People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

If we count from two months ago, I've been pregnant with Cao Ze's child for almost three months now.

The question now is-

Should I keep the baby in my belly or not? Should I keep this pregnancy or not?

Zhao Ji's alluring, foxy eyes were filled with melancholy.

Even though she casually mentioned giving Cao Zesheng two, it was just something she said in the heat of the moment; who knew it would actually happen...

After leaving Ganquan Palace, Ying Zheng did not return to Zhangtai Palace, but went to the Imperial Medical Bureau of the Shaofu.

"Where is the imperial physician who went to Ganquan Palace today to treat the Empress Dowager? Let him come to see me."

He was very worried about his mother, fearing that she was hiding something from him to avoid making him worry.

A young man a few years older than Ying Zheng hurriedly approached him, carrying a medicine bag on his back.

"Your subject Xia Wuqie greets Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng first demanded, "Why didn't you stay at Ganquan Palace and wait for my arrival? Didn't your chief physician make this request?"

Xia Wuqie was drenched in cold sweat, secretly lamenting his bad luck this year.

"Your Majesty, I misdiagnosed the pulse and angered the Empress Dowager, so I was banished by her. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, taking the blame upon himself and daring not to implicate the teacher.

"Hmm?" Ying Zheng was very concerned about what illness his mother had. He had only asked the imperial physician a question to get him to tell the truth, not because he was really angry. After all, the imperial physician had been sent away by his mother.

What illness does the Empress Dowager suffer from?

The autumn air was already quite chilly, and Xia Wuqie's forehead was covered in a dense layer of cold sweat.

"Food stagnation, it is food stagnation. The Empress Dowager drinks and eats a lot, so her pulse is smooth and flowing like pearls rolling on a plate, which is a typical slippery pulse."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly; it was just a minor illness, and he had been overthinking it.

"You said you took the wrong pulse, but what kind of pulse did you take?"

Ying Zheng asked casually, intending to punish the imperial physician lightly and leave.

"This..." Xia Wuqie was about to tell the truth when his scalp suddenly tingled and felt a little numb.

Ying Zheng's hawk-like eyes narrowed, and he shouted, "Speak! If you hesitate again, you'll be thrown into prison!"

Xia Wuqie looked distressed. "I have misdiagnosed it as a pregnancy pulse."

Ying Zheng was taken aback at first, then found it ridiculous and laughable.

"Food stagnation diagnosed as pregnancy pulse, you might be..."

Ying Zheng was at a loss for words.

Xia Wuqie said with a mournful face, "Indigestion and pregnancy both belong to the slippery pulse. It is because I am not skilled enough and not careful enough that I made a fool of myself and angered the Empress Dowager. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng shook his hand and said, "Get out of here."

He had some knowledge of these medical common sense facts. It was probably because when the imperial physicians were examining the mother, she did not mention her diet or other details in recent days. Otherwise, how could an imperial physician have diagnosed food stagnation as pregnancy?

Xia Wuqie felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly withdrew.

Ying Zheng walked towards Zhangtai Palace with his hands behind his back, shaking his head and chuckling.

It's hilarious that my mother was misdiagnosed with pregnancy.

Next time I'll definitely use this as a joke to tease my mother.

……

Cao Ze drank a pot of tea in the imperial study and finally saw Ying Zheng enter.

Seeing Ying Zheng's joyful expression and strange smile, he asked in surprise, "Does Your Majesty have good news?"

Ying Zheng coughed lightly, not intending to discuss the private matters between him and his mother with outsiders.

"It's alright, it's alright. Please have a seat, sir."

Ying Zheng asked Gai Nie to bring him a map.

"Sir, are you wondering why I have summoned you back to Xianyang in such a hurry?"

Cao Ze nodded. He didn't quite believe that Ying Zheng had transferred him back because the war in Nanyang was not going well.

Ying Zheng's expression turned solemn, and he said, "Not long ago, Empress Dowager Huayang approached me, asking me to allow her to visit the ailing King of Chu."

Cao Ze asked in bewilderment, "Has the King agreed?"

Ying Zheng said, "Of course I disagree, but after I refused, Empress Dowager Huayang left the palace alone, walking to Zhangtai Palace with a cane, forcing me to agree."

Cao Ze said, "Empress Dowager Huayang is already quite old. Xianyang is more than two thousand li away from Shouchun and Yingdu. The journey by boat and horse would be arduous, I'm afraid..."

Ying Zheng sighed, "How could I not know? But Empress Dowager Huayang made all sorts of promises, and I had no choice but to agree."

"Therefore, I would like to ask you, sir, to escort me all the way and ensure the safety of Empress Dowager Huayang."

Cao Ze felt this was a hot potato. What if Empress Dowager Huayang died on the way? How could he take responsibility?

Most importantly, Empress Dowager Huayang traveled safely from Qin to Chu and back again. This was because it was a private royal affair, and she wouldn't gain any benefits in the open. At most, she could improve Ying Zheng's favor, which is commonly known as winning the emperor's heart.

Cao Ze was inclined to refuse.

"Your Majesty, given my status, perhaps this is not quite appropriate?"

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "Of course, that's why I specially appointed Cheng Jiao as an envoy to the State of Chu. You and Jing Ni can accompany him."

Cao Ze understood; they wanted him to be their bodyguard.

"Oh, right." Ying Zheng seemed to remember something and said, "It's a rare opportunity to enter Chu. After you arrive in Shouchun, please pay close attention to the situation in Chu and investigate the true state of Chu, especially the attitude of the Qu, Jing, and Zhao families, as well as the current relationship between the Chu royal family and the Qu, Jing, and Zhao families."

"Now that the three Jin states have formed an alliance, if the state of Chu were to join them, it would likely be detrimental to the state of Qin."

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and said, "I understand. I will safely deliver Empress Dowager Huayang to the State of Chu."

He just realized that Empress Dowager Huayang passed away several years ago.

However, he was also unsure whether Empress Dowager Huayang had ever visited the State of Chu before her death.

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "I trust you with your work, sir. I will leave it to you in the future."

Cao Ze thought to himself, "You Qin royal family are so careless. For so many years, you've still allowed the Chu woman to rule the Qin palace."

First came Empress Dowager Xuan (Mi Yue), then came Empress Dowager Huayang.

No wonder Xiang Yu burned down their stronghold in the future; they deserved it.

You're seriously underestimating women.

As you can see, Zhou Xun initially looked down on women, even jokingly saying in "The True Story of Ah Q"—

In a certain country, most of the men could have become sages, but unfortunately, they were all ruined by women. The Shang Dynasty was destroyed by Daji; the Zhou Dynasty was ruined by Bao Si; the Qin Dynasty... although there is no explicit historical record, we can assume that it was because of women, which is probably not entirely wrong; and Dong Zhuo was indeed killed by Diao Chan.

Then, ten years later, after being brutally beaten down by reality, Xun Ge (Zhou Xun) wrote a collection of essays, "Essays from Qiejieting," with no small amount of reflection.

I have never believed that Wang Zhaojun's departure to the border would bring peace to the Han Dynasty, or that Mulan's joining the army would protect the Sui Dynasty; nor do I believe the old tales of Daji destroying the Yin Dynasty, Xi Shi ruining the Wu Dynasty, or Yang Guifei causing chaos in the Tang Dynasty. I believe that in a male-dominated society, women could never possess such power, and the responsibility for the rise and fall of dynasties should be borne by men. But male authors throughout history have largely shifted the blame for defeat and destruction onto women, which is truly worthless and spineless.

Unexpectedly, Ah Jin, an unremarkable and untalented maid, has stirred up a quarter of the area in front of me in less than a month. If she were a queen, empress, or empress dowager, then the impact would be considerable: enough to cause a great deal of trouble.

……

Throughout history and across the world, countless philosophers, thinkers, writers, historians, and others, after learning about women, have invariably acknowledged women's strength and developed prejudices against them.

No matter how powerful a country is, it can be destroyed because of a woman or a group of women.

Because they can truly conquer a country from within, disintegrate a nation, and destroy a civilization.

Mr. Qian had a keen eye for talent.

……

After leaving the palace, Cao Ze did not go to find Zhao Ji, but instead went to find Cheng Jiao.

Judging from Ying Zheng's beaming face, Zhao Ji was doing well in Ganquan Palace, so he didn't need to rush over to fetch water to put out the fire.

"Brother Chengjiao, the King says he will follow your arrangements. When shall we depart?"

Cheng Jiao was fishing in the lake in the mansion.

Cao Ze glanced at his fishing bucket. Ha, another air force guy.

"Ugh……"

Cheng Jiao shook his fishing rod and sighed, "What's that old hag, Empress Dowager Huayang, doing? All she does is cause me trouble."

His disrespectful remarks to Empress Dowager Huayang had another underlying meaning besides the matter itself.

His mother, Lady Han, was about the same age as Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, but why did his mother die young?

Back then, Empress Dowager Huayang promised my mother to support him as the crown prince and succeed to the throne. However, after my father supported Zhao Ji as his principal wife, he immediately changed his tune and privately accused my mother of wishful thinking. As a result, my mother was resentful and depressed, and died of depression after he was framed by Lü Buwei.

Cao Ze coughed lightly, "Brother Chengjiao, be careful what you say."

Even if he thought so in his heart, there were some things that were better left unsaid.

Cheng Jiao hummed in agreement. After all, it was a matter for the older generation, and as a grandson, he couldn't interfere too much.

"Empress Dowager Huayang has been preparing for a long time and has been urging me many times. I have been using Brother Cao as an excuse to not set off. Now that Brother Cao has returned, I am afraid it will be difficult to make excuses again."

"In that case, if Brother Cao is not in a hurry, let's set off in three days."

Chengjiao actually prefers to leave after the snow melts after the New Year.

After all, it was almost the end of the year in Chu, and even though the snow was late and little in the south, he didn't want to go out.

But Empress Dowager Huayang was determined, and she didn't care if they had to travel in winter, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Cao Ze nodded.

"Okay, in three days."

He left Chengjiao's residence, glanced at the sky and saw that it was still early, so he decided to go to Zhao Ji's place to work overtime.

This way, we won't have to give one day out of these three days to Zhao Ji.

……

Chapter 511 Zhao Ji: You damned devil, you're finally back...