Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 236, Section 235: The Empress's Eldest Son
The appearance of horseshoes and stirrups allowed Ji Heng to escape the busy political affairs before the New Year, and he arrived at Ganquan Palace as soon as night fell.

This truly surprised Qin Shi: "Your Majesty!"

She never hid her joy and anticipation. Dressed in a plain silk robe, she hurried over to greet him. As she walked, her robes fluttered, and her wide sleeves and skirt swayed. To Ji Heng, whose eyes were filled with joy, the Queen looked like a fluttering, golden butterfly.

As the butterfly flew by, the soldiers of Qin seemed to become invincible.

Therefore, he rarely reached out his hand, and when the Queen's arm wrapped around his lean waist and back, he followed suit.

As soon as Zhou Jucai stepped into the palace, he saw the king and queen embracing intimately. So he remained calm and stood guard at the palace entrance. He and the Red Maiden and others who quietly retreated were all transformed into bronze pillars here.

Ji Heng rarely makes such an intimate gesture; he must be genuinely happy.

Qin Shi released his grip, looking at his handsome face and the strong, muscular body beneath his hand, and couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
"Your Majesty, are you very happy today?"

Ji Heng's tall figure was projected onto the pepper wall of Ganquan Palace. Amidst the faint, warm fragrance, his gaze swept down from above, equally focused and powerful.

But when answering the question, he said something completely unrelated:

“I follow the principle of ‘the unpredictability of Yin and Yang,’ and as a wise man, I remain cautious and discreet, sincerely awaiting the Queen’s arrival. This has indeed been in accordance with the will of Heaven.”

Qin Shi was momentarily at a loss.

The unpredictability of Yin and Yang?

The saying "The unpredictability of Yin and Yang is called divine" describes the mystery and unfathomable nature of the changes in Yin and Yang. Why would Ji Heng say such a thing for no reason?
There's also the saying, "A wise person is cautious and discreet, and does not reveal their secrets."

Only by keeping confidentiality with caution and not seeking anything recklessly can you avoid disaster.

She mentally reviewed the meaning of the two sentences, and then, seeing Ji Heng's still focused gaze, she vaguely pieced together the meaning of the words based on his usual behavior—

No wonder Ji Heng never asked her about the future; it turned out that he held this belief: only by not overly investigating the origins of things and by maintaining respect and caution towards the changes of Yin and Yang can one gain benefits.

Therefore, he believed that as long as one did not dwell on one's origins and actively seek more benefits, but instead silently provided support, these things that were beneficial to the Qin state would naturally appear.

Qin Shi was both amused and exasperated: No wonder she had acquired all her power so smoothly and easily; she must have thought she was incredibly charming!

But that's alright, Ji Heng is just that kind of person.

He then stood on tiptoe and gently kissed Ji Heng's Adam's apple:
"So, is Your Majesty satisfied with this will of Heaven?"

Ji Heng tightened his grip on her waist, his gaze darkening before suddenly relaxing.

"The Grand Astrologer has divined that the Queen is the chosen one, and it is indeed so!"

Those ambitions of conquering the Baiyue, repelling the Xiongnu, and expanding the territory of the Qin Dynasty were discouraged by the ministers as being "exhausting the people with military ambitions."

Those were the enduring dreams of making the Qin state strong and indomitable, with its iron cavalry invincible, yet the ministers earnestly advised them to "rest and recuperate."

That grand, uncomprehended dream—the desire for the Qin state to last for ten thousand generations, for Qin laws, Qin decrees, and Qin orders to be followed even centuries later—was something even the prime minister tried to dissuade him from, citing the eventual disintegration of the Zhou dynasty after eight hundred years…

He believed that his ministers, with whom he thought the relationship between ruler and subject was harmonious, could not understand or support these things.

Little did he know that one day, the Queen of Qin would understand his every wish!
Reform the salt and iron industries, enrich the national treasury, and strengthen the military...

The intense emotions surging in his chest lingered for a long time, and when he looked again at the Queen's affectionate and ardent eyes, a great worry weighed on his heart.

Finally, he slowly released his hand and sat down with the Queen on the soft bench that he was not used to but that the Queen loved.

Qin Shi was somewhat bewildered.

Because Ji Heng's actions today were not his usual style—if he said what he said earlier, it was because the development of the military industry today made him too happy.

Are you being so considerate now? Don't you have any work to do in the evenings?
You've come back so early; you probably haven't even finished reading today's 120-pound memorial.

But she said nothing, only watching the other person sitting on the overly soft bench, their back and waist tensing abruptly upon contact, clearly uncomfortable with this unrefined, enveloped, relaxed state. Then she laughed again.

Ji Heng stared intently at her: the Queen often found joy in many small things, and was quite happy.

Even though Ji Heng didn't have many romantic feelings in his heart, he still felt relaxed and comfortable in his company.

Qin Shi thought about the two mismatched pieces of glass that she had obtained from summoning Mo today, and was about to strike while the iron was hot and talk about something happy, when she saw Ji Heng's serious face and that he had taken her hand again.

"If it is fate that I will never have a legitimate son in my life, the Queen need not worry. If one day, my Great Qin needs to appoint a Crown Prince, then the Crown Prince's mother will be only the Queen."

His large, warm hands cupped Qin Shi's hair at the back of his head, the heat penetrating through them, revealing a rare tenderness in this King of Qin.

And cold-blooded.

Knowing the queen was kind and gentle, and fearing she might not understand immediately, he added:
“If such a day comes, before the crown prince is established, I will order his mother to be put to death.”

"The Queen is devoted to our Great Qin, and I will never betray her."

Qin Shi was momentarily bewildered.

Ji Heng's words tonight were all too disjointed; it took her a long time to process them.

Now, these words have nothing to do with the tender sentiments they once expressed.

What does it mean to have "no legitimate son in the empress's palace"?
Why emphasize that his mother would be put to death?
She was stunned to meet Ji Heng's focused, gentle yet contradictory and cold gaze, and then she thought of the famous Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty.

To prevent Empress Lü from seizing power again, Emperor Wu of Han ordered the death of Liu Fuling's mother, Lady Gouyi, when he made her son Liu Fuling the crown prince.

Ji Heng's promise is exactly the opposite—he wants Qin Shi to seize this power and completely surpass the Crown Prince's birth mother.

Ji Heng is alive; she is the Queen of Qin, second only to the emperor.

If Ji Heng hadn't been there, she wouldn't have been suppressed by the Crown Prince and met such a tragic end.

This is Ji Heng's greatest promise.

There is no unwavering devotion like when one is deeply in love with their children, nor the loyalty of choosing only one from among many.

Even in his promise, he frankly admitted that he would be after the Crown Prince's potential favorite concubine.

However, he promised the power that was most important to him.

This is not the kind of love that people talk about and that has been passed down through the ages; it doesn't even conform to the views on love held by many women in later generations.

But for Qin Shi, in this world where there is no such thing as equality, only power can protect everything she has.

Freedom, dignity, soul, life.

She laughed, then took Ji Heng's hand, gently pressed it against her lower abdomen, and softly scolded him:

"Does Your Majesty have so little hope that I will give birth to a crown prince?"

　It's a bit late, but I've finished writing it.

　　Ji Heng's train of thought is jumping around, and we will explain why later.

　　But here, as the ruler, what he promises the female protagonist is still not love in the conventional sense.

　　But personally, I feel that this promise carries far greater weight than love in this era. (Hopefully I won't get flamed! The love of an emperor...)
　　The chapter "[Unpredictable Yin and Yang]" is the last chapter in the free version, but many readers probably haven't read it carefully, so people often ask why Ji Heng doesn't take the initiative to ask about the future...

　　
　　(End of this chapter)