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

Whoohoo!

All I could hear was the howling wind in my ears.

The First Emperor slowly opened his closed eyes a little.

He glanced down and saw farmland and houses on the ground rushing past him.

"Where is this?"

The First Emperor murmured, wondering how this scene, which he had only ever dreamed of, had suddenly come true.

He felt completely lost.

But the First Emperor quickly adjusted his mindset.

Looking around, he was no longer confused, but filled with pride. This was the Great Qin, this was his land.

Sitting on Xuan Ye's back, he said proudly.

"The Heavenly Mandate Black Bird, this all belongs to my Great Qin."

"Westward, it crosses the shifting sands; southward, it reaches the northernmost point; eastward, it borders the Eastern Sea; northward, it extends beyond the Great Xia. Wherever human footprints are found, none do not submit."

Just as they were flying over a mountain,

The First Emperor suddenly laughed, "This is Mount Tai, the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains. I myself once performed the Fengshan ceremony here."

Xuan Ye was taken aback, then slowly slowed down.

With flapping its wings, it landed on the mountaintop.

The First Emperor jumped off Xuan Ye, then raised his head and looked around.

A hint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.

"Eight years have passed since I performed the Fengshan ceremony here. Time really flies."

As he spoke, he thought of those Confucian scholars from Shandong.

"Heh." He sneered and looked at Xuan Ye, saying, "Back then, I summoned more than seventy Confucian scholars from Qi and Lu to discuss the Fengshan ceremony."

"But those Confucian scholars said that we should follow the ancient rites."

"In ancient times, the Fengshan ceremony was performed in a chariot made of reeds. To avoid harming the soil, rocks, grass, and trees of the mountains, people would dismount from the chariot and sweep the ground as a form of sacrifice."

"I found it cumbersome and time-consuming, so I dismissed the Confucian scholars and personally established the rituals."

"After the Fengshan ceremony, those Confucian scholars spoke ill of me behind my back."

"When we descended the mountain, a torrential rain fell from the sky, and it was said that I had violated ancient rites and incurred the wrath of Heaven."

"Ha, that's nonsensical."

As the First Emperor spoke, he led Xuan Ye down the mountain, retracing the footsteps he had once walked.

"And then?" Xuan Ye asked.

He was still somewhat interested in these things.

"And then?"

The First Emperor thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Since there is a tree that sheltered me from the rain, I will appoint it as a Grand Master."

Then he said to the group of Confucian scholars, "This tree can also shelter me from the rain, which is much better than yours."

Soon, a pine tree came into view in the distance.

The First Emperor smiled, pointed to it, and said, "This tree represents my five great ministers."

With that, the First Emperor led Xuan Ye over.

Standing under the tree, the First Emperor reached out and touched the rough trunk, half sighing and half reminiscing.

"Eight years have passed. I have grown old, but you remain unchanged."

"Alright, alright." Patting the tree, the First Emperor seemed to sigh, "You'll stay here, you'll stay here."

"When I perform the Fengshan ceremony again, you will still shelter me from the wind and rain."

After saying this, the First Emperor smiled, turned around and glanced at Xuan Ye, then said, "Let's go."

They left.

The pine tree did not respond.

When the wind blows, the pine needles sway, looking from a distance like they are waving goodbye.

........

at the same time,

The entire Lin Guang Palace was thrown into chaos.

When Zhao Gao went to the First Emperor's bedroom, he did not see the First Emperor and eventually thought that he had gone somewhere else.

But they searched the entire Lin Guang Palace.

They even went to the palace of the Heavenly Bird, but still couldn't find the First Emperor.

Worried and fearful, he found his younger brother Zhao Cheng and asked him to mobilize all the doctors and soldiers to search for him.

But to this day, we still have nothing to show for it.

"What are you all doing? Guarding the palace gates, didn't you see His Majesty go out?"

Zhao Cheng stood in front of several guards and loudly reprimanded them.

But now that things have come to this, even reprimanding them is useless; if they can't find the First Emperor, they will all die.

At this moment, Zhao Gao walked over.

Zhao Cheng glanced at the guards who had their heads bowed, and waved his hand impatiently: "Hurry up and go find them!"

"If we can't find it, you'll be held responsible!"

"Yes."

"What, haven't you found it yet?" Zhao Gao asked, his face full of worry.

Zhao Cheng remained silent.

But Zhao Gao understood everything.

He sighed and paced back and forth, "Oh dear, what should I do?"

"Brother."

At this moment, Zhao Cheng spoke.

After looking up, he walked over.

When no one was around, he whispered in Zhao Gao's ear, "His Majesty has disappeared. We don't know if he's dead or alive."

"In my opinion, they have probably been captured by treacherous villains."

"Now that things have come to this, it's time for us to start thinking about ourselves."

"Keep quiet."

Zhao Gao was still uneasy, so he looked up and glanced around again.

Then he lowered his voice and said, "Are you out of your mind? His Majesty has merely disappeared; how could that be considered treason?"

"What will you do if His Majesty returns?"

"This." Zhao Cheng was stunned. Could he say that he hadn't thought of this yet?

"What should we do then?"

"Foolish!" Zhao Gao scolded. Zhao Cheng lowered his head, his face blank, but he dared not refute.

After reprimanding him, Zhao Gao finally caught his breath.

He looked at Zhao Cheng and said, "When His Majesty is nowhere to be found, we loyal ministers are naturally worried about His Majesty's safety and have been searching for him everywhere."

After saying that, he looked up at Zhao Cheng and asked, "So, do you understand?"

"Understood." Zhao Cheng nodded and said.

But soon, the guard who had just been reprimanded by Zhao Cheng ran in and walked up to him, saying something.

"His Majesty is back! His Majesty is back!"

Zhao Cheng was taken aback, then looked up at Zhao Gao and saw that he had a happy expression and was in high spirits.

He looked at the guard, paused for a moment, and asked.

"Your Majesty is back, so there's no need for this formality."

The guard was excited, gesturing wildly, his eyes filled with fervent worship and reverence.

"His Majesty returned with the Heavenly Bird of Destiny, descending from the heavens on clouds, like a god."

Zhao Gao and Zhao Cheng exchanged a glance. Then they ordered their guards to lead the way and set off immediately.

Soon, they saw the First Emperor in the courtyard.

The First Emperor was no different from usual, except that he still seemed somewhat dazed as he stood there.

The Heavenly Mandate Black Bird stood beside him.

Stepping forward, Zhao Gao and Zhao Cheng bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

The First Emperor raised his hand slightly, "No need."

Then, looking around, he asked, "Why aren't you guarding the palace gates or patrolling the area? What are you all doing gathered here?"

Zhao Gao stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is missing. I was worried about Your Majesty's safety, so I ordered the physician and the army to search for you."

"Is that so?"

The First Emperor laughed.

But his smile slowly faded, and he lowered his eyes to look at Zhao Gao, who was bowing down. "You've put your heart into it."

But upon hearing this, Zhao Gao felt a chill run down his spine.

He dared not answer.

He suddenly knelt on the ground, head bowed, his whole body trembling.

He suddenly realized it.

I feel like I've made a huge mistake.

Even though His Majesty was not present, he was able to command the guards who were protecting His Majesty through his younger brother.

But the First Emperor never looked at him again.

He glanced around, then stepped over him and left with the Heavenly Fate Mystic Bird.