In the fourth month of the ninth year of King Zheng of Qin’s reign, while the sovereign was residing in Yongcheng, Marquis Changxin launched a rebellion.
This was a night destined for sleeplessness.
“Marquis Changxin Lao Ai has been executed for his treasonous uprising. The Queen Dowager, having conspired in these treacherous acts, is henceforth confined to Liyang Palace under perpetual house arrest, forbidden to leave without imperial decree.”
Zhao Yuanxi pinched her own cheek, suspecting she was still dreaming.
She had transmigrated—and become the mother of Qin Shi Huang.
Good heavens!
Everyone knew that Zhao Ji, mother of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, was both foolish and wicked. Keeping male favorites was one thing, but she even bore two children for one, later even betraying her son to help Lao Ai usurp the throne. Ultimately, Lao Ai was executed, and she was placed under house arrest.
Had she arrived just a month earlier, Zhao Yuanxi would have been confident in letting Ying Zheng experience maternal love from someone two millennia ahead. But now, Zhao Ji had already committed every fatal mistake possible. Zhao Yuanxi could only sigh bitterly.
The eunuch who delivered the decree left immediately after setting it down, not sparing Zhao Yuanxi a second glance. His perfunctory demeanor left her disheartened.
The attitude of the palace eunuchs reflected Ying Zheng’s own stance.
Ying Zheng truly loathed his mother. Were it not for avoiding the stigma of filial impiety, given his temperament, he wouldn’t hesitate to execute Zhao Ji outright.
But now, Zhao Yuanxi was the one facing this treatment, and she believed she could still salvage the situation.
Yongcheng was about 300 li from Xianyang—a two-hour drive in modern times, but in this era over two thousand years ago, it felt like the ends of the earth.
If she behaved obediently here, Ying Zheng wouldn’t take her life. After all, even after all of Zhao Ji’s transgressions, she was merely imprisoned, wasn’t she?
She refused to believe she could be more detestable than Zhao Ji.
“Ah, if I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have studied sciences. I should’ve memorized more Qin dynasty history! Now all I know is that the Qin collapsed in the second generation. It’s like undressing only to find everything pixelated!”
Zhao Yuanxi lay on the bed, legs crossed, muttering to herself.
The two guards at the door exchanged horrified glances, sharing a single thought: The Queen Dowager has lost her mind.
But perhaps madness was better—her sane self had been far worse.
In Xianyang Palace, candle flames flickered, casting a long, beast-like shadow of a man.
“Collapsed in the second generation?” Ying Zheng slammed the bamboo scroll onto the table. Preposterous nonsense!
His Great Qin, rising like a dragon, possessed a million-strong army, vast fertile lands, and countless virtuous ministers and valiant generals. Unifying the six states was imminent—how could it possibly fall in the second generation?
Yet, the phrase “collapse in the second generation” gnawed at him.
He would unite the six states to become the sole ruler under heaven, only for Qin to perish after his death?
Ying Zheng preferred to believe this was the Queen Dowager venting her resentment, deliberately cursing not just him, but the entire Qin nation.
At this thought, a flicker of murderous intent crossed his eyes.
Unaware that her careless remark had nearly sent her to the gates of hell, Zhao Yuanxi was now fast asleep.
She was never one to dwell on anxieties. Knowing she wouldn’t die, she saw no reason not to eat and sleep as she pleased!
[System binding successful. Farming System activated.
Mission 1: Cultivate 100 mu of fertile land, harvest over 100,000 jin of grain
Time limit: 4 months
Mission item: One bag of corn seeds
Mission reward: One Might to Uproot Mountains Pill]
???
Was this the golden finger granted by transmigration?
Such an impressive mission item, yet such a useless reward!
Zhao Yuanxi, being an agricultural specialist herself, understood the critical importance of grain to a nation.
Corn yielded abundantly—an average of about 800 jin per mu, and with proper management, it could even reach over a thousand jin. Many countries cultivated it extensively to ensure a stable food supply.
Wasn’t this task practically handed to her on a silver platter?
However—
Zhao Yuanxi stared intently at the screen in the center of the white space. “Did you bring me to this era over two thousand years ago?”
【This is not two thousand years before your original timeline but a similar parallel dimension. After you died from staying up late, your soul drifted here and was captured by the system. The farming task was assigned because the system detected that you currently only possess farming skills.】
Died from staying up late? Zhao Yuanxi’s lips twitched. No wonder she had felt so light-headed that night. Thinking of her unfinished thesis, she was filled with regret!
“What about the original Zhao Ji?”
【On the day of the Qinian Palace Incident, the Empress Dowager passed away along with her two children. This body was left vacant, so the host was placed into it. If the host is unwilling, you may depart like the Empress Dowager did.】
Depart? That meant death, didn’t it?
Zhao Yuanxi fell silent. Truth be told, she wasn’t quite ready to die—
“What if I refuse to complete the task?”
【If the task remains uncompleted by the deadline, the host will be forcibly removed.】
“You’re threatening me!”
Another line of text appeared on the screen. 【If the host can raise King Ying Zheng’s favorability to 100, you will no longer be bound by the task restrictions.】
Either farm diligently or try to build a good relationship with her nominal son. Between the two options, the former seemed much simpler. As for winning over her nominal son, she would need to meet him in person first.
Zhao Yuanxi chose to accept the task.
The Warring States period from two thousand years ago—for someone in agriculture, this was an untapped blue ocean! There was so much she could do!
After waking up, Zhao Yuanxi saw a small bag of corn seeds that had appeared on her bed and was already growing accustomed to such supernatural phenomena.
She decided to explore her surroundings but was stopped as soon as she reached the palace gate.
“Empress Dowager, you cannot leave.” The guard kept his head lowered, not daring to look directly at Zhao Yuanxi, but he did not retreat.
“Step aside!”
“Please do not make things difficult for your servant, Empress Dowager.” The guard knelt and prostrated on the ground.
Zhao Yuanxi felt a headache coming on. If these people had been rude, she could have scolded them, but with them kneeling like this, it made her seem like the unreasonable one.
“Fine, I won’t go out!” Zhao Yuanxi softened her tone. “Deliver a message to him for me: if he doesn’t want to see me hang myself here, then let me go out. I’ll just stroll around nearby and won’t return to Xianyang to get in his way.”
The guard trembled with fear. “Your servant will report this to the King at once.”
Zhao Yuanxi ignored the man still prostrate on the ground and turned to the Female Historian attending her. “I’m hungry.”
Meanwhile, upon receiving the message, Ying Zheng laughed in anger. First, she threatens suicide, and now she claims to be hungry? Would someone who truly wanted to die still think about eating?
Ying Zheng knew the Empress Dowager was merely trying to pressure him, but what right did she have to do so?
He sneered coldly. “If she wants to die, then let her die!”
“Your Majesty! You must not!” An old eunuch immediately knelt. “Your Majesty, no matter what, the Empress Dowager is your mother. If she were to hang herself in Yongcheng, how would the people of the world judge you?”
Ying Zheng’s temples bulged with fury, wishing he could kill the Empress Dowager to vent his rage.
He had just reached the age of capping ceremony and was not yet the emperor who concealed his emotions after unifying the six states. Faced with his own mother’s betrayal and the current coercion, he was filled with nothing but fury at this moment!
“I am the King of Qin—who dares to speak of me?”
“Even King Li of Zhou in ancient times could not silence the voices of the people. How can Your Majesty risk such grave opposition? Moreover, in my humble opinion, the Queen Dowager’s action is not an offense against you, but rather a gesture of submission.”