Ying Fusu

That night, Meng Tian talked a lot with Fusu.

—They talk about everything under the sun.

From the imperial court in Xianyang to the troops stationed on the northern border;

From the Qin people of Guanzhong to the counties and prefectures of Guandong.

From major world events to everyday family matters...

He talks nonsense, saying whatever comes to mind.

Fusu, not wanting to spoil the mood, tried his best to imitate the original owner's usual manner, quietly listening to Meng Tian's teachings, or rather, his words of advice.

Until midnight, when they were both hoarse from talking, Meng Tian still couldn't suppress the bitterness in his heart, and finally stopped struggling.

With a slight tremor of her lips, she gazed blankly at the night sky.

"Your Majesty, is it really..."

"Has he passed away...?"

With this soft murmur, Meng Tian's round, tiger-like eyes were once again moistened with hot tears.

Fusu's eyes also reddened in response, but he didn't forget to raise his hand and gently pat Meng Tian's back.

His lips parted slightly, and words of comfort reached his lips, but he couldn't utter them or swallow them; they were stuck in his throat.

She decided to stop pressuring him and simply stood silently beside Meng Tian, ​​wiping away tears from time to time.

Under the cover of night, the soldiers were still busy.

On the platform, the teacher and student remained silent.

"Teacher, please go back to your tent and rest for a while."

After a long while, it was the soul that did not belong to this era that was the first to recover from the sentimental mood.

Finally, wiping away the tears on her face, she forced a smile and looked at Meng Tian beside her.

"We must set off at dawn, a journey of over a thousand miles, which will take at least three to five days."

Even if you can't sleep, you should at least rest.

Sensing the concern in Fusu's words, Meng Tian smiled through his tears and nodded with a carefree air.

"only."

"The mountains are high and the roads are long; it's time to conserve our energy."

Having said that, Meng Tian turned around without hesitation.

The seven-foot-tall man, a towering figure, fled the command platform as if fleeing, quickly disappearing into the night.

Looking in the direction where Meng Tian had left, Fusu let out a long sigh.

He sniffled again before turning his gaze away from the direction of the central tent.

Dressed in mourning clothes, with his hands behind his back, he stood proudly on the edge of the command platform.

A hint of seriousness quietly emerged in their gazes as they looked at the figures coming and going in the camp.

—The imminent crisis was narrowly averted.

But it's far from over.

Compared to the original ruler in history who hanged himself upon receiving the imperial edict, the only change Fusu made was, for the time being, "refusing to obey the forged edict".

Fusu did not die.

Meng Tian did not relinquish his military power.

Zhao Gao and Li Si have not yet managed to turn this unresolved issue into a fait accompli.

But some things, once done, can never be undone.

Zhao Gao, Li Si—and even that eighteenth prince, Hu Hai—would never let this go so easily.

Even though their only possible plan to succeed had already been seen through by Fusu's foresight, it still didn't work out.

"time."

"We must lead our troops to Sand Dune Palace before the thieves can react."

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war..."

"Delay may lead to unforeseen changes..."

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Thousands of miles away, the Sand Dune Palace.

Inside a slightly dimly lit palace, Zhao Gao, the commander of the central chariot, looked tense, his brows furrowed, and his thumb unconsciously clenched into a fist.

Beside Zhao Gao, the Left Chancellor Li Si's face was pale, and his brows were filled with anxiety.

"Seven days have passed since the imperial edict was issued!"

"Why is there still no news?!"

Just moments later, Li Si could no longer contain himself and asked the same question for the umpteenth time.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Gao's brows furrowed again, and he subconsciously took a deep breath.

After a long pause, he patiently replied, "Prime Minister Li, please calm down."

"The Fushi Camp in Shangjun is more than 1,400 li away from Shaqiu①, and it would take three days for post horses to travel there and back."

"Sending an envoy to deliver the imperial edict would take more than ten days to complete."

"Right now, it's only seven days..."

Although he said that, a hint of panic flickered across Zhao Gao's feigned calm face.

As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

Zhao Gao, having served Emperor Qin Shi Huang for many years, was already accustomed to all sorts of trials and tribulations.

Li Si, needless to say—as the Left Chancellor of the court, had long since cultivated the fundamental skill of remaining calm and composed in the face of both honor and disgrace.

These two people shouldn't be acting so anxiously.

Unfortunately, what the two were planning this time was far too shocking and too dangerous.

Even the two, who were used to weathering storms, were starting to lose their footing...

"Even if it takes ten days to travel 1,200 li round trip, the imperial edict should arrive in Fushi within five days!"

"Once...the thief receives the imperial edict, confesses his crimes, and is executed, the messenger can then send a message back!"

"Why have we heard nothing from them until now?!"

Zhao Gao's attempts to appease and comfort him were clearly ineffective.

Almost as soon as Zhao Gao finished speaking, Li Si sprang up from the banquet table like a cat with its fur standing on end!

He spoke with a mixture of fear and trepidation, then inexplicably froze on the spot.

A moment later, he shook his head, his gaze unfocused, and slumped back down at the banquet.

"inappropriate…"

"inappropriate……"

...

"I fear our plan has been exposed, and the two of us..."

"The two of us..."

As Li Si muttered to himself, Zhao Gao took another deep breath to calm his heart, which was about to leap out of his throat.

After calming down for a while, he slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the hall.

"That scoundrel is indeed difficult to deal with."

"But that child..."

...

"Prime Minister Li, please calm down."

"Don't lose your composure."

"Now that things have come to this, no matter how much we regret it, there is no turning back for either of us."

As he spoke, Zhao Gao turned his head slightly, stood with his hands behind his back in front of Li Si, and glanced at Li Si with disdain.

He stared at Li Si's fearful and uneasy face for quite a while.

It wasn't until Li Si had recovered his senses that he turned his gaze away and continued pacing back and forth in the hall.

As he paced back and forth, he kept saying, "As for the matter of skin application, let fate decide."

"Right now, it is already the tenth day of the seventh month of autumn, the day of Guiyou."

"In the sweltering heat of summer, a corpse lay in state for seven days..."

...

"Furthermore, the Emperor has been staying at the Sand Dune Palace for nearly twenty days."

"The officials and ministers who accompanied the emperor have not had an audience with him for seven days."

"Over time, it will inevitably be noticed by others."

The seemingly calm but actually somewhat uneasy words, spoken by Zhao Gao, finally eased Li Si's expression slightly.

After a moment of silence, he suppressed his fear and spoke in a deep voice, "Commander Zhao, do you have any good ideas?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao took another deep breath, trying to calm his uneasy emotions as much as possible.

After finally calming his mind briefly, he said, "The stench of a corpse can be masked by the smell of fish."

"Another imperial edict was issued to begin the imperial tour to the east."

"If any high-ranking officials or ministers wish to have an audience with the Emperor, we two will convey their requests on their behalf."

"There shouldn't be any mistakes within three to five days."

...

"We are just waiting for Fu Shi to send a letter, and the child will be beheaded. Even if this commoner has military power, he will not amount to anything."

"We two will hold another funeral, and in accordance with the will, we will support the prince and return to Xianyang to handle the funeral arrangements."

"Once the mourning period is over, the young master will be able to perform the ancestral rites, and then the great undertaking will be accomplished..."

As the last word was uttered, Zhao Gao, who was pacing back and forth in the hall, stopped precisely in front of Li Si once again.

He was still facing Li Si sideways, still looking down at Li Si with his head lowered.

This time, however, there was no longer pure fear in Li Si's eyes.

"I regret it so much..."

...

"I regret trusting Zhao's orders!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao's eyes darkened slightly, and he gave a cold smile.

"Prime Minister Li, be careful what you say."

"The merit of supporting the emperor to the throne cannot bear the stain of 'regret for not doing so'."

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①: Qin Dynasty weights and measures: 1 li ≈ 415.8 meters.

The ancient Fushi County, now Yulin City, and the ancient Shaqiu Palace, now Xingtai City, are approximately 580 kilometers apart in a straight line, or 1374 li.

The Juyan Han Bamboo Slips record that an imperial edict was sent from Chang'an to Jiuquan (about 1200 kilometers away) and arrived in just 3 days.

The text states that the round trip between the two locations is 1160 kilometers and takes 3 days, which is consistent with the historical context.