The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 84 All the civil and military officials in the court dare not speak, but I, Ying Chengjiao, dare!

Although he suddenly felt a tearing pain in his body, Ying Chengjiao felt a little relieved.

At the end of the dark red carpet stained with blood, next to the Qin King's coffin.

Looking at the prince's ferocious face, Ying Chengjiao smiled.

The faint smile was the same as the smile on Qin Wangzhu's face in the coffin, as if it was done by the same undertaker.

The slap marks on both sides of his face made him look a little funny.

"Why/so/serious?"

Qin Zichu held his son's wrist tightly, and his pupils swayed left and right.

"What are you talking about? What are you talking about!"

The pain made Ying Chengjiao feel more relaxed, and his smile became even deeper.

"Why so serious? My father."

Qin Zichu was panting like an ox.

The hot breath sprayed on Ying Chengqiu's face, dimming the smile on his face.

"Father.

"In fact, you know exactly what I want to say, don't you?
“Now I want to hear you.

"Why did you kill my grandfather? Aren't you the prince?"

Qin Zichu looked up at the sky, let out a long sigh, and slightly relieved his anger.

He let go.

Ying Chengjiao's arms fell naturally and his heels fell back to the ground.

Qin Zichu was much taller than the second son, and the coffin, which was almost as high as the second son's, only reached his waist.

He didn't need to stand on tiptoe to see the Qin King's Pillar, he was high up and looking down.

He placed his hands on the side of the coffin, clasped his fingers, and looked at the dead Qin Wangzhu, his father, and said softly:
"I have been the crown prince for nearly four months, and regent for four months.

"What did I do wrong as the crown prince?"

Qin Wangzhu lay quietly, unable to answer. His most beloved grandson Ying Chengjiao answered for him:

"No."

"What have I ever coveted as the crown prince?"

"No."

"I am worthy of the position of Crown Prince." Qin Zichu, no longer irritable, took a breath and said with a smile, "your grandfather has been causing trouble for me, saying several times that he would depose me and make me the Lord of Weiyang. Why?"

"As the crown prince of a country, shouldn't you be tested?" Ying Chengjiao said with a smile, "Brother will be the crown prince soon. He will study for six hours every day, rain or shine. Isn't this also a test from father?"

"Test...Okay, I'm testing your brother because he's not good at either literature or martial arts. Why is your grandfather testing me? Is he worried that I won't be able to handle the government well?"

"My eldest father told me that he only slept for three hours a day and handled state affairs very well."

"So you're worried about my character?"

"Shouldn't I be worried?" Ying Chengjiao pointed at his grandfather and asked with a smile, "My father is lying here. Doesn't that prove that there is something wrong with his character?"

"cannot!"

Qin Zichu shouted loudly and tried to make a mark on the coffin with his five fingers.

He took a few quick breaths, and when he was able to speak in a steady and gentle voice, he looked at his second son and said:

"Your great father had twenty-six children.

"The previous king wanted to select a hostage to Zhao, and your grandfather chose me. I begged him to do so but to no avail.

"If it weren't for Lü Buwei, I would have died in Zhao State when the Battle of Changping broke out.

"After returning to Qin, I did not blame anyone or your grandfather.

"I take Madam Huayang as my mother, handle chores for your grandfather, and serve them both.

“Eight years, I have been with your great-father for eight years.

"For eight years, I have served your grandfather and Madam Huayang as always, and my character has not changed.

"For the past eight years, your grandfather has entrusted all his affairs to me. After he appointed me as the regent, he said that I handled state affairs very well.

“Eight years!

"Eight years, isn't that enough to prove that my character won't affect my handling of state affairs? What else does he want to test me on?"

Qin Zichu shouted his last few words at Qin Wangzhu's corpse.

The coffin he was squeaking made a creaking sound, and he vented all the resentment that had been pent up in his heart for years onto his father's corpse.

"I know, you just don't like me! You have looked down on me since you were a child!
"No matter how well I perform, you turn a blind eye to my lowly birth mother. You just can't stand the fact that I'm the crown prince!"

"So what?" Ying Chengjiao's words were very relaxed.

This understatement immediately ignited Qin Zichu's anger. Qin Zichu turned his head and his eyes were red, as if he was going to kill someone in the next second.

Ying Chengjiao tilted his little face up and faced him, his smile as clear as a spring.

“So you led your troops into Xianyang City and surrounded the Xianyang Palace.

“Father, you should know what it means to be here.

“This is forcing the emperor to abdicate.”

He pointed fiercely at Junior Attendant Ying Bai who was standing behind his father.

“You asked this woman to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau and get ten Yangqi Pills!
“You also know what Yangqi Pills are used for and how effective they are.

“You actually know everything!”

The blood color in Qin Zichu's eyes faded.

He seemed to have lost his balance and took a step back, his tall and thin body tilting left and right.

He held on to the coffin tightly, his eyes moving from one place to the other, looking at the red carpet on the ground, then at the candlelight on the wall.

His son's voice was still drilling into his ears.

"Do you think that by killing those beauties and bribing the doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau, you can cover up your crimes?

"Is it covered up?"

Ying Chengjiao swung his painful arm violently, drawing a large arc in front of him, and his roar almost blew off the roof of Jingquan Palace.

“If I can know it, other people will know it too!
"Can you care what they say in front of you? Can you care what they say behind your back? Can you care what they say in their stomach?

"Everyone will say that you killed your father to take the throne! Your kindness and filial piety are all fake! You are just trying to cover up your mistake by giving your grandfather the posthumous title of 'filial piety'! (Note 1)
"Is this what you wanted to see, or did you never expect it at all!"

Qin Zichu retreated with "thumps, thumps" sounds, and his mourning clothes fluttered as if they were about to leave his body.

He took five or six steps back, his body swaying back and forth as if he would fall if the wind blew.

He raised his left forearm to stop the young attendant Ying Bai who was trying to help him, and his voice was hoarse, but it sounded like a plea.

"Stop talking, stop talking..."

"Haha, why shouldn't I say anything?" Ying Chengjiao took a step forward, his jaw moving up and down: "Is father afraid? What is he afraid of? Grandfather? If he's not afraid of his living grandfather, what should he be afraid of when he's dead?"

Qin Zichu twisted his neck, his eyes widened as big as a cow's, staring at his second son with a threatening look.

Just now he just took a quick glance and the civil officials, military generals, relatives by marriage and clan members all fell silent.

Ying Chengjiao took another step forward under his threatening gaze.

"Father, don't be afraid.

"You have to know that you are no longer the prince."

His head hardly moved, but his chin moved it back and forth, and he smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth.

"You are the king, the King of Qin! The greatest king in the world!"

Ying Chengjiao opened his arms on both sides, took another step forward, looked into Qin Zichu's eyes and shouted loudly.

Qin Zichu's breathing was short and rapid, and he took another step back unconsciously.

"Stop! Stop!"

"Is this the first royal order issued by father? I am a prince of Qin State, and I must obey the king's order. Yes." Ying Chengjiao bowed slightly and said, "My king, what is the feeling? Is it what you want?"

Young Master Ying Bai bit his lip and the blood entered his mouth, which tasted a bit fishy and a bit sweet.

"Sir, you..."

"Bitch." Ying Chengjiao turned his head and looked.

The gloomy and murderous gaze awakened the deepest fear in Ying Bai's mind.

This was the look in her eyes the day she killed the eunuch and the moment the eunuch fell into the well.

When she met Master Chengjiao's eyes, she was so shocked that she was speechless for a moment.

It was not until she shifted her gaze and saw that Master Cheng Jiao was very small that she realized he posed no threat to her, and then she returned to normal.

"male"

She had just said one word when she was slapped hard in the face and fell to the ground.

Half of my face was numb, as if it wasn't my own.

The prince pointed at Ying Bai, who was lying on the ground, and roared:

"We are just talking between father and son, you have no right to speak!"

Young Master Cheng Jiao glanced coldly at the Junior Attendant, but when he looked up at the Crown Prince in front of him, his face was already smiling.

"Is the king putting on an act again? Unfortunately, I am not Lu Buwei and will not fall for your tricks. If the king really values ​​me, why not kill this bitch?"

Qin Zichu lowered his head slightly and looked directly at his second son.

The slap knocked Ying Bai down and also brought back his soul.

"Will killing her bring you back? Will it make you the same person you were before?"

"Your Majesty, can you bring my grandfather back to life?" Ying Chengjiao asked with a slanted look in his eyes: "Your Majesty, you want to save me, but you don't want to bear the name of a murderer?"

The seven-year-old pointed at the wall.

"If I were to die in Jingquan Palace today, Your Majesty, you would have accomplished the two great feats of patricide and filicide.

"Are you happy, my king?"

Qin Zichu slowly straightened his back and his chest bulged slightly.

This man who had just destroyed a country, dared to take risks, and regarded himself as a rare commodity, stared at his second son and said coldly:

"Do you know what you can gain by doing this?"

"Of course I know. Death." Ying Chengjiao laughed more and more happily. "It's not the first time. Once is new, twice is familiar. How does the king want to kill me? Beheading, slow slicing, dismemberment, burning... I know all of these. Before I die, I have one more question for the king."

The boy restrained his smile and narrowed his eyes slightly.

“After the king ascended the throne, news spread that he murdered his father and usurped the throne, and killed his son to silence him.

"The court and the people are in turmoil, the various states are attacking, and Qin is about to fall.

“It’s my fault after all.

“Or it’s the Great Father’s fault.

"It's still the king's fault!"

Qin Zichu could no longer contain his anger, he raised his leg and kicked his second son in the stomach.

Ying Chengjiao was kicked onto Qin Wangzhu's coffin, bounced to the ground, lay on the ground, and struggled to get up.

The pain made him feel even happier when he heard that his great-grandfather had passed away. Tears welled up in his eyes, which had never shed tears before, and made him feel even happier.

He felt someone pulling his hand and pulled it back suddenly.

She raised her little face, looked at the prince who was very close to her and stretched out her hand, and smiled.

"When my father was alive, would the king dare to hit me like this?"

Qin Zichu's body froze for a moment, and the hand that was about to pull up his second son was suspended in mid-air.

Ying Chengjiao felt a churning pain in his stomach and a fishy-sweet taste in his mouth.

His arms were shaking, and he wiped them with his sleeves.

A touch of bright red is extremely eye-catching on the white mourning sleeves.

He saw it and continued to laugh.

His arms were shaking and he was trying hard to get up with his legs.

While crawling, laughing, and saying:

"The king said that my father wanted to replace you. Did he do it?
"Your Majesty, do you know that I have told my father several times that it is time to rule the country? He always said that you still need some practice?"

With his hands on the ground and his legs kneeling on the ground, he was breathing heavily, and his lips and teeth were red from smiling.

“Your Majesty.

“I don’t study, and you’re disappointed in me.

"You killed your grandfather. Will your father be disappointed in you?"

Qin Zichu's words seemed to be squeezed out from the crack in his throat, dry and harsh.

"Shut up!"

Ying Chengjiao supported himself on the ground with his hands and shifted his weight backwards. With sweat on his head and blood in his mouth, he slowly squatted down.

He raised his head, his chin was covered with blood, and smiled:

"You will be a good king and lead Qin to further success.

"But even if you unified the world, the Grand Historian Xishi Bingshu would not record that you were the one who passed on the throne to your grandfather and succeeded smoothly."

Ying Chengjiao's legs were trembling as he stood up little by little.

Qin Zichu's bent waist slowly straightened up, as if being pushed up by his second son.

Ying Chengjiao wiped his chin and licked the blood.

"When King Xiaowen of Qin died, the Grand Historian would not write "died of illness" as you wish.

“It was a sudden death, which is doubtful.

"Or, Crown Prince Qin Zichu killed his father and his king!"

Qin Zichu took a deep breath and stood up straight.

He closed his eyes, opened them again and let out a long breath, then shouted:

"Ying Chengyu!"

The young man's legs were shaking and he was unsteady on his feet due to the pain in his stomach, his mouth wide open with blood.

"Your Majesty, please address me as Young Master Cheng Jiao!"

Both of them gasped and stared at each other for a long while.

Jiaojiaojiaojiao~!
In the empty Jingquan Palace, the word "蟜" echoed continuously, and the sound waves rushed towards Qin Zichu from all directions.

Qin Zichu raised a trembling arm, pointed at his second son, lowered his head, and spoke in a heavy voice.

"Cheng Jiao, what on earth do you want to do?!"

Ying Chengjiao looked at the trembling fingertips in front of him and thought of the tip of the rattlesnake's tail.

As soon as he opened his mouth, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.

"What does the king want to do?"

Qin Zichu looked at his second son's hateful eyes, feeling weak all over. He forced himself to stand, his arms hanging down without him realizing it.

Ying Chengjiao leaned on the coffin and took a last look at his grandfather who looked in very good spirits.

When he saw the smile on his grandfather's lips again, he no longer felt so heartbroken.

[My father laughed when he heard me speak up for him and stand up for him.]
The soles of his shoes hit the ground, his legs were shaking, and his body was swaying as if he would fall to the ground at any time. He walked slowly towards the outside of the palace gate.

"If the king doesn't kill me, I will go out and publicize the king's heroic act of patricide and regicide."

"Cheng Jiao!" Qin Zichu shouted at his second son's back and closed his eyes: "Don't force me."

"Forcing you?"

Ying Chengjiao stopped, turned slowly, and watched Qin Zichu open his eyes.

Father and son looked at each other.

Ying Chengjiao did not give in at all. He dragged two legs that seemed not to be his own, endured the severe pain in his abdomen, and walked forward step by step.

“I force you?

"You killed my great-grandfather! The one who doted on me the most and loved me the most and gave me whatever I wanted!

"You just want me to study! Let me practice martial arts!

"Just put your ideas on me! Make me the person you want me to be! The King of Qin!"

It seemed that I shouted too loudly and consumed too much energy.

Ying Chengjiao couldn't stand, so he knelt on one knee and supported himself with his hands.

"You don't care what I think! You don't care whether I want to be the King of Qin or not!
“From childhood to adulthood, except for my mother.

"Only my father would say I don't want to learn, I don't want to learn anything! He would consider my feelings! Let me be myself!
"And you killed my great father!"

Qin Zichu's eyes focused, his focus gathered, and his strength returned to his body.

"The word 'prodigy' is your confidence that I won't kill you for disobeying me?"

"Pooh!"

Ying Chengjiao spat out a mouthful of blood and stood up with difficulty.

"If you hadn't brought my great-grandfather here, would I have been exposed? If it weren't for you, would I have been forced to show that I was a child prodigy?

"I've long been fed up with the word 'child prodigy'!"

After saying this, Ying Chengjiao turned around and walked outside, his body swaying as if he was about to fall.

He didn't see it.

Behind him, Qin Zichu swayed back and forth twice and leaned forward.

Junior Eunuch Ying Bai supported the prince's arm at the right time.

The prince swayed back and forth twice before he managed to stand still.

Ying Bai grabbed the prince's other hand, held both of his hands, and turned around with him.

After the prince turned around, she stood behind him.

The left hand supported the prince's forearm on the near side, and the right hand supported the prince's forearm on the far side.

The prince leaned forward, hunched over, and was about to walk.

Ying Bai loosened his right hand and placed his right forearm under the prince's left forearm to provide a fulcrum for the prince.

He held the prince's left hand with both hands and helped him walk.

The prince took each step extremely slowly and heavily, as if all the strength and weight of his body were concentrated on the one step he took.

He took only two steps and then looked back.

The little figure covered his stomach with his hands and moved his body stubbornly without crying out in pain.

He moved even slower than him, and after taking four or five steps he didn't catch up with him at all, and he never looked back.

In Jingquan Palace, where you can hear a pin drop, the rustling sound of the young man mopping the floor is extremely clear, even a little harsh.

Qin Zichu turned around and continued walking until he came to the coffin of Qin Wangzhu.

He swung his left arm upward and back, shaking off Junior Attendant Ying Bai.

He shook his body, grabbed the edge of the coffin with both hands, and pressed down hard.

With this force, he turned over and leaned against the heavy coffin of Qin Wangzhu.

His back was against the coffin, only a wooden board away from his father.

Looking at the little figure who never said a word, dragging himself along with gritted teeth, and who had been stubborn and paranoid to death since childhood.

This is his youngest son.

One who gave up luxurious palaces, noble status, prominent position, bells and drums, and everything, including his life.

Just to say a few words to his great father.

The matter of Qin Zichu leading elite soldiers to surround the Beigong Xianyang Palace was too big and involved too many people to be kept secret, and he didn't want to hide it.

Everything happened just as he and his retainer Lu Buwei had expected.

None of the civil and military officials in the court expressed any doubt or uttered a word about the cause of death of the king who died in the Xianyang Palace.

They missed only one person, Ying Chengjiao.

Qin Zichu was almost out of breath.

“It has nothing to do with Yaoyao.

“Why didn’t I think of it, he was a child prodigy since he was young.

“Although he is too impulsive and cannot be a king, he is very similar to me and is my son Qin Zichu!
“Those who can accomplish great things must have perseverance.

"He has always been persistent, but it's different from what I thought..."

Qin Zichu was a hostage and was determined to become king despite the disapproval of many people. This was extremely paranoid.

That time, Zi Ying Chengjiao was a child prodigy from the Qin State. Despite the support of almost everyone, he just refused to study and was unwilling to be king. Isn't that paranoid?
His son made different choices from him, but neither of them grew up to be what others imagined them to be. They just became themselves.

Qin Zichu, who had figured it out, gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling, and his head drooping slightly.

He held the coffin with one hand, closed his mouth, wrinkled his nose, gritted his teeth, and leaned forward.

He stretched out his hand and spread out his five fingers towards the little figure who refused to look back and moved with difficulty.

He opened his mouth, wanting to call his second son, wanting to call out Cheng Jiao.

The moment he opened his mouth, all the strength he had accumulated with great difficulty leaked out of his mouth, and he was about to sit on the ground, brushing against the coffin.

The Junior Attendant hurried forward, put his shoulders under the crown prince's armpits, and lifted him up.

The prince looked at the back of his second son, raised his arm and pointed tremblingly.

He raised his chin with great effort and whispered weakly into Ying Bai's ear:
"Capture him, go down to Xianyang Prison, underground, third floor."

Ying Bai nodded with tears in his eyes.

"only."

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

Crown Prince Qin Zichu issued a royal decree:

[The palace of Cheng Jiao was sealed, and Ying Cheng Jiao was imprisoned in Xianyang. ]

【No one is allowed to visit without permission. 】

Ganquan Palace.

Qin Zichu got off the carriage, and the seat was still the same four-horse carriage that was luxurious on the outside but simple on the inside.

After the eunuch passed the message, he stepped into the front room of Ganquan Palace.

When he met Queen Huayang, he bowed to her first, just like he did before going to war, with meticulous etiquette.

"My son, I pay my respects to my mother."

Queen Huayang sat on the chair and said "hmm".

"Why did the Crown Prince come to my Ganquan Palace when he was not accompanying the King in Jingquan Palace? Do you want to cry with me?"

Qin Zichu sat on the chair opposite the queen without the queen's nod.

This action caused the queen to look at him again, but she didn't say much.

If there is no change after the war and the palace is forced, then the war was fought in vain? Wasn't the palace forced in vain?

The eunuchs, who were used to the prince's respectful attitude towards the queen, behaved even worse, with a bit of flattery on their faces.

The prince returned with a great victory after destroying a country, and also heard the three words "Jingquan Palace", which meant that the king had passed away.

The prince is the King of Qin, who dares not to be respectful?
The prince glanced at the teapot, and immediately a sharp-eyed palace maid poured water and tea for him.

The prince nodded in satisfaction, took a sip from the teacup, and said:
“Today is December 23rd.

"My mother wants me to observe mourning until the first day of October next year. It is absolutely impossible for me to take on all the responsibilities during these ten months."

Mi Bu Ming had a cold face and sneered.

"In that case, then you can go to Jingquan Palace to ascend the throne. Anyway, it doesn't matter to you whether I, the queen, go or not."

Qin Zichu shook his head and said sincerely:

"My mother wanted to sideline me, but I never thought of sidelining her.

"We have been handling state affairs together for the past three months, haven't we gotten along very well? I really need your guidance.

"How about I be the king and my mother be the queen mother and continue to assist in the administration?"

Mi Buming's eyes turned strange, but he said nothing. He picked up the half-empty teacup in front of him and tried to cover it up by drinking the tea.

Qin Zichu was confident.

If there is no objection, it means the matter has been settled.

Neither of them wants to fall out, and both sides will suffer losses. This is the only outcome.

as predicted.

Mi Buming put down the teacup, his expression softened, and began to discuss the details with Qin Zichu.

As the two were talking, Mi Huang, who was wearing a bright red Chu dress and looked like an elf, ran in and snuggled into Mi Buming's arms.

With her little hands covering her mouth, she whispered something in Mi Buming's ear, her big eyes staring at Qin Zichu all the time.

Qin Zichu had a bad feeling.

The little girl spoke in a very low voice, but he seemed to have heard the words "Cheng Jiao" sporadically...

[Impossible, Mi Buming would never stand up for this brat!]
[This bastard put Mi Buming on the same level as a dog, and beat Mi Buming's only brother Huayang Bufei until his head was bleeding.]
[The king has passed away, how could Mi Buming offend me for this boy? I am overthinking.]
A moment later, Crown Prince Qin Zichu was driven out of Ganquan Palace.

Before the gate of Ganquan Palace was closed, the voice of Queen Huayang Mi Bushing was heard from inside.

Loud, crisp, and firm.

"Don't release Cheng Jiao! Don't mention anything else! Don't talk about anything!"

　【Note 1: Covering one's ears and stealing a bell comes from Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals. This fable tells about the Spring and Autumn Period. Lü Buwei did not compile Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals alone, but I collected stories and compiled them with my three thousand disciples. It is very likely that the story of covering one's ears and stealing a bell existed before Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, so the appearance of this idiom here is not a mistake by the author.】

　　
　
(End of this chapter)