It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

Chapter 602 Never Before Met, Fish from Yingchuan

Under the setting sun, this is the ruins of the past. Ruins do not end the emptiness, but rather make the memories last.

Looking at the reeds, weeds, and the names engraved on the tombstones, Xu Zhi felt a vague unease... so she took action.

"What's wrong, young lady...?"

The girl asked for a sickle to cut grass, picked up the overgrown weeds, and muttered something like, "No offense intended, just helping you sweep the grave."

Xu Zhi did these things cleanly and efficiently. In no time, the area in front of Fu Chu's tomb was much tidier, leading the stonemasons to unanimously believe that she was just a girl from an ordinary family.

"Oh, young lady, you look young. You probably don't know, but the person who died in this tomb was not a good person."

"How so?" she asked.

Old Wu lowered his voice and said, "He was executed for rebelling six years ago. I don't know why. A princess of Qin probably didn't know he was dead and married him by mistake. This year, it seems that the princess had some trouble. Now, not to mention his clan, many people avoid him. In just half a year, the grass has grown quite tall."

She listened, gazing thoughtfully at the grave. "Didn't even any relatives come?"

Old Wu thought that for her to ask such a question showed she was truly naive and ignorant of the ways of the world. This young master Fuchu first rebelled against the King of Chu, and then made the daughter of the King of Qin a widow. He was caught in the middle, so how could anyone dare to sweep his grave?!
To this day, a young woman cleaned up his grave.

Then, she sat down to rest a little distance from the tomb.

Old Wu thought that the woman was probably afraid of ghosts.

In reality, it was nightfall. Xu Zhi was afraid that the person from the daytime would continue to pursue her, so she dared not act alone and found some things to do to buy time.

The clattering and clanging stopped, and when Old Wu finished his work, he found her still waiting for her sweetheart by a gray stone in the reeds.

"Young lady, the sun is about to set."

"Are you finishing up for the day? If you're heading back to Lingcheng, may I travel with you?"

Old Wu turned to look at their employer, then replied, "We need to finish our work today, so we won't be going back." With that, he lit a campfire.

The flames were inconspicuous against the dark sky, but they illuminated the people beside Old Wu brightly.

Xu Zhi thought that young master was really strange. He didn't say a word all afternoon. His gaze would occasionally sweep over her, but he would quickly look away and return to his work.

She mistook Zhang Liang's gaze for surveillance, convinced there was some ulterior motive behind the project. After all, who would be out in the middle of nowhere looking for stones to carve?

However, this matter probably doesn't concern her much.

All she wanted to do now was go to the Li River with Li Xian to see their friends. Perhaps after meeting Zheng Guo, she could ask him about herself.

"Hey girl, it's so late, are you still waiting?" Just as he finished speaking, the stonemasons' laughter rang out from the campfire.

Is this a scene from a story about a heartless woman? Wu Guang advised, "Young lady, you should go home quickly."

Summer has a large temperature difference between day and night, and the evening breeze is cold.

She crossed her arms and rubbed them together. "...I believe he will come to find me."

"What if we can't find it?" Old Wu asked.

“I’ll wait for him here until he finds me.” Xu Zhi glanced at the swaying reeds. “He won’t be unable to find me.”

"Your devotion to this young lady is quite intriguing. Just what kind of hero or chivalrous person is your beloved?"

Is she waiting with unwavering devotion? Over the years, Xu Zhi has only ever hoped for one person to 'change their mind'.

Zhang Liang couldn't have imagined that the hatred he couldn't forget, the torment that kept him tossing and turning, the pain he felt, was something she truly empathized with... because the shadow of national subjugation constantly loomed over Xu Zhi's head...

Holding the sachet, she gently drifted into memories, smiling as she said, "Li Lang is no hero or knight-errant, just an ordinary doctor."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang could only admit that he was far from being as nonchalant as he appeared.

"Do you want some?"

"Eat. Thank you, young master," Xu Zhi said with a smile as she accepted the small but fragrant, golden-brown river fish. She took a bite, held up the fish, and exclaimed, "You guys are really amazing! You've handled the gallbladder so well; it's not bitter at all."

Old Wu laughed heartily, "That's right." He handed over a ceramic bowl, on which were placed several crystal-clear, paper-thin slices of fish. "Thanks to Mr. Song's presence, we are fortunate to have this meal. Young lady, would you like to try some river fish sashimi?"

"Okay." Xu Zhi saw a clump of green sauce next to her and dipped herself in it. The spiciness spread from her mouth, and her eyes and nasal passages suddenly became clear. "This wasabi is too pungent," she exclaimed, wanting to drink water.

"Haha, girl, you've never tried this before?"

"I've eaten this at restaurants before, but it wasn't this spicy."

Restaurant?
Old Wu looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xu Zhi doesn't really distinguish between them either. Sashimi dipped in wasabi is actually a very Chinese way of eating.

Xu Zhi took the water Zhang Liang offered, covered her face with her sleeve, drank it all in one gulp, thanked him politely, and sat back down by the stone, a distance from him that felt even greater than from Fu Chu's grave.

They were complete strangers, as if nothing had ever happened between them, and neither of them knew the other...

"I haven't asked the young lady's name yet."

Name. Xu Zhi looked at him, remembering Li Xian saying not to talk too much with strangers, and shook her head.

"You haven't even told me your name. Why should I be the one to introduce myself when you don't even introduce yourself first?"

This question made Zhang Liang chuckle. If she was still Yong'an, then this was a tense test.

She turned back to him, her smile somewhat fawning, "...Young master, you can just call me A-Zhi."

As for why she answered him, she looked at the ceramic bowl in her hand and concluded that it was a case of 'he who takes a man's gift is bound to be indebted to him'.

The wild geese in the sky will eventually return to the south, and the paths of the two people were destined to diverge from the very beginning.

Everything turned around, and Zhang Liang finally understood what it meant to be heartbroken.

Because she stood before her, her eyes filled with complete unfamiliarity, that was the true sharp sword.

Endless sorrow overwhelmed him, and unbearable pain engulfed him.

Zhang Liang recalled the conversation he had before arriving at Mount Li.

"Sir, you are well-versed in astronomy. You should understand that the constellations in the world cannot be divided into two separate domains. His Majesty the Emperor cannot tolerate any imperfections."

Meng Yi hesitated for a moment, then realized that perhaps he shouldn't have entrusted Ying Hehua with her request before going to the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum. That way, he wouldn't have gone to Zhilan Palace and, at the pleading of her maid, moved her treasured books and scrolls.

Besides the forbidden books on Zhongnan Mountain, there were also silk scrolls, which did not contain the "Lüshi Chunqiu" but contained things he should not know.

—This means that possessing a treasure is a crime, and one should be executed. I cannot bear to do so. If the final outcome is changed, and his death is the basis for it, I will regret it for the rest of my life. Fifteen years is the limit; we cannot reverse cause and effect. If the world does not change, my heart will not be at peace. I must do my utmost.

He understood one thing.

Knowing that his plan to go to Mount Li with Zhang Liang had been exposed, the Chief Justice assumed that Meng Yi had come to interrogate him. After all, Li Si had instructed him not to hide anything from Meng Yi... So, he recounted in detail how Ying Hehua had tricked Yao Jia and deceived Li Si years ago, while ensuring that Zhang Liang was sent away unharmed.

……

Back in Yongcheng, at the banquet before Zheng's departure, she went to great lengths to feign concern and prevent him from exposing Zhang Liang's true identity.

She bore the infamy of killing her teacher, defied Ying Zheng, and ruined her career, all for the sake of keeping Zhang Liang alive.

At the same time, Meng Yi also realized something else.

He saw the books and silk she left in Zhilan Palace, as well as so many secret letters and silk from her ministers in Fuqiu Palace, and finally understood why she had told him to keep them safe before she left.

Li Si was not talking nonsense.

Because the Qin Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, this was almost a consensus between Li Si and Ying Hehua.

Will the Qin Dynasty perish?
The spring breeze was not gentle; instead, it was like a biting winter wind, and it felt like a knife cutting into Meng Yi's heart.

Fifteen years is too short; there's not enough time to love, nor enough time to hate.

Dream of the Red Chamber: "The place where the Fairy Disenchantment resides is called 'The Sea of ​​Sin and the Heaven of Love'."

Mustard originated in China during the Zhou Dynasty and was later introduced to Japan, where it became a common condiment for sushi and sashimi. Japanese wasabi paste is actually made from wasabi root, but due to its higher cost, it is often substituted with yellow mustard or horseradish. Western mustard and Japanese wasabi paste share the same pungent components, but the former is on average 1.5 times spicier. When eating, mustard powder can be mixed with water to form a paste, and sugar and vinegar can be added to enhance the flavor. It should be stored in an airtight container away from light.