Chapter 237: This guy must be cheating me!
Xianyang Palace, Xuanniao Hall.
This is a palace where grand events are held. The banquet for dividing the spoils, no, the banquet for dividing the fiefdoms is held here.
When Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the world and the King of Qi surrendered to him, a grand banquet was held here.
The bright red Danchi and the pillars that connect the Danchi below and the palace roof above are embroidered with exotic and divine birds.
The main color of this palace is black, which seems depressing in modern times, but people at that time did not feel it was depressing, but only felt noble.
Wax Festival Night.
After rejecting all the memorials, the First Emperor came to the Xuanniao Palace to hold a family banquet.
The main participants of this family dinner were the Ying clan and the huge harem of the First Emperor.
Ying Chengjiao, who had just escaped, sat dejectedly on the first seat to the right of the First Emperor's seat - the right was respected in the Qin State, and this was the seat second only to the First Emperor.
The First Emperor sat on the high platform without wearing a crown, symbolizing that this banquet was not formal and everyone could be more casual.
As a result, the Qin people, who were already casual about details, became even more presumptuous, and several gray-haired old men did not eat at their own seats.
He carried the small table to Ying Chengjiao, pushed the table together, sat down and started eating, drinking and chatting.
Although the table was small, it was made of solid wood and weighed at least several dozen kilograms. The old men carried it over without blushing or breathing heavily.
In the martial arts-loving Qin State, the Ying clan, as the royal family of Qin, had a very strong martial spirit.
In terms of generals and commanders, the Ying clan is not as good as the Meng family founded by , nor as good as the Wang family founded by Wang Jian.
But when it comes to individual combat SOLO matches, the Ying clan is not inferior to any other general family. This is the culture of the Qin State.
Don’t be fooled by the old man’s age, he is full of muscles.
"You are such a big shot, kid! You are much better than your brother, your father, and your great-grandfather!"
"You're right, the sky is a bird? The Chu people are the best at this, but we Qin State still did it!"
"Hahaha, if I don't die, Qin will have no country. What a powerful statement! Granduncle is so happy to hear this. This statement is even more powerful than what your grandfather said in front of the King of Yan, the King of Chu, the King of Zhao, the King of Wei, the King of Han, and the King of Qi that the six kingdoms would be gone in an instant!"
"Come on, drink this bottle with your uncle and grandfather. If you like it, just do it!"
“…”
Ying Chengjiao put on a smile and listened to the old people chattering around him, not daring to say no.
The youngest among them is from his uncle's generation, basically all of them are from his great-grandfather's generation, and there is one from his grandfather's generation.
These ten or so old men are the elders of the Ying family and have great say within the clan.
Of course, Ying Chengjiao did not dare to speak not because of his right to speak, but because of respect for the elderly - these elderly people had been supporting Ying Chengjiao since he was a child.
At this family dinner, these old men said a few words to the protagonist, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and then sat next to Ying Chengjiao and never left.
Within the Ying clan, Ying Chengjiao was far more popular than the First Emperor.
In the eyes of these elders of the Ying clan, Ying Chengjiao was much better than the First Emperor.
In terms of bloodline, Ying Chengjiao was born in the Xianyang Palace and raised by the elders.
Obviously, he was purer than the First Emperor, who was born in Zhao State and was rumored to be the illegitimate son of Lu Buwei for a while. When he returned to Qin State, he was already more than ten years old.
In terms of ability, he helped three generations of Qin kings, namely King Zhaoxiang of Qin, King Xiaowen of Qin, and King Zhuangxiang of Qin, to handle government affairs.
Work with the Mohists, Gongshujia, farmers, and craftsmen to update Qin's weapons, agricultural tools and equipment, increase Qin's grain production to strengthen Qin, and create chaos to weaken the six kingdoms.
Obviously, he is much better than the First Emperor who only knew how to make use of outsiders such as Li Si, Wang Wan, Wei Zhuang, Wei Liao, Dun Ruo, Yao Jia, and Wang Jian.
The Ying clan was very resistant to the order to recruit talents, or it could be said that the old Qin people were very resistant to the order to recruit talents.
They believed that outsiders had taken away the titles and official positions that should have belonged to them.
When the First Emperor issued the "Edict of Expulsion", the Ying clan played the role of a catalyst, and the Ying clan strongly suggested that the First Emperor expel outsiders.
"Uncle, I really can't drink anymore. Let me have some meat." Ying Chengjiao blocked the wine bottle that his great uncle was about to hit him with, smiling bitterly.
The old man glared, somewhat unhappy. He was the younger brother of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, so of course not a blood relative.
"You're not even afraid of the sky, so why are you afraid of this bottle of wine? I've already drunk it, are you trying to play a trick on me?"
"Who told you to drink so quickly..."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"I said you are still as good as ever!"
"Hahaha!"
The old man slapped his thigh and laughed. Even though he knew Ying Chengjiao was flattering him, he was still very happy.
Sitting in the seats below, the old man’s great-great-grandson puffed his lips when he saw this scene.
Who is your great-great-grandson after all?
If he said this, the old man would scold him and tell him to stop talking.
"It's not enough to just praise me, drink!"
Seeing Ying Chengjiao's unwilling expression, the old man smiled until his face wrinkled and said, "If you don't want to drink, praise me ten more times."
Ying Chengjiao rolled his eyes at the old man in annoyance and said, "Ten sentences? What am I praising you for? Am I praising you for having too many wrinkles on your face or for being disrespectful to your elders? I'd better drink it!"
The old man still had a smile on his face. He was not angry at Ying Chengqiu's words. He watched Ying Chengqiu pick up the wine bottle with a bitter face and drink it all in one gulp.
"Good! That's it!"
"There's not a drop of wine left in this bottle. How can our kid be so honest and sincere, and yet he's sinister and treacherous?"
"As honest as his father!"
“…”
Everyone around Ying Chengjiao was happy and talked a lot.
Sitting opposite him, Zhao Ji, the first person on the left hand of the First Emperor, was as cold as ice. There was no one around her and she was silent.
After thinking for a while, he stood up.
She wore a luxurious phoenix crown and solemn black clothes. With her left hand hidden in her black sleeve, she walked slowly and gracefully to the side of Ying Chengjiao.
Her arrival did not affect the warm atmosphere in any way.
The old people continued to talk, and the topic always revolved around Ying Chengjiao.
"Come on, come on, one more."
"Now that you are out, take care of my baby."
"Yes, take my family with you too. I feel at ease following you."
“…”
Zhao Ji, a living person, just stood there like a transparent person.
Zhao Ji looked very unhappy.
"You are disrespectful to heaven and disrespectful to the king. Such a big event happened during the wax festival. If the Qin State follows this man's words, it will surely fall. Yet you are still praising him? Don't you know that you are the greatest nobles in this man's words?"
What kind of magic power does this guy have?
Even though he did such a wrong thing, these people still praised him so much!
An accident happened during the wax festival, and everyone outside was just watching the show and had a hostile attitude towards Ying Chengjiao.
But at the family dinner in Xuanniao Palace, the elders of the Ying clan who held the power of speech did not blame Ying Chengjiao. Instead, they praised him repeatedly.
It was as if these old people, who were at least fifty years old, had no idea what the so-called nobility were.
The scene suddenly became quiet.
An old man stopped talking halfway through his words.
An old man was picking up meat with chopsticks and then put them down.
An old man smiled gently, then restrained his smile.
My great uncle twisted his neck and looked at Zhao Ji. His face, which was as bark as an old tree, no longer had a kind smile, but only indifference.
"Back then, this kid insisted that Zichu bring you back from Zhao State. I was as confused as I am today. If you don't come, you should pay respect to him and call him king."
This passage can be said to be tit-for-tat, leaving only the last shred of superficiality.
My great uncle almost pointed at Zhao Ji's nose and cursed - You think today's decision has ruined the Qin State, but in my opinion, the decision to bring you from Zhao State also ruined the Qin State.
Without Zhao Ji and her son, the Qin State would have belonged to Ying Chengjiao.
"Is my uncle getting old and confused?" Zhao Ji said bluntly, "Is the Qin State not doing well now?"
The great uncle turned his head, raised the wine jar and smiled at the dozen or so old men around him, saying: "When my great uncle was alive, Gan Long assisted him and the Qin State prospered."
"When my uncle succeeded to the throne, Shang Yang assisted him. Gan Long regarded Shang Yang as a thorn in his side. He obstructed the reform in every possible way, framed my uncle, and finally led him to rebellion, which ended badly for him."
Drink it all in one gulp.
"Gan Long's strengthening of Qin's laws was right, Shang Yang's reforms were also right, but Gan Long's opposition to Shang Yang without regard for form was wrong."
"Gan Long and Shang Yang were both chosen by the king. They were both chosen at the time. Why is this so? What the king sees is not what others can see. If you don't see it, you don't understand it. If you don't understand it and resist it forcefully, you will not have a good end."
The great-uncle mentioned by the old man was Duke Xian of Qin, and Gan Long was a staunch supporter of Duke Xian of Qin.
During the reign of Duke Xian of Qin, he made great contributions to the Qin State, which was in a state of disrepair. At that time, he was the prime minister.
My uncle was Duke Xiao of Qin, a staunch supporter of Shang Yang's reforms, and could also be said to be the mastermind behind the reforms.
Since Shang Yang's reforms affected Gan Long's interests, during this period Gan Long went from being a pillar of Qin to a representative of the Qin's stubborn old forces.
His uncle was King Huiwen of Qin, and Gan Long and Shang Yang both died at the hands of King Huiwen of Qin.
This passage does not directly respond to Zhao Ji, and no sentence in the words mentions the present, but in fact every sentence is about the present.
No one understood why Ying Chengjiao called you back at the beginning, but now it seems that he was right.
No one understood what Ying Chengjiao did today, but it was also right.
If you, Zhao Ji, don't understand, then you are short-sighted and cannot understand the king's thoughts.
If you don't understand, just bear with it and don't try to oppose it. If you oppose it, you will die.
"The king is on top!"
Zhao Ji was so angry that her face turned pale and she shouted angrily in a low voice.
When did this bastard Ying Chengjiao become a king?
How can his decision be considered the king’s decision!
An old man in blue sighed and said, "Queen Mother, you and I both know the truth about whether Jiao'er is the king or not."
"Gan Long was chosen by Duke Xianxian, Shang Yang was chosen by Duke Xiaoxian. Cheng Jiao was King Zhaoxiang, King Xiaowen, and King Zhuangxiang."
The old man in blue raised his head and saw that it was the emperor who was sitting on the high platform, chatting and laughing with the Queen Afang and a group of princes and princesses.
"And the one chosen by His Majesty. Although I have never been a king, is it possible that the vision of the four generations of Qin kings is not better than yours?"
The old man who threw away the chopsticks stared at Zhao Ji coldly, his eyes full of anger, and upon closer inspection, there was a hint of murderous intent.
In terms of seniority, he was the brother of King Xiaowen of Qin and one generation older than Zhao Ji.
"Mr. Zhao, I've already given in enough. I haven't participated in government affairs for ten years. I said a few words today. Why are you so stubborn? We don't talk to each other on weekdays. We are not dead."
The old man picked up the chopsticks, stamped them hard on the table, and picked up a piece of mutton.
The wooden chopsticks and the wooden table made a slightly dull sound when they intersected.
When the old man used the long spear to chop people, he liked to hit the ground twice.
"Your seat is not here."
The old man brought the seat to Ying Chengjiao, and the old man who changed the seat position at will reminded Zhao Ji to pay attention to the seat.
Zhao Ji was so angry that she felt cold all over and was shaking. The heavy phoenix crown on her head was shaking and looked like it could fall off at any time.
"you……"
"Queen Mother Zhao."
Ying Chengjiao spoke.
Zhao Ji stopped talking and turned her gaze away. There was surprise in her eyes. She felt puzzled but also a little relieved.
This guy didn't call me Zhao Xianglu...
"I'll give you a toast."
Ying Chengjiao, who had just been refusing the elders' urging him to drink, took the initiative to raise the wine bottle.
The old man meat just entered his mouth, and before he had time to chew, he frowned and shouted, "Why are you toasting her? I just asked you to drink, but you didn't drink..."
"Um?"
The oldest great uncle spoke with a solemn face.
The old man who threw away the chopsticks swallowed the rest of his words, held his breath, and picked up the meat to eat, one chopstick after another.
He picked up five pieces of meat in two breaths, as if he wanted to stuff his mouth with the meat.
My great uncle has the highest seniority and is the oldest in the royal family.
When he was young, he was a man who sacrificed his life for the Qin State. Most of the elderly people sitting at the table grew up under his care.
So when my great uncle said "hmm" lightly, several old men who also frowned and opened their mouths to express their dissatisfaction suddenly closed their mouths.
These old people, including his great-uncle who was in charge of the place, looked at Ying Chengjiao with dissatisfaction, confusion, and as if they were respecting him.
Zhao Ji, had the same look.
Dissatisfied, confused, why do you respect me?
"I respect Queen Mother Zhao for her guidance. Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy. You have unified the world and are an emperor unrivaled in history."
After Ying Chengjiao finished speaking, he drank it all in one gulp.
Zhao Ji stared at the bottom of the wine bottle next to Ying Chengjiao's mouth, her expression still cold.
This guy is showing that he won't rebel...
He said at the wax festival that the Qin State had no rule, and had the support of Wang Xi, Meng Ao, and the Ying clan, these old immortals. Now he says he won't rebel...
"Which of your words is true and which is false?" Zhao Ji said with a cold expression.
Ying Chengjiao put down the wine jar and looked at Zhao Ji's left hand hidden in her wide sleeves.
He said, "I don't know whether it's a blade or a dagger in your hand, just throw it away."
Among the dozen or so old men, some changed color furiously, some threw down their chopsticks and glared, some suddenly turned their heads to look around, and some sideways glanced at the First Emperor.
The great uncle stared with his old eyes and looked around to stabilize the factory, then stared at Zhao Ji's left hand, which was still not exposed, with murderous intent in his eyes.
This guy must be trying to trick me!
Zhao Ji's expression remained unchanged, and she said coldly: "I am not that stupid. You have mastered the Yellow Emperor, and the Yue woman cannot kill you, so how can I kill you?"
The old people's expressions softened when they heard this.
It's not surprising that Ying Chengjiao is a master of martial arts, they all know it.
This is true. This woman is not that stupid. No matter how powerful a weapon is, she can't hurt the baby at all.
"You can't kill me, but you can kill yourself." Ying Chengjiao smiled with his eyes narrowed.
In Zhao Ji's eyes, those squinted eyes had the power to see into people's hearts.
It made Zhao Ji uneasy, her palms sweaty, and the handle of the knife hidden in her sleeve and in her palm was soaked.
"What nonsense are you talking about, boy?" Zhao Ji forced a smile, not wanting to reveal her true feelings.
"If you really don't have anything in your hand, you shouldn't smile like that." Ying Chengjiao said, "You should smile like this."
Ying Chengjiao's mouth corners were raised, with contempt in his eyes and sarcasm in his smile, his whole face was full of sarcasm.
"What nonsense are you talking about, you bastard?"
He first repeated Zhao Ji's words, then put away the smile on his face and replaced it with a sincere look.
Both expressions are very natural.
"Is this better?"
