"How dare he betray Qin!"
In the main hall of the Qin palace, Ying Zheng's voice was filled with fury.
At the lower end of the hall, Mi Hua and Fusu were both kneeling on the floor. With Mi Qi's betrayal, the mother and son were the ones most heavily affected.
Ying Zheng had not yet appointed a queen, and his eldest son, Fusu, had been tutored by Qingnu. He was almost certainly the designated next king of Qin!
But now, after Mi Qi's betrayal, Fusu's position in the Qin court had suddenly become awkward due to his Chu bloodline. The court officials' purge of the Chu faction soon expanded into an assault on all foreign officials.
Under such circumstances, they naturally could not allow a new king with Chu blood to ascend the throne.
Even the other princes had begun to move restlessly.
"Great King, please appease your anger. My father, he..."
Mi Hua stammered for a long time, unable to finish her sentence.
Ying Zheng said coldly, "He deserves death!"
Now, unless Mi Qi immediately surrendered the entire state of Chu to Qin after becoming its king, nothing else could be said to salvage the situation!
"What is all this shouting for? What does the actions of that old fool Mi Qi have to do with this mother and child?"
Qingnu scolded from the side.
Ying Zheng was becoming more and more like an unfeeling king. Perhaps anyone who sat in that seat would eventually turn out this way. However, Ying Zheng's respect for Qingnu remained unchanged. Hearing her soft scolding, he fell silent for a moment, contemplating how to explain the situation to her.
"Teacher, you do not know the current state of the court. Because of Mi Qi's betrayal, Gua Ren's plans have been nearly ruined!"
Ying Zheng pressed one hand onto the desk, his voice low. "Gua Ren clearly trusted him so much..."
Qingnu gave a scoff and grumbled, "What were you thinking? Sending the son of a Chu king to the Chu capital to 'pacify' the people... I'd find it strange if they didn't rebel! By rebelling, he can become the King of Chu and leave his name in the history books. If it were me, I'd try it too!"
"Would Teacher also betray Gua Ren?"
Ying Zheng was stunned and turned to look at Qingnu.
Qingnu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Have you gone mad?"
Ying Zheng realized he had misspoken, his eyes flickering as he apologized to Qingnu. He then waved his hand at Fusu and Mi Hua.
"Leave us."
Mi Hua's eyes were misty with tears as she nodded gently. "Yes, Great King."
Only after she and Fusu had left did Qingnu sit down by the throne, tapping the desk. She asked, "Ying Zheng, tell me honestly, are you thinking of deposing Fusu?"
"Of course not!"
Ying Zheng shook his head immediately. "Fusu was raised and taught by Teacher. The next king of Great Qin should be him!"
"Then settle the matter early, lest some people harbor thoughts they shouldn't have," Qingnu reminded him.
With that, she waved at Ying Zheng and left the hall.
Outside the hall, Mi Hua was standing at the bottom of the steps with Fusu. Seeing Qingnu emerge, Mi Hua gently pushed Fusu forward, her expression filled with a bit of embarrassment and unease. She whispered to Fusu, "Quickly, go to Teacher."
Fusu stepped forward and bowed deeply to Qingnu, calling out, "Teacher!"
"Why such a grand gesture?"
Qingnu jogged a few steps and helped Fusu up.
She then glared at Mi Hua, chiding her, "You too, what is there to panic about? This matter is your father's fault, not yours! Do you still not understand Ying Zheng? He won't blame you."
Mi Hua pursed her lips, hesitating. "I understood the Great King of the past, but the Great King of today... I do not dare to say."
Seeing how cautious she was, Qingnu sighed and turned to Afang, who was on the side. "Afang, take good care of this mother and son."
"Yes, Teacher."
Afang nodded and gave a look to her attendants.
Seeing Afang's people approach them, Mi Hua hurriedly asked, "Teacher, how will the Great King deal with us?"
"Don't worry."
Qingnu comforted them, saying, "I won't leave my student to fend for himself."
Since Qingnu had said so, Mi Hua didn't say anything more. She bowed to Qingnu and then left the area with Afang's people.
After they were gone, Qingnu stretched.
A eunuch stepped forward from the side, respectfully holding a tray. He said, "Lady, the Great King ordered this servant to deliver this to you. The Great King said that you would understand..."
Qingnu turned to look and saw a small object lying quietly on the tray. It was a straw doll Ying Zheng had made for her when he was a child. At the time, she thought it was ugly, so she only carried it for a few years before leaving it at the Jade Maiden Shrine.
She hadn't looked for it since her return; it turned out Ying Zheng had collected it long ago.
"What does this mean?"
Qingnu asked.
The eunuch looked awkward and said, "This... how could a servant like me know? Please do not make things difficult for me, Lady."
Qingnu naturally understood Ying Zheng's meaning. He wanted to tell her that he had never changed—he was still that boy who called her 'Teacher' every day. But Qingnu never thought there was anything wrong with Ying Zheng's changes; at most, she would advise him not to go too far.
That was just how it was to be a king.
Qingnu took the straw doll from the tray and glanced at the eunuch. "What is your name?"
"This servant is Zhao Gao."
Zhao Gao bowed low as he answered Qingnu.
To be asked his name by a great figure like Qingnu was an unimaginable blessing! Consequently, Zhao Gao was extremely excited, yet also afraid of offending her. Thus, he kept his head very low, not daring to steal even a glance at her.
"You are Zhao Gao?"
Hearing the name Zhao Gao, a flash of surprise crossed Qingnu's eyes.
Zhao Gao was stunned and asked blankly, "Lady knows of Zhao Gao?"
Qingnu suddenly laughed. She didn't say much more to him, waving her hand. "I'll take the item. Go back and tell Ying Zheng that I understand his meaning. Then, come to the Jade Maiden Shrine to see me. I have something for you to do."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao was even more bewildered.
He didn't know what business she could have with him, but he didn't dare to disobey her in any way. He could only bow and comply.
When Zhao Gao arrived at the Jade Maiden Shrine, Qingnu was sitting by the entrance, sharpening a sword.
"Lady, Zhao Gao has arrived!"
Zhao Gao stood still and bowed to Qingnu.
Qingnu gave a hum of acknowledgment. "Wait a moment. The sword isn't sharp enough yet. Just stand there for now."
Zhao Gao watched Qingnu laboriously sharpening the sword and felt it was strange. He cautiously stepped forward and asked, "What is Lady sharpening the sword for? If there is any way this servant can help, please just give the command!"
"You standing still is helping me enough."
Qingnu replied.
Soon, she finished sharpening the sword. She turned around and thrust the blade straight into Zhao Gao's chest!
Zhao Gao's expression turned to one of shocked disbelief. He looked at Qingnu and opened his mouth, but since his lungs had been pierced, he couldn't speak. He could only cough up bloody foam.
His body collapsed weakly to the ground, twitching a few times before falling still.
Watching Zhao Gao die, Qingnu—who had just flapped the butterfly's wings—did not know what the future would hold, but she did not feel she had done anything wrong. She dropped the sword and shouted into the Jade Maiden Shrine, "Birdie, find someone to clear the body!"
"Clear a body? For whom—"
Hearing the voice, Hongluan flew out from inside. Seeing Zhao Gao lying in a pool of blood, the second half of her sentence got stuck in her throat.
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