HCT – Chapter 39 First Emperor’s Candy Ball

Even the old King of Qin was rendered speechless when he saw the prematurely graying hair of Zhu Xiang, who was just in his early twenties.

The musicians were still shaking their heads and swaying as they played, and the burly Qin soldier in full black armor was still shouting love songs in a tone more suited to battle cries.

While the King of Qin and Zhu Xiang stood silently facing each other, the people around them who had overheard the king’s question felt as if the entire scene had fallen into quiet stillness.

The old King of Qin had prepared a whole set of formal pleasantries, but now, the words were stuck in his throat—he couldn’t utter a single one.

From a hostage prince without favor to the ruler of Qin for decades, it was extremely rare for him to be emotionally affected like this.

In his mind, the old King of Qin couldn’t help but recall Zhu Xiang during the Changping mission, and for the first time, a trace of sympathy rose in his heart for this young man.

“You’ve had it hard,” the old King said as he raised his hand and patted Zhu Xiang’s head. “Let’s go back to Xianyang.”

This was the second time he had felt soft-hearted toward Zhu Xiang. The first was when Zhu Xiang showed no concern for his own life but clung to him, tirelessly praising Zheng’er and dreaming aloud of the boy’s bright future.

Speaking of which—where was Zheng’er?

The old King looked down and saw the little chubby stump behind Zhu Xiang.

He blurted out, “Is this Zheng’er? He really is a bit chubby.”

Ying Zheng was just wondering how to properly salute the great-grandfather he’d never seen in his dreams in order to leave a good impression, when he heard these soul-shaking words.

He immediately looked up and said, “Uncle, did you say bad things about Zheng’er to Great-Grandfather?”

Zhu Xiang kept a stern face and replied seriously, “How could I? I only ever praise Zheng’er.”

“But Great-Grandfather said I’m fat!” Ying Zheng insisted.

Zhu Xiang solemnly explained, “Zheng’er, for children, being chubby isn’t called fat—it’s called rounded and blessed. If you’re not chubby when you’re little, how will you grow taller? How will you be strong? So your Great-Grandfather was actually praising me for raising you well. He meant you’re truly a lucky child!”

Ying Zheng, though quite smart, was often confused by Zhu Xiang’s roundabout explanations.

He turned his eyes toward the old King of Qin, seeking help. “Great-Grandfather, is that true?”

Zhu Xiang reminded him, “Zheng’er, you have to pay your respects to your Great-Grandfather first.”

Ying Zheng obediently knelt down and performed a full ceremonial bow, then looked up again, his eyes full of curiosity as he awaited the old King’s response.

The old King felt a slight tingling on his scalp.

Was this child being too casual in front of him? Why wasn’t he even a little afraid? Even Zheng’er’s father, and his grandfather Dazhu, would always tremble before him.

No one had ever dared to act so familiar with the old King of Qin, so when it came to Zhu Xiang and Ying Zheng—these two shameless juniors—he genuinely didn’t know how to handle them.

Had it been anyone else, he would’ve already rebuked them for their lack of decorum. But now, with the Qin soldiers behind still loudly singing love songs, he couldn’t publicly embarrass Zhu Xiang.

After thinking for a moment, the old King put on the kindly smile that Zhu Xiang had often seen from him during the Changping campaign. He took the initiative to help Ying Zheng to his feet and said, “Indeed, I was praising how strong you look.”

The now-standing Ying Zheng beamed with the most obedient, joyful smile he could muster. He cupped his hands in salute to the old King and cheerfully declared, “Thank you for the compliment, Great-Grandfather! Zheng’er also thinks I’m very strong! I can already do sword dances. If Great-Grandfather has time, Zheng’er will perform for you!”

In the old King of Qin’s mind, Zhu Xiang’s journal entry echoed: “Sword dance? Can you even swing the sword now without getting dragged by it, falling to the ground, and wailing?”

Ying Zheng’s smile froze.

He tilted his head to look at his uncle. “Uncle, you’re badmouthing Zheng’er.”

Zhu Xiang explained seriously, “Zheng’er, I was praising how hard you’ve worked practicing your swordsmanship. How is that badmouthing?”

Ying Zheng pouted. “Uncle, do you really think I’ll believe that?”

Zhu Xiang patted the furry tiger hat on Ying Zheng’s head. “Believe me!”

Then Zhu Xiang turned to the old King of Qin. “Your Majesty, no one knows my character better than you. Everything I say is true!”

With the uncle and nephew bantering back and forth like this, the old King of Qin almost felt like he was a kindly great-grandfather here to reunite with a long-lost great-grandson.

Are the two of you seriously chatting with me, the King of Qin, like we’re just catching up on family gossip?

The old King of Qin, who had never experienced such an absurd situation before, thought for a moment and decided to play along with Zhu Xiang. He said, “He was praising your diligence. He also said when you drew little doodles on General Lian Po’s face while he was asleep, it was out of respect for your elders.”

Zhu Xiang chimed in, “Exactly, that’s right! See, Zheng’er, His Majesty says your uncle wasn’t lying!”

Ying Zheng felt his mind starting to unravel.

In his “memories,” he had never seen this famously formidable great-grandfather. But whenever the people around him mentioned the late King of Qin, there was always lingering awe in their voices. He had always been very cautious about this ancestor.

Back in the carriage, Zhu Xiang had specifically instructed him to act like a lively child around the King of Qin. The more deep and cunning a person was, and the more feared by others, the more they would appreciate juniors who were “naive” and dared to be silly in front of them.

Just before getting off the carriage, his uncle had even reminded him to seize any chance to act cutesy.

But he never imagined that his uncle would seize that chance by talking so much smack about him in front of his great-grandfather!

Zhu Xiang, seeing how well the old King of Qin was cooperating, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zheng’er, as the old king’s great-grandson, was very far from the throne. He was young and had been raised by a civilian-born uncle known throughout the land for his virtue and righteousness. Acting cutesy and a bit foolish before the king wouldn’t cause any suspicion about his or his uncle’s “intentions.”

Now that he had decided to defect to Qin, no matter how much he still carried in his heart, Zhu Xiang had to start planning for the future—for himself and his family.

Zheng’er’s parents were both cold toward him. Even with an uncle as renowned and personally invited back to Qin by the king himself, the palace in Qin would surely still be full of slights and hardships.

This grand welcome by the old King of Qin might be the only time the king would tolerate his unfamiliar great-grandson’s silly antics for Zhu Xiang’s sake. As long as everyone witnessed how kindly the king treated Zheng’er, then no one would dare to touch him once he returned to court.

“Great-Grandfather, Zheng’er is very filial… General Lian said bad things about Grandpa Lin, so I secretly drew circles on his face to stand up for Grandpa Lin,” Ying Zheng explained, his lips trembling. “Grandpa Lin often says Zheng’er is the most filial child he’s ever seen.”

“Grandpa Lin… Lin Xiangru?” The King of Qin’s eyes lit up when he heard this name. “Lin Xiangru… Right, I heard he treats Zhu Xiang like his own son, so of course he would’ve personally taught you.”

With a wave of his hand, the old King of Qin stopped the love songs that had made Zhu Xiang awkward and others around envious or moved.

“Come up to your great-grandfather’s carriage and talk to me properly. You too,” the king said, pulling Ying Zheng with one hand and tugging Zhu Xiang’s sleeve with the other, heading toward his carriage.

Ying Zheng’s legs were short, and at the old king’s brisk pace, an ordinary child would’ve already been dragged along the ground.

But Ying Zheng was no ordinary child. The moment the old king turned, he hustled his stubby little legs and did his utmost to keep up.

Zhu Xiang glanced at Ying Zheng, who had instantly adjusted his posture, and quietly let out a breath of relief. As expected of the future First Emperor—unfazed in the face of bloody scenes in prison, and equally fearless before the King of Qin.

He subtly signaled with his eyes toward the now-ignored Xue, still by the carriage.

When the old King of Qin had pulled Ying Zheng away, Xue had instinctively reached out to grab his other hand. Ying Zheng quickly pulled his hand back and gave his aunt a look that said, “I’m okay.”

Now that Zhu Xiang was giving her a signal, Xue rubbed her frozen hands together and turned to return to the carriage.

Cai Ze furrowed his brow. The King of Qin deliberately ignoring Lady Xue was not a good sign.

The old King of Qin led Zhu Xiang and Ying Zheng onto his own carriage, and the convoy resumed its forward march.

Now that he no longer had to personally drive the carriage, Bai Qi returned inside and shared the space with Cai Ze. Sima Jin and Wang He also squeezed in.

Sima Jin dramatically clutched his chest. “Lord Zhu Xiang is amazing! How does he dare speak to His Majesty in such an irreverent tone?!”

Wang He said, “It’s not exactly irreverent, it’s just too… too…”

Cai Ze put down the scroll in his hands and said, “Too much like he’s just talking to a regular elder?”

Sima Jin nodded vigorously. “Yes! And Prince Zheng too—no wonder he turned out like this, being raised by Lord Zhu Xiang.”

Cai Ze said, “Children raised with love do tend to be bolder around elders. But Zheng… Prince Zheng is indeed much braver than most, and far more clever.”

Sima Jin grew curious. “Really? Just how brave is he?”

Cai Ze replied, “The day Zhu Xiang was nearly assassinated by Zhao’s secret guards, prison officers and wardens died heroically to protect him. Zhu Xiang and Lady Xue stitched together the wounded bodies of those righteous men, while Prince Zheng washed the blood from their faces so they could be buried with dignity.”

Bai Qi, who had been pretending to stare out the window and not listen to Zhu Xiang and Prince Zheng’s private matters, suddenly turned to look at Cai Ze.

Sima Jin and Wang He were both stunned.

Bai Qi asked, “What exactly happened in the city?”

He had been stationed outside the city and only knew that King Zhao had sent assassins after Zhu Xiang and failed. He hadn’t inquired further.

As long as Zhu Xiang defected to Qin and King Zhao’s prestige took a hit, his goal was accomplished. He didn’t need the details.

But Bai Qi, who rarely showed curiosity, couldn’t help asking after hearing what Cai Ze said.

Zhu Xiang’s hair had gone gray on this journey—perhaps not only from leaving his homeland behind, but also from the pain of standing opposite former mentors and friends.

Inside the royal carriage, the old King of Qin began questioning Zhu Xiang and Ying Zheng in detail about Lin Xiangru’s daily life.

He had wanted to ask back in Changping, but since Zhu Xiang never brought it up himself, he couldn’t ask directly either, lest people think he valued Lin Xiangru too much.

Now that Ying Zheng had mentioned him, the king could use the excuse of caring about his great-grandson’s life to satisfy his curiosity.

Though Ying Zheng had only just turned four on the carriage ride, he spoke clearly and articulately, like a boy well into his childhood years. No matter what the old King of Qin asked, he could answer without hesitation.

He even pulled out a little candy pouch from his robes, poured out colorful sugar balls, and offered them to his great-grandfather in a sweet, well-behaved gesture.

Zhu Xiang had boiled sugarcane juice into candy, dyed them with flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and molded them into little balls for Ying Zheng—a treasured treat.

Having spent so much time with Zhu Xiang, Ying Zheng had picked up some of his uncle’s wit, which seemed almost too modern for this era. Coupled with his childlike voice and expression, it completely charmed the old King of Qin. After trying one candy, the king promptly stuffed the entire pouch into his own robe, not leaving a single one for his great-grandson.

The old King of Qin burst out laughing. “Lin Xiangru, that old dog, actually sparred with Lian Po regularly? Wasn’t he afraid he’d pull his back?”

Ying Zheng replied, “Grandpa Lin’s swordsmanship is amazing. Grandpa Lian often ended up being chased around. Even though Grandpa Lian always says he lets Grandpa Lin win, Zheng’er still thinks Grandpa Lin is better.”

The king roared with laughter. “Hahahaha, Lin Xiangru afraid of bitter medicine?”

Ying Zheng shook his head. “Grandpa Lin isn’t afraid of it. He just hates the taste. Grandpa Lin isn’t like Uncle—Uncle secretly dumps his bitter medicine.”

The king laughed even harder. “Lin Xiangru, born in poverty, still picky about food?”

Ying Zheng explained, “Grandpa Lin isn’t picky—he eats everything. It’s just that anyone used to my uncle’s cooking will become picky about others’.”

Puffed out his chest with pride!

“Really?” the king turned to Zhu Xiang. “How come you never showed your culinary skills in Changping? That jar of pork doesn’t count.”

Zhu Xiang chuckled. “A clever housewife can’t cook without rice. Changping was harsh and lacked seasonings. Once we reach Xianyang, I’ll cook a feast for Your Majesty to prove Zheng’er wasn’t exaggerating.”

The old king nodded. “It’s settled. I’ll bring my teacher along, so prepare some soft foods for him. The title of marquis is my promise, not your request. You may ask something more of me.”

Zhu Xiang bowed. “Your Majesty is wise! I do have two requests I hope Your Majesty will grant.”

“First, I request to be allowed to visit Zheng’er often. Second, I request that Lady Xue be granted the title Lady of Changping. She and I have depended on each other for life. I vow to spend my life with only her—no concubines, no second wife.”

The old King of Qin’s face darkened.