It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

Chapter 524: The past of Ying Zheng, Zhao Gao's plan
It was already night when we left Zhangtai Palace.

Meng Yi's coachman immediately came forward and stood at the foot of the steps.

"Your Highness, Lord Meng said that everything at Ganquan Palace has been settled. Lord Feng Quji has ordered the Minister of Ceremonies to invite the Minister of the Imperial Clan to perform the sacrificial rites. Lord Feng is impartial and just, so please rest assured, Your Highness."

She breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, the evening clouds gathered in one place, and in the distance, torches gathered and surged toward Ganquan Palace. She knew then that Ying Zheng had finally gone.

She ordered someone to prepare horses. The attendant followed, "Your Highness Yong'an, His Majesty the Emperor has gone to Ganquan Palace. These are turbulent times, and the princess is still under house arrest. If the princess does not mind, she may ride in Your Highness's carriage back to His Highness's palace."

She waved her hand, "Tell Meng Yi that I have petitioned my father to retrieve Bian Que's medicine. If he believes me, please ask him to consider what I said. ...Alright, there is still someone in the palace waiting to give me an explanation. It doesn't matter that no one in the palace is paying attention to me right now."

Having said that, Xu Zhi walked down the steps. She didn't pay much attention to the man's hesitant stammering, and naturally, she didn't see Meng Yi not far away.

Orange hue emerged from the dark gray, dispelling the blackness.

Meng Yi looked at Ying Hehua's figure, "To actually get His Majesty to relent under such circumstances. But where will she find Bian Que's pills?"

As soon as Meng Yi finished speaking, his attendant said, "If you are worried that Prince Yong'an might cause trouble, why don't I send more people to Zhilan Palace?"

Yong'an's figure completely blended into the massive structure of Xianyang Palace, by which time it was already dark.

Meng Yi returned to Ganquan Palace and was about to remove his shoes and sword to report to Ying Zheng.

Just then, Zhao Gao came out of the hall. The moment he saw Meng Yi, his face immediately turned to shock. "Why is Lord Meng here alone?"

"What advice does Lord Zhao have for me?"

Zhao Gao glanced at him, then looked around with feigned nonchalance. "Where is Prince Yong'an? The eldest son has already arrived in Xianyang, and His Majesty is waiting for the princess!"

This time.

Meng Yi then realized that what Zhao Gao had said was true.

An hour ago, Zhao Gao witnessed a miracle.

Ying Zheng sat alone on the high platform, surrounded by darkness, a scene strikingly similar to that of twenty years ago.

However, twenty years ago, Ying Zheng faced an absolute victory in terms of military force—he witnessed his mother's betrayal in the Dazheng Palace, and the King of Qin was filled with hatred, so he directly ordered the killing of his two false brothers and used a sack to kill them.

"Zheng'er! Zheng'er doesn't want to!"

Zhao Gao witnessed blood seeping through the burlap, blurring the area; the scene was so cruel and bloody that no one dared to look directly at it.

The surroundings were filled with the sharp and mournful cries of Empress Dowager Zhao.

"You are not my son! You are not!!"

The twenty-two-year-old King of Qin remained silent...

In the biting winter wind, few people witnessed this scene; besides Zhao Gao, only Cai Ze and Li Si did.

Suddenly, he moved closer to his mother, determined to bring the two bloodied, mangled objects hidden in the burlap sack to her eyes. "They are, aren't they?" he asked.

The King of Qin actually drew his long sword from his waist.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you mustn't!!" Li Si rushed forward.

The elderly Cai Ze trembled all over, and the acrid smell of the burning torch filled his nostrils, causing him to faint immediately.

Clad in jet-black robes, their blood was crimson. In an instant, a flash of white light appeared.

Only then did Li Si see that, under the bleak night sky, the King of Qin was gripping a dagger tightly—the snow-white blade slashing towards his waist.

A strange, bittersweet expression appeared on his face as he spoke, each word uttered with heartbreaking sorrow, "Mother, you want to kill me?"

No one heard the anger mixed with the deepest sorrow in those words.

Zhao Ji burst into laughter, "You're just like your father... you've never thought of me in the slightest, not even a little bit..."

Zhao Ji glanced around at the vast expanse of firelight, the throngs of court officials, including Lü Buwei's protégés. Lü Buwei… She smiled, bracing herself against the flames, and stood up, pointing at Ying Zheng and the large group of court officials, “…In the end, men, men, imperial ambitions and conquests are your entire lives. For these things… what are you unwilling to give up?… And what else do you crave?”

The flames burned, making a sound. "But Mother,"

"You are not an ordinary person."

"You are the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager of Qin..."

The night was dark and the wind was strong. He suddenly stopped, and the rest of his thoughts vanished instantly, including the word "if," which he didn't utter a single syllable of.

No one knows how Ying Zheng returned to Xianyang from Yongcheng.

Soon, the condemnation from the six states was all directed at him—the King of Qin was cruel and inhumane, and mistreated and imprisoned his own mother.

The story concludes with the events of twenty years ago.

This time, violence proved nothing. Because he didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to his mother.

Not a single lamp was lit inside Zhangtai Palace. Zhao Gao heard someone enter the hall and bumped into the glass floor.

Immediately afterwards, a flash of light accompanied the first snowflakes as they swept in through the palace gates.

Her layered skirt was like a red fish in dark water.

Ying Hehua knelt before the vast pool, her voice resolute and powerful, just as Zhao Gao had hoped.

Ying Hehua received the imperial decree and left the palace to find the pill that had long since been used up.

Zhao Gao was well-versed in human nature. He thought that if anything happened to Zheng Li, there would be an insurmountable chasm of death between him and his daughter. Whenever Ying Zheng saw Ying Hehua, he would remember the day his birth mother and wife brought him despair.

As soon as Zhao Gao left Zhangtai Palace, he immediately noticed the difference in the palace maids who accompanied him.

"Princess A-Yue is dressed as a palace maid again?"

"Lord Zhao."

Zhao Gao smiled and said, "You're late."

“Ying Hehua, she,”

"Judging by the time, she should be back at Zhilan Palace by now, or she might be going to find Li Xian. Anyway, don't worry," he lowered his voice, "Princess A Yue's desire for revenge will soon be fulfilled."

Yan Yue was slightly taken aback.

"Lord Zhao's confidence is truly remarkable."

She had just come out of Zhilan Palace and entered Zhangtai Palace. Along the way, she was mostly checked by the Imperial Guards, and the palace servants rarely questioned her. Yan Yue was shocked. It would be impossible to do this without more than ten years of preparation, and the person who did it must be extremely calm and cautious.
Yan Yue also discovered that... the maid surnamed Shen beside Ying Hehua had volunteered to kneel in the open corner of the palace gate.

Just a door away was where Ying Hehua often went.

Shen Zhi was dressed in thin clothes, her hands forming a seal. It had already started snowing, and even though she was a martial artist, she would not be able to withstand the snow in a few more hours.

Seeing Zhao Gao's nonchalant demeanor, Yan Yue realized that Zhao Rong's words were true. Zhao Gao was their most crucial pawn.

"I just saw Shen Zhi... Could it be that Lord Zhao also played a role in her being manipulated?"

Zhao Gao waved his hand dismissively, "The trip to Shu was just a casual matter. Isn't it a blessing that she became His Majesty's eyes?"

"...Back then, when Inspector Li was providing disaster relief in Shu, you actually overlooked him."

He chuckled, "Li Xian? Heh, Ying Hehua? They're no match for me."

Li Xian. Even his father was once defeated by him.

How dare he fight him? What does he have to fight him with?

-

Xu Zhi braved the wind and snow to arrive at Liu Bang's home.

There are quite a lot of people.