"Old subject Baiqi greets Your Majesty!"
Standing in the main hall of the Golden Palace that he had not been to for a long time, Baiqi directly knelt down on one knee and formally greeted the king who had just ascended the throne with a noble military etiquette.
Although his voice was not loud, it sounded rather vigorous and powerful, containing a trace of the coldness of being experienced in the battlefield.
"Old General Bai, there's no need to be so polite.”
This wasn't the first time he had seen Old General Bai. Ying Rui still vaguely remembered the scene of the Battle of Changping. He smiled and helped Old General Bai up.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
At the same time, Baiqi recalled the King who had led the army into the war and the last time he had seen the former King. He thanked him sincerely.
"To have such a high level of respect, Your Majesty, he is the third person to succeed Empress Dowager Xuan and the previous king.”
Feng Quji was stunned when he saw the God of Slaughter kneeling on one knee and paying his respects to the king. It had been a long time since he had seen a scene like this.
In the past, everyone in the imperial court had been polite to Old General Bai. There were only a handful of people who had received such a heavy gift.
"Old General Bai has fought countless battles and destroyed a large number of armies from the six dynasties.”
When he mentioned Bai Qi, almost everyone in Great Qin and the six countries knew about him, Meng Ao felt that it was a pity.
"Bai Qi, the biggest traitor of the Chu faction. With such a status, why would he still join the royal family? He has always been against us.”
Every time he saw Bai Qi, Xiong Qi's anger would rise.
Baiqi was originally a member of the Chu faction, one of Empress Dowager Xuan's trusted aides. As his military merits increased, he completely sided with the former king.
Not only that, but some of the decisions of the court had even gone against the Chu faction. If he wasn't a traitor, then what was he?
"Brother Bai, who has been misunderstood by all sides, is actually a righteous person without any selfishness.”
Wang He noticed many subtle changes in the civil and military. As Baiqi's old friend, he was undoubtedly the one who understood his old partner the most.
It wasn't entirely correct to say that they had pledged allegiance to the previous king. Basically, they had always done so for Great Qin's sake, with Great Qin's interests as their highest priority.
Not leaving the Chu Clan was to repay Empress Dowager Xuan's kindness. Otherwise, he would have left the Chu Clan long ago.
"King Xian, this subject Bai Qi has come to see you!”
This was the last time he would see the former king. Like the other civil and military officials, Baiqi kowtowed in front of the spirit.
"The late king…"
Thinking back to the scenes where he had worked with the previous king, planning the battles to weaken him, Baiqi could no longer control his grief.
"In the Battle of Yique, the Wei and Han allied forces were defeated. In the Battle of Chu, Ying City was captured. In the Battle of Changping, the main force of Zhao was severely injured.”
"Take care, my late king, take care…"
During the incense ceremony, Bai Qi lowered his head. His tiger eyes became hazy, and he was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.
Decades of relationship between monarch and minister, to the point of facing difficulties together, was not something that could be explained in a few words. Those who had not experienced it would not understand.
"If the descendants don't show the weak side of the monarch and the strong side of the subjects, then grandfather and Old General Bai will definitely be the model of a monarch and his subjects who trust each other.”
Ying Rui knew very well why his grandfather had released the news of his death. It was because he couldn't find a qualified successor previously.
The Battle of Changping had reached its final stages, and the number of people participating in the battle had reached 700,000. The late king still gave full command to Old General Bai.
"Your Majesty, after seeing the former king for the last time, this old minister will take his leave first.”
After a while, Bai Qi turned around and returned to his usual calm self.
"Your Majesty, this is a hidden danger within Great Qin and should be dealt with properly.”
As he bowed, Baiqi used his blind spot as a cover and mouthed a reminder. He even took out a bamboo slip with his left hand.
"Old General Bai is always worried about the safety of the country, which is a blessing for Great Qin. However…"
"Old General Bai, don't worry. I already know all the movements. The Marquis of Shu, who has the real power of a fief, is indeed not convinced by my nephew.”
There were not many people who knew how to lip read, and Ying Rui was one of them. He patiently explained to this old official who was always thinking for Great Qin.
"No wonder the late king left with his eyes closed. It turned out that he had found a qualified heir.”
Seeing King lip reading his reply and not reading the contents of the bamboo slips, Baiqi's worries immediately disappeared.
"Wang Ji, send Old General Bai off.”
Even though there were a few words, everything happened in an instant. Ying Rui's expression remained calm.
At present, the time to protect Old General Bai had not come yet. He still needed to resolve an internal and external crisis and consolidate the royal power in his hands.
At that time, he would be able to defy the opinions of the court officials and allow Old General Bai to make a comeback. It would be the prerequisite for him to be able to suppress a generation of old generals.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
No one had seen the short exchange of words. Wang Ji was one of them as he replied.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
It was unknown if Bai Qi was thanking the heavens for blessing Great Qin, because there was now another King who was no weaker than the previous King.
"From the initial actions, it seems that King does not want to protect Baiqi. Perhaps this old man is thinking too much.”
Xiong Gu had also seen that scene. He felt that something was wrong, but there was nothing strange about it.
After all, it was Wang He who suggested meeting the previous king for the last time, and the king even threw a hot potato to them. It did not seem like he wanted to protect Baiqi.
"In the future, let's see if we can find an opportunity to test the king's opinion on the matter of Old General Bai.”
After witnessing the politics of retreating in order to advance, Cai Ze did not think that the new king did not have any tricks up his sleeves. His attitude was much more cautious than before.
"The time for the funeral has arrived. All the civil officials and royal children, please follow the king!”
When the time for the late king's burial arrived, Wang Wan, who was in charge of this matter, didn't delay and immediately shouted.
"The funeral of the late king begins!”
Upon hearing that the stipulated time had arrived, Ying Ruibu announced the start of the burial ceremony with an extremely solemn expression.
"Rise!"
Accompanied by a deliberately dragged word, it announced the beginning of King Qin Zhaoxiang's burial ceremony.
Under the protection of the imperial guards of the Southern Yamen, the new Emperor Ying Rui was in the lead. The civil and military officials of the court followed behind, and they were divided into two rows.
As for the descendants of the Ying royal family, including the relatives of the king and other important personnel, they were arranged in front of the carriage as the greatest example of mourning for the late king.
"King, why are you leaving just like that? Great Qin's conquest is not complete yet.”
"Wuwu, Empress Dowager Xuan left a few years ago, and the late king also left this year.”
"My late king, Empress Dowager Xuan has unfortunately left, but you can't leave, you can't leave…"
On the side of the street, there was a sea of commoners as far as the eye could see. Crying could be heard continuously. They had not forgotten the policy of benefiting the people brought by Empress Dowager Xuan and the former king.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]