Chapter 29 My Lord, do not be hasty; if you have recruited Yu, you will surely recruit Liang!

Ying Zheng read the entire "Legend of Chu and Han".

Not only was he watching, but all the officials and members of the imperial family were watching as well. The hall was deathly silent; even the most talkative Confucian scholars held their breath, afraid of missing any crucial plot points. Some were sore-faced they were practically turning blue, yet they still refused to get up to use the restroom—who knew if the next scene would depict Xiang Yu's return? Who knew if Liu Bang would do something truly shocking?

Chunyu Yue was the most engrossed in watching, his eyes wide open, even pulling out a few hairs from his beard. He had to see it; he had to see it with his own eyes—Ying Zheng burning books and burying scholars alive, Xiang Yu slaughtering nobles, Liu Bang abandoning his wife and children, even using his own father's life as a bargaining chip… These things wouldn't be written so vividly in history books.

Initially, the Confucian scholars scoffed at Liu Bang. A vulgar street ruffian, spewing crude language and kicking people's backsides at the drop of a hat—could such a person become emperor? Every time Liu Bang appeared, they would slam their fists on the table and curse him: "Shameless! Despicable! Petty man!"

But as they continued arguing, they gradually realized—

Hey, this guy actually won.

Not only did he win, he actually became emperor.

What astonished them even more was that Liu Bang actually made a high position in the Confucian scholar Shusun Tong, allowing him to establish court etiquette so that those Confucian scholars who had once looked down on him could stand in the court dressed in fine clothes.

"This..." The Confucian scholars looked at each other, their lips moved a few times, but in the end they did not utter any more curses.

Someone muttered under their breath, "Didn't Confucius say, 'The highest good is like water, which has no constant shape'...?"

Yes, water can adapt to any container, and Liu Bang seems to be much more flexible than they imagined.

They stole glances at Ying Zheng, who sat high on the dragon throne, recalling his ruthless burning of books and burying of scholars alive, and then contrasting it with Liu Bang's roguish attitude of "as long as it works, what does shame matter?"...

Suddenly I feel like... it's not entirely unacceptable?

At least, Liu Bang wouldn't bury you alive just because you said the wrong thing.

Inside the main hall, someone let out a soft "heh."

Ying Zheng sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down at the crowd below, whose hearts were filled with restless anticipation.

Especially when he saw Han Xin, an unknown man who had become a great general, Ying Zheng could hear the breathing of the soldiers holding weapons in the hall, each breath filled with longing.

Who wouldn't look forward to this moment?

All eyes are on us.

It seems that following Liu Bang is quite good, and everyone's heart is restless.

Only the nobles and meritorious officials in Xianyang could view Liu Bang and Xiang Yu calmly and even with resentment. Once subjects, now prisoners. They were meritorious nobles of the Qin Dynasty, and they were full of confidence that Xiang Yu would treat them well, but they did not expect that he would kill them directly.

The old Qin nobleman touched his neck. It turned out that when they died, there was no difference between them and their servants; their blood was red, and they were just as humble when they begged for mercy.

When the scene from "The Legend of Chu and Han" played where Han Xin was lured and killed by Empress Lü in the Chang Le Bell Chamber, the air in the entire Xianyang Palace seemed to freeze. The flames on the lampstands suddenly began to flicker violently, casting distorted shadows of the court officials onto the walls, like a chaotic dance of demons.

When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked.

Upon hearing these words, Ying Zheng's fingers unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on the screen showing Han Xin bound with hemp rope. The military genius who had once fought a desperate battle and ambushed from all sides was now being stabbed under the fingernails of a group of women.

"So that's how it is..." Ying Zheng suddenly chuckled, "This is Liu Bang's magnanimity."

They couldn't even tolerate a single subject.

Although it was Empress Lü who killed Han Xin on the surface, Ying Zheng knew that if Liu Bang hadn't secretly instructed her, would Empress Lü have killed Han Xin?

A young and capable subordinate is like a powerful weapon for a country. Unfortunately, Liu Bang treated him as his own weapon, even taking him down with him in death.

Ying Zheng never acted this way. He treated his meritorious officials well and allowed them to die peacefully. Generals like Wang Jian and Meng Tian are still in the court today. Although Li Si had a history of corruption, he was able to save his life.

On screen, Han Xin was stuffed into a sack, and Empress Lü ordered palace servants to beat him with bamboo sticks, his screams echoing through the hall. Ying Zheng frowned slightly and turned to look at the generals in the hall—Wang Jian's face was ashen, Meng Tian clenched his fists, and even the usually composed Li Xin gritted his teeth.

"Your Majesty," Meng Tian suddenly stepped forward, his voice low and deep, "If one day my merits overshadow yours, please grant me a cup of poisoned wine."

He would rather die from a cup of poison than suffer humiliation.

Ying Zheng's gaze sharpened, then he laughed loudly: "What do you mean by that, Meng Qing? If I cannot even tolerate meritorious officials, how can I tolerate the world?" He was not Liu Bang; even if he were alive, Liu Bang might not have been able to achieve this great feat.

The TV series says that three dragons emerge together.

Ying Zheng didn't think so. If he didn't die, would those two "dragons" dare to come out?

He stood up, his black dragon robe gleaming majestically in the candlelight: "Liu Bang killed Han Xin because he was narrow-minded. I am different—I want a dynasty that lasts for generations, not just short-term gains."

The scene on the screen continued, and Ying Zheng watched the street ruffian singing the Great Wind Song, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

“Hei Fu,” he suddenly spoke, “tell Magistrate Jiang that if I have the opportunity, I would like to meet this…Emperor Gaozu of Han.”

They stole so much from the Qin Dynasty, yet they dare to call themselves the Han Dynasty? Wouldn't it be more accurate to call them the Qin Dynasty?

A commotion erupted in the hall. Li Si hurriedly stepped forward, not forgetting to cover his backside: "Your Majesty, this concerns the future, I'm afraid..."

"It's alright." Ying Zheng raised his hand to interrupt. "I just want to ask why he killed Han Xin."

His gaze swept over the assembled officials, and his voice was steady and powerful: "In my court, those who have rendered meritorious service will surely die a good death. This is my promise to you all."

Blatant and outright comparison and denigration.

Who says men don't have their little schemes? Ying Zheng did this without any shame, stepping on old scoundrels to elevate himself.

Wang Jian suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down his face: "This old minister...is willing to die for Your Majesty!"

Meng Tian, ​​Li Xin, and others knelt down, their voices echoing throughout the palace: "We are willing to die for Your Majesty!"

——

Early in the morning, the office of the clerk in Songyang County was fully staffed, except for Hei Fu.

"Why isn't Hei Fu here yet?" Yuchi Jingde wrung his hands anxiously. "I don't even dare to go to the outhouse, for fear of missing the good show of the First Emperor beating his son!"

Suddenly, a flash of white light.

Hei Fu had dark circles under his eyes, and his collar was covered in dust. The crowd swarmed around him, almost knocking him over.

"How about it? Did the First Emperor hang Hu Hai up and whip him?" Yuchi Jingde's loud voice shook the roof beams, causing dust to fall.

Hei Fu took a swig of cold water and lowered his voice mysteriously: "His Majesty has demoted Hu Hai to a commoner."

"Huh?" Everyone in the room was stunned.

"That's it?" Qin Shubao's mouth gaped open. "Not torn apart by chariots? Not subjected to the five punishments?"

"Prince Huhai is still a child and cannot be subjected to severe punishment; the only option is to tattoo his face." Even that is already quite severe.

“You didn’t see it…” Hei Fu wiped his sweat, “His Majesty almost strangled Prince Huhai to death, and it was only thanks to Prince Fusu that he was saved.”

Prince Fusu is better; he's kind.

Zhou Yu paused for a moment, then said, “Indeed, we cannot punish people in the present by future events. Hu Hai is still a child and is too innocent.”

The future is mysterious and yet has already changed.

Zhou Yu took it all in stride.

Hei Fu recounted how Li Si and Zhao Gao were dealt with, gesturing as he said, "Li Si was given thirty strokes of the cane and imprisoned, and Zhao Gao fared even worse—" He lowered his voice, "His Majesty said he would have to endure being torn apart by chariots and subjected to all five forms of torture..."

"Serves you right!" Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde exclaimed in unison, feeling as refreshed as if they had drunk ice cream on a sweltering summer day. Only then did Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao feel a little better.

That eunuch deserved it.

"Then why do you still look like this?" Zhou Yu saw that Hei Fu's face was still very pale, and he knew that something was wrong, so he asked him a few words of concern.

Hei Fu looked miserable, on the verge of tears: "The King read the Legend of Chu and Han and said that if Magistrate Jiang ever recruits Xiang Yu or Liu Bang, I should execute them on the spot."

Who should be executed on the spot?

Xiang Yu?

"You?!" Yuchi Jingde's copper bell-like eyes widened even more, and he slapped Hei Fu's back with his fan-like hand, almost knocking him to the ground. "Xiang Yu could lift a cauldron, but you can't even touch the handle of a cauldron!"

Qin Shubao suppressed a laugh and added, "I'm afraid if Xiang Yu sneezes, you'll be sent flying three zhang away."

While the claim may be exaggerated, Xiang Yu's fighting prowess was by no means exaggerated. Xiang Yu was a renowned war god-like figure, and his fighting strength is recorded in extremely exaggerated terms in both official history and literary works.

In the Battle of Julu, he led 50,000 Chu troops to defeat 400,000 Qin troops, winning nine battles in nine victories. In the Battle of Pengcheng, 30,000 cavalrymen routed 560,000 Han troops, pursuing them to the Sui River where "more than 100,000 died." In the Battle of Gaixia, he led 28 cavalrymen to break through the encirclement of Han Xin's 300,000-strong army, killing hundreds of people on horseback. What does this mean?

This is what cheating in video games looks like, isn't it?

Killing a black man is as easy as slicing a watermelon.

Hei Fu cried even harder. He had actually watched the TV series and knew about it, but what could he do when the king said that? Snot bubbles were even coming out of his nose: "I...I can drug him..."

How much medicine would it take to incapacitate Xiang Yu?

A glass of plain water laced with sleeping potion—who wouldn't notice something fishy is going on?

Zhou Yu couldn't help but chuckle: "If Magistrate Jiang really summons Xiang Yu, even if we tied up the entire yamen together, we wouldn't be enough for him to beat."

That was a very apt remark. Jiang Ge arrived just in time to hear it and smiled knowingly: "Get to work."

Two flowers bloom, and two stories unfold.

Let's talk about how Zhou Yu was recruited by an immortal.

Rumors about Zhou Yu being recruited from Jiangdong were rampant, and some people even witnessed him disappearing in a flash of white light on his way to work.

Now you have to believe it even if you don't want to; destiny is in Wu's hands.

The rumor that Zhou Yu was recruited by an immortal was so widespread that even Liu Bei had heard about it.

Upon learning the news, Liu Bei immediately summoned his ministers for a meeting.

Fa Zheng advised: "If Zhou Yu can truly travel to and from the celestial realm, he will surely bring back wondrous items. Our army should prepare accordingly."

If the spies hadn't risked their lives to guarantee it was true, they wouldn't have believed such an absurd thing. If there truly was a Mandate of Heaven, it should be on their lord.

Since the Han Dynasty, there has been the "Golden Knife Prophecy".

In traditional Chinese characters, "刘" can be broken down into "卯金刀" (Mao Jin Dao), thus the golden knife becomes a metaphor for the surname Liu.

Prophecies often foreshadow in a veiled way that the Liu family will gain the throne or restore the Han dynasty.

There was even a prophecy:

"The Red Han Dynasty is revived, and the Liu family is given a new mandate."

"The prophecy of the golden knife foretells that the Liu family will rule."

In terms of destiny, no one fits it better than Liu Bei, after all, he was a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a great-grandson of Emperor Jing of Han, a grandson of Liu Xiong, and a son of Liu Hong.

Zhang Fei slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter: "Brother! In my opinion, it would be better for me, Old Zhang, to lead three thousand elite cavalry straight to Jiangdong, grab that pretty boy Zhou Yu, and get to the bottom of things! If he dares to play any tricks, my eighteen-foot spear will not hesitate to strike!"

Liu Bei stroked his long beard, his brows furrowed: "Third brother, you must not be rash. The Jiangdong navy is elite, and Zhou Yu is also very resourceful..." Before he could finish speaking, he let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with worry.

The generals in the hall all looked anxious, except for Zhuge Liang, who calmly waved his feather fan, a faint smile playing on his lips. Zhang Fei, seeing this, glared angrily, his beard bristling: "You damned Zhuge Liang! Jiangdong is practically pissing on our necks, and you're still here..."

"Yide!" Liu Bei called out softly, then noticed the strategist's expression and a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "Kongming is so calm, could it be that you already have a good plan?"

What are some good strategies to fight against immortals?

Liu Bei was unaware that Zhuge Liang's brilliant strategy was not to oppose the immortals, but to join them. If the immortals' recruitment was true, they should have recruited others after recruiting Zhou Yu.

Zhuge Liang lightly tapped his feather fan, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting: "My lord, do not be hasty. If you have recruited Yu, you must also recruit Liang!"

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Author's Note: I've seen many readers asking about the specific update times. Due to ranking issues, updates will likely be before midnight for the next couple of days. I'll let everyone know later. Please add my pre-order novel to your favorites! [kiss][kiss] Thank you for your comments, and thank you to those who mentioned their favorite historical figures in the comments. I will consider them. Thank you for helping me broaden my horizons! [cheering]