Ying Qingye had someone spread out the large bolt of fabric, and drawing upon his memories, he began swiftly sketching out the outlines on the material.
Ying Zheng and the others crowded around closely, watching in rapt curiosity.
Time ticked by drop by drop!
After what felt like a long while, the drawing was finally complete. Ying Qingye stretched his arms out in a lazy yawn.
“Is it finished?”
Ying Qingye gave a slight nod.
Everyone stepped closer, staring at the map with undivided attention.
They couldn’t help gasping in wonder—was the world really this vast?
For as long as they could remember, they had always believed that the land beneath their feet was the absolute center of the universe, the heart of civilization, surrounded on all sides by endless oceans.
Who could have possibly imagined that the world actually looked like this?
“Fifth Prince, what do these markings mean?”
Li Si pointed at a specific symbol, asking with a puzzled expression.
“That represents a high plateau. It’s a region crisscrossed by towering mountain ranges and blessed with breathtaking scenery, though the air there is quite thin.”
“Isn’t there a legend guide right in the bottom left corner? A single glance and you’d understand.”
Ying Qingye replied casually.
“Oh—I see!”
“My Lord, has the layout you’ve drawn here been verified?”
“Is the world truly shaped like this?”
Feng Quji looked skeptically at Ying Qingye. It was hard not to question it; ever since childhood, the education he received taught him that their land was the epicenter of the world, bordered by four seas.
It was much like knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that one plus one equals two, only for someone to suddenly tell you that one plus one equals two hundred and fifty.
It completely shattered their fundamental worldview regarding the world, making it almost impossible to accept all at once.
“Whether it’s true or not, you probably won’t believe me even if I tell you.”
“You can always send people out to verify it yourselves!”
Ying Qingye waved his hand dismissively. He knew the mental shock this was causing them was simply too immense.
There was no point in arguing further!
“My Lord, why is there nothing drawn over here on the western side?”
Wang Wan looked toward the western edge of the map, frowning in confusion.
“I couldn’t quite remember that part!”
Everyone paused in surprise!
In truth, it wasn’t that he couldn’t remember—rather, he wasn’t all that familiar with it. Being able to map out all seven continents and four oceans, along with the most iconic mountain ranges, was already a remarkable feat.
“Qingye, how did you come to know that the world looks like this?”
Ying Zheng turned his gaze toward Ying Qingye, speaking in a soft, contemplative tone.
“Imperial Father, if I told you I read it in a book, would you believe me?”
“A book?”
“What kind of book?”
“I have never once encountered any text that describes the world in such a manner.”
Ying Zheng looked deeply perplexed. Though he wasn’t a scholar who read every single literary work like the grand masters, as an emperor, the sheer volume of books he had read was far from small.
“Imperial Father, that was an anonymous text. I happened to skim through it while meeting an elderly traveler.”
“As for whether the information depicted on this map is accurate, Imperial Father can easily dispatch trusted agents to verify it.”
Ying Qingye said indifferently.
“That goes without saying; I will naturally send men to investigate its truth.”
“Oh—?”
“What is this…”
Ying Zheng’s gaze drifted toward a cluster of islands situated in the eastern seas, their shapes faintly resembling a crawling bug.
“Could… could this be the Mount Penglai of Immortals that Xu Fu has been talking about?”
Ying Zheng’s tone grew somewhat excited as he stared unblinkingly at the parchment.
Following the direction of Ying Zheng’s gaze, Ying Qingye felt a sudden jolt in his chest.
According to the Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of the First Emperor of Qin, in the twenty-eighth year of Qin Shi Huang (219 BC), Xu Fu was commissioned by the emperor to lead three thousand young boys and girls across the eastern seas in search of the elixir of eternal life.
Wasn’t this precisely the current year?!
Oh goodness!
Did the neighboring island nation really get its historical start because of Xu Fu?!
That scoundrel Xu Fu had previously submitted a memorial claiming that there were three fairy islands—Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou—floating in the middle of the eastern ocean, inhabited by actual immortals.
Consequently, the First Emperor had dispatched Xu Fu, equipped with thousands of youths, three years’ worth of provisions, clothing, medical supplies, and farming tools, aboard massive soaring ships to sail out to sea in search of immortality at a colossal expense.
Upon arriving at those islands, Xu Fu found the local climate warm, the scenery pleasant, and the inhabitants gentle. Deciding to stay, he declared himself king, teaching the locals the arts of farming, fishing, whaling, and papermaking, and never returned to Great Qin ever again.
It was no wonder later generations constantly scolded him for achieving nothing while ruining everything.
The founding ancestors simply longed for a single elixir of immortality, yet could never find it. Though it sounded like a running joke, it was now becoming absolute reality.
Ying Qingye couldn’t help but feel that this scoundrel Xu Fu was bound to run away soon. Had he accidentally provided Xu Fu with a permanent hiding place? Was he about to trigger a massive chain reaction that would bring indelible suffering to future generations of Chinese people?
Ying Qingye recalled that deeply humiliating chapter of history—shattered mountains and rivers, displaced citizens, and starving people scattered across a desolate land. That would forever remain an unforgettable scar upon the children of Huaxia!
I have to stop this, right here and now!
“Someone come! Send for Xu Fu to see me, immediately!”
Ying Zheng could barely suppress the surging excitement within his heart!
Hearing this, the imperial attendant turned and hurriedly rushed out to issue the decree.
Before long, Xu Fu arrived in a hurried rush.
“This subject pays respects to Your Majesty!”
The moment he stepped into the room, he dropped to his knees to pay formal homage.
“Rise, rise!”
“Teacher Xu, come quickly and take a look—is this the very island of immortals you spoke of?”
Ying Zheng personally pulled Xu Fu right up to the map, pointing straight at the bug-shaped cluster of land.
Xu Fu took a look, his eyeballs rolling around as he calculated his next move. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dropped back to his knees and kowtowed deeply before Ying Zheng!
“Your Majesty, your boundless blessings reach the heavens, and the heavens themselves protect you! We have finally found the immortal island, and Your Majesty’s wish for eternal life is within our grasp!”
Xu Fu shouted out loudly, causing Ying Zheng to burst into hearty laughter!
The long-cherished dream of many years was finally about to come true.
“Make immediate preparations for the voyage!”
Ying Zheng couldn’t wait a single moment longer.
“Your Majesty, the provisions for three years, the garments and supplies…”
“Very well, Teacher Xu’s requests are all granted!”
Beaming with imperial delight, Ying Zheng gave a grand sweep of his hand, agreeing to every single demand Xu Fu put forward.
Sure enough, it’s playing out down to the exact detail recorded in the Basic Annals of the First Emperor of Qin.
Ying Qingye’s brows are knitted tightly together.
“Many thanks, Your Maj—”
“Hold on!”
Just as Xu Fu was about to express his gratitude, Ying Qingye shouted out sharply.
Everyone’s gazes snapped toward him, filled with confusion. Everyone across the entire imperial court knew that Ying Zheng desired immortality above all else; what kind of trouble was this Fifth Prince trying to stir up now?
“Imperial Father, you cannot do this!”
“Why ever not?”
Ying Zheng stared at Ying Qingye, deeply perplexed!
“Imperial Father, this is not any island of immortals at all. It’s just a completely ordinary piece of land.”
“What’s more, its resources are terribly scarce, and there aren’t any immortals living there whatsoever!”
“What did you just say?”
Ying Zheng looked coldly at Ying Qingye, his expression completely unreadable.
“My Lord, this is unquestionably an island of immortals!”
“Look at it—surrounded on all sides by the boundless sea, completely isolated from the rest of the world, precisely because they wish to avoid worldly disturbances during their cultivation.”
“If this isn’t an island of immortals, what else could it be?”
Xu Fu pointed at the map, arguing eloquently. He was absolutely not going to let some wet-behind-the-ears kid ruin his grand escape plan.
Over the years, he had been concocting pills for Ying Zheng, but not only had they yielded zero results, Ying Zheng’s health had steadily deteriorated. If he didn’t flee soon, the moment Ying Zheng figured out the truth, he would be a dead man.
“It’s nothing more than an utterly ordinary island!”
“And just how did the Prince come to know that?”
Xu Fu clearly felt unconvinced. How could a mere youngster like him possibly know more about these matters than an expert like himself?
“I drew this map with my own hands, so how could I not know?”
“Hahaha…”
“My Lord, the Prince claims he drew this map himself?”
“To map out a chart like this requires traveling across mountains and rivers for decades; it’s simply impossible to draft without a lifetime of exploration.”
“Take this immortal island alone—reaching it requires a massive ocean voyage!”
“A young prince like you couldn’t possibly have done such a thing. Besides, since the day Your Highness was born, you’ve never even stepped foot outside of Xianyang, have you?”
“How on earth could you possibly draw a map like this?”