“Speak, who sent you?” Fanyin Tian asked coldly.
The intruder raised his head to glance at the two women and remained silent.
He instantly moved to bite down on a capsule hidden inside his mouth—a standard protocol for organizations like theirs. If captured during a failed mission, operatives were expected to bite into the poison and end their own lives.
Sensing something amiss, the Empress flashed across the space in a blur, appeared right in front of him, and clamped a hand over his jaw to fish the poison pellet right out of his mouth.
“Why go to such extreme lengths, my friend?”
Ying Qingye strolled leisurely. “I have no intention of killing you. You may go!”
“Tell your superiors not to send anyone else, lest you throw away lives for nothing.”
The intruder froze in shock.
“You… you’re really willing to let me go?”
“Off you go,” Ying Qingye said casually.
Slowly picking himself up, the intruder glanced back every couple of steps, terrified that Ying Qingye was playing some kind of psychological game. Reaching the courtyard wall, he looked back one last time. Seeing that none of them made a move, he vaulted over the bricks and vanished into the night.
“Young Master!”
The Empress murmured, watching the direction where the intruder had disappeared.
“Want to know why I let him go?”
The Empress nodded.
“They came to test your strength, and at the same time, to test mine.”
“Killing him won’t solve the problem.”
With that, he turned on his heel and headed off to bed!
The next morning!
Ying Qingye yawned as he dragged himself toward Zhangtai Palace. He hadn’t wanted to come at all, but Meng Yi had literally hauled him straight out of bed.
There was no guessing who sent him—it was clearly Ying Zheng, acting preemptively to keep Ying Qingye from standing him up.
“Fifth Brother?”
“What brings you here?”
Fusu looked at Ying Qingye in absolute surprise.
“Oh, don’t even ask!”
Ying Qingye muttered sleepily, shuffling forward.
Fusu stared at him in bewilderment, then turned his gaze to Meng Yi standing right behind him.
“General Meng, this is…?”
“It is His Majesty’s will!” Meng Yi chuckled before continuing onward.
“We subjects pay our respects to Your Majesty!”
“Long live the Emperor!”
“Rise and be seated!”
Dressed in a solemn black dragon robe, Ying Zheng sat tall upon the dragon throne, gazing down over his assembled ministers.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Lord, if you have any memorials to present, speak now,” Ying Zheng said calmly.
“Your Majesty, this minister has a memorial!”
“Granted!”
“This minister—”
Achoo!
Just as the official began to speak, his words were cut short by a sudden, booming sneeze.
The surrounding ministers whipped their heads around, their gazes eventually coming to a collective halt on Ying Qingye.
What on earth is wrong with this Fifth Young Master?
Sneezing right in the middle of court assembly?
That was sheer disrespect to the Son of Heaven!
Noticing all eyes locked squarely on him, Ying Qingye hurriedly lowered his head.
Oh no!
A massive public embarrassment—I’ve managed to humiliate myself all the way back in the Qin Dynasty.
Can anyone relate?!
“Qingye!”
Ying Zheng frowned deeply.
Ying Qingye hurried forward and bowed respectfully to Ying Zheng.
“What was that just now?”
“Reporting to Father, I couldn’t hold it in. It’s my first time attending court, so I lack experience.”
“Hahaha…”
At these words, several ministers at the bottom couldn’t help but chuckle out loud, clearly amused by Ying Qingye’s lack of worldly exposure. Especially the official whose speech had just been interrupted, a flash of undisguised disdain crossing his eyes. Although they didn’t laugh loudly, their snickers were still clearly audible.
Ying Zheng’s brows knitted even tighter. While his son’s behavior wasn’t entirely proper, laughing at the emperor’s own flesh and blood was an unforgivable offense.
“Ahem…”
Li Si hurriedly coughed a few times, prompting the gathered ministers to snap back to their senses and quickly swallow their smiles.
“Is it that funny?” Ying Qingye scanned the assembly. “Doesn’t everyone have a first time for everything? What’s so amusing?”
“This minister deserves death! We beg the Fifth Young Master to forgive us!” Seeing the dark expression on Ying Zheng’s face, the officials hastily offered apologies to Ying Qingye.
“Forget it, forget it. As a magnanimous prince, I won’t lower myself to argue with you a lot.” Ying Qingye waved a hand; since they had already apologized, there was no need to press the issue aggressively.
“Enough!”
Ying Zheng said calmly. “The matter is closed. You there, continue with your memorial!”
“Understood!”
“Your Majesty, refugees in Handan Commandery are rising up in turmoil, plaguing the region. Originally people of Zhao, they now find themselves subjects of Great Qin.”
“Furthermore, Your Majesty issued an edict abolishing their native script, forcing them to learn a new writing system from scratch, which has left many harboring deep resentment.”
“This minister earnestly implores Your Majesty to follow the ancient traditions, restore the feudal system of enfeoffment, and reinstate the various regional scripts.”
Hearing this, Ying Zheng’s face instantly dropped like a stone. To think someone was still bringing up this absolute nonsense at a time like this.
“Your Majesty, only by following the ancient ways can our Great Qin endure for ten thousand generations!”
“Your Majesty, this minister seconds the motion!”
“This minister seconds!”
“This minister seconds as well!”
“…”
More and more officials stepped forward to support the proposal, a cold glint of murderous intent flashing through Ying Zheng’s eyes. These people were simply courting death.
“Your Majesty, absolutely not!”
Li Si hurried forward. The system of commanderies and counties was his brainchild; how could he ever allow anyone to dismantle it?
“Handan Commandery has already proven that only by restoring the enfeoffment system can Great Qin last forever, Your Majesty!”
With that, the official dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, instantly followed by a wave of supporting ministers who all fell to their knees in unison.
Ying Zheng’s expression grew so dark it looked as though ink was about to drip from it.
“Hah! A bunch of narrow-minded, pedantic scholars, daring to presumptuously debate the grand affairs of the imperial state!” Ying Qingye scoffed with open disdain.
“What did you say?”
“You wet-nosed brat! What do you, a milk-mouthing child with no experience of the world, understand about affairs of state?” Immediately, several officials felt their anger flare and began hurling insults.
Behind these men stood the various philosophical schools of thought, convinced of their divine right to educate and reform the world. Perched proudly on their high moral pedestals, they felt entitled to point fingers at everyone else and even dictate to the First Emperor of China how an emperor should rule. Lawless and arrogant to the core, they were now brazenly pointing fingers and shouting insults right at the emperor’s son in the middle of a grand court assembly.
Their desperate push to restore the feudal system wasn’t out of loyalty; it was entirely to protect their own clan interests. The moment Ying Zheng restored enfeoffment, they could secure powerful gubernatorial and official posts within the vassal states for their family members and disciples—stepping into positions as senior ministers or even prime ministers. While they sat comfortably controlling the big picture from court, their families’ wealth and power would remain evergreen, flourishing through the generations.
They were the absolute parasites of the Great Qin Empire, gnawing away at its foundations bit by bit. Everything they did was not for Qin, but for themselves. For their own personal gain, they would stop at nothing, resorting to the most despicable and sordid means without a shred of shame.
On the surface, they carried themselves with an air of absolute righteousness and moral integrity, yet their inner workings were filthier than anything imaginable. Compared to them, stagnant ditch water was practically crystal-clear spring water.
“Hah! And yet every single one of you stands here shouting at the top of your lungs about ‘thinking of Great Qin’!”