Chapter 50: Bath, New Clothes, and Incense
"Brother, I have no official position or job. Can you please stop calling me into the palace? I'm very busy!"
As soon as he stepped into the gate of Zhangtai Palace, Ying Chengjiao started to complain bitterly and complained to Ying Zheng.
"What are you busy with? Are you busy having sex on the balcony? Or are you playing with those little guys? Wait for me for a moment. I still have two more volumes."
Ying Zheng was sitting at his desk, reviewing memorials with his head down while talking to Ying Chengjiao.
"Tell me what you want from me first! After that I have to go back to the tower!" Ying Chengjiao was very impatient.
He heard the news that the group of nobles he had sent to the Tingwei prison before had united together, pooled a large sum of money, and threatened to book all the beauties in the pavilion tonight to hold an open-air party together.
Ying Chengjiao's heart was now as if it had grown grass, and it had long since floated to the tower.
Ying Chengjiao didn’t care whether the Wuzhe Conference was held or not, he just liked playing with the nobles.
Ying Zheng ignored Ying Chengjiao and concentrated on marking memorials with the brush in his hand, dotting, drawing, circling and painting.
Seeing this, Ying Chengjiao didn't know what to say, so he could only sit in front of Ying Zheng, muttering: "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up..."
Soon, whether it was because Ying Chengjiao's urging worked or because the last two memorials were not difficult to review, Ying Zheng stopped writing within half a cup of tea.
"Follow me." Ying Zheng threw open his wide robe and sleeves and was the first to walk out of Zhangtai Palace.
"Where are you going? My royal brother, I really have something to do later. Could you please not waste my time?" Ying Chengjiao followed Ying Zheng reluctantly, praying silently in his heart that the big show on the tower would have to wait until he arrived before starting.
After all, Ying Chengjiao had lived in the Xianyang Palace for more than ten years. After following Ying Zheng for a few dozen steps, he discovered the destination that Ying Zheng was going to.
"Are you looking for me to take a bath?" Ying Chengjiao asked suspiciously.
Soon, Ying Chengjiao's guess came true.
Ying Zheng led Ying Chengjiao into the harem, and after many twists and turns, they arrived at a palace.
After entering the palace, a steaming hot spring pool with a slightly pungent smell, ten meters long and five meters wide, appeared in front of Ying Chengjiao.
The area surrounding the hot spring pool is made of the finest white jade, on which are carved various rare and exotic animals by skilled craftsmen. Each one looks lifelike and is a true work of art.
There was no servant around the hot spring pool, and no eunuchs or palace maids were there. It was obvious that Ying Zheng had cleared the area beforehand.
When Ying Chengjiao saw Ying Zheng stop, he turned around and left.
Are you kidding me? You want me to give up a bunch of beauties and take a bath with a grown man alone? I don't want to eat oil cakes!
Even though this hot spring pool was supposed to be exclusively for the emperor's harem, other royal family members were not qualified to soak in it.
Even taking a bath with Ying Zheng is a great honor for others.
But as long as there is no beauty, Ying Chengjiao doesn't care about anything!
At least let some beautiful maids come to serve you! What's so good about two grown men?
Ying Chengjiao pushed open the palace door.
Zhao Gao and Gai Nie, one on the left and one on the right.
They were standing outside the door like two door gods.
"Sir, please go back."
"Changan Jun, please go back."
Although the two people addressed him differently, the meaning of their words was the same.
Everything was fine when we came here, we can’t go back!
Faced with the siege of these two peerless masters, Ying Chengjiao had no choice but to return with his head down.
Ying Zheng was soaking in the hot spring pool at this moment. He closed his eyes and was thinking about something, as if he didn't care about Ying Chengjiao at all.
"Could you call two beauties from the Sixth Prince's Palace? Sharing happiness with others is worse than enjoying it alone. My royal brother doesn't want me to go to the tower, so please open the Sixth Prince's Palace to me!" As he spoke, he took off his clothes and went into the hot spring.
After entering the water, a little hot spring water rippled around Ying Chengjiao, and Ying Chengjiao breathed a sigh of relief.
The hot spring in Xianyang Palace is not like those fake hot springs that are called hot springs in modern times.
The hot springs here are pure natural spring water that gushes out from the ground. They contain many trace elements that are beneficial to the human body. If you soak in them regularly, they can have significant benefits for your body.
Now that you are here, make the most of it.
Since he couldn't leave anyway, Ying Chengjiao saw that Ying Zheng had no intention of speaking, so he simply closed his eyes.
After a while, he fell asleep in this warm and comfortable hot spring pool.
When he woke up, Ying Zheng was already dressed neatly and sitting in the hot spring pool with a copy of "The Book of Lord Shang" in his hands, reading it very seriously.
"Put on your clothes and follow me back." Ying Zheng spoke concisely.
Ying Chengjiao: ...Royal brother, just say whatever you want to say, there is no need to scare me like this!
He wiped his body clean, reached out to pick up the clothes, and was immediately stunned - these were not his clothes.
The clothes were woven with the finest silk and gauze, and there was not a single stitch on the entire piece of clothing, which clearly showed that they were made by a master.
Ying Chengjiao sniffed and smelled a scent that only new clothes have.
Bath, new clothes.
Ying Chengjiao had a guess and put on his new clothes silently.
There is only one exotic animal embroidered on this new dress, which is the black bird, the totem of the Qin State. This is a garment that only members of the royal family can wear.
Ying Zheng led Ying Chengjiao along the way, and there was no conversation again.
When he returned to Zhangtai Palace, as soon as he opened the door, a faint fragrance rushed out from the palace and rushed into Ying Chengjiao's nose.
Ying Chengjiao took a light sniff and smelled many precious spices including musk, agarwood, water calendula and ambergris.
Incense.
Ying Chengjiao's guess came true.
He took the initiative to walk into Zhangtai Palace, closed the door, and shrugged.
"Bathing, new clothes, and incense. What are you planning to do with such a grand ceremony, my brother?"
In ancient times, people would bathe and burn incense before undertaking an important event to show their sincerity.
Ying Zheng was an emperor, and something that allowed him to bathe and use incense must be a major event that could change the world!
Ying Chengjiao remembered that the last time Ying Zheng took a bath and burned incense was when he unified the world.
"I have read Li Si's memorial, and it is well written . Fusu has been under house arrest for four days. Chunyu Yue has visited the palace three times, but I turned him away each time because the eldest son was unwell. It is time to convene a court meeting to discuss the unfinished topic from last time."
This time, Ying Zheng did not ignore Ying Chengjiao.
"Don't talk to me about politics, I don't understand it." Ying Chengjiao said innocently.
"You don't understand, so I will make you understand. The ministers support the feudal system because according to the Zhou system, their merits are enough to obtain a fief. They say that they want me to enfeoff the princes in various places, but in fact they want me to give them fiefs. Wang Wan, Wei Zhuang, Wang Jian, Wei Liao, every one of them wants to be crowned king and dominate a place."
"But I don't want to! The great wish of the Qin ancestors to unify the world has been realized in my hands. How can I let the world be torn apart again? This world belongs exclusively to my Ying family! Cheng Jiao, you are also a member of the Ying family! How can you watch the efforts of the Qin ancestors go to waste!"
"Stop, stop, stop." Ying Chengjiao looked helpless and said, "Brother, have you forgotten that I am not allowed to participate in politics?"
Ying Zheng was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I don't need you to participate in politics. I just want you to be here, even if you sleep in the court. I don't want to see that everyone in the court is against me."
There was a strong sense of pressure in Ying Zheng's voice, a pressure higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea.
Even if he was the greatest emperor in history, he would get tired and exhausted if he had to bear such pressure all the time.
Before unifying the world, Ying Zheng used the Qin state to be the enemy of the rest of the world.
After unifying the world, Ying Zheng alone became enemies with the chosen ones who had helped him conquer the world.
No matter how brilliant and unique his talent is, the First Emperor is only a human being, not a god.
"Brother, I need your help this time." Ying Zheng said softly.
There was silence for a while.
"Yes." Ying Chengjiao said in a deep voice.
That night, the First Emperor notified all the officials in the court that he would hold another court meeting in Xianyang Palace the next day!
