The weather hadn't changed much, but during the morning court session, the officials inexplicably felt a chill. There seemed to be some strange coldness in the air, making them feel a chill on their backs just by standing there.

The chill intensified as Ying Zheng stepped into the hall.

All the officials stood silently with their heads bowed, not daring to breathe loudly even as the steady footsteps landed above them.

They had heard about Ying Ye's recent rebellion. He was Ying Zheng's most beloved son, yet he had done something that truly surprised the officials.

From Ying Zheng's perspective, his feelings were probably even more complicated. At this critical juncture, the officials were naturally quite nervous, and everyone felt insecure.

After Ying Zheng sat down, Zhao Gao stood up and announced loudly, "The morning court session begins!"

As the voice rang out, all the officials bowed and clasped their hands in unison, saying, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty!"

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng's gaze fell indifferently downwards, and he said, "No need for formalities."

After the officials expressed their gratitude, he stood up.

Ying Zheng looked down and said, "You are all aware of what happened to Prince Ying Ye today, aren't you?"

The officials bowed slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Ying Zheng continued, "People say that blood is thicker than water. As my son, Ying Ye should think of the Qin Dynasty, but he chose to rebel. What do you all think is the reason for this?"

Although the question was raised, none of the officials answered; everyone lowered their heads and remained silent, and the court was completely quiet.

They would naturally participate in the discussion if it were an ordinary matter, but Ying Ye was a member of the royal family, and a favored prince who was once highly regarded by Ying Zheng.

Moreover, this matter involves a rebellion, which is a very sensitive topic even in the imperial court. After all, it involves many forces, and it is easy to give others ammunition to criticize if one is not careful.

If they were to say something wrong and displease Ying Zheng, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing that none of the officials answered, Ying Zheng continued, "Ying Ye's rebellion was a problem of his mindset. He was not prepared to become a part of the Qin Dynasty, which is why he did such a thing."

"But what concerns me most is that the boy chose to collude with outsiders in his rebellion. What do you all think is the reason for this?"

The question was asked again, but the officials remained silent with their heads down.

The court remained as silent as before, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ying Zheng frowned slightly. "What? As important officials of the Qin Dynasty, are you all unwilling to even speak in this court?"

Upon hearing this, all the officials bowed and said, "Your humble servants dare not!"

"Your humble servant would not dare!"

"Your humble servant would not dare!"

Wang Jian stepped forward again, cupped his hands and said, "This old minister believes that since the young master has such thoughts, he will surely seize every opportunity to help him, and Lu Ming is such an opportunity. After all, he not only has the same thoughts as the young master, but also has great strength."

"Young master must value these two aspects, which is why he is cooperating with us."

As a veteran general, he was highly respected and did not flinch even when facing Ying Zheng, and was able to express his meaning accurately.

Ying Zheng's eyes shifted slightly. "They share the same ideas and strength, which is why they formed an alliance..."

His eyes seemed to be deep in thought.

Li Si also stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "This humble subject believes that General Wang is right. The Lu family was destroyed by the Great Qin. Lu Ming's hatred for the Great Qin goes without saying. And the consequences of rebellion are serious, so it must not be revealed."

"If you, young master, also propose corresponding conditions, then Lu Ming will definitely be willing to form an alliance. In this way, there will be no need to worry about the news leaking out, which is absolutely a good thing for both parties. So it is normal for the two parties to form an alliance."

Ying Zheng looked at the two of them and asked, "What is more important than forming an alliance?"

Li Si was taken aback. "More important?"

Wang Jian frowned deeply, also quite puzzled.

They had all been carefully considering Ying Zheng's question and had given their answers, and Ying Zheng had not refuted them, so it seemed that they were right.

But now that Ying Zheng has asked this question, the two realize that Ying Zheng's question is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and must have a deeper meaning.

Ying Zheng stared intently at the two men, his gaze deep and unwavering. "Why did he dare?"

Upon hearing this, both Li Si and Wang Jian looked quite puzzled.

Ying Zheng suddenly roared, "Great Qin! It swept across the six kingdoms and unified the world! It is an absolute power, a behemoth that can overcome any predicament!"

"Such an existence, just by standing there quietly, should make them tremble and dare not show the slightest disrespect!"

"But Lu Ming is merely a descendant of a general, with only a small number of troops at his disposal, yet he harbors ambitions to shake the Great Qin Dynasty. Why does he dare to do this?!"

Every word he uttered was like thunder, shaking the hearts of all the officials. They stood there tensely, not daring to utter a word.

Ying Zheng looked at the officials below and continued, "If a mere Lu Ming dares to harbor such thoughts, then there are so many forces in the world stronger than him who are eyeing and waiting for the opportunity when Qin is weakened. Do you really think Qin is safe now?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jian suddenly spoke up, "They should know."

Li Si looked at him with considerable suspicion, "What do you know?"

Ying Zheng's gaze also fell on Wang Jian.

Wang Jian raised his head, his eyes burning, "We should let them know just how strong the Great Qin is."

“Ants will never provoke tigers. Only when they know the difference in strength between themselves and the Great Qin can they see their own position and truly submit.”

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng's eyes brightened slightly as he looked at Wang Jian. "What do you think should be done?"

His gaze was quite ardent, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

Wang Jian's gaze was deep and serious. "For those who are ignorant, only killing can make them see themselves clearly."