Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

"A single doctor can only treat a few households and a handful of people, but if I were to become king, I could heal the entire world. I could unify it." Such was the aspiration, or perhaps the promise, of his youth.

Not only had Efang heard it.

Xia Wuqie had heard it too.

"So, Father-in-law was actually eavesdropping back then," Ying Zheng said with a somewhat sour smile.

"If I hadn't heard you say that, I never would have fled with you and Efang," Xia Wuqie replied. "I've practiced medicine for many years and have saved countless lives. But the greatest sickness I've ever witnessed isn't a disease; it's hunger and the calamities of war. Those are the world's gravest illnesses. You were right. How many people can a single doctor save? Ultimately, it cannot change the world. Countless people will still die. As long as the world remains divided among the various countries, people will continue to die endlessly. Unification is the only way."

"That is the very reason I brought Efang and followed you to Qin all those years ago!" Xia Wuqie exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

"Looking back now, I almost wish you hadn't heard those words, Father-in-law."

"I have failed you."

"I lost Efang. She's missing, and I don't know if she's alive or dead," Ying Zheng said with a bitter and ashamed smile.

Seeing this, Xia Wuqie poured a cup of wine for Ying Zheng and said gently, "I saw everything that happened back then. It wasn't what you wanted. It's just that my daughter and I were caught in a power struggle. How could you have suppressed them when you had just taken the throne? Even now, you may have them suppressed, but their ambitions are far from extinguished. This word, 'power'... it has caused too many upheavals."

Ying Zheng took the cup and drank it in one gulp, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "If I had another chance, I would not let what happened then happen again."

"Father-in-law," he continued, "rest assured. I will give you justice."

"Fan Yuqi. He was the one who nearly killed Efang and ultimately caused her disappearance. One day, I will bring you his head to console you," Ying Zheng spoke coldly.

"Zheng'er."

At this moment, Xia Wuqie's way of addressing him suddenly changed.

"Yes, Father-in-law?" Ying Zheng immediately responded.

In all the world, perhaps only Xia Wuqie could still address him with such intimacy.

"How long has it been since you've seen your mother?" Xia Wuqie asked suddenly.

At these words, sadness washed over Ying Zheng's face, followed by a bitter smile. "It's been nearly a decade!"

"Zheng'er," Xia Wuqie said slowly. "Since you call me father-in-law, I am your elder. For all these years, I have seen this sickness in your heart. It's been ten years since you've seen your mother. I know you miss her. If you truly want to, then you should go."

Xia Wuqie had, of course, witnessed everything that had transpired in those years.

Upon hearing this, though a look of longing crossed Ying Zheng's face, the image of his mother also stirred a feeling of hatred.

"Father-in-law, are you not aware of what happened back then?" he asked.

"She... she betrayed me."

"For an outsider, for two bastards, she betrayed me, and she betrayed Qin."

"She even wanted to kill me, her own son."

As he spoke, even after so many years, the memory brought a mist to Ying Zheng's eyes. Perhaps it was only before Xia Wuqie, and formerly Lv Buwei, that Ying Zheng could ever reveal his true, innermost feelings.

"Alas." Xia Wuqie sighed. "How could I not be aware of the foolish things she has done? I'm not bringing her up today to force you to see her, but for you to confront the sickness in your own heart. It has been ten years. I understand what is in your heart."

Ying Zheng nodded. "Father-in-law, I still can't let it go. I simply cannot accept that she wanted to harm me for an outsider. Once... back when I was a hostage in Zhao, she wasn't like this. She would have given her life for me."

"But after our return to Qin, everything changed. She had once been so supportive of Efang and me, but after I became king, she led the opposition, ultimately causing Efang to leave me."

"Later, she even consorted with that traitor Lao Ai and bore his bastards, bringing shame upon my Royal Family and upon the great state of Qin."

"She even supported Lao Ai's rebellion."

"These incidents, one after another... I truly cannot forgive her. Nor can I bear to see her again."

With these words, the depth of Ying Zheng's resentment toward the mother who bore him was laid bare. In Qin and across the various countries, there might be endless discussion about the King of Qin's mother, with some even calling King Ying Zheng unfilial.

But in the end, it came down to one thing: if you haven't experienced another's suffering, don't preach to them about goodness.

Given the things Concubine Zhao had done, if she were not the mother of the King of Qin, she would have been put to death long ago. Death would not have been enough to atone for her crimes.

And yet, after all that, Ying Zheng still asked distractedly, "Is she... doing alright?"

"Your grandmother is watching over her. Concubine Zhao just drifts through her days in a stupor," Xia Wuqie said.

"Just let her live out her days and die of old age. Perhaps one day in the future, when I've truly found peace with it all, I will go see her," Ying Zheng said calmly.

"Alright," Xia Wuqie said, mustering a smile. "Say what's on your mind when you're with me. Don't keep it bottled up inside. Today is Efang's birthday. The two of us, father and son-in-law, must celebrate it properly for her."

"Agreed," Ying Zheng also smiled, raising his cup. "Father-in-law, tonight, we drink until we drop!"

「In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.」

The city of Xianyang was extraordinarily solemn today. Outside the city gates, a great number of people had gathered, all craning their necks to look into the distance.