Chapter 3 Growth

  In the blink of an eye, several months passed. Although Xiao Fusu, as the eldest son of the Qin king, enjoyed the favor of thousands for a time, being cooped up in swaddling clothes and unable to move was not a very pleasant thing for the lively Fusu. So on ordinary days, the usually 'deep' Xiao Fusu would, whenever he felt stifled beyond endurance, let out a loud wail, euphemistically called: 'Spiritual Venting Method'.

  But this made life even more difficult for the palace maids and eunuchs, as they would often be severely punished by the eunuch leaders for not taking good care of him! For a while, Fusu even used this mischievous trick as his only pastime and entertainment. But soon, Fusu became tired of this game, after all, the palace maids and eunuchs were also pitiful people, and Fusu couldn't bear to tease them anymore! So he had no choice but to continue enduring the painful life in swaddling clothes!

  Fortunately, babies are greedy for sleep due to their growth needs, so Fu Su managed to get through the first few months of her life without becoming an idiot!

  At this time, the seemingly calm political situation in Qin was actually turbulent and extremely dangerous: The Shang party, led by Prime Minister Wenxin Hou Lü Buwei, who held the power of state politics, and the Bao Wang party, led by Guan Jun Huan Yi, Da Jiangjun Meng Wu, and his son Meng Wu, were fighting to the death. The temporarily powerless King Qin Ying Zheng could only watch this fierce struggle with cold eyes. Li Si, Zhao Gao, and Lao Ai, these three poisonous snakes, also began to appear on the historical stage, but at that time, they were still in a low position and could not control the situation, and could only rely on their own masters to seek their own interests in this chaos. (Li Si was indecisive between the Shang party and the Bao Wang party, a typical wall grass; Zhao Gao relied on King Qin, a member of the Bao Wang party; Lao Ai took the route of Queen Dowager, the lover of Queen Dowager Chu Yu!)

  Although Fu Su is eager to help his father win the throne, he can't do anything because he's still struggling to take his first step in life.

  When Fu Su was finally ten months old, Zheng Fei reluctantly began to let little Fu Su take his first steps. When Fu Su anxiously took his first step in life under his mother's support with his tender little legs, tears of happiness immediately flowed out of Zheng Fei's eyes. In the ancient society where "a mother relies on her son for nobility", Fu Su was her only guarantee for a happy life in the future!

  Although Fu Su had walked a long way before he was born, he seemed to have forgotten the old proverb "being impatient can't eat hot tofu" and was eager to walk independently as soon as possible. However, his legs kept tripping him up, shattering his hopes time and again! During this period of learning to walk, the two words that appeared most frequently in Fu Su's mind were: frustrated!

  However, as time went by, the clever little Fusu slowly learned to walk at a surprising speed. Three or four months later, although Fusu could already walk steadily, what still made him feel frustrated was that the group of eunuchs who followed behind him didn't dare let him go too far. Every time he tried to step out of the palace gate, they would rush over and carry him back, suffocating his curiosity about the outside world, making Fusu grind his teeth in anger! Although at this time, it seemed like he still didn't have many teeth!

  Finally, one summer night, when the palace servants were all asleep, Xiao Fusuo secretly climbed out of his crib and stepped through a small side door into the outside world he had longed for! In the darkness, countless bright lights illuminated the vast palace as brightly as daylight, allowing Xiao Fusuo to fully appreciate the wisdom and power of his ancestors: the city walls coiled like giant dragons, the palaces stood proudly like fierce tigers, the blue city walls, white jade steps, glazed tile roofs, majestic beasts... All of this, under the light of the lamps, shone with a dazzling splendor, radiant and breathtaking.

  Fu Su was shocked, and he couldn't help but exclaim to the heavens: "What a great nation! What a magnificent atmosphere! Your son will reign over you, leading you to conquer the world!" As he gazed at this majestic palace, Fu Su's heart was filled with a sudden longing for power!

  Xiao Fu Su was so fascinated by the grandeur of Qin Palace that he forgot everything and walked forward with his little legs. Perhaps it was because he was lucky, or perhaps it was because his goal was too small, or perhaps it was because he walked in a very secluded place. Anyway, the mighty Tiger and Leopard Guards of the Great Qin Dynasty, who were known for their impenetrable defense, did not notice this little troublemaker this time, allowing him to wander around freely.

  Slowly, Fu Su felt his legs getting heavier and heavier, and the eyelids of both eyes began to fight non-stop. Fu Su knew it was no good, knowing that his current physical strength and energy were not enough to support him for a long time outside, so he immediately decided to return to his mother's bedroom.

  But poor Fu Su immediately discovered a terrible fact: in the vast and labyrinthine palace, this little bird got lost!!! He didn't know how long he had been walking randomly and recklessly, only daring to walk in secluded areas. Finally, Fu Su became dizzy and was knocked down by sleepiness, sleeping soundly. Fortunately, it's still summer now, and the weather is hot, otherwise, his life might have been lost!

  His irresponsible sleep is not a big deal, but the palace is in an uproar. When the maids woke up at dawn and found that the Crown Prince Fusu had disappeared, everyone was so frightened that they trembled all over and turned pale. The palace servants who did not dare to hide the matter immediately reported it to Zheng Fei and Zongzheng, who were in charge of clan affairs. Zheng Fei and others were shocked and dared not disturb Qin Wang, who was still grieving for his mother (Queen Dowager Xia), and ordered people to search the Jianzhang Palace first!

  However, Zheng Fei and others who had nothing to gain from this had no choice but to report the terrible news to Qin Wang Yingzheng, who was preparing to sneak out of the palace to meet with Gong Sunyu. The shocked Qin Wang was so angry that he almost spat fire from his eyes: How could this be? His only beloved son had vanished into thin air in this heavily guarded palace!

  In a fit of rage, Ying Zheng immediately mobilized the Hu Bao army to conduct a thorough search of the entire palace in conjunction with the eunuchs inside. After one hour, a team of Hu Bao soldiers finally found Xiao Fu Su sleeping soundly in a secluded alley, biting his finger. Overjoyed, the Hu Bao soldiers carefully carried Xiao Fu Su and sent him to Qin Wang, who was still anxiously waiting for news.

  Seeing Fusu, the king of Qin and Zheng Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief. The imperial physician who had been waiting on the side immediately came forward to take Fusu's pulse! Originally nervous, the imperial physician relaxed after taking the pulse, carefully putting down Fusu's small hand, and bowed to say: "Report to Your Majesty, the prince is not seriously ill, just slightly caught a cold, taking some medicine to dispel the cold and resting for a day will be fine!" Everyone heard this and immediately put their minds at ease!

  Although Qin Zheng was still a bit puzzled as to how Xiao Fu Su could have run so far, he couldn't blame the child for not understanding things. So, only the palace attendants on duty were unlucky! With a stern face, Qin Zheng immediately ordered: "Someone, come and flog all the people on duty with fifty sticks, to warn them of their mistakes! After the beating, this group of people will be sent to do miscellaneous chores, and another group will be changed to serve Prince Fu Su!" At this time, the palace attendants who were originally trembling with fear and kneeling on the steps secretly let out a sigh of relief: because according to Qin law, the crime of not taking good care of the prince could be punishable by death.

  When Wang Zheng's face turned iron-green and ordered the poor palace servants to be beaten, Fu Su had already woken up and was shocked to see the palace servants being beaten until their skin was torn and flesh exposed, and they were crying out in pain. Suddenly, his heart was filled with guilt!

  This incident taught Fusu a good first lesson, that is: since he was born as the eldest son of the royal family, his every word and deed should conform to his identity and etiquette! Otherwise, it will not only bring countless troubles to himself, but also make innocent people around him pay a heavy price!

  Fu Su became honest and obedient, doing his best to behave in the palace. He didn't want his reckless behavior to cause the palace servants to suffer cruel punishment again. After all, this time it was flogging, next time it might be beheading!

  In the seventh year of King Zheng's reign, in the winter month of La, under the secret instruction of King Zheng, the official in charge of etiquette, Gong Chang, and the official in charge of clan affairs, Zong Zheng, jointly submitted a proposal: King Zheng and Prince Cheng Jiao were both approaching their 20th birthday and should prepare for the capping ceremony. They also selected the first day of the next year's first month (New Year's Day) at noon as the most auspicious time to hold the capping ceremony. However, when the proposal was presented to Prime Minister Lü Buwei, it was rejected. Lü Buwei, who still held the state power, argued that according to the Zhou Li, a man is capped at 20 years old, calculated from his actual age, not his nominal age of 20. He also instructed those officials who had been his guests and were introduced by him as scholars to quote classics and argue strongly against it. As a result, the plan for the capping ceremony was abandoned. Thus, King Zheng's first attempt at seizing power ended in failure.

  Although Ying Zheng's coup failed, he was even more furious with Lü Buwei, but on the surface, he became even more calm and humble, completely pretending to be a king without power, making Lü Buwei feel at ease. However, in secret, Ying Zheng united with many royal family members and ministers to prepare for another round of coup, leaving him with little time to care about poor Fu Su.

  Fortunately, although Fu Su was disappointed that he could no longer see his majestic father frequently, he did not feel too much discomfort as he gradually integrated into the life of the Qin people. Because he had already become able to walk and talk, run and jump, he discovered many interesting places in the Qin palace, and with a curious heart, he liked to wander around the palace every day with a group of servants!

  In the 8th year of King Zheng's reign, another major secret event occurred in Qin: King Ying Zheng, who had just been severely reprimanded by Lü Buwei, once again sneaked out of the palace alone to meet his former lover, Gong Sunyu. However, their tryst was discovered by Gong Sunyu's husband, Lang Zhong, a relative of the royal family. Although the relationship between Ying Zheng and Gong Sunyu remained within the bounds of propriety, Lang Zhong was consumed by jealousy and felt humiliated, so he secretly gathered a group of desperados to launch an assassination attempt on Ying Zheng when he passed through Shanglin Garden to meet Gong Sunyu. Perhaps it was Ying Zheng's good fortune that this originally foolproof assassination plot was foiled by the loyal guards who had been stationed around him by Chang'an Jun Cheng Jing. In the ensuing chaos, Lang Zhong was killed! It seems that heaven did not abandon Ying Zheng after all!

  Although the truth of Yíng Dé's death was covered up after the event, Yíng Pó, who was filled with guilt in his heart, still promoted Yíng Dé as Langzhongling and gave him a grand burial. Moreover, without any obstacles, Yíng Pó immediately summoned Gōngsūn Yù, who was unaware of the situation and was still mourning, into the palace, temporarily taking charge of the official in charge of weaving in the palace, and bestowed upon him the title "Gōngsūn Dàjiā".

  Fu Su secretly sighed in his heart: Alas, why are men always so foolish for women? Look, another man has lost his life for a woman! Moreover, Father, the mighty ruler of a nation and respected by all, also fought with others over a woman like an ordinary man. However, this incident not only made Fu Su shake his head but also discovered that Ying Zheng had a very ordinary heart hidden deep within him.

  In the eighth year of King Zheng of Qin, this year, six cities in the Shangdang Commandery that originally belonged to Zhao State rebelled and returned to Zhao, killing the local leaders appointed by Qin. Enraged, King Ying Zheng of Qin and Lü Buwei immediately dispatched a large army of 100,000 men with Long An Jun Cheng as the commander to quell the rebellion!

  But unexpectedly, this time the war to pacify the uprising in Shangdang actually had a very deep inside story: it was Lü Buwei's plan to borrow a knife to kill Long Anjun Cheng Yu, one of Qin Wang Ying Zheng's powerful assistants. After Cheng Yu's army entered Shangdang to pacify the rebellion, Lü Buwei immediately cut off the grain supply for the front-line Qin army and blocked all news about the lack of food on the front line, preparing to let Cheng Yu die at the hands of the Zhao people!

  But the development of the situation exceeded Lü Buwei's expectations, and the front-line Qin army did not fight to the death as he had thought! The Qin army, who were furious with Lü Buwei and had no food or aid, held Chengmou and the Zhao people hostage under the leadership of generals Ying Huan and Ying Yue, and rebelled against him.

  When he heard that his younger brother was rebelling against him, Ying Zheng was shocked but also keenly aware that this was a great opportunity for him to seize power. In the imperial court, King Qin Yi angrily and rightly condemned Lv Buwei for hiding the news of the front-line failure and other mistakes, and with the support of the royal family ministers, he first deprived Lv Buwei of his military power, and then appointed his trusted general Meng Wu as a riding archer to take away half of Lv Buwei's prime ministerial power. In this way, the mature Ying Zheng launched a traceless coup, greatly weakening Lv Buwei's power.

  With great power in hand, Ying Zheng quickly assembled an army of 100,000 to quell the rebellion in Shangdang. Leading the army personally, Ying Zheng demonstrated extremely high military talent, whether it was marching and deploying troops or strategizing and designing plans, everything was perfectly organized and outstanding, making the generals who followed him feel like they had nothing to do!

  The Upper Party arrived soon, and when they heard that Ying Zheng had come, Cheng Jiao, with a face full of shame, took advantage of the unpreparedness of the rebel leaders Ying He and Ying Yue to escape from the city, resulting in severe injuries and unconsciousness. The rebel army was leaderless, and within two hours it was pacified by King Ying Zheng of Qin!

  Afterwards, the seriously injured and dying Cheng Jiao told Ying Zheng the truth about this incident, and died that night due to his severe injuries. Ying Zheng, who had a deep affection for his brothers, began to burn with anger in his chest, and at this time he made up his mind to put Lü Buwei to death. It's ridiculous that Lü Buwei, who directed this farce of "digging one's own grave", still dared to dream of regaining power without fear!

  The triumphant return of Ying Zheng brought not only the news of victory, but also another heavy blow to Lü Buwei: after returning in the third month of the ninth year, Ying Zheng immediately held a coming-of-age ceremony for himself and formally took control of the government. Then, with lightning speed, he introduced the system of three separate powers - the Chancellor was responsible for administration, the General-in-Chief was responsible for military affairs, and the Chief Justice was responsible for justice - greatly weakening Lü Buwei's power once again. The day of reckoning for Lü Buwei is approaching!

  While witnessing all this, Fu Su personally experienced the cruelty of court politics and grew up slowly in the struggle between iron and blood. He was also saddened by the untimely death of his uncle, Long An, who loved him very much! From then on, Fu Su began to be dissatisfied with Lü Buwei as well, but he knew that Lü Buwei's own death was not far off, and in his heart, he finally found some comfort for the pain of losing his uncle.

  Just after the coronation ceremony of King Zheng, Changxin Hou Lao Ai, who was known for his shamelessness and called himself "stepfather" to King Zheng, heard that the king was going to take action against him. He hastily launched a rebellion in desperation. Unfortunately, this only made him more confused about how to deal with King Zheng's clever tactics! With full military power, King Zheng quickly mobilized countless Hu Bao guards with his tiger tally and captured Lao Ai and thousands of his followers at once. After being captured, Lao Ai was ordered by King Zheng to be torn apart by chariots! His two sons with the queen mother were also put to death by King Zheng, and the queen mother was placed under house arrest!

  In the tenth year of King Zheng's reign, in March, after collecting evidence of Lü Buwei's crimes, King Ying Zheng publicly announced Lü Buwei's crimes to the world, stripped him of his fiefdom, and banished him to Henan. Not long after, under the pretext that Lü Buwei still did not know how to repent, he ordered him to take his own life! Lü Buwei, who had orchestrated the tragic drama of "son killing father", could only sigh heavily towards the sky, laugh bitterly three times, and drink poison to kill himself.

  From then on, all the enemies that could be seen in the Ming Dynasty were eliminated one by one, and the King of Qin controlled all the military and political power of the Great Qin. From this time on, the Great Qin Empire, a war chariot with sufficient horsepower, began to accumulate strength and rapidly advance towards the goal of unifying the six nations!

  Fu Su, who admired the old man's brilliant tactics in this series of political and military struggles, also slowly learned from his experiences and lessons, accumulating his own political wisdom! Because the future of Great Qin will be in his hands, he absolutely will not allow the tragic demise of the great Qin Empire to happen again!

  Thinking of Zhao Gao, Li Si and Hu Hai, Fusu couldn't help but laugh loudly: With these three venomous snakes that don't know their own strength, you want to confront me who knows history well? You're not even qualified!

  This chapter contains key points of Qin knowledge:

  The origin of the only true love woman in Qin Wang Zheng's life (from official history and unofficial history)

  2. The military power of the Qin state was concentrated in the hands of one person, the King of Qin. Only the King himself could mobilize troops with the tiger tally, and anyone else who dared to mobilize more than 50 soldiers without the tiger tally would be put to death. The tiger tallies were always kept in pairs, one with the commander-in-chief and the other with the King. Only when the two tallies matched could the army be mobilized. This was why the coup d'etat of Lü Buwei failed - he couldn't get hold of the tiger tally to mobilize the troops! (From historical records)

  Thanks to all friends for helping build a new group: 4930033, which can hold eighty people, those who want to join hurry up! Hehe!