People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 360, To destroy them, first make them mad.
Seeing that the matter had finally come to an end, the ministers all perked up and waited for Ying Zheng's decision.

In the eyes of the court officials, this matter was no longer as simple as Lord Weiyang being injured; it represented whether Ying Zheng, having gained the support of the military, was going to take decisive action to reclaim power.

If Ying Zheng severely punishes Lao Ai, it means that Ying Zheng is ready to regain power, with the support of the military and the royal family, as well as the Chu foreign relatives who have always been close to Ying Zheng.

It's time for these people to make a decision.

If Ying Zheng were to decide to let Lao Ai go, the courtiers felt that this was unlikely, since it was true that Lord Weiyang had been injured, which concerned the face of the royal family and Ying Zheng.

If Lao Ai was so easily let go, it means that Queen Dowager Zhao Ji is still in control of the court, and Qin might just produce another Queen Dowager Xuan.

Looking at the assembled officials below, each with their own hidden agendas, Ying Zheng felt a chill run down his spine. He cleared his throat and spoke in a deep voice.
“What Lord Jingyang and the Queen Mother said makes sense. However, Lord Weiyang and Marquis Changxin are both important officials in the court. Losing or injuring either of them would not be good for Qin. After the court meeting, have the Imperial Physician examine Lord Weiyang’s injuries and make sure he recovers completely.”

Upon being called out, Xu Qing stepped forward and said...
"My minister obeys."

The assembled officials glanced at Xu Qing, who had returned to the ranks, and their previously calm expressions softened, revealing their surprise.

Ying Zheng's seemingly impartial words were actually biased towards Lao Ai.

"Since Your Majesty is willing to vouch for Marquis Changxin, then I believe this is a misunderstanding. The one who truly injured Lord Weiyang is someone else. These people should be imprisoned in the Court of Justice and interrogated thoroughly by the Court of Justice, and dealt with severely."

"As for Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, he made mistakes due to drunkenness and neglected his duties. Considering his contributions to the Qin state, he is hereby fined one year's salary and his fiefdom is reduced by two hundred households. From now on, Marquis Changxin must strictly control his retainers and prevent such incidents from happening again, otherwise I will certainly punish him severely."

Ying Zheng looked at Lao Ai and said, although his expression remained calm, his murderous intent towards Lao Ai was almost impossible to conceal.

He wouldn't have endured such humiliation if it weren't for the need to expose those with treacherous intentions within the court. However, once those people are exposed, he will repay Lao Ai for today's disgrace tenfold.

Ying Zheng's conclusion immediately caused an uproar.

The ministers stared at Ying Zheng in disbelief. They hadn't expected him to choose the outcome they considered the most unlikely. However, after their initial surprise, they began to understand the current situation.

Even if Ying Zheng had the support of the military, the real power was still in Zhao Ji's hands. Even if Ying Zheng took power, if there were Lü Buwei and Lao Ai in the court, Zhao Ji could follow the example of Empress Dowager Xuan and not hand over power to Ying Zheng.

For a moment, the ministers were filled with a myriad of thoughts. Many of them glanced at the arrogant Lao Ai out of the corner of their eyes, wondering if they should move closer to him.

The fact that Lao Ai escaped unscathed after attacking Lord Weiyang clearly demonstrates the deep trust Zhao Ji places in him. Now that Lü Buwei is old and his old illness has relapsed, Lao Ai might just be the next Lü Buwei.

The military leaders, including Meng Ao, were caught off guard by Ying Zheng's words. They were all planning to fight a real battle with Lao Ai and the Zhao state's relatives, but Ying Zheng directly sided with Lao Ai.
Besides being puzzled, they were also somewhat frustrated, not understanding why Ying Zheng would do such a thing.

Meng Ao turned his head slightly to look at Xu Qing, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes as he saw Xu Qing's calm expression and lack of surprise.

From Meng Tian's letter to him, he already knew that Ying Zheng was not a weak person, but rather a monarch with great ambitions and aspirations. Otherwise, he would not have dragged his old body to court to support Ying Zheng.

Xu Qing's expression seemed to indicate that he already knew the outcome, and an idea immediately formed in Meng Ao's mind.

That means Ying Zheng deliberately favored Lao Ai, and was definitely not forced by Zhao Ji to protect Lao Ai; he must have had his own reasons.

"Old General."

A middle-aged general behind Meng Ao gently tugged at Meng Ao's sleeve and whispered with a somewhat gloomy expression.

Meng Ao didn't speak, but waved his hand behind his back, indicating that he shouldn't interfere.

Although the middle-aged general was puzzled by what he saw, he could only suppress his displeasure and remain silent.

Lord Jingyang and the rest of the royal family looked at Ying Zheng in disbelief, their eyes filled with bewilderment and shock, but this quickly turned into grief and indignation.

Ying Zheng promised them yesterday that he would severely punish Lao Ai, so why did he change his mind today? Is he breaking with the royal family for the sake of Zhao Ji and Lao Ai?

"Your Majesty." Lord Jingyang looked at Ying Zheng with resentment, but was interrupted just as he was about to speak again.

"Lord Jingyang, there's no need for further words. This matter will be handled as I have instructed. Once this matter is settled, let's not delay the court proceedings any further," Ying Zheng said, his expression slightly moved, waving his hand.

Seeing Ying Zheng's appearance, Lord Jingyang knew that Ying Zheng had truly betrayed them, and that yesterday's promises were nothing but a deception.

"Hehehe~"

"Zhangtai Palace was the place where successive Qin kings handled state affairs. From King Huiwen to King Zhaoxiang, then to King Xiaowen and the previous kings, the spirits of four generations of former rulers are still in heaven. Yet some people are here distorting the truth and imposing shame on the royal family. Hahaha, how ridiculous!"

Lord Jingyang wore a bitter smile and looked dejected. His gaze toward Ying Zheng was full of disappointment, and he was completely disillusioned with Ying Zheng, the King of Qin.

"Enough! If Lord Jingyang is unwell, he should return home. Guards, take these eight men away and send someone to escort Lord Jingyang back to his residence," Ying Zheng said in a deep voice.

Several armored soldiers took the person kneeling on the ground away, and two eunuchs also walked to Lord Jingyang's side.

"No need. I resign from my post today. Your Majesty need not send anyone to see me off." Lord Jingyang flung away the eunuch's hand and said angrily to Ying Zheng.

After speaking, Lord Jingyang turned and walked straight outside. Seeing this, the other members of the royal family could only lower their heads and return to their seats. Watching Lord Jingyang's forlorn figure, everyone felt a surge of emotions.

Looking at the silent ministers with their heads bowed, Lao Ai's disdain deepened, and he felt an unprecedented sense of pride.

He had initially thought that after this incident, he should postpone his plan to replace the Commandant of the Guards with Zhao Xie and others. However, Ying Zheng's attitude today made him decide to proceed according to the original plan.

Even with the support of the military, Ying Zheng was merely a puppet in front of Zhao Ji. The real power was in Zhao Ji's hands, and with Zhao Ji's consent, the opinions of others were unimportant.

Watching Lord Jingyang leave, Ying Zheng clenched his fists under his sleeves. He was also feeling bad, but for the sake of Qin's great cause of unifying the world, he could only endure it.

As a ruler, he had to plan for the long term. Fighting for the sake of the moment was useless. If he wanted to fight, it was to secure a lasting foundation for the Qin state!
Turning his gaze to the smug Lao Ai and the smiling Zhao Ji, a cold glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. Perhaps from today onward, he should let go of those unrealistic ideas in his heart.

He is now the King of Qin, no longer the young prince of Handan. Qin is above all else, including himself.

"The court discussion shall continue," Ying Zheng said in a deep voice.

The physician, recovering from his shock, glanced at Ying Zheng, whose expression was somewhat grave, and spoke.

"The court meeting continues."

The officials snapped out of their daze, suppressed their thoughts, and continued the court discussion. Since Lü Buwei was not present, the report on the work situation began with the Left Chancellor.

Xu Qing watched the court discussion get back on track, glanced at Ying Zheng with an unfriendly expression, and felt a sense of emotion.

If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

These are just the beginning; many more trials await Ying Zheng in the future.

However, these are all things that Ying Zheng had to go through. At most, he could only help Ying Zheng to calm down and prevent Ying Zheng from developing any problems.

After all, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing as the Imperial Physician.

"I don't get a chance to report on my work anyway, so I might as well use this time to practice my Evergreen Kung Fu."

Xu Qing acted immediately. While others were reporting on their work, he secretly activated the Evergreen Technique within his body, preparing to attempt to break through to the sixth level.

The Evergreen Skill has nine levels. If he breaks through to the sixth level, he should be able to enter the Celestial Realm.

Moreover, the special effects brought by the sixth level also made him somewhat envious. The first five levels brought him abundant internal energy, immunity to all poisons, purple qi in the dantian, protective qi, and abnormal recovery ability.

The sixth level involves transforming internal energy into qi, converting the internal energy within the body into true qi, which can then nourish the physical body, thus taking one foot into the path of immortal cultivation.

Most martial artists can only convert their true qi when they are close to the pinnacle of the Celestial Realm, but the Evergreen Technique allows for direct conversion.

Once he breaks through, he is confident that he can go toe-to-toe with Xiaoyaozi, or even go toe-to-toe with him.

After regaining his composure, Xu Qing began to secretly circulate the Evergreen Technique.

A turbulent court affair gradually came to an end with reports from the ministers, and the court officials left the council hall after the court was adjourned.

Outside the hall, the officials gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves as they put on their shoes, occasionally glancing at Xu Qing with strange looks.

Xu Qing stood aside silently putting on his shoes, seemingly unaffected by the strange looks from the assembled officials.

This was inevitable after Lao Ai was safe and sound, and it was exactly the result that he and Ying Zheng wanted.

"Boy, tell me, what about you and the King?"

Meng Ao walked to Xu Qing's side and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear, giving Xu Qing a subtle look.

Xu Qing glanced at Meng Ao, not surprised that such a seasoned veteran like Meng Ao had seen through him.

"I am truly powerless to help with the matter of the military doctor. This was decided by His Majesty, and only the State Military Command can provide a result. General, please wait for now," Xu Qing said in a low voice.

Before Meng Ao could ask again, a eunuch quickly walked to Xu Qing's side, cupped his hands, and said...
"Great Minister, His Majesty requests that you come to the rear hall for a meeting."

"General, the King has summoned me, so I must take my leave now." Xu Qing bowed to Meng Ao and then left with the eunuch.

Meng Ao watched Xu Qing's departing figure, a smile flashing in his eyes.

"This kid, no wonder the king values ​​him so much. In that case, I'll wait and see what tricks you and the king can pull," Meng Ao thought to himself.

After regaining his senses, Meng Ao left with several generals under the watchful eyes of his ministers.

(End of this chapter)