Ying Zheng remained silent, gesturing for him to continue.
The old eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and steeled himself to go on. “The Queen Dowager is gentle and kind but lacks the ability to judge people. That is why she was deceived by traitors and acted lightly toward Your Majesty. Now that the traitors have been executed and both children are dead, the Queen Dowager wishes to seek you out. She must have regretted her actions.”
“She has already said she will not return to Xianyang!” Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers lightly tapping on the table. The coldness in his eyes faded a little.
It was true that Ying Zheng did not want to see the Queen Dowager, but if she begged to see him, it would undoubtedly please him.
“The Queen Dowager knows you do not wish to see her now and naturally dares not make excessive demands. Once she feels Your Majesty’s anger has subsided, she will surely request to return to Xianyang.” The old eunuch bowed and kowtowed again.
“If she wants to return, does she think I will allow it? Wishful thinking!”
The old eunuch smiled bitterly to himself. He had been sent by the late King Zhuangxiang of Qin to care for this king and had watched King Zheng of Qin grow up. He naturally understood the meaning behind those words.
After all, the Queen Dowager was still the Queen Dowager. No matter how much the king hated her, she was his only mother.
The nine years they had relied on each other in Zhao State were not false. Back then, the Queen Dowager had genuinely cared for the king. But times change, and people change with them. The Queen Dowager had forgotten that the king was the child she should cherish.
The old eunuch only hoped that when the Queen Dowager returned, she would not provoke the king again and force him to have her executed.
“Enough, you may leave! Let the Queen Dowager remain in Yongcheng for now. Select some palace maids and eunuchs to keep an eye on her.”
This was an agreement to the Queen Dowager’s request.
“As you command!”
The old eunuch bowed and retreated from the hall. It was a sunny day outside, but as the wind blew, he realized with a start that he was drenched in cold sweat.
Today, he had been foolish. If not for the lingering affection the king still held for the Queen Dowager, he would surely have died here.
The old eunuch beckoned to a young eunuch who was mopping the floor nearby. “Summon some palace attendants. The king wishes to select attendants to send to Liyang Palace to serve the Queen Dowager.”
The young eunuch acknowledged the order but did not rise. Instead, he kowtowed three times. “This humble servant requests to be sent to Liyang Palace to serve the Queen Dowager.”
The old eunuch was surprised.
He recognized this person—clever in small ways but someone who flattered superiors and bullied subordinates. Unsuitable to serve by the king’s side, he had never recommended him to the King of Qin.
He had not expected this person to make such a choice today.
Sensing the scrutinizing gaze, Gao Sheng lowered his head even further. When he realized the other disliked him, he knew it would be difficult to advance here.
It was better to take a gamble. If the King of Qin welcomed the Queen Dowager back to the palace, he would become her close attendant. Even the worst outcome would be no worse than his current situation.
“If you are willing to go, I will not stop you.”
“Thank you, Chief Eunuch!” Gao Sheng was overjoyed.
Zhao Yuanxi had no idea what kind of “gift” her dear son had sent her.
After the morning’s events, she was already starving.
A palace maid presented the morning meal.
A plate of pickled plums, a bowl of millet and minced meat porridge, and a small plate of some unknown type of dried meat.
This was worse than what the Japanese ate!
Did the Queen Dowager of Qin usually eat like this?
Zhao Yuanxi did not suspect the palace maids and eunuchs of deliberately mistreating her. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even under house arrest, Zhao Ji was still the birth mother of the current King of Qin. Anyone with a brain would not choose to torment her.
“Where is the kitchen?”
The palace maid, hearing this, knelt in terror. “Your Majesty, forgive me! Your Majesty, forgive me!”
If a noble was dissatisfied with the meal, the palace attendants would surely be punished.
“Rise. I’m not blaming you. Take me to have a look.” As someone with certain standards for daily life, Zhao Yuanxi truly didn’t want to eat these things.
Since the meals couldn’t meet her requirements, she would cook for herself!
Liyang Palace, being the former residence of the Qin Empress Dowager, had its own kitchen. Though not large, it was sufficient.
Unfortunately, while ironware existed at this time, forging techniques weren’t mature enough yet, so most kitchen utensils were made of bronze or pottery.
The ingredients were also quite simple – besides common meats like pork and mutton, there were only staple grains and vegetables like leeks and scallions.
Zhao Yuanxi rolled up her sleeves, ready to make herself some dumplings.
The palace maid immediately turned pale with fright. “Empress Dowager, this must not be! Whatever you need, please just command your servant.”
If the King learned that the Empress Dowager intended to cook personally, her life wouldn’t be worth keeping. Those who fail to serve their masters properly deserve nothing but dismissal!
Zhao Yuanxi felt troubled. She had underestimated the strict hierarchy of this era.
“Stop crying. I pardon you. But if you keep interfering, I will truly punish you. Back when I was in Zhao State, I had to do my own laundry and cooking too. There’s nothing I can’t handle.”
The maid’s mournful expression shifted to one of remorse and fear, and her gaze toward Zhao Yuanxi became somewhat different.
She understood now!
The Empress Dowager wanted to remind the King of their mother-son days in Zhao State, hoping he would forgive her. How foolish she had been, nearly ruining Her Majesty’s important plan!
Seeing that not only had the maid stopped resisting but was now looking at her with admiration, Zhao Yuanxi felt extremely awkward.
Was cooking for herself such an extraordinary thing? Why was she being looked at like that? Or had she said something inappropriate?
That shouldn’t be! From Zhao Ji’s memories, she had indeed seen those days when she and little Ying Zheng cooked and did laundry together.
Although little Ying Zheng did most of the work, those were indeed rare warm moments between mother and son.
With no further obstruction, Zhao Yuanxi began working.
The Empress Dowager’s sleeves were too wide, so she found a cord to tie them up, making them resemble the jinbo style of the Song Dynasty.
The maid looked at Zhao Yuanxi in surprise. “Empress Dowager, this method of tying sleeves is quite ingenious.”
“It’s nothing special. If you like it, I can teach you.” Zhao Yuanxi turned and smiled at the maid.
The maid’s eyes sparkled as she bowed deeply again.
Zhao Yuanxi sighed inwardly. In just one day, she had adapted quite well, already growing accustomed to these people’s kneeling. Feudal mentality truly poisoned people’s minds!
“What’s your name?” Zhao Yuanxi asked her.
The original eunuchs and maids serving Zhao Ji had all been executed by Ying Zheng. This newly assigned maid had only been on duty for one day – unfamiliar to Zhao Ji, let alone Zhao Yuanxi.
“Your servant is You.”
Most Qianshou in Qin State had given names but no family names. Even Zhao Ji wasn’t originally called Zhao Ji – she was just referred to as such because she came from Zhao territory and had been Lü Buwei’s concubine.
“You? Are you from Chu?” Zhao Yuanxi asked while chop-chopping the meat filling.
“How did Your Majesty know this servant is from Chu?” Perhaps because of Zhao Yuanxi’s approachability, You had lost her earlier fear and now asked curiously.
“Pomelo trees mostly grow in Chu territory. In Qin State, they’re only found in Ba-Shu region, and your accent doesn’t sound like someone from Ba-Shu.”
“Your Majesty knows so much.”
Zhao Yuanxi’s lips twitched, not daring to meet the girl’s fervent gaze any longer, and focused on preparing to make dumplings.
Qin State had wheat, and stone mills had begun to be used, but the resulting wheat flour was far from satisfactory.
Zhao Yuanxi grabbed a handful of wheat flour and couldn’t help but frown. The flour mixed with bran was clearly unsuitable for making dumplings.
After pondering for a moment, she asked You, “Do you know how to use a stone mill?”
“Yes!”
“Then later, I’ll teach you how to remove this bran.”
Wheat was disliked by the nobles of Qin land precisely because the bran was difficult to remove. If the Empress Dowager truly had a solution, she would indeed be a person of great wisdom, no less than those Daifu.
You suppressed her excitement, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she gazed at Zhao Yuanxi.