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

"Tap tap tap".

The horses' hooves pounded the ground with a series of sounds.

Dust billowed as over a thousand people rode forward on horseback, their hooves pounding the ground, each step causing a tremor.

"Whoa!"

A black horse raised its hooves and stopped in front of the city gate, while the more than a thousand people behind it tightened their reins and brought the horse to a halt.

The guards at the city gate saw these people.

My eyes involuntarily lowered, and I dared not look.

Others might not know, but as a city gate guard under the command of the Imperial Guard, he naturally knew about these people.

Judging from their attire, they should be physicians and soldiers.

Even though he knew his duty prevented him from being negligent, he stepped forward and looked at the person in the lead.

He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please show me the authorization."

"Um."

Zhao Cheng held the reins with his right hand.

He gently patted the neck of the black horse beneath him with his left hand to calm it down, then took out a short imperial edict from his person.

"By imperial decree, you are permitted to proceed immediately."

"Wait a moment." The guard took the edict, unfolded it, and carefully examined it to confirm its authenticity.

Finally, it was handed back to Zhao Cheng.

He turned around and waved his hand behind him: "Let them through!"

The other guards at the city gate quickly made way for Zhao Cheng, allowing them to pass.

Nodding, Zhao Cheng led a thousand men into the city.

After traversing the streets of Xianyang and finally arriving at the palace, Zhao Cheng dismounted and looked at the people behind him.

"One hundred men followed me into the palace."

"The rest of you..."

He raised his hand, then waved it downwards, "Split up and search for Confucian scholars in Xianyang, and execute them on the spot!"

"Yes."

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

Inside the government office.

A person, looking somewhat flustered, stopped in front of the door, and finally raised their hand to knock lightly.

"Come in."

A calm voice came from behind.

With a sigh of relief, the man pushed open the door and saw the physician sitting in his seat.

He looked at the jade box in his hand and smiled with delight.

"What is it?" he asked, his face reflected in the jade box, his eyes seeming somewhat obsessive.

"The Imperial Physician."

The man who entered knelt on the ground.

After hesitating for a long time, he lowered his head and said, "The Crown Prince... the Crown Prince has been beaten."

"Very good."

"What?" The man looked up, his expression quite strange.

"Ahem." He chuckled dryly.

He asked, both puzzled and furious, "Who is so bold as to dare strike the Crown Prince?"

"this."

The man looked at him, unsure what to say, and finally lowered his head, his voice soft: "They seem to be one of ours..."

He was taken aback by the man's answer.

Finally, he put down the jade box and asked, "Who is it?"

The man raised his head, looked at him, and said, word by word, "Left General of the Household, Zhao Cheng!"

"It's him?"

As if he understood something, he smiled and picked up the box in front of him. "I understand. You can go now."

The man was somewhat puzzled.

"The Crown Prince has been beaten, shouldn't we do something?"

What for? Zhao Cheng served as a charioteer and attendant, accompanying the emperor on his travels. Now, he was being sent back to Xianyang to attack Fusu.

Besides the First Emperor, who else could he think of?

Since it was the First Emperor's will, Zhao Cheng, as his superior, should naturally pretend not to know what he was doing.

But on second thought,

This is a good opportunity to inquire about the First Emperor's condition.

And... go check on, oops, let's see how our Crown Prince is doing now.

With that thought in mind, he got up from his seat.

"That makes sense. Zhao Cheng is incredibly audacious. How could he possibly commit such an act of insubordination?"

"Lead the way."

He chuckled as he spoke, "I'm definitely going to punish him properly!"

But once outside, he turned back to the man beside him and said, "What do you think about fining him a month's salary?"

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

Standing in front of Xianyang Palace.

Looking up, Xuan Ye felt a pang of emotion. Ever since his argument with Fu Su, he hadn't set foot here again.

He smiled and shook his head.

There are no guards outside the palace gates now. Presumably, the Crown Prince was beaten and summoned in by either Fusu or Zhao Cheng.

But then, the people who came with him stepped forward.

He picked up the long spear that had been thrown on the ground, stood outside the palace gate, looked at Xuan Ye, and even smiled.

Good heavens, Xuan Ye finally understands.

It turned out that this man was the guard on duty today. When he saw Zhao Cheng about to hit Fusu, Fusu asked him to stop him.

On one side was the Crown Prince, and on the other was the Left General of the Central Army.

Both sides are his superiors.

Finally, having no other choice, he abandoned his long spear and ignored everyone else, instead running off to report to himself.

I stood in front of him and patted him on the shoulder.

Xuan Ye didn't say anything, looked at the familiar palace, and stepped inside.

At this moment, inside the palace.

The surroundings were in disarray, and the eunuchs and palace maids knelt on the ground, kowtowing with their heads to the ground, trembling with fear.

Fusu lay prone as the imperial physician applied medicine to his body.

Beside them, two children stood behind the palace maid, crying and trying to hide behind her, their eyes filled with panic.

Zhao Cheng looked on expressionlessly.

He heard quiet footsteps behind him, and a person dressed in a black robe stood behind him.

Turning around, Zhao Cheng was stunned.

Finally, he raised both hands and bowed, saying, "Chief Physician."

"Hmm." Xuan Ye nodded and walked to Fu Su's side, who had already fainted.

He asked the imperial physician, "How is the Crown Prince?"

The imperial physician looked up and saw that it was Xuan Ye.

He replied, "The Crown Prince is unharmed. Although he is unconscious, it is only a superficial injury."

He nodded and walked up to Zhao Cheng.

He scolded, "What's going on? Do you know that this is insubordination, tantamount to treason, punishable by the extermination of your entire clan according to the law!"

Zhao Cheng crossed his arms in front of him, neither humble nor arrogant.

"The Crown Prince is unfilial. I have been ordered by Your Majesty to administer twenty-nine strokes of the cane. I cannot disobey the Emperor's command, and I have no choice but to do so."

But Xuan Ye seemed not to listen.

He raised his hand and waved it: "Guards, take him away. I must inform His Majesty before deciding on a course of action!"

"Yes."

Several guards stepped forward and took Zhao Cheng away.

Looking around,

Xuan Ye said, "Help the Crown Prince back to his bedchamber to rest. As for the rest, please allow me to consult His Majesty before making a decision!"

After saying that, he walked outside.

Outside Xianyang Palace, the guards had already released Zhao Cheng. After Xuan Ye came out, he pulled Zhao Cheng aside.

She smiled and looked at him.

He asked, "Does Your Majesty have any other decrees?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Cheng raised his hand, "Execute all Confucian scholars in Xianyang and appoint Feng Quji as acting regent."

"I see," Xuan Ye said.

Then she looked at Zhao Cheng, "How is His Majesty?"

Zhao Cheng's eyes flickered, but he didn't speak. He simply lowered his hand and sighed.

"His Majesty..."

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Xuan Ye asked, his eyes fixed on him with a hint of pressure.

"His Majesty has been ill for a long time."

He sighed and said, "The imperial physician said he won't last much longer."

With a sway, Xuan Ye took a few steps back.

But then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he left the palace, returned to the government office, and picked up the box he had placed there.

Finally, they arrived at the Black Dragon Guard's prison.

He asked the Black Dragon Guards standing outside, "What's wrong? Still no sign of waking up?"

The Black Dragon Guard shook his head: "No."

He paused for a moment, holding the jade box, but in the end, he turned around and left, his eyes misty.

He asked, "What should I do?"

There was no sound around.

After a long while, he raised his hand to his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat, and smiled with relief.

The answer, wasn't it already there?