Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 118, Section 117: Orchid in the Mountains
The news of Consort Qin being demoted to the rank of Eighth Prince did not reach the Southern Palace so quickly.

Even if they could, it wouldn't be something the palace servants could inquire about.

Following Qin Shi's instructions, Wu Zi and others kept the "Queen's affair" a closely guarded secret, which made the palace servants less proactive in spreading the news.

However, these are minor matters and nothing serious.

Therefore, at this moment, Wu Zi, who was left behind in the Southern Palace, respectfully replied: "Your Excellency, please allow me to report that the King of Qin has been summoned to Zhangtai Palace by the King, and we do not know when he will return."

"In the sweltering heat of midsummer, why don't you come inside and rest for a while, my lady?"

As for whether you stay or leave after you've rested, that's not something we servants can decide.

Despite being demoted to the rank of Eighth Princess, the other party still called her a beauty. Such an embarrassing situation fell on Qin Ba Zi Jiang Di, yet she remained unmoved.

After offering a brief thank you, he led the palace servants inside.

The maidservant followed her carefully, and everything she saw along the way made her uneasy.

Although this place, like the Cicada Palace, is located in a remote area, everything inside is exquisitely crafted, and there are soldiers guarding the outer perimeter. The servants are all well-trained and act silently, clearly the top-notch servants of Xianyang Palace.

Entering the side hall, which was merely a temporary reception area, one could already see exquisite and ingenious decorations everywhere...

Even the curtains hanging from the ceiling were adorned with large, jeweled rings. When the wind blew outside the palace, they made a melodious, tinkling sound as they struck each other.

This Lady Qin is truly favored by the King!

"Beautiful," she swallowed her words softly, then changed her tone to "Eighth Prince..."

The other person simply reached out and gently patted the back of her hand with their slightly cool palm.

His gaze swept over the boxes carried by the servants behind him before he slowly took his seat and then said to Wu Zi:
"I wonder if this palace maid is someone close to the noble lady? I misspoke today and feared that it might have caused trouble for the King of Qin. After returning to the palace, I was reprimanded by the King and felt deeply ashamed, so I came to apologize."

She beckoned, and several servants came forward one by one: "I am not afraid of being laughed at by Your Majesty, although I have been in the palace for many years, I have not received the favor of Your Majesty, and therefore my possessions are rather meager. I sincerely apologize and offer them all here. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Jiang Di's words were not a humble expression.

She has always been able to accept defeat gracefully, and now the person opposite her is the future queen, which is crucial to her and Princess Chan's future.

If they don't apologize, since they've already been demoted, they might as well just put up with it.

If it's an apology, they're quite willing to spend their savings of many years.

Unfortunately, there aren't many left.

While arranging for the palace servants to attend to her, Wu Zi smiled and said, "You're too kind, my lady. I am Wu Zi, a maidservant of Lord Qin. With my lord not here, I dare not act on my own..."

They all knew why Prince Qian had come; he wanted to apologize, claiming he had been reprimanded by the King…

Since she can't make the decision anyway, she can just keep putting it off.

Just as he was choosing his words, the curtain of the side hall was lifted, and Prince Qian rushed over excitedly, saying out of the blue:

"Beauty Qin is here! Just in time!"

The servants behind them looked utterly dejected; clearly, the other party had lost all sense of reason and they were truly unable to stop him.

Prince Qian turned around and rushed to Qin Meiren:

"You're wrong, Qin Jun doesn't know anything about gambling! But she knows a lot of other games! She just taught me a game of Gomoku. It looks simple, but there are many variations... It's a pity I have no one to play with, but now that you've come, it's perfect!"

Since the host has left, he, as a guest, should also leave.

But the games that Qin Shi mentioned, which he had never even heard of, hooked him firmly.

So much so that Wang Ziqian hesitated and became anxious several times, but in the end, he stuck to the stool and refused to move.

While waiting, he tried playing the game of Gomoku and found that although the game was simple, it was also quite novel and could be done with just a pen!
So he played by himself for a long time with great interest.

But who knew that Qin Shi would be gone for so long, it was no longer appropriate for him to stay here, which made him feel sour again: His father was really biased!

Just as he was about to mutter something, he heard the servants hesitate and say, "Prince, you and the princesses haven't been to Zhangtai Palace these past two days. Isn't that... a little..."

Prince Qian shuddered again!

It was truly bad luck that he had this opportunity to take on political duties, only to be met with a series of misfortunes.

When the King was angry, he was truly terrifying. The atmosphere in Zhangtai Palace was like Mount Tai pressing down, making them tremble with fear.

Who would dare to take the brunt of the attack head-on?

Then he became even more glued to the ground, refusing to move no matter what.

Honestly, my sister used to be so eager to discuss politics, but after Father's fury yesterday, they all cowered like quails at the foot of the steps, afraid of being used as an excuse to be berated again...

Hmph, now you know how powerful I am!
Damn it! Why doesn't Father test his archery and horsemanship skills?
In short, with a thousand reasons entangled with him, and just as he was becoming increasingly anxious, he heard that Lady Qin had arrived—

Wonderful!

Someone's already playing!
That's why we're taking these actions now.

Wu Zi was stunned.

Qin Meiren was also stunned.

But she was exceptionally calm, so she only said tactfully, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I will wait here to apologize to Lord Qin..."

"oops!"

Prince Qian grew anxious: "The Queen of Qin is very kind. If your mistake is minor, prepare two hundred gold coins, and she will generously forgive you!"

"Come on!" he suggested cleverly, "Have your servants go back and prepare gold ingots, and you come and learn this game of Go from me! Perfect!"

Silence fell over the hall once more.

He was the king's eldest prince, and even after gathering all his possessions, he could only manage to scrape together two hundred gold coins.

What about Qin Meiren? How much salary does she earn in a month?
Wu Zi almost laughed out loud, thinking to herself that it was no wonder that although Qin Jun felt that the prince was not very bright, he often smiled and tolerated him.

Indeed, at times, this prince was quite a remarkable person.

But now that Qin Jun was on the home turf, she couldn't simply ignore it, so she had to offer him a way out:

“Your Highness, the King of Qin did not overlook the matter because of the two hundred gold coins, but because he saw your sincerity…”

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Shi's voice came from outside the hall: "Who said it wasn't because of the two hundred gold coins? It was precisely because of them!"

The messenger, Huang, ran all the way but failed to deliver the message before her. He could only wipe his sweat in embarrassment and quickly retreat.

Qin Shi was stunned when he saw the beautiful woman sitting in the hall:

Simply put, she is another woman with an elegant and refined temperament!

She sat there, turning her head quietly to follow the sound, her straight back and slender shoulders twitching slightly, like new bamboo shoots revealing their form in spring.

There was also a face that drooped slightly from the head and neck, as elegant and serene as a mountain orchid.

And the serene demeanor of someone as learned as Daiyu.

If Lady Chu is indeed a white lotus that evokes pity, then she truly is an orchid blooming quietly in solitude.

How come all the beauties in the world are in Xianyang Palace?

The feeling of a slacker like Wang Ziqian playing games while anxiously doing homework... I think everyone can understand, right?