It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

Chapter 525 Insatiable Greed and Anger
Shen Zhi was brought from Zhilan Palace to Hanzhong in Nanzheng County by Ying Hehua. Along the way, Ying Hehua rode alongside her, and she could not forget the scene from an hour ago.

Ying Hehua came stepping on a carpet of fallen leaves, the ground damp with snow that hadn't yet frozen. Her pace was quick, but even faster was the fact that before Ying Hehua reached her, a palace maid placed a thermos in her hand.

“Princess,” she said in surprise.

Their eyes met, and Shen Zhi saw an unprecedented determination in her princess's eyes.

“You have not done anything to wrong the Qin state. If there is only one mistake, it is that your concealment has caused me to waste a lot of time. If you could be honest with me, perhaps our path could be easier.”

As she spoke, she stopped agonizing over it, quickly changed out of her princess attire, put on casual clothes, and, with a few bodyguards by her side, prepared to leave.

Shen Zhi stopped her as she mounted her horse.

"Step aside."

Shen Zhi immediately panicked, "His Majesty has never asked me for any information about the princess. His Majesty is just too concerned about the princess and doesn't want her to be harmed in any way."

"Are you going to use this to threaten me?" She frowned, and a hint of a weary sigh could be seen in her eyes.

She gripped the reins tightly, her voice urgent, "Your Highness must heed the Imperial Physician's words. You should rest quietly in the palace. How can you endure such a bumpy journey?"

"Father knows too?"

"No, no. The princess told me not to tell anyone, and I swear to God I haven't told a third person."

"I am willing to bring back what the princess desires. If I fail, I am willing to give my life in return."

"Life is such a precious thing, do not make promises lightly." Ying Hehua gently stroked the horse's mane. "What saddens me most is not that you are Father's man. What saddens me most is that, even now, I still know nothing about many things. After years of planning, I have discovered today that what I want is still in someone else's hands. To get it back, I need to go through a very long and winding road."

"Shen Zhi. Do you know how many decades a person has?" She paused. "For some, there are only three, two, or one. How many decades can I fight against fate?"

For a long time, Shen Zhi did not understand the meaning behind Ying Hehua's words.

This exceptionally intelligent princess always carried a deep sorrow etched into her very being. It seemed nothing could stop her. But what was it that prevented her from stopping?
In the blink of an eye, she arrived in Hanzhong without stopping.

"Does the princess still believe me?"

"you are not willing?"

“No.” She looked at her and presented the seal that could be used to access the secret pavilion of Nanzheng County. “Ever since the princess rescued me from the carriage at Bolangsha, Shen Zhi’s lifelong wish has been to assist the princess, and she will never regret it, even if it means death.”

Shen Zhi and Ying Hehua had just arrived in Hanzhong when they went straight to Liu Bang's house. Lü Ze unexpectedly appeared, a coincidence that made Shen Zhi feel that things were not so simple.

Liu Bang's house was better off than most, but the central room was not large. At the east end stood a stack of firewood about half a person's height, the thatched roof blowing in the wind, revealing neatly stacked pine firewood underneath.

Upon hearing that the man was a friend of Doctor Li, Liu's mother busied herself preparing to cook, but complained slightly that the pine wood here was not as durable as the mulberry wood from Mangdang Mountain.

Shen Zhi noticed that when Ying Hehua heard the words "Mangdang Mountain", her attention instantly shifted away from Li Xian.

That's how simple fate can be.

The only remaining pill was taken by Liu Bang's son. Xu Zhi was trembling with anger, her hand shaking as she raised the riding whip.

"You brought me here just so I could see with my own eyes the reason why Zhang Han lost his treasure?"

Years ago, Zhao Gao's sinister voice echoed in Li Xian's mind—"Since you and I both know the ending of the prophecy, it can't be too bad than being dismembered and abandoned at Mount Li. Lord Li, you understand, you've always understood, that I alone could not bring about that ending. You understand why. You must understand..."

Why did the Qin Dynasty fall so suddenly?

That was a deeper, more terrifying answer than Zhao Gao's.

A scathing critique, coupled with a threat strong enough to crush a person's will, is enough to drag him into the abyss.

"Don't say she idolizes her father. To put it another way, Lord Li is also a capable and outstanding person, a pillar of the state. If Lord Li weren't so inflexible and followed my wishes, then Ying Hehua would still be Ying Hehua. Otherwise, you know, even if I die, I will never let go of any opportunity to completely crush the enemy and make them pay with their lives."

Sure enough, she soon arrived in Hanzhong from Xianyang.

She could only listen to him, head bowed, speaking in a voice colder than winter: "Call me the same old trick if you will. I am who I am, and I will never change."

“Li Xian, if I cannot bring back the elixir, my mother will be bedridden. I thought we understood each other implicitly, but you didn’t even consult me…”

Unspoken understanding... Could he also interpret this as a different kind of mutual understanding between them?

However, all they see is the most cruel and bloody ugly side of each other. Carrying the burden of the past, they have to forge a path through this muddy land. Can this be considered 'mutual appreciation'?

A metallic taste rose in Li Xian's throat, but he managed a smile colder than a lamp wick. He interrupted her: "Is it unspoken? A-Zhi. When have we ever not been living in a cage?"

Moonlight slanted in through the carved window lattice, illuminating the turbulent undercurrents in his dark eyes.

"...Perhaps Zhao Gao is right. Isn't it good that we've been so wary, calculating, and entangled all these years?"

Her lips trembled, her face pale, and she stared at him in disbelief. "I can't control whether you choose to degenerate. I can even understand if you want to rebel... but you clearly know what the outcome will be. You know... you know what happened to your father back then, and you've gone along with him?" She looked at him incredulously, as if he were some kind of monster. "Are you insane?"

The moonlight turned his loose hair a frosty color.

"My father?" His lips curled up in a mocking smile. "The princess mentioned my father. Actually, I've wanted to say this for a long time. Since he had already decided to forge the imperial edict, he shouldn't have shown the slightest bit of leniency, leaving behind so many troubles, like Prince Gao, Ziying, or even Huhai. His crimes weren't thorough enough, and that's the reason for my father's failure."

She didn't understand him, she never did.

She felt utterly ridiculous.

Even though he couldn't see, he quickly grabbed her raised wrist.

She has a weapon.

After several struggles that weren't really a fight, he pinned her against the wall, brushing his fingertips against her trembling lips, and his hands gripping her waist gave her no chance to struggle.

He ignored the bloodstains on his palm from the sharp blade and laughed fiercely.

"In truth, I am so similar to my father. Hehua, I still instinctively call you that. Azhi, from the moment we first met at Xianyang Palace, didn't we agree? You are the high and mighty princess, and I am the sinner atoning for your sins. No matter what, you are Ying Hehua, the princess. I hate Zhang Liang, I hate him for taking you away from me. But now, I hate Mo Qi even more, I hate him for pointing you out, for tearing you away time and time again... Perhaps, for me, not killing those two people is also the reason for my failure."