Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 1989: The Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon (Thirty-Six)

This embarrassing situation stems from the fundamental flaws in the operation of the mobile court and is bound to happen.

The mobile court is not even a temporary solution, because it cannot even address the symptoms or the root cause.

It doesn't even have anything to do with the word "medicine" at all. It's just to relieve temporary pain.

It is similar to the pill that Ying Zheng took when he had a headache - that thing is not specifically for treating headaches, it is effective wherever it hurts.

But apart from relieving pain, it has no other use - in fact, it has other effects, but it has no additional effect on Ying Zheng's illness.

Or it can be said that when you press down on the gourd, the ladle rises - when Ying Zheng went to the east, the east was quiet for a while, and when he left the east and went to the north, the north was suppressed, and then the east immediately rose again.

Speaking of it, it's a bit like "outlasting an old man" - it can outlast Ying Zheng to death!

All in all, the situation was not favorable for the Empire.

The impact of the old man on Ying Zheng himself was secondary. After all, as long as he was not directly tortured to death, it was not a problem.

The key point is that this situation made everyone see the empire's predicament - the local areas were out of control, and the central government was unable to restore order, and could only temporarily suppress the unrest through the emperor's repeated tours.

The emperor is supreme and has divinity - perhaps the knowledgeable and intelligent bureaucrats can understand that the emperor is not special and is just an individual, but for the vast majority of people, there is really no difference between the emperor and God.

But now there is.

A god obviously shouldn't be "forced" to run around like a tool and solve problems in the least efficient and most helpless way.

Ying Zheng was forced to use a mobile court to suppress local unrest, which shook his own "divinity", making him drift further and further away from God and closer to humans.

Although he performed a large number of operations unrelated to "suppressing the local areas" during his tours, such as offering sacrifices to heaven, erecting steles to commemorate his achievements, rectifying the administration of officials, and other operations, these operations could not conceal his essence.

Of course, with the knowledge level of ordinary people that is not even up to prenatal education, they do not have the ability to see through everything and can only watch the fun at most.

But there are some people who can see through it and are willing to analyze it carefully for the people.

The common people didn't have much entertainment, except for chatting after dinner. What they liked to talk about most was naturally the gossip about the dignitaries, especially... the emperor's entertainment.

If someone with ulterior motives just gives a little push behind the scenes, it will be enough to make many people understand the emperor's current predicament.

Of course, if local governments strictly enforced the laws of the empire, they could effectively curb the spread of rumors. Unfortunately, the root of all problems lies in the fact that local governments are gradually losing control.

What is even more embarrassing is that even though public opinion was beginning to get out of control, the court still had to intensively plan a new round of parades.

It was impossible for Ying Zheng to sit idly by and watch Qi, Lu, Jing, Chu and other places gradually get out of control, and his only solution was to go on a tour.

Therefore, less than a month after the northern tour convoy returned to Xianyang, news about the emperor's new round of tours spread.

However, this time, the only news that has been reported is that there will be another tour, and the time is tentatively scheduled for the beginning of February next year, but there is no specific tour route.

But this does not prevent those who are truly well-informed from knowing the inside story.

The reason why the tour route has not been circulated is that the central court has not yet decided what route to take.

On the one hand, Qi, Lu, Jing and Chu in the east were in turmoil again, and the emperor needed to come in person to suppress the unrest.

On the other hand, the newly conquered Lingnan region also required the emperor to visit in person to appease and intimidate the local people...and it is not ruled out that it could also serve to intimidate local officials.

Both places need to be visited, and both are quite urgent.

Once the unrest in Qi, Lu, Jing, Chu and other places really takes off, the empire will not be able to suppress it with simple deterrence, and blood will be shed.

And it is likely that many people will die.

The security level in the Lingnan region was once worrying because too many second-class citizens moved in within a short period of time. In addition, it was too far away from the central government, and Ying Zheng himself felt uneasy unless he visited the region.

The court is currently still considering how to make a choice.

But this is no longer important to any ambitious forces.

They just wanted to see how much fun Ying Zheng could have during his tour, and then wait quietly for the opportunity.

The decline of the empire is an inevitable result that cannot be stopped, and if nothing unexpected happens, the speed of decline will become faster and faster. They just need to wait quietly, and believe that it will not be long before they will have the best opportunity to realize their ambitions.

Any smart person would not jump out to confront the empire at this time, but would retreat instead.

Wherever the emperor passed by, they would be more honest than anyone else - of course, only when the emperor passed by them.

………………

Zhangtai Palace, inside Ying Zheng’s bedroom.

Ying Zheng was lying on the couch, looking uglier than ever. His brows, which were always relaxed in the past, were squeezed into a knot. His eyes were closed tightly, and his body was shaking slightly.

Anyone with eyes can see that Ying Zheng’s current condition is... very bad!

There was no one in the bedroom except Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng deliberately dismissed all the eunuchs who were accompanying him. The reason was very simple - an emperor did not want others to see his weak side.

In fact, every time Ying Zheng had a headache, he would not keep too many people around him.

This time, there was only Zhao Gao - if it was not necessary to keep someone to look after himself, Ying Zheng probably would not even have kept Zhao Gao.

He is the only one here, and he has gone to get medicine for Ying Zheng, so he is not here for the time being.

Not long after, Zhao Gao rushed into the bedroom in a hurry and helped Ying Zheng take the pill.

Although he didn't say what he was thinking, on the surface, Zhao Gao was naturally very concerned about Ying Zheng's health.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling better?"

Seeing that Ying Zheng's frown relaxed a little not long after taking the pill, Zhao Gao asked cautiously.

Ying Zheng didn't answer him, but just waved his hand weakly.

Zhao Gao understood immediately. After helping Ying Zheng lie down, he packed up all his things and stood aside like a puppet.

In fact, Ying Zheng still had a headache. Although the Yin-Yang family's elixirs were useful, they took time to take effect. How could they work as soon as they entered his stomach?

However, he did feel that his headache was slightly relieved - according to what Gu Xun had told him before, this was a psychological effect, and he felt that he had been treated, so his physical discomfort was slightly relieved.

After a while, Nian Duan hurried over again carrying his medicine box.

When Ying Zheng felt unwell, he immediately ordered someone to call Nian Duan, but Nian Duan's whereabouts were uncertain.

Sometimes she would stay in the Imperial Hospital to communicate with other imperial doctors, sometimes she would stay at home to study prescriptions and test new drugs, sometimes she would attend classes at the medical school, and sometimes she would go to unknown places to treat people.

If you want to see her, it is best to make an appointment in advance - all the dignitaries in Xianyang have to make an appointment to see her.

If you don't want to wait, find someone else.

Ying Zheng didn't need to make an appointment to see her, but he had to rely on his luck. If he couldn't find her for the time being, then no one could do anything.

I was lucky this time, but it took some time.

As soon as Nian Duan came in, he started checking Ying Zheng's physical condition without saying a word, following the same procedure as last time.

The result she obtained was even more severe and worse than the last time. Nian Duan sighed and said bluntly, "Your Majesty, your physical condition is not optimistic."

"Is it bad?" Ying Zheng asked while lying on the couch, trying his best to muster up some strength.

"It's deteriorating very quickly." Nian Duan replied, "If you leave it alone and let it continue to deteriorate, Your Majesty, I'm afraid your time will be... short."

"How long?" Ying Zheng asked calmly.

Nian Duan hesitated for a moment, "I... can't say for sure, maybe a few years?"

"In any case, it can't be more than five years, or even three years."

"Three to five years?... Not bad." Ying Zheng murmured softly in an imperceptible voice.

Nian Duan didn't hear clearly and didn't care.

Zhao Gao heard it clearly, but he just lowered his head, as if he had fallen asleep.

For Ying Zheng, his last straw is the mirage.

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So far, Mirage has been sailing for almost a year, which is much longer than he expected.

He had questioned Donghuang Taiyi about this matter more than once, and the latter guaranteed that in at most another year, Ying Zheng would get the result he wanted.

According to Nian Duan, he still has two or three years at most. Even if he waits for Mirage for another year, it will still be in time... it will still be in time.

Nian Duan then advised, "Your Majesty, you can no longer go out on tours. You must stay in Xianyang to recuperate, increase your daily rest time, and reduce your burden!"

Ying Zheng pretended he didn't hear these words and called out to Zhao Gao, "Zhao Gao, send Master Nian Duan off for me."

Zhao Gao immediately raised his head, as if he had turned on a computer, and respectfully asked Nian Duan to leave.

Nian Duan was very determined at this moment, "Your Majesty! You must stop the new tour plan and rest and recuperate, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable!"

Nian Duan spoke very firmly, but Ying Zheng had no intention of listening.

It's not that he didn't respect the doctor's orders, it's just that reading the orders given to him was really difficult for him.

He couldn't give up his tour plan, otherwise the situation in the empire would quickly collapse and slide straight towards an irreversible level.

It is even less likely that he would lighten the burden on himself, as this would be tantamount to giving up some of the power in his hands.

He could only try his best to maintain the rule of the empire by using the method of drinking poison to quench thirst.

The empire is his "private property" as an emperor. If he doesn't fight for it, how can he expect others to fight for him?
Of course, Ying Zheng would not argue with Nian Duan about this topic - he was the emperor, power was paramount, Nian Duan was a doctor, treating illnesses was his main concern, they each had different priorities, and it was impossible to make sense of it.

He just nodded at Zhao Gao with his eyes.

He immediately understood and politely but firmly asked Nian Duan to leave.

Nian Duan did not continue to pester him, but just said that he would prescribe some nourishing and calming medicines later, which would be able to have some effect.

Medicine cannot cure incurable diseases.

Theoretically, Ying Zheng's illness was not an incurable terminal illness, but in fact it was.

Because the medicine to cure the disease does not exist - Ying Zheng would never give up the power in his hands, even for a moment, even partially.

After seeing Nian Duan off, Zhao Gao returned to the bedroom and continued to guard Ying Zheng's bedside.

Ying Zheng lay on the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

After a while, Ying Zheng suddenly said, "Hurry up and don't delay the tour for too long."

Zhao Gao was a little surprised, but he just nodded respectfully.

After he agreed, he brought up the difficult issue again, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Li is still discussing with the Imperial Household and other court officials whether to go south or east."

"do not know……"

"Let's deal with it all at once." Ying Zheng's calm but weak voice sounded, "Go south first, go around the east, and finally... go north again."

This time, Ying Zheng went straight to the point. Except for Longxi, which basically did not require his attention, he planned to travel across the country.

He had to travel to the south and the east, which meant he had already toured most of the empire, not to mention the northern part.

Using tours to stabilize local rule would certainly expose the empire's predicament. Ying Zheng had no choice but to further increase the frequency and scope of his tours to demonstrate his strength in order to offset the unsolvable defects.

Moreover, when this round of patrol ends, Mirage should return home.

As for physical problems... too many lice won't itch, too many debts won't worry you, it doesn't matter.

Zhao Gao was secretly shocked when he heard this.

Even he had to admit that Ying Zheng was a ruthless man.

Your life is about to be lost, yet you still dare to fight like this!
It must be said that Zhao Gao was a cruel and ruthless person, but he could not be so cruel to himself.

But this is definitely not a bad thing for him. If Ying Zheng is willing to risk his life, let him do it.

The corners of Zhao Gao's mouth curled up slightly, and he replied calmly, "Yes, I'll do it right away!"

………………

Fushi City in Beidi County is the new residence of the eldest prince.

In the piano room of Xiyuan, Fusu was meeting with Han Fei.

The two of them stayed in the piano room, but they were not playing the piano, but playing chess.

The sunlight from the southeast shone into the room through the large window on the south wall, shining right onto the jade chessboard. The black and white chess pieces, like colored glaze, immediately reflected a dazzling light.

On both sides of the chessboard, Fusu and Han Fei sat opposite each other, each holding black and white.

"Your Highness, are you looking for me today because of the punishment the Emperor imposed on you some time ago?"

Han Fei spoke first and opened the topic.

Fusu nodded, "Father, I am guilty of this because of my reckless behavior, which has implicated the entire Northland. I am truly guilty."

"I came to Mr. Han Fei today to ask if the loss of Liusha is serious. Is there anything I need to make up for it?"

Han Fei placed the chess piece slowly and replied with a smile, "The loss of Quicksand is not great, so you don't have to worry."

"As for the emperor's fury this time, the responsibility certainly does not lie with you, young master. It was me who did not handle it well, and Luowang got hold of some evidence against me."

Fusu was silent for a moment and then said, "I assured my father that Liusha had no ulterior motives, but he didn't seem to accept it."

Han Fei smiled and replied calmly, "Although the fault this time lies entirely with Liusha, I must say one thing - forgive my offense, but since you are Gu Xun's student, I dare to speak more directly."

"You are too polite, sir." Fusu quickly expressed his attitude, "You and the teacher are like brothers. You have taught me diligently over the years, so you are naturally my elder. How can I offend you?"

"But if you have anything to say, just say it."