The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 300: Queen Mother Zhao's crazy political scheme. Outsmarted, waiting to win
It was not the first time that Queen Dowager Zhao felt frightened, but it was the first time that she felt frightened because her soul was seen through.

She was born noble and was a famous lady in Handan. She had come into contact with almost all the famous figures in Zhao State, including many wise men.

Her grandfather Lin Xiangru was an unparalleled wise man who was treated with caution and favored by all the princes of various countries - he was the only one who could show off and take advantage of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and survive, and he did it twice!

Her grandfather had a keen insight into people's hearts and the world.

Growing up in the care of her grandfather, she was deeply influenced by him. She didn't like needlework but loved scheming... She loved archery because she was influenced by her grandfather's close friend Lian Po.

Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng also had a good relationship with her eldest grandfather, and when she was six years old, he jokingly asked her if she wanted to marry him.

The grandfather smiled and said that Yaotiao had no chance of having such a blessing. After Lord Pingyuan left, he calmly told her that the State of Zhao was going to perish.

She asked in horror, was it because Pingyuan Jun wanted her to marry him that led to the demise of the State of Zhao?
The grandfather coughed and laughed, nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, yes, you are a disaster to the country, you should marry to the Qin State as soon as possible."

At that time, the Battle of Changping had not yet broken out, but the relationship between Qin and Zhao was already very tense.

The young girl was sad for a long time, not knowing why the unprecedentedly powerful Zhao State would perish because of her.

In the evening, Lian Po came to the banquet and saw that her eyes were red and swollen and she was about to cry, so he asked her why.

She told him the truth, and Lian Po was so angry that he took her to her grandfather to settle the score. He said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about, you birdman! Even if you perish, the State of Zhao will not perish!"

Lin Xiangru said that I would perish before the State of Zhao.

Lian Po looked angry but didn't say anything.

Lin Xiangru coughed twice and said, "That's right, Lian Jun is very good. If you can restrain your temper when you meet others in the future, you may live to see the fall of Zhao."

That night, Ji Yaotiao Lian Gong knelt on one knee on the ground and begged his grandfather to save the State of Zhao.

This scene had a great impact on her. Lian Po was the most capable general of Zhao State, famous among the princes for his courage. He was the most powerful man in the eyes of everyone in Zhao State.

Even such a powerful Duke Lian could not save Zhao, so she asked her father who had been ill for a long time for help.

From then on, she could imitate her grandfather's every move and beg him to tell her stories about returning the jade intact to Zhao and the meeting in Mianchi.

She learned Machiavelli, crazy Machiavelli.

That's what her great-grandfather did - he held a broken jar and said to King Zhaoxiang of Qin, "If you don't hit it, I will kill you." This was the craziest thing in the world at that time.

As she grew up, she understood more and more, and her grandfather looked at her with more and more complicated eyes. He always said how nice it would be if she were a boy.

She was not convinced.

What's wrong with being a girl? Can't a girl stir up trouble like her father?
She went looking for the woman who stirred up the storm and found Queen Dowager Xuan.

She told her grandfather about the Queen Dowager Xuan, and as she spoke she lost confidence.

Queen Dowager Xuan was killed by King Zhaoxiang of Qin. My grandfather slapped King Zhaoxiang of Qin twice.

The grandfather smiled and said, "You have found the only correct way." If a woman wants to stir up the world, she can only be the queen. The Queen Mother Xuan did not lose to the King of Qin, but to time. No one can beat time.

She nodded, not quite understanding, and was very excited - this was the first time that her grandfather highly agreed with her ideas.

From then on, she continued to study with her grandfather, taking Queen Dowager Xuan as her idol, and gradually became the most outstanding lady in Handan, with people seeking marriage lining the door of her house.

Her father was overjoyed and wanted her to marry into the royal family of Zhao.

The grandfather found out and told her father to get out.

Her grandfather told her that she had to decide her own marriage.

She asked why my father didn't find a good marriage for me?
The grandfather cursed and said that the whole State of Zhao was a mess, and that they would die if they jumped around in stagnant water.

So she married Qin Yiren, a hostage from the State of Qin.

She refused to marry a member of the Zhao royal family, nor did she marry a member of the Lian clan, with whom her family had had several intermarriages. Instead, she married a hostage from an enemy country who was in constant fear.

Everybody said she was crazy, and she was, but she had learned it from her great-father.

Before she decided to marry Qin Yiren, she asked her grandfather whether it was appropriate. Her grandfather asked her what she thought.

She said that the King of Qin had only two sons, and the Crown Prince Dao died in Wei, so only An Guojun could succeed to the throne. So the future King of Qin would come from An Guojun's descendants, and the most famous among An Guojun's descendants was the eldest son, Xi, and the most miserable was Qin Yiren.

The grandfather asked her why she didn't marry Qin Qi.

She said that Qin Qi had already married, and I would not be in the right position if I married him. I was the most famous lady in Handan, but not in Xianyang, so Qin Qi would not think highly of me. But Qin Yiren was different, and he would definitely think highly of me.

The grandfather sighed again and asked, "Why aren't you a man?" and asked her to prepare a banquet to invite the Qin hostage to attend.

Her father, who had been ill for a long time, came out of the greenhouse for her marriage and sat behind the screen without coughing.

After Qin Yiren left, my grandfather coughed up blood and said that this was a mean and ungrateful person, who was cut from the same mold as the King of Qin, so he should not marry her.

This was the first time she went against her grandfather's wishes.

She said that it was because of this that he had the chance to be the King of Qin, wasn't it?
For the first time, the grandfather was silent in front of her, and then he said, "I am old, I have lost to time, and whether the Lin family can have a chance of survival depends on you."

She succeeded.

She brought the Lin clan from Zhao to Qin. Now the Lin clan is one of the only two foreign relatives in Qin, only slightly inferior to its most prominent time in Zhao.

She became the Queen Mother of Zhao and stirred up the situation as she wished.

She admitted that there was a lot of luck involved, but others did not admit that there was any crazy Machiavellianism involved.

We don't see her marrying Qin Yiren when he was in obscurity; we don't see how difficult life was for her and her son, an orphan and a widow, in Handan, Zhao after the Battle of Changping; we also don't see the torture she suffered after arriving in Qin, where she had to be cautious and try to please her husband even though she knew he was not good to her.

She doesn't care either.

It would be great if everyone thought she was lucky.

She learned from her grandfather not only how to go crazy, but also how to keep a low profile.

Everything she thought she had hidden well was seen through by her second son today.

How was it possible that his second son told her all her plans?
How could this guy have thought that she would serve a pariah as the queen mother of the most powerful country in the world? Isn't this crazy?
She wanted to deny it.

But looking at her second son's clear eyes that were filled with seriousness and concern, she did not deny it.

It's meaningless. This guy really sees through it and really... cares about her.

Even though it was forced, it was also caring.

Queen Mother Zhao sat on the ground dejectedly, not caring about the sight of her beauty, and said with a wry smile:

"You can tell what I'm thinking. You either have a mad disease or you're a god... or a ghost. Zheng'er said you're as smart as a god. It's no exaggeration."

In a closed bedroom, there were a man and a woman alone, and the woman was the queen mother who was bold, generous and still had charm.

No, the word still charming doesn't fit.

The Queen Mother Zhao was still very young, almost thirty years old.

Ying Chengjiao grabbed Queen Mother Zhao's jade hand and pulled it upwards:

"The ground is cold."

Every love should be cherished, not taken for granted.

Lying on the bed with my second son, the two of us lying side by side.

Queen Mother Zhao, who had always been enthusiastic and liked to be shocked, felt the long-lost tranquility, as if she had returned to her grandfather's side.

The second son was like an elder father to her when she was a child, able to fully understand all her thoughts.

"It's really scary." She murmured to herself, "You made me feel that I had lived in vain all these years. If my grandfather were still alive, he wouldn't be able to guess what I was thinking."

Ying Chengjiao felt a little guilty. He touched his nose and his face felt a little hot.

He thought he was quite intelligent, but he couldn't compare himself with the famous Lin Xiangru... maybe he could in the future!

He was able to tell Ji Yaotiao's thoughts by integrating reasoning with Ji Yaotiao's actions in the present life and the records in the history books of the previous life. No matter how well the contemporary strategists know a person, they can only judge him based on his life trajectory and experience.

Ying Chengjiao is different.

In addition to collecting data like other contemporary strategists, Ying Chengjiao has another answer.

Although his arrival has made the answer a reference only, a reference answer is still an answer!

In fact, human wisdom has not changed much over thousands of years. Many things recorded in history books seem unreasonable to later generations, but even if they were not the optimal solutions at the time, they were definitely a solution.

Including the two children born to Queen Mother Zhao and Lao Ai...

Ying Chengjiao tilted his head to look at the buckwheat husks scattered on the ground:
"Mother, please give up this idea."

Queen Mother Zhao did not move at all, and there was a hint of laziness in her voice:
"Lao Ai is dead, what else can I do?"

"There are only ten left of the Twelve Princes." Ying Chengjiao stared at the pillow that was bursting with anger, his body tense and ready to run away at any time: "My mother can still seduce others."

"Seduction..." Queen Mother Zhao chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm on her lips: "Then go and kill all ten princes."

"Mother, I am not mad."

"I have, but if you don't kill me, how can you stop me from seducing you? How many men do you think can be as indifferent to me as your father?"

"The Queen Mother is very beautiful. Few men can resist her beauty, but it's just that they can't resist her beauty. It's difficult for the Queen Mother to want them to rebel. They are not as foolish as Lao Ai."

"Didn't you just say that?"

"Mother, you really want to have a baby..."

Queen Dowager Zhao turned sideways, supported her head with her hands, first smiled charmingly, then laughed out loud at her second son's big actions.

Ying Chengjiao was frightened by Queen Dowager Zhao's action. Thinking that Queen Dowager Zhao was going to fight again, the young man rolled two steps away.

Seeing Queen Dowager Zhao lying peacefully, he chuckled.

Queen Mother Zhao slapped the bed beside her, making a loud "pa pa" sound:

"Why should I hit you? You already know everything, so why are you still pretending? Come here!

"Having a child is a very simple thing, it's not like I haven't had a child before.

“People think differently before and after they have children.

"Now that he has a child, he has the desire to build an empire for his child, and with the support of Gu, he has a legitimate status.

"I let him live like a king in Yongcheng. No matter day or night, everyone obeyed him. He could make people live with a glance and kill with a word. Even I knelt at his feet and called him the king.

"You must understand the power of environment, right? In just one or two years, I can lead them to rebel.

"No, I am following my king in rebellion.

"The rebellion will not succeed, but the villain Lu Buwei will be finished."

Ying Chengjiao twitched his lips as he carefully rubbed past her.

Even though he knew the whole story, he still thought it was too crazy.

But it must be said that the result of this crazy thing is indeed that the elder brother can take power ahead of time, and hold all the power.

Ying Chengjiao sighed with dismay like a little adult:

"My mother wants to deal with not only Lu Buwei, but also the power of the queen in Qin.

"My brother will use Afang's death as an excuse to refuse to establish a queen, thus ending the future queen power in our country.

"If the Queen Mother, my mother, rebels, my brother can naturally take back the power of the Queen and put an end to the situation of the coexistence of the King and the Queen in advance.

"My mother's posthumous title must be better than Queen Dowager Xuan's."

Ji Yaotiao's posthumous title was Empress Dowager, which was decided by Qin Shihuang.

It is extremely outrageous to use the word "Emperor" as the posthumous title of a empress dowager, not to mention that it was given by Qin Shihuang, when imperial power was unprecedentedly concentrated.

"Have you figured out all this?" Queen Mother Zhao pulled her second son into her arms, hugged him tightly, and said viciously, "I'll just suffocate you to death!"

Ying Chengjiao finally struggled to free himself and took a deep breath of fresh air, which made Queen Dowager Zhao tremble with joy.

"In fact, you forgot to mention one thing. I wanted to go crazy one last time before going to Yongcheng and take the Bai family away." Queen Mother Zhao smiled with some regret: "Unfortunately, that old man Bai Jia is too cowardly! He didn't dare to speak even after the heir died, and didn't give me the opportunity to go crazy."

"Mother, please stay in the palace safely." Ying Chengjiao quietly moved back a little.

"What do you mean?" Queen Mother Zhao asked with a smile.

"The fate of the Bai family has long been determined. No matter how hard you struggle, you can't escape it."

"What about Lu Buwei?"

"The king's power will outweigh the prime minister's power."

"how long."

"soon."

"one day?"

“…Not so fast.”

"Haha, how long was that?"

"Two days."

"...Hiss, so fast?"

The windows and doors of the back room were closed, but Queen Mother Zhao felt as if a gentle breeze was brushing her face, and the heavy stone in her heart was about to be blown away.

She calmed down and thought for a moment, and the big rock stood firmly again.

She suspected that her second son was deceiving her. In two days, the royal power would be able to overwhelm the power of the prime minister.

"Cheng Jiao, I know you have some strong men under your command. You are not going to assassinate Lu Buwei, are you? I want him to die, but he cannot die like this." She looked much more serious.

"Yes, Cheng Jiao knows." Ying Cheng Jiao nodded: "If you want the king's power to be greater than the prime minister's power, there is not only one way to eliminate the prime minister's power, but also to strengthen the king's power."

"How to strengthen it?" Queen Mother Zhao couldn't figure it out.

"You can't tell mother." Ying Chengjiao showed his little white teeth: "It's only two days, mother, just wait and see. Can't mother even wait for two days?"

Queen Mother Zhao stretched lazily, lay on her back on the big bed, and nodded:
"Okay, just wait."

Ji Yaotiao's breathing was like the ups and downs of the mountains, and the feeling of being in the lap of her grandfather became deeper in her heart.

If you are not as smart as others, you will win without any effort.

Two days later.

The sun rises in the east.

The Minister of Chariots, Zhao Gao, was waiting outside the Palace of Reviewing Government and Studying Diligently, his face smiling but his heart bleeding.

The day before yesterday, Lü Buwei, who had a grudge against him for killing his mother, told him:

"The one who killed your mother was the king."

Before he could react, the thief Lu Buwei said:

"Your father was not killed by the king, but he died because of the king.

"The one who killed your father was the previous king."

(End of this chapter)