Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 237, Section 236: Father and Son Get Along Well
Ji Heng did not answer.

But for the previous 36 years, he had never established a crown prince for the Qin Dynasty, and his children were few and often sickly. Now, in his time of crisis, he was fortunate to have the Queen—

But what Heaven bestows upon people is often predetermined.

Having freed myself from the ominous sign of Mars guarding the heart and regained my health, who knows if I will ever have a satisfactory son in my lifetime?
He delegated power to the queen because of her kindness. He was not worried because a kind heart is not suited for military command and the queen's temperament made her unsuitable for military affairs.

Moreover, the other party was sincere, passionate, and wholeheartedly devoted to the Qin state.

He bestowed upon him trust and authority, a trust as he had once placed in the same esteem he had for General Yan.

At this moment, beneath his palm lay the Queen's body, who still looked at him with a helpless smile, seemingly believing that the future of Qin was bright.

Ji Heng was silent for a moment before finally replying, "In a few more days, I will be thirty-seven. At this age, without an empress, the country is already instable."

It was only because he was too tyrannical that he was able to suppress these officials who were like duckweed, as well as the unstable thoughts throughout the country.

But a dynasty cannot remain without a crown prince forever.

For the Qin dynasty to be able to continue, its officials also needed a monarch they could rely on.

Therefore, no matter how much he disliked the final candidate or how unwilling he was to accept it...

There will always be a crown prince.

It would be good if the Queen could give birth to a legitimate son.

But if not, given the Queen's kind but unfit-for-military nature, he needed to consider things from a longer-term perspective—

Only a queen who holds power can grant the Qin Dynasty the power of divine intervention, allowing it to receive even more blessings from heaven.

Qin Shi saw through the complex thoughts in his heart.

It could even be said that without the crown prince, Ji Heng's heart would never be at peace.

Emperor Wu of Han had his first son at the age of 29. Before that, the emperor's relatives interfered in politics, officials seized power and refused to submit, and princesses attempted to regain power. All these factors that threatened the dynasty's fate stemmed from the lack of a successor.

In this era of dynastic rule, the lack of a successor ruler is the most fatal problem for any regime.

Qin Shi began to think about how to answer.

She could neither sympathize with him, nor comfort him, nor predict the future, lest Ji Heng develop unrealistic expectations of her.

Ji Heng was not obsessed with love.

It must be said, however, that the fact that they considered all of this, including the worst-case scenario, is already quite touching.

The trust of a politician is clearly more captivating than the passion of a couple in love.

She loves it especially, even as an adult.

Qin Shi laughed.

She gripped Ji Heng's hand tightly: "Isn't this just right?"

"Your Majesty will be 37 years old next year. If you have a son next year, when the crown prince is 20 years old and full of vigor, Your Majesty will be only 57 years old."

"This is the height of the Spring and Autumn Period. With Your Majesty's robust health, you can probably still wield a strong bow and ride horses every day, and you will also have the energy to handle state affairs and personally educate my Crown Prince of Qin."

"Thus, through constant exposure and word of mouth, the Crown Prince has been able to meticulously pass on the national policies set by His Majesty and the future of Qin that His Majesty envisions."

"If father and son have been so close for twenty or thirty years, how can we be sure that the Crown Prince is not the embodiment and executor of the King's will?"

Of course, a qualified politician must have his own political views and opinions.

Even biological fathers and sons may not share the same political views.

But Ji Heng, being a proud ruler, probably wouldn't want to hear these words. And since everything is still uncertain, she'll naturally try to make things work out as best she can.

Ji Heng listened quietly to her story, as if he could also see the stable Qin Dynasty and the distant future. At this moment, his cold expression gradually melted away like ice and snow.

Qin Shi then squeezed his fingers harder:

"Moreover, the King has only made me Queen less than two months ago, so it is far too early for me to worry about the Crown Prince."

Her will was not swayed by Ji Heng's trust and affection—she wanted to see the Qin kingdom's rule, personally perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, and personally grasp all the power she could control.

Even birds know that they need to build a nest and prepare before they can safely hatch their eggs.

So does she.

Therefore, Your Majesty, please be patient—

"I am deeply grateful and overjoyed that Your Majesty has made such a weighty promise today—is this a reward bestowed upon me by Your Majesty for my service to the State of Qin?"

Qin Shi looked at him with eyes full of joy.

Ji Heng's straight back slowly relaxed. He still couldn't get used to sitting in this soft chair, so he stood up again.

"The Queen also said that this was a promise I made—it has nothing to do with whether or not I have rendered any service."

"But speaking of rewards..."

He paused, then said helplessly, "Your Majesty, please go to the storeroom and choose for yourself."

The treasures that should be in the meager private treasury—pearls, jade, silk—are probably no longer of interest to the queen.

Qin Shi burst out laughing.

……

A harmonious atmosphere filled Ganquan Palace, and in a side hall, Xin and Mo finally met again.

"Xin!" Mo greeted him happily: "The palace servants said that you are now a Zhongshuzi (a high-ranking official), with an official position, and that you are busy every day. Is that true? Have you been wronged?"

Xin looked at him helplessly, first pulling Mo over to compare their heights, and then said with joy, "You've grown taller—yes! Now that I'm serving the Queen, no one makes me feel wronged."

After a long absence, he has regained the skills he once had as a descendant of a noble family in the palace, but Mo is well protected by the Queen.

His eyes remained bright and clear, and his demeanor was no different from before. Under the Queen's instructions and his protection, the complicated affairs and troubles could not disturb him in the slightest.

In this way, his efforts for this official position will not have been in vain.

Mo looked at him carefully: "But you've lost a lot of weight—although you look more energetic than when you were at the Ironworks, you're still thinner than we were at Lanchi."

His thoughts were always jumping around, and at this moment he said, "The Queen ordered that my meals be served, and I had three or four meals a day, with meat, eggs, milk and millet, and everything else."

Xin laughed: "I heard you worked for Prince Qian before. Were you happy? Were you scolded or punished?"

While he was in the palace, he often heard that Prince Qian was brave but reckless, with a volatile temper, and that he even held a gambling board in his hand when playing games with others...

Mo was clueless about everything, and he was quite concerned about what Wang Ziqian had taken him away to do.

Mo shook his head: "The prince is also very sincere. Although he's a bit slow-witted, he's not a bad person—by the way, the prince has already completed the task the queen entrusted to us, but he wants to wait until the New Year to present it to the king..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xin stopped him: "You don't need to tell me these things, just keep them in your heart."

Mo responded, and after a moment, he hesitated before taking out a pair of glass shards from his sleeve:
"I have also accomplished this and have already reported it to the Queen—can't I even tell you this?"

　Xiao Shi: You're a master of empty promises!

　　(End of this chapter)