Ying Fusu

Not far from the imperial carriage, inside an unremarkable tent.

Fusu sat at the head of the table, looking with great interest at the composed figure diagonally in front of him.

As expected, the scene of Li Si being restless and on pins and needles did not occur, which made Fusu even more amused.

After a long silence, seeing that Li Si remained as steady as Mount Tai, Fusu finally spoke meaningfully, breaking the silence in the tent.

"Two years have passed in the blink of an eye since we parted ways in Xianyang."

"Prime Minister Li, how have you been?"

What seemed like a casual greeting, like meeting an old friend, sounded distinctly mocking to Li Si.

Understanding what Fusu was mocking, Li Si didn't mince words, but simply sighed and smiled with relief.

"Yes~"

"In the blink of an eye, everything has changed."

"It seems like only yesterday that the young master was banished to the border for offending His Majesty with his advice."

"Upon waking up, I found that the First Emperor had passed away and the Second Emperor was about to ascend the throne..."

"quick."

Time really flies.

During the conversation, Li Si spoke calmly and unhurriedly, his expression remaining composed.

It even carries a hint of detachment from life and death, and a sense of having seen through the illusions of the world.

After a moment of reflection and sighing, under Fusu's intriguing gaze, he directly revealed the truth.

"Young master, there's no need for words of probing."

"From the day Your Majesty passed away, when Zhao Gao sought me out to plot, I knew that there was no reason for me and the prince to coexist in this world."

"Either the young master commits suicide by imperial decree, or it will turn out like this—the young master reverses the situation, while I am on my deathbed."

As he spoke, Li Si couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly.

After a moment of silence, he abruptly asked, "How did you plan to kill me, my lord?"

"Sudden death from an illness?"

"Committed suicide out of fear of punishment?"

"Or perhaps, like Lord Shang, he would be torn apart by chariots, a public and just punishment?"

Seeing that Li Si was very interested and that he was not just asking casually, but was genuinely interested, Fusu couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Does it matter?

...

"Since death is inevitable, why dwell on the manner of death?"

"Knowing that death is inevitable, why should you feign loyalty and help me quell the trouble?"

"—Is it for posthumous fame?"

"Or are they convinced they have a slim chance of survival—but there's still a way out?"

This time, however, Li Si fell into a long period of deep thought.

Knowing that you are going to die, is it still necessary to care about the specific way you die?

Since death is inevitable, why go through all the trouble of cooperating with Fusu in this charade, only to needlessly help the "enemy" clean up the mess?

The answers to these two questions appeared in Li Si's mind in an instant.

What truly left Li Si speechless was how Fusu perceived him...

"In your opinion, young master, is Li Si really that kind of person?"

"—A petty person who acts recklessly for personal gain; who, when things become hopeless, desperately tries to muddy the waters, harming others without benefiting themselves?"

Upon hearing Li Si's words, the amused look on Fusu's face vanished instantly.

Instead, a surge of anger arose spontaneously, along with a contempt that, though suppressed, still spilled over onto his face.

"Isn't that right?"

"Does Prime Minister Li really think of himself as some kind of loyal minister, capable general, or pillar of the nation?"

"If the people of the world cannot understand what is happening here, and even the officials and ministers accompanying the emperor cannot understand it, is it possible that no one can understand it at all?"

"Even if no one truly sees through it all, is the truth—the truth of the Dune Incident—truly what the courtiers see today?"

...

"After putting on such a good show, Prime Minister Li, have you even fooled yourself?"

In the end, Fusu's tone, which had been tinged with anger, was once again laced with deep sarcasm.

The gaze directed at Li Si was filled with utter contempt.

—They've all forged imperial edicts to persecute the heir to the throne and are manipulating the succession of the throne!

And then there's that constant question like, "Is that how you see me?" Isn't that just plain annoying?

It's like trying to run a service industry while also creating a landmark building.

To be both right and wrong.

Sensing the anger in Fusu's tone and the contempt that seemed to overflow from his eyes as he looked at him, Li Si gave another self-deprecating laugh.

With a dim gaze, he answered Fusu's earlier question as if he were talking to himself.

"Young master just asked: Since you know you will die, why dwell on the method of death?"

"In my humble opinion, there is indeed a need for hesitation."

"It is not for posthumous fame, nor for the sake of clan or descendants."

"But for the Qin Dynasty and for the ancestral temples and the state, the way I die is very important."

...

"If I were to suddenly fall ill and die, then this performance today would be the truth recorded in history."

"If I were to commit suicide out of fear of punishment, then the story of the 'Sand Dune Incident' that you spoke of might become an unofficial historical account."

"In official history, it is inferred that Li Si, the Left Chancellor of Qin, devoted himself to the First Emperor, but because he was fond of the ideas of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang, he was not tolerated by the Second Emperor Fusu, who was fond of Confucianism."

"If I am executed for treason, then the 'Sand Dune Incident' will become known to the world."

"Young master, today's performance was all for nothing."

After saying that, Li Si shook his head to himself: "My lord, this charade will not be put on for nothing."

"I will not be punished with death, but will be dealt with according to the law."

After he finished speaking, Fusu fell silent.

Although he was very reluctant to admit it, Fusu had no choice but to nod helplessly.

Li Si is right.

Today's performance is meant to give the world—to all those who are unaware of the truth—a plausible explanation.

The goal is to completely erase the phrase "The Dune Coup" from the timeline of this plane.

This is what Meng Tian had repeatedly reminded Fusu: now that the overall situation is settled, we should try to keep the situation under control within the smallest possible scope.

Li Si plays an extremely important role in this play and this story.

Li Si was not only a participant and witness to this story, but also a performer in this drama.

Let alone being executed for "treason"—if Li Si were to die for some suspicious reason in the near future, the lid on the Sand Dune Incident might be lifted.

Once the cover-up can no longer be kept and the changes at Sand Dune become known to the world, then Emperor Fusu, the second emperor, will feel that the throne beneath him is burning hot.

While Fusu was deep in thought, Li Si continued talking to himself.

"As for why, knowing they were destined to die, they still cooperated with the young master and put on this good show today?"

"It is not as you just said: a matter of nine deaths and one life, seeking that one last chance of survival."

"—What I did left no way out."

"From the moment you refused to obey the false edict, I knew I was doomed."

...

"There is no chance of survival; they should have offered their necks for execution."

"We are still playing along with the young master, but all for the sake of the ancestral temples and the state of our Great Qin."

"—Young master, you may not believe me."

"But what I have done today is indeed for this reason."

Upon hearing Li Si's words, Fusu's expression remained disdainful, showing no regard for Li Si as a person simply because Li Si kept mentioning "ancestral temples and state affairs."

—Fusu simply did not believe that Li Si possessed such noble character and such a grand vision.

Unexpectedly, Li Si's next words surprised Fusu, and unexpectedly revealed to him some rarely noticed "minor details" of the original plane of existence...