Epang Palace, sleeping palace.
The slightly dim light of a candle can only fill the sky above the table. With this light in the dark room, the outline of things can be vaguely seen.
The First Emperor, who fell into a deep sleep amidst the aroma of rosewood, slowly opened his eyes, and in his blurry vision saw a figure getting on the bed softly.
"What did grandma say?"
The First Emperor opened his arms, hugged the figure's waist, turned his body sideways and lay down on the bed with the figure.
He rested his head on the back of the figure's neck, enjoying the scent of the figure's body.
His eyes gradually became clear as he regained consciousness, and what he saw in front of him was Empress Afang of the Qin Dynasty.
"I still woke up Your Majesty."
Afang turned around in the embrace of the First Emperor and held the Emperor's face in the dim candlelight, showing a slight distress.
The First Emperor smiled and kissed Afang hard on his forehead.
Afang looked into the eyes of the First Emperor and said softly: "The Queen Mother said she wanted to return to Yongdi."
In the dormitory, the candlelight flickered, and there was no one talking all night.
The bustling banquet at Xuanniiao Palace came to an end. Ying Chengyu refused the protection of the secret guards, walked in brocade clothes at night, and returned home alone.
In the short journey from Xianyang Palace to Chang'an Jun's Mansion, he was assassinated three times in a row.
Three days later, Zhao Ji left Xianyang in a carriage and rushed to Yongdi.
In the carriage, besides Zhao Ji, there was another person, Yue Nu.
The two met again, and this time, the humility and fear towards Zhao Ji were gone from Yue Nu's face.
She was wearing a skirt made of fine silk, with a blue base and several irregular white stripes on it.
There were two murder weapons hidden in the front of the shirt. The hem of the shirt was under undue pressure and was very tight.
This outfit slightly dilutes her own heroic appearance and shows more of the femininity of a woman.
She was not wearing a veil, and she sat upright with her legs together. She was slightly taller than Zhao Ji, and she looked down at Zhao Ji slightly.
In addition to a little doubt, a pair of big eyes also showed a touch of hostility.
"The Queen Mother summoned you, why?"
Zhao Ji lazily sat on the cushion behind her, looking at the Yue girl in front of her with a half-smile. His face was white and supple, with no signs of redness or swelling at all.
"She is indeed a great beauty. That Zhuzi didn't eat you. Her endurance is amazing."
This was the first time Zhao Ji saw a Yue girl dressed in women's clothing, and even a naturally charming woman like her was a little surprised.
Yue Nu said calmly: "Chang'an Lord is certainly not a vulgar person."
"Oh?" Zhao Ji lay down on her side, leaning her head on her elbows, her eyelashes trembling slightly, she looked at Yue Nu with a smile and said, "You are not a vulgar person, why do you want to change into this clothes?"
"This is not the order of Lord Chang'an, but of my own free will. Women do what they please." Yue Nu said very naturally.
Yue women gave up the attire they were accustomed to using force and chose women's skirts that could better show off their beauty. It was just to show beauty in front of Ying Chengyu and please Ying Chengyu and himself.
"You are as straightforward as I am from Zhao. It is rare to see a passionate and unrestrained woman outside of Zhao country." Zhao Ji sighed.
When it comes to love, most women from all over the world are on the passive side.
There are only a few people who dare to actively express love, and even fewer people admit it so frankly.
Only Zhao Guo is different. Zhao Guo, who rides and shoots in Hu clothes, not only learned Donghu's clothes, but also learned Donghu's customs.
Zhao people are generous and generous, and Zhao women are passionate and unrestrained. Zhao is the most open country in the world.
Openness means tolerance, which allowed Zhao to grow into a powerful country in the world in a short period of time.
Openness also means low binding force and chaos, so even though Zhao State had two of the four famous generals of the Warring States Period, he still died.
Zhao died because of civil strife, because his son imprisoned his father and killed the king to usurp the throne, and because his ministers controlled the court on behalf of the king.
Zhao prospered in Hu and died in Hu.
"I heard that Miss Zhao can do three things to three men in one night. I can't do such an immoral thing." Yue Nu said, touching the sword on her waist.
Zhao Ji's smile grew stronger and she said, "You learned a lot from Na Shuzi. You used to be straight-forward in doing things, but you couldn't say this."
Yue Nu's words are not only saying that she is different from Zhao Nu, but also saying that she is on a different path from Zhao Ji.
In the same sentence, how you respond often hides your attitude.
Zhao Ji said that the Yue girl was similar to the Zhao girl.
Yue women can say that Zhao women are as bold as men, or they can say that Zhao women's style is not decent.
The former is definitely an expression of goodwill.
To deny the latter is to draw a clear line.
Yue Nu thought about the bodyguards and assassin life beside Zhao Ji, and then thought about the current assassin life exclusively for Ying Chengyu, her eyebrows softened a lot.
"How is your progress with that Shuzi?" Zhao Ji asked casually.
What does it have to do with you?
Yue Nu thought to herself but didn't answer.
"If nothing happens to the Queen Mother, I will leave."
"You and I have been together for several years, but that Zhuzi stole your heart in less than a month. I am really sad." Zhao Ji said sadly.
The Yue girl bent down slightly, not to express respect, but because she was about to leave and the height of the carriage did not allow her to stand completely.
"Don't tell that Shuzi, Teng died in your hands."
Zhao Ji grabbed a bunch of fine hair with one hand, put it to her mouth and blew it gently, making her hair tremble slightly.
Yue Nu's footsteps stopped, and her heart trembled slightly along with Zhao Ji's hair.
"That Zhuzi is the most affectionate person. If he knows about this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you two to achieve anything good."
The Yue girl looked back suddenly, her pretty face turned pale, her eyes were filled with murderous intent and the sword was ready to be fired.
"You did it on purpose! You wanted me to kill Teng on purpose!"
In Yongdi, Zhao Ji gave the order to kill Teng to Yue Nu.
"You don't have to be friendly with that guy." Zhao Ji smiled lightly, shook her hair, turned to look at Yue Nu, and said, "Or, never let him know."
The Yue girl's weapon swelled and she looked coldly at Zhao Ji.
"Chang'an Lord will forgive me."
"Maybe." Zhao Ji nodded obediently, covered her mouth with her hands and yawned lightly, saying: "Even if he forgives you, this matter will form a knot in his heart. Even if the broken wine jar is broken again, A skilled craftsman can only restore the surface, but cannot eliminate the cracks."
The Yue girl lowered her head slightly, stroking the sword with one hand and covering her heart with the other while panting.
After a while, after his breathing calmed down, Fang said: "Mr. Chang'an is not an ordinary person."
This sentence is very firm, but I don’t know if its heart is as firm as the words.
"Then you can give it a try." Zhao Ji smiled brightly, like spring flowers in bloom.
However, the Yue girl didn't feel that there was any kindness in this smile, only endless malice.
Zhao Ji's carriage drove from Xianyang to Yongdi. The wind from Yongdi blew for three days and also reached Xianyang.
The unexpected incident at the wax festival soon became popular in Xianyang. From the ministers and concubines, to the common people, to the princes and nobles, everyone knew about Ying Chengfan's arrogance.
In the balcony, the servant who had been waiting for Ying Chengyu's arrival to cover up the flaws on the floor collected the coins given by the guests and walked out of the balcony door.
He marched toward his destination, straight ahead. There was no looking around or turning around along the way.
What is the value of following a subordinate like him? Is there any need to track it? Who cares what a subordinate does.
After calculating the time, the servant arrived in front of a tall gate. When no one was looking, he threw the money in his hand into the high wall.
"Brother, I want to see you."
Within the wall, a soft girl's voice came out. Although the words were only numbers, they were full of emotions.
"Don't do anything stupid and hide your money."
Outside the wall, the servants kept walking, their voices were stern, and they left in a hurry.
There is only a wall between the brother and sister. As long as the door is opened, the brother and sister can see each other.
But since the brother and sister entered Xianyang, they have never seen each other again.
Separated by a wall, it's like a natural chasm.
Not to mention meeting each other, the brother and sister didn't even have a chance to say a second sentence.
The servant quickly returned to the balcony. When he entered, he suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth and replaced it with a look of humility.
Saying a word to his sister every month and throwing in more or less money is his greatest joy, and this joy can last all the way.
But once he entered the balcony, he could no longer rejoice.
Because some guests who are in a bad mood will beat and scold him when they see him happy.
When he entered the balcony, the sound of laughter and obscene lyrics hit his ears.
The smell of pink and rouge, the aroma of fine wine and food, and the strong smell of hormones hit my face.
As far as the eye can see, there is a concubine who is forced to smile charmingly, and the guests above her are grabbing and pinching the bruises with their big hands. Some guests laughed loudly, poured the wine into the concubine's gully, and lay down to suck it.
No matter what time of day, the tower is always crowded.
The servants looked around, each person's face not pausing for a moment, not only to avoid being beaten for taking another look, but also to quickly spot Ying Chengyu's figure.
He glanced around and didn't see Ying Chengyu. He felt disappointed in his heart, but it didn't show any trace of humility on his face.
Turning his head once, he met the steward on the second floor's balcony and met his eyes. Seeing the steward gently waving at him, he trotted up to the second floor.
"I go out once a month, and every time I have no money."
The steward of the building leaned on the railing with his arms.
There was a vague and vague sound in the door behind him, and there was an endless interplay of sounds and colors in the lobby below him.
"What did you do?"
The servant didn't want to answer this question, but he was a subordinate and he had no choice.
With his waist hunched and his head lowered, the servant said flatteringly: "I have a sister who works in a house, and I want to redeem her."
The steward smiled contemptuously after hearing this.
Qin's law does have the item of redemption, but the money consumed is an astronomical figure, which is difficult for the people to accumulate in their lifetime.
Even if a dignitary really falls in love with a certain minister or concubine and likes it very much, he will not ransom him, but will buy him.
The ransom money is enough to buy hundreds of slaves and concubines. How could anyone use his own money just to free a slave?
To get rid of slavery and become a civilian is just a fantasy.
The steward was about to make a few jokes when he suddenly thought of the shocking incident at the wax festival that he had just heard about recently.
He said casually: "Instead of saving money to wait for redemption, it is better to hope for the Lord Chang'an."
The servants also heard about the wax festival. Unlike Xianyang streets where speech is prohibited, news spreads fastest here.
"Yes Yes Yes."
The servant nodded repeatedly with a smiling face.
That's what he said, but in fact, neither the servant nor the manager thought that Ying Chengyu could succeed.
Because they were born into a world with distinct classes of slaves, commoners, and nobles, they didn't think there was anything wrong with this world.
Even the servants who were slaves only wanted to escape from slavery and become civilians, rather than thinking that class should not exist in the first place.
They cannot imagine what a world without class would be like. If they don’t know, they don’t expect it.
In this land of China, as long as people can survive, they will not think about changing.
The terrace is almost equivalent to Ying Chengyu's private territory, and the people here have the greatest trust in Ying Chengyu.
Even the steward who worshiped Ying Chengyu extremely, and the servants who were grateful to Ying Chengyu had the same idea.
So in the outside world, whether they were concubines or civilians, those with a better attitude laughed at Ying Chengfan and became mad, while those with a worse attitude scolded him.
Today's Qin State, under the rule of the First Emperor, is far from reaching the point where the people were in dire straits at the end of the Qin Dynasty.
As long as the people can still live, Qin will have no soil for change. This is called the general trend.
Just like Korea.
If the Korean family were not so greedy and pushed the Korean people to death, then the Korean reform would never succeed.
Even if the eight characters "Princes, generals, ministers, would rather be born" are engraved into the minds of every people, it will not succeed.
…
"You are going against the will of heaven."
Concubine Chu was dressed in a black outfit with narrow sleeves and gold patterns, and her hair was tied up like a man's crown.
She stood at the top of Xianyang City, looking at her mother and son, General Yinglu, who was riding on a war horse and excitedly waving goodbye to her, and said.
On the mottled city top, the city defense troops stationed here were holding long guns and looking into the distance. They looked down at the dust below the city with envy in their eyes.
"I said there is no sky." Ying Chengyu, who was standing next to him, looked up at the sky, stretched his right arm with his palm toward the sky, hooked his index finger, and shouted: "Come here!"
"You should ask the imperial doctor to check for the madness." Concubine Chu's face was expressionless.
Her eyes have been at the foot of Xianyang City.
Horses were galloping there, and the smoke and dust almost obscured the figures.
The leader is her biological son Ying Jianglu, and behind him are dozens of men who belong to the Meng family and were former generals of the Qin Dynasty.
They may wear armor with leather strips or ropes connected between the armor pieces and closely arranged with each other.
Or wear scale armor in which all the armor plates are nailed or inlaid on linen, leather and other fabrics.
In the eyes of later generations, these rags looked like a few pieces of iron put together for fun, and they were contemporary armors.
The 50,000 cavalrymen behind these people also wore pierced armor or scale armor. The difference between them and the dozens of people in front of them is that they are missing two breast shields on the front and back of their armor.
In the first year of the First Emperor's reign, on the fourth day of the tenth lunar month, the third son, General Ying, led an army of 50,000 people and rushed to the northwest to receive the title of Xiongnu.
"After all these years, this anger can't go away, can it? If Mother Zhaoyang sees you being cold to me, I won't slap you twice on the spot."
"If the eldest mother is still alive, you will definitely be beaten." Concubine Chu looked back at Ying Chengyu coldly and said: "If you were the king, Lord Changping and Lord Changwen would not die."
"Maybe."
Ying Chengyu stretched himself and his waist made a crackling sound.
"It's not maybe, it's definitely!" Concubine Chu took a step closer, stared into Ying Chengyu's eyes, and said coldly: "They obey you!"
Ying Chengyu put a finger on Concubine Chu's shoulder blade and pushed Concubine Chu half a meter away with an expressionless expression.
"What they obey is not me, but the power. I told them not to rebel, but they didn't listen."
Concubine Chu waved her hand away, took another step forward, and shouted angrily.
"So you just let them rebel and seek death!"
"I didn't kill them, it was my greatest mercy." Ying Chengzhi looked straight at her and showed no mercy to Concubine Chu.
"That's because you know they will lose. Chu is no match for Qin at all!"
"They buried 200,000 Qin soldiers. Without them, Chu State would have been destroyed by Li Xin long ago. Li Xin even defeated Ying."
"You fart!" Concubine Chu's nose sharpened and she swore, "As long as you don't lead the army, even Wang Jian can't rely on 200,000 Qin troops to destroy Chu! The Chu country is vast and has vastness and depth. The 200,000 Qin soldiers don't know the terrain. The army cannot spread out at all. Even if Li Xin captures Ying, Xiang Yan will eat it up! Can Bai Qi conquer Ying and destroy Chu? The number of Chu captured by Ying is still very small!"
Ying Chengyu was speechless.
This is true. The terrains of Chu and Qin are different.
Moreover, when the capital was moved, it was called Ying, and when it was moved to another city, it was called Ying. After moving so many times, it still survived tenaciously.
Ying Chengyu turned sideways, not looking into Concubine Chu's angry eyes.
"Everyone has their own choice, and I don't want to interfere."
"Then you shouldn't say those nonsense at the wax festival! People in the world don't want reform! In your words, you are a double-standard dog!"
Ying Chengyu placed his palms on the crenellations of the city wall and nodded.
"you're right."
This is my choice.
(End of chapter)
