The Grand Commandant's residence, study.

The wicked husband was deep in thought, staring at a huge blueprint. It was the design for the new palace that he had rushed to complete overnight, and it now covered the entire table.

"Grand Commandant, you've been painting all night. Would you like to rest for a while?" Zhang Erhe brought over a bowl of hot soup and asked with concern.

"There's no time to rest!" The wicked husband said without looking up. "Brother Zheng is coming to see the blueprints tomorrow. This is the face of our Qin state; we can't afford to be careless!"

"But Grand Commandant, you've already drawn seven or eight..."

"That's because it's not perfect!" The wicked man finally raised his head, his eyes slightly red. "Look here, the main hall is grand, but it feels like it lacks a certain imposing presence. And look over here, the design of the corridors is too ordinary..."

He marked the map with a vermilion pen, muttering to himself, "The main hall should be twice as tall, at least five zhang high! The surrounding corridors should all be supported by modern pillars, each one reaching straight into the sky. The exterior walls should all be made of white cement, shining brightly in the sunlight..."

"That's way too high!" Zhang Erhe exclaimed in astonishment. "Five zhang (approximately 10 meters)! How tall would that be?"

"What's so special about this?" the wicked man exclaimed triumphantly. "Our new materials make this height nothing. Just you wait and see, once it's built, it'll leave the whole world speechless!"

Just then, an announcement came from outside: "The King has arrived!"

"What are you doing here so early?" The wicked husband was taken aback and quickly went out to greet him.

"How is it?" Ying Zheng strode into the study. "How's the drawing progress?"

"It's basically finished." The wicked husband unfolded the blueprints. "Look, this is my design for the new palace..."

Ying Zheng leaned closer for a closer look, and the more he looked, the more amazed he became: "Wonderful! Truly wonderful! Just looking at the picture, I can feel its magnificent grandeur. How tall is this main hall?"

"At least five zhang (approximately 10 meters)."

"Five zhang...isn't that a bit short sometimes?" Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Now that the six states have been destroyed and the world is unified, I must build an unprecedented palace to become the symbol of my Great Qin!"

"How high does it need to be?"

"At least ten zhang (approximately 33 meters)!" Ying Zheng declared decisively. "I want it to stand magnificently, so that envoys from all directions can see it from afar!"

The wicked man was startled. He had anticipated that the scale would be too small, but he hadn't expected it to be this high. However, after all, this was the first unified era, and even if it was high, he would still have to find a way to achieve it.

The Ganyang Palace of Emperor Yang of Sui was 270 feet tall.

Wu Zetian's Wanxiang Divine Palace is 98 meters tall!

Judging solely by his achievements, even if there were a technological gap of many years in between, it wouldn't make the First Emperor seem too shabby.

"Your Majesty, rest assured!" he said, bowing respectfully. "With this new type of cement, let alone ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), we can certainly build it with a little effort!"

"Excellent!" Ying Zheng became even more excited. "I will name this new palace..."

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's call it the Epang Palace!"

"The Epang Palace?" the wicked husband asked in bewilderment. "That name..."

"What? Is it not good?"

"No, no, no, very good!" The wicked husband quickly waved his hand!

"Haha!" Ying Zheng laughed loudly, "Do you know what Epang Palace is?"

The wicked man, pretending to be ignorant when he knew the truth, shook his head.

Ying Zheng smiled slightly, but didn't continue explaining. He pointed to the blueprints and said, "This main hall needs further modifications. Just being tall isn't enough; it needs to be grand! Add a side hall on each side, connected by a corridor..."

"Understood!" The wicked man wrote furiously. "How about this? Connect them with a double-layered corridor. The entire corridor will be made of poured cement..."

"Good!" Ying Zheng nodded repeatedly. "That's exactly right! By the way, what color should the outer walls be?"

"Pure white, of course!" the wicked husband declared. "Our cement is as white as jade, emitting a soft glow in the sunlight. Once completed, the entire palace will resemble a jade mountain, standing majestically between heaven and earth!"

"Jade Mountain..." Ying Zheng mused, "That's a good metaphor. Let the whole world know that our Great Qin not only possesses unparalleled martial prowess, but also ingenious craftsmanship!"

As they were talking, Zhang Erhe brought over another bowl of soup: "Grand Commandant, drink it while it's hot."

"Oh, right!" Ying Zheng then noticed his wicked husband's complexion, "You didn't sleep all night?"

"It's nothing." The wicked husband waved his hand. "This Epang Palace is of utmost importance; we must put in more effort..."

"Foolish!" Ying Zheng said sternly, "This is just the beginning. You'll have a lot of work to do later. Go and rest first, and recharge your energy before we talk."

"But the blueprints..."

"No rush," Ying Zheng said with a smile. "I've decided to tour the various regions, and I won't be back for at least three months. Take your time to refine it, and make sure it's absolutely perfect!"

After speaking, he examined the blueprints carefully again: "Oh, right, there should be a large square in front of the main hall for holding court assemblies. Several smaller halls should be built on either side for officials to rest. And a garden should be added behind it..."

"I have noted all of this down," the wicked man nodded. "However, Your Majesty, building such a large palace requires a great deal of manpower and resources..."

"That's none of your concern," Ying Zheng said decisively. "I have already ordered that supplies from all regions be prioritized for the Epang Palace. Just go ahead and get to work!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the wicked man exclaimed joyfully. "With your word, I will build this palace even if it takes me all my sleep!"

"Go away, go away!" Ying Zheng laughed and scolded, "I told you to go rest, but you insisted on being stubborn. Zhang Erhe!"

"exist!"

"Keep an eye on your Grand Commandant; make sure he gets a good night's sleep. That's an order!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Erhe replied, suppressing a laugh.

After Ying Zheng left, the wicked husband wanted to continue drawing, but Zhang Erhe dragged him away to rest. Lying in bed, he was still thinking about the drawings.

"The Epang Palace..." he murmured to himself, "Our Zheng'er's...white moonlight?!"

Gradually, his thoughts began to blur.

In his half-dreaming state, he seemed to see a magnificent palace rising from the ground, its white jade-like walls shimmering in the sunlight.

The winding corridors, like outstretched wings, support the towering main hall, making it seem as if it truly intends to take flight...

The next morning.

The wicked man opened his eyes, and without bothering to wash or groom himself, continued to draw up the blueprints.

This time, he wants to draw out all his ideas and let the world see what a true miracle is!

Meanwhile, Ying Zheng had already begun touring various regions with his civil and military officials.

His first stop was the State of Zhao.

Even though the State of Zhao bore witness to his unbearable and heartbreaking childhood, it was still the place where he was born and holds many memories.

Now that the State of Zhao has been destroyed by him, he has mixed feelings in his heart. How could he not go back to revisit the old place?