Are they fighting now

Great Qin.

Taking advantage of the time when Si and the others had gone to eat, Qin Ning brought Li Lizhi, Zhu Wanning, and Ying Shiman to this place.

Inside an ancient palace hall, Ying Zheng was reviewing memorials. Seeing Qin Ning and the others arrive, he was momentarily startled, then set down his work and said, "Master, why have you suddenly come? Is there something you need from me?"

"Nothing urgent, just taking a casual stroll," Qin Ning replied.

Ying Zheng nodded and said with a smile, "Though my Great Qin may not match later dynasties, Xianyang City has become quite lively at night now because of the installed streetlamps and the lifted curfew. Many common folk enjoy going out for walks. Master, if you're interested, it's almost dusk—perhaps Hua Yang can take you all out for a stroll later."

With that, he turned to Ying Shiman. "Hua Yang, make sure to treat Master well."

"Father, I understand," Ying Shiman replied, bowing slightly.

After exchanging a few more words with Ying Zheng, Qin Ning and the others eventually left the palace and made their way out of the imperial grounds.

"Greetings, Master, and greetings, Hua Yang Princess," they encountered Zhang Han along the way.

Seeing the two food boxes he was carrying, Ying Shiman asked, "Is this for my father?"

"Uh... Your Highness, these are for the eldest son and the others," Zhang Han responded.

"Fu Su?"

Ying Shiman was puzzled. This morning, Fu Su had woken up, eaten breakfast, and then returned to Great Qin again—and had not been seen since, even when Zi Su and Mo Lan called for dinner. It seemed he was still over here in Great Qin.

"The others? Who else besides Fu Su?" Ying Shiman pressed.

"Uh... there's Zhu Di, the Yan King from the later Great Ming dynasty; Cheng Chumo, son of the Duke of Lu from the Great Tang; and the young masters Gao and Jiang Lü," Zhang Han replied, his expression odd.

After a brief pause, he continued, "At noon today, they got into a fight."

"A fight?" Qin Ning was taken aback. "What caused it?"

"Well, they were sitting together drinking and chatting. Somehow the conversation turned into an argument. It started when Young Master Gao praised the Black Ice Guard of Great Qin, and Cheng Chumo disagreed, claiming the Golden Guard of Great Tang was more formidable. Then the Yan King retorted that the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Great Ming surpassed them both..."

"So they argued over that until it turned physical."

"Was anyone hurt? Wasn't Fu Su there? Didn't he stop them?" Ying Shiman frowned.

Zhang Han said, "No one was hurt, really. They were all drunk when they fought, so no one had much strength. Later, the eldest son did mediate, and then they all sat back down together and resumed drinking."

Hearing this, Qin Ning and the others were stunned.

At one moment they were brawling, and the next they were drinking together again?

"Are they still drinking now? Are you delivering snacks to them?" Qin Ning asked.

"No."

Zhang Han shook his head. "The eldest son and the others are currently in the prison. They should be sobering up soon, and I'm about to bring them some food."

"How did they end up in prison?" Qin Ning asked, utterly bewildered.

Hadn't they made up and continued drinking?

Did they start another fight?

"Later, when King Yan, Cheng Chumo, and the others were drinking, they told Prince Gao and Prince Jianglu about the history after our Great Qin dynasty. Learning that in history they were killed by Hu Hai, they all got carried away and took oil to the palace where Prince Hu Hai once lived, almost burning down the entire Xianyang Palace."

"When His Majesty learned of this, he flew into a rage and immediately ordered them thrown into prison. But from the look of it, His Majesty only intended to lock them up for a couple of days to teach them a lesson."

"Setting fire to the palace?"

Hearing this, Qin Ning and the others were dumbfounded.

From the looks of it, Zhu Di and his group weren't unfairly treated.

"Young people are just too impulsive. A few days in prison won't hurt," said Zhu Wanning.

Ying Shiman nodded and said, "Yes, arson in a temporary palace deserves punishment. But poor Fusu—he must have tried to reason with them, right? Why was he implicated and locked up too?"

"Ahem, he wasn't innocent,"

Zhang Han said. "They say the first fire was actually lit by the eldest prince. He was completely drunk at the time."

Qin Ning and the others were speechless.

Ying Shiman said, "Alright, go deliver their meals."

"Understood," Zhang Han replied, then picked up a food box and left the place.

After strolling through Xianyang City for a while, Qin Ning and the group headed to the Tang Dynasty.

Compared to the Great Qin, the Tang Dynasty was clearly more prosperous and fast-developing, with a more advanced economy. Walking along the streets felt like being in the Chang'an of that flourishing era—the never-sleeping city.

...

In the palace, within a certain grand hall.

Li Shiming was watching television with his ministers.

The last series, Drawing Sword, had long finished, and now the television was showing Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

As before, one episode aired each day after the morning court session. But later on, a group of ministers couldn't hold back and strongly demanded two episodes per day.

Li Shiming had no choice but to agree. Now, one episode was shown after the morning court, and another was played here in the evening.

When Qin Ning and the others arrived, one episode had just finished. However, the ministers didn't leave but stayed behind, discussing the later plot.

"Father," Li Lizhi called out.

Li Shiming was originally arguing intensely with Wei Zheng about the plot. Hearing Li Lizhi's voice, he paused. "Changle, Master, you're here."

"You're watching TV, so why are you arguing?" Qin Ning had heard Li Shiming and Wei Zheng's voices from afar and couldn't help asking.

Li Shiming said indignantly, "It's all that Wei Zheng's fault, always going against me. He knows I really like the character Guan Yu, but he keeps saying that Guan Yu released Cao Cao, breaking the military oath and righteous principles, harshly criticizing him for personal favor over justice."

"But that plot point is entirely made-up for the story—not from official history. Why does that stubborn old man keep clinging to it? I think he's just doing it to annoy me."

Wei Zheng, however, said with a righteous face, "Your Majesty is mistaken. We were discussing the plot, not history. Since the plot is fictional, we should debate right and wrong according to the story. In the drama, Guan Yu indeed releases Cao Cao, violating military orders and righteous principles..."

Li Shiming couldn't win the argument and snapped, "You motherfu&%$?#..."

Seeing the two arguing fiercely again, Qin Ning and the others didn't want to get involved and quickly left the place.

The Ming Dynasty.

Outside the Fengtian Hall, it was brightly lit. Many solar-powered lamps were hung high, illuminating the area. Zhu Yuanzhang stood before his assembled court officials, with a pile of bicycles stacked beside him. These had been delivered from the future just that afternoon. Zhu Yuanzhang was distributing one to each official present and making them learn to ride here. Unlike the Qin and Tang dynasties, the Ming officials not only had to attend the morning court session but also had an afternoon session and an evening session, requiring them to run back and forth several times a day. Therefore, with a bicycle, these officials would find it much more convenient to go to court in the future.