The Great Qin Dynasty: The egg of the Black Bird was revered as a national guardian beast.

Is it stone or jade? Is there even a question?

The next day, on the carriage that set off from Huaiyin County, Han Xin sat in the front, holding the reins.

The sword, which was always by his side, was placed in front of him.

He frequently turned back to look at Huaiyin County behind him.

He was looking at this familiar city, the one that had nurtured him, humiliated him, and made it impossible for him to stand.

It is still looking through the city to see the people in the city.

After a long while, he sighed, stopped looking back, and drove ahead with peace of mind, holding the reins.

"How is it? You're reluctant to part with it?"

Inside the carriage, a calm voice asked.

With a slight smile, Han Xin said, "I have no attachment to Huaiyin, so why would I be reluctant to part with him?"

Yes, the Huaiyin River, which nurtured Han Xin,

It can wash away the filth on his body, but it cannot wash away the heavy shame that weighs on him.

Han Xin knew.

This humiliation will likely haunt him for the rest of his life.

What he couldn't bear to part with wasn't Huaiyin County, but the people living in Huaiyin City.

But the next moment, he suddenly became excited.

Because he vaguely heard someone behind him, as if they were calling his name.

"Han Xin!"

Turning around, I saw a familiar figure.

She ran out of Huaiyin City, shouting as she ran.

He seemed to have run too fast and suddenly fell to the ground.

Han Xin immediately panicked, torn between fame and fortune and his beloved.

But after hesitating for a long time, he finally stopped his carriage.

He turned his head to look behind him, where he saw a blurry figure sitting in a carriage behind the hanging curtains.

But he didn't say it aloud yet.

Then a calm voice came from inside.

"Go ahead, I'll give you fifteen minutes. Who knows how long it will be before you return after this separation."

"Thank you, my lord."

Han Xin clasped his hands in a fist salute and stepped down from the carriage.

He ran back and helped Ji Tao up after she fell. Han Xin looked at her but couldn't say a word.

After a long silence, he spoke: "I will come back..."

"How long will it take?" Ji Tao asked, as if she were asking Han Xin, but also as if she were asking herself, how much longer could she wait...?

There was silence for a moment.

Looking at her, Han Xin clenched his fist, but then loosened it, secretly making up his mind!

"It won't take long!"

Looking at her, Han Xin said firmly.

"One day, I will return home in wealth and honor!"

"And then..." she said earnestly, "I will personally go to your door to propose marriage. That day won't be too late!"

Ji Tao lowered her head and remained silent.

Han Xin glanced at the carriages and horses parked in the distance, hugged Ji Tao tightly with reluctance, and walked forward.

Never looking back.

"Ji Tao, you should go back now."

"Just wait for me at home. I will definitely come to your door one day!"

He sighed as he watched the carriages and horses gradually disappear into the distance.

Ji Tao looked back until she could no longer see him, then slowly walked towards Huaiyin City.

"Perhaps, I won't live to see that day..."

Thinking back to a few days ago, when Butcher Wang came to her door, even though she was extremely unwilling, she was just a woman and had no choice but to comply...

..........

The carriage and horses swayed.

Han Xin was driving the chariot when a voice came from ahead.

"If you're so reluctant to part with them, why not take them with you?"

After a moment of surprise, Han Xin said, "I, Han Xin, am just a commoner, but I am fortunate to have been chosen by my lord."

"How can I delay the well-being of a good man when I have not yet accomplished anything?"

At this point, he looked ahead at the carriage, took a deep breath, and said with a firm and resolute expression.

"Once I've achieved success and fame, I'll go back and marry her!"

"Heh." A soft chuckle came from behind the curtain, a voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"Wait until you achieve success? How many years will that take?"

"A woman's best years are only a few. By the time you achieve success and fame, your youth has faded. What good is that?"

He paused again as he spoke.

"What if you've achieved great success, and she's already married?"

Han Xin was stunned for a moment and stopped the carriage.

He stepped down from the carriage, stood there hesitating for a long time, and finally looked at the person inside the carriage with a slightly apologetic expression.

"It's alright."

He casually tossed some gold and jade out the car window.

He then drew the carriage curtain: "Take this, go back and treat them well, don't mistreat them."

"After the wedding, we'll go to Xianyang together to find me."

Han Xin knelt down with a thud, his resolute face filled with emotion, his eyes red.

"Han Xin will never forget the kindness of his lord!"

He smiled and waved his hand lightly: "Go ahead."

After saying this, the carriage moved forward, leaving Han Xin standing alone, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.

He sheathed his longsword and picked up the gold and jade.

Han Xin's emotions were complicated as he looked at the carriage in the distance.

In his heart, only one sentence can describe it now: A scholar will die for one who understands him!

Turn around and walk back the way you came.

..........

Xianyang.

Zhangtai Palace.

In the dimly lit hall, the First Emperor held his forehead.

Looking down at Dian Rui, who was holding a jade disc that had been lost and found, he examined it closely.

Dianrui is an ancient official title.

This official position was established starting from the Zhou Dynasty, specifically to manage the collection of jade auspicious objects and artifacts, identify their names and objects, and manage their use.

In short, everything related to jade was under his jurisdiction.

The crystal-clear jade disc was turned over and over in my hands.

After comparing the size, shape, color, inscription, and even the craftsman's name with the records in the catalog,

Dianrui came to a surprising conclusion.

"Your Majesty, this jade disc was thrown into Pengcheng during the Eastern Tour in the twenty-eighth year, when you offered sacrifices to the water god and retrieved the cauldron."

The First Emperor's face was somber.

He waved for Dian Rui to leave, and then summoned the messenger who had returned the lost jade disc.

"Tell me the whole story again, in detail!"

The envoy, trembling with fear, prostrated himself before the emperor and recounted this bizarre experience when the emperor inquired about it.

"By order of Your Majesty, I rushed to Longxi and read the imperial edict to Marquis Li Xin of Longxi, ordering him to launch a western expedition."

"Upon receiving the imperial edict, I returned from Longxi to report back."

"But when we passed through Ping Shu Road in Huayin at night, there was a thick fog, and in the fog, someone was standing in the middle of the road holding this jade disc."

"He stopped me and said: 'For my sake, leave behind the Lord of Gaochi.'"

The Qin state was founded on the virtue of water. This person sent an envoy to return the jade disc to the Lord of Gaochi, which is a metaphor for returning it to me.

The First Emperor held his forehead, thinking to himself.

This jade disc was thrown into Pengcheng in the twenty-eighth year of my life when I was traveling and passed through the city. I retrieved a tripod there and offered it as a sacrifice to the water god.

However, that time, the attempt to retrieve the tripod failed, and the First Emperor felt quite regretful.

The water god did not give him any reply.

But now, how come the jade disc that was thrown during the water god sacrifice has been returned?

Was the water god's reply too late, or was there something else going on?

The messenger continued, "That man also said, he also said..."

"What else is there to say?" The First Emperor lowered his hand, looked at the envoy from the palace, and pressed for an answer.

The messenger lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

The voice was soft: "That person also said..."

"The First Emperor will die this year!"