At that time, the six states had not yet been unified. He and his mother were in another country when they encountered war. He finally escaped and encountered the Qin army. He finally felt hopeful and begged Ying Zheng to lead people to rescue his mother.

He was kneeling on the ground then, feeling utterly powerless over everything, just as he is now.

Ying Ye knelt on the ground, his pupils gradually becoming dilated. "It's like this again."

With a weak and feeble voice, he could no longer support his body and collapsed to the ground.

······

When Ying Ye woke up again, he found himself in a prison cell.

The air was thick with the smell of decay, and screams echoed from the eerie corridor, making the already low temperature even colder.

Seeing this, Ying Ye's eyes darkened. "Will it succeed in Xianyang?"

He had no complaints about the defeat here, after all, Wang Jian's strength was undeniable, and his combat power was truly terrifying.

In terms of raw power, he was completely outmatched, and in terms of political maneuvering, his plans were almost entirely anticipated by Ying Zheng, who made preparations in advance to counter them, completely controlling him.

He was completely defeated on both fronts, so he had nothing more to say.

However, he still held out hope for Xianyang. After all, he knew very well how strong Lu Ming's army was this time, and he also knew how many troops had been transferred from Xianyang. With its troops weakened and its fighting strength depleted, he felt that there was little hope that Xianyang could stop Lu Ming's army.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch the king. As long as we take Xianyang, even if Wang Jian has already captured him, he will have no way to get rid of him.

Just as he was pondering, the sound of rattling chains rang out, the cell door opened, and a figure walked in.

Upon recognizing the figure, Lu Ming's expression changed slightly. "Father? How could this be?"

I thought it would be Wang Jian who came in, but it turned out to be Ying Zheng.

Seeing his surprised expression, Ying Zheng's eyes darkened slightly. "What? Do you think I've already been captured and wouldn't be here?"

Ying Ye looked at him, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "You also foresaw what happened in Xianyang this time?"

After much thought, he concluded that Ying Zheng's presence here meant Lu Ming had failed.

Upon closer examination, this emperor's scheming was unfathomable. What might seem like an extremely secretive plan to him was nothing more than a blatant child's game in his eyes.

Ying Zheng looked at him and asked, "What are your reasons for doing this?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Ye's gaze became rather evasive, and he lowered his eyes slightly.

Honestly, over the years he was in Qin, Ying Zheng treated him extremely well.

Whether it's clothing, food, housing, transportation, or respect for life, everything has been arranged perfectly for him.

Even though he wasn't his biological son, Ying Zheng took special care of him to prevent him from being bullied, giving him rare attention. Even in the deep palace, he was never slighted or humiliated.

To say that he has a clear conscience about rebelling based on this treatment is obviously false.

Seeing that he did not answer, Ying Zheng raised his voice a few decibels, as loud as thunder, "I am asking you, how could you do such a thing to the Great Qin, attempting to destroy it!"

A roar caused Ying Ye's entire body to tremble slightly.

He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and roared, "Didn't you kill my mother?!"

Ying Zheng's expression changed slightly.

Memories of the past resurfaced: back then, young Ying Ye knelt before him, tears streaming down his face, begging him to save his mother.

Looking at the pitiful child, Ying Zheng felt a slight wavering in his heart.

Wang Jian cupped his hands in greeting, "Do we need to change the original itinerary?"

If they were to save the boy's mother, they would have to change the army's route and alter their plans, which would have a significant impact on them at this crucial moment.

Ying Zheng's eyes darkened. "Proceed according to the original plan!"

After saying this, he ignored the child and left with his army.

The children were left standing there, stunned.

The original plan was perfect, and they won a great victory in that crucial battle, laying the foundation for the unification of the six kingdoms.

But when Ying Zheng led his army back, he saw the child sitting in front of his dead mother, crying his heart out.

As his memories faded, Ying Zheng looked at Ying Ye, whose eyes were filled with rage, and said, "You think it was I who killed her?"

Ying Ye glared at him, "Our army was so powerful back then. If you had been willing to go to the rescue, Mother would never have died!"

Ying Zheng roared, "Short-sighted!"

A roar instantly silenced Ying Ye.

He stared at Ying Ye and continued, "If the plan had been changed back then, Qin might have been defeated, and how many people would have suffered? Do you understand?"

"Just because of your mother, does that mean I have to sacrifice countless mothers?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Ye's expression froze, and he was immediately speechless.

Ying Zheng's gaze was calm. "Even if you resent me, I will not regret that decision. As the king of Qin at that time, I will make the choice that is most beneficial to Qin!"

The anger in Ying Ye's eyes dissipated, and his expression became very complicated, filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Ying Zheng continued, "But I don't think you did anything wrong. It's just that we're on different sides, and I won't agree with you!"

"But since you have made a mistake, you should be punished accordingly."

Ying Ye lowered his head and didn't say anything more.

Ying Zheng looked at him and said, "There is never right or wrong in this world, only strength and weakness. If you think that is the right thing to do, then you should show the corresponding strength."

After saying this, he turned and left the cell.

Ying Ye remained seated on the ground, seemingly lost and unresponsive.