"Sir, Your Majesty has summoned you."
Zhao Zheng rested for several days, and the injuries on his face were finally mostly healed. As for the misunderstanding, Cheng Jiao had already solved it when he woke up. He just heard that he was grounded by the queen because of this incident. Zhao Zheng went there several times without seeing anyone. Seeing his mother and Lu Buwei appear in front of him with solemn expressions, although he felt uncomfortable in his heart, he also knew that now was not the time to think about this.
"I know." Zhao Zheng was dressed neatly and said calmly. "Wait a minute." Lu Buwei saw that he was so calm and thought that he didn't know the meaning of today's summons, so he couldn't help but remind him: "Master, do you know why the king summoned you today?" Zhao Ji whispered gratefully: "Buwei... …”
Zhao Zheng, who originally had his back turned to Lu Buwei, frowned slightly when he heard this and sneered in his heart. Then he turned around and suppressed all his emotions. He raised his hands as if asking for advice humbly and said, "Please give me some advice, Prime Minister Lu." Lu Buwei saw that his attitude was good, so he He softened his expression and said: "Thanks to the efforts of my ministers, more than 70% of the ministers in the court are on the side of the young master. The young master only needs to know that it is better to keep the normal answers in the future. If you are too deliberate, you will make the prince angry. I'm tired of it." Although Zhao Zheng was only a thirteen-year-old boy, he understood the two meanings of Lu Buwei's words.
One is to really tell him how to respond in the future; the other is that he is about to be appointed prince, and Lu Buwei is also reminding him to remember whose strength he relied on to get to where he is today. Although he hated Lu Buwei in his heart for using their mother and son and doing such things to his mother, he knew that he was still young and it was not the time to fall out with him, so he could only endure it.
So he did his best to act like a good student and nodded heavily to show that he understood. He was born with a cute Yuxue, and his well-behaved appearance looked very childish, which did not make Lu Buwei suspicious. Then he bowed to his mother and said, "Mother, the child is gone." He just walked out of the Xinling Hall surrounded by several eunuchs.
The empty bedroom was filled with the pungent smell of medicine. The palace attendants sent him to the door, then turned around and exited, breathing in the fresh air outside. In comparison, the young Zhao Zheng never showed any sign of reluctance. He walked to the place three steps away from the divorced man's bed, lifted up his clothes and knelt down firmly: "My child has met my father."
However, after not seeing each other for a few days, the foreigner had aged by more than ten years. Although Zhao Zheng couldn't see him as he was kneeling on the ground with his head down, he could hear him struggling to speak, but he could only make heavy and unstable breathing. The atmosphere in the dormitory became very strange for a while, but Zhao Zheng's expression remained unchanged and he still knelt respectfully. Until the stranger finally spoke to him with difficulty: "Yes... it's my son who is here. Come soon... come to the father."
Zhao Zheng did not dare to keep his father waiting for a long time, so he immediately threw aside etiquette, stepped forward and knelt in front of the bed again. The stranger looked sallow at this time, with no luster on his face, and his eyes lacked the look that he should have had when he was killing and decisive in the past. He lay motionless on the large bed, breathing heavily, and it was hard to see. Only when he saw his son did his gray eyes regain some luster.
The father and son were speechless. After a long while, the stranger sighed, and slowly raised his hand. After trying several times, he touched Zhao Zheng's little face where the fingerprints were still there, and asked distressedly: "My son, does it still hurt?" The rough fingertips lightly whirled on Zhao Zheng's face, but he couldn't control the strength due to illness, which caused a stinging pain in his wound. However, Zhao Zheng knew that his father felt guilty, so he could only endure it without changing his expression, and remained calm. bear it.
"The child is not in pain, father, please don't blame yourself." He didn't mean what he said. He had seen how his father treated their mother and son in the past two years. The Queen and Queen Mother Huayang have been playing tricks over and over again, but their mother and son are still safe and sound. Although there is a reason why Lu Buwei secretly protects them, in comparison, their father's protection for them is silently paid without any consideration in return.
The father had to withstand the pressure of the Queen Mother Huayang, and at the same time he had to give the Queen enough money. In this situation, he still secretly protected their mother and son again and again. But afterwards, they never boasted or even mentioned this in front of their mother and son. He himself was not slow. Even if his father didn't say anything, he would see everything in his eyes and remember it in his heart.
Zhao Zheng knew from the beginning what Lu Buwei had in mind for their mother and son, and the reason why he promoted him to be the crown prince was simply to consolidate his own power. And when he chose to pretend not to know and relied on Lu Buwei all the time, he was completely following the trend and doing a fair deal. After all, they each get what they need, and no one owes anything to the other.
The fact that his mother had done such unspeakable things to his father again and again made him feel shameful and guilty at the same time. So at that time, he felt that even with this injury, it would be difficult to repay his debt to his father.
"My son... who is a king?" How come Zhao Zheng didn't know his father's intention, so he suppressed other thoughts, straightened his expression, knelt straight, and thought for a moment before seriously answering: "The king is benevolent, and the king is domineering. Yes, only when you have both, you can become a king." The stranger nodded happily and continued in a hoarse voice: "Yes, my son has been wandering around since he was a child. Experience and control it yourself. Then...why do you think you are hegemonic?"
Zhao Zheng thought about what he had encountered over the years and then answered: "I see that now the countries are in charge of their own affairs and attack one after another, and the world has been in trouble for a long time. The monarchs of the Shandong countries are weak and deceitful, and their ministers are cunning, and they are gradually declining. However, the Qin State has been in decline since its ancestor Xiaogong The reform and strengthening of Qin has accumulated more than a hundred years of national strength. At this time, it is a good time for our Qin people to march eastward. By then, all the people in the world will return to Qin, so that the people of Yuan and Yuan can be saved from the Warring States Period, and they will be able to achieve success Qin’s eternal hegemony.”
"Don't you want to be a loyal king?" There was a faint smile in Yiren's eyes. Zhao Zheng shook his head and said firmly: "My child will never be a conservative king." The stranger touched his head and praised: "Excellent, my descendants of Qin...should have such ambitions. It's a pity that my father I can no longer see my son's heroic appearance to dominate the world." The stranger put aside his identity as King of Qin and only said these words from the perspective of a father, which made Zhao Zheng's eyes heat up for no reason, and a bit of youthful vulnerability appeared on his face. With childishness, he murmured: "Father..."
"As a father... I am afraid that my time as a father will be short. There is still one thing in my heart that needs to be promised by you personally." Although it was extremely difficult for the stranger to speak at the moment, he still took a breath and wanted to give the instructions. After all the instructions were given: "Chengjiao is also... a miserable child. Over the years, his father has been competing with his aunt, the Queen Mother, and the Queen, and has alienated him. His mother also treats him... ahem..." At this point, the stranger He coughed violently, Zhao Zheng stood up to help him, and finally calmed down. The foreigner said again: "In short, I am sorry for him as a father. After all, he is also your brother. From now on..."
Zhao Zheng understood what his father meant, and before he could finish speaking, he immediately knelt back to the couch and solemnly assured: "Father, don't worry, my son will never treat him harshly." The stranger looked at him lovingly, his eyes But it was a little muddled: "You two are... good children. Last time... last time, my father lost his head and made you feel wronged..." Suddenly he remembered something again, and Yiren's eyes moved and he continued: " Also, once your father is gone, you should ask Lu Buwei more about everything regarding the state, as your father has made him your second father-in-law."
As soon as he heard the words "Lu Buwei", Zhao Zheng frowned and snorted in his heart: The only father of a child is his father. At this time, he didn't need to hide it in front of his father, because there were some things that the father and son had to explain clearly in advance, so he asked: "I dare to ask, what if Prime Minister Lu has different intentions?" Zhao Zheng asked directly, The stranger was not surprised either.
At this time, he suddenly felt dizzy. He was silent for a while until the dizziness passed, and then he replied: "My son is saying...heh, but you have to remember that at least for now you have to rely on him. If it is too much...father The king has kept his promise and has given him the position of one person below ten thousand people. He no longer owes him anything. If...ahem...if he really harbors evil intentions, my son will not be merciful. But you must remember, you must not Motivated."
"Children, please remember your father's teachings." What he wanted to say between father and son had been finished. Zhao Zheng tidied up his appearance this time and made three bows to the foreigner in an upright manner, just like he did to Zhao on the bank of the Zhu River that day. High salutes are generally sincere and solemn. The stranger saw that he was just a young man, but his young face showed too much maturity and prudentness that was inconsistent with his age, and he had a faint bearing of a king. Although he was heartbroken, he felt relieved. Then Zhao Zheng stayed with the stranger for a long time before reluctantly returning to Xinling Palace.
Three days later, the stranger died. The following year, Zhao Zheng, who had completed his mourning period, successfully inherited the throne of Qin with the help of strangers and Lu Buwei's careful precautions.
On the day of the ascension ceremony, Zhao Zheng was called up before dawn. First, he took a bath. Then they were served by people to put on the black dress embroidered with white, red and gold silk threads prepared early in the morning, and put on the nine-shaped crown. When he was fully dressed, the maids on the side were all stunned when they looked at him again.
Zhao Zheng, who was dressed in royal robes, was standing there upright at the moment, with a clear and heroic spirit between his brows. Although he was not mature, he did not lose half of the majesty of the king. His face, which was still immature, already had a handsome look. At this moment, the younger palace maid could not help but feel her heart beating faster when she looked at him. Given time, if this appearance becomes more beautiful, I am afraid that it will attract the attention of more girls. God shakes.
"Young Master...oh no, the king is so handsome." A maid said unconsciously. But his expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't heard anything. Just by looking at this determination, I know that the future will not be easy.
An hour later, the young king stood on the altar where the stranger had stood three years ago. Facing the biting west wind, he stood with his hands hanging down, his figure upright and his face solemn. The sleeves and corners of his robe were blown up and down. Although he was young, he could still stand still, giving people a sense of poise and stability.
There was no one around him at this time, except for a dark crowd of courtiers standing ten steps away. With the dome above my head and the towering mountains behind me, it's really too cold to be in such a situation. At that moment, he thought of Zhao Gao and what he had asked Zhao Gao that day:
At that time, Xiao Gao would still stand beside me like this, right?
Suddenly, the young king seemed to understand why he asked such a question at that time. Xiao Gao would close his eyes and feel peaceful and not answer. He felt a little empty in his heart, so he secretly vowed to get the answer when the two meet again. .
Zhao Zhengneng could inherit the throne as a concubine, which was unexpected by many people. When King Zhao received the news, he was quite proud to remember that the young King of Qin had once humbled himself at his feet.
Seeing this, Lian Po became even more worried. Now that King Zhao had taken most of the power in the court into his own hands, and thanks to Guo Kai's success, he was gradually isolated and helpless. Young Master Jia and Li Mu, who were still conscious, were sent to exile. The death of his best friend Lin Xiangru made matters worse. His position as Prime Minister was completely a decoration. Sure enough, that night, King Zhao was satisfied with his little vanity and held a banquet for the officials in the palace. Lian Po was upset when he saw it, so he simply said he was ill at home and didn't even go to court for a few days.
In comparison, Guo Kai was very proud. Now he was favored by the court and became the savior of the new king of Qin. I feel refreshed every day, and my face is glowing every day when I go to court. When the King of Zhao saw him, he thought that he liked what he liked and worried about what he worried about. He also felt that he was a loyal and useful person, and he had great intentions of promoting him to become a minister.
When Zhao Gao, who was in Linzi, Qi State, received the news, although he had been mentally prepared for it, he still lost his soul for once. When he came back to his senses, he went to a wine shop and had a few drinks, as if he was thinking about something from afar. Just like a baby celebrating...
