Are we going to have to repeat the same old drama of refusing again?
Most of the censors had visited Li Lin's residence to offer their congratulations on the last occasion, so they naturally knew about what had happened before. Therefore, they were not surprised that Li Lin did not accept the imperial edict immediately.
But that doesn't mean they weren't nervous.
After all, this imperial edict was no ordinary order; it was written by the First Emperor himself, making it exceptionally significant. Anyone who dared to refuse the edict would be disrespecting the emperor and imperial authority.
Their fate was tragic.
Li Xin immediately panicked. As Li Lin's direct elder brother, he was related by blood. If His Majesty was furious and executed the entire Li family, he, as Li Lin's elder brother, would certainly be the one to suffer the consequences.
So he immediately shook Li Lin.
This brought Li Lin back to reality from his thoughts of weighing the pros and cons.
[This Emperor is truly a wicked old man! He assigned me such a difficult task right from the start. Isn't he deliberately making things difficult for me? Although the journey from Xianyang to Lishan isn't far, I wonder if I can even make it back in time for my wedding to Princess Manyin on the third day of next month if I have to deal with such a thorny matter?]
[Sigh, what can I do? I'll just accept the decree. I'll stall for time and deliberately act like I'm incompetent; then His Majesty will be the one worrying! That's what they call 'for every policy, there's a countermeasure.' If I reveal my abilities, that old man will turn me into a workaholic! How exhausting! Li Si is so young, yet he looks over fifty now; you can tell he hasn't had an easy time these past years!]
[My goal is still to prolong this old geezer's life, and then subtly help him consolidate Qin, smoothly confront Prince Fusu, and eliminate the remnants of the six states. As for the dirty work involved, I'm not going to get involved!]
After Li Lin understood, he immediately smiled apologetically at Zhang Mo and the others.
That smile.
This left Li Xin, Zhang Mo, and the others completely baffled.
What's going on?
Has this kid gone mad?
"I'm sorry, Eunuch Zhang. After hearing His Majesty's words, my mind was completely focused on Mount Li. If it weren't for your call, brother, how could I have come to my senses so quickly? Thank you, brother!"
He stood up, turned around, bowed to the bewildered Li Xin, then looked at Zhang Mo, reached out, and took the imperial edict from Zhang Mo's hand.
"Thank you, Eunuch Zhang, for conveying His Majesty's decree. If you see His Majesty when you return to report, please remember to say a word for me!"
"Lord Li, please speak freely, and I will certainly convey your message!"
"Alright, thank you very much, Father-in-law!"
Li Lin paused, cleared his throat, and continued, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your trust and the important mission you have entrusted to me. I will certainly serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty and devotion until my dying breath!"
"Excellent, excellent! Li Zhongcheng is truly a loyal and patriotic man. I will certainly convey your words to His Majesty verbatim!"
"Thank you for your trouble, sir. I am having a wedding banquet on the third day of next month. You must come!"
"Okay!"
Zhang Mo nodded frantically, then led his men away from the Censorate. He was extremely anxious about this imperial edict.
It takes half an hour to deliver an imperial edict to someone else's house, and you also get to enjoy the host's generous allowance.
But what about Li Lin's turn?
If it weren't for his elder brother's sensible gesture of giving him a string of cash, he might have returned empty-handed again, just like last time.
That's fine, but the key issue is that after the imperial edict is read aloud to Li Lin, it will take at least twice as long, and we also have to consider Li Lin's mood. If this old man is in a bad mood and refuses the imperial edict, it will be terrible.
The Court of Justice.
The First Emperor was escorted out of his residence by Chancellor Li Si. The two had a pleasant conversation and basically formulated the direction and plan of the Qin Dynasty's policies for the next three years.
The main focus is on rest and recuperation.
In addition, the First Emperor also emphasized that Li Si should send spies to the west to investigate the situation of the Roman Empire.
This naturally left Li Si at a loss, but since the First Emperor said that the Roman Empire in the west could threaten his Qin Dynasty, he naturally had to go and investigate.
Otherwise, if this empire truly existed as the First Emperor claimed and was indeed going to attack Qin, then he, as the prime minister, would have failed in his duty by not taking precautions.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will organize people to investigate the matter you entrusted to me as soon as possible!"
"Hmm! I'm relieved then. As for Li You's matter, I plan to detain him for another month to let him calm down. What do you think?"
Li Si smiled upon hearing this, and then said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I feel that one month is too short. Let's keep him imprisoned for three months instead!"
"You, you... fine, fine, I'll grant your wish and lock him up for three months!"
The First Emperor was amused by Li Si's performance of "filial piety and parental love." Since it was his father who wanted to imprison him for three months, then so be it!
When they returned to the palace.
The sky was gradually darkening.
The moon, sometimes hidden and sometimes visible, gradually cast its bright moonlight upon the world.
After a long day of work, the First Emperor took a nice bath with the help of palace maids. He then returned to his palace to review some documents and see how many memorials had been submitted that day.
Of course, at this time, the memorial should be called a petition.
However, since there is no paper available nowadays, the First Emperor had to review several cartloads of bamboo slips every night.
Being an emperor at this time was not something an ordinary person could do. First of all, if one's physical strength was not up to par, one might not even be able to quickly finish reading through the stack of bamboo slips on the table.
"Your Majesty, I have delivered the imperial edict to Censor-in-Chief Li Lin as you wished!"
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