I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

Zhang Ying picked up a card, glanced at it, and then threw it away, continuing to talk.

"Hu Hai was a complete waste, and in the end, the Qin Dynasty... perished after only two generations."

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

The stone table in front of Ying Zheng suddenly shook, and half of the neatly arranged mahjong tiles collapsed with a "crash".

The large bowl containing the ice wine was jolted and jumped up, spilling the wine and causing ice cubes to slide across the table, emitting wisps of cold air.

The air inside the cave seemed to freeze.

Wang Ben's wine bowl, which he had just raised to his lips, froze in mid-air, while Meng Yi's hand, holding the willow-twig pen, remained motionless on the paper.

"You dare to be so insolent!"

Ying Zheng suddenly stood up, his movement so swift that he knocked over the stone bench behind him.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his chest heaved violently.

That long-dormant, overwhelming rage belonging to an emperor erupted from his body.

"The Qin Dynasty, perished after only two generations?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling edge.

"I have swept across the land, conquered the eight directions, standardized writing, unified weights and measures, defeated the Xiongnu in the north, and campaigned against the Baiyue in the south, establishing a dynasty that will last for ten thousand generations!"

"You say my Great Qin Dynasty perished after only two generations?!"

Zhang Ying was startled by his sudden outburst, and almost dropped the "Three of Bamboo" in her hand.

Holy crap, this guy is way too into the role!

It's just a chat about history, why are you acting like you've dug up his ancestral grave?

He looked at Ying Zheng's face, which was contorted with rage, and wondered to himself.

This reaction doesn't seem like acting.

A thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Ying's mind.

He recalled accompanying his father to the hospital once, where there was an old man in the next ward who seemed mentally unstable. The doctor instructed the family not to argue with him, but to go along with what he said, otherwise something bad might happen.

Are these three people in front of me really out of their minds after being submerged in the sea?

Thinking of this, Zhang Ying's attitude softened.

Why bother arguing with a mentally ill person? You'll only end up hurting yourself.

"Hey buddy, don't take it seriously, I was just kidding."

He quickly waved his hand, forcing what he thought was a friendly smile onto his face.

"It's just a fictional online novel I read before. The plot was completely made up; don't take it seriously."

Ying Zheng didn't listen to his subsequent explanation at all.

His attention was completely captured by the other two names.

"You're saying that Li Si and Zhao Gao altered my will?"

His anger gradually subsided, transforming into a more dangerous coldness.

"They even drove Fusu to his death?"

betray.

This is the thing he finds most intolerable.

He remembered Lü Buwei, whom he regarded as his "uncle," who had attempted to take advantage of his mother and seize his throne.

He recalled Lao Ai, who kept retainers in the palace with the intention of rebelling, and was ultimately executed by dismemberment and the extermination of his entire clan.

He also thought of his younger brother, Chengjiao, who had launched the rebellion.

All traitors will meet the same fate.

dead.

But Li Si...

He was a trusted advisor whom he had personally promoted from among Lü Buwei's retainers, and he was the strongest support for Lü Buwei in promoting the rule of law and consolidating centralized power.

Li Si deserves much credit for the Qin Dynasty's current status.

Then there's Zhao Gao, a distant relative of the imperial clan. He had served Zhao Gao since Zhao Gao was young, and was in charge of the imperial seals. Zhao Gao was one of Zhao Gao's most trusted eunuchs.

Would they betray themselves?

Looking at Ying Zheng's unpredictable face, Zhang Ying felt a chill run down her spine.

They're still harping on this.

"No, no, absolutely not."

He quickly denied it three times.

"That's all nonsense from novels. Prime Minister Li was loyal and devoted, and Eunuch Zhao... how could he possibly do such a thing?"

He quickly calculated in his mind that, according to these people, it was now the 28th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, and there were still nine years until the 37th year when Qin Shi Huang died in history.

His words were tantamount to spoiling their lives for them.

No wonder there was such a strong reaction.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed..."

Ying Zheng muttered to himself, automatically interpreting Zhang Ying's change of address as the immortal suffering some kind of backlash or restriction for revealing heavenly secrets.

It is only natural that immortals can know the past and the future.

What you just said was a prophecy!

"Come on, stop thinking about it, let's play cards."

Zhang Ying tried to steer the conversation back on track, pointing to the messy cards on the table.

"That last hand doesn't count, let's start over. I'm on a good run this time, I feel like I can get a pure suit hand by myself."

Wang Ben and Meng Yi exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thing in each other's reactions.

It wasn't shock, but a deep-seated apprehension.

Ying Zheng slowly sat down. He didn't look at the mahjong tiles, but instead picked up the bowl of iced wine again.

He needs to calm down.

Zhang Ying's words were like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, stirring up a storm in his heart.

He was naturally suspicious.

He thought of General Wang Jian, who had already retired to his hometown.

When Wang Jian was conquering Chu, he led an army of 600,000 men, almost the entire nation's forces. Before the expedition, Wang Jian repeatedly asked him for fertile land and beautiful houses as a reward.

At the time, many ministers believed that Wang Jian was insatiable.

Only he understood that Wang Jian was defaming himself, showing him that all he sought was wealth and honor, and that he had no ambition to establish his own power.

Even a meritorious general like Wang Jian had to resort to this method to protect himself.

The struggle for power is incredibly dangerous.

So, what about Li Si and Zhao Gao?

Zhao Gao was Hu Hai's teacher, and the two had a close relationship. If Hu Hai ascended the throne, Zhao Gao's position would only become more secure.

He had a motive to support Hu Hai.

What about Li Si?

Li Si was a representative figure of Legalism, while his eldest son, Fusu, repeatedly clashed with him due to differing political views and associated with pedantic Confucian scholars.

If Fusu were to ascend the throne, given his benevolent nature, he would surely make good use of Confucian scholars.

At that time, will Li Si still be able to hold onto his position as prime minister?

What Li Si valued most was power.

The reason he abandoned Chu and joined Qin was precisely because he saw no hope of rising to power in Chu.

In order to preserve power and to go further, altering a will is not unacceptable in the face of power.

One had motives, the other had ambitions.

One was in charge of the imperial seal that conveyed imperial edicts, and the other was the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, wielding immense power.

When these two people collude together...

Ying Zheng's face turned ashen, inch by inch.

He doesn't need evidence.

As an emperor, he only needs one reason to doubt.

Zhang Ying's unintentional remark was like a most poisonous seed, taking root and sprouting in his heart.

His seemingly unbreakable trust in Li Si and Zhao Gao had, at this moment, developed an irreparable rift.

He made up his mind in secret.

Wait until we return to Xianyang.

No, wait until we find Li Si and the others.

He wanted to take a good look at his prime minister and his "loyal" eunuch.

Whether Zhang Ying's words are true or false, as long as he discovers even the slightest hint...

dead!