[Various] The Deposed Crown Prince's Survival Story

Upon hearing Ying Zheng's words, Zhao Gao felt a sudden clarity dawn on him; the answers to all his questions were laid out before him. —Le Wen

Now he finally understood why Ying Zheng had suddenly lost his appetite and refused to eat or drink, and didn't even want to taste the dishes he usually liked. It turned out that he was missing his son.

Upon understanding this, Zhao Gao was almost amused by Ying Zheng. He had seen plenty of mama's boys, but rarely sons, especially when the son was the ruler of a country.

"What do you think Su'er is doing now? Is he angry with me?" Although Ying Zheng believed he was doing it for his son's good, he thought that Fusu would have a hard time in the army given his personality.

"Your Majesty is truly a loving father. Although the eldest son is mischievous, he understands Your Majesty's thoughts best and will certainly not blame you." Zhao Gao comforted Ying Zheng for a few moments, but seeing that he still looked sullen, he suggested again, "The eldest son is lively and adorable. Your Majesty is usually not bored when the eldest son is with you. Now that the eldest son is not here... Why doesn't Your Majesty invite a few young princes and princesses to keep you company? This would not only strengthen the bond between family members but also relieve Your Majesty's distress and allow you to enjoy family happiness. It would be a win-win situation, wouldn't it?"

"Huh? You're right." Ying Zheng perked up, and almost instinctively a short, chubby little figure popped into his mind. "Little Gao, go and call Hu Hai over."

Name him Hu Hai? That doesn't suit Zhao Gao's tastes.

Unlike in the original history, where Zhao Gao was Hu Hai's teacher and thus he enthusiastically promoted Zhao Gao to Ying Zheng, in this world, Hu Hai, due to events from his previous life, harbors an instinctive wariness and aversion towards Zhao Gao.

Hu Hai was innocent and carefree from a young age, playful and active, admired his father, and was easily trusting. To be honest, he was definitely one of Ying Zheng's favorites at the moment.

At this time, Ying Zheng liked him, but he had no intention of making Huhai the crown prince. Firstly, because Fusu was too smart, and secondly, because Huhai was a bit stupid, stupid in a cute way but also stupid.

Ying Zheng was neither old nor senile. He knew that with Hu Hai's cunning and intelligence, he could easily live a carefree life as a prince. After all, Hu Hai was the youngest son and had little ambition. No matter which of his elder brothers ascended the throne, they could tolerate Hu Hai. But to make Hu Hai the King of Qin... well, let's just say that was a different story.

Without Zhao Gao's help to fill the gaps in my intelligence, this is probably how my life would have been.

“Prince Huhai is a lively boy. Your Majesty might as well invite a few gentle and quiet princesses to keep him company,” Zhao Gao said, glancing cautiously at Ying Zheng. Seeing that he didn’t object, he immediately added, “After much thought, the eldest prince should have arrived at the army camp soon. Why doesn’t Your Majesty summon Princess Hehua and Princess Baozhu to come along? Princess Hehua is the eldest prince’s younger sister, and they have a deep bond since childhood. Princess Hehua must be quite saddened by the eldest prince’s departure from Xianyang Palace. As for Princess Baozhu…” Zhao Gao smiled, “The princess has always had a good appetite. With her around, Your Majesty will surely have a good appetite too.”

Leaving aside the joyful scene of the father and son, father and daughter in Xianyang Palace, let's return to Fusu, who had no meat to eat.

Unlike the Qin state, the Yan state was located in the Qinling Mountains, where the temperature was warm. In addition, the temperature on Earth at that time was relatively high, making it a standard subtropical region with high temperatures all year round.

The Yan Kingdom has four distinct seasons, and it was already September, a typical late autumn season.

In the Qin state, due to its unique military nobility system, being a soldier was a profession rather than an obligation. Therefore, soldiers not only did not receive military pay, but they also had to bring their own rations and weapons. After all, it didn't make sense for the state to take you to make money, cover your airfare, and then expect the state to provide food and lodging.

In modern parlance, the Qin army was a group of self-funded trolls, or "self-funded trolls" for short.

Because when the seasons change, it's not as common for soldiers to write home asking for money, cloth, and rations as it is for college students to call at the end of the month saying "Dear Dad" and then receive a reply like "Speak properly! The money has been sent."

Of course, Fusu wouldn't write back saying, "Dear Father, your precious Su'er can't eat meat, sob sob sob." First, Wang Ben had already provided him with everything a qualified Qin soldier needed, so he couldn't find a reason to "sob sob." Second, Ying Zheng was deliberately trying to train him, and Fusu felt that even if he "sob" it, it wouldn't be useful; he might even be laughed at by Ying Zheng. Third... so what if this little rascal is being dramatic? If you don't write to me, I won't write to you!

Standing in front of the queue, watching people being called out of line by their superiors to collect letters and packages from home, Fu Su's face remained stern. He didn't care about any letters from home! Letters were such slow things, taking months to send, and they didn't even have much content. Unlike us 123 Romance Stars, who have forums and Weibo and can send messages instantly.

You foolish blue planet people, I, a romantic planet, don't care about this.

Just as Fusu was in a daze, the hundred generals who were standing in front of him, distributing packages and letters from home, suddenly called out, "Su Baobao!"

Su Baobao! Who is that?! Such an awful name! That scumbag boss couldn't even come up with a decent alias. How am I supposed to face anyone with such a effeminate name?

Seeing the absurd expression on the general's face, and hearing the occasional chuckles from his comrades, Fusu stepped forward expressionlessly and took a not-so-small package from the general's hands.

Hmph! I'll see which little bitch made me lose face in front of others.

Back in his tent, Fusu opened the package and found it was full of vegetables, such as "cold fish skin salad". There was also a bamboo slip next to it with the words "It tastes very good, refreshing and delicious. I think you will like it too".

Fusu recalled today's weather, which was described as "The wind is howling and the Yi River is cold; those under ninety pounds should not go out." In such weather, why bother with refreshing cold dishes? Just find a breezy spot, open your mouth wide, and you'll be guaranteed to feel the cold from your throat to your anus.

Besides, what's fish skin? I want to eat meat! Lots and lots of meat! Huge chunks of meat!

Fusu continued looking down with a dark expression. All he saw were various delicacies from the palace, each accompanied by a personal commentary from His Majesty the King of Qin.

Haha! You're writing a review after just having a meal? Do you think you're Dianping (a Chinese review website)?

Fusu was looking at Ying Zheng's shameless comments with a look of disgust when he felt the tent curtain being lifted, and four seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys walked in laughing and joking.

These four men were Fusu's current subordinates; they had just returned with packages and letters from their families.

"Hey? The sergeant's family is so thoughtful, sending so many... side dishes from all this way." One of the boys pointed to the food box that Fusu had placed on his bedding and exclaimed.

Hearing what the boy said, the other three boys immediately rushed over out of curiosity, and were all stunned when they saw the beautifully packaged food boxes.

Unfortunately, although the Qin state implemented a merit-based system of military ranks, where titles could only be obtained through military achievements, military positions could be obtained through special means. Wealthy and powerful individuals, to avoid hardship, would often pull strings before enlisting, securing low-level leadership positions like centurions or platoon leaders. New recruits like them, mostly from poor backgrounds, were simply grateful for any food; they had never seen such beautifully packaged food boxes.

When Fusu generously opened the food box and invited his four subordinates to share it, everyone's surprise deepened.

I've seen packages sent by wealthy families to their children before, but those packages usually contain practical items like money and dry food. What's this guy sending? Ordinary, everyday dishes.

There's a saying, "A gift of a goose feather from a thousand miles away," what was it again?

"Don't be shy, eat slowly. I'll treat you to drinks tonight." Fusu laughed and distributed all the delicacies sent by Ying Zheng, but carefully put away the bamboo slips that were wrapped in the package.

Since the boss has been so sincere in giving this gift, I'll mercifully forgive him.

After receiving the letter from home, Wang Ben led his army to defeat the Yan army on the banks of the Yi River, and marched north all the way to Ji City.

Jicheng was the capital of the later imperial capital and also the capital of the Yan state at that time.

By this time, Fusu had risen several ranks in rank, from a squad leader to a centurion, and the number of soldiers under his command had increased from four to ninety-nine. He was nicknamed "the head harvester," and even Wang Ben was frightened by Fusu's achievements.

As one of Fusu's archery and horsemanship instructors, Wang Ben had a very deep understanding of Fusu's martial arts skills. He knew that although this brat had a face more beautiful than a woman's, his martial arts skills were astonishing.

In reality, purely in terms of swordsmanship, Fusu was lazy and gluttonous. Although he had a high ability to imitate, he lacked the talent to adapt and apply his skills. Most importantly, he lacked practical experience to practice with.

Unfortunately, Fusu possessed strength greater than that of an elephant, and his sheer power could overcome any skill—all schemes and tricks were useless in the face of absolute power.

Wang Ben still remembers his sword duel with Fusu. It wasn't particularly intense, but their swords kept clashing.

The first blow felt like a hammer blow to his wrist at close range, leaving both hands numb; the second blow sent the sword flying from his hand; the third blow… did he really need a third? The brat flipped him over, mounted him on his back, and, with his hands clasped behind his back, asked, “Do you submit?”

Wang Ben felt at the time that he had lost all the people he had never lost in his life.

Therefore, after Fusu came under his command, Wang Ben decisively assigned Fusu to a post that, while not the most cruel or dangerous, was definitely the most arduous.

Of course, although Fusu joined the army under an assumed name, he was never short of bodyguards. As long as nothing unexpected happened, they would protect Fusu without any problems. At most, Fusu would just have to put in a little more effort.

He's strong, which is perfect for this kind of lifting and carrying work. Anyway, you can't save your strength if you don't use it.

What Wang Ben didn't expect was that Fusu was not only strong, but also incredibly fast, like a rabbit.