Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 134, Section 133: Following the Lead is Inevitable [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Those who lack common sense always act faster than they think.

He was still preoccupied with this noisy matter, so Qin Shi sighed:

“Riding a horse across the land is so exhilarating; I can understand the prince’s heart.”

"But if you become too happy and gallop on horseback, or laugh unrestrainedly... General Yan's entire household will be in mourning, and wouldn't the prince's trip be a disgrace to the people?"

Just then, Princess Wen also boarded the carriage, and upon hearing this, she also let out a cold snort:
"If a neighbor is in mourning, one should not pound grain for them."

"It is evident that the Book of Rites and the Analects that the prince memorized seven months ago are no longer in his mind."

Qin Shi smiled.

Princess Wen is only a 14-year-old girl in puberty, yet she is now seriously using the Book of Rites to teach her younger brother, clearly suffering from it in her daily life.

Qin Jun looked at Wang Ziqian, whose handsome face was blank: "Sister, what are you pounding?"

A moment of silence fell over the carriage, and the maids all lowered their heads.

Qin Shi was speechless—she had long known that Wang Ziqian was a poor student, his mind going blank when it came to theory. But this sentence was also the easiest to understand in their daily lessons now.

[There's a funeral in the neighbor's house, so no singing is done while pounding rice.]

Even if you don't remember anything, you can still understand the general idea just by hearing these words!
Looking at Princess Wen again, she indeed saw that Princess Wen had closed her eyes in pain, her fair and delicate fists clenched tightly.

Qin Shi hurriedly said, "Chi Nu, bring paper and pencils, and lay out a long table for the prince."

The carriage was very spacious, and although Prince Qian and Princess Wen were now present, it did not feel cramped because neither of them had brought any attendants.

Once the paper and pencil were ready and delivered to Prince Qian, he immediately put aside his previous mood: "Shall we use this to play Connect Four?"

Using ink while the carriage is in motion is quite inconvenient, so this is just right!

Princess Wen clearly already knew what "Gomoku" was; her chest heaved violently, and her expression instantly turned sharp.

However, before she could speak, Qin Shi had already started laughing:

"The Book of Rites is too difficult to pronounce, so it's understandable that the prince couldn't memorize it immediately. But just a few days ago, His Majesty tested him on the Confucian Analects—'When the Master saw someone in mourning clothes, someone in a ceremonial robe, or a blind person, even if they were young, he would rise; when he passed them, he would hasten his pace.'"

She smiled deeply: "I suppose the prince can still recite this line?"

"If you still can't understand, that's okay. I'll read it for you, and the prince can just copy it 100 more times."

Prince Qian: ...

He stammered, "I can still memorize a little bit."

Qin Shi shrugged, indicating.

Princess Wen's expression relaxed considerably, but she clearly had no expectations of her brother, and her eyes held a mixture of understanding and schadenfreude.

Prince Qian did not disappoint her, opening his mouth and saying, "If you pass by, you must hurry."

Gone.

He only remembered that one sentence.

"Walk briskly when you pass by"—this phrase is easy to remember!
Princess Wen slowly knelt down, feeling dizzy:

"I just told you this a couple of days ago—when you meet someone wearing mourning clothes, an official, or a blind person, even if they are young, you will definitely stand up and walk past them quickly as a sign of respect..."

Is this difficult?

Prince Chenghu, born to Lady Chu, can already recite the entire text from memory.

Qin Shi also sighed: Sometimes she really wanted to test Wang Ziqian's IQ.

But at this moment, she could only deepen her smile: "His Majesty has decreed that I shall be in charge of this trip. In that case, I would like to ask the prince to finish copying it 100 times as soon as possible." She pushed the paper and pen beside her: "I have already written that sentence."

Prince Qian was furious for a moment, but then stared at the paper and pen on the table and suddenly became smug: "Lord Qin, your seal script is not as good as mine!"

Although it could be described as proper, it appeared very stiff, lacking any fluency or ease.

what!
It turns out that the Qin ruler, whom his father trusted, couldn't even write properly.

He suddenly perked up and began to carefully copy the sentence, clearly wanting to use his excellent calligraphy to thoroughly outshine her on the same piece of paper.

Qin Shi didn't care: her original calligraphy was only mediocre, but now that she's here and practices small seal script every day, she's already quite satisfied with herself for being able to write it clearly.

As for improving one's calligraphy skills, that's not something that can be achieved overnight. There are still decades to come where one can practice while writing, so there's no rush at all.

Although Prince Qian has countless flaws, his obedience makes him seem less bad.

Only Princess Wen looked gloomy.

It's hard not to feel depressed!

In this era of power struggles, anyone who discovers that their only reliable brother is a good-for-nothing would be devastated.

She glanced at the linen robe Qin Shi was wearing, thought for a moment, and then advised, "Qin Shi is a nobleman of my Xianyang Palace. Although he does not yet hold an official position, he is already able to come and see off General Yan on behalf of my father."

"Given your status, there is no need for you to wear mourning clothes or perform the etiquette of a junior, so as not to tarnish the reputation of your father."

Although she feared Ji Heng, she also regarded him as a supreme being. There is a distinction between ruler and subject; a king can bestow great favors upon his subjects, but why should he be as humble as Qin Qing?
Qin Shi stared intently at her: "In the past, King Wen of Zhou paid homage to Jiang Ziya, making him his teacher and sharing his carriage. Did this tarnish King Wen's reputation?"

"General Yan fought for the country, and three of his sons died on the battlefield, and one of his daughters died because of it. Now he still has one son and two daughters stationed on the frontier."

She looked at Princess Wen's hands; they were fair, delicate, and flawless.

Therefore, he sighed: "Princess, you have lived a life of luxury and never once drew your bow or wielded your sword to kill a single enemy. All of this is because you have a father who is unprecedented in history, and countless white bones of sacrifice from the Qin Dynasty."

Without them, Princess Wen would have been nothing more than a princess of a fallen kingdom.

Your Majesty's judgment is truly accurate.

Princess Wen truly lacks spirit.

This spirit is not only about the courage to fight and the principles to uphold, but also about the magnanimity to willingly submit to others.

She looked at him earnestly and said, "Even if it were not General Yan who died today, but a soldier serving in the army, he would still have dedicated his life to our Great Qin. If he were to sacrifice his life, I would still be able to mourn him."

“Princess, they are not symbols of your power, nor are they the cattle and sheep you herd—a ruler, who holds power and issues commands, should bear the weight of the people.”

She glanced at her mourning clothes again and asked, "Putting aside these principles of family and country, Princess, the sentence that the prince and princess diligently copied down, although you can recite it, do you truly understand it?"

If one understands and knows how to respect the deceased, why would one be troubled by such matters?

Ji Heng did not come to deliver it in person, not because he did not want to, but because he could not.

Even on his western tour, he had to borrow dozens of carriages to conceal his true whereabouts. Once he left Xianyang Palace, the assassinations and dangers he encountered could not be described in a few words.

He considered General Yan's funeral so important that he did not want it to be affected in the slightest, or to disturb the peace of the deceased.

Now, Princess Wen has been involved in politics for many days, yet she still cannot grasp the heart of the King of Qin.

Looking at Wang Ziqian, who was listening blankly and daydreaming, Qin Shi could only sigh.

　Coming!
　　Princess Wen's shortcomings were already apparent when she first appeared—she valued her status highly, so even though she had grudges against Qin Shi, she couldn't bring herself to directly break off relations, nor could she sincerely apologize.

　　However, her mention of mourning actually represents the superiority of the ruling class in the current social environment. Putting aside Ji Heng's feelings for Yan Yun, this idea is actually in line with the mainstream.

　　(End of this chapter)