The two fought like cockfighting roosters, neither willing to give an inch, their sharp exchanges creating an incredibly awkward atmosphere in the hall, as if frozen solid.
Seeing this, Meng Can quickly acted as a peacemaker, saying, "Minister of Justice, this is really your fault. The Grand Commandant finally managed to bring the states of Wei and Han into the Qin territory. How could you do something so disheartening at a time when disaster is imminent?"
"After the Grand Commandant's campaign... uh... conquered the states of Wei and Han, their populations still number at least three or four million. That's no small number! How can we abandon them?!"
Meng Can appeared to be trying to smooth things over, but in reality, he was biased towards the wicked husband, after all, several million people is no small number.
Since the Qin state had destroyed other states and assumed the responsibility of making them submit to Qin, if it were to abandon them now, it would be extremely difficult for Qin to eliminate the other four states in the future.
"Yes, Minister of Justice, that's where you're wrong!"
As soon as Meng Can spoke, countless voices of agreement rang out in the hall, all opposing Li Si's proposal.
Li Si's face turned ashen. As the Minister of Justice, one of the Nine Ministers, he found that everyone, regardless of rank, had come out to criticize him.
What did he do wrong?
This move not only preserved the Qin state and saved money and grain, but also reduced the risk of unrest among the former Han and Wei people. He believed he was right.
Left with no other choice, Li Si had to explain again, "Our Qin state has a strong army and a group of unparalleled generals, including the Grand Commandant. If they don't submit, we'll fight them until they do. Besides, hasn't this always been the Grand Commandant's philosophy?"
The wicked man was speechless, truly puzzled, wondering to himself why Li Si was behaving so strangely today.
The goal was to conquer the six states, but the methods could be changed at any time depending on the circumstances and other practical issues. Take the state of Wei, for example. Given the situation at the time, why bother committing unnecessary bloodshed and wasting time and effort?
Now look what's happened! Instead of me constantly shouting for war and killing, it's Li Si's turn to come?
This also shows that he had unknowingly distorted and influenced the values of the court officials.
"Li Si, I, the Grand Commandant, urge you to be kind!"
The wicked man exhaled a breath of foul air, "I once said that the seven kingdoms share the same roots and origins. Why resort to such tyrannical methods unless absolutely necessary?"
"If you want to kill them, why not keep them alive to harm other tribes?"
"Think about it, if we abandon the people of Wei and Han today, what price will our Qin soldiers have to pay if those four states are to be destroyed in the future?"
"Knowing that your Qin state is unjust, who would dare to submit?"
At this point, a cold smile appeared on his lips. "I'm afraid that by then, even children will have to take up swords and fight against the iron hooves of my Qin state."
Seeing Li Si remain silent, the wicked man continued, "Li Si, you and I both serve the Qin state, and we should work together for the future of Qin. We cannot be short-sighted and ignore the will of the people. Only by winning the hearts of the people can we truly achieve the unification of the world."
After observing from the sidelines for a long time, Ying Zheng finally spoke, "Li Si, what happened today... was a bit too cruel."
As soon as Ying Zheng spoke, Li Si immediately deflated. He realized that his status and influence in the court were ultimately inferior to that of the wicked man, and Ying Zheng's words had effectively shut him down.
He lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I only considered the long-term interests of the country, but I neglected the importance of the people's hearts. I will be more cautious in my actions in the future."
Ying Zheng nodded slightly, indicating his acceptance of Li Si's apology. He then turned to Efu, his tone tinged with admiration: "Efu, what you say makes a lot of sense. You and Li Si are both my right-hand men. I hope you can work together to achieve the great cause of unifying Qin."
As a ruler who strives for good governance, he cannot do without his wicked husband, but he also admires Li Si's abilities. This move is also to eliminate the estrangement between the two.
The wicked man smiled upon hearing this, giving Li Si a meaningful look. The latter, however, remained expressionless and bowed to him.
"alright!"
"Regarding disaster prevention, the Grand Commandant shall have full authority to make decisions and take charge, and strive to minimize the losses."
After saying this, Ying Zheng got up and left, clearly having no intention of continuing the court session. Zhao Gao glanced at the wicked man and Li Si, then shouted to dismiss the court and chased after Ying Zheng's retreating figure.
The crowd respectfully bid farewell to Ying Zheng and then turned to walk out of the hall.
Meng Can approached the wicked husband, "Grand Commandant, you may not know this, but Li Si and Han Fei were originally from the same school, yet their relationship is tense..."
"So you think you can act like this just because you're afraid of Han Fei?" The wicked husband glanced at Meng Can and said irritably.
According to historical records, King Zheng of Qin held Han Fei in the highest esteem and admired him greatly. In order to meet Han Fei, he ordered an attack on the State of Han, and the King of Han was forced to send Han Fei as an envoy to Qin.
However, Han Fei was not trusted or given important positions in the Qin state. He was later imprisoned by Li Si and died in prison not long after.
"Li Si, Li Si, you revealed yourself too early, so you can't be allowed to live." The wicked husband sighed, completely ignoring Meng Can's frozen expression beside him.
I thought that since he had traveled to an earlier era and I had been keeping him in check and training him, Li Si would change, at least he wouldn't collude with Zhao Gao to forge imperial edicts.
Now that things have happened, he has no intention of showing any leniency and causing himself trouble in the future.
Having made up his mind, the wicked husband strode quickly out of the palace, leaving Meng Can behind with a worried expression.
Outside the palace gates.
"Erhe, take me to the place where Han Fei is under house arrest."
"Yes, Grand Commandant!"
Zhang Erhe jumped onto the carriage, whipped the horse, and the carriage quickly drove away from the palace gate.
The carriage bumped along, and the wicked man inside closed his eyes in deep thought, plotting how to persuade Han Fei to serve Qin.
He knew that Han Fei's talent was no less than Li Si's. Both of them were students of Xunzi, and Han Fei could accomplish what Li Si could, so replacing him would not be a problem.
Soon, the carriage stopped.
"Grand Commandant, we've arrived!" Zhang Erhe's voice came from outside the carriage.
The wicked man opened his eyes, climbed out of the carriage, and frowned at the sight before him.
What came into view was an extremely simple and remote little house, heavily guarded and deserted. The wicked man took a deep breath and stepped towards the gate of the courtyard.
Upon seeing the wicked man, the guards immediately opened the gate respectfully. The wicked man entered the courtyard, followed by Zhang Erhe, who shouted loudly, "The Grand Commandant has arrived! Han Fei, come out and greet him immediately!"
A moment later, Han Fei strode to the front yard. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw his wicked husband, but he quickly regained his composure. "Han Fei greets the wicked Grand Commandant."
The wicked husband revealed a slight smile, "No need!"
Han Fei straightened up and led the wicked man to the front hall. The two sat facing each other, and the wicked man got straight to the point and stated his purpose.
“Mr. Han Fei, the State of Qin needs your talent. I am willing to vouch for you and give you the opportunity to serve the State of Qin,” the evil man said in a very sincere tone.
Han Fei was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Grand Commandant, I appreciate your kindness, but the Qin court is complicated, and my Han state was destroyed by Qin. How could I possibly serve for a mortal enemy?"
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