The Great Qin Dynasty: The egg of the Black Bird was revered as a national guardian beast.

Born in the deep palace and raised by women, he thought that everything in the world was easy, nothing more than being gentle and kind.

"How can one understand the difficulties of the world without sitting in a perilous hall?"

At Fusu's age, he was already standing on the map, waving his sleeves to stir up the sea waves, and destroying a country with a single step.

With this in mind, the First Emperor began to re-examine his sons and start to think and deliberate.

Of his many sons, who should inherit the throne?

If there is a legitimate heir, he should be the heir; if there is no legitimate heir, he should be the eldest son. However, due to special circumstances, he did not establish an heir and therefore had no legitimate son.

In this way, Fusu, as the eldest son, is undoubtedly the strongest contender for the position of crown prince.

However, due to his personality, the First Emperor hesitated.

As for the other princes, upon closer inspection, they were all mediocre, and the First Emperor was not very satisfied with any of them.

With the position of crown prince vacant, who should it fall to?

For a time, the First Emperor was at a loss regarding the issue of who would become his heir.

The lamplight flickered, and the First Emperor made a decision.

The following day at court, the First Emperor lifted the confinement order on Prince Fusu, granting him his freedom.

He then granted Prince Gao and Prince Jianglu the right to attend court hearings and ordered them to begin their duties immediately.

After this series of actions by the First Emperor,

This immediately adds another layer of mystery to the already complicated struggle for the crown prince position, making it even more perplexing.

........

The night is beautiful tonight, with the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

All was quiet except for the brazier burning in front of the palace gate, which cast a warm glow in the night.

The First Emperor walked alone through the dark palace gates, through the covered walkways flanked by high walls, and stepped into this place.

The pale moonlight shone down, casting a long shadow on his body.

"Your Majesty." In front of the Xuan Niao Palace, the Xuan Niao Guards who were stationed there knelt down with a clatter, bowing their heads.

With a wave of his hand, the First Emperor indicated that he was exempt from formalities.

Then, they passed in front of them and entered the Black Bird Palace.

There are many people in the Black Bird Palace.

Upon seeing the First Emperor arrive late at night, they bowed to him.

But the First Emperor simply waved his hand impatiently, dismissing them all and forbidding anyone from disturbing him.

Soon, he walked to the sycamore tree and looked at it.

thump!

With a slight noise, the First Emperor turned around, and a figure appeared on the empty table under the tree.

Xuan Ye looked up and saw that it was the First Emperor.

After pausing for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, the night is so dark, why have you come so late?"

The First Emperor did not speak, but simply walked to the table and sat down. After a long silence,

He said, "I had nothing to do, so I came to sit here for a while."

Xuan Ye lowered his head, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

He knew that the First Emperor had been depressed lately, and he also knew why he was like this.

All the alchemists were buried alive.

Consequently, the First Emperor's hope for immortality vanished along with the death of the alchemists.

The edict issued by the First Emperor today is also very meaningful.

While lifting Fusu's confinement, the emperor also granted Prince Gao and Jiang Lü the right to attend court hearings.

He could imagine it.

Tonight, countless people will surely suffer from insomnia, just like the First Emperor.

Because of this move by the First Emperor, it was as if he was sending a signal to the outside world that he did not intend for Fusu to be the crown prince.

Otherwise, as the eldest son, who could compete with him?

The position of crown prince remains vacant.

At this delicate moment, the First Emperor granted his two other sons the same right as Fusu to attend court sessions.

This has sparked countless people's imaginations.

This makes the already unclear succession of the empire even more unpredictable and uncertain!

However, Xuan Ye felt that the First Emperor had not given up on Fusu, the eldest son he had raised for decades.

The First Emperor has come; could it be to inquire about the matter of the crown prince?

Thinking this, he looked at the First Emperor sitting there, then looked away and around.

"I owe Fusu a great deal," the First Emperor suddenly said softly, as if he were recalling something.

Leaning against the table, head tilted back.

"When Fusu was young, I began the great cause of unification, but I neglected his education."

"He was hastily handed over to Dr. Chunyu Yue for instruction."

"In the ten years since I unified the six kingdoms, the Confucian ideology has already taken deep root in Fusu's mind."

"This is my fault. Perhaps I am truly unworthy of being a father."

During those ten years, Chunyu Yue taught Fusu to be a gentleman, but in the following years, the First Emperor brought him back to his side to teach him.

Unfortunately, even now,

Fusu still showed no sign of being a successor.

Xuan Ye was speechless for a moment. The things taught from childhood influence a person's entire life, and how can they be easily changed midway?

It's difficult to change things, but it's not impossible.

The First Emperor's gaze fell on Xuan Ye, and after a long while, he softly asked, "Do you think Fusu is suitable to be the crown prince?"

Xuan Ye raised his head. He was right; the First Emperor really had come to ask him about the matter of the crown prince.

However, Xuan Ye did not want to get involved in matters concerning the position of crown prince.

"Who knows?" Xuan Ye shook his head, seemingly speaking casually, and in fact, he really was.

The First Emperor looked at Xuan Ye in front of him.

Hearing this answer lifted the heaviness from his face, and he relaxed, but helplessness remained.

"You."

He smiled, then closed his eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then spoke softly.

"Heavenly Bird of Destiny, do you still remember our promise?"

"Of course." Xuan Ye paused for a moment, but continued, "How could I forget?"

"In the future, I hope that the Heavenly Bird of Destiny will take care of the future second emperor."

The Blackbird Palace is very quiet at night.

All that could be heard was the gentle breeze rustling through the paulownia trees and the soft crackling of the brazier.

In the silence, the First Emperor took a deep breath.

He asked, "Do you know why I granted Gao He and Jiang Lü the right to listen to court proceedings as observers?"

In truth, he knew in his heart that the Heavenly Bird was intelligent, and its previous answer indicated that it should know.

Xuan Ye did not deny it, "Perhaps he knows."

Eagles often build their nests on cliffs and only care for their eaglets for six months until they are fully feathered.

When that time comes, they will be taught to fly.

When fledgling eagles are afraid of cliffs hundreds of feet high and dare not spread their wings, the male eagle will peck or push them off the cliff.

If it falls to its death, then the fledgling eagle is no longer an eagle.

The First Emperor was like an eagle, and Fusu was like a fledgling eagle. He was forcing Fusu out of the nest and forcing him to fly!

As for Gao and Jianglu?

It was just an inconspicuous rock and a branch to perch on during the process of the eagle forcing its eaglet to fly.

The mighty eagle forces the fledgling eagle to fly; the First Emperor forces Fusu to contend!

The First Emperor felt that among all his sons, only Fusu was allowed to attend court and participate in government affairs, so he did not feel any sense of crisis.

Now, two whetstones have been added to Fusu's collection.

In the eyes of the First Emperor, the eagle should soar in the sky, be invincible, have a vision that can see thousands of miles, and command the whole situation.

But what about Fusu?

His gaze was filled with compassion for humanity, but instead of looking out at the world, he focused on the chickens, ducks, and sparrows on the ground.

Since that's the case, the First Emperor forced him to fly!

It forced him, step by step, to sink into depravity, to leap into the abyss, until he soared into the sky.

Behind him stood the towering figure of the First Emperor, like a mountain, looking down upon him and compelling him to move forward.