Chapter 2 Birth

  In 241 BC, the sixth year of King Zheng of Qin, it was a year of war for the state of Qin: Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao and Wei five countries were organizing tens of thousands of allied troops under the leadership of Zhao General Pang Nuan to bypass strategic locations such as Hangu Pass and Tongguan, launching a fierce attack on Pusang in the north of Xianyang, the capital of Qin. The Prime Minister of Qin, Lü Buwei, led the national army to fight back in the north, holding out against the allied forces of the five countries at Zhi!

  Just as the war was still raging on the front lines, Qin State welcomed an important moment: The first prince of King Ying Zheng of Qin was about to be born!

  Today's weather is exceptionally sultry, the sky seems to be on fire, making people sweat like rain as soon as they move! In the late afternoon, the originally clear sky suddenly changed color, strong winds rolled up from the ground, and tens of thousands of dark clouds suddenly emerged, covering the entire sky. The sky and earth suddenly became dim in an instant!

  The dark clouds are getting thicker and lower, as if they might fall from the sky at any moment, giving people a kind of heavy oppressive feeling, making people's mood more gloomy!

  At this time, in the magnificent Xianyang Palace, countless eunuchs and palace maids were bustling about in front of Queen Zheng's bedroom 'Jianzhang Palace', everyone's face filled with joy and anxiety: Queen Zheng was about to give birth!

  Compared to the tense atmosphere outside, the atmosphere inside the palace was even more solemn and anxious: Princess Zheng had been lying on the couch for over an hour, although she was in agony, but the mischievous little prince seemed to be playing a trick on the world and refused to come out. The midwife who was assisting with the delivery was so anxious that her cold sweat was pouring down like rain!

  According to the strict Qin law, if Zheng Wangfei had a difficult delivery, the midwife and her family would have to pay with their lives. So the anxious midwife was so frantic that her eyes were filled with bloodshot, using every method she could think of, just short of kneeling down and begging the young prince to come out quickly!

  Just as the crowd was getting anxious and restless, the dark and gloomy sky suddenly burst into anger. A massive lightning bolt slashed across the sky, like a giant axe splitting the heavens, and struck down on an ancient hundred-year-old pine tree in front of the palace.

  A loud crack was followed by the ancient pine bursting into a raging fire that shot up to the sky, with flames rolling up and down and heat pressing in from over ten zhang away. The Qin Huwei Imperial Guards stationed near Jianzhang Palace were initially shocked and then rushed forward to put out the fire. (It's worth noting that ancient Chinese palaces were mainly made of wood, which could easily lead to a huge disaster once they caught fire.)

  Just then, a loud cry of "Waaah..." came from inside the delivery room. Immediately after, the midwife let out an excited shout: "It's done! It's done! The baby is born! Congratulations to the lady, congratulations to the lady, it's a boy!"

  The sudden good news suddenly plunged the people inside and outside the temple into surprise, the Hu Bao army fought hard to put out the fire, while laughing and saying: "Our Great Qin has an heir! Hey, this little prince was quite lively at birth!" The crowd burst into laughter!

  As the wailing sounds came one after another, the gloomy sky finally lost its temper and poured down a heavy rain. The cypress trees that still had some remaining flames were quickly extinguished, and the Tiger Guards and palace attendants who had been holding their breaths also let out a sigh of relief and retreated to the corridor to avoid the rain!

  The pale but relieved Zheng Fei quietly held the newborn little prince, feeling the great joy of being a mother for the first time. Completely immersed in the great happiness, Zheng Fei was now truly "my eyes only have you", with dense love in her eyes, smile, and eyebrows. She was so focused on gently stroking the soft face of the little king that she didn't even hear the continuous respectful voices of the palace servants!

  In the midst of a stormy sky, the slender and melodious voice of the eunuch on duty quickly pierced through the thick rain curtain, spreading the joyful news throughout the palace: "The prince is born! The prince is born!"

  Zhen Fei was teasing the baby's small nose, and at the same time thought with some regret: "It's a pity that the king is not in the palace. If he were here, seeing our son being born would definitely make him extremely happy!"

  When Cheng Feng woke up from his sleep, he saw Zheng Fei's face right in front of him. Cheng Feng was startled and subconsciously leaned back, saying "My mother!" But the voice that came out of his throat was not his familiar deep male voice, but a loud baby cry. Seeing the baby crying, Zheng Fei hurriedly gently patted the baby's back and anxiously whispered: "Oh, oh! Don't cry, my child, your mother is here!"

  When he finally realized that he had become a little kid, Cheng Feng's brain suddenly short-circuited. He only had time to think "Damn it! How did I end up in ancient times after fighting with the Japanese devils and becoming a child? My luck is really too good!" before he 'selflessly' fainted (fell asleep, haha!)

  When Cheng Feng finally woke up from his sleep, it was already early in the morning of the second day. The sky had long been bright, and the scorching summer sun was shining through the gaps of the pavilions and buildings into the room, but the room was not too hot. Because many palaces in Qin Palace have a layer of air, once in the summer, the palace servants put ice blocks in the air layer, and then through the good ventilation system, the indoor temperature will be much cooler than outdoors! This is the ancient Chinese people's invention of earth air conditioning with infinite wisdom!

  Cheng Feng opened his small eyes, which had calmed down a bit, and began to size up this unfamiliar world. The ancient and elegant decorations, the grand and majestic buildings, all showed that Cheng Feng was in an extraordinary place! With some knowledge of ancient Chinese architecture, Cheng Feng quickly identified the approximate era he was in: judging from the style of the buildings, the color of the decorations, and the shape of the utensils, he should be in the Qin or Han dynasty of ancient China! But which dynasty, which emperor? Cheng Feng still didn't know!

  He also thought of Yang Nan, Ling Ge, Zhao Tie and Fang Hong, who were born and died together with him, and now he didn't know how they were doing. In ancient times when communication technology was not developed, it was impossible to find the four people including Fang Hong whose life or death, identity, and even appearance might be unknown! Cheng Feng couldn't help but sigh (in his heart), placing all his hopes of reuniting on a heaven that he didn't quite believe in.

  As for his parents, brother and even girlfriend Su Wan in his past life, Cheng Feng knew that he would never have the chance to meet them again in this lifetime...

  At the moment when Cheng Feng was still deep in thought, a beautiful, gentle and simple woman picked up Cheng Feng from his swaddling clothes, then gently opened her clothes to reveal her beautiful and upright breasts. Due to engorgement, the small nipples were constantly seeping out milk, which showed that she was a woman who had just given birth to a child not long ago. Cheng Feng knew that this must be his wet nurse! It is worth noting that in ancient China, noble women rarely breastfed their children themselves after giving birth, especially those from royal families!

  Although Cheng Feng looked a bit straight-eyed, when it was delivered to his mouth, the instinctual hunger from his brain nerves

  Quickly eliminating Cheng Feng's scrutiny of 'beauty', he wolfed down the sweet milk. Anyway, fill up his stomach first!

  Finally full, Cheng Feng let out a burp and began to curiously open his small eyes, pouting his small mouth as he took in the surroundings. That lively and adorable appearance instantly made the nanny emit dense maternal love, unable to help but dote on him again and again, temporarily forgetting the pain of being separated from her own child! Meanwhile, Cheng Feng was struck down by great happiness due to being 'harassed' at such close distance by the beauty, becoming somewhat dizzy. It seems that no matter what era it is, beauties are always highly lethal!

  When Cheng Feng finally came to, he had already been carried by the wet nurse onto Zheng Fei's bed. Cheng Feng opened his small eyes and began to carefully examine this mother of his present life: elegant and beautiful, warm and kind, a typical ancient Chinese lady's appearance! Cheng Feng thought with some delight: "Not bad, having such a good mother to take care of himself, it seems that his childhood won't be very lonely!"

  Three days after the birth of Cheng Feng, Qin Wang Ying Zheng, who had gone to Shu to inspect salt and iron (or temporarily avoid war), finally returned. Along with Qin Wang Ying Zheng's return to Xianyang came news of a major victory on the front lines of the Qin army: Qin Prime Minister Lü Buwei had defeated the allied forces of five nations in the land of Wei, achieving an unprecedented great victory! The last large-scale joint counterattack by the six nations of Guandong against Qin was thus dissipated.

  As soon as he entered the imperial palace, Ying Zheng couldn't wait to rush to Empress Zheng's chambers, despite being dusty and tired from his journey.

  The heavy palace gate was suddenly opened, and a wave of heat rushed into the room with Qin Wang Ying Zheng, who hurried to the bedside of Zheng Fei in three strides! Zheng Fei, who had just been awakened from her sleep, suddenly saw Qin Wang standing in front of her bed, and she couldn't help but feel both startled and delighted. She quickly struggled to get up and pay her respects. Ying Zheng hastily bent down, gently pressing on Zheng Fei's fragrant shoulders with his hands, using a rare gentle tone to softly say: "Beloved concubine, don't move, lie back down quietly! Let me take a look at our son!"

  Although Qin Wang Ying Zheng can be said to be a great talent, with both literary and military prowess... he looked just as silly as any man who had just become a father for the first time! When the clumsy Ying Zheng finally held Cheng Feng in his arms, he was already sweating profusely!

  Looking at the adorable baby in front of him, Yong Zheng was momentarily stunned: this little red thing that looked like a small mouse was his own son!? The heavens were indeed mysterious! Yong Zheng lovingly kissed Fu Su's small face, and the stubble he hadn't shaved for days suddenly scratched Cheng Feng's mouth, almost making him cry out in pain!

  Just as Cheng Feng was sizing up his father, Zheng Fei said gently: "Your Majesty, the young master has just been born for three days, and everything is fine! However, he hasn't been named yet. I hope Your Majesty can give him a name personally!" Ying Zheng's mood was extremely good at this time, and he nodded: "Good, I will definitely give our son a good name!"

  The King of Qin sank into thought for a moment, then suddenly a smile appeared on his face, apparently very pleased with what he was thinking. Ying Zheng smiled and said: "My dear queen, aren't you fond of the folk song 'Shan You Fu Su' from your hometown? Then let's name our son Fu Su, how about that?"

  The Zheng consort was overjoyed and said: "Your Majesty's choice of name is truly unexpected, but it exactly meets my humble opinion. I will help Fu Su to thank Your Majesty!"

  Cheng Feng was taken aback when he heard that he had been named 'Fu Su': if he was Fu Su, then the identity of the Qin king in front of him was obvious - it was none other than the legendary First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang! Cheng Feng, who had always believed that only iron and blood could save China, was stunned when he saw his idol, the strongest man in history, and his eyes were filled with stars of admiration.

  Wing looked at the silly-looking Fu Su, and a strong paternal love suddenly surged up. He gently scratched the tip of his right index finger against Fu Su's small nose and smiled: "Take a good look, Fu Su, so you won't mistake your dad in the future!"

  The Fu Su, who was shocked by this remark, carefully measured the appearance of Ying Zheng: his body was extremely tall and should be over 1.9 meters; with a square face, a pair of sharp eyes, slanted eyebrows and an eagle-shaped nose, he looked majestic and powerful, with a strong aura of a king! Seeing this, Fu Su couldn't help but feel some joy in his heart: many ancient books say that Qin Wang Ying Zheng was hawk-eyed and wolf-like, with a protruding chest and hunched back, which were all false. It's estimated that the Confucian scholars who edited the historical books were dissatisfied with Qin Shi Huang's burning of the books and burying of the scholars, so they slandered this emperor. It seems that Qin Shi Huang received some unfair treatment in history, similar to the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty!

  Fortunately, Fu Su has always believed that Qin Shi Huang is the greatest emperor in Chinese history, so he often just smiled and ignored those places in historical books that cursed Qin Shi Huang. For Cheng Feng of the previous generation: Qin Shi Huang's contribution to China was too great, his merits were so great that even if those Confucians with ulterior motives tried to smear him, they couldn't conceal the brilliance of this "emperor for a thousand years"!

  When the news of the birth of an heir to the throne was announced, King Ying Zheng immediately issued a decree for nationwide celebrations. Firstly, to celebrate that the Great Qin had an heir and secondly, to celebrate the great victory in the 'Campaign against Zhao' and the triumphant return of Prime Minister Lü Buwei!

  At that time, the whole land of Sanqin was filled with joyful voices, every household was decorated with colors, and all Qin people raised their cups to drink heavily and sing loudly! For the Qin people who were not culturally developed and had strict laws, drinking was almost their only form of entertainment. So all the Qin people thoroughly enjoyed this hard-won moment of celebration, releasing their pent-up emotions! (This is not a fabrication, judging from the slightly protruding bellies of the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, it can be said that Qin was the most wine-loving country among the Seven Warring States!)

  However, it didn't take long for the novelty of having a new son to wear off, and Emperor Wu's attention towards Fusu began to wane. He was once again consumed by state affairs, only occasionally visiting Zheng Zhi and their child every now and then, or sending eunuchs with some fine tonic. Nevertheless, this was enough to make Zheng Zhi feel extremely happy, and more than enough to make the other consorts green with envy! In ancient times, where the tradition of 'mother's glory relies on son' prevailed, after giving birth to Fusu, Zheng Zhi's life would become much easier from then on.

  These somewhat cruel facts made Fu Su sigh: people say that emperors have no true feelings! This saying is indeed not false! Especially for the 'Iron Blood' Qin Wang Ying Zheng, who was known as the 'Eternal Emperor': women were nothing but tools for his entertainment and lust, sons were merely successors to pass on power, only the boundless and endless path of power could have enough attraction for him!

  Fortunately, as the eldest son of King Qin, Fu Su did not lack love and care. Not only was his mother, Zheng Fei, extremely affectionate towards him, but his uncle, Long An Jun Cheng, also showed great concern for him. What's more surprising is that in the eyes of outsiders, Fu Su rarely cried and was always familiar with everyone, and he loved to laugh, which often made the bored concubines in the palace come to Zheng Fei's place to hug and tease little Fu Su. And Fu Su also enjoyed the "zero-distance" contact with the beauties!

  This autumn, King Zheng of Qin was hunting with his younger brother Chengjiao in the forest of Shanglin when he met a young man named Gongsun Yu, who had been a childhood friend and sweetheart since they were both hostages in Handan. This Gongsun Yu would later become the only empress of King Zheng's life, as well as the mother of Emperor Huhai of Qin.

  Although Fu Su knew this piece of history, Fu Su, who was still in his infancy, had no ability to stop the appearance of Gong Sun Yu, and could only watch with a sullen face as history continued to advance steadily along its predetermined path for the time being!

  The Great Qin knowledge points contained in this chapter:

  I. The origin of the name Fusu - From historical records

  2. The height of the King of Qin (inferred from historical records and the length of the "Ding Qin Sword" on his back, which is over 90 cm long, requiring a height of at least 1.9 meters to use normally!)