Ziying, the King of Qin

Qingnu's gaze fell upon the young King of Qin, and she frowned.

"Who is he?"

In the Qin Palace, who else dared to wear such robes besides Fusu?

Hongluan glanced at the youth being led in by Afang and said to Qingnu, "Fusu's son, Ziying. He is the current King of Qin."

Ziying, King of Qin?

Qingnu tilted her head in confusion before the realization struck her.

Right. She had altered the destiny of the Ying clan. The Ziying before her now was different from the one in history.

But... where was Fusu?

As a flash of bewilderment crossed Qingnu's eyes, Afang led Ziying to kneel before her couch.

Now over fifty years old, Afang was the most respected person in the Qin Palace.

Seeing Qingnu's confusion, Afang bowed her head and offered a small jade bottle with both hands, saying, "Teacher, His Majesty has passed. Before he left, he commanded me to give this to you."

Inside was Fusu's heart-blood.

"His Majesty said that Great Qin ends with him. Ziying shall only be called the King of Qin and shall no longer be Emperor."

As those words fell, Ziying respectfully bowed his head to Qingnu and said, "Ying Ziying greets the Teacher!"

Qingnu fingered the jade bottle Afang had handed her and said softly, "Do not call me Teacher. I am not your teacher."

Ziying was stunned, but Qingnu ignored him and looked at Hongluan.

"How long was I asleep?"

Hongluan replied, "Three months."

Three months?

Qingnu rose from her couch and walked out of the great hall. Outside, Li Si and the others saw her emerge and pressed their heads even harder against the ground, not daring to look up at her.

The auspicious snow she had summoned had already soaked the Fen-Wei Plain; the drought was resolved.

However, Qin had never been able to wait for the blessings of this snow. Years of drought had already exhausted everything Qin had.

"What is the current state of Great Qin?"

Qingnu's gaze fell on Li Si as she asked coldly.

Li Si's body trembled, and his voice carried a hint of sorrow as he murmured, "The lands of the Six States east of the mountains are lost. Liu Bang, the Marquis of Wu'an of Chu, is already outside Wuguan Pass. Great Qin... no longer has soldiers left to fight. Imperial Teacher... the Mandate of Heaven is lost. Great Qin is about to fall!"

"Imperial Teacher—!!"

Behind Li Si, the old officials knelt in a row.

Qingnu glanced over them and waved her hand. "All of you, stand up. This snake is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see you kneeling."

Upon hearing this, Li Si immediately looked up at Qingnu. But before he could speak, she continued, "Pass the order to the commander of Wuguan Pass: open the gates and welcome the Duke of Pei!"

At these words, the expressions of Li Si and the others changed drastically!

"Imperial Teacher, you..."

Afang and Ziying walked out from the hall. Afang said to Li Si, "Chancellor, listen to the Teacher."

Li Si remained silent for a long time before finally bowing deeply. Only after a while did he answer, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Liu Bang, who had been lingering outside Wuguan Pass for a long time and was already considering retreating, was dumbfounded when the gates suddenly swung wide and the defending Qin army laid down their weapons to welcome him in.

He was especially confused when he learned that the order to open Wuguan Pass came from Xianyang.

Was he truly some Son of the Red Emperor?

Protected by the heavens?

The old rogue had never believed in such things his entire life; you couldn't eat them for dinner.

But he couldn't understand this situation at Wuguan Pass.

After leaving men to hold Wuguan Pass, Liu Bang personally led his main force to strike straight at Xianyang!

Ever since Qin moved its capital to Xianyang, it had served as the capital for over a century. Liu Bang was the first lord to lead an army to this place!

Upon the grand walls of Xianyang, banners fluttered. The last of the Qin army gripped their weapons tightly. On the gate tower, Qingnu accompanied Afang, Ziying, and others, waiting for Liu Bang's arrival.

Seeing the Duke of Pei's army approach, Ziying clenched his fists nervously.

Qingnu leaped up and landed on the battlement. Supporting herself with her hands, she sat sideways, her bare feet swinging gently as she looked down at Liu Bang before the army.

From Liu Bang, Qingnu saw the providence that had once hovered over Xianyang.

Though not robust, it was resilient.

"Old Three Liu, it's been two years. Have you been well?"

Her voice echoed across the wilderness.

Liu Bang's pupils constricted. Beside him, Fan Kuai, Lu Wan, and the others were even more agitated, pointing their fingers at Qingnu.

"Big brother... she, she, she, isn't she..."

In the crowd, Zhang Liang's eyes narrowed as he looked at Qingnu in astonishment.

He naturally remembered her face!

"Brother Qingnu!!"

Liu Bang shouted up at her.

As soon as this form of address came out, Qingnu's expression changed. She jumped directly down the wall, appeared in front of Liu Bang, and kicked him.

"Old Three Liu, are you looking for death? I told you I'm an Immortal Maiden, yet you still call me brother! Do you think a snake is easy to mess with?"

Despite being beaten by Qingnu in front of countless people, Liu Bang didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Please!

This was a real Immortal Maiden!

Qingnu led Liu Bang, Xiao He, and the others into the Qin Palace.

Inside the palace, Liu Bang and his party learned the full story from Qingnu.

"I know Emperor Yi has an agreement with you: he who enters Guanzhong first shall be its king."

Qingnu leaned lazily in Hongluan's arms and said slowly, "You shall be the King of Guanzhong. That is fine! You can have all of Guanzhong, including Xianyang. But the Ying clan wants Yongcheng to maintain the ancestral shrines of Qin."

"The King of Qin will still belong to the Ying clan!"

Qingnu felt she had finally figured out this so-called destiny.

The transition from Qin to Han could not be changed.

But in this change of dynasties, some small matters did not need to follow the rules so strictly.

For the current Qin, Xianyang could not be held.

Yongcheng had served as the capital of Qin for three hundred years and was the largest city in Guanzhong after Xianyang. Qin's ancestral shrines were all there; its significance to the Qin people and the Ying clan was unique.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bang nodded in agreement almost without hesitation. "No problem! I'll do whatever Brother Qingnu says!"

The old rogue knew very well!

Ever since the Second Emperor Fusu took the throne, the Qin laws had been modified under Li Si's lead.

If not for the years of severe drought exhausting everything Qin had, then with Fusu's benevolence, even if the nobles of the Six States raised the banners of rebellion to restore their old lands, Qin could have at least held onto the lands of the Three Jin.

Where would it be his turn to be the King of Guanzhong?

The old rogue stood up, went to Ziying's side, and grabbed his hand.

"King of Qin, I felt the moment I saw you that we were meant to be brothers! From now on, in this Guanzhong, we'll each take half."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qingnu kicked him again and said, "Have you no shame? How old are you, trying to be brothers with a teenager?"

Liu Bang didn't think this was an issue. He spread his hands and said, "When you're out in the world, the more brothers you have, the better!"

"Duke of Pei, you..."

Ziying looked at Liu Bang, his expression full of shock.

He had received a royal palace education since childhood; when had he ever seen a ruler like Liu Bang?

Xiao He sat kneeling behind Liu Bang, sighing helplessly.

Zhang Liang looked at Ziying, remained silent for a long time, and then let out a long sigh, accepting the result.

Regarding giving up Xianyang and retreating to Yongcheng, the Qin ministers accepted it. However, Li Si and the others also made a request: no matter what country Liu Bang established in the future, the King of Qin would be a guest of the state. If the King of Qin wanted to visit the Xianyang Palace, he could not be barred from entry.

As for Liu Bang's claim about splitting Guanzhong in half, Li Si and the others knew that was impossible.

Being able to keep the single city of Yongcheng was already a stroke of luck for Qin!

Liu Bang, of course, agreed to everything readily.

But soon, his face changed again. He slapped his thigh in a panic and said, "Oh no! I almost forgot a major matter!"

"—Xiang Yu!!"