After the capping ceremony concluded, on the road back to Xianyang, Ying Zheng intended to invite Qingnu to ride in the same carriage with them, but she refused.
She valued her freedom, drifting here and there; she might suddenly decide to hunt wild boar in the middle of the night and vanish in an instant. Such a flighty nature was not suited for traveling together!
Not daring to force her, Ying Zheng could only nod in compliance.
Standing atop the mountains outside Yongcheng, Qingnu watched the caravan disappear into the distance. Gazing across the vast Fen-Wei Plain, she stretched and said, "Let’s go. Let's return to Xianyang and see if my shrine is still there. I actually miss the days of having meat to eat without having to go hunting!"
"But... are you really going back to teach Fusu?"
Hongluan, standing on Qingnu's shoulder, asked this question.
It continued, "I remember you told me that history cannot be changed and that Qin is short-lived. By going now, are you acting against the heavens? If it truly is against the heavens, will something bad happen?"
The bird was very concerned for the snake girl's safety.
"Let's give it a try..."
Qingnu looked up at the sky and said, "Perhaps... I can? After all, in the history I am familiar with, there was no temple for the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens in the Qin palace!"
Hongluan looked at her, flapping its wings as it took to the sky. "Fine! Then I shall accompany you!"
...
The military chaos in Xianyang came as quickly as it went.
Lao Ai, the Marquis of Changxin, was ultimately a man of narrow vision. He believed that as long as he controlled the Xianyang Palace, he could change the royal banners.
But how could the Qin clansmen and nobles stand by and watch him trample over them?
Inside Xianyang Palace, the atmosphere was solemn.
Ying Zheng looked at the two young children beside Zhao Ji and asked, "Mother, which child did you intend to use... to replace Gua Ren? Or rather, did you intend to let that treacherous villain become the King of Qin? Mother, do you still consider Gua Ren to be your son?"
Zhao Ji looked at Ying Zheng, her face covered in tear stains, and shook her head.
"You are not my son; you are the King! You are the King of Great Qin. My son was not like this."
"In Gua Ren's memory, my mother was not like this either," Ying Zheng whispered. He turned and walked outside, his voice resonant as he declared, "Lao Ai, the Marquis of Changxin, has rebelled. The Queen Mother, struck by shock and fury, is unwell. From this day forward, she shall relocate to Yongcheng!"
"Your Majesty, what about them..."
Someone looked toward the two young children.
Ying Zheng paused, and without looking back, he dropped three words. "Beaten to death!"
"No... you can't!"
Hearing those words, Zhao Ji rushed outside like a madwoman, screaming, "They are your younger brothers! Zheng'er, you can't!"
She burst through the palace doors, and no one dared to stop her.
However, the moment she stepped out, she was held down by the shoulder by Qingnu.
"Mas... Master?"
Zhao Ji froze, looking at Qingnu in shock.
Qingnu patted her shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and suddenly said to Ying Zheng, "Are the children not innocent? Ying Zheng, send them to Yongcheng together, or perhaps banish them from Great Qin?"
Ying Zheng stood still, his back to Qingnu and Zhao Ji. After a moment of silence, he said, "...Kill!"
After leaving those words behind, Ying Zheng departed.
Qingnu let Zhao Ji wail and scream. She stood in place, watching Ying Zheng's retreating figure, the corners of her mouth curling upward. Hongluan landed on her shoulder and asked curiously, "Why are you still smiling? He didn't even listen to you!"
"It’s right that he shouldn't listen to me! This is Ying Zheng. This is the First Emperor of Qin!"
Qingnu smiled, showing no anger at Ying Zheng's insistence on executing the illegitimate children. She whispered softly, "This is his first step into maturity!"
"So, when you asked that question just now, you were actually testing him?"
Hongluan tilted its head.
Qingnu raised an eyebrow and mused, "I suppose there was that intent. Fortunately, he didn't soften his heart! A ruler should not be soft-hearted."
"It's just... he feels a bit like a stranger now."
Hongluan muttered, "I feel like he’s changed, just like Pang Juan did back then."
"He is nothing like Pang Juan!"
Qingnu rubbed Hongluan's head and said, "Alright, alright. Your little head shouldn't worry about these things. Let's go! Let's go back to the Jade Maiden Shrine to eat meat."
"All you ever think about is eating!"
Hongluan looked at Qingnu with disdain.
A month after Qingnu moved back into the Qin palace, Zhao Ji set out for Yongcheng, never to see Ying Zheng again in this life.
Hongluan said that Ying Zheng locked himself in his bedchamber for three full days without coming out.
The palace attendants were worried about him but dared not intrude. Eventually, led by Mi Hua and Afang, they came to the Jade Maiden Shrine to ask Qingnu to come out and drag Ying Zheng out of his chamber.
As long as the meat was provided, Qingnu would take any job!
Want Ying Zheng to come out? No problem! She would simply kick the chamber doors down.
A crowd of people arrived outside Ying Zheng's bedchamber.
However, perhaps because Ying Zheng had learned some divination skills from Qingnu since he was a child, he proactively opened the door from the inside and walked out just as Qingnu was about to kick it.
"If you had opened the door a breath later, this kick would have landed!"
Qingnu looked helpless. She asked, "Are you alright?"
Ying Zheng shook his head, scanned the crowd, and fixed his gaze on Qingnu. He spoke slowly, "Gua Ren is fine. I have caused Master to worry."
"As long as you're fine."
Qingnu nodded, feeling relieved. She stepped forward and patted Ying Zheng’s right shoulder, saying, "This world is waiting for a new king, a new king who will unify the Six Directions and Eight Desolations!"
"That king will certainly be Gua Ren! It can only be Gua Ren!"
Ying Zheng nodded, gazing at Qingnu with burning intensity. "Gua Ren will not disappoint Master, nor will I disappoint the ancestral lords of Great Qin!"
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