"Father, did I hear you correctly? Do you really intend to pass the throne to Hu Hai?"
Zhao Hao asked in surprise.
Ying Zheng glanced at him lightly and said: "Before you showed up, I did have such an idea, but then I gave it up, but it was not because of you, because I felt that no one was suitable!"
"?"
A black question mark slowly appeared on Zhao Hao's forehead, and he couldn't help but said: "Does it mean that no one is suitable for establishing a heir apparent? Does your father have no plans to establish a heir apparent?"
"Yes, I gave up on establishing a prince, just like I gave up on establishing a queen!"
"Ah? This"
This greatly exceeded Zhao Hao's expectations.
He originally thought that the First Emperor would favor Fusu in the matter of establishing the crown prince. Unexpectedly, Fusu, like Hu Hai, was not part of the First Emperor's plan.
But how can a country not have a prince?
Is it possible that the First Emperor really thought he could live forever?
Thinking of this, Zhao Hao couldn't help but feel dumbfounded. He gave a thumbs up and said: "Father is really a god!
Well, I want to be immortal recently. How about you find some immortal masters for me and make some elixirs? "
"snort!"
Ying Zheng snorted coldly and said with a stern face: "You are so thick-skinned, how about a couple of slaps from me?"
"."
Zhao Hao calmly changed the subject and said:
"Then it's impossible for my father to never establish a heir, right? Unless my father can enjoy eternal blessings and live as long as heaven, wouldn't the future of the empire fall apart after a hundred years?"
"You do not understand."
Ying Zheng shook his head and sighed: "Since ancient times, the way to establish a prince and take care of the aftermath has always been to establish the eldest son and establish the direct descendant.
But I don’t want to accept this old tradition. I want to create a new method of becoming a prince that has been tempered over time.
Fusu is already the most popular prince, but I still feel that he is inadequate and needs to be tempered in many ways. Especially Fusu gave me a bad impression during the Confucian incident, so I had the idea of cultivating Hu Hai;
But Hu Hai’s expectations are still far from mine. This guy is very smart, but rarely independent, and can easily be misled.
If eight years later, I really died suddenly in the sand dune, I'm afraid I still didn't make a good decision at that time, and the result would be the same as what I see now. Zhao Gao and Li Si made the choice for me! "
Hearing this, Zhao Hao's heart moved and he asked tentatively: "Will my father regret it?"
"regret?"
Ying Zheng smiled strangely: "Why do I regret it? My new crown prince law has just begun!"
"What's the new crown prince law?"
Zhao Hao was confused by Ying Zheng's words.
But I heard Ying Zheng say calmly:
"Cultivating a prince is like cultivating crops. I am like a farmer, walking from the beginning of the field to the end of the field, always trying to find the strongest and most perfect seed as the next year's seeds;
However, I kept walking, and kept walking, until I reached the end of the field, but I still didn't find the crop I wanted most. When I turned around, I found that all the crops were planted by me, and they were all the same! "
"ah?"
Zhao Hao became even more confused.
Ying Zheng patted his head helplessly and scolded:
"Sometimes you are as smart as a fox, and sometimes you are as stupid as a dolphin! You don't understand such a simple truth?"
"hehe."
Zhao Hao smiled silly, scratched his head, and muttered: "It's not that I don't understand, it's that I never expected that the first emperor of the world, who was so majestic, could actually raise Gu."
"Raising Gu?"
Ying Zheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled dumbly:
"Gu magic seems to be a method used by barbarians in the south to cultivate the most powerful poisonous insects. However, your description is quite appropriate. I have indeed thought about letting them compete for my throne!"
"This is one of the reasons why I asked Fusu and Meng Tian to lead an army of 300,000 troops at the border!"
"If Fusu really cares about the world, he should send his troops south to seize everything he deserves. If Hu Hai can defend his country, it means that Hu Hai is the most suitable person!"
"But."
Zhao Hao opened his mouth but stopped talking.
Ying Zheng glanced at him with a smile: "I know what you are worried about. It is simply that Great Qin, like Qi, will decline because of the seizure of power!"
"Since Father knows everything, Father is not worried?"
"If I think forward and backward, how can I unify the six countries?"
Ying Zheng suddenly stopped smiling, his expression became a little serious, and he said coldly:
"When I ascended the throne, there were many difficulties. Did I give up? I didn't, because I have the six kingdoms and the world in my heart, and no difficulties can stop me!"
"If Fusu does not have such an awareness, then he is not worthy of sitting on my throne! If Hu Hai does not have such ability, this empire is not worthy of lasting forever!"
Having said this, he looked at Zhao Hao sharply: "Do you understand?"
Zhao Hao: "."
They say the royal family is ruthless, but it turns out that the royal family is not only ruthless, but also cruel.
They are not only cruel to themselves, but also to the empire.
They only care about themselves and not their own people.
From ancient times to the present, fighting for power has resulted in bloodshed and sacrifice, but this is not what every person in power considers.
Unfortunately, the First Emperor still didn't understand his son, and the brutal competition he expected did not unfold as he imagined.
Instead, it ended in a very funny and bloody way.
Of course, Zhao Hao did not tell the First Emperor about the future outcome. He just smiled and shook his head: "Father's idea is really different!"
"Why, the ending of history is different from what I thought?"
Ying Zheng frowned slightly.
"I didn't say that."
Zhao Haosan smiled and waved his hand, saying: "Furthermore, history books cannot be fully trusted. Aren't Erchen just anonymous in the history books? But among the things Erchen did, which one is not a major event that will leave his name in history? If Knowing the history, how can my father verify his new crown prince law?"
Ying Zheng thought for a while, nodded and said: "That's right. If I had known that your boy had this ability, why would I have to test the new crown prince's law? I might as well make you the master!"
"Cough cough cough"
Zhao Hao coughed in embarrassment and didn't know how to respond.
Fortunately, Laifu walked in with lunch at this time, breaking the awkwardness, and the father and son did not continue the topic.
"Oh, by the way, Father, there is one more thing. I want to talk to you first!"
Zhao Hao grabbed a pot helmet and took a bite with his teeth, then suddenly remembered something and said vaguely.
When Ying Zheng heard this, he couldn't help but smile and joked: "It's definitely not good for you to be angry with me. Tell me, what a bold thing you are doing!"
"Look what my father said, I am doing this just to wipe my father's face."
"What to wipe?"
"Clean the table, hehe."
"Okay, isn't it just Ying Chengyu's business? You can handle it yourself!"
"Ah? Father actually knows!"
"hehe."
Ying Zheng smiled noncommittally, then turned to look at the entrance of the cave, and asked nonchalantly: "With your tunnel, have you ever dug into Hu Hai's sleeping pavilion?"
"this"
Zhao Hao hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Laifu and Chang Wei.
But when they saw the two of them looking at each other, they both lowered their heads in embarrassment and couldn't help but raise their hands to their foreheads.
The scene was quiet for a while.
A smile appeared on Ying Zheng's lips: "I really want to know how Hu Hai will behave after becoming the crown prince!"
Zhao Hao: "."
No!
You don’t want to know because you’ll be pissed off by him!
the other side.
Li Si and Zhao Gao came to the Ganquan Mountain Ice Cellar.
At this time, the imperial ministers headed by Meng Yi were looking at the ruins below with livid faces.
"Li Tingwei!"
Someone called Li Si, and all the officials looked in Li Si's direction.
Li Si was seen with the same serious expression, showing no emotion or anger, and slowly came to the front of the ministers.
"General Yang, what's going on?"
Facing the gazes of the ministers, Li Si did not speak to them immediately, but turned to look at Yang Duanhe who was approaching.
Yang Duanhe solemnly held his hands and said in a deep voice:
"Last night, there was a sudden explosion on the east side of Ganquan Mountain, causing a mountain fire to spread. There was a faint danger of burning down the palaces in Ganquan Mountain. The general led the guards of Ganquan Mountain and rushed to put out the fire. Unexpectedly, he fell into the assassin's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain and let them Blow up the ice cellar where His Majesty’s body was placed!”
"Confused!"
Hearing this, Li Si immediately scolded Yang Duanhe: "You are also a general in the army after all, how can you be so confused? Don't you know how important your Majesty's body is to the palace?"
"What Tingwei teaches is that the final general is willing to accept the punishment!"
"snort!"
Li Si snorted coldly, ignored Yang Duanhe, turned to Meng Yi, and said in a deep voice: "What does Lang Zhongling think of this matter?"
Meng Yi glanced at the Feng family and his son, then looked at Li Si, frowning and said: "Except for explosives, nothing that caused the explosion has such power. Therefore, the source of the explosives must be investigated clearly, and..."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the corpses on the left, and said coldly: "After careful investigation, these corpses are not ordinary assassins, but specially trained assassins, similar to dead soldiers!"
"Death warrior?"
Li Si narrowed his eyes slightly: "Does Lang Zhongling mean that the assassins who assassinated His Majesty are the same people as these dead soldiers?"
"It's possible!"
"That"
"I have already discussed with the two Feng Gongs that these people must not be let go. Therefore, I dare to ask Li Tingwei to let Gongzi Hao come out to investigate!" Meng Yi said solemnly.
"Gongzi Hao?"
Li Si's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but said: "Why do you want Young Master Hao to come out to investigate? Isn't this the responsibility of the Tingwei Mansion?"
"Although illegal inspections, trial and handling of cases are all under the jurisdiction of the Tingwei Mansion, you have to use extraordinary methods to deal with extraordinary people. Young Master Hao has such experience, so he will naturally be able to handle it with ease!"
"But."
Li Si pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, and said with a straight face: "Your Majesty has already decreed that Young Master Hao Feizhao cannot leave Donghu Palace. Now that the new king has not been established, we are going to openly defy His Majesty's order?"
"What kind of order? It's a cliché! If we really want to openly defy His Majesty's order, can we make Hu Hai the crown prince? Old Tingwei is too wise!" Feng Jie interrupted impatiently.
Li Si's expression changed and he said in a deep voice: "Mr. Feng's words are very disrespectful, so be careful what you say!"
"Hmph! If Li Tingwei doesn't like my temper, he can ask the prince to remove me from my post!"
"Mr. Feng, you"
"Okay! This is what I mean. Let Young Master Hao come out first to investigate the matter!" Feng Quji stood up and waved his hand.
Li Si opened his mouth, but stopped talking.
But Zhao Gao who was standing aside said cautiously: "How about reporting this matter to the Crown Prince first and letting the Crown Prince decide?"
"this"
The ministers were speechless.
According to legal principles, the prince is the crown prince of a country and should be in charge of all affairs of the country.
However, when the ministers thought that the prince was Hu Hai, they felt sick and fell silent.
Seeing that the ministers were silent, Li Si glanced at Zhao Gao with a frown, and then said in a deep voice:
"It is a good idea to leave this matter to the Crown Prince to decide. Please wait a moment, I will go to meet the Crown Prince right now!"
After saying that, he turned around and waved to Zhao Gao: "Order of the CRRC, please escort me to the prince's residence!"
"promise."
Zhao Gao bowed and agreed, and then took Li Si to Hu Hai's residence.
The ministers who watched them leave looked at each other in confusion.
At this time, Mond came from a distance, with a hint of ridicule in his tone: "When did Li Tingwei get so close to Zhao Fuling? Then Zhao Fuling, wasn't he a loyal minister who had served His Majesty for more than thirty years? His Majesty’s body was destroyed, why didn’t he feel anything?”
"Um?"
The ministers were slightly stunned when they heard this. They seemed to think that Mond's words made sense, and they all looked thoughtful.
Meng Yi turned to look at the Feng family and his son, and said, "I also think this matter is quite strange. I wonder what the two Mr. Feng think?"
"Any ideas?"
Feng Jie said with a frosty face: "You and I are supervising the edict. Is it possible that they can tamper with His Majesty's edict?"
"this"
The ministers were startled and seemed to think that Feng Jie was right.
Meng Yi and Meng were also speechless.
At this time, Feng Quji waved his hand helplessly: "Okay, the empire is now in turmoil. Let's stop causing trouble and go back first!"
After saying that, he left alone.
At the same time, Hu Hai, who was walking in the forest, heard a rumble of carriages coming from behind. He couldn't help but turn his head and look around. His face immediately changed and he hurried forward to meet them.
In an instant, Li Si's heart was slightly shaken, and he suddenly remembered the scene when he met Ying Zheng, and Ying Zheng treated him with the same courtesy.
I think back then, when Li Sibuyi entered the Qin Dynasty, if Ying Zheng hadn't paid special attention to him, he wouldn't be as brilliant as he is today.
Now being treated with such courtesy by Hu Hai, it feels quite satisfying to be respected by two generations of emperors.
However, even though Li Si was in a very comfortable mood at the moment, he did not salute Ying Zheng as he did for the first time. Instead, he calmly sat on the carriage and accepted Hu Hai's salute.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Gao and Hu Hai were completely unaware. One flew off his horse to help Li Si, and the other quickly stepped forward and bowed solemnly.
Li Si was very happy when he saw it, but his expression was calm: "The prince is so generous, how dare I accept it?"
"How dare Hu Hai fail to treat him with the courtesy of a sage, just like Zhou Gong Anguo?" Hu Hai asked humbly and respectfully.
Li Si couldn't help but be a little surprised, thinking that the prince Hu Hai was so smart, could he really be mistaken?
Thinking of this possibility, Li Si stopped showing off and praised with a smile: "Every time the CRRC official mentions the prince, he always praises him. When I see you today, what I said is true!"
"Hu Hai is young, please ask Tingwei to teach you more in the future!"
"The prince respects the virtuous and honors the scholars, so why should he not do his best to assist him? If you and I, the monarch and my ministers, work together, why worry about the world being uneasy?"
Li Si laughed heartily with satisfaction.
Hu Hai and Zhao Gao looked at each other and both of them smiled.
Soon, the three of them entered the main hall.
Hu Hai respectfully helped Li Si to the main position, while he took the second position, as if he was listening to the teachings of the sages.
In one fell swoop, he captured Li Si's heart, making Li Si feel like an 'emperor'.
For a moment, I felt that Hu Hai had the character of a wise king, much better than Na Fusu.
If he is a wise monarch, it would be a good thing for his youngest daughter to marry him.
While thinking about it, the maid brought the freshly cooked food.
Hu Hai immediately stood up, poured wine for Li Si, then took the delicacies from the maid's tray, laid out the plate for Li Si himself, carefully opened the soup pot, bowed to indicate Li Si's invitation, and then sat back to his seat.
Seeing this scene, Li Si felt reassured, and he cupped his hands and said, "Prince, I have come to discuss something with you this time. I hope that the prince will make a decision, so that I can inform you all."
"Back to Tingwei, Hu Hai suddenly became the prince. He was frightened and hoped that Tingwei would teach Hu Hai how to make a decision."
Hu Hai's eyes flashed with tears, looking weak and helpless.
He learned this from Zhao Hao.
When Zhao Hao was discussing politics in the Doctor's Palace, it was this attitude that won over Ying Zheng and the princes of the Manchu Dynasty, and they were very fond of him.
Later, Hu Hai has been deliberately imitating his thirteenth brother. Until now, he is somewhat similar in appearance but not in spirit.
However, even so, Li Si was still very useful.
He waved his hands with a smile and said: "Prince, there is no need to panic, I am here to ensure that you sit back and relax!"
"It's a great kindness from Tingwei that I dare to ask Tingwei to teach Hu Hai!"
Hu Hai's face lit up with joy, and he quickly bowed to the ground, saying in his heart that Brother Thirteen is sincere and will not deceive me! (End of chapter)
