Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

His voice echoed in the empty hall, each word resounding with conviction. All the officials and civil servants fell silent, their eyes fixed on Hu Hai, awaiting his reply.

Hu Hai was intimidated by Li Si's imposing manner. He opened his mouth but could not utter a word, and his face became even paler.

Zhao Gao remained unfazed, even smiling, and stepped forward to block Hu Hai's path.

He slowly pulled out an imperial edict from his sleeve, held it high above his head, and said loudly, "Prime Minister, there is no need to be angry. His Majesty the First Emperor has decreed that the eighteenth prince, Huhai, shall oversee the country and preside over state affairs. This edict was written by His Majesty himself, and all of you may verify it."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it carried clearly throughout the entire hall.

The expressions of everyone present changed drastically. They stared dumbfounded at the edict in Zhao Gao's hand, then at the young and apprehensive boy on the dragon throne, unable to believe it was real.

His Majesty the First Emperor was wise and sagacious, ruling the world for decades, conquering the six kingdoms and unifying the country. His vision was so sharp that he would never entrust the affairs of state to a young man who had not yet reached adulthood.

Hu Hai was not particularly outstanding among the princes. He was inferior to Fu Su in terms of civil administration and far inferior to the Marquis of Zhenguo who made great contributions in the northern frontier. Even if His Majesty the First Emperor really wanted to choose someone to oversee the country, it should not have been him.

Li Si firmly expressed his disbelief, taking a step forward and speaking in an even more stern voice, "I do not believe it. I want to see His Majesty in person to confirm this matter. Zhao Gao, take me to see His Majesty."

His gaze was like a knife piercing Zhao Gao, trying to discern something from the effeminate eunuch's face.

Wang Ben also stepped forward, his voice even louder than Li Si's, carrying the fierce spirit unique to military generals, "This is utterly absurd."

Even if His Majesty's health is failing and he needs to choose someone to oversee the country, it wouldn't be the eighteenth prince's turn. Above him is the eldest prince, Fusu, with his outstanding achievements, and the even more exceptional Marquis of Zhenguo. Zhao Gao, what tricks are you playing?

His words were blunt and showed no respect for Hu Hai.

The hall erupted in commotion as officials began to discuss the matter, their words filled with contempt and disdain for Hu Hai. Some said he was nothing but a greenhorn, others said he was incompetent in both literature and martial arts, and still others whispered that Zhao Gao was clearly manipulating things behind the scenes.

Although the voices were not loud, they were like needles piercing Hu Hai's heart. He sat on the dragon throne, listening to the buzzing discussions, his face flushed with anger, his teeth grinding together, and his hands clenched into fists hidden in his sleeves.

His heart was filled with rage, and he secretly vowed to make these people pay the price, to make them kneel before him and beg for mercy, and to make them pay back tenfold or a hundredfold for the humiliation they had suffered today.

Zhao Gao had anticipated this scene, and his smile didn't diminish at all; instead, it became even more composed. He slowly circulated his inner energy and suddenly shouted, "Silence!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, making everyone in the hall's ears ring, and the discussions instantly ceased.

Zhao Gao lowered his arm, sneered, and slowly swept his gaze across the assembled officials in the hall. His gaze was cold and sharp, like a venomous snake scrutinizing its prey.

He spoke up, "His Majesty has already rested. You have repeatedly tried to disturb His Majesty's peace and quiet. What are your intentions? The imperial edict is here. Do you intend to disobey it?"

After saying this, he raised his hand and clapped twice. The crisp applause was particularly loud in the silent hall. Immediately, a series of orderly footsteps and the clanging of armor came from outside the hall, and the Imperial Physician Zhao Cheng led a team of fully armed soldiers into the hall.

The armored soldiers, clad in iron armor and wielding gleaming spears and swords, moved in perfect unison, quickly surrounding the civil and military officials. Swords clashed, their cold blades flashing, the icy edge no more than feet from the ministers.

Everyone stared in disbelief, their faces turning deathly pale. They had never imagined that Zhao Gao would be so arrogant. To wage war in the Zhangtai Palace was unprecedented; even the courts of the six conquered states had never witnessed such absurdity.

Li Si was so angry that he trembled all over. He raised his arm, his finger trembling as he pointed at Zhao Gao. His lips quivered as he tried to say something, but he gradually lost his temper during the confrontation.

He saw the murderous intent in the eyes of the armored soldiers, the cold smile on Zhao Cheng's lips, and the hidden threat on Zhao Gao's ambiguous face.

Li Si was a clever man who spent his life navigating the vortex of power, and his greatest skill was judging the situation and assessing the circumstances.

He realized that a head-on confrontation was pointless. He had already made his stance clear, and whichever side won in the future would need a mature and prudent prime minister like himself to stabilize the court. There was no need to actually put himself in the line of duty.

He gritted his teeth, slowly lowered his arm, his face ashen, and remained silent, only letting out a heavy snort through his nose.

Zhao Gao nodded in satisfaction, a hint of smugness flashing in his narrow eyes. He turned to look at Wang Ben, his gaze carrying a touch of provocation.

Wang Ben swept his gaze fiercely over Zhao Gao and Hu Hai, a cold smile playing on his lips as he disdainfully turned his head away. In his eyes, these were nothing more than clowns who had temporarily gained power; once the Marquis of Zhenguo returned from the northern frontier with his army, these demons and monsters would be wiped out completely.

He made up his mind that once he returned to his residence, he would immediately send another messenger to get the message out, no matter what. Meng Yi stood aside, observing coldly without uttering a word.

He was a military man by birth and knew that there was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation under these circumstances, so it was better to endure for the time being.

Seeing that Li Si and Wang Ben remained silent, and knowing their own insignificance, none of the officials dared to step forward. The hall fell into a profound silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, broken only by the occasional soft clanging of the armored soldiers' uniforms.

Seeing this, Zhao Gao put on a smile again, cupped his hands in a fake manner, and said in a somewhat apologetic tone, "This old servant has offended you greatly just now, it was really out of his own hands."

"Gentlemen, you are all pillars of the court. As long as you diligently assist the Eighteenth Prince, you will undoubtedly reap the rewards in the future."

Although his words were polite, his attitude was arrogant and condescending; it wasn't an apology but a show of force. He then gestured for them to leave, indicating that they could go back to their respective residences and properly assist Huhai.

Li Si, Wang Ben, and the others gave a heavy snort and turned to leave. Their robes rustled as they turned, and their footsteps echoed dully on the stone slabs of the hall.

The other ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, then scattered in a panic, heads bowed, and hurried out of Zhangtai Hall as if something terrifying was chasing them.

In the blink of an eye, only Hu Hai, Zhao Gao, and the armored soldiers surrounding them remained in the vast hall.

After everyone left, Hu Hai hurriedly stood up from the dragon throne and staggered down the steps. He walked up to Zhao Gao, the stiffness and anger on his face gone, replaced by heartfelt gratitude. He grasped Zhao Gao's hand, his voice trembling with emotion, "Teacher, I owe you so much today. If it weren't for you, I truly wouldn't know how to deal with these aggressive old ministers."

Hu Hai will forever remember his teacher's great kindness and virtue, and will never be stingy with rewards in the future, determined to share the riches of the world with his teacher.

His tone was full of flattery and dependence, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood and refusing to let go.

Zhao Gao smiled reservedly, gently patted Hu Hai's hand, and withdrew his own. He bowed slightly, his tone gentle and respectful, "My lord, what are you saying? This old servant was merely following orders."

"Young master, there's no need to worry. With this old servant here, nothing will go wrong. Just sit comfortably in your seat, and leave everything else to me."

After saying this, he turned and called out to the outside of the hall. Several dark figures silently appeared in the hall. The men were dressed in black, their faces hidden in the shadows, and they moved without making a sound. They were assassins from the Luo Wang organization.

Zhao Gao's smile vanished, his expression turning cold. He ordered, "Closely monitor Li Si, Wang Ben, and the others. Report everything they say and everyone they meet in their residences. There must be no error."

The assassins from the Luo Wang organization knelt on one knee to receive their orders, and then disappeared from the hall like ghosts.

That night, the Prince's mansion was brightly lit. Wang Ben paced back and forth in his study, his face ashen. He had already discussed it with his father and decided to send another messenger.

This time, he made even more meticulous arrangements, selecting three squads of men from the palace. Each squad consisted of battle-hardened elite soldiers, each exceptionally skilled and utterly loyal to the Wang family. Wang Ben ordered these three squads to quietly leave the city under cover of night, heading towards the northern frontier.

His plan was quite meticulous. Two groups of people, one open and one covert, served as bait, deliberately leaving traces to attract attention. The third group, who were actually carrying the letter, would sneak in during the chaos, striving to break through the blockade unnoticed.

The night was as dark as ink. The city gates of Xianyang had long been closed. Soldiers patrolling the city walls carried torches and walked back and forth, the flames flickering and dancing in the darkness.

The back gate of the Prince's mansion quietly opened, and three groups of men split up, disappearing into the night like three black streams. Their horses' hooves were wrapped in thick linen, and the horseshoes made only a soft thud when they hit the ground.

However, the methods of the Luo Wang assassins are extremely unpredictable. These hunters hidden in the darkness are terrifying to the police. Their eyes and ears are spread throughout every corner of the city, and the hidden sentries at the foot of the city walls are as dense as a spider web.

The three groups of men had barely left the city when they were intercepted by a hidden net lurking in the darkness. The clash of swords echoed briefly in the night wind before quickly fading into silence. All three groups, totaling more than thirty men, perished without a single survivor.

The night deepened, yet no lights were lit within the Xianyang Palace. The vast palace was shrouded in deep darkness, with only sporadic moonlight filtering through the cracks in the window lattices, casting pale patches of light on the ground.

Zhao Gao stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his figure flickering in and out of the darkness. Moonlight shone on half of his face, illuminating a cold and indifferent expression; his eyes were devoid of any emotion, as still as a deep well.

A slight gust of wind swept by, and a Luo Wang assassin appeared silently behind him, kneeling on one knee and presenting several intercepted letters with both hands. Zhao Gao took the letters, did not turn around, and simply waved his hand casually.

The assassin then retreated silently, just as he had appeared.

Zhao Gao unfolded one of the letters and looked at it, then picked up the others and read them one by one. The candlelight flickered slightly on the table beside him, and after he finished reading, a ball of eerie blue light appeared in his palm.

The firelight was cold and eerie, devoid of any warmth, yet it instantly consumed the letters. Ashes, like black butterflies, drifted from between his fingers and scattered at his feet.

A sinister smile crept across Zhao Gao's lips as he muttered to himself, "They think they can fool us with such petty tricks? Under our net, no fish ever escapes."

His voice was soft, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in the empty hall. The moonlight outside the window was cold and clear, making the chill inside the hall even more eerie.

Ying Xuan did not indulge in his brief encounter with the Immortal Physician. Although the woman was indeed aloof and otherworldly, with unparalleled beauty and miraculous medical skills, in his eyes, indulging in beauty was nothing but the behavior of a mediocre person, and ruling the world was the ambition of a man.

He knew better than anyone that "the land of gentle pleasures is the graveyard of heroes." Therefore, once the army had rested, he quickly reorganized his troops and led them back to Yanmen County.

The mighty procession snaked across the grassland like a black dragon, its banners fluttering and its hooves thundering. The herders and small nomadic tribes along the way, upon seeing the dark Qin banner from afar, all knelt down, not daring to raise their heads.

The faces of the 300,000 soldiers in the northern frontier were filled with the pride of victory, but Ying Xuan sat on his warhorse with a calm expression, already calculating the gains and losses of this expedition.

Upon returning to Yanmen County, the army went to their respective camps, and Ying Xuan went straight back to his own tent. The tent was simply furnished, with nothing but a small table, a map, and a few cushions.

He sat down behind the desk, dismissed those around him, and began to take stock of the gains from this expedition.

The achievement of annihilating the Xiongnu received tangible feedback. The system notification sounded clearly in his mind: 1,500 merit points were credited to his account. Immediately afterwards, the system shop and space were both upgraded, unlocking more permissions and greatly increasing the number of items that could be stored.

Ying Xuan nodded slightly, somewhat satisfied with the result.

A war that destroyed a country earned him 1,500 merit points, which may not seem like much, but the really good items in the system shop can easily cost thousands or even tens of thousands of merit points. He knew the principle of accumulating little by little, so he wasn't in a hurry.

However, what surprised him most was the embryonic fruit lying quietly in the system space. With a thought, the spiritual fruit appeared in his palm.

The fruit is no bigger than a fist, crystal clear like jade, with a thin layer of frost on its surface. It is icy cold to the touch, as if you were holding a piece of ancient ice.

The Fetal Essence Fruit, a rare spiritual fruit, grows in extremely cold regions and takes fifty years to form. It contains vital energy and is extremely rare. Ordinary people who consume it can extend their lifespan to one hundred and fifty years, and its effects are even greater for cultivators.

However, if a Grandmaster at the peak were to consume it, there was a high probability that they could break through and reach the realm of oneness with heaven and man. Ying Xuan stared at the Fetal Essence Fruit in his hand, his eyes flickering with uncertain light. He knew very well that power and prestige, without the support of strength, were ultimately castles in the air.

Even though he'll have fewer and fewer opportunities to personally intervene in the future, having enough trump cards and having none at all are two completely different things. This Fetal Essence Fruit is yet another trump card in his hand. (End of Chapter)