owlsbooks Chapter 85: Reunion with Ziying
Chapter 85: Reunion with Ziying
Sunlight streamed down in the courtyard once more.
The leaden clouds from before completely dissipated as the touch faded.
"Um."
Zou Yun nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the sky.
Then, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice to Feng Zhixue beside him.
What year is it today?
"ah?!!"
This sudden question caught Feng Zhixue off guard, but despite his astonishment, he still blurted it out.
"Today is the full moon of the seventh month in the third year of Qin Er Shi's reign... Is there a problem, Grand Master?!"
"The second emperor of Qin... in the third year... on the full moon of the seventh month..."
Zou Yun repeated in a low voice, then quickly pressed on, "And what about yesterday?"
"Yesterday...yesterday?"
Feng Zhixue was even more confused by the question. He frowned, but still continued to respond.
"Yesterday was, of course, the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the day of Yichou in the seventh month."
"Has it really changed?!"
Zou Yun's pupils contracted. He suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
"Feng Jun, don't you find it strange? Why did the reign title suddenly jump from the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign to the 3rd year of Qin Er Shi's reign?"
"Shouldn't there be the first and second years of the second generation in between?"
"this......"
Feng Zhixue remained silent.
He stared wide-eyed at Zou Yun, whose expression was serious but who was now rambling incoherently, and couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Grand...Grand Master...is he alright?"
"Why don't you take a rest first?"
Ignoring Feng Zhixue's bewilderment, Zou Yun continued to press for answers.
"So, what happened yesterday? Can you tell me about it?"
"yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhixue tried hard to recall.
"We were on our way here yesterday."
"Then came the ascension of Qin Er Shi to the throne, the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising, the restoration of the six states in the east, Zhao Gao pointing at a deer and calling it a horse, killing Li Si and taking the position of prime minister."
"yes."
Looking at Feng Zhixue, who didn't seem to notice anything amiss, Zou Yun remained silent.
For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent again.
Seeing that Zou Yun remained silent, Feng Zhixue swallowed hard, secretly wondering, 'Could it be... that the Grand Master has had another episode of hysteria?!'
Should I ask Zheng Jun to come along...?
What if the Grand Master runs away?!
Just as he was letting his mind wander, Zou Yun spoke up.
Let's go!
"Let's go?! To chase after Lord Meng?"
This sudden decision startled Feng Zhixue, who responded instinctively.
"No!!"
Zou Yun turned around, his gaze fixed on the setting sun in the west, and said softly, "To Xianyang!!"
"Huh?! Okay, I'll go get Mr. Zheng."
Although Feng Zhixue didn't understand, he nodded and turned to go to another room.
In the courtyard, only Zou Yun remained alone.
His gaze drifted into the distance, where the golden afterglow cast a long shadow beneath him.
-----------------
The third year of Qin Er Shi's reign, on the day of Ji Hai in the eighth month.
A message circulating from Xianyang has reignited the already escalating situation.
"Because Hu Hai's tyranny caused great chaos in the world, he has now been executed. Prince Ying has been established as emperor. Hu Hai will be buried with the rites due to a commoner. This proclamation is made to all the world. Anyone who disobeys will be punished equally. — Proclamation made by Chancellor Zhao Gao in the third year of Qin Er Shi's reign."
The announcement shocked the entire world.
Upon hearing the news, the various warlords sprang into action, like jackals smelling blood, and accelerated their progress.
They were prepared to rush into Guanzhong as soon as possible and seize the biggest piece of meat from this vast empire.
Meanwhile, inside the Zhangtai Hall of Xianyang Palace.
The former center of power is now utterly desolate.
Although the magnificent carved corridors and painted beams still stand, they reveal an indescribable sense of desolation under the setting sun, just like the Qin Dynasty at this moment.
Decay, desolation...
On that broad table that bore the supreme authority of the First Emperor and determined the fate of countless people in the empire.
At this moment, a small figure is curled up.
The figure, wrapped in an uncomfortably large black dragon robe, buried his face in the mat, his thin shoulders trembling slightly.
Ziying!
This child, suddenly thrust into the limelight by fate, is filled with fear at this moment.
He couldn't understand why so many of his elders had disappeared overnight.
She didn't understand why those vicious armored soldiers had forcibly taken her from her mother's arms.
She couldn't understand why she had to wear this heavy, large robe that made it difficult to even walk.
All he knew was that he missed his mother and wanted to go home.
"Mother... Ziying wants to go home... Ziying... doesn't want to stay here..."
The sound of weeping echoed in the empty hall.
At this moment, no one cares about this emperor in name only.
He was placed on the supreme throne of the Qin Empire, yet he was like an object casually set aside, abandoned in the ruins of power.
No one paid attention, and no one cared.
"Gurgle~"
Hunger interrupted the crying. Ziying wiped away her tears haphazardly with her sleeve before carefully taking out a pouch from her bosom and opening it.
"There are only two jujubes left, we have to eat them sparingly..."
He stared at the two remaining candied fruits at the bottom of his bag, swallowed hard, and, as if making a momentous decision, whispered a command to himself.
After saying that, Ziying stretched out his finger, picked up a jujube, and quickly stuffed it into his mouth.
He couldn't bear to swallow it, so he just held it gently in his mouth with his teeth.
The familiar sweetness spreads from the tip of the tongue.
While bringing a little comfort to Ziying, it also stirred up the grievances in his heart.
Tears flowed uncontrollably and silently from Ziying's eyes again, no matter how he tried to wipe them away, he couldn't get them clean.
I don't know if it was intentional or if I simply forgot about him.
Since being taken to Zhangtai Hall this morning and meeting those indifferent ministers, no one has come in again.
The palace doors were tightly shut, and no matter how much he cried and pounded on them, there was no response from outside.
Having been hungry all day, he could only fill his stomach with the candied fruit that his mother had tearfully stuffed into his arms before he set off.
"Mother..."
Ziying called softly.
Just when despair was almost completely overwhelming him, suddenly—
"Creak—"
A slight scraping sound was heard, and the door that he couldn't open no matter what he did was gently pushed in.
Ziying trembled all over, like a frightened little beast, lying under the table, only daring to peek out with his eyes tentatively towards the doorway.
"It is you!!!"
Upon seeing who it was, Ziying's eyes widened instantly.
The person who pushed open the door was not Zhao Gao as he had expected, but Zou Yun, whom he had met once before.
Zou Yun, dressed in plain clothes, walked in with a light laugh.
His appearance finally brought a touch of life to this cold and gloomy hall.
Upon finally seeing an acquaintance, Ziying's tense nerves relaxed, and he hurriedly crawled out from under the table and ran towards Zou Yun.
The wide dragon robe tripped Ziying's ankle, causing him to stumble and almost fall.
Fortunately, he was caught steadily by a pair of long, slender arms, preventing him from hitting the ground.
"Have you come to rescue me?"
Ignoring her own fall, Ziying looked up at him with eager anticipation, as if grasping at a lifeline.
"yes."
Looking at the child who was almost terrified, Zou Yun's expression softened, and he nodded without hesitation.
"Can......"
Ziying was initially delighted, but then he seemed to think of the fierce armored soldiers outside the palace gates, and his eyes, which had just lit up, quickly dimmed.
"Never mind...you should leave quickly, sir."
He hesitated, even nudging Zou Yun with his small hand, "They...they will kill Jun..."
Looking at Ziying, who was clearly terrified but still worried about his safety, Zou Yun's lips curled up slightly.
Then, he solemnly stepped back, straightened his clothes, and bowed to Ziying as if they were meeting for the first time.
"You are truly a kind and benevolent gentleman."
"Alright, what time is it? Stop talking about this."
Looking at Zou Yun, who seemed completely unaware that he was in danger, Ziying stamped his feet anxiously.
He frowned and pushed Zou Yun again with force.
"You'd better leave quickly, or you won't be able to leave once those people come back."
After speaking, Ziying seemed to realize something and couldn't help but shiver.
However, Zou Yun ignored his urging, and the smile and gentleness on his face slowly faded, leaving only a solemn and dignified expression.
He stared at Ziying's reddened eyes and asked, word by word.
"Do you aspire to be this emperor?"
This question left Ziying stunned.
He blinked, not understanding why Zou Yun would ask this at this moment, but Ziying still shook his head vigorously without hesitation.
"Ziying has no desire to be an emperor; Ziying only wants to return to his mother's side..."
"good!"
Zou Yun's voice was deep, as if it contained some kind of promise.
"Then let me... take your place and become the emperor...!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly stretched out his hand, palm up, and presented it to Ziying.
Ziying looked at the hand in front of him and placed it on it without hesitation.
After finishing, Ziying urged.
"Alright, alright, you're the emperor now, you can leave now, or those guys will really come."
Ziying clearly thought Zou Yun was joking, so after cooperating with him, he eagerly pushed Zou Yun again.
But Zou Yun didn't say anything.
The moment Ziying's palm touched it.
The contract has been made, and cause and effect have been reversed!
In an instant, a strange white light burst forth from Zou Yun's body.
The light was not dazzling, but it instantly swept away the cold and gloomy atmosphere of the entire Zhangtai Palace.
Ziying stared blankly at the dazzling light before him, his mouth slightly agape, but before he could utter a question...
The soft white light enveloped Ziying.
He felt an irresistible warmth wash over him, and then fell backward without realizing it.
Zou Yun reacted quickly and caught Ziying again.
Outside the palace, Feng Zhixue, who had been anxiously waiting, watched as Zou Yun carried out the new emperor of the Great Qin Dynasty.
Even though I knew beforehand, I still couldn't help but hesitate.
"Great Master, are we...are we really going to abduct His Majesty?!"
As he spoke, Feng Zhixue looked around, fearing that new guards might suddenly appear.
"Really, no one will come looking for them?!"
Because Feng and Zheng had deliberately preserved their memories from before their identities were swapped with Ziying, Feng Zhixue felt like he was going crazy.
At the highest power center of the Qin Dynasty, they abducted the supreme ruler of Qin.
No one would believe such crazy talk, let alone do it.
However, at this moment, it was actually unfolding before Feng Zhixue's eyes.
"Don't worry, no one will interfere. You should take him home to his mother first." Zou Yun's voice was unusually calm.
Feng Zhixue glanced at the Grand Master, then at the unconscious young emperor.
"Yes...yes!"
After much hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed.
Taking Ziying from him, Feng Zhixue took out the cloth that could make them invisible, preparing to cover himself and Ziying for the last moment.
He couldn't help but turn back to look at the figure standing alone in front of the hall.
"Then... what about the Grand Master?!"
"certain?!!"
Zou Yun did not turn around; his gaze was fixed on the horizon, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"I will wait here for Zhao Gao!"