HCT – Chapter 123 Dry-Pot Potato Slices

Within the Forbidden Forest, aside from the game animals raised for hunting, many fruits and vegetables were also cultivated. However, since it was winter, there wasn’t much to eat—even here. Only some dried goods like mushrooms and bamboo shoots remained.

Zhu Xiang casually stewed a pot of mushroom chicken soup, stir-fried some dried bamboo shoots with cured meat, and brought out some dried mustard greens and chili peppers from home. With those, he made steamed pork with preserved vegetables and stir-fried rabbit with young ginger and chili, leaving King Qin Zhu drooling, his gaze toward Zhu Xiang full of longing and grievance.

Although Zhu Xiang also made him stir-fried dried tofu with bamboo shoots, dry-pot wild mushroom potato slices, tofu and pickled vegetable soup, and pumpkin steamed with osmanthus syrup—all wonderfully delicious—compared to the aroma of meat dishes from the younger generation’s table, his purely vegetarian fare left him perpetually unsatisfied.

King Qin Zhu joked, “Hurry and head south. Once you’re gone, there’ll be no one to torment this lonely king with the smell of meat.”

Zhu Xiang laughed. “Alright. Once Your Majesty finishes mourning, I’ll return for a family visit and cook you a proper meat feast before heading back south.”

King Qin Zhu replied, “It’s a deal.”

He swallowed hard, silently eating his dry-pot wild mushroom potato slices—the most flavorful dish with the richest umami, despite lacking meat.

After the main meal, Zhu Xiang brought out freshly steamed osmanthus cakes, Ying Zheng’s favorite, and a plum jam skillet cake as dessert.

Ying Zheng held a piece of each in his hands, taking alternating bites with glee, never tiring of them.

Once everyone was full, Zhu Xiang took Ying Zheng for a walk and used the opportunity to greet the important Qin ministers who had participated in the hunt, thanking them for taking care of the young prince.

He even specifically sought out the fathers of the Qin princes who had already been sent back to Xianyang, gifting each of their sons a small box of tea. With a sigh, he remarked on how hard it was to raise children—that such a blunder nearly ruined the first major “celebration” after the Qin king’s accession. Being a father was truly difficult.

Hearing Zhu Xiang’s sincere sigh, the Qin princes could only sigh along, apologizing repeatedly.

Zhu Xiang quickly responded, “The children are to blame. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t take it to heart—just watch over them more closely,” and then waved and left.

King Qin Zhu turned to Zichu and said, “What do you think Zhu Xiang is trying to do?”

Zichu replied, “I was going to say he’s warning them. But knowing Zhu Xiang, he probably just wants to make them uncomfortable—to spite them.”

King Qin Zhu sighed. “Is Zhu Xiang unhappy with how I handled the situation?”

Zichu said, “Why doesn’t Your Majesty ask him directly? With Zhu Xiang’s personality, he won’t hide anything.”

King Qin Zhu hesitated.

Zichu added, “When the late king was angry, Zhu Xiang not only yelled at him but even led away one of his sheep before leaving. You’ve been much more lenient with him. If he had anything to say, he’d definitely tell you.”

King Qin Zhu thought of how Zhu Xiang, every time he entered the palace, would lead away a sheep, a suckling pig—or at the very least, leave carrying a chicken or duck. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or sigh. “True enough.”

After finishing their walk, Zhu Xiang and Ying Zheng found themselves refreshed—Ying Zheng’s face was glowing, and his post-meal drowsiness had vanished. It seemed that walking really did invigorate the spirit.

Zichu took Ying Zheng to wash up first, while Zhu Xiang accompanied King Zhu of Qin for another brief stroll.

King Zhu, clearly uneasy, asked Zhu Xiang, “Zhu Xiang, I’m only shelving this matter for now because the hunt cannot be interrupted. Once I return to Xianyang, I will definitely give Zheng’er an explanation.”

Zhu Xiang sighed. “The explanation you’ve given Zheng’er is already enough. I’m just worried… if they try something again, how hard it would be on Your Majesty.”

King Zhu was puzzled. “Hard on me?”

Zhu Xiang replied, “Though Xia Tong is my closest friend, and Zheng’er is the only child I truly love, I’m not blind to the fact that they are not particularly kind-hearted people. There’s little room in their hearts for others. Forget distant cousins— even among brothers, the affection is thin. But Your Majesty is different. Those are your children, your grandchildren—they are your blood. If something like internal strife among brothers were to happen, the one hurt the most would undoubtedly be you.”

King Zhu blinked, feeling a mixture of warmth and bitterness in his chest.

Zhu Xiang didn’t wait for a reply and went on, “With the abilities of Xia Tong and Zheng’er, if anyone tries to fight them for the throne, they won’t lose. And Your Majesty wouldn’t let them lose either, because they truly are the most suitable to become King of Qin. You are ambitious and far-sighted, intent on continuing the legacy of your predecessors. To you, Qin’s future is above all else.”

“Precisely because Your Majesty puts Qin first, if internal conflict really were to break out, you wouldn’t show mercy. But if you were truly forced to raise your hand against your own descendants—how painful would that be?” Zhu Xiang shook his head and frowned. “After hearing of this incident, I’ve been very worried about Your Majesty.”

King Zhu forced a smile. “Aren’t you most worried about Zheng’er?”

Zhu Xiang said, “Of course I worry about him—but I worry about Your Majesty too. Zheng’er is very bold. Since he personally killed the assassin, this incident likely didn’t affect him too much.”

King Zhu nodded. “Zheng’er truly is bold. He didn’t show a hint of fear afterward… Sigh, I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.”

Zhu Xiang replied, “Though Lishan isn’t too far from my villa, the apology gift arrived that same day—much too quickly. I think with this little test, they didn’t actually intend to completely fall out with me and Xia Tong. They just didn’t expect Zheng’er would…”

She paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something. “Where did Zheng’er get that hand crossbow? Did Your Majesty give it to him?”

A hand crossbow wasn’t as powerful as a bow. Not only was the draw time slower, but the small crossbow was practically a close-combat weapon, with extremely limited range. Its only advantage was ease of use—it was accurate within its range and could be used immediately even by someone untrained. That’s why in ancient China, small crossbows were quickly phased out in warfare and became tools for self-defense or assassination.

King Zhu was puzzled. “Didn’t you give it to him for self-defense?”

Zhu Xiang scratched his head. “I didn’t… Maybe it was Lord Lian, Lord Bai, or Li Mu who gave Zheng’er that gift? They often give him self-defense items.”

King Zhu of Qin reached out and knocked Zhu Xiang on the head. “You—letting Zheng’er keep such dangerous things himself? Aren’t you worried he might get hurt? Go back and ask properly!”

Zhu Xiang replied awkwardly, “Zheng’er is learning martial arts from Lord Lian, Lord Bai, and Li Mu, so I’ve left these matters to his teachers. Lord Bai only just left, and I hadn’t thought of it yet. I’ll ask him as soon as we return!”

King Zhu was exasperated yet amused. Zheng’er really was being raised by a whole group of people. No wonder Zichu kept forgetting he was Zheng’er’s father.

Sigh. Zichu needed to be taught a lesson too—what kind of father acts like that?

“Ahem, My Lord,” Zhu Xiang continued, “in any case, please speak seriously with the princes. They need to restrain themselves. If Qin descends into chaos, it won’t benefit them either. Although Your Majesty is lenient, you still carry the authority of a Qin king. Testing your limits is unwise.”

King Zhu hadn’t expected Zhu Xiang to be so complimentary. But on second thought, Zhu Xiang probably wasn’t trying to flatter him—he was just stating the truth.

Hmm… that made him even happier.

“Of course I’ll knock some sense into them. After this, they’ll calm down a bit,” King Zhu said. “I’m just worried that Zheng’er might face real assassination attempts in the future.”

Zhu Xiang replied, “That’s possible. I’ll head south as soon as I can.”

King Zhu said, “You need to be careful too. Whether it’s the Six States or those who want to replace Zichu and Zheng’er, you’re definitely their primary target.”

Zhu Xiang smiled. “I believe in my luck. Your Majesty should be careful as well. But the one who really needs to be cautious is Xia Tong. If he were in perfect health, who would dare look down on him? Right now, many people who were hoping for Zheng’er’s early demise have started wishing for Xia Tong to die young instead.”

King Zhu laughed wryly. “He’s in much better health now. I’ll keep a close eye on him—no chance of an early death.”

Zhu Xiang said, “He really has become more well-behaved, at least he’s no longer afraid to take medicine.”

King Zhu burst out laughing. “He was afraid of taking medicine? Hahaha!”

In the beginning, King Zhu hadn’t had any particular affection for Zichu.

When Zhu Xiang said he would care for his son, the truth was that with so many sons, King Zhu’s feelings toward any single one weren’t deep—much less for his grandsons.

But Zhu Xiang wasn’t wrong either. There were always a few sons and grandsons whom he liked and valued. During the decades before Zichu and Ying Zheng returned—indeed, even before Zichu was born—it was impossible for King Zhu to feel nothing for any of his children or grandchildren.

Watching Zichu joke around with Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi, King Zhu gradually found joy in simply observing. His feelings toward Zichu had deepened significantly.

Purely in terms of affection, Zichu had already surpassed his twenty-some brothers. That was why King Zhu would not show mercy when punishing those who offended Zichu—and even more so with Zheng’er, his treasured grandson, involved.

But after hearing Zhu Xiang’s words, a sigh welled up in King Zhu’s heart.

Though he could make decisions without hesitation, did it not pain him to make them?

Zhu Xiang wasn’t even his descendant, yet he could earnestly worry that the old king might not be able to bear the heartbreak of kin turning against each other. So why couldn’t his own children and grandchildren think more about that?

Or perhaps, as the royal father once said, only someone as “foolish” as Zhu Xiang would treat the King of Qin as just an old man, believing he still had ordinary human emotions.

“Zhu Xiang, I’m truly worried… that my children and grandchildren will end up turning on each other,” King Zhu suddenly stopped on their way back to the grand tent, choking up. “I’m really afraid.”

Zhu Xiang silently accompanied him, listening to this Qin king—barely a year into his reign—confide his vulnerability.

Although his original plan had been to make the king emotionally disappointed in the Qin princes who wanted to harm Xia Tong and Zheng’er, in this moment, Zhu Xiang genuinely felt sorry for the king.

“Zhu Xiang, I’ll end this matter quickly. I won’t give them any chance to stir up trouble,” King Zhu said fiercely, taking the handkerchief Zhu Xiang handed him to wipe his tears. “If anyone dares pit my children and grandchildren against each other—I’ll wipe out their whole clan!”

Zhu Xiang said, “Your Majesty, you should be aiming to wipe out their countries. Xia Tong and Zheng’er’s positions are very stable. Anyone interfering with the succession now clearly wants to see Qin in chaos, or even torn apart. To desire Qin’s unrest while also having the manpower and funds to intervene—it’s most likely the kings of the other six states behind it. Just investigate which visitors came to lobby the Qin princes. Once Your Majesty finishes the mourning period, send the Qin army to knock on their gates. That should settle them down.”

King Zhu stared, wide-eyed, as if the fog in his mind had suddenly lifted.

That’s right! I’ve kept them all in check—whether it’s talent, money, or power, they shouldn’t be able to stir up any waves.

Seizing the throne requires schemers, money to buy loyalty… Where are they getting all that?

“Zhu Xiang, maybe you shouldn’t go south after all. Cai Ze would probably be happy to hand over the Chancellor’s position to you,” King Zhu said with a strange expression. “Zichu said you had the talent to assist a king—and he wasn’t wrong at all.”

Zhu Xiang replied solemnly, “He also said I lack the wisdom to assist a king. And I don’t like being too busy. I prefer sleeping in until the sun is high.”

King Zhu waved his hand. “Go, go, go—hurry and head south!” If Zhu Xiang said any more, he might just pull a Xunzi and keep a ruler hidden in his sleeve!