After the court session concluded, the officials gradually dispersed.
Zhao Gao intercepted Li Si, who was about to leave the hall, his tone icy: “The Chancellor seems particularly concerned with trivial matters of the common folk.”
Li Si turned around, his face devoid of any smile, yet his words carried hidden barbs: “Minister Zhao, you are mistaken. In my view, whether a matter is great or small, anything pertaining to the law is of great importance.”
“In years past, when I studied the art of kingship under Master Xun, I deeply understood that the law is the foundation of Great Qin’s statehood. As court officials, it is our duty to uphold the law, not to conceal wrongdoing for relatives.”
“Rather, Minister Zhao should focus on disciplining your younger brother, ensuring he does not violate the law again, lest the next incident becomes irreparable.” Having said this, Li Si cupped his hands in a salute and turned to leave.
Zhao Gao stood rooted to the spot, his face as dark as ink, growing increasingly convinced that Zhao Cheng’s beating was orchestrated by Li Si—using the horseback incident to attack according to the law while secretly teaching Zhao Cheng a lesson, attempting to kill two birds with one stone to suppress him.
Thinking this, Zhao Gao quietly instructed his attendant: “Intensify the investigation! Focus on those who entered and left Li Si’s residence yesterday. You must find the real culprit for me!”
The attendant bowed in acknowledgment and silently withdrew.
Zhao Gao stared in the direction Li Si had departed, the shadows in his eyes surging like tidal waves. The sunlight outside the hall fell upon him but could not warm the bone-chilling coldness that consumed him.
Western Side Palace.
Ying Qingyue remarked with great interest, “Dog bites dog—how amusing.”
Qinghe, standing nearby, stepped forward and softly asked: “Princess, Young Master Huhai holds such resentment that he will likely cause trouble in the future. Should we…”
“No need,” Ying Qingyue interrupted her, taking out rice paper and ink from a hidden compartment. “He’s merely a stomping child—he can’t stir up any significant waves.”
“Rather, those two in the court are likely to fight even more fiercely. We’ll just continue watching the show.”
Zhao Gao sent his trusted aides to secretly investigate the beating of Zhao Cheng, questioning all the servants and attendants on duty that day, and even screening royal relatives who had grudges against Zhao Cheng, yet they found not a single useful clue.
The assailant seemed to have appeared out of thin air and vanished just as mysteriously.
After eliminating all impossibilities, among the entire court, the only one with both the capability to act covertly and a deep-seated grudge against him was Chancellor Li Si…
Thereafter, Li Si discovered that Zhao Gao had begun to retaliate.
The two openly criticized each other in court, engaging in a back-and-forth battle.
Meanwhile, the Eighteenth Young Master Huhai was confined to the palace.
Galloping through the streets and disregarding the law—
This was something Ying Zheng absolutely did not wish to see.
Even his most favored son would not be spared.
Thus, Huhai had been finding excuses to bother Ying Qingyue these past couple of days, though he gained nothing from it.
When Zhao Gao learned that Huhai had been rebuffed at Ying Qingyue’s palace, he wasn’t angered. Instead, he rubbed the jade pendant at his waist, his eyes swirling with calculation.
Summoning his most trusted eunuch, Zhao Gao leaned in and whispered a few instructions.
The eunuch, having received the order, slipped out of Zhao Gao’s residence under the cover of dusk, took several detours, and stealthily tossed an oil-paper package near the street corner outside Li Si’s residence.
The next morning, a palace maid in Ying Qingyue’s quarters “accidentally” picked up a scroll of silk near the palace wall and hurriedly presented it to her.
Ying Qingyue unrolled it and saw that it was written in ambiguous script: “Li Si and Princess Qingyue are having an illicit affair, seeking to use the royal family’s influence to seize power.”
At the end was an additional half-sentence: “The princess’s discussion with the elder minister the other day was actually a secret plot.”
“?”
Are they putting on a performance of “Empresses in the Palace” here?
At the same time, Zhao Gao sent people to spread rumors in Li Si’s residence, claiming that Ying Qingyue was angered by Huhai’s provocation and suspected Li Si of instigating it behind the scenes.
After all, the entire court knew of the enmity between Li Si and Zhao Gao since Zhao Cheng’s beating.
Now, by using Huhai to suppress the Princess, they could weaken the imperial clan’s influence while framing Zhao Gao—a move that killed two birds with one stone.
When Li Si heard the rumors while discussing matters with his advisors, he slammed the table and stood up abruptly: “Preposterous! Such slander is clearly deliberate provocation!”
He knew well that no one but Zhao Gao would do this.
Ying Qingyue held the silk scroll containing the provocative message, her fingertips lightly tracing the characters for a moment before ordering her maid to burn it. Watching the flickering flames, her eyes remained utterly calm.
Zhao Gao wanted her to panic and defend herself, or actively confront Li Si. Any reaction from her would put her at a disadvantage.
Rather than creating chaos herself, it was better to play deaf and dumb.
In the following days, Ying Qingyue continued pretending nothing had happened in the palace, turning a deaf ear to the rumors outside. Even when Huhai sent people to probe again, she merely dismissed them with a faint “The Imperial Younger Brother overworries.”
She never mentioned Li Si, nor explained the silk scroll matter, as if she had truly never heard those slanders.
While Li Si and Zhao Gao’s power struggle continued with back-and-forth maneuvers, deep within the palace, Ying Zheng was privately deliberating the crucial matter of designating an heir—a decision vital to Great Qin’s destiny.
Previously, his eldest son Fusu had been his tacit choice for Crown Prince. But Ying Zheng knew well that Fusu’s capabilities and temperament hadn’t yet been tempered enough to bear the weight of the empire.
Moreover, his heart still held unfinished grand ambitions.
Conquering the Xiongnu in the north, expanding territories in the south, and standardizing legal systems—each task required time. Establishing an heir now felt far too early for him.
The more he felt his great enterprise remained incomplete and the heir appointment premature, the more obsessed Ying Zheng became with pursuing immortality.
He longed for sufficient years to fulfill his ambitions, and even more to personally shape Great Qin into his ideal vision before securely handing over this vast empire.
Rather than hastily designating an heir and leaving behind the slightest hidden danger…
“Summon Xu Fu to the palace!”
Before long, Xu Fu in Taoist robes, holding a horsetail whisk, entered bowing and performed the ceremonial greeting: “Your servant Xu Fu pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Ying Zheng looked up, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s, piercing directly into him: “You once claimed there are divine mountains in the Eastern Sea where immortals reside, from whom one may seek the immortality elixir.”
“Now Our great enterprise remains unfinished, and the heir matter still requires deliberation. When can this immortality elixir be obtained?”
Xu Fu slowly raised his head, his expression calm yet carrying a mysterious air: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Eastern Sea’s winds and waves are unpredictable, the divine mountains hidden among clouds and mist—only those destined may see them.”
“Your servant needs to carefully select five hundred virgin boys and girls each, bringing grains, seeds, and various craftsmen’s skills before setting sail to seek them.”
“When we find the divine mountains and meet the immortals, I will certainly obtain the immortality elixir for Your Majesty, assisting you in completing your grand ambitions and eternally ruling Great Qin’s realm.”
Ying Zheng pondered momentarily before decreeing: “Approved! We shall immediately order preparations for the children and required items. Focus on your preparations—you must obtain the immortality elixir for Us!”
Xu Fu bowed again: “Your servant will not fail Your Majesty’s trust.”
After Xu Fu withdrew, Ying Zheng gazed at the heavy night outside his window. So long as he could obtain immortality, he would have enough time to quell court disputes, temper the heir, and ensure Great Qin’s foundation lasted millennia.
Unbeknownst to him, this quest for immortality had already begun quietly influencing the power chessboard of the court.
He did not know what future events would lead Fusu to become the Zhaosheng Emperor.
But for now, what Ying Zheng wished to do was to leave more and more for Great Qin.
Even at any cost, he would not hesitate…
Meanwhile, in the western side hall, Ying Qingyue learned of this matter and her expression instantly turned cold.