Chapter 11

The next day just dawn, razor held the sleepy eyes of me quietly out of the palace, I want to ask him, why we have to go back with the thief like, but I am really too tired, open my eyes, and since in his arms to sleep. Even the bumps in the carriage failed to wake me up.

　　Back to the palace, I still sleep very happy, vaguely also heard the Yi in the outside to ask A Shang what. But I ultimately can not gather the spirit to listen to, a pampered spoiled queen, yesterday's labor, is beyond my body's acceptance of the scope, so in my own bed when I lie down, more lawless huffing and puffing.

　　Consciousness fade away before, I am still praying that I can meet Sala this second son in the dream.

　　.

　　Until I woke up most of the day later, there wasn't half a trace of a lingering dream in my memory, so I thought that Sara's internship hadn't passed yet, and that I wasn't so free to come and go.

　　"Shon." Rubbing my forehead, I called out.

　　"Empress Dowager." Shuang was in the inner room, wondering if she'd been keeping watch the whole time I'd been asleep.

　　I braced myself and looked out the window beyond the gauzy amanita, the sun was going down again soon. Hurrily, I remembered a very important thing, and busily asked to go, "Did this palace take medicine when it returned." I am really confused, this sleep up do not remember things.

　　A Shang answered, "Empress Dowager, as soon as you come back to rest, today's medicine has not yet served."

　　I lifted the Aman, looking towards Ah Shang, my tone was a bit anxious, "Quickly go and bring it to me."

　　The medicine is resting on the case, you can still see the rising gusts of hot air, it must have been sent to me uninterruptedly while I was asleep, A Shuang's work is really reassuring. Before taking the medicine, I asked again, "If I take this medicine after ten hours, will it have any effect?"

　　Ah Shang respectfully answered, "Back to the Empress Dowager, the doctor said that if you take the medicine within twelve hours, you will be fine."

　　I nodded, so I feel at ease to take the medicine, just drink a mouthful, I feel wrong, frown, look at Ah Shang, "Today this medicine smells different from the past days."

　　Ah Shang was shocked, thumped his knees on the ground, crouched his head and said: "The Empress Dowager's anger, the King of the Rong said that the Empress Dowager's recent color is not good, so he ordered the slave to the medical officer to get some blood tonic to nourish the medicine to the slave knows that the Empress Dowager has always been dislike of medicines, which will be mixed with the tonic into the soup of medicine of his own accord. Slave has overstepped, Empress Dowager forgive me."

　　I lowered my eyes and looked at the bowl of medicine in my hand, no more even temper, slowed down the tone, "Get up, just this once, the next time will not be an exception." I can allow people power, but never allow betrayal and concealment. A Shuang knows my temper, she knows that those who disobey me will never have a good ending.

　　.

　　Looking at the mirror person, I can't help but reach out to the left and right rubbing caressing cheeks, razing these days to toss me, this description is really haggard a lot, it seems that this into the complement is a must.

　　A Shuang behind me carefully combed my hair, bun, quiet did not say a word.

　　"Last night there can be someone to visit." Asang didn't say anything to me, so it was a safe night, but I still didn't feel too confident to ask.

　　As she fixed her hairpin, she said, "The king sent a permanent retainer to ask the Empress Dowager for her peace. The court guards came to report that there is a person named Xiang Shou in front of the palace gates, claiming to be the empress dowager's ancestral family, and clamoring to see the empress dowager."

　　"Oh." I lengthened my voice, "And what happened after that."

　　Ah Shang lifted me up and headed outside, continuing, "Nu had not heard the Empress Dowager mention that there was such a pro-wai, so she ordered him to be sent away."

　　I turned my eyes to ponder the impression I had of Mi Bazi's genealogy in the depths of my memory, and Xiang Shou-

　　An aura flashed through my mind, I finally did remember, Xiang Shou's father was Mi Bazi's half-brother, Xiang Shou was also Mi Bazi's nephew.

　　Just as I was about to ask A Shuang to go find Xiang Shou, the sound of the court guard's report came from the front of the hall, "Empress Dowager."

　　I searched for the sound and looked, the person who bowed and clasped his fist was the chief of the inner court guards, I squeaked, "What is it."

　　The head of the court guards straightened up and reported, "The palace gate has come to report that the person named Xiang Shou was clamoring to see the Empress Dowager again last night, and the palace guards, fearing that he would be a nuisance to the inner court, have detained him. I have come here to ask the Empress Dowager what should be done." They are good at knowing how to handle things, if this person is really my relative, they are just detaining him and not offending me too much. If I say no, they go back and beat him up again to coax him out of the palace is.

　　"Bring him to the palace." I would like to see what this nephew is capable of. Turning to my thoughts, I instructed Ah Shang, "Go and invite General Wei here, and tell him that this palace has important matters to discuss."

　　When they all retired, I thought to myself, "If Xiang Shou is talented, what position should I give him?

　　.

　　Not long ago, Wei Ran appeared in Ganquan Palace in full armor, in front of the temple door consciously in addition to the satchel at the waist of the blade. Crossing the threshold of the door, clear and bright voice then came, "The Empress Dowager is so anxious to call the end to come, is it not out of something big."

　　I smiled and pointed to the cushioned seat on one side, signaling him to sit down and talk. "In this Ganquan Palace, there is no need for the two of us to be polite, just call sister." Wei Ran is Mi Bazi's half-brother, although he was also used by King Huiwen in the past, but his position as a general was promoted by me, and the heavy responsibility of guarding Xianyang City should not fall on an outsider.

　　Wei Ran is brave and resourceful, and his body is swift and brave. I will promote him to a higher position when I have the chance. A general of the city is really too talented. How to be ranked in the three dukes, into the court deliberations.

　　"Hey, hey, whatever sister says." Wei Ran always looks so silly in front of me. Unlike the outside, a stranger is not close to the appearance of the city of Xianyang is guarded as if the iron wall.

　　I asked Wei Ran, "Do you remember Xiang Shou?" Huai Jin has left home since his adulthood, and has never returned to Chu, I only vaguely remember that he had a pair of children, and I don't know anything else. But Wei Ran was outside the palace gates and should know more than me.

　　Wei Ran was a bit surprised, straightened his back and turned to me, "Sister is saying that the elder brother's kid Xiang Shou!"

　　I nodded my head, "Precisely, Huai Jin is always away and is not dead or alive. There was a teenager who claimed to be Xiang Shou and clamored to see me in front of the palace gates, so I called you along."

　　Wei Ran realized, "Sister is worried that someone posing as Xiang Shou is plotting against her."

　　This is also my worry, but I'm more worried that I won't know what to ask Xiang Shou after I see him, "I left home earlier, some things about Huai Jin, you know more than I do, so you can cross-examine him a bit later."

　　Wei Ran nodded and agreed.

　　.

　　I thought Xiang Shou should be about the same age as Ying Ji, but when I saw him, I thought he was a high school graduate, not to mention that his head had not yet risen, and even his face showed the same youthfulness and tenderness, such a child at such an age had the guts to run in front of the palace gate and shout at the door, and I guessed that if he wasn't my nephew, he must have been released from the sanatorium just now.

　　"Auntie." He was indeed not small in courage, when he first entered the palace, he fell to his knees in front of my feet and called out to me with his heart torn out, almost not enough to shake me off the couch and onto the floor.

　　Ah Shang was busy stepping forward and pulling him two steps away from me. I was thinking that if he was an assassin, then I was now guaranteed to die.

　　At his current age, there was no way he would have seen me before, and for him to come forward like this and pounce straight at me was probably only because I was sitting on the throne.

　　"You are Xiang Shou?" Wei Ran and I had the same question, he walked up to the child who claimed to be Xiang Shou and asked, leaning down to look at him.

　　The kid looked up, obviously not expecting anyone else here besides me. He looked blankly at Wei Ran, as if trying to catch even a fragmentary blur in the depths of his memory, hoping to recognize Wei Ran. He hesitated and scrunched his neck, "Are you ..."

　　Wei Ran is not angry from the authority, between the eyebrows of an austere, if it is the heart of the people, often do not dare to take the right eye to his face to see. He looked at the child and asked, "Where is your father, why did you run to Xianyang City alone." Even though Wei Ran has seen the young Xiang Shou, but the child a year a kind of, long to now, who is difficult to ensure that still with the same childhood growth, he could not help but take the eyes of the child carefully measured up.

　　Unexpectedly Wei Ran asked, the child even bit his lip and sobbed. I was stunned, owed my body to sit up straight, looked at Wei Ran, "Why is he crying."

　　"Yes, what are you crying for, how can a manly man shed tears so easily." Wei Ran helped him up, his tone was so unpleasant.

　　"Father, father-sama was killed in Pucheng, auntie must intercede for Xiang Shou!" This was Wei Ran drank the cries, this time and rekindled, pounced on his knees in front of me is to hold my feet crying miserable.

　　I'm not in a hurry, but the side of Wei Ran, went up and grabbed his back lapel and forced him to drag away, the child fell to the ground is still unable to stop the sound of sobbing.

　　"Don't cry." Wei Ran blew up, crossed his arms and yelled at the kid, "What do you have to prove that you are Xiang Shou, how do we know if you are a spy sent by another country."

　　"I, I ..." he tramped, left and right difficult to choose words, raised his eyes at Wei Ran, and stole a glance at me, squeaked as he pointed at Wei Ran, "You, you are uncle."

　　I raised an eyebrow, left the couch and walked to the boy and stood alongside Wei Ran, praising him, "Your reaction is sensitive, you are seeing that I look three times similar to General Wei, that's why you said so, right?"

　　That child was anxious, turning left and right, seemingly about to freak out. Hurting, he tugged at his lapel, leaving his chest bare, and then pointed to the birthmark on his heart, saying, "This birthmark was also present on my father's face, and uncle and aunt must know about it as well."

　　Mi Bazi knows, but I don't, and when I looked at Wei Ran again, he had already lifted Xiang Shou up with trembling hands, "Xiang Shou, quickly tell uncle, by whom was your father killed, uncle will definitely seek justice for you."

　　Since Wei Ran recognized yes, then he is. My face expression is no longer cold, and I picked up Xiang Shou's hand, gently rubbing and caressing it. Intimate call, "Shou'er, quickly let aunt take a good look." I suddenly feel the hairs of sweat stand up, this one Shou'er called me is a little heart trembling. I even feel like I'm getting more and more shameless now, this action is like desecrating an underage boy.

　　.

　　"Truly outrageous, little Pu Cheng Cheng Yi, how dare he harm my elder brother. Sister, we must give him a color." Xiang Shou huffed and sobbed as he told us roughly how Huai Jin was killed in Pucheng. Wei Ran was originally a calm person, but when he heard that his brother had been killed, he lost his temper, and it seemed that if he was given a few thousand men, he would definitely dare to go and raze Pucheng to the ground.

　　I waved my hand to stop Wei Ran, "Don't get excited, this matter needs to be discussed in the long run. How about this, you go back first, Shou'er will stay in the palace first."

　　Wei Ran has always listened to my sister's words, since I said so, he also no longer talk about anything, actually left the Ganquan Palace.

　　I looked at the young and inexperienced Xiang Shou, and pondered where to put him.

　　I called out, "Shou'er."

　　Xiang Shou stood up, "Auntie." Even Wei Ran, in the absence of permission are consciously called me Empress Dowager, it seems that Xiang Shou is still a little young, counting on him to help me what is a little too early.

　　I also do not go to correct him, only asked: "weekdays can read and write." If Xiang Shou is illiterate, I really don't expect him at all.

　　Xiang Shou bowed and answered, "I have dabbled a little."

　　I resumed my seat on the couch and asked again with interest, "Which of the hundred schools of thought do you read, tell me about them."

　　Xiangshou straight up, face self-satisfied, "back to aunt, Xiangshou young learning Confucianism's six arts, and then realized that the Confucian school of thought has been gradually not in line with the current situation. So now he has abandoned Confucianism and respected the law."

　　I was surprised, and raised my eyebrows as I re-examined Xiangshou, "Duke Xiaogang enabled Shang Yang to make the state of Qin stronger and stronger, and it would be a good thing for you to advocate the law. Let's do it this way! You will stay in the palace from now on and accompany the king to practice together."

　　Xiang Shou received his thanks and was led out by Ah Shang. I pondered, "How should I avenge Huai Jin's death? Under what name should I teach Pu Cheng a lesson?

　　.

　　"So serious, what are you thinking about."

　　I stood disobediently in front of the window, staring at the distant bell tower out of my mind. Yi's voice suddenly rang in my ears, and when I turned around, I saw him.