Ying Fusu

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a long silence.

Beside the imperial couch, Fusu stood with his eyes fixed straight ahead, his hands clasped around his abdomen, his gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled officials in the hall.

Meanwhile, the officials and ministers inside the hall lowered their heads and gazes, each lost in thought.

Establishing an heir is definitely necessary.

Even if the First Emperor didn't leave any guidance, he still had to come up with a solution.

How to stand it?

Fusu proposed that all officials discuss the matter together.

This was certainly unexpected by the court officials, but it was a reasonable and unavoidable solution.

What truly silenced the courtiers and made them indulge in wild fantasies was not Fusu's overly composed and confident demeanor.

Rather, it was the inexplicable hostility that Fusu displayed towards his younger brother, Huhai, in his words.

Anyone is fine.

The First Emperor had eighteen sons, and the remaining seventeen could all be discussed openly.

You can even negotiate with the princess!

Hu Hai was the only exception.

...

Today, those who are able to appear outside the city to greet the emperor and participate in this court meeting in the main hall of the central palace are, if not all shrewd old foxes, at least mid- to high-ranking officials with a salary of 600 shi or more.

Of course, no one would actually think in the direction of "supporting a certain princess to become the second emperor".

Even among the seventeen princes other than Fusu, not many actually had any ideas.

As Fusu said: When establishing an heir, one can choose the eldest legitimate son or the most virtuous person;

One can value moral character, or one can value literary and military talents.

By any standard, Fusu is undoubtedly the best choice.

Establishing the eldest son as heir – Since the First Emperor had neither an empress nor a legitimate son, Fusu was the eldest son;

Li Xian – Fusu was the only one among the First Emperor's sons who could be described as "the most virtuous person in the world".

He valued virtue and was a renowned gentleman both inside and outside the court.

As for literary talent and military strategy, there's no need to elaborate further.

The eldest son, Fusu, was the only one among the late emperor's sons who was regarded as his successor by the First Emperor and was raised to the appropriate standards.

For the past two years, although it was called "exile" to Shangjun, it could also be said that he was sent to guard the border and to gain experience in the military.

He's a perfect all-rounder, flawless.

If there's anything wrong with it, it's that in recent years, it seems that he hasn't been favored by the First Emperor.

But before the First Emperor died, no one in or outside the court thought that the second emperor of Qin would be another prince, rather than the eldest prince Fusu.

This is also why Meng Tian told Fusu earlier: "As long as you can reach Shaqiu, you will be invincible."

—We can't lose, we simply can't lose.

Unless you're dead.

Therefore, when Fusu said, "Everyone can discuss it however they like, use whatever standards they want, and no one is unsuitable for nomination," the officials' actual reaction was:

Look at this, look at this!

Despite being the best choice, he remained so humble and fair.

He truly deserves to be called the eldest son of the First Emperor.

As expected of Prince Fusu.

But when Fusu, without any warning and even somewhat inexplicably, removed Prince Huhai from the list of "discussable" candidates for the throne, the officials felt rather uneasy.

"Could it be...?"

"On his deathbed, the First Emperor truly abdicated the throne..."

As the courtiers pondered and speculated, Fusu's voice rang out again beside the imperial bed.

Just now outside the city, Minister Feng asked me: Did the First Emperor leave behind a second edict?

Upon hearing this, all the officials who had been pondering with their heads down suddenly raised their heads and looked at Fusu beside the imperial bed.

Then Fusu sighed and shook his head, waving to Li Si, the Left Chancellor behind Feng Quji.

When the ministers turned their attention to Li Si, they saw him slowly rise and take out a black wooden box from his bosom, a box used only for holding imperial edicts.

"Prime Minister Feng, let's observe this further."

Upon hearing Li Si's words, Feng Quji's heart sank for no apparent reason, and his eyelids twitched slightly.

Upon receiving the wooden box, he solemnly examined every detail of it.

—The sealing wax seal has broken, proving that the wooden box has been opened;

On the surface, this already indicates that the edict inside the wooden box may have been altered or even replaced by a forged edict.

But in reality, it's quite the opposite.

This time, Fusu returned from Shaqiu carrying the coffin of the First Emperor, holding the imperial seal in his hand.

If one truly wanted to forge an imperial edict, as long as one could gain the support of the Left Chancellor Li Si, one could produce a flawless "Imperial Edict" that was completely impeccable.

By directly "passing the throne" to himself on behalf of the First Emperor, he could avoid all these troublesome matters.

But Fusu did not do that.

Instead, he frankly stated that the First Emperor had not explicitly passed the throne to another.

Let's discuss who should be chosen.

We can discuss it however we want.

Why can't we negotiate with the only prince, Hu Hai, who is not negotiable?

In response, Fusu produced a broken piece of imperial edict, seemingly untenable and containing only mud and lacquer...

Full of confusion, Feng Quji finally slid open the lid of the wooden box under the watchful eyes of all the officials.

He took out the yellowish-white cloth from the box and spread it out in front of him.

After only a cursory glance, Feng Quji's brows furrowed, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Prince Huhai...Zhao Gao, the Commander of the Imperial Chariots..."

"Xiangbang...Zhongfu..."

...

"Young Master Fusu... General Meng Tian..."

"Right Chancellor Feng Quji...Left Chancellor Li Si..."

"High Minister Meng Yi... General Wang Ling... Junior Steward Zhang Han..."

Feng Quji's murmur, whether intentional or not, made all the officials and ministers in the hall sense an increasingly strange atmosphere.

After carefully examining the "last will and testament" in his hand, Feng Quji slowly raised his head and looked at Fusu with a solemn expression.

"May I ask, young master?"

"This imperial edict..."

He had barely opened his mouth when Feng Quji paused.

After a moment of stunned silence, he stood up shakily and held the imperial edict above his head with both hands.

"May I ask, sir: is this edict truly the last will and testament of the First Emperor?"

"If that is the case, then I have no way to defend myself."

"I dare not disobey the First Emperor's last wishes, so I obeyed the imperial edict and followed the First Emperor in death."

...

Wow!

After Feng Quji finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a brief moment.

Then, an uproar ensued.

What's going on?!

Right Chancellor Feng Quji was ordered to commit suicide by the First Emperor's will?!

Why is that?

Were they afraid that Feng Quji's reputation was too high and would threaten the Second Emperor's position?

...

Judging from Feng Quji's mutterings just now, it seems that there are other people involved?

No—wasn't Fusu's will presented to explain "why Prince Huhai could not be discussed"?

Could it be that the First Emperor truly left a will bequeathing the throne to his son, Huhai?

Then, incidentally, he also took away all the ministers that Hu Hai couldn't handle.

That doesn't make sense...

Beside the imperial bed, Fusu still held his abdomen with both hands, expressionless, taking in the reactions of the officials in the hall.

He deliberately allowed enough time for the courtiers to be completely shocked before speaking again.

"Gentlemen, please take a look as well."

"Let's examine this 'First Emperor's Last Edict' and see what it says."

Upon hearing this, an official immediately stepped forward, took the imperial edict held up by Feng Quji with both hands, and handed it to Feng Jie, the Imperial Censor, who was seated in the second seat in the west wing.

After that, the officials read the "last will and testament" and were subsequently shocked and bewildered.

How could this be?

How could this be...