Great Qin.
Fengtian Hall!
The court assembly!
The ministers knelt on either side, each with a desk in front of him for recording details during discussions.
Ying Zheng sat upright at the highest seat, demonstrating his dignity.
"Th-this is His Majesty?"
"Why does His Majesty look so much younger? Has he regained his youth?!"
"Could the golden dragon that circled Xianyang Palace last night have been Heaven showing its divine favor? Has His Majesty received Heaven's blessing?!"
"Mandated by Heaven, may he live long and prosper! His Majesty truly is Heaven's chosen ruler. Heaven bless Great Qin—may Great Qin endure for ten thousand years!"
When they saw Ying Zheng's face, the ministers were overwhelmed with joy. Then they all fell to their knees and shouted aloud.
"Hahaha! May Great Qin endure for ten thousand years!"
Ying Zheng was delighted as well. He raised a hand to the ministers, signaling for them to return to their places.
"Do any of you have important matters to report?"
As soon as he spoke, an old man shakily rose and made his way to the middle of the hall.
"Your Majesty!"
The word came out heavily, as though he were struggling to suppress his anger.
Ying Zheng looked up. When he saw who it was, he showed no anger.
Wei Liaozi, Great Qin's State Grandee.
He held the title of Great Liangzao and could be called the most powerful man beneath the Prime Minister.
His ancient work, Wei Liaozi, was one of the important military texts of ancient China. Many later military strategists studied it, and numerous military works drew on its contents.
Qin State's strength came from its practice of employing worthy men. Ying Zheng was the culmination of Qin's emperors, and naturally had a broad mind. He would not take offense over such a small matter.
"State Grandee, is there something you wish to say?"
Though he asked, Ying Zheng had already guessed what Wei Liaozi wanted to discuss.
"Your Majesty, may I ask what crime the Prime Minister committed to be put to death?!"
Hunched over, Wei Liaozi stared fixedly at Ying Zheng and pressed him for an answer.
Though he was an official in military and government affairs, the ideas in his work Wei Liaozi were closer to Legalism. He opposed the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and advocated governing the state and its people through harsh punishments and strict laws.
As for Li Si, who came from a Legalist background, though they occasionally disagreed on matters of policy, that had never stopped them from regarding each other as friends.
Now that the Six States had been unified, he had planned to compile Great Qin's laws with Li Si. He had never expected to hear the news last night that Ying Zheng had killed him.
If Ying Zheng had not ordered that no one be admitted after the assassination attempt the day before, he would have gone to the palace to demand an explanation long ago.
Though Ying Zheng did not mind his blunt words, the other Qin ministers were drenched in cold sweat.
Everyone knew Ying Zheng was no indecisive man.
The execution of Lü Buwei and Lao Ai's palace coup had happened only recently.
A man who had ordered his Adopted Father's death and imprisoned his mother would certainly show even less mercy to outsiders like them.
Especially if, like Wei Liaozi, they pointed at Ying Zheng and questioned him.
Ying Zheng's expression did not change. His bearing remained every bit as imposing.
As the first emperor in history, the man who had ended three hundred years of warfare in the Spring and Autumn period, even the slightest furrow in his brow was enough to fill those around him with dread.
Suddenly, he rose to his feet and looked at Wei Liaozi. The imperial aura pouring from him filled the entire hall, and countless ministers fell to their knees in fear.
"Wei Liaozi, let me ask you: what sort of man was Li Si?"
At these words, Wei Liaozi stared blankly for a moment.
But Ying Zheng continued without pause.
"His abilities were indeed outstanding. He governed the central administration and abolished the enfeoffment system. I, too, greatly valued his talent."
"But in his heart, the only person he would ever serve was himself!"
"As long as I lived, he was naturally a good Prime Minister of Qin."
"But what if I were gone?"
Ying Zheng's voice rang like thunder. Wei Liaozi could not help following the thought.
"Crown Prince Fusu believes in the Confucian way and looks down on all Legalists. Li Si is greedy for power. If Fusu ascended the throne, he would surely strip Li Si of his position as Prime Minister. What would Li Si do then?"
Cold sweat broke across Wei Liaozi's forehead. He and Li Si had been friends, so he knew Li Si's character well.
He had never thought this was necessarily a bad thing. With a great ruler like Ying Zheng at the helm, Li Si's greed for power could actually complement him well.
Li Si was capable, and if he wanted to hold on to the power in his hands, he had no choice but to devote himself to serving the state.
In the end, the only ones to benefit would be the common people.
But Fusu did not command the same authority as Ying Zheng. If he ascended the throne one day, he probably would not be able to keep Li Si in check.
In the end, they would surely fight until both sides were ruined.
"Th-this hasn't happened yet. Putting a Prime Minister to death on that basis alone is surely too frivolous."
Wei Liaozi's conviction had begun to waver, but he still insisted on clearing Li Si's name.
Legalism was about the law. If Li Si were punished for a crime that had never happened, Great Qin's laws would become a laughingstock before they were even finished. Who would obey them then?
"Some time ago, I obtained a divine object that can reveal events three thousand years into the future."
"After I die, Li Si will join forces with Zhao Gao to alter my edict, causing Fusu's death and bringing Qin to an end after just two generations. How could I not kill such a man?"
As he spoke, murderous intent showed in Ying Zheng's eyes. Everyone seemed to glimpse a scene of a million corpses.
"A divine object, the future?"
Wei Liaozi had nearly been convinced, but now he grew even more indignant.
"I thought that yesterday, when Your Majesty ordered the Yin-Yang School's Great Priest stripped of his title, it meant you had come to your senses and no longer obsessed over spirits and ghosts. I never expected that you would kill Qin's Prime Minister for such a ridiculous reason!"
Wei Liaozi was so angry that his beard and hair seemed to fly. Even if Ying Zheng had said he dreamed of Li Si rebelling, that excuse, combined with what he had said earlier, might have persuaded him.
He had never expected that it would once again come down to talk of ghosts and gods.
In his view, there were no Immortals in this world.
Those claims were nothing but the methods of fangshi who brought ruin to the state and suffering to the people.
The Yin-Yang School was the worst of them, and he had always despised them.
"Impudent, Wei Liaozi! I will overlook your offense against me, but I will not allow you to show disrespect to the Heavenly Emperor!"
Ying Zheng's face filled with anger at Wei Liaozi's words.
"Your Majesty, talk of Immortals is all delusion. Great Qin pacified the Six States and ended the wars throughout the land, allowing the people to live in peace and contentment. We owe this to no Immortals, but to ourselves. Only by keeping our feet on the ground and devoting ourselves to the people can we make Great Qin endure for generations and keep the people safe!"
"Your Majesty...!"
"Drag him away!"
Before Wei Liaozi could finish, Ying Zheng swept his sleeve and shouted furiously.
A troop of armored Imperial Guards immediately entered from outside the hall. They covered Wei Liaozi's mouth and hurriedly dragged him away.
The ministers had never before seen Ying Zheng so angry. Everyone became fearful, even breathing more quietly.
Only after Fengtian Hall had fallen utterly silent did he gradually calm down.
"I will say this once more: no one may show disrespect to the Heavenly Emperor. If this happens again, I will show no mercy."
Ying Zheng looked around the hall, his sharp gaze sweeping over them.
"Where is Meng Tian?!"
At Ying Zheng's thunderous shout, a middle-aged man with a square face stepped forward with firm strides.
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