The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 80: I Want to Control the Qin Army
The first year of Qin Wangzhu’s reign, December, sixteenth day.

The news that Qin Zichu had destroyed the Eastern Zhou Kingdom reached Xianyang.

The next day.

Queen Huayang summoned a court meeting and, with the assistance of Prime Minister Wei Zhe and a group of senior ministers, drafted the officials to be sent to the Eastern Zhou Kingdom.

The excited faces of the civil and military officials in the court, and the generous praise for the prince, made the powerful Queen Mi Buming feel mixed emotions.

The good news was that her son Qin Zichu's prestige soared after this battle, and he had completely secured his position as crown prince.

What worries me is that my son Qin Zichu’s prestige has risen too high after this battle. It’s really too high…

Even with such a big event, Wang still did not show up.

King Zhu of Qin was the first person to know the news. At that time, he was busy fighting crickets with Prince Chengjiao.

After Han Ming, the car official, reported with a look of surprise, he didn't even raise his head. He took a small stick and poked the crickets in the earthenware jar while saying:

"It's OK, well done."

Ying Chengjiao had long known that his father's target was the Eastern Zhou Kingdom, but he was not sure whether things would go smoothly.

When I heard the news of the fall of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, I was relieved.

[Zhao Guo is so straightforward, am I thinking too much?]
[Ah, that can’t be said. If I didn’t know history, I wouldn’t have guessed that my father would go to attack the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.]
[Even if my father stood up Zhao this time, Zhao would not be angry and kill us halfway, right?]
[Oh, I'm overthinking again.]
[This is not modern times, so communications are not that advanced.]
[Even if the King of Zhao really had this idea, by the time Zhao got the news, it would be too late for the King of Zhao to issue an order.]
Ying Chengjiao was lost in thought.

The cricket in the jar seemed to be infected by its owner and became slow to react, and its leg was bitten off by Qin Wangzhu's cricket.

King Zhu of Qin laughed out loud, much happier than when he heard that his son had destroyed the Eastern Zhou Kingdom.

The hearty laughter woke Ying Chengjiao up.

Ying Chengjiao dropped the small stick in his hand and scratched his ears.

"Grandfather, my father destroyed the Eastern Zhou Kingdom. It's such a big deal. You should go to court tomorrow and say a few words, right?"

Qin Wangzhu smiled and said:
"Do you really want your father to come to court? They all think your father is incompetent, don't you?"

"Tsk, I really like what Grandfather said. If the king is in charge of everything, what does he need those officials for?"

"Hahahahaha, that's exactly the truth. Since they can do things whether I'm here or not, why do I need to be in power?"

"...Father, sometimes you have to show your presence. If you never show up, their respect for you will decrease."

"You, just take care of yourself and don't worry me."

Four days passed and Qin Zichu still hadn't returned to Xianyang.

Gong, the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, was more than 230 miles away from Xianyang. If Qin Zichu had returned immediately after taking Gongcheng, he should have returned on the second day after the news of victory reached Xianyang.

Just when Ying Chengjiao was worried and concerned that something might have happened.

The first year of Qin Wangzhu’s reign, December, twenty-second day.

The Crown Prince of Qin, Qin Zichu, returned triumphantly to Xianyang.

Among those who returned together was a hostage from the State of Zhao.

The crown prince of Zhao State, Marquis of Chunping, Zhao Yi. (Note 1)
The State of Zhao, which had its hostage killed by two princes of Qin and threatened to attack Qin, took the initiative to seek peace.

King Dan of Zhao claimed that his son Zhao Gao was weak and sickly and died of illness in Qin State, rather than being killed by Qin State.

In order to clear up misunderstandings and appease the anger of Qin, the crown prince of Zhao was sent to Qin as a hostage.

Zhao Yi's status in Zhao State was far beyond that of Zhao Gao, and even higher than Ying Chengjiao's status in Qin State. He was the real crown prince and was even granted a title of marquis.

This action by the State of Zhao showed its full attitude of admitting its mistakes and its sincerity reached its peak.

The reputation of Qin Zichu, the crown prince of Qin who brought the crown prince of Zhao back to Qin and brought back the attitude and words of the king of Zhao, also reached its peak.

On the day of entering Xianyang, the streets of the city were deserted.

The Qin people stood on both sides of the road, cheering for their prince.

The Qin State was a martial nation.

Crown Prince Qin Zichu was full of martial virtues and became the only monarch in the Qin Dynasty in the past 500 years who had outstanding performance on the battlefield.

The crown prince is also a king.

The people of Xianyang were happy to have such a prince, and were once again proud of being Qin people.

Qin Zichu was not hiding in a tall carriage, but riding on a tall horse.

The warhorse was trotting with a "thump-thump" sound, and Qin Zichu, sitting on the saddle, was moving forward with the warhorse, his body swaying back and forth. (Note 2)
He waved his hand to the people of Xianyang, which brought even louder cheers.

Admired by everyone, his reputation is unparalleled.

This feeling made him addicted and made his blood boil.

He risked his life and took risks as a prince just for this feeling. This is what he wanted!
He heard many people shouting "Your Majesty" and "Your Majesty".

Not everyone recognizes the King of Qin's face.

To be precise, in this era without cameras and relying entirely on painters to spread the image of people, most people did not recognize the face of the King of Qin.

Lü Buwei rode on his horse, following the prince on his left side, looking at the boiling Xianyang, and said with a smile: "My lord, it's time."

He said this in a normal voice.

Qin Zichu closed his eyes and searched for the words "Your Majesty" and "Great King" amid the chaotic cheers.

After a while, he opened his eyes and smiled:

"Sir, it's time."

Beigong, Xianyang Palace, Front Hall.

This was once the most important palace in Xianyang.

Grand court meetings and reception of foreign envoys were all held here.

Today, it's a grim scene here.

The wind dare not blow, the rain dare not fall, the snow dare not fall.

The elite soldiers who accompanied the prince into the war took over the garrison of all palaces in the Xianyang Palace, naturally including the front hall.

In front of the front hall, the chariot officer Han Ming drew his sword and shouted:

"What does the prince want?"

Crown Prince Qin Zichu, standing opposite Han Ming, was wearing armor and holding a sword.

He wore a double-tailed henandi crown on his head, a double long robe on his body, and square-toed pointed shoes on his feet.

The outer armor is colorful fish scale armor.

The armor plates are small and the armor is short. The edges of the armor are decorated with exquisite patterns, and there are flower knots tied with ribbons on the shoulders and the front and back of the chest.

Accompanied by two armored warriors, he strode towards Han Mingxing.

From the palace, an old voice shouted.

"Han Ming, step back!"

Han Ming was anxious and said:

"Your Majesty! Prince!"

"I told you to leave! My son is here to see me, why are you trying to stop him?"

"……only."

Han Ming took the order and reluctantly stepped aside, his eyes still fixed on the prince, bloodshot.

Two sharp soldiers arrived at the front hall door before the prince and seized the weapons of Han Ming, the commander of the chariot department.

The prince walked into the front hall alone and shouted to the Qin Wangzhu on the high throne:
"Father, I am back."

Qin Wangzhu leaned back in his royal chair, looked at his son, shook his sleeves and leaned forward.

"It's different after the war. Even courtesy is no longer acceptable."

Qin Zichu swung his four-and-a-half-foot-long sword, and the sword light flashed across the beam in the hall.

"I am wearing armor and cannot perform the ceremony. Please forgive me, father."

Qin Wangzhu suddenly started coughing, and hurriedly took out a black handkerchief from his bosom, covered his mouth with it, and said while coughing:

"Go back, ahem, the position of Crown Prince is, ahem, yours, and no one will compete with you for it anymore."

Qin Zichu did not move.

Qin Wangzhu's coughing suddenly stopped.

The old King Qin raised his head, his eyes filled with indifference.

"Why don't you leave? Are you afraid that I will break my promise? Once I say something, there is no reason to take it back."

Qin Zichu still did not move.

The old King Qin threw a black handkerchief at his son who was ten meters away.

The black handkerchief flew four or five meters and fell to the ground with a "slap" sound, and red blood slowly flowed down the handkerchief.

"You already sit on the throne of the crown prince, what else do you want?" The old King of Qin pointed at his son and roared.

The young prince looked at his old and incompetent father and said gently:

"I want to control the Qin army."

…………

[Note 1: There is indeed a person called Chunping Hou in historical records, but his name is not recorded. The name Zhao Yi was made up by the author.]

[Note 2: There were saddles during the Warring States period. Click this comment to see the picture.]

(End of this chapter)