Ying Fusu

In the center of the tent, the imperial envoy, who had already been forced to kneel on the ground, collapsed completely, his face ashen.

At the head of the table, General Meng Tian sighed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

Prince Fusu was heartbroken and wept uncontrollably.

On either side of the central tent, the officers standing on either side had expressions of disbelief on their faces.

"His Majesty……"

"Your Majesty is in the prime of your life..."

"How could this be...?"

While the generals were muttering to themselves in confusion, Meng Tian had already taken out the imperial edict from the wooden box.

He glanced at it briefly and then tossed it to the generals for them to read.

The contents of the edict are exactly the same as those that Fusu had previously informed Meng Tian.

—General Meng Tian commanded the border army for many years but achieved no merit, thus being disloyal to his country.

—Prince Fusu, while serving his sentence, failed to supervise the army effectively, concealed the truth, and was unfilial as a son.

—This disloyal minister and unfilial son deserve to be put to death.

—He was to be executed immediately.

As early as when they heard Meng Tian say "this is a forged edict," the generals were already 80% convinced.

At this moment, seeing that the contents of the imperial edict were exactly the same as what Meng Tian had said, the generals believed Meng Tian completely.

It wasn't that Meng Tian's prestige had reached a point where the generals trusted him more than the First Emperor's edict.

The absurdity of this edict is so extreme that it's hard to believe it's an imperial decree from the First Emperor, rather than a conspiracy by some treacherous minister.

Meng Tian achieved no merit whatsoever; was he disloyal as a subject?

Fusu concealed the truth, was he being unfilial as a son?

That's absolutely ridiculous.

but……

First Emperor?

He died?!

"No, that won't happen..."

"Your Majesty, you would never..."

...

"His Majesty has sought immortality for many years; he must have already obtained the elixir of longevity..."

"Your Majesty, you would never die so young..."

Soft, dreamlike murmurs echoed within the inner tent.

All eyes once again turned to Fusu, who was dressed in mourning attire.

No one wanted to believe that the First Emperor had really died.

Until conclusive evidence emerges, everyone still clings to a sliver of hope.

What if?

What if what Fusu said was false—what if the First Emperor had not died...

But Fusu was absolutely certain: there was no chance of anything going wrong.

The First Emperor did indeed pass away four days ago at Shaqiu.

The hope that "the First Emperor might not have died" that the generals held in their hearts was nothing short of a death knell for Fusu at this moment.

—If the First Emperor had not died, then this “forged edict” would almost certainly not have been a forgery!

It is very likely that it was indeed made by the First Emperor!

If the First Emperor were still alive, it would be almost impossible for anyone to dare to forge an imperial edict and persecute General Meng Tian and his eldest son Fusu!

The First Emperor's decision to order the deaths of Meng Tian and Fusu without cause is indeed perplexing.

But for the border generals gathered in the central tent of the Fushi camp at this moment, the news of the First Emperor's death was obviously even more unbelievable.

At present, the generals are still immersed in shock and confusion, and have not yet reacted.

Once someone comes to their senses, they might shout: "The First Emperor could never have died!"

The situation of Fusu and Meng Tian—especially Fusu's situation...

Thinking of this, although Fusu was still in tears and looked like he was about to faint, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Fortunately, Meng Tian, ​​who was beside him, had also sensed the strange atmosphere inside the tent.

Before the generals could recover, she tearfully reached into her bosom and took out another black wooden box.

"This is a secret report sent from the sand dunes on the first day of the seventh month of autumn."

"Please observe, everyone."

As he spoke, Meng Tian didn't wait for anyone to reach out, but took out the cloth from the wooden box and handed it to Wang Li, who was closest to him.

As the cloth was passed around among the generals, the eerie atmosphere inside the tent gradually began to return to normal.

"His Majesty vomited blood and fainted; phlegm has clouded his mind."

The imperial physician's diagnosis: At most three days...

...

"The imperial edict was drafted by Zhao Gao, the chief of the imperial carriage department: Prince Fusu is to immediately depart for Shaqiu to escort the coffin back to Xianyang for the funeral arrangements..."

...

"Zhao Gao drafted an edict but did not issue it, and instead summoned the Left Chancellor Li Si to secretly plot..."

...

"Prince Huhai always stayed by the Emperor's side, day and night, and would not leave for several days at a time..."

...

……

As the contents of the secret report were recited unconsciously in soft murmurs, the generals' previously clouded eyes cleared up.

The truth was pieced together in the minds of the generals in just a moment.

—The First Emperor may not have died yet.

But he was indeed on his deathbed and foresaw his final chapter.

Therefore, he left a will instructing his son, Fusu, to go to Shaqiu to escort the deceased emperor back to Xianyang and to oversee the funeral arrangements.

Although he never made Fusu the crown prince, nor did he explicitly say that he would pass the throne to Fusu;

But the fact that Fusu was put in charge of the funeral arrangements is enough to illustrate the point.

As he grew older, the First Emperor became increasingly averse to the word "death" and matters of life and death.

Consequently, there is also a growing resistance to topics such as the appointment of a crown prince and the transfer of power.

In this secret report, the First Emperor's attempt to cover up his true intentions was clearly contradictory. He was unwilling to accept reality, yet he was forced to do so. He was making arrangements for his affairs after his death, yet he was unwilling to openly discuss the "passing of the throne." This awkwardness was exactly the same as the First Emperor's usual behavior.

This is something only the First Emperor would say.

Furthermore, the messenger, who lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog in the center of the tent and had not uttered a word of rebuttal, was also adding to the persuasiveness of the authenticity of this secret report.

Wang Li's next question, and Meng Tian's response, provided the final conclusion to this turn of events.

"Um?"

"This handwriting..."

"They look familiar, but I can't quite place them...?"

Upon hearing Wang Li's question, Meng Tian shook his head with a bitter smile, tears welling in his eyes.

"This secret report was written by my younger brother, Meng Yi, a high-ranking official who accompanies the emperor."

After saying this, Meng Tian looked at Fusu beside him and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Even I, as the elder brother, can't be trusted by A-Yi?"

"The secret report was completed and handed over to a servant of the Meng family, who delivered it directly to the young master..."

As Meng Tian finished speaking, the generals in the tent finally had no more doubts.

—A secret report written by the high-ranking official Meng Yi was sent directly to Prince Fusu without going through his elder brother Meng Tian!

The truth is obvious.

As for why Zhao Gao and Li Si forged the imperial edict...

"Zhao Gao, the charioteer, was the tutor of Prince Huhai."

In the silence, Meng Tian's deep voice rang out again.

"Apart from the Grand Minister Meng Yi, Zhao Gao is the most trusted and trusted close minister of His Majesty."

"He also served as the Imperial Seal Officer, and was given the authority to draft imperial edicts and decrees on behalf of the emperor."

"If His Majesty is indeed gravely ill and on his deathbed, and Zhao Gao intends to install Prince Huhai as the new emperor..."

...

"And the Left Chancellor Li Si—although he came from the Jixia Academy and studied Confucianism under Xunzi, his political views were closer to those of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang."

"The young master is fond of Confucianism and has different political views from Li Si, and they have often argued in the past."

"If Zhao Gao were to interfere and spread false rumors..."

As he spoke, Meng Tian slowly surveyed the tent, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the generals one by one.

Finally, she met Fusu's eyes, which were still filled with tears, but with a hint of worry in them.