"I wonder if Ying Xiaomi used up too much of the destiny; it hasn't been that long, yet even you are failing."
Inside the Qin Palace, the attendants were all solemn.
Empress Dowager Huayang, Zhao Ji, Ying Zheng, and Prime Minister Lv Buwei sat quietly in the lower hall.
Only Qingnu remained unrestrained. She muttered under her breath, looking at the frail Ying Zichu on the sickbed. When such disrespectful words regarding King Zhaoxiang were uttered, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to echo her. Only Ying Zheng gazed at Qingnu, his eyes like burning torches.
"Cough, cough..."
Ying Zichu coughed repeatedly.
He gripped Qingnu's sleeve, his mouth opening as he said, "Master... protect my Zheng'er!"
It was a deathbed entrustment similar to Ying Zhu's, but the content was entirely different.
Perhaps he also understood that he owed Ying Zheng much; for nearly half of his childhood, he, the royal father, had not existed in Ying Zheng's life.
Now, the State of Qin had lost two kings in three years. Many among the six states east of the mountains were starting to stir. Ying Zheng was ascending the throne as a youth, and Ying Zichu was very worried about him.
Qingnu patted his hand and said, "Let go of me! Honestly, you have the same temperament as your father..."
She pulled her sleeve out of Ying Zichu's hand and then said, "Don't worry, don't worry. Since he's a child I watched grow up, I will naturally ensure his safety! I would have done it even without you saying so."
Ying Zichu looked toward Ying Zheng, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Ying Zheng stepped forward and grasped Ying Zichu's hand, saying firmly, "Father, Zheng'er will not disappoint you or Master!"
Ying Zichu nodded slightly and said, "My son... shall be the king of this world!"
In the third year of King Zhuangxiang, the King passed away, and his son, Ying Zheng, was enthroned.
By the King's final decree, Qingnu, Empress Dowager Huayang, and Empress Dowager Zhao were to assist in governance until Ying Zheng reached adulthood and held his capping ceremony to rule personally.
The envoys of the six states once again set foot in the court of Great Qin.
They looked at the young boy atop the throne with varying expressions. Privately, the six states of Shandong all said that Qin's destruction of Zhou and the relocation of the Nine Tripods to Xianyang had invited divine punishment! The fact that two kings had died in succession within three years of King Zhaoxiang's death was proof of these rumors!
A young King of Qin could not support the weight of the State of Qin!
High upon the dais, Ying Zheng looked down at the expressions of those below. Within the vast crowd, he did not see the person he wanted to see.
He looked to Empress Dowager Huayang and Zhao Ji at his sides and asked, "Where is Master?"
"Great King, at a time like this, you should not be thinking of Master!"
Empress Dowager Huayang frowned slightly, reminding Ying Zheng.
On the other side, Zhao Ji whispered to him, "Master is not here. Once the ceremony is over, you can go find her yourself! Zheng'er, you are now the King of Qin. The priority is to deal with these envoys from the six states. Do not disappoint Master!"
Hearing this, Ying Zheng nodded slightly. "Zheng'er understands."
"Great King!"
Empress Dowager Huayang whispered another reminder. "You should refer to yourself as 'Gua Ren'!"
Gua Ren?
A solitary man!
Ying Zheng fell silent. By ascending this throne, he had truly become a solitary man!
Qingnu was not in the Qin Palace, nor was she even in Xianyang. She was out in the countryside hunting. Hongluan acted as her hawk, but unfortunately, she lacked a large yellow dog. She thought that one day she should have Ying Zheng find her a big yellow dog so she could achieve the feat of 'leading a yellow dog on the left and supporting a hawk on the right.'
When Hongluan flew back clutching a wild rabbit, Qingnu said to it, "Sister Bird, how about you go dye your feathers?"
"Dye this thing black!"
Hearing this, Hongluan immediately flung the rabbit at her face and cursed, 'Go die, you stupid snake!'
Qingnu squatted to dodge and said aggrievedly, "Can't you wish me some well..."
As she spoke, Qingnu saw a troop of black-armored Qin soldiers galloping toward her from the distance. Ying Zheng, dressed in royal robes, was at the front. His black-and-gold royal robes snapped loudly in the wind as he swung his whip and shouted, "Master—!!"
Seeing him jump off his horse hurriedly in front of her, Qingnu frowned.
"You're already a king, yet you're still so restless?"
Ying Zheng tossed his whip to the soldier behind him and looked at Qingnu, asking with a hint of grievance, "Why didn't Master come to see my coronation ceremony?"
"I've seen too many; they're boring."
Qingnu shook her head and said to him, "I am waiting for your imperial coronation!"
"Imperial coronation?"
Ying Zheng repeated, then asked, "Is it like King Zhaoxiang, calling myself the Western Emperor? If Master wishes it, I shall proclaim myself emperor immediately!"
"No, no, no... What's so good about being the Western Emperor? It just sounds intimidating. What I want is for your achievements to surpass the three sovereigns and your virtue to exceed the five emperors! I want you to become the emperor of this world. At that time, I will attend your ceremony without being invited!"
Qingnu smiled as she described her expectations to Ying Zheng.
After Ying Zheng finished listening, a spark ignited in his eyes. He solemnly made a promise to Qingnu.
"Rest assured, Master. As long as it is what you desire, I will certainly achieve it!"
Seeing Ying Zheng staring at her with burning eyes, Qingnu's eyes curved into smiles. She raised her hand to pat his shoulder and said in praise, "Mm, not bad, not bad. You are truly a student worth teaching!"
Ying Zheng stared at Qingnu for a long while, then suddenly laughed and said, "I'm taller than Master now!"
"You brat... what's so great about having two-meter-long legs in the future?"
"Don't you know talking about height hurts our feelings?"
Qingnu's expression collapsed instantly. She turned around and grumbled, "I want to be taller too, but who told my human form to only be one hundred and sixty centimeters? You have no idea how many methods I've tried! But nothing works! If you're so brave, why don't we compare our true forms? I'll scare you to death!"
Did she not want to grow taller?
In her past life, she was one hundred and eighty centimeters tall. What use was that? When she opened her eyes, didn't she still turn into a female snake?
Looking at Qingnu's back as she prattled on, the smile on Ying Zheng's face never faded.
"Although Master's height is lacking, her abilities are peerless."
Qingnu: "..."
She ground her teeth, indicating she felt like hitting someone.
But the brat had just been enthroned today; he was at least a king. If she beat him up in front of the Qin soldiers, the future First Emperor would lose all face!
Considering the brat's dignity, Qingnu suppressed her temper.
Ah, what a kind-hearted snake she was!
Suddenly, Ying Zheng grabbed Qingnu's shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Master! Do not be angry."
Qingnu shook her head, looked at Ying Zheng's hands on her shoulders, and said, "Let go of your claws! If you don't, I'll chop them off! I am your Master after all. Even your senior brothers didn't dare interact with me like this. You have no respect for your elders!"
"Who were those senior brothers? Did Master watch them grow up too?"
Ying Zheng asked suddenly.
Qingnu counted on her fingers and said, "Pang Juan, Sun Bin, Su Qin, Zhang Yi... anyway, quite a few! But the only one I watched grow up is you!"
After Qingnu finished speaking, Ying Zheng's previously low mood instantly brightened. He released Qingnu's shoulders, waved to the Qin soldiers behind him, and took a bow. He asked, "Is Master hunting here? Let me join you. I will hunt a cow for Master to eat!"
Qingnu's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?"
Ying Zheng nodded and said seriously, "Absolutely! As long as it's something Master wants, I will prepare it for you!"
Qingnu raised two fingers, her eyes curved with joy. "Can I have two?"
"Of course!"
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