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

"His Majesty."

An attendant entered, knelt outside the curtain, and addressed the First Emperor behind the table, saying, "Urgent military report."

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor slowly raised his head.

"Where is the military intelligence?"

The attendant lowered his head and respectfully replied, "Military intelligence from Longxi, presented by Marquis Li Xin of Longxi."

"Open it and read it!"

The First Emperor had his attendant read it aloud.

This was the first military report since the First Emperor ordered Li Xin to launch his western expedition, and he had been waiting for it for a long time.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was inevitably agitated inside.

While there were many voices supporting the westward expedition, there were also quite a few opposing voices.

Moreover, the world has been in great turmoil recently.

First, the conjunction of Mars and Antares caused much discussion, then the return of the sunken wall and the death of the water god were also mentioned.

Many others are secretly fueling the flames.

and so……

The First Emperor needed a resounding victory to slap his opponents in the face and quell the panic.

This battle cannot be lost!

The attendant unfolded the military bamboo slip and looked at it carefully.

"Li Xin, the Commandant of Longxi, bows respectfully: Thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom and the bravery of your soldiers, I led a thousand cavalrymen and trampled through the enemy camp..."

............

Zhangtai Palace.

At the morning assembly on the second day.

The First Emperor ordered his attendants to loudly read aloud the urgent military report sent by Li Xin, instructing his ministers to listen carefully and study it thoroughly!

"Thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom, I led a thousand cavalrymen, lightly armed, in a surprise attack on the enemy's camp, and the enemy was routed."

"In this battle, dozens of enemy camps were destroyed and dozens of tribes were annihilated."

"We beheaded four thousand enemy soldiers, captured tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses, and also beheaded a Rong prince, causing his tribe to live in unrest!"

After the envoy general finished reading the urgent report.

The First Emperor rose from his seat, stood on the high platform, raised his head, and looked down with his eyes slightly askew.

He asked with a cold laugh, "Gentlemen, who still says that the western expedition is nothing but the ravings of shamans? Who still advises against it, saying that the western expedition against the Rong will be unfavorable?"

The ministers lowered their heads, silent and dejected.

The few remaining Confucian scholars in Xianyang, wondering whether anyone else had gotten involved with Chunyu Yue, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Many of them have made numerous unfounded comments about this matter.

But right now, all other voices have been drowned out by this real victory.

Seeing the assembled officials lower their heads and remain silent,

The First Emperor smiled, his pent-up frustration instantly relieved, and he sat back on his throne.

He then ordered that Li Xin and his cavalry be richly rewarded.

Military strategy dictates that rewards and punishments should not be delayed. If rewards are not given in time, doubt will arise; if punishments are not given in time, laziness will result, and the army will be disorganized.

The First Emperor was a monarch who clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments!

But after the rewards and punishments were given, the First Emperor still felt that even though the battle was won, it was not enough!

A new imperial edict was issued.

He ordered them not to stop, but to continue westward until there was no more road ahead, and to keep going west!

He wanted to make Qin...

To the east lies the vast sea, to the west, the shifting sands, and to the south, the northernmost point!

..........

but....

Perhaps he was too excited.

After the court session, upon returning to Xianyang Palace, the First Emperor felt a sudden dizziness and fainted.

Only Zhao Gao and a handful of people, including the eunuchs and palace maids who served the First Emperor, knew about this matter.

However, due to prophecies such as Mars guarding the heart and the death of the First Emperor this year.

The news of the First Emperor's coma must not be leaked; he must be kept within the palace.

"Has the Imperial Physician arrived?"

Zhao Gao walked out of the hall and asked the eunuch standing to the side.

Just as the eunuch was about to shake his head, he saw the Imperial Physician Xia Wuqie rushing over from not far away.

He went to greet him: "Imperial Physician, you've finally arrived."

Zhao Gao grabbed Xia Wuqie's hand and hurriedly rushed into the hall, "Quick, quick, see how His Majesty is!"

Xia Wuqie was old, with white hair.

He stumbled as Zhao Gao pulled him, but since it concerned the First Emperor, he could only hurry inside.

Upon entering the palace, one sees the First Emperor lying on his bed.

The eunuchs and palace maids were serving him, but they didn't know what illness the First Emperor had, and stood helplessly by his side.

Zhao Gao waved his hand, dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs.

Xia Wuqie walked over, then took out one of the First Emperor's hands and placed it on his hand.

Then, Xia Wuqie's brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Imperial Physician?" Zhao Gao called out softly, but Xia Wuqie did not respond.

"The Imperial Physician?"

Xia Wuqie was not awakened until the second sound.

Looking at him, Zhao Gao asked, "How is His Majesty?"

Xia Wuqie didn't speak. He was very old, and his hands were trembling incessantly. It was unclear whether it was due to old age or something else.

Zhao Gao then asked, "Chief Physician, how is His Majesty?"

Xia Wuqie placed the First Emperor's hand inside, turned to look at Zhao Gao, and said, "Your Majesty is alright."

"It's just an old ailment that's relapsed today."

As he spoke, he walked outside, saying he was going to the Imperial Medical Bureau to find some medicinal herbs to brew a pot of medicine for the First Emperor.

Zhao Gao seemed to understand something.

After Xia Wuqie left, he slumped down in the hall, looking at the First Emperor on the bed, and wept uncontrollably.

............

In the Great Qin Dynasty, all matters, large and small, were decided by the emperor.

The First Emperor was seriously ill.

The central government temporarily lost its ability to make decisions. Although Zhao Gao tried his best to conceal it, the truth could not be hidden forever.

Within a few days, the courtiers noticed something amiss.

So he went to the palace to request an audience with the First Emperor, but when he arrived at the First Emperor's bedroom, he was stopped by the guards outside the door.

"Your Majesty's bedchamber is off-limits without a summons!"

"I am the Prime Minister of the Great Qin Dynasty."

At this moment, Li Si stepped out from the crowd: "We have important matters to discuss with His Majesty, please allow us to pass!"

But Langwei remained standing there, unmoved.

Having failed to achieve their goal, the ministers had no choice but to return empty-handed, but their doubts only deepened.

What exactly happened to the First Emperor?

Zhao Cheng, the Left General in charge of this matter, would meet with Zhao Gao twice a day to report on the situation.

"The court officials have entered the palace to see His Majesty, but have been stopped by the guards standing outside the gate. Brother, what should we do?"

Zhao Cheng was deeply worried. He knew very well that blocking the officials from seeing the First Emperor and isolating them from the outside world was tantamount to treason.

Zhao Gao stood there with his hands behind his back, expressionless.

After a long pause, he let out a breath and asked, "Zhao Cheng, who said we were plotting a rebellion?"

"Ah!" Zhao Cheng's eyes widened. "Isn't that right?"

Without speaking, Zhao Gao raised his hand to dismiss him, then looked at the palace under the night sky and sighed softly.

He wasn't lying.

Because Zhao Gao never intended to rebel.

He was an insect clinging to the shadows at the emperor's feet; once separated from the First Emperor, he was no different from any other insect.

Now, this giant is about to fall.

Logically speaking, his followers should have scattered when he fell from grace.

Otherwise, he would have to rely on another giant, or his fate would be terrible!

However, the new emperor, whom they had carefully cultivated for many years, was deposed.

If he pushes others to the throne and makes them dependent on him, how can he guarantee that the new ruler will accept him?

Therefore, all he can do is create chaos!

"People fear chaos, yet chaos is what allows people to reach heights they could never have before!"

Zhao Gao came from a humble background, but he was quite ambitious.

He prevented his ministers from seeing the First Emperor, which was also a way of waiting!

If the First Emperor were born, he could explain his actions as a way of avoiding prophecy and preventing the news from spreading.

If the First Emperor were to die...

He could then forge a will and choose an obedient and weak person to succeed him as the second emperor.

Raise your head and look up at the sky.

Zhao Gao revealed his long-held thoughts.

"There are many different opinions, but in reality, the star that His Majesty ordered to be searched for is none other than myself, Zhao Gao."

But not long after,

A eunuch who rushed over thwarted all of Zhao Gao's plans.

"Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, Your Majesty is awake!"