The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 98: Brother Chang'an, the prince, sees Huayang alone to take over the Chu clan

Sitting on the small chair on the high platform, Ying Zheng, who had seen his younger brother for the first time in several days, was relieved and happy to see that Ying Chengjiao was fine.

After hearing what his father said, he turned around in surprise, wondering if he had heard it wrong.

He unconsciously recalled his first class in the Guanzheng Qinxue Hall, where the teacher, Taishi Ling Xishi Bingshu, taught them brothers - there are ten suns in the sky and ten kinds of people.

Days are recorded using the ten heavenly stems, and people are divided into ten levels.

The Zhou Dynasty stipulated that people were divided into ten levels, from the highest to the lowest: king, princes, ministers, scholars, servants, charioteers, slaves, officials, servants, and officials.

The king is the Zhou emperor.

The people appointed by the Zhou emperor were the princes, who were divided into five levels: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. Only the Zhou emperor had the right to appoint princes.

The princes had the right to grant fiefs, and if they continued to grant fiefs, they would become ministers, and the highest rank among ministers was the king.

Before Shang Yang's reforms and the complete collapse of the Zhou Dynasty, the highest title that the Qin monarch, as a vassal, could be granted was the title of monarch.

Ying Zheng remembered it very clearly. His teacher Xishi Bingshu said that although Qin was called a king and Shang Yang reformed the country to rank twenty ranks of military honors, with the twentieth rank being the highest, Chehou, but the old feudal system was not abolished.

Shang Yang was named Shang Jun and Fan Ju was named Ying Hou, both of which were the highest titles a minister could obtain.

Shang Jun represented the old system, while Ying Hou represented the new system.

The kings of Qin were equivalent to marquises, and most of them had made great contributions to Qin.

For example, Shang Yang, who carried out reforms to strengthen Qin, laid the foundation for Qin's hegemony, and was named Shang Jun.

Like Bai Qi, he was invincible in every attack and battle, which frightened other nations. He expanded the territory of Qin, achieved hegemony of the Qin State, and was named Wu'an Jun.

His younger brother Ying Chengjiao obviously did not meet this requirement.

That's a good fortune.

Like Weiyang Lord Qin Qi and Jingyang Lord Mi Chen, he was favored by those in power and was made a king as an exception.

[It should be considered a good thing that Cheng Jiao is the king...]
[But if this precedent is set, it will be disadvantageous to the Qin State...]
Ying Zheng thought.

As an older brother, he was truly happy for his younger brother.

But from the perspective of the Qin State, a seven-year-old child was conferred the highest title of monarch. The knowledge he learned told him that this might reduce the credibility of Qin's titles, cause an overflow of titles in Qin, and be laughed at by other countries.

Everyone in the country knew that his eldest father, King Xiaowen, doted on his younger brother, but he never gave him a title of lord.

Ying Zheng turned his head to look at the faces of his ministers, waiting for their rebuttal.

Many of his ministers were his teachers, and all the knowledge he knew was taught by his teachers. These people understood the dangers of having a seven-year-old child as a king better than he, a nine-year-old child.

A man stood up, Ying Zheng had a complicated expression.

This person was once the person he hated the most, but now he is his teacher, the new prime minister of Qin State, Lu Buwei.

Lu Buwei wore a golden seal around his waist and a purple ribbon on his black official uniform, highlighting his noble status as second only to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I, Lü Buwei, would like to ask, is this Chang'an the Chang'an of Chang'an County?"

This sentence reminded all the ministers and Ying Zheng, and they focused more attention on Prince Chu of Qin.

There are two kinds of royal titles - real titles and nominal titles.

A real title means having a fiefdom and having absolute autonomy over the fiefdom. Shang Yang's Shang Jun was a real title.

King Huiwen of Qin issued a nationwide warrant for the arrest of Shang Yang, but Shang Yang fled back to his fiefdom of Shangdi. Not only was he not caught, he was also able to mobilize the Shangdi troops to attack Zhengyi of Qin (now Hua County, Shaanxi Province).

The real fiefdom is a country within a country, and the real title of nobility is the name of the fiefdom.

An empty title means having no fiefdom. Bai Qi's Wu'an Jun was an empty title.

Most honorary titles sound better than real titles, because they are not based on fiefdoms but on achievements. They symbolize honor. The two words "Wu'an" mean to rule the world with military force and to ensure the security of the country with prestige.

Whether the title of Chang'an Jun is a real title or a nominal title represents the king's attitude.

Shi Jue, then this question is probably just a formality, no one should cause trouble, didn’t you see that the king has even chosen his fiefdom?

An empty title, maybe that was just a whim of His Majesty, no one should spoil His Majesty’s mood.

It's just an empty title without any fiefdom, so I'll just play with the king's children.

Don't want to coax him? Don't want to coax him to be beaten with 5,000 canes in the court, and accompany Li Li who just died yesterday on his way to the underworld.

Ying Zheng didn't know what his ministers were thinking. He focused his attention on his father. He felt that a real title was more inappropriate than an empty title. This was a land division.

He did not notice that the ministers who died without wanting to try it or not, focused their attention not only on Prince Chu of Qin, but also on him, the eldest son.

The new king ascended the throne without appointing a crown prince.

Chang'an Jun was given a real title, which should be to build momentum for establishing Prince Chengjiao as the crown prince. It was obviously not as good for the king to propose such a thing himself as for the ministers to advise him.

The title of Lord Chang'an was a nominal one, which meant following the ancestral system of establishing the eldest son as the crown prince, making the eldest son, Prince Zheng, the crown prince, and giving compensation to Prince Chengjiao.

For an official, most of the time, knowing the intention of the superior is more important than having talent.

There was no change on Qin Wang Zichu's gentle face, he said cheerfully:
"It's Chang'an in Chang'an County."

The ministers remained silent, but an invisible storm swept the entire palace.

You looked at me, I looked at you, and we all felt we understood the king's intention, which was to suggest that they advise Prince Chengjiao to be made the crown prince.

When he looked at the eldest son who was still sitting on the high platform, his eyes were unconsciously filled with pity, pity, mockery, and pleasure.

Ying Zheng felt something immediately.

I felt like a thorn in my back and was extremely uncomfortable, but I didn't know where this feeling came from.

Prince Chu of Qin looked at the ministers with a smile, and when he noticed that the Chief Justice had left his chair and was about to stand up.

The expression on his face remained unchanged, but the smile in his heart grew stronger.

When Zhao Di stood up, he was definitely not opposing his enthronement as a lord, but rather he was respectfully asking him to make his second son the crown prince.

Everything was as he expected.

He opened his mouth and said before Zhao Di stood up halfway:

“But it’s not just Chang’an in Chang’an County.

"Chang'an, long-term peace and stability."

He looked at his second son, put on a serious face, and called softly:
"Xiao'er."

Ying Chengjiao bowed his hands in a formal manner, lowered his head, and said solemnly:
"My son is here."

His movements were almost identical to those of the other ministers in the palace when they were answering the emperor's questions, except that due to his young age, he looked a little funny and cute.

Prince Chu of Qin leaned on his knees, stood up, and put his hands behind his back.

"You are the Lord of Chang'an. You should ensure long-term peace and stability in our Great Qin."

"Yes." The seven-year-old boy responded.

The Chief Justice Zheng Zhaodi, whose butt had left the chair, patted his butt naturally, as if there was a lot of dust on it, and sat back without changing his expression.

Some Qin officials who wanted to stand up but were hesitant and lagged behind Zhao were originally regretting the loss of the opportunity to support the dragon, but now they are filled with gratitude.

It’s not about the little details of face, but the big details of destiny.

They thought that the king's mind was difficult to guess and his scheming was extremely deep, so they had to be extremely careful about taking sides based on conjecture before speaking frankly like he did at the court meeting yesterday.

The combination of real title and honorary title has both substance and honor. It seems that the emperor prefers Prince Chengjiao to be the crown prince.

But if the king really wanted to do so, he could have said it all at once just now. Why did he have to wait until the Chief Justice was about to express his opinion?
This is a variable, and variable means change.

Even if it seems that 95% of it is paving the way for Master Chengjiao, as long as there is that 50% that is not the case, then we cannot express our opinion.

Before confirming the king's intention, the worst result of not expressing one's opinion is to maintain the status quo and lose merit. Expressing one's opinion may lead to rapid rise to the top, but it may also lead to falling into the abyss.

When you are in a high position, you would rather do nothing than make mistakes.

If you make a wrong move, you will fail, and all the efforts of the first half of your life will be wasted in an instant.

Gambling is something that people of lower status do.

If you succeed, you will be one step closer to the upper position; if you fail, you will die, 99% of the time.

The uncomfortable feeling in Ying Zheng's heart disappeared, and he felt as relaxed as when he left the princes of Zhao State as a child and stepped out of the mansion.

The eldest son had no idea what had happened, he only knew that his younger brother's title of Chang'an Jun was a real and honorary title, which was both substantial and honorary.

While being happy for his brother, he was also a little worried about the Qin State.

Lu Buwei bowed to Prince Chengjiao.

"Lü Buwei congratulates the Lord of Chang'an, the Great Qin."

Ying Chengjiao first dodged sideways, then bowed in return, bending halfway.

"If a disciple's knowledge is not even a fraction of what his teacher has learned, I would be ashamed to be his master."

Zhao Di, who had just sat down, stood up and also bowed to Prince Cheng Jiao, then followed Prime Minister Lu Buwei and said:
"Zhao Di congratulates the Lord of Chang'an, the Great Qin."

Ying Chengjiao turned around, bowed to Zhao Di, and stood straight.

"Thank you, Lord Tingwei Zheng."

Soon after, more and more people stood up in the court, accounting for 10% of the total number of people in the court. They all smiled and congratulated Master Chengjiao.

Young Master Cheng Jiao, who was like a little adult, returned gifts to everyone.

After these ten or so people had congratulated, no one stood up for three or four breaths. Ying Chengjiao knew that currently only these ten or so people were interested in joining their teacher, Lu Buwei.

He was given the title of lord, and his father used it to train his ministers, and his teachers used it to select their staff.

[It’s really bloody…]
He shook his head and sighed inwardly, but had no choice but to throw himself into the intrigues, deceptions and power struggles that he despised.

From the moment he spoke eloquently in front of Prince Chu of Qin and rescued Bai Qi from the Xianyang prison, he entered the chess game of the world and lost the qualifications to stay aloof from the world.

Don't be a trendsetters.

It will be washed down by the tide and become a wave under the feet of the tide-rider.

"Cheng Jiao." An old female voice suddenly sounded, from above to below.

There was only one woman in the Qin court, the Queen Mother Huayang, who was silent.

Ying Chengjiao had a complicated expression and for a moment he didn't know how to face Queen Dowager Huayang.

He could never have imagined that the Queen Mother Huayang, whom he had always regarded as an enemy, would become unhappy with her father, who was destined to be king, because of him.

"Yes." He bowed and replied.

He lowered his head and hid his expression.

I only heard Queen Mother Huayang say leisurely:

"I congratulate you, too."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

The Chief Justice Huayang Bufei stood up and congratulated him with a smile, and Prince Chengjiao returned the greeting and thanked him.

Lord Yangquan, who was also a nobleman, and his official servant Mi Chen stood up and congratulated him with a smile, and Prince Cheng Jiao returned the greeting and expressed his gratitude.

There was another wave of congratulations, and this time those who stood up accounted for 40% of the court.

Lu Buwei, who had just become the prime minister yesterday, had a round smiling face, like a mercenary businessman, but his heart was full of gloom.

[The Lord has succeeded to the throne, and there are still many followers of the Queen Mother Huayang, so they should be cleared out.]
Prince Chu of Qin was standing on the high platform, watching the farce that he had caused.

He watched his second son accept congratulations from half of the court, and watched the four veteran generals with outstanding achievements remain motionless, sitting as steady as a rock.

After the officials from Empress Dowager Huayang's lineage finished congratulating his second son, he waited for a moment and placed his hand on his eldest son.

He glanced at the ministers with his gentle eyes and smiled softly:
"My eldest son, Ying Zheng, is studious, inquisitive, and intelligent.

"I think that I can be the crown prince. Do you think so?"

With a "clatter", all the ministers stood up. The seats were empty, and it was a sea of ​​black. They all bowed with their hands raised.

The Prime Minister, Lu Buwei, who was the head of the civil officials, spoke first as usual and raised his voice.

"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and I pay my respects to the Crown Prince!"

All the civil and military officials followed suit and said:

"Your Majesty is wise and I pay my respects to the Crown Prince."

The sound was so loud that it shook the central palace.

The smile on Prince Chu of Qin's face became noticeably deeper, and he did it on purpose for his ministers to see.

He wanted to let his ministers know what expression he would have and give feedback after they guessed Qin Zichu's intentions.

It will be easier to control your ministers if you help them develop habits.

This was the art of controlling subordinates that he learned from Shen Zi, a book written by Shen Buhai, with the help of his wife Ji Yaoyao.

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

Central Palace Complex, Xin Palace, and Front Palace.

King Zichu of Qin, in the hope of ensuring long-term peace and stability, appointed his second son Ying Chengjiao as Lord of Chang'an and granted him the fief of Chang'an County.

The eldest son Ying Zheng was named Crown Prince.

None of the ministers resisted, and they all shouted in praise of the king's wisdom.

The Qin prince Chu sent Chang'an Jun as an envoy to the State of Zhao, ordering him to bring back the prime minister Li Chong, and Chang'an Jun would lead him.

The central royal palace, Chengjiao Palace, was renamed the Eastern Palace, which means the rising sun.

In the Eastern Palace, Li Yigong was still the sleeping palace of the second son Ying Chengjiao.

The Huaqing Palace next to the Huaqing Pool was renamed the Chu Palace, meaning the crown prince, and was the sleeping palace for the eldest son Ying Zheng.

In just a few days, the situation changed dramatically.

Li Yigong.

After the court session, Ying Chengjiao pushed open the palace gate and saw his mother, Ji Yaoyao, who was in tears and looked haggard even after applying powder.

Ji Yaoyao hugged him in her arms, and his originally cold heart gradually softened.

He raised his little hand and patted his mother's shoulder.

"Mom, don't cry, I'm fine."

Ji Yaoyao's eyes were filled with tears, and she kept muttering:

"sorry Sorry sorry……"

On the day King Xiaowen died, she promised her children that she would wait in Li Yi Palace, but she did not wait. Instead, she went to find Meng Ao, Mi Buming, Xia Ji, Ji Yaotiao... and many other people.

Her child was imprisoned in Xianyang. She looked for so many people but still couldn't rescue her child.

Ying Chengjiao wiped his mother's tears again and again, complaining deliberately:

"Mom, you are already a grown-up, not a child anymore. Can you please stop crying and need me to comfort you?"

Ji Yaoyao's narrow and long phoenix eyes turned into eye bags from crying.

"But my Jiao'er is only seven years old, still a child. Mother wants to coax my Jiao'er and make my Jiao'er happy. But mother can't do it now. Mother can't protect you anymore."

"Don't cry, mother. It's my turn to protect you." Ying Chengjiao hugged his mother's neck: "I am seven years old, not a six-year-old child. I am strong now."

Ganquan Palace.

Queen Huayang sat in the front hall with her eyes closed, waiting for Ji Yaoyao to come with her son.

She was sure that with Ji Yaoyao's intelligence, she would definitely come today.

The elf-like Mi Huang blinked her big watery eyes beside him, showing curiosity, expectation, worry...even she herself was unsure of her feelings.

She wanted to see the youngest feudal lord in the history of Qin State, but was also resisting marrying him in the future.

A girl's feelings are always poetic, and once they are touched by love, the style changes.

Boudoir resentment, romance, lyricism... no matter how talented a poet is, he cannot write about them.

The sound of horse hooves was heard outside the palace. Queen Dowager Huayang opened her eyes, and her eyes, which had experienced the vicissitudes of life, suddenly shone with brilliance.

This might be the last thing she does in her life.

Her name was Mi Bushing, so she was not qualified to use the surname Huayang.

But blood is thicker than water, and she must find a way for the Mi family, the Huayang clan, and her relatives to survive after her death.

Just like her eldest aunt, Queen Dowager Xuan.

After his death, the Mi clan was still alive, and the Huayang clan was left behind.

Queen Dowager Huayang stood up and walked into the back room. She couldn't let Ji Yaoyao know that she had been waiting, so she had to act as usual.

It was Ji Yaoyao who came to beg her, not her who begged Ji Yaoyao.

After closing the door to the back room, Mi Buming sat on the bed, his thoughts returning to the past.

Since they were young, her father always told her and her brother Huayang Bufei a story about a bird.

"On the mountains of our Chu State, there lives a huge bird, covered in colorful clothes, and looks majestic.

“It stopped for three years, without flying or calling.

"Three years later, the big bird finally moved, flew straight into the ninth heaven and disappeared. It also finally cried, and the cry echoed throughout the whole Chu State, and everyone heard its cry.

"Everyone says that if this bird doesn't fly, it will soar into the sky. If it doesn't sing, it will be amazing when it does."

Queen Huayang touched her face with her hand. The rough touch and deep lines told her that her youth was long gone. "Father.

"You had children in your old age, including me and my brother.

“You named my brother “No-Fly” and you named me “No-Ming”. You always remind yourself to endure humiliation and not be impulsive, and wait for the right time.

“You dare not speak when your aunt dies.

"Marquis Rang is dead, you dare not say it.

"You have always been very careful, but on your way back to Huayang, you were still sentenced to death by King Zhaoxiang of Qin for breaking Wuhui's sword.

“I’ve lived my life like you, cautiously.

"Even though he controls most of the court, he still dares not speak out and is still waiting for an opportunity."

Mi Bushing found a bronze mirror and looked at himself in the mirror.

“I’ve been waiting, and I’ve grown old.

"The king died suddenly, just as strangely as you, my father.

"I just realized that what my brother said was not entirely wrong. If you don't fight or compete, you will never wait for the right opportunity, and you will only wait for a sudden death.

"I am a member of the Mi clan and Huayang clan. I am not a target for Qin clan's chopping block!
"I want to be inseparable from him, the Qin family. If he makes a move, he will cut my own flesh!

“For the former king, I have offended the present king.

“I have been favored by the four veteran generals Ao, Wang He, Biao Gong, and Wang Ling.

"At the age of seven, he was made Lord of Chang'an.

"You and your aunt both bet on the King of Qin, but I won't bet on this child who is not the Crown Prince.

"The King of Qin is destined to be mean and ungrateful. If he is not like this, he will not be able to accomplish great things. How can he care about us?
"What we need is a man of loyalty and righteousness who will not abandon the royal position of my Mi family, Huayang clan, in times of crisis.

"If that bird doesn't sing for three years, everyone in Chu will know.

"I have not cried for thirty years. When I cry at the end of my life, I want the three names Ying Chengjiao to spread throughout the world. Is that difficult?"

She asked herself in the mirror.

There was a knock on the door, and the little girl Mi Huang came to call her. The voice of "Grandma, Grandma" was as sweet as the singing of birds.

Mi Bu Ming slammed the mirror, making a slight "dong" sound.

"It's not difficult."

The door opened slightly, and the back room was empty.

When she walked out of the back room, Mi Buming saw only a child who was only as tall as her waist.

She couldn't help but frown, feeling very unhappy. What did it mean that Ji Yaoyao didn't come in person?
"Where is your mother?" Queen Dowager Huayang asked impolitely.

"Not yet." Ying Chengjiao answered respectfully: "My mother wanted to come and visit the Queen Mother in person, but I didn't let her come. I told my mother that I would visit alone this time and she would come later."

Queen Mother Huayang listened patiently and waved her right hand quickly.

"I have nothing to say to you, boy. Let your mother bring you here. If she doesn't come, then you don't have to come again."

After saying this, Queen Dowager Huayang, who was obviously angry, turned around and went back to the back room.

Isn't this just a waste of time? What's the point of talking to a child? Will he understand?

"Does the Queen Mother value me more or my mother more?" A crisp child's voice came from behind.

The Queen Mother Huayang turned around with tears and laughter.

"What are you talking about, boy?"

Benjun is a noble self-proclaimed title.

An adult man with a dignified demeanor, luxurious clothes and a group of servants surrounding him when he travels said that even if one is humble, one will still feel a huge sense of oppression.

But when told by a seven-year-old child, Queen Dowager Huayang just found it funny.

Changan Jun did not laugh, and said seriously:

“Although my mother is a Korean princess, I don’t think this identity will catch the Queen Mother’s eye.

"The existence of Korea is the result of the checks and balances among the four states of Qin, Zhao, Wei and Chu.

"For a country that cannot even decide its own survival, I'm afraid even the King of Han wouldn't value it."

The Queen Mother Huayang narrowed her eyes slightly, began to find it interesting, and lowered her heel.

Just listen to the little kid talking in front of you.

“The Qin State was established for more than 500 years, and I am the youngest feudal lord.

“The title of a lord has its meaning, and there is also a lord with a fiefdom, and there is only one lord like me.

"I think when the Queen Mother valued me, she never thought that I could become the Lord of Chang'an at the age of seven, right?"

Mi Huang pouted, thinking that Master Jiao was not humble at all and was not ashamed to praise himself. She even blushed when her great-aunt praised her.

Queen Mother Huayang moved to sit on the chair and sneered:
"Did Ji Yaoyao teach you this? Your mother is as straightforward as ever, laying everything out in the open."

Ying Chengjiao shook his head, sighed, and said helplessly:

“I am very grateful to the Queen Mother for her help in confronting my father when I was imprisoned.

“But the Queen Mother doesn’t really think that it was the Queen Mother who rescued me, right?
"If the Queen Mother has not thought about this, then has she ever thought about how I got out of Xianyang Prison?"

This question hit the nail on the head. Ever since the first time Queen Dowager Huayang saw Ying Chengjiao in the court, she had been wondering who had such great power.

It can make his son, who has just become the King of Qin and is at a critical juncture in establishing his authority, go back on his word.

When she heard that Ying Chengjiao was conferred the title of lord, she began to pay even more attention to the people and forces behind Ying Chengjiao.

So she congratulated Ying Chengjiao on his title of lord in the court, and when she saw Ying Chengjiao coming alone to Ganquan Palace, she did not drive him away directly.

"Who helped you? These four people: Bie Gong, Meng Ao, Wang He, and Wang Ling?" Queen Dowager Huayang asked directly.

There's no need to beat around the bush with a seven-year-old.

After Wei Zhe fell, all Qin's civil officials, except for Mi Buming, were controlled by the Qin King Prince Chu.

After much thought, only the power of military generals can do this.

Ying Chengjiao pointed at his childish face.

"It's me myself."

Before Empress Dowager Huayang could laugh, the young Lord Chang'an pointed at the door of the back room and said:
"Could you please excuse me for a moment, Your Majesty?"

Being alone in a room with a man puts you in danger of being assassinated.

But what if this man was only seven years old?

"I want to hear what you, the Lord, have to say!"

An old man and a young man, a woman and a man entered the back room.

Mi Huang, who wanted to follow in without any awareness, was locked outside the door by Ying Chengqi, and she knocked on the door with a pout.

"Grandma, open the door! Mi Huang wants to listen too! Open the door, open the door!"

In the back room, Ying Chengjiao leaned against the door and with just one sentence, he made Queen Dowager Huayang, who wanted to open the door for her granddaughter, give up any other thoughts.

"The Queen Mother is worried that my father will carry out a major purge of the Chu family, just like my great-grandfather did."

Queen Mother Huayang listened to her granddaughter knocking on the door and said in a deep voice:
"…Who taught you this?"

"It doesn't matter who taught me. What matters is what he taught me. For example, when the king ordered me to go to Zhao to bring back Li Chong, he was telling the queen mother that he would not take action, and that the queen mother would only behave herself."

"Oh, how do I know this isn't a delaying tactic? Do you want to take advantage of my laxity and deliver a fatal blow? Wasn't your grandfather's death just as sudden?"

"The Queen Mother doesn't trust the King, so how can she trust me?" Ying Chengjiao pointed to the top of his head and said, "God knows, the Chu clan will not betray Qin, and I, Ying Chengjiao, will not betray the Chu clan."

Queen Dowager Huayang's expression changed.

[This guy swears to heaven!]
The old woman slowly sat back on the couch, feeling a little melancholy.

The promise she wanted most was obtained so easily, and she hadn't even said a word yet.

The Queen Mother Huayang, who was used to intrigues and power exchanges, patted her side.

"Come and sit."

Ying Chengjiao was a little hesitant as he had never been so close to the Queen Mother Huayang.

Queen Dowager Huayang waited for a moment, and seeing that Ying Chengjiao did not move, she smiled.

"how?

"Like your late great-grandfather, do you despise my age and lack of looks?
"Or do you still put me on the same level as a dog? Do you think it's embarrassing for you, the Lord of Chang'an, to sit with me, the Queen Mother?"

"I dare not." Ying Chengjiao replied quickly.

He walked over and sat next to Queen Mother Huayang.

The bed was very hard, much harder than the bed he slept on, and it was not comfortable at all to sit on.

[Do older people prefer to sleep on a harder bed?]
He thought about it and moved his butt.

A brocade quilt suddenly appeared in front of me.

Queen Dowager Huayang asked him to stand up first, put down the quilt and then let him sit on it. This time he felt much more comfortable.

"Tell me the truth, who rescued you?" The old woman looked kind.

"I, Ying Chengjiao, swear to heaven that I will rescue myself from prison!" Ying Chengjiao, who found that swearing was particularly useful, made a great move.

Queen Mother Huayang frowned, and finally began to think from the bottom of her heart about the possibility of the little kid saving himself.

"How do you save yourself?"

"I analyzed the situation of various countries for my father, and he thought it made a lot of sense, so he let me go. I am a child prodigy and I know a lot. If the Queen Mother doesn't believe me, she can test me."

“How many stars are there in the sky?”

"…The Queen Mother is asking about the affairs of the human world."

“How much grain is there on earth?”

"... Queen Mother, can you ask some normal questions? For example, about the future development of Qin and the fate of Chu."

"These are all the words that the person behind you told you in advance. I won't ask any more questions."

Ying Chengjiao gave Queen Dowager Huayang a thumbs up with admiration.

"Queen, really, you are invincible."

The boy's face was somewhat red and warm.

The Queen Mother Huayang had an expression that said, "You little jerk, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten millet."

"How else do you want to prove yourself?"

"I will stay here with the Queen Mother and will not leave until she is convinced. Then she can ask all the questions in her mind."

"…What do you mean? Didn't I tell you that someone told you this in advance?"

"Even if someone told me in advance, how much can a seven-year-old child remember? Your Majesty, if you ask a few more questions for three days and three nights, wouldn't you know my ability?"

Queen Dowager Huayang thought about it for a moment and felt that it made sense. A seven-year-old child really could not remember many things.

She told her eight-year-old granddaughter Mi Huang about pigs eating human feces. The greedy girl cried that day, but happily ate pig meat the next day.

Queen Dowager Huayang, surprised at Ying Chengjiao's quick reaction, glanced at the child.

"You are quite confident."

Ying Chengjiao sighed inwardly.

[If I don't show more confidence, how can I convince you? If it weren't for you saving me, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with the Chu faction.]
With a proud look on his face, he said:
"If a child prodigy is not confident, can he still be called a child prodigy?"

Queen Mother Huayang pointed a finger at the young man's brow.

“Too much self-confidence is arrogance.

"Confucius traveled around the countries and met a seven-year-old boy on the road. His name was Xiang Tuo. The two agreed that whoever could not answer the other's questions would become the other's teacher.

"The question Confucius asked is the same question I just asked you, how many stars are there in the sky, how many grains are there on the earth. Xiang Tuo said that the sky is too high to be measured, the earth is too wide to be measured, there are stars in a day and a night, and there is a crop of grain in a year.

"He can answer it, but you can't. This shows that you are still far inferior to Xiang Tuo."

Ying Chengyu shook his head.

"I have always been pragmatic and have never been interested in such boring questions."

The Queen Mother Huayang, who had placed all her hopes on the child in front of her, sighed.

"Do you know what happened to Xiang Tuo in the end?

"When Xiang Tuo was twelve years old, he was already famous. The King of Qi sent soldiers to find Xiang Tuo, wanting him to serve the State of Qi.

"Xiang Tuo said that he was a citizen of Ju State and would never work for Qi State.

“He was not as arrogant as you, so the King of Qi sent someone to secretly assassinate him before he could grow up.

"Many child prodigies never grow up and are rarely known as geniuses. Do you want to be like this too?"

Ying Chengjiao rolled up his sleeves, revealing his small arms, and bent his arms to show his pitifully small muscles.

"I am already strong. How can a grown-up genius compare to me? Which genius can be crowned a lord at the age of seven?
"Genius is just the threshold to meeting me."

Queen Mother Huayang: "..."

She began to doubt whether she had trusted the wrong person. A child prodigy can only prove superior intelligence, not character.

There are many smart people in a country, and who is not one of them in the court?

Although the kid in front of him is loyal and righteous, he is so arrogant that Mi Bushing always feels that the Huayang clan and the Mi clan will be betrayed by him.

An hour later, lunch was delivered to the back room.

Three hours later, dinner was delivered to the back room.

After another hour and a half, Chang'an Jun walked out of Ganquan Palace.

The Queen Mother Huayang personally sent her to the carriage, and the first thing she did after returning to Ganquan Palace was to find her granddaughter Mi Huang.

"Xiao Huang, next time this boy comes, you should run out and call him husband directly. The more people who hear it, the better. You should first establish your status as husband."

This is a trick that Queen Dowager Huayang learned from Ji Yaotiao.

"Ah?" The eight-year-old girl opened her mouth cutely: "Grandma, my reputation..."

Queen Mother Huayang's face turned stern.

"What is reputation? That is what the Central Plains values.

"You and your great-aunt are both Chu people. We Chu people are barbarians and do not care about reputation or not."

Mi Huang hung her face and said "oh" lazily.

Empress Dowager Huayang was so angry that she hit her head hard and said unhappily:

"You stupid girl, if you're still unwilling, it's not certain whether he will like you!"

[This guy is not arrogant, he is just stating the facts...]
Late at night, Mi Buming lay on the bed, thinking about the promise Ying Chengjiao made to her, and closed her eyes with peace of mind.

Tomorrow she will go to her brother Huayang Bufei and the younger generation Mi Chen to discuss the follow-up matters, and then everything will be settled.

When the mind calms down, some people, things and events that have been suppressed for a long time suddenly come to the fore.

An old man with thinning hair who had not slept in the same bed with her for more than ten years appeared in her mind.

King Xiaowen of Qin, Qin Zhu.

The heartless king who despised her for her old age and ugly appearance lay in the coffin without leaving a single word for her, but he only saved her life.

The unspeakable sorrow gushed out like a well.

She covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, wetting the pillowcase.

The late king gave her everything except not sleeping with her for the past ten years.

Power, fame, money...

Give what you want, and if you don’t want it, give it to them proactively.

Two days later, a convoy of 500 people set off outside Xianyang.

In the four-horse carriage in the center of the convoy, there was another person besides Ying Chengjiao.

The former prime minister of Qin State was Wei Zhe.

The young Chang'an Jun, who was on a diplomatic mission to Zhao on behalf of Qin, apologized to Wei Zhe, who looked very good:

"Duke Wei, you..."

Wei Zhe raised his hand to interrupt and said with a smile:
"Don't use the word Wei anymore. Let it go with the position of prime minister.

"I gave myself a surname, what do you think of Huangshi, Lord Chang'an?"

"Huang Shigong." Ying Chengjiao called out and gave a thumbs up: "Colorful."

　There is a shortage of 1,500 words. I will make up for it tomorrow. There is not enough time.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)