In Xianyang Palace, a guest came to Ying Zheng’s study.
He is quite old, probably in his thirties, with a neat and thick beard on his upper lip. He has a kind face and handsome appearance. He has a high crown and plain clothes. He is elegant and noble. It can be said that he is a man who can charm thousands of girls.
The handsome uncle.
He is the only Changping Lord Xiong Qi who can compete with Lu Buwei in the court. He originally had Lao Ai who was supported (favoured) by the Queen Mother Zhao, but now his power has been reduced to Yongcheng, and he doesn't know what he is planning. Xiong Qi is the current king of Chu, Xiong Wan...well, he is already the previous king of Chu. He is the son of the previous king of Chu. There are two main reasons why he was able to serve as an official in the Qin State and even obtain the title of king.<
/p>
One is Empress Dowager Huayang. She is the favorite wife and concubine of King Xiaowen, the three-day King of Qin. She is also a noble of the Chu State. Her surname is Xiong. In terms of seniority, Xiong Qi would probably call her aunt or aunt. p>
The second is Xiong Qi’s mother, the daughter of King Zhaoxiang, from the Qin royal family.
All in all, Xiong Qi is considered a relative of Qin, so he can hold a high position.
In terms of seniority, he is still Ying Zheng's cousin.
Of course, Qin and Chu have been married for more than eighteen generations, and their relationship is complicated. If we really count, they can be ranked in many generations.
The Empress Dowager Huayang was now getting older and her health was deteriorating day by day, so she handed over all the Chu forces in her hands to Xiong Qi, allowing him to compete with Lu Buwei.
Ying Zheng and Xiong Qi sat opposite each other. Both of them were wearing plain white robes, but Ying Zheng liked to wear them this way, and Xiong Qi... his father was dead.
Logically speaking, he should have gone back to attend the funeral. Even if he served as an official in Qin State, he would have to ask about his father's death.
However, after discussing with the Queen Mother Huayang, Xiong Qi did not leave to return to Chu State.
After the news of King Chu's death spreads, Queen Mother Huayang will use her own name to 'force' Xiong Qi to stay in Qin to continue to share the country's worries.
He obviously couldn't leave Qin at this juncture, but as a son of a man, he couldn't take the initiative to say that he didn't care about his father's funeral. He could only stop it by the elder Queen Mother Huayang, so as to prevent others from gossiping.
Reputation is still very important.
"I have just learned that the King of Chu has passed away. Logically speaking, Mr. Changping, you have to go back to your country?"
Ying Zheng was not chatting with Xiong Qiqian. There was a porcelain white jade chessboard between the two of them, and they were playing chess. While he was making moves, he asked about Xiong Wan's death in a casual tone.
"Back to the king, that's how it should be. However, the Queen Mother Huayang said that there is an undercurrent in the court at the moment. It is the time to hire people, so it is not appropriate for me to leave, so I ordered me to stay for the time being." Xiong Qi observed the chess game, looking for a suitable move.
Where, he replied with a respectful tone.
"Well... Queen Mother Huayang is very thoughtful, but this makes it a little difficult for you, Mr. Changping." Ying Zheng praised without much fluctuation in his tone.
Naturally, Xiong Qi quickly thanked him and expressed his loyalty, "Since Xiong Qi is a minister of our Qin State, he should naturally take the interests of the State of Qin and your Majesty as his primary goal."
Ying Zheng's face showed a little joy, and he seemed to be satisfied with Xiong Qi's attitude. He nodded slowly, and then asked:
"How are the preparations for the crown ceremony going?"
"Back to the king, I have discussed the detailed procedures of the crown ceremony with Fengchang, Zongzheng, and Gangchengjun. All materials and manpower are almost ready. There is only one problem now." Xiong Qixian put down the chess piece in his hand, and then
Then he clasped his hands in salute and answered.
"Say." Ying Zheng didn't think for long, and quickly made another move, and at the same time uttered a word lightly.
"In the past two years, he has been soliciting diners, wooing officials, and intervening in local operations in Yongdi, causing the situation there to be very chaotic. Even the central court lost control of Yongdi. During this period, he secretly did many things that were not good for him.
It was a big move that everyone knew about, and I sent many people to investigate the situation openly and secretly, but either they returned with no success, or... they simply didn't even see anyone."
When Xiong Qi reported, he looked worried.
For all the kings of Qin to be crowned, they had to go to Yongcheng, the ancestral land of the Qin royal family, to worship the ancestors of heaven and earth. But now Yongcheng has indeed completely become the sphere of influence of the malicious Lao Ai. Not to mention Xiong Qi, Lu Buwei can't even talk there now.
.
And without sufficient reasons, it was impossible for them to mobilize a large number of troops to the ancestral land to defend Lao Ai during the ceremony.
In fact, he also concealed part of it, which was the problem of Queen Mother Zhao.
If Empress Dowager Zhao hadn't tried her best to protect Lao Ai, with Xiong Qi's ability and power, Lao Ai would have been dealt with clearly.
But he's not stupid. Unless he doesn't mention it, he won't speak ill of his mother in front of Ying Zheng.
Although he knew in his heart that Xiong Qi was definitely talking about Lao Ai when he mentioned Yongdi, and even about his mother, he had prepared himself mentally to accept it more than once, but after hearing these words, Ying Zheng
I was still a little out of control, my face turned pale, and the hand holding the chess piece kept exerting force, and gradually turned blue.
Seeing this, Xiong Qi lowered his head deeply, almost close to his chest, keeping in mind the principle of "don't look at anything inappropriate".
"...Don't worry about Marquis Chang Xin for the time being. You just need to make arrangements as usual and proceed as planned." After a moment of silence, Ying Zheng calmed down and ordered in a cold voice.
"I obey." Xiong Qi simply accepted the order, his face calm, as if what he just said was an ordinary daily matter.
However, his heart was not as calm as his face, and he was very confused now.
Ying Zheng's reaction was much greater than he imagined.
It stands to reason that everyone has known about Chang Xinhou's restlessness for a long time. Ying Zheng should have been used to it for a day or two, but there was such a big reaction at this time. It was obvious that Ying Zheng knew something that made him big.
For annoying things.
It is probably related to Lao Ai’s non-stop actions during this period in Yongdi.
But the question is, how did Ying Zheng, a polished commander and short-seller king, know about things that Xiong Qi has never been able to find out?
Xiong Qi had some speculations about this issue in his mind. It was probably related to Ying Zheng's previous disappearance, but he just didn't know what was going on.
After Ying Zheng returned to the capital, he did not tell anyone about his trip to South Korea. The people in the royal family only thought that Ying Zheng had gone out and wandered around Qin's territory. Although Lord Changping knew some of the details, he
I don’t know the specific details of Ying Zheng’s South Korean delegation.
Snap!
At this time, Ying Zheng dropped the last piece of the chess game, completely cutting off Xiong Qi's pieces and ending the chess game.
"Excuse me, Mr. Changping later. Please inform Mr. Gangcheng and ask him to come and see me." After winning the chess game, Ying Zheng gave the last order, which also included the intention of chasing Xiong Qi away.
Xiong Qi was a little stunned for a moment. Although he had no intention of winning against Ying Zheng, he also didn't intend to lose so quickly and so neatly!
"I understand." Xiong Qi first accepted the errand assigned by Ying Zheng, then smiled bitterly, clasped his hands and sighed, "The king's chess skills are superb, Xiong Qi is ashamed of himself."
"Oh, it's just a fluke." Ying Zheng looked at Lord Changping, who had a kind and loyal face, and smiled modestly.