Chapter 219

Chapter 219: The Queen Dowager’s Lack of Security! The War Looms, Friction Between Qin and Zhao!

Li Mo was immediately taken aback.

He knew that this Queen Dowager had quite a temper.

However, to open his mouth and curse like this was beyond his expectations.

How was this any different from a shrew in the marketplace?

Clearly, Zhao Ji had reached her limit.

She had thought that after this period of time, their relationship had developed to a point where Li Mo would unconditionally side with her.

But in the end, he still wanted her to give up her power.

“You have truly disappointed me!”

Zhao Ji gazed at him with eyes full of disappointment.

Her eyes began to redden, as if hiding endless grievances.

Li Mo was speechless.

Why wouldn’t the Empress Dowager listen to reason?

If you want to monopolize power, at least consider who you are dealing with?

In history, there were women who held power in the harem.

But whether it was Lu Zhi or Empress Dowager Cixi, they had kings who were incapable, which allowed them to seize control.

If the prerequisite wasn’t met, how could the result follow?

“Why is the Empress Dowager so obsessed with power?”

Li Mo’s voice softened upon hearing this.

At this moment, it was better not to stimulate her further.

“You have to know, this power was never yours to begin with.”

Zhao Ji’s expression turned cold and she said emotionlessly, “If you had lived through those days, you would know the difference between having power and having none.”

Li Mo pondered her words.

“Back when you were in Zhao?”

Taking advantage of him being off guard, Zhao Ji abruptly pulled her hand away.

Her delicate hands overlapped and were lightly placed on her lower abdomen.

Her gaze fell directly to her feet.

It was as if she had reverted to being the aloof Empress Dowager.

“Since you have guessed it, I won’t hide it from you.”

“Indeed, I am not the birth mother of the Qin king; the birth mother already died in the Zhao kingdom.”

She discreetly observed Li Mo’s expression.

She had expected Li Mo to be surprised to hear this news.

But to her disappointment, Li Mo remained as calm as ever.

“Yes, I knew.”

Noticing her sidelong glance, Li Mo nodded and said, “Fei Yan is adept at divination. I once asked her to make a prediction.”

Back when he moved to the manor, his relationship with Fei Yan hadn’t yet advanced.

He returned from Yan Lingji’s place and coincidentally saw Fei Yan stargazing in the courtyard.

So he asked her to divine for the Empress Dowager of Qin.

The conclusion was that the Empress Dowager had already died.

This was a fated result, so there wasn’t any variable.

Fei Yan wasn’t divining for the Empress Dowager before him,

but for the Empress Dowager of Qin.

Therefore, the hexagram showed the status and identity.

The original Empress Dowager in that position had died, yet another one was actively alive in the public eye.

The only possibility was that the one in the palace was a fake.

Retracting her sidelong glance, Zhao Ji sulked and said, “She is indeed quite capable.”

She exhaled lightly through her nose.

Looking sorrowful, she continued, “If I had her abilities back then, how could my sister have died?”

Li Mo immediately picked up on the relationship within her words.

“Your sister… are you the Empress Dowager’s sister?”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji shot him a cold look.

“I am the Empress Dowager now!”

Li Mo helplessly pursed his lips.

He followed her lead, “Yes, yes, yes, you are the Empress Dowager.”

“So what about the birth mother of the Qin king, is that alright?”

“The birth mother of the Qin king was your sister? Twins?”

This explanation seemed to best fit the situation.

Without Zhao Ji needing to say more, Li Mo almost figured out the matter’s origin.

The Empress Dowager before him was still a virgin, and she said it was because of her incompetence that the Qin king’s birth mother met her end.

With a bit of reasoning,

the answer became obvious.

After Ying Zheng was born, the relationship between Qin and Zhao worsened, eventually leading to war.

Zhuangxiang Emperor was a hostage in Handan at the time, and Zhao intended to kill him out of anger.

Lu Buwei bribed the gatekeepers and smuggled him back to Qin.

But in doing so, he left behind Zhao Ji and the young Ying Zheng.

Zhao directed their fury towards the mother and son.

From that moment they lived in hiding.

And the real Zhao Ji probably met her end around that time.

Ying Zheng was old enough to remember at that time.

If they aren’t twins, there must be a difference in appearance.

He couldn’t possibly not notice.

“Lu Buwei sent your sister to the former king, which led to her dying at the hands of the Zhao soldiers. That’s why you resent Lu Buwei so much, right?”

Zhao Ji looked at him in surprise.

She seemed to have said nothing, yet he guessed this far?

“Did your wife divine this too?”

Li Mo shook his head slowly and said unhurriedly, “Guessing, actually, it’s not hard to figure out.”

“The former king and Lu Buwei fled to Qin, leaving the two of them behind.”

“The Qin Emperor’s birth mother entrusted Ying Zheng to you on her deathbed, and since you were twins, young Ying Zheng didn’t notice.”

“He told me that your personality was somewhat different from what he remembered.”

At this point, Li Mo smiled.

“Since it’s two people, the personalities are naturally different.”

Zhao Ji felt a pang of tension in her heart.

With a panicked expression, she almost straightened her body and said, “Did you tell Zheng’er?”

“If I had told him, it wouldn’t be me standing here right now.”

Li Mo gently shook his head.

Zhao Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In short, she was Qin Emperor’s aunt, not his birth mother.

She had no right to be the empress dowager.

If Ying Zheng knew, he could use this reason to take away all her power.

At that time, no one would stand by her side.

Zhao Ji’s beautiful eyes drooped, as if immersed in memories.

“When my sister was being hunted by the Zhao soldiers, if I had the ability, I wouldn’t have watched her die in front of my eyes.”

“You asked why I held onto power so tightly?”

“Have you ever experienced such horrifying days?”

“Do you know what it’s like to sleep with a dagger every night?”

“Everyone around you is untrustworthy; they only want to capture you and trade you for Zhao’s bounty.”

“My family was also implicated.”

“No one to rely on, and no one would sympathize with you.”

“Unsafe even for a day, crises everywhere.”

“I almost lost my life several times.”

The more Zhao Ji spoke, the more emotional she became.

Tears like pearls fell on her luxurious and extravagant phoenix robe.

Li Mo reached out his hand to comfort her.

But Zhao Ji, like a prickly porcupine, harshly slapped his hand away.

“I lived like this for four years!”

“Do you know how I endured it?”

“Later, when I arrived in Qin, I thought I could finally settle down.”

“But my sister’s origin was as a dancer, and with her identity, I was still looked down upon and ostracized.”

“How could I protect myself and Zheng’er without power?”

Unconsciously, her emotions began to spiral out of control.

She sat up straight, almost questioning him.

Li Mo’s hand paused there, and he finally caressed her tear-streaked cheeks.

His thumb gently wiped away the tears on her face like peeling an egg.

Zhao Ji’s body trembled slightly.

She stared at him without resisting further.

Li Mo gently said, “Everything is fine now, no one will hurt you anymore.”

He understood Zhao Ji’s feelings.

A woman powerless to even truss a chicken, floating on the edge of life and death for so many years.

Such a life made her perpetually insecure.

That’s why she clung to power so desperately.

The power in her hand was like the dagger she carried back then.

Without it, she couldn’t even sleep peacefully.

But she didn’t realize.

Now, what she held wasn’t a dagger, but a double-edged sword.

Eventually, it would turn against her!

A moment of hesitation flashed in Zhao Ji’s eyes.

Then she raised her hand and gently clasped Li Mo’s hand on her face.

With a sorrowful expression, she looked at him.

“Then… can you not force me to relinquish my power?”

Li Mo moved his lips.

Softly said, “No.”

“You… get lost!”

Zhao Ji immediately took his hand off her face.

She glared at him angrily.

“Is your heart made of iron?”

So many tears, all shed in vain!

Li Mo sighed softly.

He said, “Even if I don’t intervene, do you think you can fight against your nephew?”

Zhao Ji fell silent.

Ying Zheng’s recent behavior had indeed surprised her.

Some things are innate.

Some people are born to be kings, some are destined to be extraordinary from birth.

Even now, the political winds are beginning to shift.

Although Ying Zheng has not yet assumed power, he has already shown his prowess.

“I…”

“So why make things so tense?”

Li Mo interrupted her.

“Qin has just achieved stability and can’t handle more infighting from you.”

“Besides, the time has come.”

“After years of effort and a century of preparation.”

“If it all goes down the drain, how will you face the former kings of Qin in the afterlife?”

Zhao Ji was momentarily speechless.

She didn’t know how to counter his argument.

In the end, she could only lift her head and gaze at Li Mo with a complicated look.

Her eyes were filled with anxiety and hesitation.

Li Mo felt a bit helpless under her stare.

He knew what Zhao Ji was worried about.

She needed a sense of security!

After a brief thought, he comforted her, “Don’t worry, even if you give up the power, you are still the Empress Dowager of Qin.”

“As long as I’m here, no one will harm you.”

After he finished speaking, Zhao Ji shook her head slowly.

She calmly asked, “I just want to know, if I still refuse to relinquish the power, what would you do?”

She wanted to know if Li Mo would tell Ying Zheng about her refusal to give up the power.

Or what he would do to her.

Li Mo was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected this to be her concern.

After pondering for a moment, he replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the Emperor of Qin about this, but you’ll understand me in the future.”

“What I want to know is, what would you do?”

Zhao Ji gazed at him intently, stubbornly asking.

Li Mo was startled.

Then he suddenly laughed: “What else would I do? You are the Empress Dowager with considerable power, I’d just have to occasionally come and massage your legs and cajole you.”

Zhao Ji also laughed with him.

But it was a cold laugh.

“You trying to please me, what a joke.”

“Then let me ask you, if I return the power, what would you do?”

Li Mo stroked his chin.

“I’d still have to come and massage your legs and chat with you.”

Zhao Ji slowly softened.

She leaned weakly against the headboard.

After lying silent for a long time with her eyes closed, she finally sighed lightly and said emotionlessly, “Don’t bother.”

Just as Li Mo was about to speak, Zhao Ji interrupted him, “Leave, I want to take a nap.”

Li Mo didn’t persist.

He walked out lightly.

After he left, Zhao Ji remained motionless for a long time.

As if she was really asleep.

After a long while.

Her closed eyelashes trembled slightly, and then her eyes slowly opened.

Her calm gaze was like autumn water.

She stared blankly ahead.

Li Mo, who had left the palace, still didn’t understand Zhao Ji’s intentions.

But given her resolute attitude, it was unlikely she would easily return power to Ying Zheng.

He indeed did not plan to tell Ying Zheng about Zhao Ji’s identity.

Although this Empress Dowager was not his birth mother, she had taken him out of Zhao and brought him back alive.

That was an unchangeable fact.

He had said what needed to be said and offered all the advice he could.

Now it was up to her to decide.

Li Mo was so earnest because Zhao Ji had been kind to him.

He didn’t want to see the “mother and son” end up on opposite sides.

Although Zhao Ji now seemed to have significant power.

Li Mo knew very well that neither of them was a match for Ying Zheng.

Some officials already showed fear of Ying Zheng.

Once he assumed power, he would surely have plenty of supporters.

Reclaiming his power was just a matter of time.

Days passed day by day.

Li Wu sent news from Han.

After returning to Han, the Emperor of Han did not harbor any ulterior motives.

The military power of Hangu Pass was still in her hands.

This move was crucial.

Qin State had fought for decades to capture a mere Han without success.

The biggest obstacle was that Hangu Pass.

Now that Hangu Pass was in Li Wu’s hands, it was as if it had become a mere formality.

At this moment, a piece of news from the fifteen cities of Nanyang, ceded by Han, enraged Qin State.

After Nanyang was ceded, it should have belonged to Qin territory.

But the people of Nanyang were unwilling to be part of Qin and were willing to submit to Zhao State.

And Zhao State accepted their submission.

Han, Wei State, and Zhao State all originated from Jin State.

The term “Three Families Divide Jin” came from this.

In other words, before the Warring States period, these three states were actually one country.

Since they were once one country, their political systems, economic lives, and customs were very similar.

Moreover, the two regions were adjacent, and there were close interactions among the people.

Furthermore, Qin State’s laws were strict, and some systems were hard for the people to adapt to immediately.

So they preferred to submit to Zhao State rather than be governed by Qin.

When the news reached Qin State, it enraged the court and the public.

Qin State sent envoys to Zhao State to demand an explanation, asking the Emperor of Zhao to send the people of Nanyang back.

But Zhao State pretended to be ignorant.

They refused Qin State’s request, saying that the people had come over on their own.

Regarding this matter, the court was divided into two factions.

One faction believed they should send troops to Zhao, while the other thought they should negotiate with Zhao.

Zhao State was not like Han.

Although Lord Wu’an severely weakened Zhao State in the Battle of Changping years ago, these decades of recuperation had allowed them to recover.

Moreover, with Zhao’s military god Li Mu in command, moving against Zhao was not easy.

Several important ministers in the court discussed with Ying Zheng in his study until the afternoon before finally leaving.

As for the result of the discussion, there naturally was none.

Such a big issue couldn’t be decided with a few words.

When the officials left, only two people remained in the study.

One was Ying Zheng, with a gloomy face and sharp eyes.

The other was the noble Empress Dowager.

Zhao Ji sat upright, her hands folded over her lower abdomen.

Her face was slightly pale, with faint dark circles under her eyes.

Her expression was sorrowful, looking much more haggard than before.

Her gaze slightly moved and fell on Ying Zheng beside her.

Although Ying Zheng’s face was gloomy, he didn’t seem particularly shocked upon hearing that the people of Nanyang had submitted to Zhao State.

If he wasn’t so adept at concealing his intentions that even his nominal mother couldn’t see through him, then it meant Ying Zheng had already anticipated this.

“Zheng’er.”

Zhao Ji’s delicate lips slightly parted as she called out softly.

Ying Zheng looked up with a concerned gaze.

“What instructions does Mother have?”

Zhao Ji looked at him and asked, “Did you already know that the people of Nanyang would submit to Zhao State?”

Ying Zheng’s lips moved slightly but he hesitated to speak.

Zhao Ji immediately understood.

In disbelief, she said, “Did you really know this would happen long ago?”

Seeing that he couldn’t hide it from her, Ying Zheng reluctantly nodded. “When we proposed exchanging the Hann General for Nanyang, the national advisor had already predicted this.”

Zhao Ji was slightly stunned.

“Him again?”