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

Ying Xuan chuckled softly and stood up. "If such a feat as destroying the Xiongnu and incorporating the entire southern desert into the Qin territory can be punished, then the laws of Qin are truly eye-opening. Let's go see what kind of decree they brought."

He strode out of the military tent, with Zhang Han following closely behind. The two walked one after the other towards the prefectural governor's mansion, encountering generals such as Meng Tian and Xin Sheng who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Meng Tian's expression was somewhat subtle. As the second-highest-ranking general in the Northern Frontier Army after Ying Xuan, he had been paying close attention to the situation in Xianyang.

With Zhao Gao wielding absolute power in the court and the First Emperor's health condition remaining unclear, it was impossible to say whether a decree issued at this time would bring good fortune or misfortune.

“Young Master,” Meng Tian said in a low voice as he approached quickly, “I have heard that those two eunuchs are Zhao Gao’s men.”

Ying Xuan didn't stop walking, but said calmly, "General Meng, are you afraid of Zhao Gao?"

Meng Tian was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "This humble general is not afraid of Zhao Gao, but this humble general is worried about His Majesty's decree. If His Majesty really listens to slander, then this decree will probably not be a good thing."

"Good or bad, you'll know once you see it."

Ying Xuan's tone remained calm and indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

The group soon arrived at the prefectural governor's mansion. The gates were wide open, and hundreds of imperial guards stood in two rows, their armor gleaming, their swords and spears like a forest, creating a scene of strict vigilance.

Ying Xuan glanced at the imperial guards. Although they were dressed in the uniforms of the Qin imperial guards, their expressions were somewhat unnatural, their eyes darting around, and they dared not meet his gaze. He sneered inwardly and continued walking into the mansion without stopping.

The main hall of the prefectural governor's mansion was extremely spacious, capable of accommodating dozens of people for discussions at the same time. At this moment, many people were already standing in the hall, including Fusu and the physician.

Fusu had already received the First Emperor's decree, ordering him to immediately return to Xianyang and remain under house arrest for self-reflection. However, he was detained by this new decree before he could depart. He stood in the hall, looking somewhat uneasy, his brows furrowed, as if he were worried about something.

The physician stood aside, still with his aloof demeanor, but a hint of curiosity flickered in his bright eyes, as if he wanted to see what kind of imperial decree could make the two eunuchs so ostentatious.

Besides them, the prefect's staff and officials of all ranks in the prefecture also rushed over upon hearing the news, forming a dense, dark mass. The crowd whispered and murmured amongst themselves, the atmosphere in the hall both excited and tense.

Destroying the Xiongnu was a tremendous achievement, and rewarding the army was only natural. Everyone wanted to witness firsthand what surprises this decree of reward would bring.

The moment Ying Xuan entered the main hall, all eyes fell on him. He wore a long, dark robe, a large dragon sword at his waist, and walked with composure and calmness, exuding an aura that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

That aura wasn't deliberately released, but rather a natural sense of oppression formed by a master of the Unity of Heaven and Man realm merging with heaven and earth. Even though he had suppressed most of his aura, everyone present still felt a weight in their hearts, as if a mountain was pressing down on them.

Two eunuchs stood in the center of the main hall, holding a bright yellow imperial edict in their hands. Upon seeing Ying Xuan enter, their expressions changed slightly, a flicker of panic crossing their eyes, but they quickly regained their composure. The lead eunuch, pale-faced and beardless, cleared his throat and announced in a shrill voice, "Lord Ying Xuan, receive the imperial edict!"

Ying Xuan did not kneel down, nor did he bow. He simply walked slowly to the center of the room, stood with his hands behind his back, looked indifferently at the two eunuchs, and said calmly, "Nian."

The single word "念" (niàn) was spoken in a flat tone, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. The eunuch's face stiffened, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he met Ying Xuan's cold gaze, the words he was about to utter were swallowed back.

He gritted his teeth, unfolded the imperial edict, and his shrill voice rang out in the main hall.

The First Emperor issued an edict: "I have heard that there are fixed punishments in the country, and crimes that are not pardoned are unforgivable."

Marquis Ying Xuan, the ruler of Zhenguo, was by nature violent, cruel, and inhumane. Although he destroyed the Xiongnu, he acted arbitrarily, indiscriminately killing innocent people and slaughtering millions. This earned the empire the infamy of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, and all the feudal lords around him trembled at the mention of his name, causing widespread resentment among the people. Such actions defied the laws of Heaven and were punishable by death.

"Considering the bonds of kinship, I cannot bear to execute you in the marketplace. Therefore, I hereby grant you the privilege of committing suicide in the northern frontier, so that your remains may be preserved. Prince Fusu and General Meng Tian shall oversee the execution. All frontier soldiers shall remain in place and await orders, and are forbidden from any dissent. So be it!"

After the decree was read aloud, the entire main hall fell silent.

Everyone was stunned, their mouths agape, eyes wide, their faces frozen in disbelief. They couldn't believe their ears, couldn't believe what they were hearing. Ying Xuan was a Marquis of Zhenguo, personally appointed by the First Emperor, enjoying the Emperor's favor, and had just achieved the feat of conquering a state, bringing the entire southern grasslands into the Qin territory. How could the First Emperor possibly issue such an edict?
Meng Tian's face instantly turned ashen, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles cracking. Xin Sheng's eyes were bloodshot, his hand already on his sword hilt; had Zhang Han not restrained his shoulder in time, he probably would have already drawn his sword and charged.

The color drained from Fusu's face in an instant, his lips trembled, and he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a single word.

All eyes turned to Ying Xuan, eager to see his reaction.

Ying Xuan remained unfazed, not even flinching. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferent as he looked at the two eunuchs. His eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, yet so deep they seemed capable of swallowing a person whole.

The two eunuchs felt a chill run down their spines under his gaze, and their hands, holding the imperial edict, began to tremble uncontrollably, the bright yellow silk rustling in their hands.

silence.

The entire main hall fell into a suffocating silence.

Then Ying Xuan spoke, saying only two words.

"Give it to me."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present clearly. The two eunuchs were stunned for a moment, not reacting. Ying Xuan's gaze darkened slightly, and he repeated, "Bring the imperial edict here."

This time, his voice carried an air of undeniable authority. As if driven by something, the two eunuchs involuntarily stepped forward and presented the imperial edict to Ying Xuan.

The white-faced, beardless eunuch only realized what he was doing after handing over the imperial edict, but it was too late to stop.

Ying Xuan took the imperial edict with one hand, unfolded it, and glanced at it. His gaze swept over the handwriting, seals, and signature, and a cold smile gradually appeared on his lips.

That smile was as cold as ice crystals in the dead of winter, sending chills down the spines of the two eunuchs, who involuntarily took a step back.

Then, under everyone's gaze, Ying Xuan exerted force with both hands, and with a crisp "rip," the bright yellow edict was torn in half.

Then came several more tearing sounds as he ripped the imperial edict into pieces, tossing them aside like trash. The tattered silks scattered across the ground, the ink characters twisted and deformed, starkly glaring against the bluestone pavement.

"what--"

The two eunuchs screamed simultaneously, their voices high-pitched and thin, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. The pale-faced, beardless eunuch pointed at Ying Xuan, his finger trembling like a withered branch in the wind, and cried out, "You, you, you are incredibly audacious! How dare you tear up His Majesty's edict! This is a capital offense of disrespect! This is a crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan!"

Another gaunt eunuch joined in the shouting: "You're finished! You're finished! Even if you're His Majesty's own son, tearing up the imperial edict is an unforgivable crime! If this gets back to Xianyang, His Majesty will surely tear you to pieces!" Their screams echoed in the main hall, piercing everyone's eardrums. Ying Xuan frowned, his gaze finally shifting from the scattered fragments to the two eunuchs.

His gaze was utterly cold, as if he were looking at two ignorant ants.

That one glance was enough to silence the two eunuchs' screams.

What kind of look was that? There was no anger, no murderous intent, not even any emotion whatsoever, just pure indifference. It was as if, in his eyes, these two living people were utterly insignificant, not even worthy of his anger.

The two eunuchs felt their blood run cold from that one look. Their mouths were open, but they couldn't utter a single word. A gurgling sound came from their throats, as if someone was choking them.

But Ying Xuan had no intention of letting them go.

He flashed and appeared in front of the two eunuchs in the next moment. His speed was so fast that no one present could see how he moved; they only saw a blur before he arrived.

He formed his fingers into claws, and with both hands he reached out simultaneously, directly grabbing the tops of the two eunuchs' heads.

The Soul Searching Technique was activated instantly.

This powerful secret technique, which had only recently been acquired, was used on living people for the first time, and the effect was immediate. The two eunuchs simultaneously let out an extremely shrill scream, a sound as if they were enduring inhuman torture, so sharp it almost pierced the roof.

They felt as if their entire brain was being roughly rummaged through with their hands, every nerve was twitching violently, every thought was being forcibly torn apart, and their memories were like a book being roughly flipped through, page by page being examined.

The two eunuchs' bodies convulsed violently, their eyes rolled upwards, revealing large patches of pale white irises, and white foam dripped from their mouths. Their limbs trembled spasmodically, as if controlled by an invisible force.

The pain was beyond their limits. In just a few breaths, the two men stared blankly, lifeless, their faces still bearing the marks of extreme terror, as if they had seen the most horrible thing before they died.

Ying Xuan released his grip, and the two corpses fell to the ground with a dull thud, like broken sacks. He stood with his hands behind his back, closed his eyes, and quickly processed the memories he had gathered in his mind.

He pieced together those fragmented memories one by one, restoring a complete picture.

Zhao Gao.

It really was Zhao Gao.

This imperial edict was forged by Zhao Gao. The First Emperor never issued such an edict, and he was unaware of the matter at all.

Zhao Gao sealed off the First Emperor's temporary palace in Xianyang, cutting off all communication between the inside and outside. He then forged this edict and sent it to Yanmen County by his trusted eunuch, hoping to use this fake imperial decree to force Ying Xuan to commit suicide.

The tricks that Fusu suffered in his previous life are now being used on him.

Ying Xuan opened his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips. This Zhao Gao had certainly played his cards right. He thought Ying Xuan would be like Fusu back then, disheartened upon receiving the imperial decree, drawing his sword and committing suicide without offering any resistance.

He thought that a fake imperial edict would make Ying Xuan surrender and obediently face death.

That's utterly delusional.

However, Ying Xuan knew in his heart that since Zhao Gao dared to take action, it must be more than just this one fake imperial edict. He must have a backup plan, he must have other arrangements.

According to the memories retrieved, Zhao Gao not only forged the imperial edict ordering Ying Xuan's execution, but also secretly mobilized assassins from the Luo Wang organization to infiltrate the northern frontier, while ordering Fusu and Meng Tian to supervise its execution.

His purpose was clear: to use Fusu and Meng Tian to restrain Ying Xuan and prevent Ying Xuan from amassing military power or directly marching back to Xianyang.

What was Zhao Gao afraid of? He was afraid that Ying Xuan would lead 300,000 troops from the northern frontier back to Xianyang and destroy his stronghold.

That's why he decided to strike first, using a fake imperial edict to force Ying Xuan to commit suicide. At the same time, he had Fusu and Meng Tian, ​​two people with prestige in the army, supervise him, because he was afraid that Ying Xuan would disobey the edict and incite the army to rebel.

Once Ying Xuan dies, the Northern Frontier army will be leaderless, and Zhao Gao can slowly clean up the mess.

This plan was meticulously crafted, but unfortunately, it targeted the wrong person.

Ying Xuan didn't take any of this seriously. In his eyes, Zhao Gao was nothing more than a hyena scavenging for scraps behind a wild beast, only daring to bare its teeth and charge forward when the beast was exhausted. Faced with absolute overwhelming power, all schemes and tricks were a joke.

With his current power, he could easily overturn the table; there was no need for him to swallow any humiliation. Did Zhao Gao think Ying Xuan was Fusu? Did he think a fake imperial edict would make him offer his neck for execution?

It's utterly ridiculous.

He shook his head dismissively, pulling himself back to reality. The two corpses on the ground were still twitching slightly; they were beyond dead.

Just because he doesn't care doesn't mean others don't care.

After everyone came to their senses, they were all stunned by his actions of tearing up the imperial edict and killing the messenger.

This goes beyond mere audacity; it's downright lawless.

Tearing up the imperial edict or executing the messenger—either of these actions, if reported back to Xianyang, would be a capital offense punishable by the extermination of the entire family. Although the two eunuchs were indeed arrogant, and although the content of the edict was utterly absurd, an imperial edict is an imperial edict, representing the will of the First Emperor.

By doing this, Ying Xuan was essentially openly defying the First Emperor, which was tantamount to treason.

The first to react was Fusu.

Fusu's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead. He took two steps forward and pointed at Ying Xuan, shouting, "Ying Xuan! How could you treat the Emperor's decree like this! Even if the content of the decree is inappropriate, it is still the Emperor's decree! You tore up the edict and killed the envoy. This is disrespectful! It is disloyal and unfilial! You... you are plotting a rebellion?"

His voice echoed in the main hall, filled with anger and disbelief. Although Fusu was kind and benevolent, he had received a Confucian education from a young age, and the concepts of ruler-subject, father-son, and father-son relationships were deeply ingrained in him.

In his eyes, no matter what the First Emperor did, they, as his subjects and sons, should not disobey. Ying Xuan's actions just now completely overturned his understanding. (End of Chapter)