If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1136 Grand Tutor Yu's New Policies

The imperial court was not only composed of civil and military officials.

Today should have been a joyous day for the Second Emperor's ascension to the throne, and all the princes had come.

There was a group of eunuchs at the base of the wall, and guards outside the door.

At this moment, all the princes, eunuchs, and guards were dumbfounded.

They weren't even shocked or horrified; they were simply baffled, not knowing what had happened.

They kept their eyes fixed on Grand Tutor Yu, who stood in the center of the platform, but her "Demon Eye Technique" wasn't aimed at them, so they couldn't detect anything unusual.

The key point is that Grand Tutor Yu remained calm throughout, with not even the slightest fluctuation of the天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) around him.

She stood beside the dragon throne, her hands behind her back, her expression calm, with only a faint smile on her face. Her almond-shaped eyes were large, bright, and expressive, very attractive, but that was all.

Then, below the steps, all the ministers, whose bodies were tense and whose expressions were wary, whether they were extraordinary people who cultivated secret techniques or immortals who cultivated immortal martial arts, regardless of their level of cultivation, suddenly trembled, became stiff and straight, their faces full of fear and pain, and let out a miserable scream without any dignity.

Prince Jianglu swallowed hard, stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and asked with concern, "Grand Tutor Yu, what have you done? What happened to the Prime Minister and the others?"

Xiaoyu glanced at him. Although there was panic in his eyes, his expression and tone remained calm, and he maintained his composure.

She looked at Hu Hai again, who was blank and dazed.

Her former theoretical lord, Prince Gao, looked completely bewildered and hadn't yet reacted.

Most of the other princes were puzzled and timid, but several others, like Jiang Lü, remained calm and composed.

—It seems that among the princes of Qin, there are still a few capable ones.

"Prince Jianglu, do not worry. They have only lost a sword duel with me and are still not fully recovered."

Yes, they're competing in swordsmanship and supernatural powers within their own minds.

It's nothing serious.

"If you silently count to thirty in your mind, they should stop howling," Xiaoyu said with a smile.

Jiang Lü was bewildered and confused, not understanding how a mental sword duel could be conducted, nor why he couldn't recover for a long time after losing the duel.

However, he didn't ask any further questions, but silently counted to thirty in his mind.

Sure enough, the strongest Marquis Lieyang stopped howling. In fact, by the twentieth cry, Marquis Lieyang's face had regained some clarity, and he was panting heavily with sweat on his face, no longer howling shamelessly.

The Marquis of Lieyang looked at Grand Tutor Yu with shock and bewilderment in his eyes.

Next came the Guowei Liao, Zhang Han, Ziying, and other openly known "factionalists."

They seemed to have suffered less damage than Marquis Lieyang and Li Si.

Because their screams were clearly less painful, they recovered in the shortest time, and their complexions were better.

Li Si, Zhou Qingchen, and other members of the "Li Party" had deathly pale faces, as if they had been powdered, with bulging bright red veins at the corners of their eyes, and their eyes were filled with madness and fear.

After silently counting to eighty, they finally came to their senses, supporting themselves on their knees with their hands, trying hard not to collapse to the ground, still panting heavily, but as if their throats were blocked, unable to breathe.

Their throats weren't blocked, of course; they were just mentally traumatized, their mental strength insufficient to perfectly control all the muscles in their bodies.

He didn't even have the strength to breathe, and he couldn't control the muscles in his throat and chest that allowed him to breathe.

Grand Tutor Yu smiled and said, "Gentlemen, how was my swordsmanship? Now do you believe that a great reputation is well-deserved?"

Marquis Lieyang looked wary and asked, "What kind of magic did you use? Just now..."

He seemed to remember something, and looked down at the back of his right hand. Apart from being a little sweaty, there was not a single scratch.

"It was just an illusion after all. I almost fell for it—"

Before the words were even finished, "Pfft~~"

A sharp pain shot through the back of his right hand, and a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of sword energy emerged from beneath his skin, leaving a tiny trace of blood, and finally leaving a blood-red "feather" character on the back of his hand.

Sure enough, not a single stroke was added, and not a single line was omitted.

Marquis Lieyang was stunned into silence.

Grand Tutor Yu said calmly, "You are all nobles of the Great Qin Dynasty after all, and I must save you some face."

"I'm giving you a chance to force the sword energy from your right palms out yourselves."

Ministers Li Si and Feng Quji quickly channeled their inner energy to the back of their right hands, carefully sensing for a long time, and indeed found a very thin wisp of sword energy.

Even though this sword energy was thinner than a hair, it took a full quarter of an hour to expel it from the body, even though it remained motionless and allowed them to refine it without retaliating.

It is merely expelled from the body; if one were to forcibly refine it, it would take much longer.

"Ptooey, ptooey~~"

The sound of spitting echoed continuously in the imperial court.

They spat out a mouthful of foul blood onto the ground, the blood mixed with a wisp of sword energy.

Guowei Liao looked puzzled and said, "Grand Tutor Yu has excellent skills. This wisp of sword energy can be just a trace, or it can be as vast as a great river."

It can erupt on the back of the hand, or sever our throats and pierce our hearts.

"But what if you give each of us a sword and kill us all?"

Grand Tutor Yu smiled and said, "I was just joking, please don't be angry, Grand Commandant."

Distinguished ministers and high-ranking officials, you are all pillars of the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty still depends on you for support!
Even if I become the Prime Minister of Qin, I will still rely on you all to work together with me to make Qin great again.

Feng Quji turned his head to look at Marquis Lieyang and Li Si.

Li Si's face was gloomy, and his lips were tightly pressed together.

Marquis Lieyang hung his head in dejection, looking somewhat like a homeless dog.

He sighed and asked in a deep voice, "Grand Tutor Yu, on the orders of the late king, is to assist which prince in ruling the world?"

Hu Hai looked longingly at Grand Tutor Yu, his mouth moving slightly as if he were calling out "Uncle".

The other princes also suddenly perked up, staring intently at Grand Tutor Yu with a mixture of hope and trepidation.

They were not without ambition before, but the Xianyang Mutiny was when Hu Hai led his men to kill Empress Dowager Zhao and Lao Ai.

The main character is clearly Hu Hai. If they force themselves to take the lead, they will likely follow in the footsteps of their grandmother, the Empress Dowager.

Therefore, they have always been honest, and today they are just going through the motions with Hu Hai.

But now the situation has changed. Grand Tutor Yu has taken control of the situation, and all the court officials have recognized the reality, compromised, and yielded.

Grand Tutor Yu immediately rejected Hu Hai's proposal.

In fact, let alone Grand Tutor Yu, as long as the news that Hu Hai is the "Hu" in "the one who will destroy Qin" spreads, all the ministers and officials of Qin will no longer support Hu Hai.

Wouldn't that be their opportunity?

Xiao Yu said, "Let's follow the will of Heaven and let Prince Huhai become the 'Second Emperor'!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers and princes looked on incredulously. Immediately, one minister exclaimed, "You still want Huhai to be emperor? Grand Tutor Yu, you wouldn't be—"

—Are you perhaps suffering from a stroke?

They used to shout like that, but they don't dare to anymore.

Faced with Grand Tutor Shang Yu's calm gaze, their fear and awe surged forth like a flood bursting its banks, unstoppable.

Not only did their shouting abruptly stop, but after they came to their senses, they looked terrified, their faces filled with apprehension and unease.

"Father!" Hu Hai froze for a moment, then knelt on the ground and wailed.

“Father, I will never forget your great kindness. I will always listen to you. You are the prime minister of the court. Father, please accept my bow!” He cried with emotion as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"Thump thump thump~~" He slammed his head into the ground, making a loud noise.

Such humility and respect made the princes around him blush and feel embarrassed.

Zhao Gao had mixed feelings. He was pleased that his plan had failed halfway but had been revived at the last minute, and he also praised his disciple for his excellent performance. He believed that between giving up the throne and being shameless, one should be decisive and shameless.

But his disciple's crying was so sincere and earnest, it seemed like he wasn't acting, which made him a little worried.

After his dream at the Imperial Observatory last night, Hu Hai became somewhat abnormal.

Now, let's get through this hurdle first!

Zhao Gao turned his tense gaze to important officials such as Li Si and Marquis Lieyang.

They were allies in the past, but their fundamental purposes for uniting were not the same.

He was after climbing the ranks, Li Si was after preserving everything he had, while Marquis Lieyang was truly devoted to the Qin Dynasty.

If Hu Hai were the "Hu" in the prophecy, neither Li Si nor Marquis Lieyang would have allowed him to become emperor.

"Grand Tutor Yu, why have you changed your mind?" Feng Quji asked in surprise and doubt, "Isn't Prince Huhai the 'Hu' who caused the downfall of the Qin Dynasty?"

Do you really think his talent and character are enough to compensate for the ominous fate foretold in the prophecy?

Xiao Yu sighed, "What talent and spirit does Prince Hu Hai have?"

Among all the princes, he was the most skilled at disguise; his good reputation for talent and simplicity was all a facade.

His only redeeming quality is that he represents the 'Hu' in the prophecy.

He was destined to become the second emperor, and then lead the Qin Dynasty to its destruction, leading you, his nobles, to fulfill your tragic fate of death, extermination of your clan, humiliation of your wives and daughters, and plunder of your homes and treasures.

Hu Hai stopped howling and looked around with an embarrassed and shy expression.

He wasn't particularly surprised or angry, after all, Yu Ya's father had repeatedly admitted last night that he was as stupid as a pig, had traveled through time countless times, and couldn't even handle Zhao Gao, and that he only knew how to feign humility.

Feng Quji's old face twisted slightly. "Please explain, Grand Tutor Yu, I don't quite understand."

Xiao Yu said, "Prince Huhai is destined to be emperor for three years."

Prime Minister, think about it: the Qin Dynasty is destined to perish; this is the will of Heaven, and no one can stop it.

In other words, the uprisings of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and the rebellion of the former nobles of the six states of Shandong, meant that no matter who we sent to suppress them, it would be like "Grand Tutor Wen's campaign against the Western Zhou"—no matter how powerful you were, you would still go and never return.

If Grand Tutor Wen knew that he had been turned into a proverb, he would surely be furious and feel deeply offended.

But all the ministers understood immediately, and once they understood, they couldn't refute it.

Xiaoyu continued, "But when Chen Sheng and his followers rebelled, the imperial court couldn't remain indifferent."

Why not let the Second Emperor personally lead the expedition?

I want to see whether the Second Emperor's three-year "imperial mandate" was stronger, or whether Chen Sheng and his people had a stronger destiny.

Hehe, using destiny to fight destiny—that's the 'method of changing fate by following heaven'.

Feng Quji was dumbfounded.

Even the somewhat dispirited and dejected Marquis Lieyang raised his head, stared wide-eyed at Grand Tutor Yu with a shocked expression.

"It can be like this? This is too far-fetched, too..." Li Si exclaimed, then gave an awkward, thoughtful look, muttering, "It seems to have some potential. Using destiny against destiny, at least Qin won't lose out, at least we can hope for a change in destiny. After all, it's just Prince Huhai, even if it really—"

Hu Hai was agitated and exclaimed, "This won't do! It's too unfair, a huge loss! Father, I am the second emperor, while Chen Sheng and Wu Guang are just peasants, and even the nobles of the six states are all impoverished."

It's not worth it to exchange a second-generation emperor for peasants and impoverished people!

If anything were to happen to my child, the entire land would be thrown into turmoil. What a terrible price to pay! We cannot afford it! Great Qin cannot afford it!

Xiaoyu comforted him, "You are the second emperor, so your destiny as an emperor must be stronger. You can at least kill several treacherous officials."

When your time is up, I will surely sense it and promptly transfer you back to the rear.

Hu Hai hurriedly replied, "I am an uneducated and incompetent person. I know neither martial arts nor how to command troops in battle."

After studying the Qin laws for several years, just as the Grand Tutor said, it was all pretense; in reality, he was empty-headed and lacked any real talent.

Xiao Yu waved his hand impatiently, "No need to say anything more. I will definitely assist you in becoming the second emperor. This is your destiny. Destiny cannot be defied."

Then she snapped her fingers, using the secret technique of holographic mirage to unfold a huge map above everyone's heads.

The map of China is extremely detailed, with even the county towns clearly marked.

"Please look at the map, everyone. I plan to establish two capitals, one in the east and one in the west. The western capital will naturally be Xianyang City in Guanzhong."

As soon as Xiaoyu finished speaking, a red circle was drawn on the city wall of Xianyang.

"The Eastern Capital was established in Xingyang, Hanoi Prefecture."

A red line starts from Xianyang, follows the Wei River and the Yellow River, and arrives at Xingyang, with a red circle drawn on the map for "Xingyang City".

"The geographical location of Xingyang is self-evident. It is a strategic location that military strategists must contend for, and it is also a key town that the states of Shandong must capture before entering Guanzhong."

Xingyang is located at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Ji River.

The Yellow River and the Ji River are both among the Four Great Rivers.

The confluence of two rivers suggests how rich and important this place was.

In fact, there is a city called "Aocang" next to Xingyang.

Aocang means a large granary.

The area surrounding Aocang has a well-developed water system, including the Yellow River and the Ji River, making waterway transportation extremely convenient and thus turning it into a major granary for the entire Central Plains. The "official grain" from all over the Central Plains was basically stored in Aocang.

The key point is that the Yellow River connects to the Wei River, which flows through the Guanzhong Plain and is directly connected to Xianyang City.

If something happens in Xingyang, it would be easy to send reinforcements from all of Guanzhong, and it wouldn't require much manpower or resources to travel by water.

"Xingyang, the eastern capital, will be the new imperial capital of our Great Qin. The Second Emperor will naturally reside in the imperial capital."

"You are all pillars of our Great Qin Dynasty, and naturally you must also follow the Emperor to guard the capital."

Xiao Yu bowed to the stunned nobles below the steps, her tone and expression utterly sincere, "Thank you all for your trouble."

(End of this chapter)