My Disciple Fusu Doesn't Want to ***, So You Be the Big Brother and We'll Start a Rebellion! / The First Emperor's Version of Burning Books and Burying Scholars Unfolds Amid Lu Sheng and Huhai's Combo Move

Combined with his status as Prince Fusu's teacher, he was arguably the most powerful figure in Great Qin aside from the First Emperor himself.

Xiao He could not help worrying that Bai Ming would take his life the very next moment.

"Why are you so scared?" Bai Ming patted Xiao He on the shoulder. "You understand the law, enforce it fairly, and have wronged no one. Keep up the good work. It's not like I'm forbidding you from taking side jobs. As long as you don't break the law outside working hours, do whatever you want."

Back when Liu Bang was still a commoner, Xiao He had repeatedly used his authority as an official to protect him.

When Liu Bang had gone to Xianyang as an official to take part in corvée labor, all the other officials had given him three hundred coins for travel expenses. Xiao He alone had given him five hundred. That was why Liu Bang did not care at all when Xiao He spoke badly of him.

They were fucking brothers. What was wrong with a little ribbing?

As for the other officials? Their relationship was ordinary. Liu Bang had no intention of indulging them.

Though Liu Bang was smooth and worldly, he had not lost his fierceness. He mercilessly teased and mocked those officials who dared not speak out. A few could not hold back and wanted to make a move, but after seeing Bai Ming return to the banquet, they gave up on that thought.

That bastard county magistrate was still here. If they really made a move and he dismissed them on the spot, their entire families would be finished.

Xiao He let out a breath of relief and began endlessly pondering the meaning behind Bai Ming's words: keep up the good work.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Lord Lu signaled for the three brothers to stay behind after the meal.

Lord Lu said that the three of them were destined for great things, dragons and phoenixes among men. He had three daughters and hoped to marry them to the three brothers. You spoke up and said that you already had a wife, so Lord Lu should consider your eldest brother and third brother first.

Liu Bang and Fan Kuai were deeply moved, but Lord Lu did not care about that. He merely said that he could give his daughter to you as a concubine. You were left speechless by Lord Lu's behavior as a god of giving away daughters, while Liu Bang accepted the matter on your behalf.

"Second Brother, listen to your eldest brother."

Liu Bang grabbed Bai Ming's wrist and led him several steps away, then said in a low voice, "From what I have seen, you and your sister-in-law have the appearance of a couple who are together in name but apart in heart. That is rather inappropriate. Neither of you is honest in matters of love. You should accept Lord Lu's offer and take a concubine home to create a balance. Put some pressure on your sister-in-law so she will finally feel some urgency."

"This..."

"Don't be coy. A good man's ambitions lie in all four directions. How can you get coy over something like this? Your elder brother will make the decision for you."

Liu Bang acted with blazing efficiency. He immediately released Bai Ming's wrist and went to reply to Lord Lu.

"My younger brother is shy by nature. When he heard Lord Lu's words just now, he did not know how to react. I hope Lord Lu will not take offense. I shall accept this marriage proposal on behalf of my two younger brothers."

"Ho ho ho—" Lord Lu laughed loudly. "Why would I take offense?"

Afterward, Lord Lu introduced his three daughters to the brothers. He then gave his eldest daughter, Lu Changxu, to Bai Ming as a concubine; his second daughter, Lü Zhi, to Liu Bang as a wife; and his third daughter, Lu Xu, to Fan Kuai as a wife.

Strictly speaking, this arrangement did not follow convention. Of the three brothers, Liu Bang was the eldest and should have been paired with the eldest daughter. Yet Liu Bang had accidentally met Lü Zhi before and had long been unable to forget her. Lü Zhi had not been willing to marry such a good-for-nothing man, but Liu Bang insisted, and Lord Lu was happy to let it happen.

Lord Lu, who was skilled at reading faces, could tell that eldest brother Liu Bang was a dragon and phoenix among men, destined to ascend the imperial throne amid the support of the masses. Second brother Bai Ming spanned ancient and future, past and present, and was an absolute long-lived one. Third brother Fan Kuai was free-spirited and bold, with a fierce temperament, and would surely be granted noble titles and become a minister.

His eldest daughter was short-lived, so she would marry upward into a long-lived one. His second daughter was ambitious and patient, skilled at managing a household, so she would marry an emperor. His third daughter was overbearing and domineering; only a man with a fierce temperament could tame her.

The three brothers did not spend a single coin. They got a free meal and even brought wives home. Liu Bang was overjoyed.

When you brought Lu Changxu home, Consort Yu felt as though the sky had fallen. She was utterly shocked that you had actually brought another woman back.

Xu carried the meaning of peace and happiness, so after discussing it with Lu Changxu, you gave her the alternate name Changle.

Lu Changxu found the atmosphere in the household extremely subtle. Even though Consort Yu always wore a cold expression, Lu Changxu still insisted on paying respects every morning to Consort Yu as the principal wife, in her capacity as a concubine. Consort Yu's expression became increasingly strange, but she did not correct Lu Changxu's misunderstanding of her status.

"Changle, I need to talk to you."

At last, Consort Yu could not take it anymore. She said, "Don't come pay respects so early in the morning anymore."

Lu Changxu slept late but woke early, so she naturally came to pay respects quite early. Consort Yu, meanwhile, was a complete homebody who loved sleeping in. Unknowingly, Lu Changxu had put Consort Yu through endless torment. Consort Yu believed Bai Ming was doing it on purpose, intending to correct her habit of sleeping in.

The status of a concubine was extremely low in ancient times, but neither Consort Yu nor Bai Ming cared much for rites or rules, and they had no such concept in their minds. For someone like Lu Changxu, who had been raised under etiquette and propriety since childhood, however, that concept was deeply ingrained.

Whenever Consort Yu told her not to come pay respects, Lu Changxu would assume she had committed some fatal mistake. Thus, Lu Changxu asked, "Did this concubine do something wrong?"

Consort Yu fell silent. After a moment, she said, "...I can't get up."

"Huh?"

Lu Changxu went blank. Couldn't get up?

At that moment, Bai Ming drifted past behind Lu Changxu like a ghost, leaving behind the words, "That's just how Yu is. She has to sleep until three quarters past the second chen every day before she gets up." (8:45)

Lu Changxu jumped at Bai Ming's sudden appearance. Bai Ming said, "Since you have been married to me for some time now, it is time to let you come into contact with the other side of the world."

"The other side... of the world?"

My Disciple Fusu Doesn't Want to Be Emperor, So Big Brother, You Be Emperor Instead—Let's Rebel!

Although Lord Lu possessed some ability and could use fate calculation to predict a person's future and observe qi to see their fortune, that was the extent of it. In the end, he had never entered the mysterious side.

You and Consort Yu were undoubtedly both beings of the mysterious side. It would not be realistic to keep Lu Changxu ignorant of such matters.

After listening to Consort Yu's somewhat reluctant explanation, Lu Changxu roughly understood the situation in the household. She did not understand it at all.

To her, all this stuff that had nothing to do with her was less useful than considering what to eat today. You looked at Consort Yu, and Consort Yu looked at you. The two of you sat there without moving. Lu Changxu could not understand your behavior, but unwilling to be excluded, she sat down beside you as well.

Consort Yu said helplessly, "Changle, what are you doing?"

Lu Changxu shook her head and said, "I don't know. I only saw my husband and Elder Sister looking at each other like this, so this concubine did the same."

Liangren was not only a term for a beautiful woman, but also a form of address used by a woman for her husband.

Consort Yu's expression grew even stranger. What was going on with this household? She herself was someone who did not like talking. Bai Ming was someone who periodically lost his mind. And now there was another foolish one.

Consort Yu said, "Changle, there is no meaning in doing this. Whenever he has free time, he likes to look at me like this and think about things."

Compared to the peaceful harmony on your side, Liu Bang's side was utter chaos.

Liu Bang liked idling about, while Lü Zhi was highly career-minded. From the start, Lü Zhi had looked down on Liu Bang, so their life together was far from smooth. Still, compared to Lu Xu and Fan Kuai, whose fierce temperaments had them arguing every few days, they were doing relatively well.

Yet Fan Kuai and Lu Xu, who argued every day, had a much better relationship than Liu Bang and Lü Zhi.

You and Fan Kuai thought it over and over but could not figure out why. After all, you too were someone who idled about, while Fan Kuai was a rough and careless man. Neither of you could understand why Lü Zhi got along so terribly with a carefree fellow like Liu Bang.

After discussing it, you and Fan Kuai decided that Lü Zhi must be the problem. After all, the three brothers had never argued when gathered together. At most, they differed over where to go play that day.

However, because Liu Bang, you, and Fan Kuai had sworn brotherhood, Lü Zhi did not need to farm and weave as she would have in normal history. With support from you and Fan Kuai, Lü Zhi lived much better than before, so the conflict between Liu Bang and Lü Zhi was not too severe.

Bored out of your mind, you summoned the former Pei County magistrate, who collected a salary without working, back to the county office. Every day, you taught him how to handle government affairs efficiently, quickly, and simply. At first, the Pei County magistrate was disdainful of your actions, but after discovering that your administrative ability surpassed his by several hundred times, he immediately kowtowed and took you as his master, beginning his "frame-by-frame study."

The Pei County magistrate's ability to handle affairs improved immensely. Then you returned the magistrate's position to him, warned him to be a good official, and strode out of the county office, taking Xiao He and Cao Can with you along the way.

After all, Xiao He and Cao Can were highly capable. As chief clerk and prison clerk, the two could easily handle most matters in the county office. The only reason you spent time teaching the Pei County magistrate was to prevent Pei County from ending up worse off after you took the two away.

While you were slacking off in Pei County, Fusu had studied the Grand Duke's Art of War thoroughly in the north of Great Qin. He constantly tempered himself in military contests, wielding a dragon spear and wearing the outfit you had given him, earning quite a name for himself in those contests.

Meanwhile, within Xianyang Palace, the First Emperor watched more than twenty of his sons fight over the imperial throne. He felt quite gratified that none of them had truly been ruthless toward their siblings. Yet he was also extremely annoyed. He had been faking his death for so long that the corpse of the death-row prisoner with a similar build to his was nearly starting to stink, yet not one of them had thought to collect "his" body.

At that moment, Zhao Gao's ambition finally reached its peak.

He believed Fusu had remained at the northern border because he had not received the First Emperor's decree. Fusu was still fundamentally devoted to that Confucian nonsense about loyalty to ruler and love for country. Therefore, Zhao Gao planned to forge an edict ordering Fusu to commit suicide, then help Huhai ascend.

However, after Zhao Gao wrote the edict and sent it out, the First Emperor, who was amusing himself by faking death, intercepted it. When the courier scout saw the First Emperor, terror filled his heart. He immediately knelt before the First Emperor and begged for his life.

"Ambition of a wolf... and that unfilial son as well... Could it be that he knows I am not dead?"

The First Emperor looked at the lifelike handwriting on the edict with contempt. Then he took out brush and inkstone from a bundle carried by an attendant and forged an imperial edict of his own. The edict ordered Fusu to have more descendants. He then told the previous courier scout to continue delivering the edict.

Afterward, the First Emperor returned to Wang Jian's residence and thought, That eunuch dog wants to help Eighteen rise to power. Is it so that this beast can control him more easily? Forget it. Let's see how much havoc that eunuch dog can wreak. Marquis Tongwu.

"This minister is here."

Marquis Tongwu, Wang Ben, answered the summons. The First Emperor narrowed his long, slender eyes. "I hear those Confucian scholars and fangshi are about to return. Bring them here to see me. Also deploy troops and watch what that eunuch dog Zhao Gao intends to do. Summon Li Si to see me."

"Yes."

As the First Emperor made his arrangements, a man named Xiang Liang was traveling about Wu County, persuading people and gathering power. To Xiang Liang, the new emperor had yet to take the throne after so long. This was the perfect opportunity to raise an army in rebellion and restore Chu.

Before this, he had cultivated ninety elite warriors, among whom there was no shortage of talent.

One named Canmu feigned illness and hid within his residence, secretly minting large coins—counterfeit money—to purchase armor and weapons. Others were so powerfully built that they could uproot trees and use them as weapons. There were also men like Xiang Liang himself, skilled at persuasion and traveling everywhere to advocate rebellion against Qin.

Before long, Xiang Liang gathered several thousand men in the former lands of Chu and formed an army, becoming the first to raise the banner of rebellion against Qin. For a time, the surviving nobles of the Six States responded in succession, recruiting troops and purchasing horses to overthrow the Qin Dynasty.

The news quickly reached Pei County.

At the drinking table, Liu Bang let out a long sigh. "The First Emperor is about to die, yet the new emperor has not been established for so long. The realm is going to fall into chaos again. The people will suffer once more. Second Brother, has your disciple Fusu sent you any news?"

Bai Ming shook his head. "No. If Eldest Brother is worried about the people, why not change your ways? Cast off your idle habits, gather men and raise an army, and form a Pei County self-defense force to stop those rebels from disturbing the local people?"

"Exactly!" Fan Kuai gulped down a great deal of wine. "I can do nothing else, but killing people is like slaughtering pigs to me. I have strength with nowhere to use it! I am willing to serve Eldest Brother!"

Liu Bang sighed again. "Second Brother's concern is not my concern."

Then Liu Bang drank and spoke of his fear that the nobles of the Six States might successfully restore their kingdoms, causing language and writing to become fragmented once more. In time, it would return to that former state where people were clearly of the same race yet had no shared understanding whatsoever. Riding the influence of the wine, he also spoke of how narrow-minded those nobles of the Six States were, unable to see the threat posed by the northern tribes stirring restlessly.

After hearing his words, Bai Ming could not help letting out a long sigh as well.

Foreign Pleasure-Seeker talent activated.

You thought that both the First Emperor and Fusu had started making moves, so you might as well make this even bigger.

"Since Eldest Brother harbors the realm in his heart, then let us raise an army as well."

Bai Ming took out the First Emperor's edict. "In the name of protecting the sovereign. Since the First Emperor has already died and a new emperor has yet to be established, while my disciple Fusu has no intention of becoming emperor, Eldest Brother could become emperor as well."

Fan Kuai echoed, "That is exactly what I think too!"

Reward settlement,

Blades—25 per extra chapter

Tips—5,000 Cat Biscuits per extra chapter; remainders after division will be converted into blades, rounded normally

Recommendation votes—1,000 votes per extra chapter

Monthly votes—50 votes per extra chapter

I won't even think about things like treasure chests, but if there are any, gold counts as 100 and silver as 50. We'll calculate them once every month or half-month.

It's best not to send treasure chests for ratings—

And here are the previous numbers—

And now, here are the current ones—

Monthly votes: 917 - 552 = 365 votes. 50 votes per extra chapter. 365 / 50 = 7 extra chapters, 15 remaining.

Recommendation votes: 6206 - 4633 = 1573. 1,000 votes per extra chapter. 1573 / 1000 = 1 extra chapter, 573 remaining.

Tips: 12352 - 11464 = 888. Not enough for an extra chapter, so it rounds directly to 900, converted into 9 blades ()

Blades: 118 - 65 = 53. Adding the previous 9 makes 62 in total. 25 per extra chapter. 62 / 25 = 2 extra chapters, 12 remaining. But I think it's troublesome, so the remaining monthly votes, recommendation votes, and these twelve blades will count as one extra chapter. After all, I can't let you guys send them for nothing ()

Total: 7 + 1 + 3 = 11 extra chapters. I'll start paying them back once I'm done being busy today ()

The First Emperor's Version of Burning Books and Burying Confucian Scholars Happened Through Lu Sheng and Huhai's Combined Skill

The three brothers slapped their hands together and decided to accomplish something great. Fan Kuai sold off his family property to help recruit soldiers and buy horses. You took the edict to the county office to mobilize troops, provisions, and armor. Liu Bang put his exceptional popularity to work and began recruiting talent.

There was a man named Lu Wan. His family had been friends with Liu Bang's family for generations, and he had been born in the same year, month, and day as Liu Bang. The two had grown up together. When Liu Bang had been a commoner, he had once gone into hiding because of a lawsuit, and Lu Wan had often followed him. Lu Wan had been delighted to hear that Liu Bang had sworn brotherhood with you and Fan Kuai, and had married with your help.

When he further heard that Liu Bang planned to raise an army, Lu Wan immediately sold his family property and rushed to Liu Bang, intending to raise an army alongside you all.

After Zhang Liang arrived in Pei County, he heard that you intended to raise troops against Qin. His mind was thrown into turmoil. In Zhang Liang's worldview, you and the words "anti-Qin" could never possibly be connected, yet reality had somehow put you and anti-Qin together.

When Zhang Liang found you, you had already prepared everything. The Han Dynasty group had taken initial shape.

However, because of you, Liu Bang's initial foundation was far more substantial than it had been at the beginning.

"Senior."

Liu Bang, Fan Kuai, Lu Wan, Xiao He, and Cao Can all looked toward the handsome and elegant man who had abruptly barged in, a man so beautiful he seemed almost like a woman. Fan Kuai immediately had the urge to attack.

Bai Ming quickly stopped Fan Kuai. "Third Brother, this is one of my juniors, Zhang Liang, courtesy name Zifang. I specifically invited him here to assist Eldest Brother."

Only then did Fan Kuai sit back down.

Zhang Liang performed a salute, then solemnly introduced himself once more and revealed his lineage.

"My master is Chisongzi."

The others did not understand, but Xiao He, who also followed the path of Huang-Lao, knew exactly what sort of immortal Chisongzi was.

Chisongzi was also called Chisongzi. He had studied the Five Thousand Characters and bore the titles Left Sage, True Man of the Southern Pole and Southern Sacred Mountain, Left Immortal, and True Man of Great Void. He was a legendary ancient immortal. It was said that he had served as Shennong's Rain Master.

Bai Ming nodded calmly. He knew Chisongzi—the teacher of the Flame Emperor's youngest daughter. Bai Ming had fought him in Western Kunlun, so they could be considered acquainted through battle.

With someone like Liu Bang present, Zhang Liang quickly integrated into the group.

You raised troops from Pei County and fought all the way to Mount Mangdang. During that time, the First Emperor had already become utterly confused.