The city of Xianyang was in complete disarray.
The streets were littered with corpses, houses were burned down, and cries and the sounds of fighting filled the air.
Groups of starving people, armed with farm tools and rudimentary weapons, fought fiercely with government troops.
"The situation is worse than we imagined," Ying Zheng frowned. "We must get to the palace as soon as possible."
The two avoided the main battlefield and moved quickly along the alley.
Along the way, they encountered several obstacles, but the wicked husband easily broke through them with his godlike strength and martial prowess.
Finally, they arrived near the palace.
Tens of thousands of starving people had surrounded the palace, and the imperial guards were on high alert, ready to pounce at any moment.
"Report—" a soldier rushed out of the palace, shouting, "Something terrible has happened! The Eastern Palace has been breached, and the rebels have stormed into the inner palace!"
Upon hearing this, the garrison commander was terrified: "Quickly! Protect the main hall with all your might! His Majesty is still inside!"
Ying Zheng and his wicked husband exchanged a glance, then quickened their pace and rushed into the palace.
Inside the palace, chaos reigned.
Palace maids and eunuchs fled in all directions, the defending troops were defeated one after another, and the rebels had already stormed into the square in front of the main hall.
"Charge into the main hall! Capture the tyrant!" shouted the leading rebel leader.
"Protect His Majesty!" The Imperial Guard general led the last batch of elite troops to guard the main hall gate with all their might.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle in the square, their shouts of battle deafening.
Ying Zheng and his wicked husband avoided the main battlefield and entered the main hall through a side door.
Inside the hall, Ying Jing paced anxiously back and forth, while the civil and military officials were pale-faced, some even trembling with fear.
"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead men out and carve a bloody path for Your Majesty!" a general knelt down and said.
Ying Jing shook his head: "No need. The people in the city have already rebelled. Even if they break out of the main hall, where can they go?"
"Your Majesty, then..." Prime Minister Li Ping hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
"I understand." Ying Jing gave a bitter smile. "It seems the foundation of the Qin Dynasty will ultimately be destroyed by my own hands. So be it, the victor is king, the loser is villain; such is fate."
Just then, an even more intense shout of battle came from outside the hall.
Immediately afterward, the sounds of fighting subsided, followed by exclamations of surprise: "The Ancestral Dragon Emperor?! Lord Martial King?!"
"This..." Ying Jing and his officials looked at each other, not knowing what had happened.
The palace doors swung open, and two figures strode in.
One was majestic as a mountain, the other was iron-willed and composed; they were none other than Ying Zheng and his wicked husband.
"Great-grandfather? King Wu's grandfather?" Ying Jing stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Portraits and sculptures of Ying Zheng and his wicked husband can be found everywhere, and no Qin person could possibly be unfamiliar with them.
The wicked man coldly surveyed the crowd in the hall: "With the First Emperor Ying Zheng before you, why don't you all quickly pay your respects?"
The officials, utterly bewildered, instinctively knelt down in unison: "Greetings, Ancestral Dragon Emperor! Greetings, Lord Martial King!"
Ying Jing also knelt down, tears streaming down his face: "Great-grandfather, your grandson is incompetent, causing Qin to fall into such a predicament. I deserve to die!"
The wicked man stepped forward and roared, "Useless trash! The foundation that His Majesty and I painstakingly built has been squandered by you!"
Ying Zheng waved to his wicked husband to calm down, then asked, "What's the situation outside?"
A general stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the starving people in the city have rioted and stormed the palace. If it weren't for your timely arrival and that of Lord Wu, the main hall would likely have already been breached."
"Why did they riot?" the wicked man asked coldly.
"Years of famine and heavy taxes have made it impossible for the people to survive," Li Ping replied with shame.
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, then looked at Ying Jing and decisively said, "Child, immediately issue an edict to open the granaries and distribute grain to relieve the disaster victims. At the same time, announce that I and King Wu have returned to the mortal realm and will personally govern the country."
Ying Jing quickly agreed, "Your grandson obeys!"
"Li Ping, quickly draft an edict and send it throughout the country, announcing the resurrection of the First Emperor and the return of King Wu. Suspend all military operations until we understand the situation before making a decision."
"I obey your decree!"
"You may all return to your residences and await my summons. I intend to reorganize the government and rectify official corruption."
"Your Majesty, we obey!"
After everyone left, only Ying Zheng, the wicked husband, and Ying Jing remained in the hall.
Ying Zheng walked to the window, gazed at the chaotic scene outside, and sighed deeply: "Ying Jing, is it? Tell us in detail what has happened all these years."
Ying Jing knelt down and kowtowed, recounting the changes that had occurred since his ascension to the throne.
Years of natural disasters have led to poor harvests!
Corrupt officials levy exorbitant taxes!
The border regions are in turmoil, and troops are being deployed on all fronts!
The national treasury is empty, and the people are suffering!
When discussing border unrest, Ying Jing specifically mentioned: "My grandfather, King Wu, implemented a policy of annihilation against foreign tribes, which indeed weakened their strength. However, my grandfather, Fusu, believed that complete extermination was not a benevolent act, so he spared some subjugated slaves and commoners."
"Later, some of these foreign tribes rendered meritorious service, and my grandfather allowed some of them to return to their ancestral lands. Over the years, they have gradually recovered. Especially in recent years, the imperial court has been preoccupied with other matters and has relaxed its control over the borders, allowing these ethnic groups to grow stronger again and begin to harass the border regions."
The wicked husband frowned upon hearing this: "Fusu was ultimately merciful; he shouldn't have spared them in the first place! The barbarian wolves' ambitions will always be a great threat!"
Ying Zheng waved his hand: "Things have come to this point, complaining is useless. The most urgent task is to quell the unrest in Xianyang before we can plan anything else."
He turned to Ying Jing: "You go and arrange for the opening of the granaries and the distribution of grain. You must personally supervise the process to ensure that the grain truly reaches the hands of the people."
Ying Jing accepted the order and left, leaving only Ying Zheng and his wicked husband in the hall.
"Old brother, although we have been gone for more than sixty years, the bloodline of Qin still remains in my heart. Now that Qin is in imminent danger, we must do everything we can to save it," Ying Zheng said solemnly.
The wicked man solemnly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost to restore the glory of the Qin Dynasty!"
Ying Zheng nodded: "I trust you, but time is limited. We must quickly reorganize the court and establish long-term strategies."
The wicked man smiled confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured."
"Yes, we are, after all, people who have already departed this world. To be able to return is against all reason, and we don't know when we will leave again!"
The wicked man remained silent for a moment, then said firmly, "No matter how long or short it takes, I will do my utmost!"
Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction: "Very good. Another day, we will inspect the city together and see what our Great Qin has become in the past sixty years."
Just as the two were talking, cheers erupted outside.
Ying Jing had already begun distributing food. The starving people were overjoyed to hear the news of the return of the Ancestral Dragon Emperor and King Wu. They laid down their weapons and knelt down to worship.
In a short time, the turmoil gradually subsided, and people's hearts gradually stabilized.
A sharp glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes: "Rest assured, I will handle this personally after I understand the situation. Those foreign tribes who dare to shake the foundations of my Great Qin will pay the price!"
The wicked man bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I still wish to serve as your vanguard, just as I did back then, to quell the rebellion!"
Two once-great figures stood by the window, gazing at the gradually calming city, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
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