Chapter 142 My Charming Ancestor 16
Ying Zheng did not answer.
A soft laugh suddenly echoed in the hall.
"kill?"
"For immortals, killing is the simplest method!"
Before he finished speaking, the killing intent in his eyes had already solidified into a tangible form!
"Zhao Gao! This eunuch betrayed his master for personal gain and framed loyal officials. He deserves to die! I will have him executed by slow slicing and his body hung on the city gate so that the whole world can see the consequences of betraying me!"
"As for Huhai..." Ying Zheng's lips curled into an extremely cruel smile. His eyes didn't seem to be talking about his son, but rather about an object.
"He doesn't deserve to die. I will build him a palace and keep him there like a pig or a dog! Let him live, let him witness firsthand how my Great Qin will last for ten thousand generations! He will be my... monument of shame for failing to raise a son properly, erected in the palace, a constant reminder to me!"
The humiliation of being alive is more terrible than death!
Zhou Jue felt a chill run down his spine. The man before him, having escaped his fate of death, had become even more terrifying than those recorded in history!
"And what about Li Si?" Zhou Jue asked the most crucial question.
"I need him." The rage in Ying Zheng's eyes slowly subsided, replaced by a cold-blooded control over everything.
"He is a knife, a knife that I have personally honed for twenty years. In the future, out of fear, he will stab my son and also the fruits of my labor."
“But…” he changed the subject, his voice becoming deep and somber.
"A good knife, when dull, can be sharpened; when rusty, it can be removed. Now that I have endless time, why should I break my own sharpest knife?"
He looked at Zhou Jue, his eyes burning with an unprecedented fire of ambition!
"The map the immortal showed me is so vast! My Great Qin is but a small part of the land. The northern campaigns against the Xiongnu, the southern conquests of the Baiyue... these are merely the beginning of my hegemonic ambitions!"
"What I want is a vast empire encompassing the four seas and eight wastelands, where all that is illuminated by the sun and moon is Qin territory! I need a sword that can clear obstacles for me and establish laws!"
"Li Si is still my sword! But this time, I will use stronger chains to firmly grip the hilt in my own hand!"
The emperor who was once lost, tormented, and self-doubting is now completely dead.
Instead, a new emperor emerged, whose ambitions swelled a thousandfold!
Without saying another word, he turned and strode to the palace gate, where he loudly issued his orders:
"Someone come here!"
"Issue my decree! Summon Prime Minister Li Si and bring him to see me!"
...
Xianyang, the Prime Minister's Residence.
The gates of the mansion were completely surrounded by the Imperial Guards.
Li Si knelt on the cold ground, his whole body seemingly drained of energy, his face ashen.
It's over.
When the immortal revealed the future and confessed his conspiracy with Zhao Gao, he knew that everything was over.
Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly, rising from a lowly granary guard in Shangcai, Chu State, to the position of Prime Minister of the Qin Empire, second only to the emperor, by stepping over the corpses of countless people.
In the end, this is how it all ended?
Is it a death sentence?
Or... exterminate their entire clan?!
He dared not think any further.
Just as he was utterly devastated and on the verge of fainting, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the mansion gate.
"His Majesty has decreed—"
"Summon Prime Minister Li Si to the palace for an audience immediately!"
The sharp summons, like a thunderclap, exploded in Li Si's ears.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
It wasn't an imperial edict ordering death?
Is it... a summons?
Endless fear and a sliver of barely perceptible hope were intertwined wildly within him.
He didn't know whether what awaited him was final judgment or... a glimmer of hope.
Under the "escort" of the Imperial Guards, Li Si once again staggered into the hall of power he thought he could never set foot in again.
He dared not raise his head, but knelt on the ground, using all his strength to slam his forehead heavily against the cold ground.
"Your Majesty, I, Li Si, pay my respects!"
Ying Zheng did not allow him to get up.
He looked down at the imperial prime minister, who was trembling and prostrating himself at his feet.
The main hall was deathly silent.
Every breath felt like a knife, slowly torturing Li Si's nerves.
Sweat soaked through his court robes, leaving a small water stain on the ground.
"Li Si, do you know your crime?"
Finally, a cold voice came from the throne, devoid of any emotion.
Li Si trembled violently, almost collapsing to the ground, his voice hoarse to the extreme: "This sinful subject... has failed Your Majesty's grace and deserves to die!"
"Oh? What crime have you committed?" Ying Zheng's tone was unreadable.
Li Si's heart was in his throat.
He knew this was the last chance His Majesty was giving him.
He was desperate. He seemed to have all his strength drained away. He said dejectedly, "This sinful subject... should not have colluded with eunuchs like Zhao Gao, and even more so... should not have... harbored prejudice against Prince Fusu and had... thoughts that should not have been harbored."
"Heh." Ying Zheng let out a cold laugh.
“You are not prejudiced against Fusu.”
"You're afraid! You're afraid that if Fusu ascends the throne, he'll settle scores with you, this cruel Legalist official! You're afraid that all your life's work will be in vain!"
"So, you chose Hu Hai, who was easier to control! You chose a useless person!"
"Li Si, Li Si, you are very clever."
"But you've misused your intelligence."
Ying Zheng slowly walked down the steps, step by step, until he stood before Li Si.
"Do you think that my empire and my son are something you, a mere subject, can choose and manipulate at will?!"
"Did you think that by choosing Huhai you were completely safe? I can tell you, the Huhai you chose will personally order you to be executed by being cut in half at the waist."
The emperor's imposing presence was like a mountain, pressing down on Li Si so much that he could hardly breathe.
"puff--"
Li Si could no longer bear it and spat out a mouthful of blood. He frantically kowtowed, his forehead instantly becoming a bloody mess.
"Your Majesty... I deserve to die! I deserve to die!" He kowtowed frantically, his forehead soon becoming a bloody mess.
"Death?" Ying Zheng looked down at him: "That's too easy for you."
Li Si's heart sank to the bottom.
However, Ying Zheng's next words stunned him completely.
"I'll give you one more chance."
Ying Zheng's voice restored the calm.
"An opportunity that will truly make you famous throughout history, an opportunity for Li Si to shine as brightly as the sun and the moon."
He turned abruptly and pointed to the huge world map!
"Lift your head! Look at this!"
Li Si looked in the direction of his finger and was struck dumb!
What is that?!
Beyond that black territory called "Great Qin," there actually... there was such a vast and boundless world?!
"I want you to continue being my prime minister."
"But what I want you to do is more than just be the Prime Minister of Qin."
"I want you to create a legal code for me and for the future eternal empire, a code that can be used throughout the world and to educate all barbarians!"
"I want you to cover every inch of that map with the writing system, weights and measures, and cart tracks of the Great Qin!"
"I want your name, Li Si, to become an insurmountable peak for all future ministers!"
Ying Zheng turned around, his eyes flashing like lightning, piercing straight into the depths of Li Si's soul!
"Li Si, are you... willing?"
Li Si stared blankly at the map, then looked at the emperor before him, who seemed to have been reborn, his body ablaze with raging flames.
His heart began to pound uncontrollably.
That's not fear.
It's excitement! It's thrill! It's the most primal desire in every scholar's heart to achieve great things and leave a lasting legacy!
One moment, it was hell.
This moment is paradise!
Overwhelming ecstasy overwhelmed all his reason!
"minister……"
He kowtowed violently, his voice trembling with extreme excitement, and roared out!
"Your Majesty, I am willing to give my life, even unto death!"
"Very good." Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction and personally helped Li Si up.
The emperor and his minister stood side by side before the enormous world map, as if they could already see the future where the Blackwater Dragon Flag would be planted all over the world.
After dealing with Li Si, Ying Zheng's thoughts returned to another name.
Xu Fu! Japan!
Deceiving the emperor! The crime of betrayal! A blood debt for a thousand years!
The murderous intent in his heart surged once more.
But this time, he wasn't blinded by anger.
He recalled the images Zhou Jue had shown him.
Those cannons capable of "splitting mountains and splitting rocks," those earth-shattering explosions, those deafening roars...
Why does it feel somewhat familiar?
He suddenly remembered!
Xu Fu!
When Xu Fu and his alchemists were making "elixirs of immortality" for themselves, the furnace would often explode due to incorrect heat or proportions!
Although the explosion was not nearly as terrifying as the one in the Immortal Mirror, the destructive power it generated in an instant was somewhat similar!
A crazy idea rose uncontrollably into his mind!
He turned around abruptly, his gaze fixed intently on Zhou Jue, who had remained silent.
"An immortal!"
His voice carried a hint of urgency and trembling that he himself was unaware of.
"What I just mentioned, that cannon that can split mountains and shatter rocks... Xu Fu often exploded his furnace while refining elixirs, and the sound was quite similar."
"Such divine power..."
He stared at Zhou Jue and asked, word by word.
"Can I build it?"
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