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

Chapter 535, The Curtain Falls, Cause and Effect (Bonus Chapter)
While the rebels were still searching for Queen Mi, Wang Ben and Li Xin led the Lishan army to Xianyang City. With the help of Lü Buwei's retainers, they successfully entered Xianyang City and began to quell the rebels and search for people associated with Lao Ai.

Meanwhile, in the Qinian Palace of Yongcheng.

After half an hour of fighting, Lao Ai's more than two thousand rebel soldiers were wiped out by Qin's elite troops and the guards of Yongcheng.

The once tidy square was now stained red with blood, and various corpses lay scattered on the ground. The huge black bird pattern on the ground was also stained with blood, and the stench of blood filled the air, adding a chilling atmosphere to the solemn and dignified Qinian Palace.

"Release me! To tell you the truth, my reinforcements are on their way. Fifty thousand troops from Lishan and three thousand imperial guards from Xianyang will arrive in the blink of an eye. If you release me now, it's not too late."

Lao Ai, who was being held down by Ren Xiao and Zhang Han, struggled incessantly. His armor was covered in blood, his hair was disheveled, and he shouted with a ferocious expression.

"be honest!"

Ren Xiao and Zhang Han pressed down hard on Lao Ai's arms, and Lao Ai's face showed a look of pain. He immediately stopped struggling.

After the two men escorted Lao Ai up the steps, they kicked him to his knees in front of the ancestral temple.

"Your Majesty, Lao Ai has been executed," Ren Xiao said, bowing respectfully.

Dressed in black royal robes and wearing a nine-tasseled crown, Ying Zheng slowly walked out of the palace, his eyes flashing with coldness as he looked at Lao Ai kneeling on the ground.

Although Lao Ai was not a despicable person worthy of his anger, Lao Ai's actions had led to his current estrangement from Zhao Ji, which made Ying Zheng unable to hide his anger and wished he could execute Lao Ai with the most severe punishment.

"Lao Ai, do you know your crime?" Ying Zheng asked in a cold voice.

Now that things had come to this, Lao Ai stopped pretending, looked up at Ying Zheng, and said with a crazed expression.
"Crime? It's all about the victors and the vanquished. Ying Zheng, don't be so smug. What if you kill me? When Zhao Xie and Ling Qi lead their armies to Yongcheng, you will still be doomed. In the end, Qin will still belong to me, Lao Ai."

"You can indeed wait for them, but not in Yongcheng, but in Xianyang."

Ying Zheng sneered and said in a disdainful tone.

Upon hearing this, Lao Ai's smile froze. Looking at the shadow who showed no sign of panic, Lao Ai realized something. His rebellion in Yongcheng had failed, so Ying Zheng would definitely be preparing in Xianyang and the Lishan camp. Therefore, Ling Qi and Zhao Xie were now in grave danger.

Thinking that his elaborate plan had failed, Lao Ai's expression was uncertain. He struggled to stand up, but Ren Xiao and Zhang Han held him down and he could only kneel on the ground obediently.

"Ying Zheng, all of this was your conspiracy!!"

Lao Ai stared at Ying Zheng with bloodshot eyes and shouted hysterically.

"Kill me! Kill me! Go ahead and kill me now if you dare!"

"I will not kill you. I will take you to Xianyang and have the Court of Justice interrogate you, determine your crimes, and publicly execute you, so that you will die as a criminal, not as the Marquis of Changxin," Ying Zheng said coldly.

Lao Ai clamored to kill him, and how could Ying Zheng not know what the other party was thinking? He simply wanted to die as the Marquis of Changxin, so that he could have a prestigious status even in death.

But how could Ying Zheng allow a villain like Lao Ai to tarnish the Qin state's titles?

"promise."

Ren Xiao and Zhang Han escorted Lao Ai outside. Lao Ai stared intently at Ying Zheng, still struggling, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ying Zheng, do you think you've won? You're not Ying. Do you think you're a descendant of the Ying clan? Hahaha, you're actually Lü Buwei's son, do you know that? You're Lü Buwei's son!"

"This is what your mother, that vile woman Zhao Ji, said herself, right there in my bed, she told me herself!"

Lao Ai shouted maniacally, his gaze toward Ying Zheng filled with mockery.

Just when Lao Ai thought Ying Zheng would be furious and kill him, Ying Zheng simply looked at him calmly, without any emotional fluctuation on his face. His indifferent gaze was as if he were looking at a complete stranger, which made Lao Ai's smile come to an abrupt end.

"Take him away," Ying Zheng said calmly.

If it were the old him, he would have been furious to hear Lao Ai's words. His childhood experiences and the days when he was manipulated and used as a puppet made him anxious and insecure, and he desperately needed to do something to prove himself.

But he is no longer the same. Ever since he talked with Xu Qing about the chaos of the world in Han, Xu Qing kept calling him the future ruler of the world, and he quickly seized power after returning to Qin, all of these things have transformed him.

How could a true dragon, soaring through the heavens, possibly care about the disparaging remarks of insects?

He was the king of Qin. Whether he was a descendant of the Ying clan or not was not something that Lao Ai could decide with a single sentence.
Whether he could lead the Qin state to achieve its ambition of expanding eastward, conquering the six other states, unifying the world, and creating an unprecedented nation—a peaceful, stable nation where the people lived in peace and prosperity—would determine whether he was a descendant of the Ying clan. Lao Ai's clumsy attempts to undermine his character were utterly laughable to Ying Zheng.

Seeing Ying Zheng's calm expression, Lao Ai's face gradually darkened, as if all his energy had been drained away. His body went limp and he stopped struggling.

Lao Ai realized that he had lost completely, utterly and utterly.

Ren Xiao and Zhang Han quickly dragged Lao Ai away. The two were still somewhat shaken. Lao Ai's words hadn't frightened Ying Zheng, but they had scared them half to death.

Although there had been such rumors circulating for some time, this was the first time someone had mentioned it to Ying Zheng's face. If Ying Zheng took it seriously, he would definitely not let these bystanders off.

Fortunately, Ying Zheng was magnanimous and disdained to get angry over such things.

"Damn it, it almost dragged us down with it."

Ren Xiao kicked Lao Ai in the stomach, cursed, and then dragged Lao Ai to the prison with Zhang Han.

Inside the hall, Gai Nie looked at Ying Zheng, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

Gai Nie could see that Lao Ai's words were meant to undermine Ying Zheng's morale, but he wasn't sure if Ying Zheng could see it either.

Gai Nie wanted to say a few words to comfort Ying Zheng and tell him not to take these words to heart, but he was also mindful of his own status and knew it was not appropriate to say such things, which put Gai Nie in a dilemma.

"Teacher, where is the master?"

Ying Zheng, unaware of Gai Nie's unusual expression, looked at the memorial tablet of the former Qin ruler and asked.

"After calming down his ministers, Lord Zhaoming went to the East Palace alone. I don't know what he did there," Gai Nie said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"The Eastern Palace?"

A hint of doubt appeared in Ying Zheng's eyes. He shook his head and said...

"Let him go. He must have something to do. Arrange for people to clean up Yongcheng. Those involved in treason should be arrested or executed."

After all that has happened, Ying Zheng now has absolute trust and confidence in Xu Qing.

Even though a monarch cannot trust his subjects so much, Ying Zheng still gave Xu Qing his complete trust, simply because Xu Qing was not his subject, but his mentor and friend, a guiding light.

"promise."

Gai Nie nodded, his lips moving slightly. He wanted to say something, but ultimately, due to his status, he said nothing and could only carry out Ying Zheng's orders.

. . . . . . . .

Qinian Palace, the Eastern Palace.

Xu Qing stood in the palace, picked up the memorial tablet on the table and glanced at it. It read "The Tablet of Prince Ying Qian of Qin".

The ancestral temple of the Qin state was divided into two parts. The main temple in front was dedicated to the former rulers of the Qin state, while the small temple in the East Palace was dedicated to the ancestors of the Ying clan, such as the one whose name was Ying Qian.

Xu Qing placed the memorial tablets back on the table, his gaze sweeping over them before finally settling on an inconspicuous one.

The memorial tablet clearly read "Yan Jun, the seat of Prince Ji of the Ying Clan".

"I never imagined that the karma I settled in the Eastern Palace would be with you. Now that Lao Ai has failed, there's no point in you continuing to hide here."

Xu Qing looked at Yan Jun's memorial tablet and said calmly.

The figure hiding in the shadows blinked slightly, then turned and emerged from the darkness.

"How did you know I was here?"

The shadowy figure looked at Xu Qing, remained silent for a moment, and then asked.

(End of this chapter)