"Him? He, he, he, he—" Hongluan could no longer speak coherently.
Shaodian Qingnu caught it and gently stroked its head, soothing the bird. "What are you afraid of? Have we seen any fewer dead people over these last few hundred years? At Changping alone, we saw hundreds of thousands!"
"Is that even the same?" Hongluan muttered. "I've never seen you kill someone with your own hands!" It glanced at Zhao Gao and asked, "Who is this, exactly?"
"Zhao Gao. A... notoriously treacherous official of the future. I killed him ahead of time." Shaodian Qingnu thought for a moment and decided to tell Hongluan these things. After speaking, she stretched, let out a yawn, and said, "I'm a bit tired. I'm going to rest. Have someone deal with this."
"Oh, alright." Hongluan nodded and flew from her hands.
It watched Shaodian Qingnu walk alone into the Jade Maiden Shrine to rest. It circled Zhao Gao's corpse a few times before finally flying off to find Ying Zheng.
Upon learning that Shaodian Qingnu had killed a man with her own hands, Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment before acknowledging it and ordering people to clean up. Seeing him so calm, Hongluan became curious and asked, "Aren't you going to ask why?"
"If the Master kills someone, she naturally has her reasons! In short, that person must have deserved to die, so why should I ask more? Hongluan, rest assured, my trust in the Master will never change. There is no need to ask further."
Hearing this, Hongluan became even more puzzled. "Why are you saying all this to me?"
Ying Zheng was taken aback. After a brief pause, he waved Hongluan away and spoke softly, "Go on, Hongluan. I still have matters to attend to."
The bird looked dazed, tilting its head before flying away.
After it left, Ying Zheng stood alone in the hall, silent for a long time.
Several days later, a grand court session was held. Ying Zheng promoted Li Si to Prime Minister to succeed Mi Qi, Lord Changping. This move caused the faces of those ministers who thought Ying Zheng was about to purge foreign officials to change instantly. Li Si... was also a man of Chu!
However, Ying Zheng's second command caught everyone even more off guard.
"I have decided to appoint Fusu as the Crown Prince of Great Qin!"
Standing below, Fusu froze, a look of astonishment flashing across his face. Even with Ying Zheng's current formidable prestige, ministers still stepped forward to advise against it.
"Great King, please reconsider!"
"Lord Changping betrayed Qin and set himself up as the King of Chu. Young Master Fusu's mother is a woman of Chu. If he is made Crown Prince, it may diminish the prestige of our Great Qin..."
"We beg the King to withdraw this command!"
The Qin ministers knelt in a dense crowd. The foreign officials gathered behind Li Si and bowed deeply toward Ying Zheng as well.
Li Si said respectfully, "We ask the Great King to decide!"
Pressuring a sovereign through the court might work on other Kings of Qin, but they should never have chosen Ying Zheng as their target.
"Lord Shang was a man of Wei; Xishou Gongsun Yan was a man of Wei; Zhang Yi was a man of Wei; Queen Dowager Xuan was a woman of Chu..." Ying Zheng looked down at the ministers below. His voice was calm but carried a trace of coldness. "The reason my Great Qin is strong and prosperous is precisely because the talents of the world are used for our Great Qin! You wish to expel foreign officials and suppress the talents of other states—do you wish for my Great Qin to become like the State of Wei of old?"
The ministers' faces turned pale. They kowtowed in panic, saying, "We would not dare!"
Ying Zheng gave a cold glance and shouted, "Fusu!"
Fusu took a step forward and bowed to Ying Zheng. "Father!"
"Do not let me down."
After leaving these words, Ying Zheng swept his sleeves and departed, leaving the court to Fusu. The foreign officials flocked to Fusu, bowing and greeting him with great respect. As the Eldest Young Master, the ministers had always been polite to him, but never like today! The status of Crown Prince brought him entirely different treatment.
"My lords, please work together with one heart for our Great Qin!" Fusu bowed to the assembly.
Everyone hurried to return the gesture. "We are honored and humbled!"
After leaving the court, Ying Zheng dismissed his attendants and went to the Jade Maiden Shrine. He was stopped by Hongluan as soon as he entered. Before he could speak, he saw Hongluan acting anxious, flying several circles around him. From Hongluan, Ying Zheng learned that ever since Shaodian Qingnu returned that day after killing Zhao Gao, she had been sleeping until now!
Ying Zheng hurriedly followed Hongluan to the inner chamber of the Jade Maiden Shrine and saw the slumbering Shaodian Qingnu.
Hongluan flapped its wings, distressed. "Ying Zheng, what do we do? No matter how I call her, she won't wake up! It isn't winter, so why would she suddenly sleep so much?"
Ying Zheng’s brow furrowed. He comforted Hongluan, saying, "Do not worry, Hongluan. I will order people to search the records immediately! Take good care of the Master."
"Mhm! You have to be quick!" Hongluan nodded, urging him.
However, despite Ying Zheng ordering the search of ancient texts, they could find no clues. He also did not dare allow anyone to examine Shaodian Qingnu’s body. Only Afang was permitted to stay near her and provide care.
In this manner, nearly half a year passed before Shaodian Qingnu finally woke. As soon as she opened her eyes, she stretched and let out a strange groan.
"Ugh—!!"
This movement startled Hongluan and Afang, and the woman and bird rushed over. Seeing her awake, Afang cried out in joy, "Master!"
Hongluan crashed directly into Shaodian Qingnu's arms, crying, "You stupid snake, waah... you're finally awake! I thought you had slept yourself to death!"
Shaodian Qingnu rubbed her messy hair and asked blankly, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Five months, Master!" Afang watched her from the side, biting her lip as she asked, "Is your body alright?"
Hongluan also asked, "What exactly happened? You've been sleeping ever since you killed Zhao Gao. You weren't... scared, were you?"
Shaodian Qingnu scratched her head, thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know."
At the time, she had only felt very sleepy, so she came back to rest. Sleeping for this long was strange even to her.
'Could it be...' Shaodian Qingnu's pupils shrank as she suddenly realized something. Was this perhaps the penalty for changing history? But why? When she had saved Ying Zheng from Jing Ke in the great hall, there hadn't been any issues. Why did a problem arise only after killing Zhao Gao?
As Shaodian Qingnu pondered, Afang had already gone to inform Ying Zheng.
Upon learning she was awake, Ying Zheng and Fusu dropped everything they were doing and practically sprinted to the Jade Maiden Shrine. Seeing her combing her hair, they both breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly retreated to wait until she finished grooming. Shaodian Qingnu was naturally beautiful and looked lovely even without makeup. She simply smoothed her hair and then allowed the father and son to enter.
"Master!"
The father and son bowed to her.
Shaodian Qingnu hummed in acknowledgment and said, "I've heard about the recent events from Hongluan. Ying Zheng, you have done well."
Even though Ying Zheng was now thirty-seven years old, he still felt a sense of validation.
"It is because of the Master's excellent teachings!" Without waiting for her to say more, Ying Zheng continued, "Master, from now on, leave all affairs entirely to me and Fusu. Whoever you want to find or kill, you need only tell me! It is not suitable for the Master to take action personally."
"Indeed, Master! In the future, you need only focus on your recovery. My father and I will handle everything!" Fusu also nodded slightly, speaking to her.
Looking at their earnest expressions, Shaodian Qingnu understood their meaning. She sighed softly and said, "You are very thoughtful. Don't worry, I cherish my life very much."
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