HCT – Chapter 173 The Crybaby Trouble-Maker

Zhang Sheng sat inside the carriage, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Zhang Liang swung his short little legs, displeased. “Brother, why wouldn’t you let me argue back with him!”

Zhang Sheng glanced at his younger brother and asked, “What would you even argue about?”

Zhang Liang puffed up his tiny chest. “He insulted Father!”

Zhang Sheng asked, “And how did he insult him?”

Zhang Liang thought hard for a long while, then hesitated. “Father opposed Prince Han Fei… so it must be Prince Han Fei who was in the wrong, right?”

Zhang Sheng said nothing.

Zhang Liang opened his mouth, then nervously tugged at his elder brother’s sleeve. “Brother, it must be Prince Han Fei who’s wrong, right?”

Zhang Sheng sighed, rubbing his younger brother’s head. “This is complicated.”

Zhang Liang didn’t understand. “I’m only asking who’s right and who’s wrong. What’s so complicated about that?”

Zhang Sheng said, “The world isn’t only made up of right and wrong.”

Zhang Liang wanted to keep pressing, but Zhang Sheng closed his eyes and gave no further answer.

The little boy, dissatisfied, tugged at his brother’s sleeve a few more times. Then, distracted by the bustling sights outside, he leaned on the carriage window to watch.

Zhang Sheng opened his eyes and looked at his younger brother, whose attention had instantly wandered, and sighed once more.

His little brother most admired Father and Grandfather. From the moment he first began his studies, he had proclaimed that he too would become Chancellor of Han, a great pillar of the state just like Father and Grandfather.

But he was still young. He didn’t yet understand that becoming Chancellor wasn’t about right or wrong.

“It was my mistake,” Zhang Sheng pressed his fingers against his temple, muttering in regret.

In truth, he had always looked down on Prince Han Fei a little, and being so busy with the funeral rites, he hadn’t made proper plans for this trip.

Besides, who could have imagined that Prince Han Fei—neglected by the King of Han—would actually be residing in Lord Changping’s household, and even valued by him?

A sudden thought struck Zhang Sheng. Could it be that Prince Han Fei had come to Qin not truly as a disciple of Xunzi, but rather…

Even if he was mediocre, as the son of a long-serving high official, Zhang Sheng could piece things together.

If Prince Han Fei were just a disciple of Xunzi, then treating him perfunctorily wouldn’t matter much. But if he were instead a disciple of Lord Changping, the implications would be entirely different.

Xunzi had countless disciples and wouldn’t be petty over such slights. But Lord Changping wielded great power; he might very well take it as the Zhang family looking down on him.

When Zhang Sheng thought of Lord Changping’s standing before the King of Qin, anxiety and fear welled up in his heart.

At the carriage window, Zhang Liang looked back at his elder brother, who was wiping sweat yet again, before turning his gaze back to Xianyang City.

His brother thought him too young, and so never explained anything to him.

But if Brother wouldn’t say, couldn’t he just find out for himself? At that moment, a slightly spoiled Zhang Liang thought with supreme confidence.

After all, he was already famous as a child prodigy. His teachers often said that with the knowledge he possessed, he could already take up an official post. To investigate Prince Han Fei’s reputation in Xianyang?—nothing could be easier.

Back in the Han capital, he often roamed about on his own, visiting the homes of learned elders. So now that he was in Xianyang, he thought that with his usual experience, he would manage just as well.

The next day, Zhang Sheng rushed to pay a visit to Zhu Xiang, flustered and panicked.

Zhu Xiang had thought Zhang Sheng was coming to deliver him a message. But seeing Zhang Sheng looking as though he were about to burst into tears, he asked in confusion, “What has happened to make you so frantic?”

Zhang Sheng fell to his knees. “My second brother left me a letter and ran away! I—I don’t know anyone in Xianyang… I beg Lord Changping to help me! Our Zhang family will certainly offer generous thanks…”

“That’s enough, get up.” Zhu Xiang frowned. “Explain clearly from the beginning.”

With tears and snot running down his face, Zhang Sheng explained how Zhang Liang had left behind a letter and slipped away, saying he was going to investigate Prince Han Fei’s reputation.

He truly had nowhere else to turn.

He had gone to plead with the Han diplomatic envoys to report the matter to the Qin authorities. But all of them were terrified of the King of Qin. Though they promised to make a petition, they dawdled over preparing gifts and wording, and who knew how long that would take.

Remembering that he still had the chance to see Lord Changping, Zhang Sheng had clutched at this last hope. Lord Changping was renowned as a benevolent gentleman—perhaps he might take pity on his younger brother’s youth and help him.

Even though he had just offended Lord Changping yesterday, with his younger brother missing, Zhang Sheng couldn’t care about that anymore.

“Xunzi, I need to go out for a while.” After hearing Zhang Sheng’s words, Zhu Xiang immediately changed clothes and prepared to leave.

Xunzi asked, “You want to search for him personally?”

Zhu Xiang thought to himself: although the future Marquis of Liu was still a brat now, he certainly didn’t want this world’s Marquis of Liu to exit the historical stage by getting kidnapped by traffickers.

His head ached terribly. Xianyang was such a huge city—would they even be able to find him?

The Qin household registration system was extremely strict—so strict that even Shang Yang couldn’t escape. But this was still a feudal society without surveillance networks; even when the First Emperor was once assassinated, they failed to catch the culprit. How could finding one missing child be any easier?

The Qin state’s “searching ability” had an upper limit of catching Shang Yang, and a lower limit of failing to catch the assassins of Qin Shihuang. With such a vast gap, Zhu Xiang dared not place much hope.

“I’ll give it a try,” Zhu Xiang said. “The Han sent envoys to Qin, only to have a child go missing in Xianyang—what kind of joke is this?”

Xunzi cast a glance at Zhang Sheng, who was crying snot and tears. “Xianyang is so vast. Finding one child will be very difficult.”

“I know. I’ll do my best,” Zhu Xiang replied. “He wouldn’t have gone out completely alone—he should be safe, just hiding somewhere.”

Zhang Sheng sobbed, “He did go out alone.”

Zhu Xiang: “…”

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Xiang snapped, “How on earth do you people raise children?! Where are the servants and retainers you brought? You just let a child from your household wander out by himself?! Forget it, let’s talk while walking.”

His headache worsened. Could it be that in this world, the Marquis of Liu was really destined to be abducted by traffickers? What kind of family education did the Zhang clan have?!

On the way, Zhu Xiang finally learned the full story.

When at home, Zhang Liang often ran about without attendants. Since he was dearly loved by his parents and elders, Zhang Ping even indulged this behavior, believing it would build his independence.

But whenever he went out, the elders would discreetly have people follow him. Moreover, Zhang Ping had made arrangements with the capital guards, so wherever Zhang Liang went, someone protected him, and no danger would befall him.

Who could have predicted that after arriving in Xianyang, Zhang Liang would also run off alone?

Zhang Sheng, whose official post was unimpressive, nonetheless traveled with a show greater than that of the envoy himself—which was inappropriate. This time, accompanying the Han envoy to Qin, he hadn’t brought too many servants.

Zhang Liang had always been obedient, so Zhang Sheng assumed his clever younger brother surely understood that wandering about in a strange city was dangerous. He never thought the boy would actually run away after leaving a note.

Zhu Xiang looked at the note Zhang Liang had left and asked, “Did you ask the nearby people?”

Zhang Sheng blinked blankly. “Ask what?”

Zhu Xiang: “…”

He pressed his hand to his forehead. Perhaps Zhang Sheng was just too panicked to think straight—he couldn’t be this stupid.

Zhu Xiang guessed that Zhang Liang might have been trying to sneak into the Xianyang Academy to inquire about Han Fei. He sent some men to search there while he himself went to the Zhang brothers’ residence to ask around if anyone had seen Zhang Liang.

Surely the boy wouldn’t walk to the Academy on those little short legs. If not renting a carriage, then he must have ridden one of the family horses.

Zhu Xiang went to check the stables first—and indeed, one young pony was missing.

He let out a breath of relief.

If he had ridden out on his own, with fewer interactions with strangers, the likelihood of being kidnapped was much smaller.

But with so many people and horses at the envoy’s lodgings, the tracks left by the pony had long been trampled away.

Zhang Sheng had once taken Zhang Liang to see the outer grounds of the Xianyang Academy. If Zhang Liang’s memory was good, he likely followed that same route. Zhu Xiang led Zhang Sheng along the path the brothers had walked before, asking along the way. Luckily, they soon found someone who had seen a boy with a hanging sash riding a pony.

The panic in Zhang Sheng’s heart finally eased somewhat.

He glanced at Lord Changping, who was skillfully conversing with the plainly dressed commoners of Xianyang. For some reason, he was reminded of Lord Changping’s own humble background.

He had heard that Lord Changping was born a commoner, and therefore loved the people. He had thought this was just empty flattery, but seeing him today, perhaps the reputation wasn’t undeserved.

Yet when he remembered Lord Changping’s disdain for the Zhang family, his feelings grew all the more complicated.

Although Lord Changping and the Zhang family were not on the same side, he was still willing to personally help search for the younger brother. No wonder the world praised him so highly.

Originally, Lord Changping belonged to Han. After Zhu Xiang was ennobled as Marquis of Changping, Han scholars did not hold him in as favorable a light as those of the other six states, believing he had occupied Han’s territory. Thus, although Zhang Sheng and Zhang Liang had heard of Zhu Xiang’s virtuous reputation, they didn’t know him deeply, nor did they feel much reverence for him.

Zhang Sheng’s fear of Zhu Xiang stemmed only from the fact that he was Crown Prince Zheng’s maternal uncle—the Marquis of Changping who wielded great power in Qin.

Now, for the first time, he began to truly see Zhu Xiang as a man in his own right.

While Zhu Xiang was taking Zhang Sheng everywhere in search of the troublesome child, the child himself was busy trying to sneak into the Xianyang Academy.

Back in Xinzheng, the capital of Han, Zhang Liang could go wherever he pleased, slipping even into the most restricted areas.

He always thought it was thanks to his brilliant acting skills and superior wit that he could trick adults and sneak into so many places.

Now he tried to pull the same trick, thinking he could easily pose as a student and slip into the Xianyang Academy. But the gatekeeper stopped him with just one phrase: “Show your yan.”

The yan was Qin’s identification token—the very reform that had caused Shang Yang’s downfall.

Qin had not yet unified the realm, but its control over its citizens was extremely strict. With so many scholars from the East arriving, King of Qin had reinforced the guards in Xianyang and tightened identity checks.

Anyone entering Qin who wanted to enter Xianyang first needed to obtain a Qin identity token.

Zhang Liang actually had identification, but it was with Zhang Sheng.

Although he had read many things, Qin law was not among them. He had no idea such a thing as an “identity token” existed.

Seeing that the Qin soldiers were about to seize him, Zhang Liang immediately claimed the identity of a chancellor’s son.

He was clever enough not to say he was the son of Han’s Chancellor, but instead lied that he was the son of Chancellor Lin Zhi.

In Han, Zhang Liang often pretended to be the son of high officials known to his family. His attire and bearing marked him as noble-born, so his lies always worked. Anyone who disrespected him would immediately become deferential once they heard the lofty name he invoked—it had never failed.

“No matter whose son you are, without a yan, you are not allowed inside the academy.” The guard was unmoved.

Zhang Liang shouted angrily: “How dare you block me! Do you not know that if my father hears of this, your whole family will be sent to guard the frontier?!”

The guard didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids. If he let someone without a yan in, his whole family would be the ones exiled to the border.

“Hmph! I don’t believe you dare stop me!”

Strutting arrogantly, Zhang Liang stepped forward, certain the soldiers would not dare harm him.

He had only taken one step when the guard pinned him to the ground and tied him up.

For the first time in his life, Zhang Liang found himself bound, and he screamed furiously, drawing a crowd.

“I am Chancellor Lin’s son! How dare you hurt me!” He grew so angry he tried to bite the soldier binding him.

Someone nearby, unable to hold back, drawled lazily: “The Chancellor of Qin is Lord Cai. Lord Lin is the Prime Minister. You got it wrong.”

Zhang Liang: “…?! ”

Quick-witted as ever, he instantly realized someone had tricked him. He snorted coldly: “I come from a noble family. My grandfather is a senior minister of Zhao. Lord Cai is just a common scholar—how could he outrank my father!”

The man replied: “Even so, Qin’s Chancellor is Lord Cai. Claiming to be the Chancellor’s son and attempting to trespass into a restricted place—even though you are underage, by law you should still be tattooed and exiled.”

“You’re bluffing!” Zhang Liang cursed.

“I’m not bluffing. I’m just stating the truth. Do you know the saying ‘speak the truth’? That is something the Marquis of Changping always says. The Marquis of Changping—”

“All right, all right, Meng Yi, once you start talking about the Marquis of Changping you can’t stop,” another youth, a bit fairer and plumper, interrupted. “Are you going to class today or not?”

“I am,” Meng Yi said. “But Zhang Cang, Prime Minister Lin is the Marquis of Changping’s brother-in-law. I cannot tolerate anyone defiling his name.”

Zhang Cang sighed: “Then I’ll go to class and take notes for you?”

Meng Yi cupped his hands: “Much obliged, Brother Zhang.”

“Who dares defile Uncle Lin’s name?”

A cold but slightly hoarse voice cut through the noise, and the entire scene instantly fell silent.

Meng Yi and Zhang Cang straightened at once, saluting with the others.

Covered in dust, Zhang Liang raised his head—only to see a foot in black boots before him.

Ying Zheng looked down at the boy sprawled on the ground, brows tightly furrowed. “Who are you?”

“I am—” Zhang Liang began.

But Ying Zheng drew his sword and pressed it against the boy’s neck.

His voice was calm, but icy: “Anyone who insults my elders—I may kill him.”

Zhang Liang trembled, fear finally creeping into him.

At last he realized—Xianyang was not Xinzheng.

“I—I am Zhang Liang, son of Han’s Chancellor Zhang Ping, here in Qin with the Han envoy.” His voice weakened. “I only wanted to attend lectures at the Xianyang Academy.”

Ying Zheng did not withdraw his blade. “Since you are the envoy’s son, you could have used the envoy’s credential to enter. Why did you pretend to be Uncle Lin’s son?”

Zhang Liang’s lips quivered, and tears welled up. “In Xinzheng, that’s what I always did! As long as I claimed to be some minister’s son, there was nowhere I couldn’t go!”

What’s wrong with you Qin people—why are you so strange?!

Those around them exchanged complicated looks at his words.

Ying Zheng sheathed his sword. “If you are truly the envoy’s son, then let the Han envoy come fetch you from prison. Take him away—lock him up.”

“At once, Your Highness!” the guard responded.

Your Highness?!

Zhang Liang jerked his head up, finally seeing the young man’s face clearly.

The tall nose, the long, narrow eyes, the sharp jawline, the upright figure—looking down at him with an aura of haughty authority that made it hard to breathe.

For the first time, the brat was truly afraid.

Zhang Liang opened his mouth and wailed, “Waaah! Brother, save me! I don’t want to be thrown in prison!”

Ying Zheng was unmoved. “Take him away.”

“W-wait a moment!” At last, Zhu Xiang’s men arrived, belatedly bowing. “Greetings, Your Highness! This boy is family of the Han envoy—my lord sent me to find him!”

“Mm.” Ying Zheng gave a single sound of acknowledgment. “Take him away.”

And so, with guards dragging him off as he cried at the top of his lungs, Zhang Liang was hauled toward the prison.