It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

The moon was in the twilight, and there was a solemn atmosphere inside and outside the palace.

She has tried her best to understand everyone in the present moment, which has become a habit over the years.

Ah Zhi didn't understand why Ying Hehua was so diligent. If it was because of the complexity of Qin's conquest of the six kingdoms, and Ying Hehua, as a princess, was worried about the schemes of the people of the six kingdoms, it would be understandable. But now, the six kingdoms have been destroyed, and she still doesn't look happy, but becomes more depressed.

Is it because of Zhang Liang?

Chen Ping did not hide from Shen Zhi the fact that he went to Liyang to meet Zhang Liang.

And the secret cabinet had already received the news, so Yao Jia quickly found him.

Yao Jia didn't know that Ying Zheng had never told Ying Hehua where Zhang Liang was. He thought that Ying Hehua had agreed to let Chen Ping go to Liyang to check the situation.

In any case, they got the same answer - Zhang Liang had forgotten everything that had happened in Qin in the past six or seven years.

Yao Jia said that his Qin officials had also tried to test Zhang Liang. In the name of investigating the private property of Liyang land, they asked Zhang Liang to state the cause of his father Zhang Ping's death.

"This..." Chen Ping paused.

Yao Jia waved his hand, glanced at Chen Ping, and smiled, "Don't worry, please let Her Royal Highness rest assured too. Zhang Liang's expression did not change, and he did not even pause when writing."

【My father had been ill for a long time and died in the 24th year of the reign of Qin. He fled to a place where he was scattered and spent all his family property. Fortunately, my brother Yuan and I were able to find this courtyard and good land to settle down.】

As a Han Chinese, he tacitly used the Qin Dynasty's calendar.

Through Chen Ping's words, Ah Zhi also learned the facts he knew.

"Miss Shen, you and I work together. If Your Highness blames me for meeting Zhang Liang privately, I hope you can plead for mercy."

Even though Azhi was not in Xianyang when Ying Hehua was dealing with Zhang Liang's affairs.

But Azhi didn't feel the slightest fear.

She understood her so well.

Shen Zhi looked at Chen Ping, "Mr. Chen Ping, you don't understand the princess."

Chen Ping was stunned for a moment, a little unwilling, "I know how many things Your Highness has done, and many of them were done by me personally. Do you know that? Why do you say that?"

She used his intelligence, and he wanted the future she gave him.

Chen Ping only regards Ying Hehua as his superior.

But Shen Zhi was not like that. She felt that even though Chen Ping wanted to follow Ying Hehua's lead from the bottom of his heart, when it came to other things, men would only empathize with other men.

Chen Ping only saw the suffering of Zhang Liang and the torment of Li Xian. Most of the time, he rarely felt that women would bear more than them. Moreover, Ying Hehua was not an ordinary woman, she was a noble princess.

Chen Ping lived in a feudal era, so there was nothing wrong with him thinking this way, but he happened to be Ying Hehua's aide, so he had to completely abandon this idea in the future. Moreover, more incredible things would continue to emerge, forcing Chen Ping to become a different ray of light.

The moonlight is getting darker.

Shen Zhi was holding the candlestick with a pair of silver scissors in her hand, and was about to cut the lamp wick.

"I'll put it out later."

"Your Highness," Ah Zhi reminded her, "You should pay more attention to your health. You have to attend the ceremony for General Wang Ben's return to the court tomorrow morning. If the king knew that you did not rest on time, he would be worried."

"No problem." Xu Zhi picked up the tea that Ah Zhi handed to her. The rich aroma made her feel very familiar. "Is this tea from Shu?"

"Yes."

"I don't have any Shu tea here anymore. I gave it all to Wang Wan."

Ah Zhi said, "Princess, you forgot. It was sent by Master Chen a few days ago."

"Although he likes to flatter me, Chen Ping's salary is definitely not enough to buy this thing."

Azhi was about to speak, but was interrupted by her.

"Maybe it was given to me by Hou Sheng when he was on a diplomatic mission to Qi." She said to herself, "I usually have to take medicine, and I'm afraid the mellow Shu tea will spoil the medicine. Wang Wan likes this, and luckily he will also attend tomorrow, so I'll give it to him. Tomorrow, I should also ask him whether he should carry out his second plan."

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of cooing pigeons were heard again.

The gray-white pigeon perched on the treetop, turning its neck flexibly.

Xu Zhi took off the cloth strip on its leg.

The candlelight reflected on the silk surface, making the outline of her face clearer and clearer.

Her face darkened.

Xu Zhi clutched the silk book tightly and frowned, "Li Xian is indeed untrustworthy. The Qin State hasn't even started to reshuffle its cards yet, and he's already anxious to get Sima Cheng out of power. What on earth does he want to do?"

Ah Zhi glanced out the window and said, "Many years ago, when we were in Shu, Supervisor Li once asked the mistress a question."

"What's the matter?"

"I heard from my mistress that she had been to Xianyang a long time ago and met Prime Minister Lu. I thought, maybe my mistress and Sima Cheng know something..."

It is no secret that Lü Buwei would rather die than go to Shu and was eventually killed by a cup of poisoned wine.

Why did Li Xian want to investigate this old matter?
Xu Zhi was even more confused.

She thought of Zhao Ji, who had been ill for a long time.

Thanks to her mother's careful care, and perhaps because of the longevity supplements from Mount Zhongnan, Zhao Ji did not die in her forties as in history, but delayed her death until this time.

But long before, news came from Ganquan Palace that the Queen Mother was unwell.

Before, Li Xian had made a deal with her using Zhao Ji’s situation.

Lü Buwei's last words.

If it were in the past, Xu Zhi would have thought this was a very touching story. Zhao Ji would certainly be willing to hear it. Maybe, she would also be deeply disappointed for a while.

But now, Xu Zhi thinks that if a man regrets how unkind and unfaithful he is to his woman when he is dying, then he deserves it.

No matter what Lu Buwei’s last words were, or what Ying Yiren’s last words were.

The abandonment suffered by Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng.

That was not a vain period of time, but nine real years.

For nine whole years, thirty-six seasons changed.

Nearly one-sixth of Ying Zheng's life was spent displaced.

So, how could he believe that people can have trust in each other without cold and strict laws or rules and regulations?
Could this be the reason for Wang Wan and Chunyu Yue’s failure?
Only then did Xu Zhi feel that she seemed to have touched upon a little bit of the truth.

It was so light, so ethereal, and so unrealistic that it flashed by.

On the day Wang Ben returned home, she really wanted to run to Ying Zheng's Zhangtai Palace and tell her father everything that had happened.

Xu Zhi had this idea many times.

But she knew that the ending of fifteen years was so cruel that no Qin person could bear it, let alone Ying Zheng himself.

Seeing Ying Hehua didn't say anything, Ah Zhi looked at the unsealed bamboo tube on the table and asked, "Then Princess... do we still need to send this to Li Tingwei's residence?"

"deliver."

Thinking about tomorrow, she came up with an idea and silently watched the silk book burn in her hands.

"Chen Ping is right. The world is about to be unified, and there must be no discord in Qin. Li Si and I should have a peaceful talk."

Shen Zhi folded it and put it into the bamboo tube.

Her princess had so many things to deal with urgently, so how could she let Zhang Liang's affairs in Liyang distract her?

Most people like to say "what a fate to meet" when they first meet someone to express their sincerity in friendship.

To some extent, fate is not necessarily a good thing.

For example, a bad fate.

Rather than fighting endlessly and hurting both sides, it is better to forget each other.

Shen Zhi blew out the tent light and stayed by Ying Hehua's side.

Looking at the curtain hanging above the beam, she suddenly said, "Light another incense stick."

Ah Zhi pointed at the Boshan stove. "Princess?"

Xu Zhi nodded.

The incense burned, with a hint of woody cinnamon scent. Ah Zhi looked at her and smiled, which was rare. "Huai Qing said that this product has very good sales in Shu. It can help people who can't sleep to sleep, and it has no side effects."

"Come to think of it, it would be nice if there was a camera, and if Zheng Chou could make it, I'd ask Mo Qi to draw a few more blueprints, he wouldn't refuse..."

Shen Zhi didn't know what a camera was. However, she often mentioned some strange things. She got used to it over the years.

Ah Zhi said, "Although you refused the firearms before, Mr. Mo agreed to all the princess's other requests." Ah Zhi smiled gently, "Princess, go to sleep. I will still be here with you."

I heard her hum, but she turned her head back and murmured, "You should go to bed too. I don't want to see you with dark circles under your eyes tomorrow... If you light the incense, I won't have nightmares."

As if this was her.

In fact, when in Handan, although Ying Hehua was also deep-minded at that time, he was not as bitter and vengeful as he is today.

Ahzhi didn't know what went wrong. She looked at the wide gold bracelet inlaid with red coral on her wrist that she wore to cover the wound.

Shen Zhi took a deep breath and closed the palace door. She only hoped that the day of Qin's unification would come soon and that Qi's jade seal would be sent to Xianyang immediately. That way, she would probably not be so tired and would be a little happier.

In the plum garden outside the palace, a black shadow walked under the moonlight.

In the mist, his clothes were dusty, and it was obvious that he was tired from running around for many days.

"The princess is available?"

Ah Zhi hummed. She knew he was talking about Xiang.

The merchant was Li Xian. He said that he bought the prescription from a traveling doctor and had someone take great pains to make it. He came tonight just to collect the payment.

Li Xian didn't tell anyone that he had almost torn apart medical books from various countries, and he also made the medicinal incense himself.

Azhi took out a small bag of gold flakes from his arms and handed it to him.

"I didn't expect His Highness to be so generous."

Ah Zhi was not interested in cooperating with Li Xian in acting, "I wonder what the adults want to do?"

He didn't speak.

"You, the Supervisor, placed the pigeon in Zhilan Palace, right?"

Li Xian was stunned for a moment. Yes, the people around Xu Zhi were smarter than each other.

In the turbulent times, you cannot survive if you are not smart.

Ah Zhi's guess was correct. Where are the pigeons flying from Shu?

It was just that Li Xian caught it and put it on the tree.

He was not embarrassed by being exposed. He looked around, his dim and gloomy eyes fell on Ah Zhi two steps away, but he suddenly smiled, "A few months ago, I knelt here and begged her not to reveal my father's forbidden book." The sword on his waist was cold under the moonlight, "Now, I just want the princess to know that it is not easy to take the initiative to ask for peace."

"How do you think that the one seeking peace would not be your father?"

Li Xian smiled and said, "If the princess had not been so determined to have Xunzi join Qi, the people of Qi probably would not have thought of a way to sow discord between them. I think the princess feels that harmony between the ruler and his subjects in Qin is very important."

"In this case, your Excellency's wish to use Shu County as your retreat point is simply wishful thinking."

"Now, Her Royal Highness Princess knows what the real consequences are," said Li Xian.

"What do you mean?" Shen Zhi was puzzled.

Li Xian did not answer, "I hope Miss Shen can comfort Her Highness and ask her to take care of me more."

He said this and looked deeply into the dark hall, which fell on the rose garden that she still kept. His eyes became sharp, he clenched his sword, turned his head, his eyes were dark, as if hiding countless swords.

"Madam Shen, I think neither you nor I want her to waste her energy on irrelevant people and end up getting sick from fatigue."

"You are presumptuous!"

He said nothing more and turned away into the darkness.

"and many more!"

Shen Zhi called him, "Do you know something?"

Li Xian's eyes darkened and he sneered, "Ten years ago, I warned her not to let that man come to Qin. He was not someone she could control, but she just wanted to suffer the consequences. Wait and see, soon, she will know what it means to bring disaster upon herself."

Shen Zhi frowned, "What do you mean by 'you deserve it'?! The princess saved his and his family's lives, and she protected their safety in Qin for six years. The princess is so kind-hearted, and it's not the princess' fault that he betrayed her."

"Didn't the maid ask Lu Ze why he bothered to save Zhao Jia?" "This kind of unwarranted kindness is wrong."

Shen Zhi said: "I never thought that Lu Ze was wrong to save Zhao Jia. I just hate why he looked down on me. My lord, aren't you alive today because of your highness's kindness?"

"The princess could have ignored you, but she used her own blood to save you." "Do you know how Her Highness saved you?"

He had seen the wound on her wrist. He knew what happened. But he felt that she was just pitying him. She saw him as nothing more than a pitiful lapdog.

"So what if I know."

Shen Zhi understood, and she felt that Li Xian was really a stubborn person.

She said he didn't like Ying Hehua, but he went to great lengths to make trouble outside and was willing to stab himself a few times to clear himself from her.

But he insisted on making her worry and making everyone think that he was born a madman.

In his previous life, he was actually quite normal. However, after being trained by the Legalists, the court of Qin could not be too normal. Being too normal would lead to death without a burial place, such as Fusu and Meng Tian.

In fact, Li Xian later discovered that it was not Li Si but Zhao Gao who had truly learned the darkest part of Legalist thought.

They never learned what true evil was until they died, which is why they frequently wrote petitions to the emperor in prison, and were blinded by even uglier evils, leading to their miserable end.

Shen Zhi totally couldn't understand the logic behind Li Xian's behavior.

She said bluntly: "She hurt herself for your life. Your Highness used the dagger that the King gave her to protect himself."

"Since the first day she knew how to use her blood vessels, she has hurt herself not once, but ten times. The scabbed wounds had to be cut open for ten consecutive days. The blades were very cold in winter. She may have learned from you that she should soak the wounds in hot water to warm them up before cutting."

"The princess didn't want to torture herself, but you, you guys are torturing her continuously!"

He had never heard from anyone else that someone had cherished his life so much, and that person was Xu Zhi.

Li Xian stood still.

Shen Zhi often follows Ying Hehua, and she also knows that Wang Wan may only be around for one or two months.

For some reason, Yao Jia also expressed his desire to stay away from politics if he had the chance in the future.

Although Meng Yi was deeply trusted by Ying Zheng, he was young after all. If nothing unexpected happened, Li Si might be the only one who could rule the court.

Li Xian seemed to be avoiding Xianyang and went to Shu for a while, but in fact he was paving the way for their Li family.

Judging from Li Xian's tone, there is a lot of heat between him and the princess, and neither of them likes the other.

Since Xunzi came to Qin, she obviously disagreed with Li Si.

Considering his father and his methods, there is no way he would let Ying Hehua have an easy life in the court in the future.

Shen Zhisong was angry, "No matter what, I have offended you. I'll tell you all at once. You were a good minister in Shu when you were in disaster relief. I still hope that you will not be ungrateful in the future."

His eyes darkened, but the last word made Li Xian suddenly feel mixed emotions.

Don't be ungrateful.

The suicide note he left behind included the four words "deeply indebted".

Li Xian looked at Shen Zhi and said nothing in the end.

Before tonight, he had already thought about everything that was going to happen next.

He wanted her to understand that there were intersecting power anchors between her and him, as well as intricate interests.

She did it for Ying Zheng, and he did it for his father.

Even if she didn't love him and no longer trusted him.

Even though she was a princess high above everyone else, he could still find a way to get her.

He waited for her to call him a shameless person, as vile as ever.

Be it by any means necessary, whether it be coercion or inducement.

In this way, he could make her remember that he was the only one who walked with her in the midst of all the difficulties.

Zhao Jia is just his pawn.

Four years ago, when he led Lu Ze to find Zhao Jia, he was already playing today's chess game.

Li Xian lived two lifetimes, and whenever he wanted to do something, he succeeded.

He had long been planning how to get Zhang Liang out of Qin. At that time, based on Zhang Liang's reputation, he could not die in Qin, could not die at the hands of the Qin people, and certainly could not die at his hands.

Zhang Liang had been an envoy to the State of Zhao and had contributed to the conquest of Handan. The people of Han were condemned by Qin, so the people of Zhao naturally hated him.

"The Inspector actually has such medical skills. This thing can really protect the heart meridian." Zhao Jia was surprised to see that the guard who had followed him for many years had indeed woken up.

"It just has some side effects. It depends on how you use it, sir."

"What does it do?"

"Forget the past," he said.

"Time..." Zhao Jia frowned slightly.

"I have never tried it, please forgive me, sir."

"It's good to rescue the people. Thank you."

Zhao Jia later said that his guards had actually forgotten what had happened during their displaced journey.

"When will you remember it?" Zhao Jia asked.

"Maybe a month or two."

"...Maybe forever?" Zhao Jia asked.

He was silent. "No conclusion."

Therefore, the substance in the black iron bottle that Xu Zhi got later was no longer a poison unique to the State of Zhao, but naturally it was something that came from his hands a long time ago.

Li Xian's medical skills were so advanced that he had already been able to make the fake death drug "hold your breath" that Han Fei drank ten years ago.

Medicine and poison also have the same origin.

He was certain that she was going to save Zhang Liang, and sure enough, Zhao Jia's poison came in handy.

Although he was not present, everything that happened in Xianyang was under his control.

He couldn't guarantee how long Zhang Liang would forget... one or two months, a lifetime? Or just three years like Zhao Jia's guards?

But no matter how well he planned, there were many things he could not calculate.

For example, Xu Zhi.

Another example is Zhang Liang.

He even underestimated his own conscience.

Shen Zhi had said so much to him, and he was going to go directly into the hall to see her.

The moonlight shone through her low window. She was sleeping under a quilt decorated with flowers, and the light floated on her cheek.

But she didn't sleep as soundly as she had imagined.

Is his medicine not working?
Li Xian frowned slightly.

Many years later, he heard her calling someone's name in her sleep again.

But this time, besides the words father or grandfather...

God wants him to hear it, to suffer and feel heartbroken.

"...Zi, Fang." she read.

All calculations are rigid and pale.

He didn't dare to come any closer.

He looked up at the Boshan censer where incense was burning, and the shape of a mountain was surrounded by mist.

He finally admitted that there must be something that he could not get no matter what.

He leaned against the outer wall of Zhilan Palace, thinking in despair that this was probably how his life would be.

There are not so many beautiful scenery in Zhilan Palace in this season.

There are no footprints on the white snow.

There are no spring flowers.

No golden leaves.

Only the cicadas chirp until dawn. (End of this chapter)