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

Chapter 372, Xu Qing: Step back, I'm about to begin.
If Xu Qing cannot stop the Empress Dowager, Meng Ao is prepared to take extreme measures in order to preserve Ying Zheng's prestige and the stability of the court.

They staged a coup against the Empress Dowager, using violence to force Ying Zheng to assume power prematurely.

This move does more harm than good, but in such a situation, who cares about such things?

"General, you must not! The stability of Qin is of utmost importance. Do not do anything extreme. You will know everything when the court meeting begins later."

Xu Qing quickly turned around and advised Meng Ao, genuinely fearing that these reckless men might stage a coup or force the emperor to abdicate.

Meng Ao looked at Xu Qing. Although Xu Qing did not say what Ying Zheng was planning to do, judging from Xu Qing's attitude, Ying Zheng did not really intend to hand over the positions of Commandant of the Guards and others to Lao Ai, but had other considerations.

"Alright, I hope you won't disappoint me," Meng Ao said.

Xu Qing nodded slightly.

Meng Ao walked towards the military officers. Everyone surrounded him, ready to ask him questions, but Meng Ao shook his head. Although they were anxious, after glancing at Xu Qing, they could only follow Meng Ao back to their positions as military officers.

Xu Qing walked to the ranks of the civil officials and silently waited for the court meeting to begin.

While waiting, the officials gradually arrived. In particular, when they saw more than a dozen members of the imperial clan approaching with cold and sharp eyes, the officials all made way for them, not daring to provoke these resentful relatives.

As a bronze bell rang, the officials took their places.

Seeing the empty seat at the head of the court, the officials were all astonished. Things had come to this point, yet Lü Buwei still did not attend court.

Has Marquis Wenxin truly grown old? Is he afflicted with illness and unable to attend court? What will become of the court from now on?
Whether they were from Lü Buwei's faction, relatives of the emperor from various countries, or neutral individuals, all were lost in thought and began to have different ideas.

The sound of the bronze bell rang out again, bringing everyone back to their senses. As the palace doors opened, the officials entered the palace one after another.

After the courtiers had taken their positions, the third bronze bell rang, and Ying Zheng, Zhao Ji, and Lao Ai entered the hall surrounded by their entourage.

Ying Zheng walked to the throne, and Zhao Ji, accompanied by Lao Ai, walked to her seat.

"Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager have arrived!" the Imperial Physician shouted.

The assembled officials raised their tablets and bowed respectfully to Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji.
"Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, we pay our respects!"

"Gentlemen, you may dispense with the formalities."

Ying Zheng flicked his sleeves and sat on the throne.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The courtiers rose and looked at Ying Zheng on the throne, but secretly glanced at Zhao Ji and Lao Ai, who were listening to the emperor's orders, their eyes revealing a complex expression.

The black-themed Imperial Council Hall was already solemn and dignified, but the silent demeanor of the officials made the atmosphere inside even more somber, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Lao Ai stood beside Zhao Ji, dressed in the clothes of a palace attendant, but when he glanced at Ying Zheng on the throne, a sense of arrogance and disdain arose in his heart.

"As long as the Commandant of the Guards, the Grand Historian, and the Left Attendant become my men, what does it matter if you come of age and assume personal rule? The power of Qin will still be in my hands, and you can continue to be my puppet."

Lao Ai thought to himself, his left hand unconsciously gripping the sword at his waist.

"Your Majesty, now that the court meeting has begun, let us begin our discussion."

Zhao Ji placed her hands on her lower abdomen, a charming and dignified smile appearing on her face, and spoke calmly.

Is it finally here?
The ministers withdrew their gazes and all looked at Ying Zheng, awaiting the start of today's court meeting.

Ying Zheng did not look at Zhao Ji, but scanned the assembled officials below, and calmly began to speak.

"The purpose of today's court meeting is not for any other reason than that the Commandant of the Guards, the Inner Historian, and the Left Attendant have been accused. After being questioned by the Court of Justice, it has been found that the three of them abused their power for personal gain, neglected their duties, and mistreated their subordinates. According to Qin law, they should be dismissed from their posts, stripped of their titles, and exiled to a hundred li away."

"However, the duties of the Commandant of the Guards, the Grand Historian, and the Left Guard are of great importance and cannot be neglected for even a day. Therefore, the Queen Mother and I discussed and convened the ministers to select suitable candidates to replace the three."

"My esteemed ministers, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

As soon as Ying Zheng finished speaking, the ministers all looked away and lowered their heads in silence. Since they had received advance notice, they naturally wouldn't jump out and offend Lao Ai at this time.

The members of the royal family glanced coldly at Lao Ai, suppressing their anger, and waited for Lao Ai to speak first.

The members of Lü Buwei's faction also remained silent. Since Lü Buwei was not present and did not express any opinion, they did not know what to do and could only remain silent.

"My esteemed ministers, do you have any candidates to recommend?"

Ying Zheng looked at the silent ministers and asked again with a calm expression, his voice numb and cold, like that of an emotionless puppet.

The council hall, which housed dozens of people, remained completely silent.

Lao Ai glanced disdainfully at the assembled officials, then looked up at Ying Zheng, stepped forward, and bowed, saying...

"Your Majesty, I do have a candidate to recommend. Among the garrison troops at the various gates is Centurion Zhao Xie, who is resolute and courageous. He has made many meritorious contributions in previous battles, and is also exceptionally talented. He is extremely loyal to Your Majesty and is the best candidate for Commandant of the Guards."

"Zhao Si, the clerk under the Inner Historian, is diligent and responsible, enjoys a high reputation among the people, and is familiar with the affairs of the Inner Historian. He is suitable to be the Inner Historian."

"Wei Jie is such a person." Upon hearing Lao Ai mention the names of his three retainers, neither Ying Zheng nor the court officials showed any surprise. They silently watched as Lao Ai adopted an attitude of recommending worthy men without regard to personal relationships.

"The Marquis of Changxin's recommendation is reasonable. However, these three official positions are of great importance and cannot be appointed casually. They must undergo assessment before being appointed."

Ying Zheng feigned a speechless expression, glanced sideways at Lao Ai, and said coldly.

Seeing Ying Zheng's demeanor, the courtiers couldn't help but look at the dignified Zhao Ji, realizing that this court meeting was indeed as rumored, forced upon them by Empress Dowager Zhao Ji.

For a moment, the ministers felt sympathy for Ying Zheng.

The royal family remained silent, waiting for their chance to speak.

"Your Majesty is right."

Lao Ai was not angry when he was rejected. Instead, he turned to look at Zhao Ji behind him and a confident smile appeared on his face.

“Your Majesty, I have personally examined these three men. Their talents are very suitable, and they are the best candidates for the positions of Commandant of the Guards, Grand Secretary, and Left Attendant. The Marquis of Changxin’s recommendations are excellent. I believe that once they assume their posts, they will certainly do their best to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”

Zhao Ji looked at Ying Zheng and said with a light laugh, her voice gentle but carrying an undeniable air of authority.

When Ying Zheng heard Zhao Ji speak, he remained calm and emotionless, saying...
"Since the Empress Dowager has made her decision, then these three are naturally fine. My dear ministers, do any of you have other recommendations?"

The courtiers remained silent, heads bowed.

"Your Majesty, the talents of these three men are evident to all, and the ministers naturally have no objections. Moreover, the Empress Dowager has already assessed the three men, so there will naturally be no problem."

Lao Ai bowed and cupped his hands to Ying Zheng, a smile on his face.

"What do you think, colleagues?"

After speaking, Lao Ai glanced back at the assembled officials. The smile on his face vanished instantly, and his cold gaze swept over them. The officials all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

Xiong Qi, who was second in rank among the civil officials, had a flicker of emotion in his calm eyes. He clenched his scepter slightly and stood up with his toes pointing outwards.

Seeing this scene, Lao Ai could no longer hide the arrogance and disdain on his face. Looking at the silent and trembling officials, he felt a great sense of satisfaction.

This was exactly the feeling he wanted: to make the high-ranking officials in Qin grovel at his feet, speechless at his mere words.

The only one who could do this before was Lü Buwei, and now it is him!
"These three official positions can only belong to me, and no one can take them away from me!"

The fear of the courtiers made Lao Ai's eyes gleam with excitement. He seemed to see himself one day replacing Lü Buwei and taking control of the entire Qin state.

When the royal family saw Lao Ai speak again, a glint of shrewdness flashed in their eyes; this was the opportunity they had been waiting for.

A dozen or so members of the royal family looked at the people around them with exceptionally firm gazes. Just as the leader took a step forward with his left foot, a voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence in the hall like a thunderclap.

"Wait, I have an objection."

The officials looked on in astonishment. Following the sound, they saw Xu Qing, dressed in a black and red official robe, wearing a crown and a magnificent sword at his waist, walk to the center of the hall.

Upon seeing Xu Qing step forward, Meng Ao's expression darkened, and he became nervous.

He naturally hoped that Xu Qing could reject Lao Ai's recommendation and uphold Ying Zheng's dignity as the King of Qin, but he also understood the difficulty of this matter.

When Xiong Qi saw Xu Qing step forward, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and pulled his toes back.

The members of the imperial clan were also surprised that Xu Qing would stand up at this moment. Those who were originally going to refute Lao Ai were frozen in place and could only silently retract their feet.

Xu Qing's expression was cold and his gaze sharp. He cupped his hands in greeting to Ying Zheng on the throne, and then looked at Lao Ai.

Lao Ai also looked at Xu Qing, his arrogant expression turning serious as he stared at Xu Qing with hostility, a murderous intent rising in his heart.

He didn't expect Xu Qing to dare to stand up, and at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if Xu Qing was acting on Ying Zheng's orders.

"Does the Grand Master have any objections?" Lao Ai asked Xu Qing in a cold voice.

Ying Zheng and Gai Nie, who were standing in the shadows, also looked at Xu Qing. Although they knew that Xu Qing would step forward, they couldn't help but feel nervous because Xu Qing didn't say how he would reject Lao Ai's recommendation.

The courtiers in the hall also turned their gazes toward Xu Qing, but their eyes lingered on Ying Zheng.

Xu Qing was brought back to the country by Ying Zheng, who also bestowed upon him the titles of Grand Attendant, Imperial Physician, and Grand Master of Works—a clear sign of being a trusted confidant.

Now that Xu Qing has stepped forward, there must be Ying Zheng's support behind him, otherwise why would Xu Qing step forward?

The ministers' original thoughts began to waver again, and they began to suspect that Ying Zheng did not really want to be a puppet, but only had to relinquish power to Lao Ai because of the status of Queen Dowager Zhao Ji.

Xu Qing looked at Lao Ai with a cold gaze and indifferent expression, and slowly spoke.

"Now that the Qin state has just been established, His Majesty has shown great favor by bestowing upon you the title of Marquis, intending for you to serve the Empress Dowager wholeheartedly. However, you have repeatedly violated the law and injured Lord Weiyang."

"He escaped danger through sophistry, yet he is utterly shameless and arrogant. Now he dares to presumptuously discuss court affairs and install his cronies; is this not tantamount to plotting a rebellion?"

(End of this chapter)