It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

Chapter 555 Li Si and Ying Zheng, the Immortal Masters (2)

Li Si didn't say anything more, just told her to behave herself in the next month.

"How do you put it that way?"

"I saw the princess meet the immortal master on the corridor..."

Xu Zhi smiled and asked, "How come the Prime Minister knows this?"

Li Si was subconsciously panicked. Ying Hehua always put her father first, and thought that Ying Zheng was suspecting that he had placed some spies to find out the whereabouts of the royal family.

He nodded quickly and explained, "When the princess left Yuelin Palace, I happened to be coming out of Zhangtai Palace. My carriage was outside the palace, so I saw Your Highness..."

Li Si's cautiousness made Xu Zhi understand that all her power came from Ying Zheng.

"I thought you were worried that I might offend the Immortal Master."

"Master." He was silent for a moment, then looked at Ying Hehua, "I know the princess is curious. This person is mysterious and never reveals his true face. But I only know a little about him."

As Xu Zhi continued to ask questions, Li Si told him what happened on the way.

Not long after Ying Zheng arrived in Qi, he reached the bank of the Zibo River west of the city. The originally clear sky was suddenly swallowed up by inky clouds, and bean-sized raindrops fell without warning, splashing mud all over the ground.

The roads in Qi were not as wide as those in Qin. They were so muddy that vehicles could no longer move forward.

The emperor got off his carriage and rode his horse. As he and his party were about to find a place to shelter from the rain, they saw a bamboo house with green tiles standing under a willow tree not far away. The bamboo curtains were half rolled up, and they could vaguely see the burning pine incense on the table inside the house.

"Please forgive us for disturbing you."

Qin Wei stepped forward and knocked lightly on the bamboo door. An old but clear voice came from inside: "The rain is heavy, come in."

When I lifted the curtain and walked in, the rain was pouring down, but the bamboo house was dry and clean.

There was only an old man in the room, dressed in plain linen clothes. His hair and beard were white but his face was ruddy. He was making tea by the window. The copper kettle was bubbling on the charcoal fire, and a faint tea fragrance floated in the steaming hot air.

Tea is rare in coastal areas.

Seeing Ying Zheng come in, the old man did not stand up, but only raised his hand to signal: "Sit down."

When Ying Zheng sat down, his eyes swept across the silk book spread out on the table. On it was written "The sky and the earth are dark yellow, the universe is vast and boundless". The handwriting was as elegant as flowing clouds, and did not look like seal script.

"Sir, are you living alone here?" Ying Zheng asked, his tone less majestic and more inquiring.

The old man poured the brewed tea into a ceramic cup and pushed it in front of Ying Zheng. The tea was as clear as amber and said: "Guarding this Zi River, watching the tides rise and fall for fifty years, it is quite comfortable."

"Fifty years?" The guard beside him was shocked and realized something was wrong - fifty years ago, the State of Qi still existed. If the old man had really lived here for fifty years and was accustomed to seeing the dignitaries of various countries, how could he have no awe for Ying Zheng in front of him?

Ying Zheng raised his hand to stop the guard, picked up the teacup and took a sip. He felt the fragrance of tea melting on his tongue, and even the fatigue from days of traveling dissipated for the most part.

"Old gentleman, you have been watching the rain here for decades. Can you see what you have learned from it?"

The old man chuckled and pointed at the rain outside the window. "Rain falls on the Zibo River, water flows into the Bohai Sea, and the sea embraces all rivers—just like the world today: after a long period of division, there will be unification, and unification brings peace. However, this 'peace' does not lie in the strength of the city or the power of the army, but in the support of the people."

Ying Zheng thought of someone. That night, Zhao Jia returned to Xianyang and asked Zhao Gao to secretly deliver his book.

Forty years ago, they were still children running around Handan City. Forty years later, they were scattered.

Li Zuoche returned to Xianyang after Zhao Jia's death.

That very night, he presented the secret map to Ying Zheng. He held the world map above his head and said, “Your Majesty now rules the world, and all under heaven submit. This map depicts the entire universe. My grandfather spent his life in seclusion, never seeing a wise ruler, and this map has become a secret. Prince Jia of Zhao once served under my grandfather. He wandered throughout his life and committed many mistakes. But the prince eventually saw the error of his ways and guarded the borders of Qin for more than four years… I humbly request Your Majesty to send General Zhao’s body back to Handan and bury it in the Zhao royal mausoleum.”

Ying Zheng asked him if it was his own idea.

He actually said that half of it was Princess Yong'an's request. "Your Highness, your noble body. Knowing that Your Majesty has always cherished her, what are your wishes now that you are imprisoned? Your Majesty, please understand."

He veiledly brought up the story of Yong'an's recommendation of Zhao Jia to Shangjun. From this, Ying Zheng knew that the boy was very intelligent, and that living in Li Si's house for nearly ten years had shaped his character.

A man with a sensitive identity, who could survive in the Qin State, his own talent could only be seen after he reached adulthood. Li Si was indeed extraordinary as he dared to take over this hot potato when he was only three years old.

Ying Zheng didn't know that ten years ago, it was He Hua who wanted to take Li Zuoche in. However, she didn't know where to put him.

On the other hand, Zhang Liang could avenge himself. Once, Li Xian quietly made Zhang Liang Ying Hehua's teacher, so why couldn't Zhang Liang plant this potential danger for him?

Li Si was the prime minister, and his two sons held high positions. The most taboo was that Li Zuoche had outstanding military achievements, otherwise he would appear too powerful and would threaten the emperor.

Restraining Li Si and promoting Li Si. The royal family's needs are icing on the cake, but if they want to punish him, it will be an even greater crime.

He can calculate a move ten years into the future, bypass layers of fog, and have a conversation with Ying Zheng.

Perhaps in the whole world, only he, only Zhang Liang could do it.

When Ying Zheng figured this out, his brows suddenly furrowed slightly.

Even because of his daughter, Zhang Liang never appeared in public again. But if he didn't use such a person for his own benefit, how dangerous would it be?

He looked at the old man in front of him, and his words sounded very much like Zhang Liang's.

Ying Zheng didn't want to hide his identity like he had during his tour of Chu. He said calmly, "I unified the country, abolished feudal fiefdoms, established counties, standardized the written language and the wheel gauge, all for the sake of peace and prosperity for the people. What do you think, old sir, about the people's sentiments?"

"Your Majesty, do you know what the people of Linzi City fear most now?" the old man asked. Without waiting for Ying Zheng's reply, he continued, "What the people fear is not the fangs of the fierce tigers in the mountains, but the harsh government's power, which is more damaging than the tiger itself. It is not the hardship of labor, but the suffocating pressure of endless corvée labor. It is not the impermanence of time, but the suffering of fathers and sons being separated and husbands and wives being separated."

"In the past, Tang of Shang ruled the world with benevolence, and King Wen of Zhou conquered the princes with virtue. They did not rely on swords and spears, but on the principle that 'the people are the foundation of the state.'"

Ying Zheng glanced at the silk book on the table and suddenly smiled. "Sir, do you have a name? Who is your teacher?"

The old man stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the faint sound of the Zibo River in the rain. "I am an old man in the mountains, with no surname or name. If Your Majesty is willing to listen, please remember this sentence: A vast country is not as valuable as the hearts of the people; war and iron cavalry are not as valuable as benevolent government."

"If benevolent government were effective, why would the Zhou Dynasty have perished?"

The old man turned to look at Ying Zheng, his gaze as deep as the starry sky. "The rain is almost stopping, Your Majesty, it's time to continue on your journey. If one day Your Majesty can understand the truth that 'water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it,' it will be a blessing for the world. Your Majesty, your eternal fame after your death is also what future generations aspire to."

Ying Zheng stood up and was about to ask again, but he saw the old man raise his hand and wave, and the bamboo curtain suddenly fell, blocking his view. In an instant, a thin mist rose and spread from the ground, like a fairyland.

When Li Si stepped forward and lifted the bamboo curtain, only the emperor was in the room, and the teacup on the table was still warm.

"Where is the county magistrate and the township head?!"

Ying Zheng was unable to pursue the case.

A new line of small characters appeared on the silk book: "A visitor from outer space is of no use. In the east, where the sun rises, lies the wondrous Dharma. Perhaps the eternal peace Your Majesty seeks will not come overnight."

As expected, the rain outside had stopped. The setting sun pierced through the clouds, casting a shimmering light on the Zibo River, making the ripples sparkle like broken gold. Ying Zheng stood in front of the bamboo hut, gazing into the empty interior.

Li Si's heart was also in turmoil. Those words were picked up from the books of Confucius and Mencius. These things should have been burned. Was it necessary for the immortals to pretend to be gods and tell them to Ying Zheng?