After the coming-of-age ceremony, on the road back to Xianyang, Ying Zheng had wanted to invite Verdant Green Maiden to ride with them in the same carriage, but she refused.
She came and went as she pleased, doing one thing one moment and something else the next. For all they knew, she might suddenly decide to hunt wild boar in the middle of the night, then vanish in an instant.
She was far too flighty to travel with!
Ying Zheng didn't dare force Verdant Green Maiden to do anything anymore. He could only nod and comply.
Standing on the mountain outside Yong City, Verdant Green Maiden watched the convoy disappear into the distance. Gazing out over the vast Fenwei Plain, she stretched and said, "Come on. Let's go back to Xianyang and see whether my shrine is still there. I rather miss the days when I could eat meat without having to hunt for it!"
"But... are you really going back to teach Fusu?"
Hong Luan stood on Verdant Green Maiden's shoulder and asked the question.
"I remember you telling me history can't be changed, and Qin didn't last long. If you go back, would that count as defying Heaven? And if it really is, could something happen to you?"
The bird was worried about Snake Girl's safety.
"Let's give it a try..."
Verdant Green Maiden looked up at the sky and said, "Maybe... I can do it? After all, in the history I know, there was no shrine to the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden in Qin Palace!"
Hong Luan looked at her, then beat her wings and flew into the sky. "All right! Then I'll go with you!"
The turmoil in Xianyang came and went quickly.
Marquis of Changxin Lao Ai had always been a man of narrow vision. He thought that if he took control of Xianyang Palace, he could simply change the royal banner.
But how could the Imperial Clan and the nobles of Qin stand by and watch him trample over them?
Everyone in Xianyang Palace stood in solemn silence.
Ying Zheng looked at the two young children beside Zhao Ji and asked, "Mother, which child do you intend to put in my place? Or do you mean to make that treacherous man King of Qin? Mother, do you still consider me your son?"
Zhao Ji looked at Ying Zheng, tears streaking her face. She shook her head.
"You aren't my son. You're the King! You're the King of Great Qin. My son wouldn't be like you."
"In my memories, Mother wasn't like this either."
Ying Zheng murmured, turned, and walked toward the door. In a clear voice, he declared, "Marquis of Changxin Lao Ai rebelled. The Empress Dowager was so enraged and shocked that she fell ill. From this day on, she will move to Yong City!"
"Your Majesty, what about them...?"
Someone looked toward the two young children.
Ying Zheng paused, then tossed out two words without turning around. "Kill them!"
"No... You can't!"
At those words, Zhao Ji rushed toward the door like a madwoman, crying, "They're your own brothers! Zheng, you can't!"
She ran out of the hall, and no one dared stop her.
But the instant she crossed the threshold, Verdant Green Maiden caught her by the shoulder.
"M-Ma'am?"
Zhao Ji froze, staring at Verdant Green Maiden in astonishment.
Verdant Green Maiden patted her shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and suddenly said to Ying Zheng, "What have the children done wrong? Ying Zheng, send them with her to Yong City, or banish them from Great Qin."
Ying Zheng stood still, his back to Verdant Green Maiden and Zhao Ji. After a moment's silence, he said, "...Kill them!"
With those words, Ying Zheng left.
Verdant Green Maiden let Zhao Ji cry and plead. Standing where she was, she watched Ying Zheng's retreating figure and curled her lips into a smile. Hong Luan landed on her shoulder and asked, puzzled, "Why are you still smiling? He didn't listen to you at all!"
"He was right not to listen to me! This is Ying Zheng. This is Qin Shi Huang Di!"
Verdant Green Maiden smiled. She wasn't angry in the least that Ying Zheng had stubbornly ordered the two bastards killed. In a soft voice, she murmured, "This is his first step toward maturity!"
"So you asked him that question just now to test him?"
Hong Luan tilted her head.
Verdant Green Maiden raised an eyebrow and considered it. "That was part of it, I suppose. Good thing he didn't go soft! A king must not be softhearted."
"It's just... he feels like a stranger now."
Hong Luan muttered, "It's like Pang Juan back then. He's changed too."
"He's nothing like Pang Juan!"
Verdant Green Maiden rubbed Hong Luan's head and said, "All right, all right. Don't burden that little head of yours with this stuff. Come on! Let's go back to the Jade Maiden Shrine and get some meat."
"All you think about is eating!"
Hong Luan gave Verdant Green Maiden a disdainful look.
When they returned to the Jade Maiden Shrine, Verdant Green Maiden spotted Afang standing off to one side, waiting for her. She quickened her pace and trotted over, waving. "Hey, Afang, what are you waiting for me here for? Something important? Let me guess... Did you bring me food?"
Afang laughed at Verdant Green Maiden's question. She held up a Lacquer box in both hands. Inside lay a carefully folded and preserved blue dress.
"This is... my dress?"
Verdant Green Maiden's eyes lit up.
Afang nodded and said gently, "His Majesty asked me to bring it to you. All these years, he's had people carefully maintain your dress, making sure nothing happened to it. Ma'am, shall I put it in the Jade Maiden Shrine for you?"
"But I sold that outfit I wore as Queen of Qin..."
Verdant Green Maiden blinked, then said to Afang, "It fetched a pretty good price, too. I got quite a lot of money for it!"
Afang was taken aback, then burst out laughing.
Seeing her laugh, Verdant Green Maiden felt a little awkward. She scratched her cheek and said, "I needed a change of clothes back then, didn't I? I didn't have any money on me, so I had to sell it to tide me over."
Afang couldn't stop smiling. "Ma'am, you don't need to worry about that. His Majesty had prepared that outfit for you in the first place. You can do whatever you like with it."
At that, Verdant Green Maiden felt much more at ease.
Besides, even if they tried to collect the money from her, she didn't have a single coin to her name!
A dead snake didn't fear boiling water.
A month after Verdant Green Maiden returned to live in Qin Palace, Zhao Ji set out for Yong City. She and Ying Zheng never saw each other again.
Hong Luan said Ying Zheng had locked himself in his bedchamber for three whole days without coming out.
The palace attendants were all worried about him, but they didn't dare force their way in. So, led by Mi Hua and Afang, they went to the Jade Maiden Shrine to ask Verdant Green Maiden to come out and drag Ying Zheng from his bedchamber.
As long as the meat was there, Verdant Green Maiden would take any job!
Want her to get Ying Zheng out? No problem! She'd just kick the bedchamber door in.
A whole crowd came rumbling up to Ying Zheng's bedchamber.
Perhaps Ying Zheng had learned a little divination from Verdant Green Maiden when he was young. Just as she was about to kick the door in, he opened it from the inside and walked out.
"If you'd opened the door one breath later, I'd have kicked it in!"
Verdant Green Maiden looked exasperated. "Are you all right?"
Ying Zheng shook his head and surveyed everyone. His gaze settled on Verdant Green Maiden, and he said slowly, "I'm fine. I've made Ma'am worry."
"Good. That's all that matters."
Verdant Green Maiden nodded, relieved. She stepped forward and patted Ying Zheng on the right shoulder. "The realm is waiting for a new king—a new king who will unify the Six Directions and Eight Desolations!"
"That king will certainly be me! And no one else!"
Ying Zheng nodded, his eyes fixed intently on Verdant Green Maiden. "I won't disappoint you, Ma'am, or the former kings of Great Qin!"
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