To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

He leaned forward slightly and said with a half-smile, "Li Si, the Black Ice Guard's secret report clearly states that this kid searched Fang Zhengge's mansion and then..."

They stuffed every single penny of the hundreds of thousands of coins and thousands of taels of gold into his private treasury!

"Tell me, this brat embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels of Fang Zhengge's money, what can I possibly reward him with? How about I give him this entire Zhangtai Palace to move with him?"

"Huh? This..."

Upon hearing this, Li Si's smile froze instantly, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

He looked down and carefully examined the end of the secret letter again, and a fine layer of cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.

Good guy!

You're really daring, aren't you!

Hundreds of thousands of coins, the entire prefectural governor's mansion embezzled, and you didn't even leave a single copper coin for the national treasury, you swallowed it all in one gulp.

Li Si awkwardly wiped the sweat from his brow, wondering how to smooth things over for Zhang Fan, when Ying Zheng casually picked up a memorial and calmly set the tone:

"Well, although this kid is greedy and unruly, he did accomplish something in the end. He handled the Jiangnan imperial examination cheating case brilliantly, so he can atone for his crimes with his merits."

As for Mi Yueyao, the remnant of the Chu Kingdom who followed him... since she's been spared, I'll forgive this mess and not pursue it any further."

Upon hearing this, Li Si breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty is wise and fair in rewards and punishments. This plan is excellent. If we were to punish him for a small amount of money, it would only discourage meritorious officials."

However, having just finished dealing with Zhang Fan's "embezzlement case," Ying Zheng's expression gradually became serious, and a rare hint of irritation appeared between his brows.

He slammed the memorial he was holding onto the table and said coldly:

"The situation in Jiangnan has been pacified, but the northern border remains unsettled!"

"Recently, urgent reports have been frequently received from the border that the Xiongnu people outside the Great Wall in the north are wandering around and knocking on the passes before winter."

Relying entirely on light cavalry, they repeatedly bypassed border outposts to raid the people along the Qin border and plunder their provisions!

"These wolves of the grasslands, they snatch and run, never lingering in battle! Our Qin infantry can't catch them, and our heavy cavalry can't react in time. Our border soldiers are exhausted and suffering terribly!"

At this point, Ying Zheng changed the subject, "Back then, it was Zhang Fan who strongly opposed continuing to build the Great Wall in the main hall, and forcibly transferred the corvée labor to mine coal and smelt steel!"

Now, things are really messed up. The northern border has no walls or fortifications to rely on, causing me such a huge problem!

Ying Zheng's voice was indifferent, revealing no emotion.

Li Si frowned, quickly weighing the options in his mind, before cautiously proposing:

"Your Majesty, while the Great Wall is indeed a vital national asset in defending against the Xiongnu, compared to that, the steel and coal produced by Zhang Fan have indeed brought about a qualitative leap in the military equipment and people's livelihood of the Great Qin, and his achievements are slightly better."

However, the border is currently experiencing disruptions...

Li Si tentatively suggested, "How about we first implement a scorched-earth policy this winter, and then next spring we can conscript more laborers to continue repairing the Great Wall?"

After listening to Li Si's suggestion, Ying Zheng sat on the dragon throne and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

The main hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long while, Ying Zheng stopped tapping the table and spoke calmly:

"No rush."

"Since Zhang Fan caused this mess while trying to refine steel, let him clean it up himself!"

Ying Zheng waved his hand and ordered in a deep voice: "Issue my decree! Send Zhang Fan back to Xianyang immediately with an urgent message!"

I want to hear for myself what kind of wicked schemes he can come up with when facing those swift and elusive Xiongnu cavalry...

No, what solution?

After saying this, Black Ice Guard led his men to set off immediately.

Four days later, in Xianyang City.

The dusty carriage had just entered the mansion when Zhang Fan, without even having a sip of hot tea, was already waiting outside the gate as a eunuch from the palace was delivering an imperial decree.

"What the hell is this?!"

Zhang Fan jumped off the carriage, cursing, and turned to the two sisters, Luo Li and Luo Ying, who came out to greet him, instructing them: "You two, keep a close eye on that woman named Mi Yueyao. Provide her with good food and drink, but absolutely do not let her step out of the mansion, understand?"

Although the twin sisters were puzzled, they obediently nodded in agreement.

After hastily giving his instructions, Zhang Fan, with a bitter face, like a corporate slave forced to work overtime, reluctantly crawled into the carriage heading to the palace.

Inside the carriage, the eldest son, Fusu, sat upright.

Looking at Zhang Fan's utterly dejected expression, he was filled with curiosity and confusion: "Teacher, we've barely arrived in Xianyang, and Father Emperor has summoned us to the palace with an urgent dispatch. What urgent matter could it be?"

"How would I know?"

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes and slumped onto the cushion, wailing, "I finally understand, I'm just born to be a hard-working ox or horse!"

There isn't even a single day of paid leave. Every single day is just work, work, work. Even the donkeys in the production team aren't treated like this!

Fusu didn't understand what "paid leave" meant, let alone what "the production team's donkey" meant. He could only smile awkwardly and say nothing more.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.

Led by the eunuch, the two quickly entered the solemn and majestic Zhangtai Palace.

"Your humble servant Zhang Fan!"

"Your son, Fusu!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty (Father)!"

Upon entering the main hall, the two immediately bowed in greeting.

Ying Zheng, sitting high on the dragon throne, put down the vermilion brush in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the two men, a half-smile appearing on his majestic face.

"Rise."

Ying Zheng looked at Zhang Fan, his tone low and slightly teasing: "Zhang Fan, I heard you really displayed your prowess on your trip to Jiangnan, and... you reaped quite a harvest!"

Clang!

Upon hearing the words "a great harvest," Zhang Fan's eyes flickered with uncertainty.

Holy crap?

There's a hidden meaning in what Brother Zheng said!

Could it be that they discovered I embezzled all of Fang Zhengge's hundreds of thousands of yuan?

impossible!

When we returned to Xianyang, we made sure to have the money disguised as goods from an ordinary merchant caravan and smuggled into the city in batches. Logically, it should have gone unnoticed!

Could the Black Ice Team's informants really see through this?

Zhang Fan was inwardly panicking, but outwardly he laughed it off.

Standing beside him, Fusu kept his head bowed low, as if he wanted to bury his face in his chest, not daring to even breathe.

In the past, if faced with corruption, this upright and incorruptible eldest son would have already stepped forward to uphold justice and even betray his own family.

But now... he really didn't dare to speak!

After his trip to Jiangnan, Fusu finally realized how ignorant he had been of the hardships faced by ordinary people and the high cost of daily necessities!

As the eldest son of the mighty Qin state, my monthly salary is pitifully small!

The teacher told himself that going to a slightly better restaurant for a night of drinking with courtesans would cost tens of taels of gold!

With my meager fixed salary, let alone understanding the people's conditions, I even have to borrow money to pay for entertaining guests!

(Production safety is of paramount importance. Yesterday's coal mine explosion is unrelated to the coal mine gas explosion storyline in this book! The coordinates only coincided by chance! May the deceased rest in peace, may the missing be rescued as soon as possible, and may everyone be safe and sound!)