As soon as Lu Buwei and Yiren left the Qin Guoguan, Zhao Jincai took Qiaoer and his son out and hid them in the cellar in his backyard. King Zhao found out that Qin Zhizi had escaped and was furious. He called Guo Lian to come for questioning. Guo Lian said: "The troops guarding Zhizi Mansion have been sent to the top of Daocheng to resist the enemy. There are only a few old and weak guards left. But they were bribed by Lu Buwei and let them go." Go. It's all the old minister's fault. He only thought about fighting the Qin army and ignored this matter." After a few words of reprimand, King Zhao ordered people to search around, but did not accuse Guo Lian. The Qin army attacked fiercely, and the people sent by King Zhao were unable to conduct a large-scale search. They only searched hurriedly for two days, but with no results, they stopped searching and concentrated their forces against the Qin army.
King Zhao of Qin was naturally a little surprised and happy when he heard that the foreigner had escaped back to Qin. He had expected the foreigner to be in trouble when he ordered the attack on Handan, but he did not expect that the foreigner could return safely. He thought that it was God bless the Qin Dynasty. So he ordered Prince An Guojun to go out of the city to meet him. An Guojun ordered the prince's guard chief Xiong Xiang to go out thirty miles from the city gate to greet him. Xiong Zhuang is the younger brother of Mrs. Huayang. Mrs. Huayang secretly asked Xiong Zhuang to observe the stranger. Although Mrs. Huayang promised Lu Buwei to designate him as the heir of An Guojun, she had not seen him for many years and did not know him.
The foreigner is finally returning to his hometown after many years of absence. As Xianyang approaches, the foreigner can't help but be excited, and his joy is mixed with a touch of sadness.
Recalling that six years ago, when he was sent to Zhao State as a hostage, no one except his biological mother Xia Ji came out to see him off. At that time, he felt that maybe he was a redundant person in Xianyang. Now, he has been recognized as the adopted son by Mrs. Huayang, and at the same time, he has been appointed as the heir by Lord An Guo. He is no longer what he used to be! Before arriving in Xianyang, I heard that Lord An Guo had sent a large group of troops to greet him. The mood is also very different.
Thirty miles from the city, Xiong Zhuang finally saw the convoy escorting the foreigner. He stepped forward and saluted: "General Xiong Zhuang has been ordered by the king and An Guojun to come to greet the young master! You have worked hard all the way, young master!" The foreigner is outside. After being a hostage for many years, he was always careful and cautious. He had long since learned to observe words and emotions, and had developed a deep understanding of the city. When he saw Xiong Xiang, he had no airs of a prince at all, and quickly returned the courtesy: "Thank you, your Majesty and father, for your hard work, and thank you, General Xiong!" Lu Buwei had seen Xiong Xiang when he came to Xianyang, and knew that he was Mrs. Huayang. The younger brother secretly explained the matter to the stranger. The group of people returned to Xianyang in a mighty manner. On the way, the foreigner asked Xiong Xiang about the situation in the city in detail, and asked about Mrs. Huayang's current situation with special concern. Xiong Xiang was only eighteen years old. He never thought that the prince was so approachable and knew everything. Please answer each question in detail.
After entering the city, he first went to visit King Zhao and King An. King Zhao of Qin thought he would never see his grandson again, but he did not expect to be able to return to Qin safely. He was very happy. King Zhao asked the foreigner what reward he wanted. The foreigner said that as long as Grandpa Wang lived a long life, he wanted nothing else. King Qin Zhao was even more happy. Seeing that the foreigner was articulate and well-mannered, King An also secretly admired this foreigner. My son, whom I haven’t seen for many years, promised Mrs. Huayang to make him his heir. It seemed like the right choice!
Coming out of the main hall of the King of Qin, Yiren missed his mother very much and wanted to visit his biological mother Xia Ji. At this time, Lu Buwei stopped him and said, "Have you forgotten what happened in Handan?" Yiren suddenly remembered that he had been adopted. Mrs. Huayang is your son. Regardless of distance or status, you should first go to Huayang Palace to pay homage to Mrs. Huayang. Just as he was about to set off, Lu Buwei said again: "I heard that Mrs. Huayang is from Chu. She has been in Qin for a long time and still misses her homeland. I have prepared a Chu suit for the young master and asked him to change his clothes before visiting." The stranger looked carefully. Thinking that Lu Buwei's words made sense, he couldn't help but admire Lu Buwei's thoughtfulness even more, and said: "Mr., it's still thoughtful. With him by my side, I can have no worries!" Then he changed into Chu clothes and went to Huayang Palace.
Huayang Palace is located in the Prince's Mansion and is the main palace of the Prince's Mansion. Before the foreigner was taken as a hostage, he and his biological mother Xia Ji lived in the side room of the Prince's Mansion. At that time, their mother and son were not favored by Lord An Guo. Everyone in the palace knew that his mother and son could not succeed and did not want to see them. Yiren had been looked down upon since childhood. At that time, Mrs. Huayang was aloof and aloof, and she was the most beloved wife of Lord An Guo. She had never seen their mother and son in the eye. However, fate played tricks on people, and through Lu Buwei's operation, he turned out to be Mrs. Huayang's adopted son! Going to see Zi today was a different mood. Yiren knew clearly that their fates were tightly tied together from now on. When they arrived at Huayang Palace, Mrs. Huayang had been waiting in the palace for a long time. Yiren secretly sweated in his heart. Fortunately, Lu Buwei reminded her in time, otherwise he might have made Mrs. Huayang unhappy. When the two met, they were both surprised and happy. Yiren was surprised that Mrs. Huayang was still radiant after not seeing him for several years. She was happy to see that she was less aloof and more kind than before; Huayang was so happy. Madam was surprised that Yiren had grown into an extraordinary prince, very much like An Guojun when he was young. She was happy that she finally had someone to rely on in the future! And seeing the foreigner dressed in Chu clothes, I was even more moved.
Mrs. Huayang took the stranger's hand and said, "You have been a hostage in the State of Zhao for many years, and you have suffered a lot, haven't you?"
"Zhao Guomin has a tough but honest style, and with Mr. Lu's help, I can still cope with it in Handan, but I miss my mother every night!"
Mrs. Huayang was very touched when she heard him call her mother. She had no children in her life and never knew what it was like to be a mother. She always felt worried about being helpless when she was old. Now that she has a son like Yiren, she will have someone to rely on in the future! He said kindly: "You are so honest and polite, and you are willing to consider for me. I am willing to adopt you as my adopted son and treat you as my own. We can move forward and retreat together from now on, okay?"
After hearing this, the foreigner was very moved and cried: "I have been alone outside for a long time. I don't want anyone in Xianyang City to think about me. I have already regarded you as my mother in my heart. Please accept my child's worship!" So he knelt down and saluted. .
Mrs. Huayang said hurriedly: "You are one of my own family, so you don't have to be polite. Since you came to see me in Chu clothes today, how about I change your name to Zi Chu? From now on, the Chu State and I will support you." "
Of course Yiren knows what this means. Ever since Empress Dowager Xuan took over the government, the influence of the Chu people in Qin has been at its peak. Although Empress Dowager Xuan later died and Marquis Rang was deposed, the first wives of King Zhao of Qin and Lord An were still from Chu. , getting their support is tantamount to getting the support of half the imperial court. So he bowed again and said, "Thank you mother for giving me the name. From now on, I will be Zi Chu. Tomorrow I will report to my father and ask him to officially change my name!"
Mrs. Huayang was very happy, and the two talked about some old things in the palace and anecdotes about strangers in Handan. After half an hour, Zichu left, and Mrs. Huayang said again: "I wanted to keep you for dinner, but I think you have just returned home, so you must have a lot of things to deal with, and it is not convenient for me to keep you here. You will live in Xianyang for a long time, and your days will be long!" Zi Chu thanked him. At this time, he was thinking about his biological mother, Xia Ji, and did not want to delay for a moment.
Zi Chu left Huayang Palace and went straight to Xia Palace. Xia Ji was originally a Korean princess and did not have much power in the harem. Her beauty was only average among the many wives of An Guojun. Therefore, Xia Ji was not favored by Zi Chu when he was in Xianyang. It seems that An Guojun did not carefully consider Xia Ji's position. . After Zi Chu was confirmed as the heir a few years ago, Xia Ji became prominent, and her status in the harem of the Prince's Mansion was second only to Mrs. Huayang.
When Zi Chu saw Xia Ji, he burst into tears. The mother and son hugged each other and cried. It took a long time to gradually stop. Seeing that it was getting late, Xia Ji ordered someone to arrange dinner. During the dinner, Zichu described in detail his experience as a hostage in the State of Zhao. Many of them were things that Xia Ji had heard of, and many that she had never heard of before. She is most concerned about Zi Chu's marriage now. If he were in Qin State, Zi Chu would have married several wives like other princes, so he asked: "I heard from Mr. Lu that you married a local woman in Handan and gave birth to a child. What is this matter?" What details?”
"It is true that in the Kingdom of Zhao, the child is alone, and everything is handled by Mr. Lu. Zhao Ji originally lived in the Lu Mansion. I was a guest that day and saw her graceful and charming dance, so I took a few more glances. Mr. Lu saw that I liked it and gave it to me as a gift. Zhao Ji gave birth to a son for me and named him Zhao Zheng."
"So that's it! From now on, the fact that Zhao Ji once lived in Mr. Lu's house must not be mentioned to outsiders again! If someone uses this to slander your reputation, it is really hard to explain. Originally, children's marriage matters must be handled by their parents, just because You stay far away from Qin, that's why you are so careless!"
"My child understands that my return this time is all thanks to Mr. Lu. I completely trust him!"
"You have worked hard outside for so many years, but you still need to be more alert when dealing with others and not be too naive." Xia Ji reminded. Although Lu Buwei gave his son to Mrs. Huayang as an adopted son, Zi Chu would be more noble in the future, but as a biological mother, she felt somewhat awkward in her heart, so she had always been wary of Lu Buwei.
"Mom, please don't worry, I have experienced a lot in the outside world over the years, and I know how to identify people!"
The two of them talked for a long time, and Zichu went back to rest in the middle of the night.
Not long after Zichu and Lu Buwei returned to Xianyang, King An asked Lu Buwei to be his teacher, teaching Zi Chu how to govern the country and participating in political affairs. However, Lu Buwei only agreed to be Zi Chu's teacher, but refused to serve in the court.
Back at his residence, Lu Buwei's guest asked: "I heard that Mr. An Guo asked Mr. An to enter the court, but he refused. Privately, I think you should not miss the opportunity!"
Lu Buwei said: "Now that King Zhao is still alive, he doesn't trust me very much. I am just an outsider. And I don't understand the situation in the court at present. It is inevitable to make mistakes in handling political affairs. This will be very detrimental to me in the future, so it is not as good as Just watch the changes and wait for the opportunity to change!" The guests were convinced.
From then on, Lu Buwei began to recruit a lot of guests. Whether they were from Qin or the Six Kingdoms of Shandong, anyone with skills could enter the Lu Mansion. It didn't take long for Lu Buwei's wisdom to spread throughout the world, and more and more scholars joined him. .
Unknowingly, Zi Chu had returned to Xianyang to live for more than two months. Zi Chu missed Zhao Ji and Zhao Zheng every day, and soon fell ill. After checking his pulse, the imperial doctor asked: "How many concubines does the young master have?"
Xia Ji said: "There is no concubine in the palace!"
The imperial doctor said: "That's right. My son's illness is caused by Yang-fire. He needs to marry several concubines! He can recover with a lot of treatment!"
Xia Ji then told Lord An Guo: "Now that Zi Chu is the crown prince, he has no concubines or heirs around him. I only heard that there is Zhao Ji's mother and son in Zhao State. But now the war between Qin and Zhao is getting worse day by day, and the news is cut off. As a mother, , I really want to find another in-law for Zi Chu."
An Guojun said: "Xia Ji's words are reasonable. Since ancient times, parents have arranged marriages for their children. We must also do our best."
"The King of Han has a daughter who is twenty-eight years old. She is my niece. She is virtuous and understands etiquette. I would like to send an envoy to arrange this marriage."
"Madam, please do your best to do this!"
After receiving An Guojun's reply, Xia Ji came to visit Zichu and said, "You are almost thirty years old now, but you don't have a formal concubine by your side. My mother wants to get you married again, how about it?"
Zi Chu said: "When we left Handan, Zhao Ji once said to me, we should not forget each other after a long separation. For so many years in Zhao State, thanks to her and Zheng'er's company, I was able to survive. Now I am safe and prosperous. But I can’t bear to forget them, I will leave the position of the principal wife to her.”
Xia Ji had no choice but to agree first: "Until the life and death of Zhao Ji's mother and son are confirmed, you can temporarily retain the position of the principal wife, and the Korean princess can temporarily marry as concubine Ji." Zi Chu agreed.
One month later, Zi Chu welcomed the Korean princess and named her a Korean beauty. Han Mei's brother Han Qi also came with her and stayed in Qin temporarily as a sign of the good relationship between Qin and Han. A year later, Han Mei gave birth to a son, named Chengjiao. Xia Ji loved Chengjiao very much and often kept him in her palace. At the same time, Han Qi also began to serve in the imperial court as a guard.
A foreigner takes a concubine and gives birth to a child in Xianyang, but Zhao Ji is a different story in Zhao State.
At first, Zhao Jincai knew that Yiren would most likely become the king if he fled back to Qin, so he tried his best to protect Zhao Ji, mother and son. In order to avoid being noticed by others, Zhao Ji stayed temporarily as a relative of the Zhao family. Zhao Jincai ordered his family not to mention the matter to any outsiders, and to eat well and drink well. Zhao Jincai was looking forward to the end of the Qin-Zhao War day and night. The Qin State sent people to send a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry to redeem Zhao Ji and her son. However, seeing that the Qin-Zhao War was over, Lu Buwei secretly arranged for envoys to inquire about the status of Zhao Ji, mother and son. , and did not mention taking them back to Qin, but just entrusted him to take care of them. At first, the Zhao family treated each other with courtesy and treated Zhao Ji and her son as honored guests. However, as time passed, they were still empty-handed and did not receive any property. The Zhao family thought that the proton of Qin had forgotten the mother and son. Zhao Ji's brothers began to show dissatisfaction, and Zhao Ji's mother and son were looked down upon.
Once, the eldest son of the Zhao family, Zhao Jin, said to Zhao Jincai: "Our family has raised two brave animals. We have been raising them for so long, eating and drinking for free. When will they end?"
Zhao Jincai remembered Lu Buwei's words and said, "Don't complain, the Zhao family's wealth will depend on them in the future."
However, the Zhao brothers disagreed. Isn't she just the wife of a young master from the Qin Kingdom? What a great thing it would be. Therefore, Zhao Ji's mother and son were never given a good look at home.
As time passed year by year, Zhao's father's attitude began to change, and he no longer stopped his family from looking at Zhao Ji coldly. Without the protection of Zhao's father, Zhao Ji's mother and son were living more and more. The Zhao family drove Zhao Ji's mother and son into a leaky side room. Not only did they have no servants to give instructions, but they didn't even have enough to eat. Zhao Ji had to live in the side room by herself. A vegetable patch was planted in the courtyard so that mother and son could barely eat enough.
Zhao Ji's brothers and sisters often ridiculed her, saying: "It is said that your husband can be the king of Qin. When can he become the king? Have he forgotten you?" "The people of Qin are very fierce. Why don't you marry someone else? Our family is also I can accept a betrothal gift, and it won’t be in vain for you to eat and drink for free for so long." Regarding this, Zhao Ji could only swallow her anger and live in her own side room and try not to go out. She always comforts herself, "Sooner or later I will stand out, and what I lose now I will get back twice as much!"
As Zhao Zheng grew older, he began to become sensible. He gradually understood the reason why he was not welcome. This was not his home. When he was five or six years old, he had to help his mother take care of the vegetable field. Because no one helped him, he had to do everything by himself. Xiao Zhao Zheng gradually developed a hard-working and perseverant personality.
One day, Zhao Ji caught a small fish by the river for Zhao Zheng. Zhao Zheng liked it very much and often put it in a clay pot to watch it swim. This is what Xiao Zhao Zheng has been looking forward to for a long time. He usually doesn't have anything to play with. This little fish brings him a lot of joy, so he loves it very much. One day, Zhao Zheng was watching small fish swimming. A neighbor's child came up to him. He also took a fancy to the small fish raised by Zhao Zheng, and wanted to take it away by force. Zhao Zheng refused. He fought for the small fish and fell to the ground, jumping feebly a few times. He was dying next time. Zhao Zheng was very angry and cried: "You pay for me Xiaoyu, you pay for me Xiaoyu! Wuwu..."
The neighbor's kid knew he was in the wrong, but he refused to give in, saying, "Who told you not to give it to me, you little bastard? You killed the little fish!"
Zhao Zheng was even more angry. Because he had no father, he was most annoyed when others called him "little bastard", so the two children started fighting. After all, Zhao Zheng was two years younger and did not take advantage. At this time, the mother of the neighbor's child came out and helped her child beat Zhao Zheng. She also cursed: "Where did the bastard come from to fight with my son?" Mother and son The two taught Zhao Zheng a lesson again.
Zhao Zheng cried to his mother about his experience, and Zhao Ji could only comfort him and said: "Zheng'er has a father, and he is a high official in the State of Qin. One day we can all go to the State of Qin, and you will also be a high official. But now we You can't tell others. Zheng'er is obedient!" Zhao Ji was comforting Xiao Zheng'er, and she was also comforting herself. Does the stranger still remember her? When can the two of them go to Qin? The pain here can only be swallowed in the stomach.
All the misfortunes that Zhao Zheng experienced planted the seeds of hatred in his young heart. He vowed that one day he would make those who bullied him pay the price.
