Huailai was soundly beaten and the anger in his heart subsided considerably. Qin Shi Huang felt revitalized.
Indeed, when one is unhappy, simply transferring this unhappiness onto others can make oneself feel much better.
Looking at Huailai, who was lying on a table with a distressed expression on his face, Ying Zheng said, "Help him back to the palace and summon the imperial physicians!"
After speaking, he turned around and left.
As for whether he had mistaken Huailai for someone else, Ying Zheng didn't care. If there was a mistake, so be it. Even if in later historical records, Huailai hadn't done those things, could that mean I couldn't deal with my son?
Moreover, if this little fellow actually did those things, a beating would be mild punishment.
After Ying Zheng left, Huailai was helped up by two palace maids. He still looked very unhappy. As he cried, he said to the maids, "It's Huailai's fault that I was scolded by my father for not doing well enough. It's all Huailai's fault!"
In fact, Huailai was thinking in his heart: 'My father has always been affectionate towards me and would never punish me without cause. It must be someone who has spoken ill of me to my father, causing me to receive this punishment! Who could that person be?'
'I heard that a mysterious person has recently moved into the palace. Perhaps it is this person?'
"But we have no grievances against each other. Why would you frame me in front of my father? But regardless of who you are, this grudge I will keep, and one day I will repay you a hundredfold!"
"No! We must be patient for now. This person is able to frame me in front of the king, which means they must be deeply trusted by him. We should not make enemies of them; instead, we should seek to become friends with them!"
If Li Nian knew of Huailai's thoughts, he would surely marvel at how early the kids of this era matured, having such thoughts at such a young age.
At this moment, Li Nian was in the Six Heroes Palace granted by Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
After informing the First Emperor of his origins, Li Nian's security was further enhanced. His guards now belong to the most elite among the bodyguards of Qin Shi Huang, far surpassing those of other princes.
Standing outside the Six Heroes Palace, Li Nian was surrounded by a group of eunuchs and maids who knelt before him. Guo Dian, holding a imperial edict, read out the final part: "…treat him with the courtesy due to a prince, and show no disrespect. Any violation of this shall be met with the death penalty by beheading, and punishment shall include the three generations of his family."
The edict was sent by Qin Shi Huang after Li Nian arrived at the Six Heroes Palace. Li Nian had no idea what the edict contained. At this moment, hearing Guo Dian's words, his first reaction was surprise. Qin Shi Huang had said he wouldn't give him an official position, but instead had given him the title of "prince."
In this era, the term "prince" was not used to refer to young men as it is today. Anyone could be called a prince, but only the son of a feudal lord could be so honored.
Now that Qin Shi Huang had ordered Li Nian to be treated with the respect due to a prince, it was clear that he held great importance for him.
Li Nian's second reaction was that Qin Shi Huang was taking advantage of him. This "prince" title came from Qin Shi Huang, and only the sons of feudal lords could be called princes. What else could this be but Qin Shi Huang taking advantage of him?
However, that was the First Emperor, the father figure of his time. If he had taken advantage of it, then so be it!
Li Nian was very easy-going. He understood the intention behind Qin Shi Huang giving him the title of "prince." To live in the palace of Chang Yang for a long time, this status was indeed necessary.
Otherwise, what would it be like for an outsider to live in the royal palace for a long time?
After receiving the edict, Li Nian looked at Guo Dian and smiled, saying, "In the future, you will have to take care of me more!"
Guo Dian and the eunuchs and maids who had been serving him for over a month were all sent by Qin Shi Huang to the Six Heroes Palace.
Guo Dian smiled and said, "Serving the prince is within my duty, Your Highness. I dare not take your words as an honor."
Fortunately, he hadn't offended this person during the past two weeks. Otherwise, with the king's high regard for him, just one sentence from the king could have resulted in someone's head rolling.
Serving this person is a good thing. Compared to most of the nobles in the palace, his temperament is more mild and easy to get along with. What's most important is that he doesn't look down upon him just because he has been castrated.
For over half a month, Guo Dian had gradually become familiar with Li Nian's temperament and felt little resistance to being sent by Qin Shi Huang to continue serving him. Although he had greater power serving at the emperor's side, it is said that being close to the king is like being close to a tiger; one could be swallowed whole by the fierce tiger without even leaving a bone behind.
Looking at Guo Dian speaking to him with great care, Li Nian shook his head. For the first time, he felt the wonderful and terrifying nature of power. A single thought could determine one's life or death. Even if others did not want to, they had no choice but to smile and welcome him, even if it meant kissing the other person's hand after being slapped on the left face.
But Li Nian was well aware that his power came from Qin Shi Huang and did not truly belong to him. These people feared not him but the Qin dynasty and the Great Qin Empire it represented.
"Feudal dynasties are indeed a society that eats people. As long as I have the support of the First Emperor and am useful to him, no one can eat me. One must never think of oneself as very important or outstanding, thinking that the Great Qin Empire cannot turn without me. One must not be arrogant, overbearing, or carried away by success!"
Li Nian cautioned himself in his heart. In this era where people are eaten alive, one must have enough reverence and caution to survive. One cannot think that they come from the future and are invincible. One has only one head and heart, just like everyone else.
"We have a house here in Qin, and it's not small!"
Looking at the map of the Six Heroes Palace presented by Guo Dian, Li Nian felt that Mr. Zheng (Qin Shi Huang) had indeed been quite kind to him.
The Six Heroes Palace given to Li Nian by Qin Shi Huang was not small, and it included several surrounding palaces. It was both a large space for Li Nian to work in and a good way to protect his safety.
Since the Six Heroes Palace would now be his territory, it was necessary to get to know it well.
Li Nian said, "Eunuch Guo, I have a favor to ask of you!"
Guo Dian quickly said in a respectful tone, "Your Highness can give any command, how dare I say 'trouble'!"
Li Nian said, "First, have all the places in the Six Heroes Palace listed. That is, what things are in each part of the palace, such as what flowers are planted, or what trees are grown, and record it all and present it to me; second, also make a list of the guards, eunuchs, and maids in the palace. Record their ages and special skills..."
Considering the situation of that era, Li Nian added, "Of course, there are things that cannot be recorded due to prohibitions. Please don't record them, don't make it difficult for yourself or for me!"
"The Master Li is truly a wise man!"
Guo Dian murmured to himself, then said, "Your Highness may rest assured, Guo will definitely see to it that everything is taken care of for you!"
Guo Dian was naturally not weak, as he was able to serve the First Emperor and remained close to him. That was one of the reasons why Qin Shi Huang had sent him to be with Li Nian - to have someone available to help him.
After Guo Dian left, Li Nian sat down on the table in the palace hall.
His action drew the attention of the new eunuchs and maids, who were shocked. This prince was most... impolite!
The eunuchs, guards, and maids who had served Li Nian for over a month had a calm attitude. The prince had always been like this during that time.
Li Nian was also aware that some of his actions would be considered rude in the eyes of people in this era. However, he came from the future and should differ in many ways from people of this era. Displaying differences would only make Qin Shi Huang more convinced that he came from the future. Conversely, if he acted according to this era's norms, it might raise Qin Shi Huang's suspicions.
Of course, too much of anything is harmful. One must grasp the appropriate measure. On minor issues, one can be somewhat casual without causing any major offense, but if one is carefree to the point of recklessness, they might die without even knowing why.
