When people were in Qin, they captured Zhao and questioned Qin.

Chapter 4 Questioning

The morning light was faint, but a chill lingered.

Zhao Heng opened his eyes.

The faint, pulling pain in my chest that I felt when I breathed did not reappear today.

He lay quietly, not getting up immediately, listening to the sounds outside.

It's very quiet.

Based on my known memories, at this time of day, there should usually be the sound of maids quietly carrying copper basins outside, and the clattering of pots and pans in the distance, a typical morning hustle and bustle.

But now, there is no sound at all.

He turned his head away.

On the right side of the door, a maidservant, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was kneeling on a prayer mat, her head nodding as she dozed off.

Zhao Heng propped himself up on his elbows and slowly sat up. The couch made a soft creaking sound.

The maidservant suddenly woke up, looked up and saw that Zhao Heng had already sat up. She hurriedly got up and went to the bedside, bowing down: "Young master is awake? This servant has failed in her duty..."

Zhao Heng didn't respond, but just looked at her. The maid subconsciously touched her face, then realized she had been impolite, and lowered her head, unconsciously twisting the hem of her robe with her hands.

"What time is it? Where is Mother?"

"Reporting to Young Master, it's three-quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM)." The maid answered quickly, but her head was lowered even further. "Madam... stayed up late last night and hasn't gotten up yet. Would you like some breakfast, Young Master? The physician just came to ask... I'll go and fetch him."

The words flowed smoothly, but like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, everything came out at once, which made it seem deliberate.

Zhao Heng looked at the top of her head: "Mother, did you go to bed late last night? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No... Young Master has been unconscious for the past few days, and Madam has barely slept. Last night, she simply couldn't hold on any longer..." The maid's voice trailed off.

Zhao Heng was silent for a moment, then threw back the covers and stepped barefoot onto the cool floor. "Mother is tired and should rest well. Have some warm water first. The doctor came yesterday, and I feel much better, so there's no need to trouble him again."

The maidservant hurriedly looked up: "Madam Fu instructed that the physician must take the young master's pulse again upon his awakening, as there might be cold stagnation in his lung meridian..."

I said no need.

Zhao Heng had no intention of being harsh on a maid, but her appearance and the unusual quiet in the mansion made his suspicions clearer, so he simply cut off all further conversation.

The maid was stunned.

She looked at Zhao Heng. The morning light shone from the side, and the boy's face was expressionless, but when his eyes looked at her, they were dark and piercing, like two deep wells, bottomless.

This shouldn't be the look of an eleven-year-old child, especially not the look of the timid young master of the past, yet it inexplicably made the maid dare not utter another sound.

Zhao Heng walked to the clothes rack, took down an indigo-colored curved-hem robe, briefly examined the left and right sides of the robe, and then carefully draped it over his shoulders.

"Tie it for me," he said, turning his back.

The maidservant snapped out of her daze and hurriedly stepped forward.

As she tied the ribbon, she could feel that the young master was standing straight and breathing slowly and evenly, not at all like a child who had just recovered from a serious illness.

"The mansion is quiet today," Zhao Heng suddenly said. "At this time, Madam Fu would usually be in the outer room."

The maid paused.

"Mother Fu is probably in the kitchen watching over the decoction..." she said in a low voice, her voice lacking confidence.

"Mother Fu is in the kitchen," Zhao Heng turned halfway around, straightening the other side of his robe. "And what about the Zhao family steward? Is anyone waiting in the front hall?"

The maid's fingers froze on her sash.

"Young Master..." Her voice trembled, "You've just woken up, and it's still chilly outside. Madam Fu said..."

"There's someone in the front hall." Zhao Heng looked at her, his tone calm but certain. "Who is it?"

Looking at Zhao Heng's expressionless face and his dark, angry eyes, the maid suddenly felt a string snap in her heart.

She knelt down with a thud, her voice trembling with tears, "Young Master... someone from the palace has come. They arrived early this morning; it's the chief eunuch from the King's side, carrying a royal decree..."

Zhao Heng paused for a moment while tying his belt, then continued, straightening the last strand: "You came to see me?"

"Yes... I came to the young master's room, but seeing that he was still unconscious, I didn't let anyone call him." The maid was kneeling on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly. "Now... now I'm in the front hall, talking to the mistress."

"Just talking?"

The maid dared not answer, but instead lowered her body even further, like a frightened quail.

Zhao Heng didn't ask any more questions, and reached out to help him up: "Get up, don't be afraid, lead the way."

The corridor is very long.

The bluestone slabs were darkened by the morning dew, and unmelted frost still lingered in the shady corners of the walls.

The maid led the way, walking quickly but slowing down from time to time, as if afraid that Zhao Heng would not be able to keep up, or perhaps for some other reason.

Zhao Heng walked half a step behind her, his gaze slowly sweeping across the road.

There were far fewer servants and maids than usual. When there were one or two, they all walked quickly with their heads down, not daring to look up, and no one spoke to them.

Some people saw them coming from the side courtyard from afar and seemed startled, hurriedly turning around and avoiding them in the side path.

After turning through two corridors, the wide eaves of the front hall came into view. Before even stepping into the courtyard, the sound reached us first.

"...Please forgive us, Madam. It was not that we were being nosy. His Majesty was both anxious and furious upon hearing of the young master's situation. He was anxious because the young master is a precious child, and if anything were to happen to him, how could he explain it to Lord Chunping? He was furious because—"

The voice paused deliberately, as if waiting for the silence to exert pressure.

Zhao Heng stopped at the corner of the corridor and gestured for the maid to be quiet.

The affected, high-pitched voice continued, slowly and deliberately:

"What angers me is that my grandson of the King of Zhao, of such noble birth, actually mingled with that son of the Qin dog and suffered misfortune because of it. If this gets out, won't it make the other states laugh at us? They'll say that our prince of Zhao doesn't know what's important and can't distinguish between kin and enemies."

Then came the slightly frightened voice of his mother, Madam Han, who said softly, "Minister of the Palace, please calm down... Heng'er is young and just confused for a moment..."

"Too young?"

The shrill voice interrupted her, its tone suddenly turning cold, "Eleven years old! In an ordinary family, that's already an age where one can work in the fields and manage a household. Madam Han, not to be nosy, but as his mother, haven't you noticed or tried to dissuade him from his behavior? Hmm?!"

Madam Fu's voice broke in, sounding respectful, but clearly tense:

"Eunuch, this matter was indeed due to the negligence of this old servant. The mistress rarely leaves her home, and the young master is usually accompanied by this old servant and his retainers. If anyone should be punished, please punish this old servant."

"We are well aware of Madam Fu's loyalty."

The eunuch chuckled, but there was little warmth in his laughter:

"But what Your Majesty should ask is the fault of lax household management. The young master's association with the Qin hostage has not been a one-day affair. Has no one in the household reported this to the lady or the palace? Is this negligence... or is someone deliberately condoning it, or even secretly encouraging it?"

Having said that much, it was already a very strong rebuke.

Zhao Heng stood expressionless in the corridor.

He didn't linger any longer, straightened his dark robe, and stepped into the front courtyard.

Inside the hall, the light was dim and intermittent.

Han knelt below the main seat, which was empty; that was naturally the seat of Lord Chunping.

Her face was almost transparently pale, her eyes were red and swollen, and her hands were tightly clasped on her knees. Fu's mother knelt down to her side and behind, her back straight, but her head was bowed.

Zhao Su and several stewards and servants prostrated themselves at the edge of the hall, their foreheads pressed to the ground, not daring to move.

Opposite them, three people dressed as eunuchs from the Zhao royal palace were kneeling.

The leader was fair-skinned and beardless, about forty years old, with long, narrow eyebrows and eyes. If Zhao Heng remembered correctly, this man was Gao Qu, a trusted eunuch in charge of the King of Zhao, whom he had met a few times before.

He held a cup of warm water in his hand, gently swishing the lid across the surface. His posture was relaxed, even a little lazy, which was out of place with the solemn atmosphere in the hall.

When Zhao Heng walked in, his footsteps were light, but they instantly startled everyone.

Madam Han suddenly looked up, saw her son, and her face instantly paled. She hurriedly asked, "Heng'er? What brings you here?"

Madam Fu frowned immediately, quickly got up, and wanted to help him up, but due to the situation, her movements froze halfway.

Gao Qu put down his cup and gazed at Zhao Heng, scrutinizing him from head to toe before slowly rising, cupping his hands in greeting, and putting on a perfunctory smile: "Young Master has awakened? We, Gao Qu, have come to visit you on the King's orders. Seeing that you are well, we can now return to the palace to report."

He was impeccably polite and his manners were impeccable.

But that smile was only on the surface; Zhao Heng could clearly sense the subtle condescension that palace attendants showed when facing members of the imperial family.

Zhao Heng stopped and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Thank you for your help, Eunuch Commander. Did my grandfather send you?"

He naturally used the title "Grandfather," speaking in a very intimate tone, as if it were just a grandson asking a casual question.

Gao Qu simply smiled and said, "Indeed. His Majesty was very concerned when he heard that the young master had fallen into the water. He specially ordered us to come and visit him, and bestowed upon him some medicinal herbs and tonics, which have already been handed over to the steward of the manor."

"Thank you for your concern, Father." Zhao Heng nodded, looking at Gao Qu with clear eyes. "Father, did you ask anything else? Is there anything you wish to instruct your grandson?"

Gao Qu clasped his hands together and casually said, "His Majesty only instructed that someone be sent to visit the young master, find out the details, and report back to the palace in detail."

"Since that's the case," Zhao Heng took two steps forward, stopping beside his mother, and squinted, "why is the Eunuch Commander reprimanding my mother here?"