Starting with ten elixirs of immortality, I led the First Emperor to rebel against the Qin Dynasty.

"I want it! Father, please grant it to me!"

Hu Hai was completely unaware of the danger and was still shaking Ying Zheng's arm.

"Very well, I'll grant it to you!"

Ying Zheng suddenly stood up, grabbed Hu Hai by the back of his collar, and dragged him toward a side hall.

"Father! Father, what are you doing!"

Hu Hai was terrified and struggled desperately.

"Ouch! It hurts! Father, spare me!"

A heart-wrenching scream came from the side hall.

Immediately following was the dull thud of the belt striking flesh, and Ying Zheng's suppressed roar of rage.

"I'll teach you to be greedy! I'll teach you to be stupid!"

"Snapped!"

"How dare you, a piece of trash, squander my empire!"

"Snapped!"

"You actually dared to kill your brother and slaughter your sister!"

"Snapped!"

Zhao Gao, who was waiting outside the palace to gather information, was so frightened by the commotion inside that he trembled all over. Just as he was about to go in and plead for mercy, he heard Ying Zheng's roar.

"Zhao Gao! What a fine disciple you've trained! Get your ass in here!"

Zhao Gao's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

He rushed into the side hall and saw Hu Hai writhing on the ground like a maggot, while Ying Zheng, holding a belt, had bloodshot eyes and looked like a god of death.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"

Zhao Gao kowtowed repeatedly.

"You don't deserve it!"

When Ying Zheng saw him, he became even angrier and lashed Zhao Gao's back with his belt.

"what!"

Zhao Gao screamed in agony as his new wound aggravated his old one, causing him to nearly faint on the spot.

After venting his anger, Ying Zheng finally felt much of the frustration in his chest dissipate.

He threw the belt on the ground and stared coldly at the two people on the ground.

"Drag him away and confine him to the mansion. Without my order, he is not to step out of the mansion even once!"

"only!"

Two eunuchs entered tremblingly and dragged out Hu Hai, who was crying half to death, and Zhao Gao, who was grimacing in pain.

The Qilin Hall returned to silence once more.

Ying Zheng sat back down at the table, looking at the still-boiling hot pot, but he had no appetite anymore.

Suddenly I realize that Huan'er was right, even if it means being an emperor, I wouldn't be a dog!

The next day, the morning court session was held in the Qilin Hall.

The civil and military officials stood in formation, secretly exchanging glances and discussing the commotion that had occurred at Prince Huhai's residence the previous night.

It is said that Prince Huhai and Zhao Gao were severely punished by His Majesty and are currently confined to their residences under house arrest.

This made many officials who had originally been affiliated with Zhao Gao's faction feel uneasy.

Ying Zheng sat high on the dragon throne, his face ashen, revealing neither joy nor anger.

His gaze swept across the crowd below, and all the officials lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Xu Fu and a group of alchemists were summoned to the palace."

The cold voice broke the silence of the court.

Soon, dozens of alchemists, led by Xu Fu, were brought forward by armored soldiers.

These once-respected and venerable Taoist priests were now disheveled, emaciated, and wretched, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to their former "immortal" appearance.

As soon as they were brought to the palace, they knelt down and begged for mercy, crying and wailing.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"

Ying Zheng looked at them coldly, as if they were a group of dead people.

"My esteemed ministers, what is the punishment for these treacherous villains who deceived the emperor and plotted to harm me with deadly poison?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure stepped out from the ranks of civil officials.

He was Chunyu Yue, a scholar-official. He was one of the representative figures of Confucianism.

"Your Majesty!" Chunyu Yue bowed deeply, his voice booming, "I believe that although the alchemist is guilty of deceiving the emperor, his true intention was to seek immortality for Your Majesty, and his heart is worthy of pity. Your Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler, and should govern the world with benevolence and virtue, and should not commit too many killings."

"The Book of Documents says: 'When in doubt about a crime, judge it by the lighter punishment; when in doubt about a merit, judge it by the heavier punishment.' These sorcerers may be truly talented and learned, and to punish them all would be unfair. Your Majesty, I earnestly request that Your Majesty show leniency beyond the law and educate them so that they may repent and reform, and perhaps they can be used by the Great Qin."

His words were eloquent and full of quotations, making them seem quite reasonable.

This prompted many Confucian scholars and officials to nod in agreement.

In their view, protecting these alchemists is to protect the possibility of "extrajudicial leniency," which aligns with the Confucian concept of "virtue as the primary principle and punishment as the secondary principle," and is also a way to indirectly enhance their Confucian discourse power.

Ying Zheng listened without showing any expression on his face, but in his heart, he was already plotting to kill.

Is his heart pitiable?

If it weren't for Huan'er, I would probably be a dead man by now!

You're talking to me about benevolence and virtue now?

Just then, another figure stepped forward, causing Ying Zheng's heart to sink completely.

Fusu's face was somewhat pale, clearly his injuries had not yet healed, but his eyes were very determined.

"Father!" Fusu straightened his robes and said loudly, "Your subject agrees with Dr. Chunyu's words."

"Father, please calm your anger. Xu Fu and the others are indeed guilty, but their crimes do not warrant death. Executing them would tarnish your reputation for benevolence and cause criticism from the people. Your son humbly begs you to reconsider, so as to demonstrate the magnanimity and benevolence of our Great Qin."

In Fusu's view, his father had already exposed the deception and was in good health, so there was no need for further bloodshed. Excessive killing would only make the world think that Qin was cruel, which would be detrimental to the long-term stability of the empire.

He did this out of filial piety and loyalty to the Qin Dynasty.

But to Ying Zheng, these words sounded extremely harsh.

Outdated and beyond redemption.

My son, the heir I placed so much hope in, actually pleaded for mercy for a few swindlers who almost poisoned his father at this time!

In an ordinary family, Fusu might have been a good man, humble and polite, but Fusu was born into the royal family and was the heir he chose himself.

Ying Zheng was so angry that he was trembling all over and was about to explode on the spot.

Just as the atmosphere in the court reached a freezing point, a cold voice rang out.

"Nonsense!"

Li Si stepped out of the ranks and looked directly at Chunyu Yue and Fusu.

"Deceiving the emperor is an unforgivable crime! Moreover, these traitors are not engaging in ordinary deception, but rather using highly poisonous substances to erode Your Majesty's health day and night! This is treason! It is regicide!"

"Young Master, Chunyu Yue, you both speak of benevolence and virtue. May I ask, if His Majesty's health is compromised, and the Qin Dynasty is thrown into turmoil, and the people suffer, whose benevolence and virtue will that be?"

Li Si's words were piercing and his tone was stern.

He already harbored many grievances against Confucianism, let alone knowing the future.

If it weren't for Prince Huan's prophecy of the future, I would probably have colluded with that eunuch Zhao Gao, personally sending the fool Fusu to his death, and also sending myself to the execution platform to be cut in half at the waist!

The thought of the heinous crimes that "Little Baga" would commit against the Central Plains in the future, and that Xu Fu was the instigator of it all, made Li Si unable to suppress his murderous intent any longer.

"These traitors not only plotted to harm His Majesty, but also sought to empty the treasury of our Great Qin, taking three thousand boys and girls overseas to establish themselves as kings! Their hearts are wicked! Their actions deserve execution! Only by tearing them to pieces can His Majesty's anger be appeased! Only by exterminating their entire clan can we serve as a warning to others!"

Li Si's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the court.

What? You declare yourself king?

The officials were in uproar!

This crime is far more serious than deceiving the emperor.