Chapter 293 Taking Over the Chu State's Power
The torch was burning brightly, and the rising flames looked passionate and unrestrained, just like its holder.
Princess Chu was dressed in a bright red men's suit, which was more beautiful than the flame on the torch.
With her long hair simply tied up in a golden crown, she stood quietly in front of the gate of Xianyang Palace with one hand behind her back, waiting.
The secret guards stood there like wooden stakes, not daring to move on the surface, but secretly complaining in their hearts.
If the young master
Later, with her back to the secret guard, Chu Fei's eyes flashed with anger.
Are these secret guards? They are clearly a group of filthy villains!
He was about to turn around and teach him a lesson when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura and looked over.
It didn't take long before Ying Chengjiao appeared at the end of Chu Fei's sight.
"A married woman is like spilled water. For the sake of your husband, you even disregard your brother. Are you going to sacrifice your own family for the sake of justice?"
Ying Chengjiao had a smile on his face and joked as he walked.
Princess Chu sneered but said nothing. Her pearly teeth still looked cold under the red fire.
She is really angry. Who has offended this hot-tempered girl?
Ying Chengjiao, who knew Concubine Chu very well, became a little more serious when he saw this, and a hint of anger appeared on his face at the right time.
"Who dares to make my sister angry? I'll help you vent your anger!"
Holding the torch high, the Chu concubine, dressed in red and more flaming than fire, spoke in a cold voice.
"Your men have evil intentions. Even at the critical moment of life and death, they can still think about the activities of thieves and prostitutes. People like this will definitely cause you great trouble in the future. I will get rid of them for you now!"
Ying Chengjiao's face froze, and his stiff eyes stared at the secret guards unkindly. He really had the urge to clear out the mess on the spot.
It’s not because these secret guards have unhealthy thoughts - Ying Chengjiao has a history of being lustful, and it’s normal for the secret guards who don’t know the inside story to think in a crooked way.
But I just thought about it, how could the person involved know? I learned facial expression management in vain, and my cunning is just a way to make a living? If everything can be seen by others, what's the point of being a secret guard!
The secret guards were also very embarrassed, lowering their heads and not looking directly at Ying Chengjiao. In the case of an unknown environment, it is better to do less than more, and it is better to do nothing than to do less. Doing nothing is the same as doing nothing.
Chu Fei had her back to the brothers. Even if any of the brothers didn't hide their emotions well, they shouldn't be discovered. Chu Fei didn't have eyes behind her...
Ying Chengjiao scolded the secret guards in front of Concubine Chu and glanced at her facial expression out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing that Concubine Chu's expression softened a little, he began to take credit for it.
"For the sake of the thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, I will spare them this time."
Back then, when Ying Jianglu was still a young man, he went to wander around Wushan. He visited thirty-six mountains in a row, which led to the deficiency of both yin and yang, and he almost lost his heroic spirit.
Princess Chu spent a lot of money to buy medicine for her son. Ying Chengjiao learned about this and specially sent a thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum to the palace.
The thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum had powerful medicinal effects, which nourished Ying Jianglu's liver and kidneys and improved his essence and blood, which prevented Ying Jianglu from developing any chronic illness.
"You've done so much for Fusu, and you still have the nerve to take credit for giving Jianglu a piece of Polygonum multiflorum?"
Ying Chengjiao gave a bitter smile.
"Okay, okay, I'll make up for the mistakes they made today with Little Taotie, how about that?"
"make a deal."
Concubine Chu acted decisively, and was synonymous with recklessness in the harem. She dared to challenge Empress Afang when she was upset, and she was not willing to be outdone even when she went before the First Emperor.
One of them waved a torch, and the flames crackled, but were almost extinguished by the swing of his arm.
"Go away."
The secret servants were afraid that the night would be long and might cause trouble, so they left the Xianyang Palace in a hurry without even having time to greet Ying Chengjiao.
The officials guarding the gate of Xianyang Palace had many doubts in their minds - for example, where did so many officials come from, what were they going to do during the curfew, and why did Concubine Chu intercept these officials.
But because the passwords matched, the badges were not fake, and he was able to tell some details that only people in the palace knew, no one tried to stop him.
The only ones left were Concubine Chu and Ying Chengjiao, the half-siblings.
Concubine Chu turned around, holding a torch to light up the corridor at the city gate, and called out to Ying Chengjiao to follow her, as if she was going to leave the palace.
Ying Chengjiao first glanced at the thick pillars of a pavilion, and then walked forward in silence, following the swaying torches .
Behind the pavilion pillar, Queen Afang, who was also wearing tight clothes that were convenient for movement, resisted the urge to walk out and sighed softly, with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
Inside the palace gate corridor, the usually impetuous Concubine Chu walked very slowly this time.
"If you don't want to leave, don't leave. If you want to kill me, then kill me. Those old guys are just worried about how to get back on your feet. If any family dares to step forward, you don't need to say anything, they will help you block it."
The power of the Chu royal relatives was greatly weakened, and after the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, there seemed to be no movement.
Until Ying Jianglu received the imperial decree to be granted the land of the Xiongnu, he went out with 50,000 cavalry. Although 30,000 of them were donated by Ying Chengjiao, the other 20,000 cavalry were the real Chu faction.
Why is it that a centipede remains alive even after death? This is it.
"You'd better not make trouble. Changping and Changwen are examples. My brother never shows mercy when killing people. My leaving Xianyang has nothing to do with these nobles. I figured it out on my own."
Princess Chu paused for a moment, then immediately walked downstairs as if nothing had happened.
"You don't want to rebel against yourself? That's a good thing."
Ying Chengjiao did not hide anything and shook his head.
"No, I originally planned to follow the example of the great men and liberate the people's minds first, and then use their ideas to inspire the people, but I found that it didn't work. Nothing is static. I plan to do things first, and then popularize ideological education."
Concubine Chu was visibly furious.
"You are not worthy of being consulted!"
Ying Chengjiao chuckled.
"You say I am a coward, but I think you are the same. A summer insect cannot talk about ice, and a well frog cannot talk about the sea. People who go up the mountain mock the gods who go down the mountain. You are ridiculous, little girl."
Concubine Chu was stunned for a moment. She hadn't seen her brother like this for a long time.
Full of vigor and vitality, just like when he was young.
He turned his head.
"Back then, Grandmother Huayang wanted you to marry me. She said that you didn't trust people with the Ying surname. You said that you hate marriage the most. If the relationship between two countries depends on a woman, then we might as well just start a war."
Ying Chengjiao's face suddenly turned bad.
"Grandmother Huayang must be getting old and confused. You can even come up with such a bad idea. You are so ugly."
In fact, the Princess of Chu was very beautiful. The people of Chu have always had a kind of unrestrained and free beauty.
The Chu State, where witchcraft was prevalent, was seen as exotic by other countries, and the same was true for the Chu people as well.
But in Ying Chengjiao's eyes, Concubine Chu was not pretty at all. From childhood to adulthood, Ying Chengjiao never thought that Concubine Chu was pretty.
"I don't think you're beautiful either. I don't know how you managed to trick so many stupid girls into falling head over heels for you."
Concubine Chu looked like she was about to vomit.
The two of them had disliked each other since they were young. He thought she was impetuous and unfeminine, and she thought he was showing off his knowledge and pretentious.
In just a few words, the corridor was finished and the journey finally came to an end.
Concubine Chu held up the torch and shone it on the side of her face so that her brother could clearly see her appearance, expression, and demeanor.
"My great mother trusts you, and I trust you too. As long as you keep my son alive, the nobles of Xianyang will be accepted by the Chu State."
The torch illuminated Chu Fei's face, which should have been beautiful, but it was full of determination, seriousness, and heroism.
"Oh."
Ying Chengjiao shook his head and laughed, reaching out to pat Concubine Chu on the head, but Concubine Chu impatiently knocked him away halfway.
"I don't like making exchanges. I will protect Little Taotie no matter what. You Chu remnants should stop courting death. Let me feel less sorry for Mother Huayang. That will be a favor to me."
"You really don't act like a king. It's right that you don't want to be a king. You are too impulsive."
Concubine Chu handed the torch to Ying Chengjiao, waved her hand and turned back to the palace gate corridor, the sound of the torch lingering in the air.
"It's dark at night, light it up."
Ying Chengjiao looked up and down with a torch, thinking that Concubine Chu had done something behind it, but he found nothing.
"I am an expert, do I need a torch?"
He shouted loudly into the corridor, then slowly moved forward in the night with a torch in his hand.
There was no light in Xianyang City under curfew, and Ying Chengjiao walked in and filled this gap.
Walking from outside Xianyang Palace back inside Xianyang Palace, the night breeze blew, and Concubine Chu felt cool all over.
He originally planned to go back to his bedroom directly. After walking three or five steps past the exquisitely crafted pavilion, he stopped and turned back.
Afang, who was hiding behind the pillar, knew that Concubine Chu was coming for her, so she did not hide but appeared in the pavilion and stood beside the stone bench waiting for Concubine Chu to come.
"Back then, Zhao Ji wanted to kill you, Lu Buwei wanted to kill you, and no one in the court was optimistic about you, but in the end, you were chosen to be the queen. This person who was so kind to you didn't even say thank you before leaving, and this is how you repay the kindness."
"Afang just sent over some small items a few days ago, and today Concubine Chu is so aggressive. This is not good."
"What you are allowed to do is what others are allowed to say. Why, what I said is wrong?"
Ah Fang held her head and said helplessly, "I originally thought that you were using your temper and recklessness to protect yourself, but in fact you are a calm, wise, and deep-hearted woman. Today I know that you were not pretending in the past, but were acting in your true colors. If you want to quarrel with Ah Fang today because of this, Ah Fang will not accompany you."
Afang didn't respond, and Concubine Chu also felt it was very boring and didn't want to talk any more with such an ungrateful person.
"I have often heard that the people of Zhao are generous and have something in common with the people of Chu. The sayings passed down from generation to generation are mostly false."
After saying that, he left quickly.
Afang watched Concubine Chu coming and going in a hurry, and always felt that Concubine Chu seemed to be missing something compared to before.
Looking at her gradually blurred figure in the night, he realized that the torch in Chu Fei's hand was gone, and his face changed slightly.
He took a deep breath and leaped forward. His speed was not much slower than that of the secret guards with high martial arts skills. He soon caught up with Concubine Chu, who was walking quite fast.
This time it was she who stood in front of Concubine Chu.
"A good dog doesn't get in the way."
Concubine Chu was not afraid of Queen Afang's power at all and spoke harsh words at will.
In the past, I gave you some respect in the palace because of Jianglu. Now, my son has gone to the Xiongnu land and is called king. You have your brother to take care of you, so it doesn’t matter whether you are the queen or not.
Afang didn't respond and just stared at Concubine Chu's empty hands.
"Where are the torches?"
"What? The master of the harem wants to control even a small torch?"
If it was someone else's torch, Afang would not care.
But the Chu concubine’s torch was different, as the Chu people held fire in high esteem.
Although the Chu State was always called barbarians and also called itself barbarians, in fact, the Chu State was the authentic descendant of the Chinese people and the descendant of Zhuanxu, the grandson of Emperor Huang.
His family, starting from Chongli and Wuhui, has inherited the title of Fire Master Zhurong from generation to generation.
Yuxiong, one of the ancestors of the State of Chu, was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou and also his fire minister.
Huo Zheng was an official position responsible for preserving fire for the Zhou royal family and lighting fire in various ceremonies requiring fire.
Fire is sacred in the Chu State.
Afang's face showed anger.
"If this torch is just a torch, then you and I will be fine..."
Concubine Chu interrupted Afang impatiently.
"Mother-in-law, will you give way?"
"Don't forget, you are His Majesty's concubine. You should be loyal to His Majesty. There are no Chu people or Zhao people under His Majesty's rule, they are all Qin people!"
Afang raised her voice, her eyes full of warning.
"If you are dissatisfied, just make a move, and I will respond. Words are useless, you are not as good as Yin Man."
Concubine Chu walked past the Queen and the Queen did not stop her.
"You don't recognize yourself as a Zhao person. That means you are ungrateful. We Chu people cannot do such a thing. The Chu people in Qin should have been led by my brother. Back then, the torch was handed to my brother by our great mother.
"Today is just a return of the item to its original owner. My brother, His Majesty and the others don't care, why do you always join in the fun? For the sake of that little item, I advise you not to live like Zhao Ji."
…
"Are you all stupid? Who behaved strangely in front of Concubine Chu? Get out here!"
Ying Chengjiao held a torch and hit the heads of the secret guards one by one in the courtyard of Chang'an Jun's mansion.
He shook the torch and shouted angrily: "It's so bright, you can't see it? You've lived in the shadows for so long that you don't know how to hide in the light, right? You've been a ghost for so long that you can't behave like a human being, right? You are ruining the name of Quicksand!"
Quicksand is no better than Dark Guard...
The secret guards murmured in their hearts, but no one dared to say it out loud to provoke the angry Ying Chengjiao.
It was not until Ying Chengjiao had taken off his disguise and revealed his natural white hair that Wei Zhuang, the leader of Liusha, reluctantly stepped forward under the pressure of the eyes of the secret guards.
Being the leader is not good enough, but now he comes out to take the blame and make the young master angry...
Wei Zhuang gritted his teeth and thought, then said in a deep voice: "Sir, Concubine Chu has her back to us the whole time. She never even glanced at us before you arrived."
Bang~
Ying Chengjiao suddenly slapped Wei Zhuang on the head and said even more dissatisfiedly: "Okay, you are just gossiping, right?"
He couldn't see her expression since she was facing away from him, but in Ying Chengjiao's mind, the reason why Concubine Chu was angry must be that she heard something.
Wei Zhuang covered his head and said aggrievedly: "My brothers didn't say a single word except 'Wei'."
"Still quibbling and lying! How did she know that? Did she guess? Did she lie to me? She..."
Ying Chengjiao was halfway through his rage when he saw the angry expressions on the faces of the secret guards and his anger subsided.
He knew the secret guards he had trained well. They could joke, laugh, and scold at ordinary times, but they would never deny their words in serious situations.
Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes.
Is this the power of witchcraft? Should I go back and ask this girl?
Turning his head to look at the sky, thinking that he would have to go find Xunzi later, Ying Chengjiao shook his head again.
There is no time... Never mind, there is no need. The god of witchcraft is not that powerful, otherwise the Chu State would not have been destroyed. I will ask next time I come back.
