Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 257 The Emperor's Wrath: Zhao Gao Summoned
Qin Dynasty, Xianyang
Inside a magnificent palace, Ying Zheng looked at the intelligence report in his hand, a hint of gloom passing through his eagle-like eyes.

The Net of Law is the empire's sharpest weapon. He trusted Zhao Gao, that eunuch, enough to entrust the Net of Law to him, but now it seems that the other party has not lived up to his trust.

The world is in turmoil. In addition to the power struggles within the empire, there is also external pressure. The external pressure mainly comes from two aspects: the Xiongnu beyond the borders and the Hundred Schools of Thought that have never been at peace in the martial arts world.

Taoism was one of the most powerful schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought. If the empire wanted to reorganize the power of the Hundred Schools of Thought in the future, it would be an obstacle that it could not bypass.

But now, he doesn't want to touch the Taoists. Firstly, the Taoists have too deep a foundation. There are two Grandmasters in the open right now. Such power is not something that can be easily controlled.

Most importantly, the empire's forces are now mostly deployed in the north and south, leaving them with no extra resources to fully regulate the martial arts world.

The Luo Wang organization has expanded rapidly in recent years, which he tacitly approved, because he needed the Luo Wang's power to counterbalance those Jianghu forces. Zhao Gao had done a good job before, but this time, Zhao Gao's actions made it difficult for him to be happy.

"Guards, summon Zhao Gao to see me!!"

After calming himself down for a moment, Ying Zheng said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing Ying Zheng's words, an attendant outside the door quickly responded, and the empty hall returned to silence once more.

Ying Zheng slowly rose from his seat, left the table, and stood on the high platform. He gripped the hilt of the Tianwen sword in one hand, looking down towards the entrance of the main hall.

Taoism, the Taoist Heavenly Sect.

That was indeed a perplexing force. The Heavenly Sect was different from the Human Sect. The Human Sect emphasized engagement with the world and doing as one pleased, but the Heavenly Sect followed the path of detachment from the world. A sect that did not want to interfere with the general trend of the world posed less of a threat to the empire than one might imagine.

So initially, he didn't intend to target the Heavenly Sect. It was only later, when refined salt and white paper began to circulate in the martial arts world, that the Heavenly Sect came back into his sights.

And that young grandmaster was gradually confirmed to be an unparalleled genius from the Heavenly Sect.

From his perspective, looking at the whole world, there aren't many people who can move him. Of course, this kind of being moved is different from being moved in the common sense.

Just like Han Fei, the ninth prince of the former state, who was a wise and talented man who greatly impressed him, he often thought that if he could have his help, the empire's great cause of lasting hegemony would probably already be on the right track.

Unfortunately, Han Fei never relented and was eventually lost to the annals of time.

Besides Han Fei, he also highly valued the boy who used the alias Xiu Yuan back then. The boy's views on the world and his overall perspective even surpassed those of Gai Nie, who came from Guigu.

Seven years ago, the other party had even predicted today's events: that Qin would complete the unification of China. With such vision and such methods, he felt that the other party was even above the Yin-Yang School in terms of divination and prediction.

Later, he received intelligence from the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), and the opinions they put forward in other areas were also very targeted. It was not hard to see that the young master was a more capable talent.

But to his regret, Qingxu had his own Dao, which he saw as a joke, an impossible joke.

The Qin Dynasty's current state is inseparable from the efforts and struggles of generations of Qin people, so he could not possibly agree to the other party's proposal, nor would the Qin people agree to it.

"Qingxu, I'm very curious, what exactly do you want?"

"With your perspective, you should be able to see how absurd that idea is in this era. To do something you know is impossible is not the choice of a wise person."

Ying Zheng's voice was very low, and only he could hear it in the hall. After a while, the ruler of the empire sighed softly again. Many times, even the ruler of a country has many grievances.

On the other side, in a side hall of Xianyang Palace, a eunuch pushed open the door, looked at the person sitting on the bench, and bowed slightly.

"Lord of the Imperial Carriage Office, His Majesty the Emperor summons you!"

Zhao Gao, the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office.

Upon hearing the visitor's words, Zhao Gao, whose face was already gloomy, became even more distressed. Ying Zheng wanting to see him was not a good sign, especially at this moment.

"What else did His Majesty say?"

Zhao Gao moved his five fingers slightly, his sharp nails adorned with a touch of cardamom, the bright red sending chills down one's spine.

The eunuch stood to one side, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

As a eunuch serving Ying Zheng, his situation was quite special. Even when meeting the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, he didn't feel much panic.

"Only this sentence."

The eunuch spoke frankly: there are no secrets in the world, and it's the same everywhere. Although Xianyang Palace is a forbidden place for most people in the world, it is not so for those inside the palace.

Given Zhao Gao's status, it would have been easy for him to find out what Ying Zheng had said that day, so there was no point in him concealing it.

From his perspective, he believed that the situation was not as serious as he had imagined. Given Ying Zheng's domineering nature, if the ruler of the empire truly harbored murderous intent, the one summoned would likely not be him, but rather the Shadow Guard or the Imperial Guard.

"Is there anything unusual about His Majesty the Emperor?"

Upon hearing the other party's words, Zhao Gao's narrow eyes narrowed subconsciously. He was certain that the First Emperor had summoned him because he had heard news about the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven).

As someone close to Ying Zheng, he knew all too well the dangers of serving a ruler, and today's events had him on edge.

This man who founded the Qin Dynasty was so deep that no one could match him. Even he had to be subservient to the other party.

"His Majesty doesn't look too good. I've spoken out of turn."

Zhao Gao looked up at the eunuch in front of him, a smile appearing on his lips; this was a normal human reaction.

"Don't worry, what we say here is only known to the two of us. Besides, it is the duty of every servant to care about His Majesty's health, and you haven't said anything out of line."

Zhao Gao slowly stood up. Now that he knew Ying Zheng's thoughts, he had a corresponding countermeasure.

The First Emperor was indeed dissatisfied with his actions and very angry. However, the other party did not directly send the Shadow Guards or the Imperial Guards to attack him, but instead sent an eunuch to deliver the message.

From this point, he could be certain that Ying Zheng still needed him, or that he still had value to him.

In this deep palace, the most terrifying thing for a person is to be of no use whatsoever. As long as he still has some value, he still has room to maneuver.

Ying Zheng was naturally aware of the current situation of the empire, but he was not entirely ignorant of it. With the Xiongnu causing trouble outside and the Jianghu (martial arts world) causing unrest inside, Ying Zheng needed someone to help him keep an eye on those Jianghu forces, at least to prevent them from completely descending into chaos. It wouldn't be too late to deal with the Jianghu after the borders were stabilized.

And this person, as things stand, is naturally the most suitable.

A eunuch has no powerful relatives, and he is looked down upon by the civil and military officials in the court. He will not form cliques or become too powerful to control. Therefore, he is a sword, the sword he trusts the most.

After a while, Zhao Gao arrived in the main hall.

"Your humble servant Zhao Gao greets Your Majesty!"

Zhao Gao lacked the arrogance of a scholar; upon seeing Ying Zheng, he immediately knelt and prostrated himself on the ground. On the high platform, Ying Zheng stood with his back to the gate, his slender figure fully revealed beneath his black dragon robe. Hearing the voices around him, the ruler of the empire seemed oblivious.

When Zhao Gao saw this scene, his heart sank. The situation seemed to be worse than he had imagined. However, he had no other choice at the moment, so he knelt down and waited quietly for what was to come.

After a long while, Ying Zheng's voice came over.

"Zhao Gao!"

"Are you guilty?"

Zhao Gao glanced at Ying Zheng out of the corner of his eye, but unfortunately, he didn't see Ying Zheng's face; he only saw his back.

The inscrutable voice made his heart pound uncontrollably.

A successful ruler does not show his emotions, and in this respect, Ying Zheng was undoubtedly a master. Even his closest confidants could not understand his true feelings.

"This old servant confesses his sins!!"

He did not intend to refute this question, or perhaps he always knew that what Ying Zheng disliked most was explanations and excuses.

Time ticked by, and silence fell over the hall once more. Zhao Gao narrowed his eyes, and his heart began to race again.

Waiting can sometimes bring happiness, but most of the time it brings anxiety, or more accurately, torment.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard Ying Zheng's voice again.

"Oh, so do you know what crime you've committed?"

A rhetorical question made Zhao Gao clench his fists involuntarily. After becoming the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, he couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken to him like that.

But he had no other thoughts in front of this person.

"The Net should not have gone to Mount Taiyi."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Gao decided to get to the bottom of things in the shortest terms possible.

"Haha~~"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng let out two cold laughs.

This was not the answer he wanted to hear. The Net was the sword in his hand, its purpose being to monitor the entire martial world. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all people within the realm are subjects of the king. Mount Taiyi was also the territory of the empire, so why couldn't the Net go there?

If Luo Wang doesn't make any other moves at Taiyi Mountain, in his opinion, those senior Taoist masters, even Qingxu and Beimingzi, won't touch them.

"This is not the answer I want to hear. If this is truly all you are capable of, then let someone else take control of the Net!"

His words were simple, yet they carried an unparalleled air of dominance.

But these words were like a thunderbolt to Zhao Gao. Letting others control the Net was not good news. Once he lost his usefulness, death awaited him.

Zhao Gao understood the cause and effect clearly, so after Ying Zheng said those words, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

"The Net should not provoke the Taoists."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Gao spoke again.

Ying Zheng raised his head slightly, and this time, he did not refute Zhao Gao's words.

"The Net is the sword in my hand, not yours. Whom this sword should be pointed at, and whose will it should obey, I don't need to tell you, do I?"

"This time, the Luo Wang organization was mobilized and engaged in fierce fighting at Haijiao and Sanhepu, which ultimately led to Qingxu and Xiaomeng's intervention, causing the Luo Wang organization to suffer heavy losses and be severely weakened. You owe me an explanation!!"

Ying Zheng turned around, looking down at Zhao Gao kneeling on the ground, his voice chilling.

Zhao Gao sensed Ying Zheng's movement and lowered his head even further.

Explain?

He didn't know how to explain things to the person in front of him. It was a fact that Luo Wang had suffered heavy losses, and he also had no way to completely deal with the two people from Tian Zong.

But he couldn't remain silent about this matter; silence was golden, but that wouldn't work in front of this person.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Gao came up with a reasonable explanation for his arrangement.

"Knights use martial arts to break the law, and Confucian scholars use literature to disrupt the law. The various schools of thought in the martial arts world have always been an uncertain factor. The Taoists gather refined salt and white paper, collect the wealth of the world, and have two grandmasters in charge. If they have any disloyal intentions, it will probably be a disaster for the empire."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng frowned.

"Knights use martial arts to break the law, and Confucians use literature to disrupt the law." This was proposed by Han Fei, which is in line with the basic national policy of the Qin Dynasty. However, if it were other schools of thought, such a statement might not be a problem. But would those madmen who are determined to seek the Tao be interested in the affairs of the world?

"Zhao Gao, you've been in control of the Net for more than a year or two. Now that you know it's a Taoist sect, do you really think those people from the Heavenly Sect would be interested in worldly affairs?"

Zhao Gao's eyes twitched, and he thought to himself, "This is bad." If this were applied to the Mohists or Confucians, it would certainly be without any problem. But the key issue is that this time the target is the Daoists. Ying Zheng's words are not without reason. The probability that those crazy Daoists are interested in worldly affairs is ridiculously low.

Take Master Qingxu, the most active among them, for example. In the past seven years, he has only made a handful of moves, and he has never intervened in national wars.

Given this outcome, it's really hard to believe that the Daoists harbored rebellious intentions.

"Your Majesty, the Taoists have amassed a great deal of wealth. If this wealth falls into the wrong hands of those with ulterior motives, even if they have no interest in ruling the world, it is still a potential threat."

After saying this, Zhao Gao strained his ears, intending to hear Ying Zheng's reaction. Unfortunately, this time, he heard nothing, and the hall fell silent once again.

"So, you're helping me eliminate this potential threat?"

Suddenly, Zhao Gao felt a chill run down his spine, and a murderous intent spread throughout the entire hall. A commoner's anger can cause blood to splatter five steps away, but an emperor's anger can cause millions of corpses to float.

He couldn't understand why Ying Zheng was angry.

"This servant wouldn't dare!"

"This old servant simply..."

(End of this chapter)