It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

Chapter 550 The Fifth Year of Qin Shi Huang's Retreat (2)
The quiet days passed quickly, and at the end of October, the snow fell even harder.

Some snowflakes fell on the windowsill, diamond-shaped and very beautiful.

But the wound on her face was so hideous...

The sunlight suddenly hit her, and Xiaofu turned her face away in fear, covering herself with her hands. "Sister Fei, you go first. I... I still don't want to go out. If you have a chance in the future, please help me deliver the letter to my mother and Tan Lang..."

After a while, the person who came in didn't say anything. Xiaofu also heard several footsteps and the sound of things being put away.

"New Year's Eve is approaching, and Lin Fei has left the palace to buy lanterns."

... Xiaofu was stunned. Her hand was gently pulled away. Princess Yong'an just sat beside her couch and spoke to her gently. She didn't call her "this palace", but just seemed to be chatting with her normally.

A Yu held up a lacquer tray with a phoenix pattern and said, "Xiao Fu, these two letters are from His Highness."

There were two bamboo tubes on the plate, sealed tightly and covered with red mud.

It was obvious that something like this was not delivered to the palace through ordinary channels.

On the day the princess was released from prison, a court official issued an order that no one was allowed to visit Zhilan Palace and no palace maids were allowed to deliver letters.

She looked at the person in front of her helplessly, not daring to answer, "Your Highness..."

"A few days ago, I asked Wei Ju and found your family. Your mother dictated a letter to you. As for the other one," she smiled gently, "I think the Tan Lang you mentioned has already written it for you."

"Afu, open it quickly and take a look." Ayu urged.

These days, Xiaofu thought she was doomed.

Treason is no small crime, especially during this period of detention in Yong'an. She had offended the young prince Hu Hai and caused great trouble, so the princess was already showing leniency by not punishing her.

These two letters were stamped with the censor's seal and were sent as official documents.

Xiaofu was both moved and frightened, and hurried to get off the bed, but was stopped by her.

Xiao Fu lowered her head, "I am just a commoner, a little palace maid. How could His Highness bother with me..."

After hearing Yong'an say "okay" several times, she frowned and looked at herself with heartache.

"You are so sensible. Xiaofu, how could a sensible girl like you suffer like this?"

"It was my fault for not being strict enough in my discipline that you were injured like this. This official document should have been sent to you to punish my younger brother for his actions, but it was not passed on due to my detention. It is my situation that has caused you this hardship, and I should feel sorry for you. Why can't I bother with you?"

Xiaofu paused.

She couldn't understand how Hu Hai could have a sister like Yong'an?
She never knew that nobles would care about the lives of slaves.

Her father was originally a minor official in the Daliang Palace. The King of Wei, who pretended to be fond of Tibetan mastiffs, accidentally mixed grains into the palace's dog food, causing the mastiff to choke and cough for a day. The King of Wei, already overwhelmed by pressure from the Qin State, was furious that night. With so much blame flowing through his ranks, one person was singled out for venting his anger: Xiaofu's father. He was punished with caning, and after dozens of blows, he was beaten to death.

Ordinary people like them always accept what comes their way.

She was just a lowly palace maid.

The appearance of Hu Hai made her see this clearly.

"Your Highness, please don't let a small matter like this from me ruin your original plan." She turned her head away. "Your Highness, I won't watch. If Your Highness falls into the hands of others because of someone like me, it's not worth it..."

"No." Xu Zhi looked at her, "It's worth it."

Xiaofu's face was lifted up by the princess. She gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a towel, and took the powder to give it to her herself, but she stopped again.

The wound was deep, but it was on the temple and could not be sutured. After it scabbed, it looked more like a black insect pressing on it. Xiao Fu hated herself, let alone the princess.

She thought she would always despise him, not to mention that his face was already so ugly.

But Ying Hehua said, "My hands are heavy, so you should do it, Ayu."

Xiaofu recalled that Princess Yong'an once asked her how she could know the names and properties of so many crops. She replied that when she was young, she often followed her mother to the mountains to collect wild vegetables for a living.

For a moment, this feeling of being valued made her suddenly feel an unprecedented sense of grievance and touching.

"For so many days, I didn't dare to look in the mirror..."

Ayu comforted softly.

Xiaofu read both letters. Her mother was fine, and she was told to take good care of herself. She also read Tan Lang's letter, in which he said he didn't care about her disfigurement. He said as long as she was well and willing, he would give her a betrothal gift and marry her in the spring.

Her heart softened, but the pain on her face was real. Unable to bear the pain, and perhaps also moved, tears kept flowing out, "Your Highness, he is willing to marry me... Oh, I shouldn't cry, I am so useless like this."

"You should cry when you are moved, and you should cry when you are hurt. That year, I was slightly injured in Xinzheng, but I cried my heart out and couldn't hold it back at all. You were very brave that day, how could you feel useless? Don't worry, Hu Hai will never set foot in Zhilan Palace again."

"Your Highness..." Xiaofu didn't know what to say, and counted all the good words she could say about her in her mind.

Yongan comforted her with many kind words before leaving.

She selfishly thought that a bright and gentle woman like Ying Hehua deserved a happy and smooth life and the best of everything in the world.

Li Xian, who was waiting outside, heard this and felt that she really didn't take her injury seriously. The arrow had pierced her shoulder, so how could it be considered a small matter?

He also saw that none of them disapproved of her when they left, and a smile appeared on his lips for no reason.

Li Xian learned a word from Mo Qi—class consciousness. Xu Zhi, however, had no class consciousness. Even after so many years, although she had become much more ruthless and decisive in her actions, her attitude towards nobles and commoners had never changed. "Your Highness treats even the palace maids so well; I admire you."

"They are my colleagues. In my eyes, they are no different from you, Chen Ping, Yao Jia, and Zhang Liang, who are discussing this matter with me. I can only avoid mistakes, but their efforts are a gift to this era."

Xu Zhi smiled, knowing what he wanted to ask her. "It's almost New Year's Eve, and it's no use pushing me too hard. My father will be back in the palace tomorrow, and you should think about how to tell him that I want to confess this."

She looked at them straight in the eye, believing that there was no difference between people.

This was probably the respect that Li Si first felt when he came to Qin from Shangcai. Although he was not a noble and had no family background, he could still become the prime minister as long as he had the ability.

Even Ying Zheng would go out of his way to clear obstacles for his prime minister to govern. This was evident in the death of Dun Ruo.

This was the gift that Qin brought to these scholars who had nothing.

Ying Zheng thought the same, and so did Xu Zhi.

For Li Xian, he is obsessed with this gorgeous halo. To simplify it, it can be described in two words.

--equality.

"Your Highness, please don't underestimate yourself."

"Not really. Avoiding the mistakes of political struggle and preventing fewer people from starving to death—these two things, any intelligent person can see the difference between them."

"Azhi." Li Xian looked at her. "As long as it allows more people to survive, no matter what, it is equally important."

A snowflake fell on her palm and quickly melted away.

"Before New Year's Eve, do me a favor." Xu Zhi leaned over. "Xiao Fu said that after her father's death, she rashly went to the Daliang Palace. Just as she was about to vent her hatred on Wei Wangjia, she ran into a palace musician. It's said that when Daliang City was flooded, it was that same musician who protected her all the way."

"You want to check that person's identity?"

She shook her head, "There's nothing to check. Help me organize a happy event for them."

He gathered her cloak and agreed without hesitation.

"So straightforward?" She was surprised.

With a smile in his eyes, he hugged her, and gently rubbed the fabric of her waist with his fingertips, and said with a smile, "I will take this as a familiarity with the process."

"..."

Without waiting for her to speak, Li Xian quickly let her go.

He said, "The princess's silk book was quite effective. Feng Jie simply gave me the official business he came to consult the princess. For the remaining few days, you can only see me often."

As he spoke, his eyes were looking behind her.

It was snowing, and the sky was dark. But Xu Zhi knew what that direction was...

"Then I can only trouble you, sir, to record in its entirety what I have to say to my father."

"As the princess wishes."

The direction Li Xian was looking at was Mount Li. Behind Mount Li, there were tall mounds standing in the distance. Soon, the mounds would become higher and higher.

The construction of the imperial mausoleum has been underway for more than ten years, and another project is ready to begin.

When Li Xian talked about this matter, his tone was suppressed and his words were evasive.

Xu Zhi didn't notice anything unusual. "When the emperor returns to Xianyang on his fourth tour, he should start working on the Terracotta Army project."

"Terracotta Warriors?" he asked in confusion.

Xu Zhi was surprised, "You don't know?"

Li Xian paused as he watched her explain with such excitement, "Of course I know. The cost of firing terracotta warriors is enormous, but it's definitely different from the bad practices of the Six Kingdoms."

"You mentioned some time ago that you had official business." Xu Zhi thought carefully for a long time, "What was it? The Chidao is now complete, and the day when Meng Tian will march north to attack the Xiongnu is just around the corner. You also mentioned that my father found a meteorite from outer space. Is this related to this? Or is it related to Xu Fu's eastward journey?"

He looked at her deeply, choking a little, "...On New Year's Eve, Azhi, will you really give me an answer?"

Xu Zhi smiled and answered from the falling snow: "Yes." She thought for a moment, "But you can't force me."

Li Xian smiled and said, "Of course."

He wanted that answer, but he didn't want to hear her say anything other than the answer he wanted.

In his previous life, he was framed to death by Zhao Gao because of his connection with the imperial mausoleum.

Li Xian was once appointed as the supervisor of the construction and transportation secrets, and was also responsible for the review of the drawings.

Originally, he didn't want to touch it again, but the construction of the imperial mausoleum involved royal secrets. Once he stepped in, how could he get out?
Official History: In 215 BC, the fifth year after the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang made his fourth tour, traveling north through Tongguan, across the Yellow River to Shanxi, arriving in Handan, Hebei, then east to Qinhuangdao, passing through Shanhaiguan to the coast of Suizhong, Liaoning, before returning to Xianyang via Inner Mongolia and Yulin, Shaanxi. In the same year, Qin Shi Huang dispatched Meng Tian with an army of 300,000 to attack the Xiongnu in the north, capturing Henan, occupying Yangshan, establishing Jiuyuan Commandery, and beginning the construction of the Great Wall.

PS:

[This story includes pre-construction work on the Great Wall and preparation of maps for the war against the Xiongnu.]

[Normally, the year is recorded as the 32nd year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, but for the sake of convenience in the title, I will use the 5th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign to refer to the years after he became emperor, and the xxth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign to refer to the period of the six states.]