In an instant, the formation plate released an invisible ripple of light, which swiftly spread out.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the entire square in front of the imperial court hall was enveloped by the formation's shimmering glow.
As the formation unfolded, it did not provoke any backlash from the Great Qin's fate perhaps because Zhao Feng was the Crown Prince and held dominion over Qin's destiny.
The formation activated.
It covered everyone present.
All they felt was a brief moment of disorientation and in the next instant.
Their surroundings had completely changed!
A location appeared before their eyes.
Shangqiu Commandery.
Under the escort of tens of thousands of imperial guards, Qin Shi Huang's imperial carriage was touring the empire, passing through Shangqiu.
Inside the carriage
"Cough, cough..."
The aged Qin Shi Huang suddenly began coughing violently.
"Your Majesty!"
"Are you alright?"
The elderly Zhao Gao stepped forward with a look of deep concern.
"I... I am ultimately no match for time. Immortality... is but an empty dream."
"Bring... bring me parchment and a brush."
"Summon Li Si."
"I... I must draft my imperial edict for succession."
Despite the worsening cough and a pale face devoid of blood, the old Emperor stubbornly pushed himself up from his couch, his voice hoarse but firm.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Gao immediately fetched a blank decree scroll.
Qin Shi Huang's hand trembled as he picked up a brush and began writing on the parchment.
At the same time, Zhao Gao stepped out of the carriage to summon Li Si.
"After my passing, Great Qin must not be left without a ruler."
"The eldest prince, Fusu, is my firstborn son, possessing both benevolence and virtue. He shall inherit the throne."
"Let all ministers see this decree and support Fusu as Emperor, making him the Second Emperor of Great Qin."
With great effort, Qin Shi Huang finished drafting the edict.
He picked up the Imperial Seal and stamped it.
"Fusu... Fusu..."
After completing the decree, the aged Emperor seemed to reach the end of his lifespan.
Calling out his son's name twice in a weak voice, he finally collapsed onto the couch, ceasing to breathe.
"Your Majesty!"
Outside the carriage
Li Si respectfully called out, but there was no response from within.
When Li Si and Zhao Gao entered the imperial carriage, they saw Qin Shi Huang lying motionless on the couch.
"Your Majesty!"
Li Si rushed forward, calling out twice, but there was no answer.
Tentatively, he placed a hand under Qin Shi Huang's nose there was no breath left.
"The Emperor… has passed away."
Li Si's voice trembled, tears involuntarily welling up in his eyes.
Zhao Gao, standing beside him, was also momentarily stunned. Tears ran down his cheeks, but soon, his expression turned to one of unease.
Hurriedly, Zhao Gao turned his gaze toward the desk inside the carriage.
The imperial decree had already been written.
With a single glance, he saw the words appointing Fusu as the successor.
"Prime Minister."
"Look at this."
Zhao Gao pointed at the decree on the desk.
Li Si snapped out of his daze and looked at the decree.
"Appointing Fusu as the successor?"
His voice was laced with uncertainty.
"What do you think, Prime Minister?" Zhao Gao probed.
"What else can I think?"
"We must naturally follow the Emperor's final edict and uphold the eldest prince as the new Emperor." Li Si maintained a composed expression.
"Prime Minister, there are only the two of us here. No one else knows the Emperor has passed away."
"You can speak freely."
"Do you truly not understand what kind of person Fusu is?"
"Although he is your son-in-law, has he ever shown favor to your daughter? Despite your high rank as Prime Minister, has he ever truly acknowledged you?"
"If Fusu becomes Emperor, your power and everything you have will be gone."
"If he ascends to the throne, neither of us will have a good ending." Zhao Gao's voice was low and insidious.
Hearing this
Li Si furrowed his brows.
Everything he had his authority, his status had come from Qin Shi Huang. Yet, Fusu and he had never seen eye to eye. They had many political disagreements, and if Fusu became Emperor, he would likely be sidelined, stripped of power, and left with nothing.
For Zhao Gao, the stakes were even higher. He had long been at odds with Fusu and the Meng family.
If Fusu took the throne, as a mere eunuch, Zhao Gao might not even survive.
"What do you propose?" Li Si hesitated before finally looking at Zhao Gao.
"We must support the eighteenth prince."
"Eighteenth Prince lacks great talent, but he is sentimental and values loyalty. If we back him, he will surely reward us."
"Prime Minister, you are skilled in imitation. You can forge an imperial edict in Qin Shi Huang's handwriting, appointing the Eighteenth Prince as the successor." Zhao Gao whispered with a sinister smile.
"Forging the Emperor's edict this is treason!" Li Si's face paled.
"If we let Fusu ascend, we may end up dead anyway," Zhao Gao argued.
After a long internal struggle
Li Si eventually nodded.
He rewrote the imperial decree, changing the successor from Fusu to Hu Hai.
And the original decree, written by Qin Shi Huang himself, was destroyed.
"Prime Minister."
"The Emperor is gone."
"We must return to the capital immediately and ensure the Eighteenth Prince's swift coronation to avoid complications."
"For now, we shall not announce His Majesty's passing." Zhao Gao advised.
"Agreed." Li Si nodded. "I will summon General Ren Xiao to guard the imperial carriage back to the capital."
Before leaving
Li Si cast one last glance at the lifeless Qin Shi Huang on the couch.
"Your Majesty, it is not that I am disloyal. I am merely trying to survive."
After Li Si departed
Zhao Gao stared at the motionless figure of the First Emperor.
"Qin Shi Huang…"
"You unified the world, your achievements are unparalleled in history."
"But in the end, you were still just a man."
"And all men… die."
"I have served you since childhood. You granted me boundless trust and honor, but now that you are gone, I am nothing but an ant anyone could trample me to death."
"To survive, I must defy your will..."
Zhao Gao muttered to himself, seemingly voicing all of his true thoughts.
Afterward.
The imperial procession returned to Xianyang.
The officials, following the so-called "imperial edict" of the First Emperor, supported Hu Hai as the new emperor.
He was proclaimed the Second Emperor of Qin.
Once Hu Hai ascended the throne.
During the mourning period.
During the national funeral rites.
Sensing the threat posed by Fusu.
Hu Hai, in the name of his late father, issued an imperial edict ordering Fusu to take his own life.
Fusu, believing the so-called edict, committed suicide at the northern frontier.
Even though he commanded an army of 300,000, he did not resist.
After that.
Hu Hai revealed his utterly bloodthirsty nature, slaughtering all of Qin Shi Huang's other children.
Not only were they put to death, but they also suffered excruciating tortures, enduring cruel punishments before their demise.
Later.
In the imperial court.
Zhao Gao shaved his beard and was appointed as one of the Nine Ministers.
Some mocked him, while others sought to curry favor.
It was then that the infamous event of "pointing at a deer and calling it a horse" occurred.
After that.
Zhao Gao also had Li Si's entire family exterminated.
Li Si himself was sentenced to be torn apart by chariots.
The Nine Ministers of the court were completely purged.
…
At this point.
The vision ended abruptly.
The light curtain released by the formation disk retracted.
All those who had been enveloped by the formation regained their senses and opened their eyes.
But now.
No one remained calm.
Their gazes instinctively turned towards Ying Zheng, Zhao Gao, Li Si, and even Hu Hai.
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty…"
"Your humble servant would never dare commit such a crime!"
"Your Majesty…"
Zhao Gao immediately knelt before Ying Zheng, his face deathly pale and his entire body trembling.
"Your subject… Your subject dares not either!"
Li Si's face also darkened, and he quickly knelt.
At this moment.
Ying Zheng's eyes turned blood-red.
Now.
He understood.
He truly understood.
Why, before reuniting with his son, he had such strong resistance toward Xianyang and even wanted to demote himself to guard the lands of Baiyue.
Why does he hold such disdain for his other sons?
It was all because Zhao Feng knew the history that would unfold without him.
All of this.
Would have happened if Zhao Feng had never existed.
"You unfilial son!"
"Killing you… I truly made the right decision!"
"You killed your brothers and sisters your flesh and blood!"
"You slaughtered all of my children!"
"Why are you so ruthless? Why are you so cruel?"
"You deserve to die you truly deserve to die!"
Ying Zheng glared at Hu Hai, the killing intent in his eyes devoid of any fatherly love, replaced only by hatred and disgust.
"I… I never did such a thing…"
"This is something that has not happened…" Hu Hai stammered, his voice trembling.
He had seen the vision just now.
Although he had not yet done those things, Hu Hai knew with certainty that the person in that vision was undoubtedly him and he was fully capable of doing those deeds.
"If not for Feng'er."
"Perhaps all of this would have come to pass."
"You deserve death!"
Ying Zheng stared at Hu Hai, not a trace of fatherly affection left in his gaze.
"Pass my decree!"
"Hu Hai and the entire Hu clan execute them all on the spot!" Ying Zheng ordered coldly.
"As Your Majesty commands!"
Ren Xiao responded loudly.
The captured members of the Hu clan were immediately separated from the others.
The imperial guards drew their swords and executed them on the spot.
When they came to Hu Hai.
An imperial guard stepped forward.
Another held him down.
"Father, I don't want to die! Spare me! I don't want to die…"
Hu Hai pleaded in terror.
But it was futile.
Now that Ying Zheng had seen the true course of history.
Now that he had witnessed Hu Hai's merciless slaughter of his flesh and blood his complete disregard for brotherly ties Ying Zheng finally understood the true nature of this son: heartless, a beast in human form.
Since that was the case.
Then what reason did a father have to show mercy?
The imperial guard raised his sword.
At that moment.
Zhao Feng silently gathered a strand of true qi in his right hand.
Just as the guard was about to strike down.
Zhao Feng flicked his finger, sending out a sword qi.
Before the guard's sword could land, Zhao Feng's attack pierced through Hu Hai's heart.
With a sharp sound.
Hu Hai's head still fell to the ground.
"Successfully killed [Future Qin Second Emperor Hu Hai], altering the grand course of fate, gaining +200 to all attributes, +200 days of lifespan, and receiving a Tier-4 treasure chest."
A notification appeared on Zhao Feng's interface.
"As expected."
"Killing Hu Hai also grants rewards."
"After all, he was the Second Emperor of Qin in the original history. Killing him is just like killing Liu Ji it alters the so-called grand destiny of the world."
"Now it seems that the grand fate of Shenzhou has been completely changed by me." Zhao Feng smiled inwardly.
Although killing Hu Hai didn't yield as great a reward as Liu Ji's five-tier treasure chest, a four-tier treasure chest was still quite valuable.
At this moment.
Everyone present in the square was still struggling to process what had happened.
They looked at Hu Hai's lifeless body, yet not a single person felt any pity.
In the vision they had just witnessed, they had experienced firsthand how cruel and ruthless Hu Hai had been as emperor.
Most of the virtuous ministers had been killed.
Zhao Gao had eliminated all his political opponents.
Now that Hu Hai was dead.
Many officials turned their gazes toward the two men still kneeling Li Si and Zhao Gao.
Ying Zheng's face was grim as he looked down at them.
Having seen the true course of history, it would be a lie to say that he didn't harbor the intent to kill.
But aside from Hu Hai.
Li Si and Zhao Gao had yet to commit any of those crimes.
Under Ying Zheng's cold gaze.
The two men kept their heads bowed, not daring to speak.
After a long moment.
Ying Zheng finally spoke. "Zhao Gao, how many years have you served me?"
"Your Majesty."
"This servant entered the heir's palace at the age of ten. It has now been thirty years," Zhao Gao replied in a trembling voice.
"Pack your things."
"Leave the palace tomorrow."
"I grant you a thousand gold pieces and fifty servants, and you may take your wealth with you."
"The Qin Empire is vast. You may settle wherever you choose."
Ying Zheng's voice was calm but firm.
Upon hearing this.
Zhao Gao's heart clenched. He lifted his head, his expression full of fear. "Your Majesty, this servant does not wish to leave."
"Though these events have not yet come to pass, I have now seen them with my own eyes. If I allow you to remain by my side, I fear I truly will kill you."
"Go."
"Consider this my final act of mercy for our thirty years of master-servant ties. I spare your life."
Ying Zheng waved a hand dismissively.
Zhao Gao sobbed, lowering his forehead to the ground. "This servant… thanks Your Majesty for your great mercy!"
"Li Si."
"You may rise."
Ying Zheng sighed.
"Your Majesty."
"This minister is guilty."
Li Si kept his head lowered, his voice filled with shame.
"The crime has not yet been committed, and you have worked tirelessly for the empire. Consider this the folly of old age."
Ying Zheng's tone was steady.
With Zhao Gao, he had at least some lingering sentiment as a master. With Li Si, he showed even greater leniency.
Besides, in the vision.
Although Li Si had made mistakes, he had ultimately tried to maintain order in the empire he had simply failed.
To execute him over this would be beneath a ruler of Ying Zheng's caliber.
"This minister… thanks Your Majesty for your mercy."
Li Si bowed deeply, exhaling a quiet breath of relief.
"Ministers."
"Now, do you all understand how important the Crown Prince is to the Qin Empire?"
Ying Zheng swept his gaze across the gathered officials.
"With Your Majesty and the Crown Prince."
"The empire will endure for generations."
"The Qin Empire shall never fall!"
The assembled ministers loudly proclaimed in unison.
In the vision, they had personally experienced the horrors of Hu Hai's reign.
They had felt the terror of being executed, the agony of having their families wiped out.
That nightmare was something they never wished to live through.
And because of Zhao Feng's presence, none of it would come to pass.
Their reverence for the Crown Prince had reached a new height.
"Kui Zhuang."
"I am deeply disappointed in all of you."
Ying Zheng turned his gaze to Kui Zhuang and the other traitors, his eyes filled with disappointment.
"This minister… has disappointed Your Majesty."
"Perhaps I was wrong from the very beginning."
Kui Zhuang let out a bitter laugh.
He had seen his death in the vision of his entire family slaughtered by Hu Hai.
This meant that, even without Zhao Feng, their efforts to install Fusu would have been in vain.
They had always been doomed to failure.
If they had never opposed the Crown Prince in the first place, perhaps things would have been different.
But now, it was far too late to change anything.
"Send them to the Imperial Prison."
"Let the Court of Judicial Review handle their cases."
Ying Zheng waved a hand.
The imperial guards immediately escorted Kui Zhuang and the other traitors away.
The bodies at the foot of the stairs stood as grim evidence of the upheaval that had just occurred.
For many of those who had experienced the vision, it felt as though they had survived a brush with death.
"Tomorrow."
"The Crown Prince will officially be recorded in the imperial lineage. All ministers are to attend the ancestral temple for the ceremony."
"This court is dismissed."
Ying Zheng waved his hand.
"This minister takes his leave."
The gathered officials bowed and departed.
Clearly.
They needed time to process everything that had happened.
If even Ying Zheng himself had been shaken by the vision, what more could they say?
Soon.
The court was empty.
Only Ying Zheng and Zhao Feng remained atop the steps.
"The vision you showed me ended at 'pointing at a deer and calling it a horse.'"
"What happened afterward?"
"If you had never existed, what would have become of my empire?"
Ying Zheng looked at Zhao Feng, his gaze filled with concern.
Even though it would never come to pass, he was still deeply curious.
"The Qin Dynasty would have ended with the second emperor."
Zhao Feng answered calmly.
"Who was responsible?"
Ying Zheng pressed.
"First, laborers within the empire rose in rebellion. Then the unrest spread across the land. The remnants of the Six States, relying on their former prestige, called upon the people to rise. Soon, uprisings broke out across the entire empire."
Zhao Feng explained.
"My Qin army did it not act? No matter how incompetent Hu Hai was, the Qin military was still strong enough to suppress any revolt."
Ying Zheng asked with a frown.
"Hu Hai was useless. In the end, he was forced to take his own life by Zhao Gao."
"And in the original history, Your Majesty had stationed the Qin Empire's elite forces at the northern frontier and Baiyue."
"Furthermore, you had issued an imperial edict, commanding these troops to permanently guard the borders, ensuring that foreign invaders would never threaten the Central Plains."
Zhao Feng's voice carried a trace of respect.
"This… That does indeed sound like something I would do."
Ying Zheng nodded thoughtfully.
But his expression remained complex.
"The Qin Dynasty ended after the second emperor."
"Fusu…"
"He was that incapable? He simply accepted an imperial edict and took his own life?"
"Hu Hai is completely useless."
"Feng'er."
"You were right in your original plan."
"If you had not been my son, retreating to Baiyue would have been your best choice. Otherwise, you would have been targeted by that traitorous son as well."
"Then again, with your abilities, he wouldn't have been able to harm you."
"The heavens must be watching over us."
"They returned you and your mother to me. If not, I would have spent my life in solitude, and the Qin Dynasty would have perished after only two generations."
Ying Zheng turned to Zhao Feng with a smile. Even now, he felt immense relief.
Because of Zhao Feng.
The Qin Empire would not perish in two generations but would instead reach new heights.
History had been rewritten.
Ying Zheng was grateful.
Grateful that he had recognized his son in time otherwise, his empire would have been doomed to chaos.
"Perhaps… it was fate."
"Father."
"Perhaps this was destiny."
"If I had never made a name for myself in the military if I had retired and returned home after my logistics service ended two years later…"
"If you had passed away in Shaqiu, then at that time, my mother and I would likely have been there as well."
Zhao Feng smiled at Ying Zheng, feeling a deep sense of emotion.
Hearing this.
Ying Zheng recalled the vision of his death at Shaqiu.
He let out a soft laugh.
"Yes… Even in death, I would not have been far from you and your mother."
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