In Zhiyang Palace, in front of the Empress Dowager Xia
Ying Zheng, who was dressed in sackcloth and filial piety, led the Ying clan members to mourn and keep vigil for Queen Mother Xia.
As a rare diligent king in the past and present, Ying Zheng rarely put down all government affairs and stayed at the funeral for three days without sleep, eating or drinking, and almost fell ill in front of the funeral.
Although Ying Zheng also practiced martial arts, he was only at the second- or third-rate level after all. He was already devastated, and he stayed awake for three consecutive days, staying in front of Queen Mother Xia's soul without eating or drinking. Naturally, his body could not bear it.
But this was the last day. No matter how weak Ying Zheng was, he would still send Empress Dowager Xia on her final journey.
During the Warring States Period, people could be buried three days after death, instead of the seven-day period in later generations. Today is the day when the Empress Dowager Xia was buried.
Ying Zheng sat in the chariot and personally sent the coffin of Queen Mother Xia to Dudong.
Completely different from the previous relationship between Queen Mother Huayang and Ying Zheng, Queen Mother Xia indeed had unusual feelings for Ying Zheng.
Sitting in the car, Ying Zheng couldn't help but recall every moment he had with Queen Mother Xia in the past.
When he was young, he accompanied Zhao Ji back to China. Having experienced various hardships since childhood, he was particularly precocious and could distinguish between those who approached him out of sincerity and those who approached him for profit.
Although the Empress Dowager Huayang at that time recognized Ying Zichu as her heir, Ying Zichu was not her biological son after all, and the recognition of her son was nothing more than a connection of interests.
As the nominal grandmother, Queen Mother Huayang still prefers Cheng Xi, the child of Ying Zichu and Han Ji, to Ying Zheng.
Although the Chu people were also regarded as barbarians by other countries in the Central Plains, Queen Mother Huayang, who had studied the etiquette and culture of the Central Plains since she was a child, was different. She liked the fact that she was of Korean origin, and Mingli was well-behaved and she had taken her with her since she was a child. She was closer to the Chu people and the Chu people. into a dragon.
Of course, Queen Mother Huayang did not have a bad impression of Ying Zheng, but the few good feelings she had had had long since dissipated with Zhao Ji's publicity.
It was just that when King Xiaowen saw Ying Zheng returning to his country during his lifetime, he admired Ying Zheng and gave him the windlass sword passed down by Xiao Gong, which represented the supreme power of the Qin State. As a reward for his beloved grandson, it was almost a public statement that Ying Zheng would be the prince. Ying Zichu's future heir, so Empress Huayang chose to make initial contact with Ying Zheng.
Unlike Empress Dowager Huayang's utilitarianism, Empress Dowager Xia's love for Ying Zheng, her grandson, was purely out of strong ancestral affection.
In order not to affect the future of her biological son Ying Zichu and not to arouse the fear of the Queen Mother Huayang, the Queen Mother Xia did not dare to get close to Ying Zichu, even after he had become the prince or even the new king of Qin.
Therefore, Queen Mother Xia also poured her emotions for her beloved son into her beloved grandson. Ying Zheng was the beloved grandson to whom Queen Mother Xia expressed her affection.
Everyone believed that the first investment Ying Zheng received came from Lu Buwei, a teacher who also invested in his father. No one knew that it was the person who gave Ying Zheng external support when he needed help the most. Yuan’s biological grandmother.
The Queen Mother Xia was not favored in the palace, but she was not without support from her maternal clan.
The Xia family is the surname of Gui, after Dayu.
After the demise of the Xia Dynasty, people with the surname of Xia's concubines scattered to various places. The Queen Mother Xia's branch was the Wanqiu Xia clan. The former Chen royal family became local aristocrats after its demise, and became the founder of the marriage between Korea and Qin. object.
Therefore, Ying Zheng's first batch of people were Koreans, so he had the opportunity to see the "Five Worms", which only a few copies had not been circulated, and to obtain Han Fei's other works as soon as possible.
However, as Han Ji, a member of the Korean royal family, married into the Qin Kingdom and became Ying Zichu's favorite concubine, the Queen Mother Xia was able to provide less and less support to Ying Zheng, so much so that King Han Henghui and Han Ji conspired to carry out the conspiracy. A political performance - Cheng Yu, who was less than ten years old, entered Han to persuade his grandfather, King Han Henghui, to donate hundreds of miles of land to the Qin Dynasty
The political drama devised by Han Ji and King Han Henghui is not very clever. The story is too straightforward. Even the Chinese in the countryside can tell at a glance that there is something fishy in it.
But regardless of whether it was a political drama or not, the young Cheng Xi did indeed expand territory for the Qin State, and once overcame Ying Zheng in calling for the crown prince. However, the Queen Mother Xia did not choose to support Cheng Xi, who was also of Korean origin. It is still unswervingly supporting Ying Zheng.
Even on her deathbed, Queen Mother Xia was still thinking about Ying Zheng and hoped to be buried alone in Dudong after her death.
King Xiaowen was buried in Shouling, King Zhuangxiang was buried in Zhiyang, and Du Dong was between them.
"Grandma, you should be buried with your grandfather."
Ying Zheng's eyes were firm. He was willing to listen to Queen Mother Xia's advice on other matters, but in this matter, he could not accept it.
Although his father recognized the Empress Dowager Huayang as his mother, as his biological grandmother with the same blood, the Empress Dowager Xia was absolutely qualified to be buried in the Shouling Mausoleum with her grandfather, King Xiaowen.
But on the hospital bed, Queen Mother Xia, who was so ill that almost only a skeleton was left, shook her head. On her deathbed, she still had some clear understanding, and she still chose to keep a low profile as before.
"Look to the east for my son, and to the west for my husband. In the next hundred years, there will be thousands of towns nearby."
Queen Mother Xia's reason was that she hoped to be with her husband and son at the same time after her death. Ying Zheng could not refuse this reason.
But he understood that this was not the real reason.
Queen Mother Xia just hoped that he could continue to stabilize Queen Mother Huayang and the Chu family, and completely transfer the power of the Chu family to her own command.
As a popular candidate for the crown prince of the Qin Kingdom, Cheng Yu may not have ambitions now, but the power of the Chu family must not remain under his command. This is for the good of Ying Zheng, but it is also for the good of Cheng Yu, and even more for the sake of Qin. Good country.
Queen Mother Xia stretched out her hand to signal Ying Zheng to come closer. She slowly raised her old and weak arms, put Ying Zheng's head next to her lips, and whispered.
"The Chu system is available, but you must be careful."
"Grandma knows how ambitious my Zheng'er is. In the future, Qin and Chu will inevitably go to war, and the Chu family at that time may not be loyal to you."
"If there is a war, like Wei Ran and Mi Rong in the past, they may still be loyal to Qin, but Zheng'er wants to destroy Chu. Even if the old man chooses to accept his fate, Mi Qi and Mi Dian have great differences. Talent, but we must take strict precautions in the future and not be entrusted with heavy responsibilities."
Ying Zheng and Queen Mother Xia looked at each other with their cloudy eyes, a little frightened.
When the countries united, King Kaolie of Chu was the leader of the alliance, and Ying Zheng took great precautions against the brothers Mi Qi and Mi Dian, as well as the Chu clan. However, after the death of King Chu Kaolie, the Chu clan was again accepted and trusted, and brothers Mi Qi and Mi Dian The two also served as the governor of Shangjun and the lieutenant of Taiyuan County in the local area, which can be regarded as entrusted with the important task of entrusting the border.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were many examples of scholars from one country going to serve in other countries, and even serving as important ministers for one person and more than ten thousand people. Even for the royal family of a country, there were even cases where a son of a country served as an important minister for another country and was the enemy of his mother country. There were countless others, so Ying Zheng never really doubted the loyalty of Mi Qi and Mi Dian.
Looking at Ying Zheng who was deep in thought, Queen Mother Xia opened her mouth to speak, but still didn't say anything else.
There is another person who will be Qin's biggest hidden danger.
However, the current Qin State needs such a person to balance the forces of all parties in the court for Ying Zheng.
The State of Qin had waited for many years before it finally found a minister who could check and balance the powerful ministers and balance the conflicts between the old Qin scholars and foreign scholars, the military and civil servants, and the hundreds of families and the State of Qin. Even the power of Luo Sheng was gradually taken back.
However, such people will one day become Qin's biggest hidden danger.
Maybe Ying Zheng didn't know many things about the harem, but as someone who had not been favored for many years and was now the Queen Mother, how could she not know what Zhao Ji, who had been widowed for many years, should look like?
If it weren't for the advice of the old eunuch, how could she tolerate this man's dirty work in the palace?
Ying Zheng didn't know what the last words of Empress Dowager Xia were that she wanted to say but didn't say. Someone who was messing with the palace curtains followed Ying Zheng and knelt down three times and nine times on Empress Dowager Xia's coffin. He didn't know that he had escaped by chance. .
After getting up, Ying Zheng was manipulated by the craftsmen to gradually seal the mausoleum. He recalled the last secret words of the Queen Mother Xia when she was dying, and glanced at Mi Qi and Mi Dian in the crowd.
He didn't know whether Queen Mother Xia's words were right or wrong, but Ying Zheng would remember her words in his heart.
(2457 words)
(End of chapter)
