The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 688: The Sixteenth Year of Qin Wangzheng
When Changping Jun returned to Qin, the first thing on his mind was to pay a visit to Queen Mother Huayang. Although the previous family dinner was lively, it was inconvenient to speak out many of the things in his heart in such an occasion.

However, Changping Jun was really amazed at the elixirs of the Yin-Yang School and Taoism. He had heard that the elixirs of the two schools were magical, but he never imagined that they were so magical!

I was shocked to see my aunt at the family dinner. She looked younger than me and was extremely beautiful, just like the one I saw when I was a child.

He also prepared some specialties and food from his hometown in Chu for Queen Mother Huayang, and went to ask for an audience without waiting for her to summon him.

These items that carry the flavor of hometown may bring some comfort to my aunt.

As soon as Changping Jun saw the Queen Dowager Huayang, his eyes filled with tears and he bowed down immediately: "Your servant Xiong Qi pays his respects to the Queen Dowager. May the Queen Dowager be well!" His voice was full of excitement of reunion and deep respect.

Queen Mother Huayang sat in the main seat, with a dignified manner and a gentle expression, and said softly, "Get up."

Changping Jun hurriedly ran to the side of Queen Mother Huayang, bowed slightly, stood aside, his face full of gratitude, and said: "Aunt, I'm sorry to trouble you to let Qi'er come back this time. It's Qi'er who is unfilial." As he spoke, his eyes were red and his voice was slightly choked.

Queen Mother Huayang sighed and said, "Silly child, why are you saying such polite words?"

"Chu is already a mess. It's not a good thing for you to be there. You grew up in Qin, so your foundation in Chu is weak after all."

Changping Jun nodded slightly.

"Qi'er understands that when he went back in the past, he had no choice."

Queen Mother Huayang nodded slightly: "I'm glad you're back."

"Auntie only has two things to tell you, and you must promise me."

Changping Jun's expression suddenly became serious and he nodded heavily: "Aunt, please speak. Qi'er will definitely obey."

Queen Mother Huayang looked serious and said solemnly: "First, since you have returned to Daqin, you must be loyal to the king and not have any other ideas!"

"Your Majesty is a holy ruler with the Mandate of Heaven. Your civil and military achievements, character and methods are all unparalleled in the world. You have been raised by your aunt since you were young. Your aunt knows that you have great ambitions since you were young, but you must not have any foolish ideas. The world is destined to be unified. Your Majesty has the Mandate of Heaven. This is inevitable. You should focus on assisting the king and stop thinking about the affairs of the State of Chu."

Changping Jun knelt beside the Queen Mother Huayang and nodded heavily: "Please rest assured, aunt, Qi'er understands. In the past few years in Chu, Qi'er has understood what Chu is like. Chu has long been in a state of despair. Qi'er will no longer have any unreasonable expectations."

Queen Mother Huayang breathed a sigh of relief and said with satisfaction: "Okay, I'm glad you understand."

"The second thing, and this is the most important thing, is that you should not easily get involved in the fight for the crown prince."

"And Yun'er, your sister has been a proud girl since she was young, and her life has been smooth. The only obstacle in her heart now is the position of the Queen of the Qin Dynasty and Fusu."

"You should persuade her more and don't do anything stupid."

"You have to remember, if you get involved in a dispute over the country's foundation, your entire family will be killed if you are not careful."

"Just like you treated the king back then, don't get involved."

"You have reached your current high position, with all the splendor and wealth you need, and your family's wealth is not a problem. However, if you go any further, the dangers are unpredictable. Whether it is good or bad is unpredictable, so you should be cautious and safe."

"The eldest prince has many heirs, and the harem is complicated. You must not get involved easily."

"Remember, you must always be loyal to the king, and only to the king. When dealing with any young master, you must always be impartial. Only in this way can your family be truly worry-free."

After hearing this, Changping Jun hesitated for a moment and replied, "Thank you for your teachings, aunt. Qi'er understands. Qi'er will definitely take good care of my sister."

"However, the young masters are getting older, and the battle for the crown prince is bound to begin soon. My sister and I will rise and fall together, and it is impossible for us to stay out of it."

"All Chu people naturally support Fusu. Qi'er is Yun'er's elder brother and plays an important role in the Chu faction in the outer court. It is probably impossible for him to stay out of the world. He will eventually be forced to do things against his will."

Queen Mother Huayang sighed again, her eyes full of worry: "I know, so I advise you not to get involved easily, so that you can leave a way out."

"You are in the court. Since you want to be the leader of the Chu people, you must naturally shoulder your responsibilities. Some things are indeed unavoidable."

"But this doesn't mean you can let things develop without any control. What you need to do is to control the development of things. Whether it's Chu Ren's emotions and thoughts, or Yun Er's thoughts and actions."

"I'm not asking you to follow them in making trouble, nor am I asking you to lead the fight and add fuel to the flames. What I want is for you to carefully control the development of the situation and not let it get to the point where it's irreversible!"

Changping Jun pondered for a while, then sighed and said, "Qi'er understands. Qi'er will definitely try his best."

Queen Mother Huayang frowned and said, "Don't let the emotions of the people below cloud your mind. You are supposed to lead them, not be used as a gun by them."

"At your stage, the most important thing is to seek stability, especially in the battle for the country's foundation. If you take a wrong step, you will be doomed."

"If it is really impossible, you should retreat. Also, don't consider the country's foundation too early. The king is in his prime, strong and powerful, and his cultivation is astonishing. It can be said that it is unprecedented in history. He will surely live a long life."

"Now is not the time to consider the Crown Prince too early. Those who get involved too early are fools, and deciding on a Crown Prince too early is not necessarily a good thing." Changping Jun thought again and again, and nodded solemnly: "Qi'er understands. Thank you for your teachings, aunt. Qi'er will definitely remember it in his heart."

At this time, Queen Mother Huayang looked tired. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her brows. Finally, she said, "Remember, no matter what happens, everything should be based on the king's wishes. As for the king's wishes, look more, think more, and act carefully."

"Okay, go ahead. What happens in the future still depends on you. You still have to walk your own path in the end."

Changping Jun bowed and said, "Thank you for your teachings and care, aunt. Qi'er understands and will always keep it in mind."

Queen Mother Huayang closed her eyes and nodded.

Changping Jun slowly left Huayang Palace. The sky outside was gradually darkening, and the afterglow of the sun shone on the palace walls, casting a dim yellow cast.

His heart was filled with heaviness, and he couldn't help but sigh silently.

There are too many things in this world that are beyond our control. Sitting in my current position, there are some things I have to do.

After all, we have to consider future generations.

Now that the hereditary family business is gone, if I don’t support my nephew, my descendants will become poor.

Fifteen years of King Zheng of Qin passed like this.

This year, the Qin Dynasty was in full swing and annexed the two great kingdoms of Wei and Qi in one fell swoop.

Looking at the world, only Qin and Chu were left in confrontation. The gap between the two countries was like the gap between a strong man and a child. If they had not just eaten and were not suitable for strenuous exercise, they would have been destroyed in a matter of seconds.

Da Siming also had her first child, but it was not what she wanted. She was a princess, and Ying Zheng named her Ying Mo.

Nüying from their Yin-Yang family has been in the palace for several years and finally has a child. Unfortunately, it is a princess named Yingxi.

After learning that Nüying was pregnant, her sister Ehuang became extremely jealous and ignored Nüying for a whole month. She was depressed for two months before she slowly recovered.

After giving birth to the child, the two sisters didn't speak to each other for a whole month.

Ji Qiong also had another child with great difficulty. Since she had experienced a great change, she was depressed and her body was affected, so she had been a little thin. Now she could give Zhenji another sister, which was a great joy for her. Ying Zheng named her Ying Ji.

And Bo Shuang also had another daughter, Ying Mu.

Bo Shuang was therefore appointed as the chief emissary, and she felt very uncomfortable. How could she treat these two daughters with authority? Besides, her sister Zao Yue also depended on these children for the rest of her life.

The only one who had the last laugh during the entire fifteen years of Qin Wangzheng was Su Xin Jing Yue, because she was the only one who gave birth to a son! The thirty-fifth son, Jin Xi.

The sixteenth year of King Zheng of Qin arrived.

Ying Zheng has also entered his thirties.

It has been twenty-two years since Ying Zheng returned to Qin.

Twenty-one years have passed since he became the crown prince, began to plan for the empire, invented papermaking and printing, and used Nian Duan's talent and fame to enhance his own reputation.

In the 16 years since he took the throne, he has revised Qin laws, redefined basic land policies, divided the ways in which benefits are distributed among different classes, recruited talents from all over the world, and focused on cultivating civilian aristocrats, thus abruptly changing the style of the entire Qin Dynasty.

Externally, on the Chinese mainland, he annexed Han, defeated Zhao, destroyed Yan, swallowed Wei, and annexed Qi, repeatedly inflicting heavy damage on the State of Chu, which is still in civil strife to this day.

Beyond Shenzhou, the country expanded westward for thousands of miles. The Great Yuezhi fled without a trace, the Western Qiang surrendered, the Hexi Corridor and the countries in the Western Regions were taken over, and a Protectorate of the Western Regions was established. The entire Western Regions submitted to the country.

In the north, they took over Henan and the entire Hetao region, built cities and set up counties, set up the Anbei Protectorate in the northern grasslands, and the entire Xiongnu was in disarray. Now they are loyal dogs of the Qin Dynasty. As for the Donghu, they can only compete with the Xiongnu for living resources and rely on the Qin Dynasty.

In the entire Northeast region, Daqin extends directly to the Korean Peninsula, and the border line reaches Manpanhan, which is across the Yalu River. Jishi Korea also traveled thousands of miles to Xianyang to pay homage and tribute.

As for the west, thousands of miles west from Xianyang, whatever the Qin Dynasty says is what it is. The Qin Dynasty can destroy any state or tribe it wants to.

Although the southwest region was too wild, the Qin Dynasty had been developing and expanding there in an orderly manner. The rich mineral resources and slaves were exactly what the Qin Dynasty urgently needed.

Ying Zheng had already ordered the Mohists and Gongshujia to vigorously develop shipping technology, survey the water transportation environment in various places, and start building ships for sea and river transportation.

Such a huge empire not only needs to actively build roads to closely connect the entire empire, but also needs to vigorously develop water transportation. Only by taking these two approaches can the transportation needs of the Qin Dynasty be met.

Moreover, warships will be indispensable in future attacks on the State of Chu.

(End of this chapter)