master teach you about blood vessels?"

Xia Wuqi scratched his head and whispered:

"I haven't been taught... I don't think I've learned about blood vessels yet..."

Li Yue smiled lightly:
“As for other matters, Master Chengjiao may be able to hide them from me.

“No, I have been studying medicine all my life.

"Master Chengjiao is applying another discipline to medicine.

“I have to say, he is indeed a child prodigy. He has really figured out some tricks and made rapid progress in pulse diagnosis.

"But... this is not the right way."

Li Yue shook his head with a look of regret, touched his beloved disciple's head and continued:

“Many disciplines can be related to medicine, such as martial arts and witchcraft.

“You can use these when studying medicine, and you may even have to use them after you have learned a certain level, but that is at least after you have thoroughly mastered medicine.

"With the help of other knowledge, the last basket of soil piled on the Jiuren Mountain will make further progress in medicine.

"For example, Master Chengjiao, who started to understand other subjects when he first started to study medicine, would see significant improvement at first.

“He didn’t study medicine for as long as you did, and he’s not as talented as you, but he can diagnose pulses better than you. That’s the reason.

“But because he uses other knowledge to assist in pulse diagnosis, he will not remember all the medical theories of pulse diagnosis, because he thinks he knows it.

“Medical principles run through medicine.

"He remembered little about the medical principles of taking a pulse and acupuncture, and the amount of medical principles he forgot accumulated increased, making it more and more difficult to learn.

"It's like not remembering all the properties of the herb, and then being too cautious when prescribing medicine."

Xia Wuqi opened his mouth wide, his face full of surprise:

"Then can't he just make up for his medical knowledge?"

"That's difficult." Li Yue sighed, "The medical theory he learned is fragmented, but he doesn't know where it is missing, because the missing part is filled in by other knowledge. If you write on a bare bamboo slip, it is easy to read. But if you write on a bamboo slip full of words, it is hard to read."

Li Yue turned his head and looked at the place where Master Cheng Jiao had sat down to take the pulse:
“Heat is correct, and false fire is also correct, but what is the reason for the different sensations of the three fingers?
“He probably wanted to show off his medical skills and was looking for an excuse.

"If he didn't know that Gongsun Zhi had a headache, I don't believe he could tell that Gongsun Zhi's illness was in his head."

Xia Wuqie, who had a good impression of Master Chengjiao, became very anxious and ran outside.

Li Yue took two steps forward and pulled his apprentice back:

"Why are you running?"

Xia Wuqie said anxiously:
"Young Master Chengjiao has just started studying medicine, and there is still much to learn. I want to tell Young Master Chengjiao what the master said to me!"

Li Yue sneered:

“He’s a prince, he was made a lord at the age of seven, why would he care about medicine?

"Don't waste your time. Young Master Cheng Jiao is not interested in this. He only wants quick success, not great success."

Xia Wuqie trusted his teacher very much. Hearing this, he said "Oh" and knew that Young Master Chengjiao was not interested in medicine, so he was not in a hurry.

He took two steps, and suddenly said with a somewhat disappointed mood:

"Master."

Li Yue was very confused when he saw the look on his beloved disciple's face. Why are you unhappy that Master Cheng Jiao doesn't want to study medicine?

Wen Sheng said:
"what happened?"

"Young Master Chengjiao is not an expert in medicine, so what he said about me being able to be the Imperial Physician is meaningless... Actually, I am not qualified." Xia Wuqie was still thinking about the Imperial Physician's position.

Li Yue smiled knowingly. Children are so innocent. He said affirmatively:
“That’s not the case!
"Master Chengjiao's ability to judge people is well-known throughout the country. My disciple will definitely become the imperial physician in the future."

"Really?" Xia Wuqie was immediately happy.

Li Yue smiled and nodded.

Intrigue has nothing to do with children.

The master and the disciple went about their business.

When it got dark, the two of them had their meal.

On the table, Xia Wuqie looked at the bean rice in the bowl, and suddenly thought of what happened in the Imperial Medical Bureau during the day, and said in a crisp voice:

"Master, I don't remember you treating the king."

Children's ideas are always wild and unconstrained, and the two sentences they say may have nothing to do with each other.

Li Yue nodded, took a piece of dog meat and put it in his mouth, chewing it while saying: "You remember correctly, the king has indeed never summoned me for a consultation."

"Then why did you tell Master Chengjiao that the king was in good health? You haven't even seen him, and you swore an oath!"

"Master is not wrong. Can't you tell with your little eyes that the king is in good health? Observation is also a medical method."

"But my teacher taught me that it is difficult to accurately diagnose a patient's condition by looking alone."

"Did your teacher ever teach you not to talk while eating?"

“…I have.”

"Then why are you still talking? Eat!"

Looking at his beloved disciple wolfing down the food, Li Yue sighed softly.

Before taking Qin Wang Zichu's pulse, judging from his appearance, Qin Wang Zichu was indeed strong.

He did not lie, he did not break his oath.

Does Zhang Ling’s death mean that the king is seriously ill and won’t live long?

No.

There is no such theory in medicine.

Bai's mansion.

There's going to be a curfew soon.

Bai Qi, who was "seriously ill and unable to get out of bed," spent a day wandering outside and returned home.

He saw two high carriages drawn by four horses from the outside, one of which had a black bird carved on its side wall.

This is the prince's car.

Bai Qi's gaze did not stay on the prince's carriage for long, but he looked at another ordinary four-horse carriage for a long time.

"Forget it." The butcher who had killed millions of people without fear sighed: "If I can't hide from this guy, then I can't hide from him. It's true that I was not fair and just first."

Confident that he would no longer avoid the situation, Bai Qi entered his own residence and walked towards the voices.

The lobby of the Bai family mansion.

All the generals in the court have been here before.

Generals who have never been here will be ridiculed by other generals as fake generals.

This place was once very prosperous and reached its peak when Bai Qi was granted the title of Marquis of Wu'an.

All Qin generals are proud to come here.

Even most of the civil officials wanted to take advantage of Wu'an Jun's influence.

But most of them were blocked outside the door, just like Qin State’s Prime Minister Lu Buwei.

In the past, there were dozens of mats made of beast skins here, and a fierce and evil aura emanated from the ground.

Today, there is only a table and four chairs here.

Originally there was only one chair here, and Bai Qi would always sit here for the entire morning and afternoon.

When Master Chengjiao arrived today, he asked someone to bring three chairs, otherwise there would not be enough seats.

When Bai Qi walked in, Wang Jian at the door was the first to see him.

Wang Jian, a burly man with a full beard, looked adoring, like a devout believer who had seen a god.

Wang Jian, who learned of Bai Qi's identity from Prince Cheng Jiao, nodded heavily with a look of awe on his face.

Among the Qin people, all who joined the army were subject to Wu'an.

Bai Qi nodded slightly and looked at Wang Jian again.

It was obvious from the look on his face that he knew his identity, which was quite interesting.

So far, not many people know that he is still alive, not even the four veteran generals Meng Ao, Wang He, Wang Ling and Bie Gong know.

Among them, Meng Ao and Wang He served as Bai Qi's deputy generals in the Battle of Changping, and had close friends with Bai Qi.

Even the two Qin generals who were both his old subordinates and old friends didn't know, but a man dressed as a guard standing at the door knew...

Bai Qi memorized Wang Jian's appearance and walked into the quiet hall, where he happened to meet his granddaughter Bai Wuxia who came to greet him.

In the lobby, the moment Bai Qi's footsteps sounded, Ying Chengjiao and Ying Zheng tacitly stopped talking.

The two looked at each other and nodded.

Today, they must gain Bai Qi's support.

The Dinghai Shenzhen in Zheng Guo's hand could not stabilize the sea, it was just an iron rod.

But Bai Qi was really able to control the sea of ​​Qin State and even the sea of ​​Central Plains.

If the news that Bai Qi was alive spread, all the princes in the world, except the King of Qin, would probably have trouble sleeping.

As soon as I closed my eyes, the quilt was full of butchers.

Bai Wuxia supported Bai Qi and walked into the lobby. The moment they appeared, Ying Chengjiao winked at Ying Zheng, telling him not to move.

The Crown Prince of Qin, the future King of Qin, should be dignified.

Ying Chengjiao jumped off the chair and ran to Bai Qi, saying with admiration:
"Finally I get to see Wu An Jun again. I missed him all the time when I was away from home."

Bai Qi: “…”

Ren Tu felt speechless, helpless and a little ridiculous.

but.

Not disgusted.

It is normal for a seven-year-old child to do childish things.

Ying Chengjiao has been taking advantage of his age since he was young.

"My title of Wu'an Jun has been taken off a long time ago, but your title of Chang'an Jun is still on your head." Bai Qi's mouth curled up: "Stop doing such childish flattery. I don't buy it. Let's get straight to the point."

If you don't fall for this, why are you laughing... Ying Chengjiao muttered in his heart, and continued to flatter:

"Without Wu'an Jun, how could there be Chang'an Jun?
"First you must use force to secure the country, then you can have long-term peace and stability."

Ying Zheng lowered his head silently.

Although he has been studying for more than half a year, it is still difficult for him to say such words.

From a flattering perspective, he felt that his brother had reached the pinnacle and that all his cultural talents had been used for this.

Bai Qi laughed.

The young man in front of him always made him feel new and interesting every time he met him.

A wise man who is good at strategizing and can become a prime minister at the age of seven, and an adult who can turn the tide and support the country.

And a person who is extremely flattering and fawns very smoothly, who according to common sense should be a treacherous minister.

How can these two be unified in one person?
Ren Tu took Ying Chengjiao's hand and first carried Ying Chengjiao to the chair, and then sat down on the chair where he would sit for a long time every day.

Nodding slightly at Prince Zheng, the old general raised his palm to stop Master Chengjiao who was about to speak again, and said in a deep voice:

"I'll apologize to you, sir.

"Young Master rescued Qi from prison, but Qi failed to lend a helping hand to him. This is Qi's fault."

Ying Chengjiao waved his hands repeatedly, looking completely unconcerned:

"What are you talking about?
“If it weren’t for Mr. Bai, this kid’s wish would definitely not be fulfilled today.

"Everyone knows that the Qin State values ​​military generals who are good at fighting, not those useless civil servants."

Bai Wuxia found the last chair and sat down, glanced at his little disciple and secretly curled his lips.

Just like lying!
She knew all of her disciple's plans and knew that he was going to the Jixia Academy in Qi State.

This is enough to show that the young disciple values ​​literati far more than military commanders.

Bai Qi stood up, bowed to Prince Chengjiao and said "thank you".

Then he pressed down Master Cheng Jiao to prevent him from jumping off the chair to return the gift. When he saw that he had stopped struggling, he sat back in his original position.

Ren Tu looked at Ying Chengjiao, then at Ying Zheng, and said:
“Sir, Prince.

"When I arrive at this hour, I think you have something to discuss with me, right?
"Speak quickly, I will do my best to do what I can."

Bah, such a compliment! Why didn’t you say you would definitely do it… Ying Chengjiao complained in his heart and looked at his brother.

At this time, it is time for the prince to step forward.

After not seeing each other for more than half a year, Ying Zheng, who was away from home, not only looked noble, but also had a bit of majesty. The shadow of Prince Chu of Qin could be clearly seen on his resolute and handsome face.

Prince Zheng of Qin stood up, cupped his hands and said bluntly:

“My brother does have something to ask.

“Please promise my brother, Lord Bai, not to start a war during the flood control period, and not to go to war before the first attack of other countries.

“In return.

“Except for what I promised Lord Bai before—to restore Lord Bai’s throne after I ascend to the throne and fight for Lord Bai.

"I will also arrange a marriage between Lord Bai's granddaughter and my brother.

"With my brother's ability, I think Mr. Bai will no longer worry about the future of the Bai family."

Bai Wuxia turned her head abruptly and looked at her little disciple. She had no idea about this before.

Ying Chengjiao felt a little guilty, avoided his gaze, and explained softly:
"That's just what I said. When the time comes, it will still depend on whether I beat you or not. If I can't beat you, then you won't marry me."

Bai Wuxia's eyes were watery and unblinking.

Ying Chengjiao glanced back secretly, met her gaze for a moment, then immediately looked away and said dryly:
"Then I'm afraid someone will pick your peaches, right? What if Mr. Bai betroths you to someone else? What if someone comes to your house to propose marriage?"

He is only seven years old and still has ten years to grow up.

He estimated that he would spend too much time in the Jixia Academy during the past ten years, and there would be too many variables. He would not feel at ease if he did not first determine his position.

Bai Wuxia snorted lightly and stopped staring, which meant she accepted it.

Bai Qi looked at his granddaughter, then at Prince Chengjiao, and was amazed.

In an age when power is respected, a fallen daughter of a military family should not have the right to speak in front of a powerful prince.

The veteran nodded secretly and did not refute. After all, he would not suffer any loss.

This is also how he behaved when the Crown Prince asked him to stand on the side of Prince Chengjiao.

In fact, even if the prince's conditions were worse at that time, he would have agreed to it if he could pave the way for his descendants, not to mention restoring his title or rehabilitating him.

Befriending Master Chengjiao may not necessarily lead to the revitalization of the Bai family.

But if we can also make friends with Crown Prince Zheng, we will definitely be able to revive the Bai family!

One of the two must be the King of Qin!

"Okay, I agree." Bai Qi nodded without any hesitation.

This made Prince Chengjiao and Crown Prince Zheng, who had prepared a lot of rhetoric, a little surprised.

The two brothers looked at each other again. Is it that simple?

"Mr. Bai," Young Master Chengjiao probed, "I'm not surprised that you accept not taking the initiative to fight. But if you also accept that other countries are attacking and you don't fight for the first time, I'm a little surprised."

"What's the surprise?" Ren Tu said calmly, "Without me, will Qin lose? Even if it loses, with Hangu Pass, Qin will not be destroyed in one battle."

　6k! I saw the comments from my brothers asking for more chapters, but I didn't reply because I was afraid I couldn't do it. I just updated the chapters silently and then quietly asked if they could give me the monthly ticket now?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)