"I wouldn't have realized it if my brother hadn't told me. It's really bad."
Ying Chengjiao pulled up his third nephew Ying Jianglu and bowed to the First Emperor.
"After three years, I will have to trouble you to clean up the mess for us. Goodbye, brother."
Ying Chengjiao did not give the gloomy-faced Ying Jianglu a chance to speak and dragged him away. The angry roar of the First Emperor came from behind the two of them.
"I haven't agreed yet!"
Ying Chengjiao shouted.
"My brother has already promised!"
Just now, the First Emperor said that Ying Chengjiao could take Ying Jianglu to the desert and let him clean up the mess.
Don't joke.
Ying Jianglu couldn't help but follow Ying Chengjiao out of the council hall in a daze.
The breeze of eleven or twelve degrees blew on his face, but it could not wake him up from the confusion in his heart.
Ying Chengjiao dragged Ying Jianglu to the open space in front of the main entrance of the Council Hall. Looking at his third nephew who looked like a walking corpse, anger welled up in his eyes.
Bang~
He slapped Ying Jianglu on the face, causing the third son of the Qin state to stagger and fall to the ground with blood at the corner of his mouth.
The officials who were protecting the Council Hall were all startled and looked straight ahead, not daring to slack off even a little.
"Who are you showing this half-dead look to? I'm going to give you the territory. If you don't want it, I'll go call the fourth brother right now! Go back to your mother and continue drinking and playing with the palace maids!"
"No matter who you go to, the result will be the same. Father is right. If you can't solve your father's question, going to the Xiongnu land will only waste your uncle's assets."
Ying Jianglu let the blood from the corner of his mouth drip onto the ground and said with a sad face.
"Ying Jianglu."
Ying Chengjiao looked calm and spoke in a calm tone.
Ying Jianglu was shocked and raised his head to look up at Ying Chengjiao.
In the past, Ying Chengjiao always called him Little Taotie or the Third Brother, and never called him by his name.
The two were quite far away from the burning torches, so Ying Chengjiao's face could not be fully illuminated.
Under the cover of night, his face was not very clear, so even though Ying Jianglu tried to open his eyes wide, he could not see the expression on Ying Chengjiao's face.
"I just want to ask you one question: do you want this fiefdom?"
"Uncle, this is not about whether I want to or not..."
Ying Jianglu tried to explain in a hurry, but Ying Chengjiao interrupted him in a calm tone.
"Yes or no."
There is no sense of oppression or suffocation.
When being questioned, Ying Jianglu did not feel any pressure from Ying Chengjiao. It was as if Ying Chengjiao was asking him whether he had eaten or not. It was natural and calm.
But for some reason, Ying Jianglu had a feeling that this might be the closest he had ever been to his eldest brother in his life.
In this brief moment.
Ying Jianglu thought of the lost glass beads in Chang'an Palace.
Thinking about it makes me unable to fall asleep every midnight, I only regret that my mother gave birth to me too late.
He thought of Xia Wuqie, who came to help him relieve the unbearable headache caused by drinking too much.
"want!"
Ying Jianglu roared so loud and shrill that the officials outside the council hall subconsciously tightened their spears and prepared to meet the enemy.
With the Third Young Master's voice, he is perfect for being a messenger.
The officials guarding the Council Hall thought so.
"Get out of here! What the hell are you doing? Do you know how rich your uncle's family is? You want to squander it all in three years? You're dreaming! If you fight like this, my father can support you for three hundred years!"
Ying Chengjiao cursed and kicked his third nephew's butt hard without mercy.
Ying Jianglu covered his buttocks and jumped and dodged, saying in shock: "Uncle, are you joking?"
Thirty thousand cavalrymen fought against the Huns for three years, and the consumption of food and fodder was actually only a part of it.
The cost of consumables such as horses, Qin swords, armor, bows and arrows is just as much as the cost of food and fodder.
There is also money needed for training soldiers, compensation for those killed in battle, and rewards for conscription.
Even a small country cannot support so much money.
The First Emperor said that Ying Chengjiao's ability to hold out for three years on his own was beyond Ying Jianglu's expectations.
Now, hearing Ying Chengjiao say that it could last for three hundred years, although Ying Jianglu knew that Ying Chengjiao had great supernatural powers, he did not believe it.
But Ying Chengjiao was too lazy to explain in detail to his third nephew. After deciding to fight the Huns, Ying Chengjiao had a lot of things to do and had no time to explain to Ying Jianglu.
"Go back and recruit soldiers. Are you really counting on you? If you are frightened by your father's words again, you'd better give up the idea of ​​becoming king! He is just like you. He has only read a few military books. He knows nothing about fighting a war!"
Ying Chengjiao turned around and went back to the mansion, shouting as he walked, his voice deliberately very loud.
Outside the Council Hall, the officials held their heads high and chests puffed out, standing much straighter than usual.
They are proving that they are solely focused on their job of protection and will not listen to any rumors.
In the council hall, Li Mu, who had either sneered or frowned, finally smiled.
Your Majesty, you scolded me well!
Wang Wan, Li Si, Ren Xiong, Tu Sui, Zhao Tuo and Fu Zikang lowered their heads, leaning over the map on the large table, studying seriously how many drops of water there were in the East China Sea.
The eunuchs and palace maids lowered their heads tightly, holding their breath and not daring to breathe.
At this moment, they envied the pigs very much because pigs could close their ears.
The First Emperor's face turned livid and he looked very ugly. Suddenly, a sharp voice broke through the door of the Council Hall.
"Cai! I'm waiting to see how you fight!"
A long, sarcastic, mocking voice came from outside.
"Your Majesty, times have changed."
These four words "Times have changed" were the second time Ying Chengjiao said to the First Emperor.
The first time was when Ying Chengjiao opposed the Legalist policy of keeping the people ignorant and wanted to shake the foundation of the Qin Dynasty.
The First Emperor snorted coldly and returned to the case with a sullen face.
Everyone hurriedly made way, putting aside the debate on how many drops of water there were in the East China Sea.
Except for Li Mu, everyone looked as if nothing had happened.
The First Emperor pointed to Henan, a land in the northwest of the Qin Dynasty, and tried to speak several times, but was discouraged by the obvious smile on Li Mu's face.
If it weren't for your profound knowledge of military tactics, I would have killed you myself!
Ying Zheng thought angrily.
Thinking of Li Mu's profound attainments in military strategy, Ying Zheng recalled the battle against the Huns where Li Mu first showed his prowess.
The First Emperor suddenly turned his head and looked at Li Mu straight in the eyes.
"Does the King of Qin want to chop off Mu's head?"
Li Mu's smile not only did not fade, but grew even bigger.
This smile made the First Emperor very uncomfortable, and also made the two prime ministers Li Si and Wang Wan very unhappy.
This made Fu Zikang, the Minister of Grain, who was in the court but his heart was in the palace of Lord Chang'an, feel nervous - he must have drunk too much again!
Ren Xiong looked very embarrassed, and Tu Sui and Zhao Tuo habitually reached for their swords at their waists.
The First Emperor calmed down his anger and tried to soften his voice, saying, "Zhao Wu'an Jun was just joking. I wonder if Zhao Wu'an Jun has a way to wipe out the Xiongnu with 30,000 soldiers within three years."
If the royal family of Zhao had the King of Qin and the Emperor, the world would be Zhao now, right? The Mandate of Heaven is in Qin...
The performance of the First Emperor did not make Li Mu look down on him. Instead, it made Li Mu look up to him.
Li Mu felt that if he continued laughing, he would be the one laughing.
He regained his cold expression and said, "No."
Li Mu, the Marquis of Zhao Wu'an, who had prevented the Xiongnu from going south to graze their horses for ten years, replied in person. Although the First Emperor felt relieved, a trace of worry arose in his mind.
Brat!
I'd like to see it!
How do you want to change!
This was what he really said, but deep down in his heart, the First Emperor hoped that Ying Chengjiao would slap him in the face.
The loss of face is nothing compared to the huge benefits that Qin gained from gaining the Huns' land.
The First Emperor shook his head and put his brother out of his mind.
"Forget about that bastard. How much grain is left in Xianyang Warehouse?"
Without hesitation, Fu Zikang replied, "There are still five grain reserves."
"Ji" is a unit of measure for grain, which means that grain is piled up in one place. Usually, ten thousand shi of grain is one Jiliang.
But in Xianyang, the capital of Qin State, 100,000 shi of grain were stored in one place. One storage of grain was 100,000 shi of grain, and five storages of grain were 500,000 shi of grain.
"Immediately dispatch one unit to Shangjun. No, two units."
"only."
"Lord Zhao Wu'an, can you tell me and the others how you killed 100,000 Xiongnu soldiers in the battle of Yanmen?"
This is asking for advice.
In terms of experience in fighting the Huns, Li Mu was the best in the world.
Li Mu said coldly: "Mu is speaking for the Lord. This map is too large. Get the Yanmen map."
The First Emperor was overjoyed and hurriedly ordered the eunuch beside him to get the Yanmen map.
It doesn't matter whose face it is for , what's important is to get personal guidance from Li Mu.
Dozens of candles were burned in the Council Hall that night.
Inside Ganquan Palace, the Yue girl, no longer wearing the iron mask, stood in front of Zhao Ji and narrated the events from the assassination attempt on Ying Chengjiao a few days ago until today.
Of course, some unspeakable scenes are hidden here.
Queen Dowager Zhao leaned lazily on the bed, her eyes closed, her breathing steady, as if she was asleep.
"...That brat asked me to report it to the Queen Mother."
The Vietnamese woman stopped talking here, as if she was in some difficulty.
Queen Dowager Zhao said nothing, her breathing rate did not change, and her chest, hidden under the veil, rose and fell steadily.
I don't know how long it took, but a layer of wax appeared at the bottom of the candles in the hall.
The girl was ready to flee immediately, and said in the same tone as before: "The Queen Mother wants His Majesty to be locked up and not to force that bastard all the time. He said he was born to be a king and doesn't want to be a prime minister or a lieutenant."
The moment Yue girl finished speaking, Zhao Ji opened her eyes, a gleam of light flashed in them, and was immediately replaced by a gentle look.
"Since that guy wants you to stay with him, then stay."
Zhao Ji touched the ground with her snow-white toes without shoes or socks, and floated in front of the Yue girl wearing a plain white gauze.
Her face, which seems to never age, is still beautiful and graceful, and with the blessing of her seductive eyes, she looks so charming.
With her jade-like finger on Yue girl's lips, Zhao Ji murmured, "You are so beautiful that no man can bring himself to touch you. Go away quickly, or I will be reluctant to leave you."
The Yue girl felt an inexplicable heat all over her body and hastily suppressed it with her strong internal force.
As soon as Zhao Ji finished speaking, the Yue girl, who had been prepared for a long time, immediately withdrew and retreated quickly.
"Farewell, Queen Mother."
Inside the palace, the door was wide open.
The sound has not yet ended, but the person is gone.
Zhao Ji only left one finger pointed in the air, her eyes as charming as silk threads and her face as beautiful as a goddess.
"What's the point of looking at it from outside? Why not come in and take a closer look?"
Zhao Ji gently pulled the white gauze, and her plain white elegant dress slipped down three inches, revealing a jade shoulder that was three points whiter than the dress and had two delicate collarbones.
Bang!
The wide-open door of the palace was pulled closed by an external force.
"Zhang Han doesn't dare!"
Zhao Ji chuckled softly, took out the Zhao State Hu wine stored in the Xianyang Palace, poured bottle after bottle, and her face gradually became more rosy .
Compared with before, Zhao Ji now looked less graceful and more beautiful and charming.
Drunk people.
People are drunk.
"What kind of gun is so powerful?"
Zhao Ji was drunk, holding the wine jar high, with her snow-white arms half exposed, and whispering into the wine jar filled with Zhao's Hu wine.
She held the bottle and poured the wine into his mouth. Half of the wine did not go into his mouth, but flowed down his snow-white neck across the hill and into the ravine.
Some float downstream.
Some of them hang on the wall without falling off.
Hiccup
Perhaps because she was moving too fast and too hastily, Zhao Ji let out a long burp.
The breath she exhaled caused the flame of the candle on the table in front of her to surge violently.
As if dissatisfied with the rising candle flame, Zhao Ji placed the bronze wine jar upside down on the candle flame which had only just turned into a bean.
"Even if the rumors are false, by the time the two men make peace, all of his powers will be gone. Even if he has a gun, he can't be killed."
Light passes away.
Darkness is coming.
"Then mother also hopes that you two can be together, you two bastards."
…
Ying Jianglu, the third prince of the Qin Dynasty, had complicated thoughts in his mind, and he returned to his mother's palace in a slow and steady manner.
Pushing open the outermost door of the palace, Ying Jianglu entered the outer hall of the palace.
After walking a dozen steps, he came to the main hall adjacent to the outer hall, and walked towards his bedroom with his head lowered.
"What did Lord Chang'an do to my son?"
There was a crisp sound of thumping the table, and Concubine Chu, the mother of General Ying, slammed the table and stood up, burning with anger.
Ying Jianglu suddenly woke up and looked up, only then did he see his biological mother. He forced a smile and said, "Mother, why haven't you fallen asleep yet?"
At this time in the past, his mother would have been asleep for almost half an hour.
Concubine Chu rushed over angrily and leaned over to hold Ying Jianglu's shoulders.
"How did that bastard treat my son? Why did he become like this?"
Reaching down with her left hand and grabbing her son's right hand, Concubine Chu was like a mother dragon whose reverse scales had been touched, and she dragged Ying Jianglu towards the palace gate.
"Don't be afraid, my son. Mother will take you to Zhangtai Palace to discuss this matter with His Majesty!"
"Mother! The emperor is not in Zhangtai Palace! If you take me to find the emperor, your bedroom will become a cold palace in the future!"
Ying Jianglu stuck his butt out, sank his body, grabbed Chu Fei's left hand with both hands, and dragged her back with all his might.
When Concubine Chu heard what her son said, she paused suddenly.
Originally, the Chu concubine and Ying Jianglu's mother and son counteracted each other.
The Concubine Chu stopped without warning, and her strength was exhausted, so Ying Jianglu almost fell down.
Before Ying Jianglu could stand firm, Concubine Chu turned around and asked, "What do you mean?"
The Third Young Master shook off his mother's left hand, shaking his two aching arms and said, "Mother, when will you change your impatient temper?"
"Hurry up and tell me!"
Ying Jianglu glanced at the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall and shouted, "Get out!"
"only."
"only."
"only."
“…”
Everyone shuddered, lowered their heads quickly in response, and walked out of the hall in a hurried but orderly manner.
In less than five breaths, only Ying Jianglu and his son Chu Fei were left in the hall.
Ying Jianglu dismissed everyone else, making Concubine Chu realize that what he was about to say was of great importance.
The impatience on Concubine Chu's face was like water stains under the scorching sun, which disappeared without a trace in an instant, leaving Ying Jianglu stunned.
"Speak slowly, there is no hurry. Tell mother everything you saw and heard tonight, don't leave out a single detail."
Concubine Chu seemed like a different person, with a solemn and calm expression on her face.
It seemed as if his own son Ying Jianglu had just told him to change his impatient temper, and he changed instantly.
In the past, Ying Jianglu would have been greatly shocked by the change in his mother and would have said a lot about it.
But the shock he suffered today was too great, and the changes in Concubine Chu were nothing compared to it.
"Mother, please don't be impatient and angry."
Ying Jianglu habitually gave instructions, forced himself to concentrate, and told Concubine Chu everything he had seen and heard tonight.
While Ying Jianglu was telling his story, Concubine Chu would interrupt him from time to time and ask some trivial questions that seemed unimportant to him.
For example, when Ying Jianglu talked about the reactions of Wang Wan, Li Si, and Tu Sui in the palace when the First Emperor reprimanded him.
For example, when Ying Jianglu talked about the time when the First Emperor asked Ying Chengjiao questions one after another, Ying Chengjiao's specific physical expressions might include frowning, taking steps back, and shaking body.
What was supposed to happen in less than half an hour was interrupted one after another by Concubine Chu.
Ying Jianglu drank five pots of hot water and spoke for an hour and a half before he finished.
Even so, there were still many questions that Ying Jianglu could not answer.
Ying Jianglu is not a camera, so how can he record everything?
The question asked by Concubine Chu is too detailed. Let me give you an analogy.
It's like a modern person going to a supermarket and being asked after returning home how many shelves there are in the supermarket? What's on the third shelf? What is ?
Who can answer this?
"Say it again."
Concubine Chu had a calm expression and a calm tone.
"Ah? Still talking!"
Ying Jianglu stood upright in shock.
He always reminded his mother not to be impatient, but today he was the one who got impatient first.
"Say it again, no matter how big or small."
Ying Jianglu wanted to refuse, but looking at his mother's eyes which had never been so firm and powerful, the moment he said the words of refusal, they automatically turned into what would happen tonight.
"My uncle called me out and asked me if I wanted a fiefdom..."
This time, the number of times Concubine Chu interrupted Ying Jianglu was significantly reduced, and he finished his narration in less than an hour.
After finishing his second speech, Ying Jianglu just breathed a sigh of relief.
"Say it again."
Concubine Chu said calmly.
"What do you want to hear, mother? I've told you twice!"
Ying Jianglu jumped up and down.
"explain."
Ying Jianglu took a deep breath.
At this moment, he no longer had any feelings of hesitation, helplessness, or confusion about today's events.
I just wanted to finish as quickly as possible.
"My uncle asked me to go out..."
The third time, it took half an hour, and Concubine Chu did not interrupt once.
"Mother, don't say any more, okay?"
Ying Jianglu said with a sad face.
“No need.”
Concubine Chu shook her head.
"Go and call Pearl in."
Zhu'er was a palace maid who had served Concubine Chu for several years and was one of the many palace maids who had physical contact with Ying Jianglu.
Ying Jianglu breathed a sigh of relief and ran out quickly to call Zhu'er into the hall.
General Ying brought the beautiful Zhu'er into the hall. Concubine Chu walked briskly, holding a long sword in her hand.
Under Ying Jianglu's incredulous gaze, the sword pierced Zhu'er's left chest cleanly and neatly, passing through her heart.
Zhu'er's eyes were full of confusion. She looked down at the sword in front of her chest, and the confusion was replaced by despair and resentment.
"The Queen Mother won't let go... Ugh!"
Concubine Chu's face was calm. She gripped the hilt of the sword and twisted it hard, causing the sword to stir vigorously in Zhu'er's heart.
Zhu'er was heartbroken, speechless, her eyes went black, and she died.