The hall erupted in uproar, with ministers expressing shock and indignation.
"Your Majesty, this matter is of a grave nature and must be thoroughly investigated!"
"This is a challenge to the dignity of the imperial court, and it must not be tolerated!"
"It must be those corrupt officials who, knowing their crimes had been exposed, became enraged and committed such a heinous act!"
...
Ying Zheng listened quietly, his gaze sweeping over each minister who spoke. Suddenly, he noticed a strange expression on the face of a minister surnamed Zhao in the corner; he seemed somewhat nervous.
Ying Zheng's heart stirred, but he did not show it. He simply said calmly, "What you all say is very true. I have ordered the Imperial Guards to investigate this matter thoroughly, and I believe there will be results soon."
He then changed the subject: "However, what I am more concerned about is how these corrupt officials knew that the Ministry of Justice was coming to arrest them? How did this news leak out?"
The hall fell silent instantly, and many ministers looked alarmed.
Ying Zheng sneered, "It seems there are people in the court colluding with these corrupt officials to deliberately leak information. Such behavior is truly the work of parasites on the Great Qin, and I will investigate this thoroughly!"
After the court assembly, Ying Zheng ordered his men to secretly monitor Minister Zhao, whose expression seemed unusual.
As expected, that very night, Minister Zhao secretly met with several important officials of the court, and then left Xianyang overnight.
When Ying Zheng learned of this, he immediately ordered a manhunt. But it was too late; Minister Zhao had already escaped.
However, this also confirmed Ying Zheng's guess—there were indeed people secretly causing trouble in the court.
In the days that followed, Ying Zheng adopted even tougher measures. On the one hand, he strengthened surveillance over important officials; on the other hand, he ordered Chunhui to expedite the work of the special investigation team to quickly identify those court officials who colluded with the southern rebellion.
Meanwhile, the rebellion in the south intensified.
What began as a few small rebel groups in the Chu region has now grown into a massive rebellion, with even powerful local figures in Jiangnan openly declaring their support. They are inciting the people to rise up under the banner of "overthrowing the false emperor and returning power to the people."
Even more worrying is that Fusang in the East Sea also took the opportunity to rebel, refusing to pay tribute and even attacking the coastal towns of Daqin.
In an instant, the southern and eastern fronts of the Qin Dynasty were in dire straits, and the situation was critical.
Just as Ying Zheng was deeply worried about this, Chunhui brought a major discovery.
"Your Majesty, I have confirmed it!" Chunhui exclaimed excitedly. "Those court officials who colluded with the southern rebels are indeed not simple!"
Ying Zheng sat up straight and said, "Speak!"
Chunhui took out a list: "Your Majesty, please take a look. These people are all important officials in the court, some of whom are even senior elders with high positions and great power. They have secretly organized a secret organization called the 'Restoration of Chu Society' with the intention of overthrowing the rule of the Great Qin and restoring the old system of the Chu Kingdom."
Ying Zheng took the list, and the more he looked at it, the gloomier his face became.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
