The Mountain Has Fusu

A flicker of joy passed through Ying Zheng's eyes, but it was quickly shadowed by a trace of disappointment when he saw that Qingnu was not wearing the robes of the Qin Queen from years ago.

He quickly lowered his head and bowed to her. "Greetings, Teacher!"

"Teacher!"

Afang curtsied behind Ying Zheng, offering her respects to Qingnu.

Qingnu flipped down from the palace wall and gestured for them to rise. "Up, up! Come, Zheng'er, this is a gift for your capping ceremony! You know I don't have much money, but I do have plenty of food. Don't mind it."

She stuffed the sacrificial meat into Ying Zheng's hands.

"Anything gifted by Teacher is more precious than anything else!" Ying Zheng said seriously, stowing the meat away.

Seeing this, Afang stepped forward. "Great King, please allow Afang to take the sacrificial meat. You and Teacher haven't seen each other in years; you should talk!"

Ying Zheng gave Afang an appreciative look. After she departed, Qingnu squinted and said, "You boy, how can you bully Afang like that? She grew up with you as a childhood friend, yet you treat her like a mere palace servant? You've grown quite bold!"

"It is not that Gua Ren wishes it so. It is Afang; she strictly observes the rites of ruler and subject and dares not overstep."

Ying Zheng sighed.

At this moment, he could truly feel the weight of being the solitary ruler.

He asked, "Teacher, would you walk with Gua Ren?"

Qingnu did not refuse. She could see that the current Ying Zheng was not happy. But that was normal; how could one be happy while striving to be a good king?

The two walked in silence for a long while before Ying Zheng broke the quiet.

"My mother... she has a male favorite named Lao Ai."

At those words, Qingnu jolted and blinked. "Lao Ai? Then he..."

"He intends to rebel!"

When Ying Zheng spoke of this, his gaze turned completely cold. "And my mother... she supports him!"

"She actually supports a false eunuch in his attempt to seize Gua Ren's throne!"

"Teacher!"

Ying Zheng stopped and looked at Qingnu, his eyes swirling with emotion. "Teacher! In this world, can someone truly treat their own child like this? The two vile spawn she bore with Lao Ai are her children, but what of Gua Ren? Am I not her child as well?"

"Gua Ren has retreated again and again! Yet I never expected they would dare to rebel! Gua Ren wishes nothing more than to kill them outright!"

"But she is Gua Ren's mother!"

By now, Ying Zheng stood nearly two meters tall. Standing beside him, Qingnu had to look up to see his face. Seeing his overwhelming emotion, she stood on her tiptoes and patted his head.

"Don't cry, don't cry. A king should be the one making others cry!"

Ying Zheng suddenly reached out to grab Qingnu's hand.

But the snake girl was incredibly agile; she snatched her hand away, dodging his grasp, and gave him a light slap on the wrist. "You brat..."

"Teacher, the only one Gua Ren can truly rely on is you!"

Failing to catch her hand, Ying Zheng simply crouched down, lowering his gaze below hers, just as he had looked up to her when he was a child.

"You're certainly quick to kneel..."

Seeing him like this, Qingnu's hand froze in mid-air. She waved it dismissively and said, "Fine, fine. You are the King of Great Qin! Why are you kneeling? Get up."

Ying Zheng rose quickly, and the two walked side-by-side toward a grand hall in the Yongcheng palace. There, a woman dressed in the attire of a royal concubine was tending to a small child.

Afang stood quietly to the side, attending to them.

"Great King!"

Seeing Ying Zheng approach, the woman joyfully ran toward him with the child. But when she saw Qingnu, her footsteps faltered. She froze in place, a look of reminiscence flashing in her eyes, followed by an unimaginable shock that made her stagger back a step.

"Afang, come here!" Qingnu beckoned.

Afang walked over with small steps and bowed. "Teacher, was your talk with the Great King pleasant?"

"You girl, why the formality?"

Qingnu tapped Afang's head and glanced at Ying Zheng. "It was pleasant enough. I am a magnanimous person; I've forgiven the two of you for your past behavior!"

Only then did Afang breathe a sigh of relief, nodding. "Thank you for your forgiveness, Teacher!"

On the other side, the concubine held the child's hand, staring blankly at Qingnu. Ying Zheng introduced her, "Teacher, this is Gua Ren's concubine, Princess Mi Hua of the State of Chu, daughter of Lord Changping. And this is Gua Ren's son, Fusu."

"Fusu?"

Qingnu's eyes lit up. She looked at the mother and son, then crouched down and beckoned to little Fusu. "Fusu, come to Teacher!"

Little Fusu was stunned. He looked up at Mi Hua, then at Ying Zheng.

Mi Hua pursed her lips and let go of Fusu's hand. "Go. That is your father's teacher. You must respect her, do you understand?"

Little Fusu nodded ignorantly and walked up to Qingnu. Despite his young age, his salutation was quite proper. He bowed to Qingnu and said, "Fusu greets Teacher!"

Qingnu rubbed his head and smiled. "Such a good boy!"

"Teacher, why not become Fusu's teacher as well?"

Ying Zheng stood to the side, watching Qingnu interact with little Fusu, and suddenly made the suggestion.

At this, Qingnu blinked and turned to him. "You brat, do you intend to make me the family teacher for the Qin royalty?"

"Gua Ren would not dare!"

Ying Zheng immediately took a step back and bowed.

In front of them, Mi Hua also hastily curtsied. "Please appease your anger, Teacher. The Great King certainly has no such intentions."

"Alright, I was just teasing you!"

Qingnu waved her hand and pinched little Fusu's cheek. "He's much better looking than his father was as a child. He clearly takes after his mother!"

"Wu..."

As his face was being kneaded, little Fusu let out soft whimpering sounds.

However, Qingnu's grip wasn't heavy. Though he mumbled, he didn't try to escape her palm.

A moment later, Qingnu fell silent and released him.

Little Fusu looked at Qingnu, then reached up and placed his small hand against her cheek, asking in a tender voice, "Teacher, are you unhappy?"

Qingnu looked at Fusu for a long time before turning to Ying Zheng. "Ying Zheng, did you do this on purpose?"

For a capping ceremony, why was it necessary to bring his entire family along?

To guard against Lao Ai in Xianyang?

Though it was called a rebellion, how many troops did Lao Ai actually have? He was no match for Lv Buwei. Leaving the family with Lv Buwei would have been much safer than bringing them to Yongcheng! The journey was long and taxing; a small child might not have been able to handle it.

Ying Zheng had let her see Fusu on purpose!

Seeing that Qingnu had seen through him, Ying Zheng lowered his head and nodded. "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Teacher."

"Gua Ren begs Teacher—just as you taught Gua Ren back then, please teach him as he grows!"

As Ying Zheng spoke, he took a step back and performed a deep formal bow.

Mi Hua followed suit, bowing deeply as well.

Qingnu's gaze fell upon little Fusu once more. Looking at the child of the child she had once raised, she remained silent for a long time.

"In that case... then it shall be done!"

She rubbed little Fusu's head and said, "Fusu, Fusu, grow up quickly. I shall ensure you are safe and sound, healthy and happy."