The wicked man sneered upon hearing this, "You even studied under Xunzi, learning the teachings of that sage, yet you do foolish things, wasting all your knowledge."
Han Fei's expression suddenly turned cold. With his country destroyed and his father dead, he was already prepared to die and had no fear left. He immediately mocked, "That is indeed not as good as the Grand Commandant, who wields thunderous killings and whose lives are comparable to those of Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi."
"Even after I die, I'm afraid I won't find peace!"
Enraged that the man dared to insult her husband, Zhang Erhe immediately drew his sword to behead him, shouting, "How dare you insult my Grand Commandant?!"
"Erhe!"
The wicked man remained unfazed, raised his hand to stop the enraged Zhang Erhe, and said calmly, "Let me ask you, do you acknowledge that the seven kingdoms are of the same race and origin?"
Han Fei snorted coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife as he stared directly at the wicked husband. "So what if we are of the same race and origin? Today, the seven kingdoms are in conflict, each serving its own master. When you slaughtered my Han people and killed my king, did you ever think of that?"
The wicked man chuckled, “I killed your Han people because of their blind loyalty and stubbornness, and I beheaded the King of Han and his nobles because of their injustice. You say I am tyrannical and bloodthirsty, then tell me why I did not slaughter the State of Wei?”
"Looking across the world today, who has the ambition to unify the six states like my Qin state? Who has the talent and strategy of my King of Qin?"
"Although you, Han Fei, are talented, you only know how to talk about benevolence and righteousness and do not know how to adapt. The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, it will unite, and after a long period of unity, it will divide again. This is the way of Heaven. My Qin state is following the way of Heaven and unifying the world. This is the trend of the times and cannot be stopped by human power."
Upon hearing this, Han Fei was furious, but he also knew that his husband's words were not without reason. However, he still harbored loyalty to his homeland and grief for his father, so he retorted: "The general trend of the world is not something you alone can control. Although Qin is strong, it is not invincible. If your Qin state continues to launch attacks, it will only cause suffering to the people of the world and ultimately reap what it sows."
"Furthermore, don't be too arrogant. Does the world really need your Qin state to survive, or that peace and prosperity can only be achieved through your Qin state?"
Upon hearing this, the wicked man's eyes flashed with a hint of approval, but it quickly turned cold again. "My Qin state unified the world precisely to end this endless war and allow the people to live a peaceful life?"
"The six states were nothing more than a precarious existence for my Qin state. The wheels of history will not change course because of a few stubborn separatist forces."
"The Qin kings of past dynasties worked tirelessly, and countless Qin soldiers died without regret. In contrast, what are the other six states doing?"
"Eating, drinking, and indulging in pleasure, enslaving the people, and frequently waging war are all for the sake of selfish desires."
Han Fei fell silent. As a prince of the state of Han, he was well aware of the sordid affairs that took place behind the scenes. He disdained them but was powerless to change them. His wicked husband's words had struck a nerve.
During his time in Xianyang, he gained a deeper understanding of the strength of the Qin state through various means, while the decline of the six states filled him with contradictions and struggles.
To be honest, Han Fei knew that the rise of the Qin state was an unstoppable trend, but deep down he still felt grief and resentment over the destruction of his homeland.
Seeing his silence and the constantly shifting expression on his face, he immediately delivered the final blow, "These days of continuous heavy rain have caused the water levels of rivers and lakes across the country to rise sharply, especially the Wei River..."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Han Fei's expression changed drastically. The safety of the Wei River was not just a matter for the Qin state itself; he knew that if the Wei River were to breach its banks, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He stared intently at the wicked husband and asked anxiously, "Is the Wei River going to overflow?"
The wicked man smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied with Han Fei's reaction. He slowly said, "The rains in Longxi, the source of the Wei River, are no less than those here in Neishi. Now, reports are coming in from all over that the water level of the Wei River is rising continuously!"
"The situation in the middle reaches is also not good. Meng Can returned to Xianyang and brought news that the water levels in Wei and Han, which are located in the middle reaches, are also rising sharply. If no measures are taken, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Han Fei's heart tightened. He knew that what the wicked man said was true. If the Wei River flooded, how would the people of Han, who had just experienced war, survive?
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and then asked in a low voice, "What are your plans?"
Seeing that Han Fei had finally taken the bait, the wicked man stopped being coy and said directly, "This Grand Commandant foresaw disaster before spring even arrived at the beginning of the year and made ample preparations, but your state of Han..."
Han Fei remained silent for a moment, realizing the hidden meaning in his husband's words. His stance and emotions intertwined to form a complex picture in his mind.
After a long silence, he finally seemed to resign himself to his fate, saying, "I am willing to put aside personal grievances and serve the Qin state. I hope the Grand Commandant will do his best to ensure the safety of the people of Han, and at least treat them the same as the people of Qin."
"Hahahaha..." The wicked man burst into laughter, then said in a serious tone, "Han Fei, don't take this as me threatening you."
Han Fei curled his lip, his threat practically undisguised; any further explanation would seem insincere!
"My Grand Commandant was indeed not lying to you!"
Just then, Ying Zheng's powerful voice came from outside, causing the two to subconsciously look outside.
Ying Zheng walked into the main hall with his hands behind his back, a mocking smile on his face. "At today's court assembly, your fellow disciple Li Si... almost got into a fight with the Grand Commandant." As he spoke, he winked at Zhao Gao.
Zhao Gao immediately understood and said sarcastically, "Han Fei, you and Li Tingwei are supposed to be from the same school, yet you show no regard for our friendship at all."
"What do you mean by that?" Han Fei was even more puzzled.
Zhao Gao laughed and said, "Li Tingwei has submitted a memorial to Your Majesty, earnestly requesting that Your Majesty abandon the people of Wei and Han, devote all efforts to protecting the safety of the people of Qin, and save money and grain."
Upon hearing this, Han Fei's face suddenly turned ashen. To be honest, the two brothers didn't actually have any deep-seated hatred; it was merely a matter of academic debate.
He had even been hoping to find an opportunity to meet Li Si and see if he could consider their shared background and find a way to let him return to Korea.
Zhao Gao didn't care what Han Fei thought, and continued to say, "If I were you, I would kneel down and kowtow twice to the Grand Commandant right now."
"If it weren't for the Grand Commandant's rebuttal, saying that since we have taken their land and taken in their people, we should treat them all equally, and how can we abandon them and do such unjust things when a great disaster strikes?"
"My king always says that the people of the seven states are of the same origin, and even if they are not under Qin's control, we cannot stand by and watch them die!"
"That's how Li Si's proposal was suppressed. You should know that at the time, many court officials agreed with Li Si's proposal, feeling that it was unnecessary to spend so much money on the people of Wei and Han."
The wicked husband secretly gave Zhao Gao a thumbs up. This eunuch was extremely clever, and he was very skilled at turning black into white.
Zhao Gao's two sentences were extremely clever, intended to make Han Fei feel respect and guilt, thus highlighting Ying Zheng's benevolence and the righteousness of a wicked husband.
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