The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 56 The Intention of a Drunkard
The old patriarch's expression softened and he nodded slightly.

"You have the courage to admit your mistakes and correct them. You are a descendant of the Qin family. Our ancestors will forgive you."

He did not mention letting Ying Chengjiao go and turned his eyes to Qin Qi.

"Qin Qi, you are disturbing the ceremony. Either kneel down or get out."

Qin Qi gave Ying Chengjiao a complicated look and stepped out.

Bow deeply to the ancestral tablet to express apology.

Then he said solemnly to the old master:
"I didn't mean to disturb you, it just happened for a reason."

He pointed at Ying Zheng who was kneeling in the front and said in a deep voice:
"I suspect that this boy is not from my Qin family, but from Zhao family!"

After hearing this, Ying Zheng looked confused.

Ying Chengjiao clenched his fists in anger, controlled his urge to curse, and turned his head to look around.

Few of his stepfather and uncle showed any surprise, let alone said a word.

[Sure enough! They had discussed it beforehand!]
Ying Chengjiao thought to himself, but he was not panicked.

The fact that my brother can kneel here means that the Zongzhengfu has thoroughly investigated his background.

Including but not limited to Ying Zheng's birthplace, the year, month and day of his birth, how many times Zhao Ji and Qin Zichu had sex before he was born, when he got pregnant...

Even after Qin Wangzhu urged him several times, he could not let Ying Zheng return to his ancestral home earlier, because it was an extremely tedious and meticulous process of collecting evidence.

The advantage of being tedious and meticulous is that it is basically impossible to overturn!
The old patriarch raised his eyelids slightly, his expression had become even colder than when he heard Ying Chengjiao cursing just now.

The tone became more and more steady.

"Oh? What evidence do you have?"

Qin Qi seemed not to notice that the old master was suppressing his anger, and he would not stop until his words shocked the world.

"Not only is this boy not one of them." He pointed at Ying Chengjiao who was kneeling at the back and said, "This boy is not one of them either! He is not from the Qin family either!"

"Ha!" Lao Zong laughed righteously.

If there is any doubt about Ying Zheng's identity, that is a very small possibility, after all, the evidence was collected in a foreign country, Zhao.

Ying Chengjiao.

Born and raised in the Qin Palace.

Every time his father Qin Zichu and his mother Ji Yaoyao had sex, there was a clear record of his birth date, place and midwife.

Saying that Ying Chengjiao is not from the Qin clan is nonsense!

The old patriarch grasped the locust wood staff with his five fingers and exerted force, causing a "dong" sound.

"Paws!"

A crisp slap sounded.

The sound of Qin Qi fanning himself was much louder than that of Ying Chengjiao.

But there was no joy on Ying Chengjiao's face, instead he looked even more serious.

He absolutely did not believe that Qin Qi, who could not be killed by the joint efforts of his father and Queen Huayang, was a fool. All the clan members in the ancestral temple were fools.

[What on earth is he going to do!]
"Go on, did I tell you to stop?" the old patriarch shouted angrily.

The slapping continued.

Qin Qi hit the man so hard that it was as if he was not hitting his own face, and blood soon appeared.

"That's enough!" The old patriarch called for a halt and said in a deep voice, "Kneel before our ancestors and don't let your blood drip and dirty the ground!"

Qin Qi walked up to Ying Zheng and knelt down straight, facing the twenty-eight ancestral tablets.

He kowtowed, cupped his hands, and said loudly:
"My ancestors are here in front of me! I have something to say."

"How dare you!" The old patriarch raised his cane to hit him.

A man suddenly crossed his arm to stop him. It was Qin Zichu, the crown prince of Qin, who stood second only to the old Zongzheng and Qin Wangzhu.

Qin Zichu opened his arms and looked humble.

"Grandfather, don't get angry. Beating your eldest brother will cause a commotion and disturb the ancestors. You might as well listen to what your eldest brother has to say."

The old clan leader was still angry, but he couldn't get angry when looking at the prince.

He put away his cane and gently patted the prince on the shoulder.

“It’s rare that you still think of your ancestors at a time like this.

"I have only heard that the ancient sage king Shun could be so kind to his elder brother who doubted him.

"With you in Qin, the late king can rest in peace."

Qin Qi, whose cheeks were gradually swelling, sneered. "Qin Yiren, stop pretending to be a good person.

"Even if you don't stop me, I still have to say it today. This will give you a good reputation for nothing."

Lao Zongzheng coughed repeatedly in anger.

Qin Zichu placed his hand on Lao Zongzheng's chest and slowly slid it down, helping Lao Zongzheng to calm down while smiling bitterly.

"Brother, if you have anything to say, just say it.

"Don't delay, or you will upset your great-grandfather and disturb your ancestors."

Comparing the two, the difference was immediately apparent, and the old patriarch showed a look of relief.

When the other clan members heard this, they were filled with disdain, ridicule, and even speechlessness.

What a pretense! You, Qin Yiren, are the good guy! Bah!

Qin Qi's face was gloomy. He stopped nagging and went straight to the point.

"Qin Yiren, let me ask you.

"On October 13, Meng Wu, the defender of Hangu Pass, led 500 cavalrymen out of Hangu Pass and deserted his post. Why did he do this?!"

He bowed to the ancestral tablet.

"The defense of Hangu Pass is of utmost importance to the Qin State.

"After passing Hangu Pass, Guanzhong is flat and you can go straight to the capital city Xianyang!
"If the army arrives, our Qin State will be in danger of destruction!

"This is a matter of life and death for the Qin State. I have submitted thirteen memorials in a row, but you have been vague in your response.

“Not only were my memorials withheld, but I was also not allowed to enter the palace.

“I have no other choice but to ask you in front of our ancestors today.

“Meng Wu led 500 cavalrymen, which was already more than 50.

"This is treason, do you want to intervene or not?"

The old clan leader pushed the prince aside and hit Qin Qi with his locust wood cane.

Qin Qi leaned forward to release the force and fell to the ground.

The old patriarch was holding a cane and pointing at Qin Qi's face.

"This is the ancestral temple, not the imperial court! We don't discuss politics here, we only discuss clans. Get out!"

Qin Qi put his head under the crutch and slowly straightened up while leaning against the old Zongzheng.

"If the country is destroyed, where will the people be?

"Grandfather, I know you favor Qin Yiren, but you should know the limit of favoritism!
"Xianyang has no city walls, and the enemy troops can destroy it as easily as drinking water!
"Are you going to wait until the enemy captures Xianyang, is at the gates of Yongcheng, and burns down the ancestral temple before you wake up?!"

The old monk was so angry that his walking stick was shaking.

"You, you, you, unfilial son, unfilial son!"

In a fit of anger, he lost all strength and fell backwards.

The prince supported the old Zongzheng, bent his knees and let the old Zongzheng sit on his thighs, and used his thin shoulders to support the old Zongzheng's body.

"Brother, you passed!"

A look of majesty appeared on his face, and he acted like a regent prince, glancing at the dozen or so brothers in the ancestral temple.

Wherever his eyes passed, no one was afraid of him, and many even stared at him.

He took a deep breath.

“I know that my brothers are not convinced by my being the crown prince, but you should be convinced by your elder brother.

"But do we really have to do it so drastically? Do we have to talk about these things in the ancestral temple? Do we have to disturb our ancestors?"

Qin Qi rubbed his bruised face and sneered:
"Qin Yiren, don't make it sound like it's our brothers' fault.

"Brothers submitted so many memorials, but you kept them and ignored them, relying on your position as regent.

“We have no choice but to ask our ancestors to be witnesses.

"Tell me, what should we do with Meng Wu, the defender of Hangu Pass?

"It is a serious crime to mobilize 500 soldiers without the tiger talisman.

"You should put Mr. Meng in jail"

Qin Zichu saw that the old Zongzheng was not seriously ill, he let out a long sigh and said softly:

"Meng Wu led 500 cavalrymen out of Hangu Pass. He received the order from the Hangu Tiger Seal. What crime did he commit?"

(End of this chapter)