Chapter 137 My Charming Ancestor 11

The main hall of Xianyang Palace is magnificent.

As Zhou Jue and Ying Zheng walked side by side through the long corridor and stepped into the court hall, which could accommodate a thousand people, Zhou Jue couldn't help but pause for a moment.

It was too big, too spacious, too majestic; power was solidified here.

People were already waiting inside the hall.

In addition to Wang Ben, Feng Quji, and others whom we had met before, there were also some new faces.

One of them stood at the very front, dressed in brocade robes, wearing a jade crown, with a handsome face and a gentle, refined demeanor.

Upon seeing Ying Zheng, he immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Your subject, Fusu, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty back to the palace."

Fusu! It was him all along.

The most renowned prince of the Qin Empire, the tragic crown prince who committed suicide by sword because of a forged imperial edict.

He's as handsome as jade, a true gem! The rumors online are absolutely true!

She couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times.

A rare gentleness appeared on Ying Zheng's face. He helped Fusu up and patted him on the shoulder: "Get up."

Then he turned and walked toward the supreme throne, but did not sit down.

He turned around, stood on the steps, and scanned everyone in the hall with his eyes.

"I have summoned you all here today for two matters," Ying Zheng's voice echoed in the hall.

"Firstly, it is Immortal Xie."

He turned around, faced Zhou Jue, and bowed solemnly.

"The immortals bestowed upon me superior seeds and, through the technique of 'shrinking the earth to an inch,' bought at least a month of time for Great Qin and for me. This kindness will be forever etched in the hearts of me and all the people of Great Qin."

"Your Majesty is too kind," Zhou Jue returned the bow.

Ying Zheng straightened up, his gaze becoming profound once again.

"My lords, please take your seats. Immortal, please." The First Emperor gestured for everyone to sit down.

Then, he looked at Zhou Jue and asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time, a question that all emperors wanted to know the answer to.

"I still have a question that I would like to ask the immortal."

"Immortals can see the future in the long river of time."

"May I ask, immortal..."

He paused, then asked, "Can my Great Qin Dynasty enjoy a foundation that lasts for ten thousand generations and remains stable for a thousand autumns?"

Here it comes!

Zhou Jue's heart skipped a beat.

She knew this problem would come sooner or later, but she didn't expect it to come so quickly and so directly.

In front of Fusu, in front of Li Si, in front of Zhao Gao... in front of all the civil and military officials.

Her gaze unconsciously swept over the prince and his entourage.

Li Si kept his head down, making it impossible to see his expression, but his slightly tense shoulders betrayed his nervousness.

Wang Ben, on the other hand, looked expectant and confident. In his view, with immortals and divine objects, wasn't it only natural that the Qin Dynasty would last for ten thousand generations?

Zhao Gao, on the other hand, kept his eyes down and his mind at rest, as if he had no presence at all.

Fusu, on the other hand, had eyes filled with the boundless longing and hope for an ideal and prosperous world, a sentiment unique to Confucian scholars.

To speak or not to speak?

She took a deep breath and made her decision.

A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.

Some boils must be cut out with the sharpest knife in order to heal.

"His Majesty……"

"In the future I see, time flows and dynasties rise and fall; there is no dynasty that lasts forever."

Ying Zheng only frowned slightly. In fact, he had guessed it. He had suspected it when the immortal said that the country would not last forever, but the civilization would last forever. Sure enough, it was true.

“However…” Zhou Jue changed the subject, giving them a glimmer of hope: “There are also dynasties that have lasted for nearly eight hundred years.”

Eight hundred years!

Li Si suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

The Zhou Dynasty is said to have ruled for eight hundred years. If the Qin Dynasty could last for eight hundred years, that would be an unprecedented feat!

Ying Zheng's expression softened slightly.

"And what about my Great Qin?" he pressed.

Zhou Jue fell silent.

She looked at Ying Zheng, at Fusu, at Li Si, and at Zhao Gao.

Finally, he slowly uttered six words.

"The Qin Dynasty perished after only two generations."

Boom—!!!

It was like a thunderbolt from the sky, exploding in everyone's mind!

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

The second emperor...died?

What's the meaning?

Does that mean... it died out after the second generation?

How...how is this possible?!

"Thump!"

The first to react was Prime Minister Li Si.

His legs buckled, and he collapsed heavily to his knees, his forehead slamming against the cold ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Immortal! This statement...this statement is absolutely unacceptable!"

He was rambling incoherently; he didn't know if he was questioning the immortals, comforting the emperor, or simply venting his inner fears.

"Splash! Splash!"

Immediately afterwards, Wang Ben, Feng Quji, Zheng Guo... all the ministers knelt down.

The color drained from their faces, and their eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.

Great Qin!

That mighty Qin Empire, which swept across the land, unified the eight wastelands, standardized cart tracks and written language, was unprecedented in history and its power extended to all corners of the world!

The immortal actually said that it can only be passed down to the second generation?

This is more terrifying to them than the sky falling down!

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please forgive me!!"

Zhao Gao, who was in the corner, was so frightened that he fell to his knees and prostrated himself on the ground, unable to utter a complete sentence.

The entire hall was filled only with the sounds of fearful kowtows and heavy breathing.

Everyone was kneeling.

There were only three people, still sitting.

Zhou Jue, Ying Zheng, and Fusu.

Zhou Jue watched the scene unfold before her, her heart filled with turmoil. She knew how powerful this bomb was.

As for Fusu, his face was as white as a sheet of paper.

Died after only two generations...

My father was the First Emperor, so the Second Emperor... wasn't he him?

He felt his body growing cold uncontrollably.

Am I... a king who lost his country?

He dared not think any further.

However, to everyone's surprise, it was Ying Zheng.

He did not fly into a rage, nor did he lose his composure, nor did he show the slightest sign of panic.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on his eldest son, Fusu.

That gaze, calm and profound, made Fusu's heart sink.

He knew what his father was thinking.

He moved his lips, as if trying to explain something, but found his throat so dry that he couldn't utter a single word.

Just then, Zhou Jue's voice rang out again.

"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone like a thunderclap.

Ying Zheng's gaze finally shifted from Fusu and returned to Zhou Jue's face.

"The second generation I am referring to is not Prince Fusu."

What? !

Li Si and the others, who were kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised their heads.

Fusu was also taken aback, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Huh? Not me? Then who is it?

"When the First Emperor died at Shaqiu, the treacherous minister Zhao Gao conspired with Prime Minister Li Si to forge an imperial edict, forced Prince Fusu to commit suicide, altered the will, and installed... Huhai as emperor."

"Hu Hai became the Second Emperor of Qin."

"After he ascended the throne, he acted perversely, persecuted members of the royal family, and indiscriminately killed meritorious officials. The people had long suffered under the Qin regime, so they rose up in rebellion, and war raged everywhere."

Ultimately, the Qin Dynasty perished at its hands.

Li Si!

Zhao Gao!

These two names are like two death warrants!

Li Si's body swayed violently. He looked at Zhou Jue in disbelief, then at Zhao Gao, who was now deathly pale.

Forged imperial edict?

Did they force Fusu to his death?

Should Hu Hai be enthroned?

He... he would do such a thing?

No! Impossible!

How could he betray His Majesty?!

As for Zhao Gao, he was completely dumbfounded.

His mind was blank, with only the words "forged edict" and "establishing Huhai" echoing wildly in his head.

Does he...do he have the guts?

He...he succeeded? And then...the Qin Dynasty fell?

No……

"Please spare me, Your Majesty! Please spare me!!"

Zhao Gao suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream that was not human. He kowtowed wildly in the direction of Ying Zheng, the bricks hitting the ground with a loud thud. Soon, his forehead was covered in a bloody mess.

"I did not! I dare not! My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as heaven and earth, as evident as the sun and moon!!"

"Your Majesty, the immortal is wise! Your Majesty is wise!!"

He dared not question the immortal's words, for the immortal was referring to the "future," to something that "would happen."

He could only beg for mercy!

As for Li Si, the prime minister of Qin, after the initial shock, all that remained was deep fear.

He looked at Zhao Gao, who seemed to have gone mad, and then at the expressionless emperor on the steps.

He knew it was over.

Everything is over.

Whether he did it in the future or not, he was already dead when the immortal revealed it.

An emperor would never tolerate someone who might "betray" him in the future living in the world.

Li Si's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with nothing but death.