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

"Brother, what brings you here?"

After being dismissed by the First Emperor, Zhao Gao immediately...

He then went to find his younger brother, Zhao Cheng, the Left General of the Palace Guard.

He looked around.

He sighed and said, "His Majesty has appointed the Imperial Physician today."

"What?"

Zhao Cheng was taken aback, then asked, "Who is it?"

The position of Langzhongling was originally held by Li Si, but since Li Si was promoted to Tingwei and then to the current Zuo Chengxiang,

The position has remained vacant to this day, and no one has filled it.

Unexpectedly, the First Emperor has now suddenly made an appointment.

"What do you want to do?"

But when Zhao Gao heard Zhao Cheng's words, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately turned cold.

Looking at Zhao Cheng: "Do you have any objections?"

Seemingly seeing through Zhao Cheng's thoughts, Zhao Gao sneered and belittled him without any politeness.

"Even if His Majesty doesn't appoint you, it's not your turn!"

"I know." Zhao Cheng shook his head: "I am only a Left General of the Household, how can I be the Chief of the Household?"

"But..." he hesitated for a moment.

He said, "Before the Physician's Commander was appointed, all the guards obeyed my orders. Now that I am being controlled by others, how can I be content?"

"You still don't understand!"

Zhao Gao shook his head, then looked at Zhao Cheng, "You think this is just a simple appointment?"

He sighed, "His Majesty is giving us a warning."

"This..." Zhao Cheng was taken aback, then asked, "How could this be? His Majesty trusts my brother so much..."

"Ha." Zhao Gao laughed, but it was a laugh of anger.

Looking at Zhao Cheng, he seemed to doubt that this fool could actually be his brother: "How could you be so stupid!"

But after I finished speaking, I still explained it to him clearly.

"When His Majesty went missing at Lin Guang Palace, I ordered your son to guard him, which was already a grave offense."

"This..." Zhao Cheng raised his head: "How could that be? We are thinking of His Majesty's safety."

"Ha, foolish." Zhao Gao sneered, "What you and I think is not important; what matters is what His Majesty thinks."

Zhao Gao closed his eyes and sighed.

"The Qin law states that when a wise ruler takes in his ministers, the ministers must not overstep their authority to achieve merit, nor may they offer inappropriate advice."

"Overstepping one's bounds is punishable by death; acting improperly is a crime!"

"As the Left General of the Palace Guard, your duty is to guard the palace, but you have taken it upon yourself to order your son to search for someone."

Zhao Gao raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Cheng.

"Tell me," he asked, "is this overstepping one's authority?"

"This...this..." Zhao Cheng looked puzzled, lowered his head, as if he understood something, and said nothing more.

He sighed.

Zhao Gao walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"You don't understand His Majesty's intentions, but I know that now we must act discreetly and avoid making any more mistakes."

"You must obey the orders of the newly appointed Imperial Physician."

"I know this person. He has been frequently seen by His Majesty's side since the winter hunt. I don't know when he won the Emperor's favor."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "But his surname is Ying."

Zhao Cheng raised his head, looked at Zhao Gao, hesitated for a long time, and then asked in a questioning tone.

"His Majesty has eighteen sons, which one is this?"

Zhao Gao was also puzzled. He was the teacher of Prince Huhai, the eighteenth son of the First Emperor, and had taught him laws and regulations since childhood.

But I have never seen this person.

He thought to himself, "Could he be a son of the royal family, a descendant of other members of the Ying clan?"

But he immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea.

The late King Zhuangxiang had only two sons: the First Emperor and the deceased Lord Chang'an, Cheng Qiao.

However, Cheng Qiao only left behind one son, Zi Ying.

Moreover, Ziying was still young after Cheng Qiao's death, and this person looks even younger than Ziying, so it's impossible for him to be him.

If not, then could she be a descendant of King Xiaowen?

After all, King Xiaowen had other sons besides King Zhuangxiang.

But he subsequently rejected them all.

The First Emperor had many sons, but none of them were granted any official position. How could he possibly appoint other members of the imperial clan as officials?

This is one of the Nine Ministers, a position of great power and influence.

Because the First Emperor liked this person.

Suddenly, a bold guess came to Zhao Gao's mind.

"Could this person be His Majesty's illegitimate son?"

Once this speculation emerged, it couldn't be suppressed, but he didn't dare to say anything recklessly; it was just a guess.

He looked at Zhao Cheng and spoke after a long silence.

"Don't meddle. Just treat him as the Chief Physician, your superior."

Zhao Cheng lowered his head: "Yes."

.........

In the days that followed.

The ministers were still debating the western expedition.

The debate continued until mid-February, just as the First Emperor was about to make a final decision on the matter, when news reached Xianyang.

Xu Fu, the alchemist who set sail in 1939, has returned after nine years.

But he had just disembarked from the ship at sea.

He was immediately arrested by the governor of Langya County, and then escorted back to Xianyang day and night and imprisoned in the Court of Justice prison.

When the Court of Justice learned of this, he went to see him in person.

Although the First Emperor had previously ordered the massacre of the alchemists in Xianyang, Xu Fu had been at sea for several years and the emperor was unsure how to deal with him.

Finally, we arrived at Xianyang Palace.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Standing outside the curtains of Xianyang Palace, the Minister of Justice bowed deeply to the figure behind the curtains.

No need for formalities.

From behind the curtain, the First Emperor's voice came.

He pointed to a soft couch outside the curtain: "Sit."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Minister of Justice rose and sat obediently on the soft couch outside the curtain, bowing his head.

Even though there was a curtain between them, he didn't dare to look up.

After a long pause, he carefully asked, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the sorcerer Xu Fu?"

"Xu Fu..."

Upon hearing this long-forgotten name, the person behind the curtain tapped on the table, then closed their eyes.

The hall fell silent immediately.

The Minister of Justice then asked, "Your Majesty, do you wish to interrogate him?"

Would an emperor lower himself to interrogate a dying worm? Of course not!

Qin Shi Huang simply waved his hand impatiently.

Then, the Court of Justice was instructed to handle the matter according to the law.

"If there is nothing else, you may leave."

But the Minister of Justice raised his head, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "He claims to have the secret to immortality."

"I must personally meet with His Majesty and then present it."

The First Emperor paused in his tapping of the table. Although he no longer trusted the sorcerer, after much deliberation...

They still ordered someone to secretly escort Xu Fu over.

But then he immediately ordered that the man be brought to the palace in shackles, to be seen as a criminal.

"This humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

After several years, Xu Fu's appearance had changed drastically. Perhaps the wind and sand at sea were too strong, and he was no longer as ethereal as before, but had become thin and withered.

But behind the curtain, the First Emperor only coldly asked him.

"You're saying you know the secret to immortality?"