Ying Fusu

"So that means..."

"Won't the young master target Li Si anytime soon?"

At the same time, inside General Meng Tian's tent.

Upon hearing his younger brother Meng Yi ask this question, Meng Tian simply smiled and nodded slightly.

"Although he has never been named the crown prince, young master, you are now approaching thirty."

"Shangjun has made great progress in the past two years."

"At such a critical juncture, young master will not be unable to distinguish between what is important and what is not."

During their conversation, Meng Tian could not hide his appreciation, clearly very satisfied with Fusu's performance that day.

He gave a calm and collected reply, then pondered for a moment before adding, "When the First Emperor suddenly died in the field, the only important minister who accompanied him was the Left Chancellor, Li Si."

"Even if Li Si were to be punished, my lord, you will surely put that aside for the time being."

"After escorting the coffin back to Xianyang to conduct the funeral, he should then offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple and ascend the throne. It would be best if Li Si were to assist him from the side."

"Um……"

"As for A-Yi, with his high rank, he can keep a close eye on Li Si for the young master."

"—No matter what, he was a traitor who almost brought chaos to the country."

"Even if it is not easy to punish someone for the time being, we cannot completely ignore it and let them do as they please."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yi reluctantly cupped his hands in apology, taking it as an acceptance of the order.

But he still couldn't help but complain.

"Such a heinous crime, yet he was still able to commit it while holding the position of 'Left Prime Minister'..."

"It should be noted that even the treacherous Zhao Gao was let go by Li Si..."

He seemed to be muttering to himself, yet his words were clear and distinct, clearly intended for Meng Tian to hear. This caused Meng Tian to shake his head and chuckle again.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally shook his head and let out a sigh.

"Alright."

"It's good that there's one less Zhao Gao."

...

"Right now, it's not just the matter of the sand dunes that's giving you a headache, young master."

"Upon returning to Xianyang, the cause of the First Emperor's death, the unusual movement of the prince leading his troops to Shaqiu—and even the First Emperor's will, which did not explicitly state that the throne would be passed to the prince…"

"Every single matter and every single thing must be handled with utmost care; the slightest mistake could lead to unrest in the nation and upheaval throughout the land."

"The death of the First Emperor and the ascension of the Second Emperor would have caused widespread anxiety and instability both inside and outside the court."

"Plus all these troubles—it's good to have one less Zhao Gao."

"If Zhao Gao were here, the young master would have even more trouble."

Listening to his elder brother's gentle analysis, Meng Yi, who was still somewhat indignant, finally calmed down a little.

After carefully considering Meng Tian's words, he lowered his head thoughtfully.

"Brother is right."

"If the young master wants to cover up the Sand Dune Incident, then Zhao Gao and Li Si should not be dealt with for the time being."

"Li Si is alright—after all, he is the Left Chancellor, and he still has some integrity. He wouldn't completely disregard the fate of the Qin Dynasty and stir up trouble for no reason."

"But Zhao Gao, if left alive, will surely be a menace, yet we cannot kill him for the time being..."

"Hmm~"

"So, in that sense, Li Si helped the young master?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian smiled but remained silent, subtly shifting his gaze away from Meng Yi.

He took a leisurely sip of water before casually saying, "Didn't A-Yi himself say so?"

"Li Si, in the end, remained the Left Chancellor."

"It's not to the point of completely disregarding the fate of the Qin Dynasty."

...

After he finished speaking, the tent fell into a brief silence.

The two brothers each wore a faint smile as they looked each other up and down.

"Brother, you seem to have aged quite a bit."

Meng Tian laughed again in response: "Ayi has gotten quite a bit stronger."

In just a few words, the two brothers, who hadn't seen each other for many years, seemed to have returned to the days when they chased and played on the streets of Xianyang.

After the passing of his grandfather Meng Ao and father Meng Wu, the Meng clan regarded Meng Tian as their pillar of strength.

When Meng Tian was not in Xianyang, Meng Yi took over the care of the Meng clan in place of his elder brother.

For many years, the two brothers worked together to uphold the glory of the Meng clan.

At present, Prince Fusu is about to succeed to the throne;

If nothing unexpected happens, the Meng clan will continue to enjoy its former glory for decades to come, thanks to the existence of these two brothers.

"Is it said that Li Si captured Prince Huhai and handed him over to A Yi for safekeeping?"

Seeing that his elder brother had gotten back to the main topic, Meng Yi also suppressed his smile and nodded rather solemnly.

"We specially assigned someone to stay by their side at all times."

Meng Tian nodded slightly: "Just confine yourself to your quarters; do not do anything offensive."

"In terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities, you will still be treated with the courtesy due to a young master."

Meng Yi cupped his hands and nodded: "I understand."

...

After asking about the important matters, Meng Tian thought about it carefully for a while.

Only after confirming that there were no oversights did I finally exhale a long breath, letting out a slight sigh of relief as the tension that had been building up all day eased.

—Although Fusu's victory was already assured, it would be an exaggeration for Meng Tian to say he wasn't nervous.

Who knows if Zhao Gao and Li Si will take a risk and cause any more trouble?

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

What followed was mostly just a matter of Fusu needing to pay more attention, or causing him headaches.

There is no danger in the end.

"Phew~"

"Finally..."

...

"Oh, right."

"In early July of autumn, A-Yi sent a secret report to the young master, saying that the First Emperor had vomited blood, fainted, and was unconscious."

"The imperial edict urgently summoning the eldest son to Shaqiu was again secretly withheld by Zhao Gao..."

"I just heard that as early as the sixth month of summer, A-Yi was ordered to return to Kuaiji to pray for the First Emperor's well-being in the mountains and rivers?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian's face immediately showed a hint of suspicion.

"Could it be that A Yi left spies around the First Emperor?"

"Or perhaps, as early as June of this year, A-Yi had already sensed that Zhao Gao and Li Si seemed to harbor signs of disloyalty?"

The reason for asking this question was that Meng Tian wanted to clarify the specific circumstances at that time.

Furthermore, Meng Yi was clearly not by the emperor's side at the time, yet he still sent Fusu a secret report based on hearsay that he had not witnessed firsthand.

If that's the case, then Meng Tian should give his younger brother a good dressing-down: such an important matter must not be neglected.

If there is a next time, we must be extremely cautious.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Meng Tian finished speaking, Meng Yi froze on the spot.

After a long silence, he asked, full of confusion, "A secret report?"

"What secret information?"

...

"Young Master...did you receive the secret report sent by your younger brother?"

"How could that be?"

Seeing Meng Yi's bewildered and stunned reaction, Meng Tian's heart sank.

As his thoughts raced, Meng Tian felt as if layers of mist had shrouded his vision.

Gradually, a startling conjecture began to sweep away and dissipate the layers of mystery.

That secret report...

That secret report…

"Brother."

"Brother?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Meng Tian was interrupted by Meng Yi's several soft calls, and only then did he regain his composure.

After a long period of gloomy expression, he finally raised his head with utmost solemnity, staring intently into the depths of Meng Yi's gaze.

"What I am about to say will come from my mouth and enter your ears."

"Remember this at all times."

Meng Yi was still puzzled, but he still nodded obediently.

Then Meng Tian, ​​with unprecedented seriousness, said, "The thirty-seventh year of the First Emperor's reign, the seventh month of autumn, the Jiazi day!"

"Minister Meng Yi drafted a secret report and had it delivered by a servant of the Meng family from Kuaiji to the Fushi camp in Shangjun, where it was given to Prince Fusu!"

A secret report states: The First Emperor is unconscious, and Zhao Gao and Li Si are plotting something treacherous!

...

"Remember this!"

"No matter who asks—including the young master, and even A-Yi himself, ask yourselves honestly, you must never utter a wrong word!"

"That secret report was sent to the young master by A-Yi!"

...

"Remember this!"

"Remember this!!!"