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

Dust swirled along the official road to Xianyang.

Two figures rode swiftly on horseback. After a long silence, Meng Tian finally couldn't help but speak.

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

Ying Zheng looked straight ahead and said in a calm voice, "Speak."

"That Zhao Huan... his words and actions are outrageous, and he is even more rebellious, plotting treason. Why does Your Majesty accompany him... in his nonsense?" Meng Tian expressed his confusion.

To expect the emperor of Qin to accompany a country bumpkin in staging a rebellion was simply beyond his comprehension.

"Nonsense?" Ying Zheng reined in his horse and turned to look at Meng Tian.

"Meng Tian, ​​do you think this is nonsense?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down Meng Tian's spine, and he quickly lowered his head, saying, "Your subject is foolish and dull."

"Stupid? No, you're just misled by what you see." Ying Zheng spurred his horse forward again, his tone becoming deep. "You only see that he wants to rebel, but you don't see why he wants to rebel."

"He said that after the First Emperor died, the land would be divided. He said that Zhao Gao altered the imperial edict, Fusu committed suicide, and Huhai ascended the throne. He said that the world was in chaos and the people were suffering."

With each word Ying Zheng spoke, Meng Tian's heart sank a little further.

Any one of these words could be enough to execute nine generations of one's family.

"Your Majesty, what this boy said may just be his conjecture..." Meng Tian argued with difficulty.

"Speculation?" Ying Zheng sneered. "Is the elixir of immortality speculation? Is the yield of potatoes at three thousand catties per mu speculation? Han Fei once told me, 'Some actions have a selfish purpose, while others have a public one.' Huan'er's words are all for his own security after achieving immortality—that's selfish. But what he foreshadows is the life and death of my Great Qin—that's public!"

"I trust him," Ying Zheng said firmly.

"Because I am the First Emperor, the Great Qin exists because of me. If I die, the world is indeed in danger of falling apart. I know Fusu's character better than anyone else; he is more benevolent and gentle than resolute. A forged edict is enough to take his life."

Meng Tian remained silent.

He was a supporter of Fusu, but he also understood Fusu's character. What His Majesty said was not unfounded.

"Your Majesty, then...do we really have to..." Meng Tian's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"I am not going to join him in rebellion," Ying Zheng interrupted Meng Tian.

"I intend to use the pretext of 'rebellion' to make him willingly hand over everything left behind by his 'system teacher'."

Ying Zheng's voice carried the unique calculation of an emperor.

"This child is a gift from Heaven to the Great Qin. In his mind lies a blueprint for the eternal prosperity of our Great Qin. Rebellion is merely an excuse for him to unleash these ideas."

"He thought he was preparing for his carefree days, but little did he know that everything he prepared would become the cornerstone of my Great Qin's dominance over the world. He wants to rebel, and I'll rebel with him. He wants money, and I'll give him money. He wants men, and I'll find them for him. What I want are the things in his head: the potatoes that yield three thousand catties per mu, the elixir that can grant immortality, and the world-shaking techniques left behind by his 'system teacher,' enough to ensure the eternal stability of my Great Qin!"

Meng Tian was deeply moved upon hearing this, and only then did he understand the emperor's profound meaning.

It turns out that His Majesty had planned everything from the very beginning.

"Meng Tian, ​​you better remember this well."

"Your subject is here."

"From this day forward, in Huan'er's presence, I am merely his father, Zhao Zheng, and you are simply his bodyguard, Old Meng. Our identities must never be revealed in the slightest, understand?"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Meng Tian replied solemnly.

Without another word, the two hurried on their horses.

About ten miles outside Xianyang City, the two changed back into their original clothes in a secluded forest.

When that plain black robe was replaced with a black dragon robe embroidered with the twelve symbols, and when that commoner merchant transformed back into the First Emperor who looked down upon the world, Ying Zheng's aura changed accordingly.

He was no longer Zhao Huan's "wealthy" father, but the master of this land.

Meng Tian also changed back into the armor of a Supreme General.

"Return to the palace."

Ying Zheng mounted his horse and rode ahead towards the gates of Xianyang.

Kylin Hall.

Ying Zheng sat high on the throne, the air thick with the scent of incense, the atmosphere heavy with tension. He simply sat there quietly, the oppressive aura emanating from him causing the eunuchs and palace maids standing by to hold their breath with utmost care.

"Send word to Zhao Gao."

A cold voice broke the silence.

A moment later, Zhao Gao, the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, jogged into the main hall. He was tall and thin, and always had a fawning smile on his face.

Today, however, he couldn't smile.

His Majesty the Emperor returned incognito, but did not concern himself with state affairs or summon any ministers. Instead, he summoned himself first.

This is by no means unusual.

"This humble servant, Zhao Gao, kowtows to Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years! May the Great Qin Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

Zhao Gao knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold earth.

Ying Zheng did not tell him to get up, but looked down at him.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly oppressive.

Zhao Gao could feel Ying Zheng's gaze on him, scrutinizing him. He felt uneasy, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead, soaking his temples.

After a long while, Ying Zheng finally spoke.

"Zhao Gao, how many years have you been by my side?"

Zhao Gao's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have served you since I entered the palace more than twenty years ago."

"More than twenty years..." Ying Zheng drawled, "That's not a short time."

"To be able to serve Your Majesty is a blessing I have accumulated over three lifetimes!" Zhao Gao quickly declared.

Ying Zheng remained noncommittal, leaning slightly forward.

"Then tell me, are you loyal to me?"

Alarm bells rang in Zhao Gao's mind. He didn't know where he had gone wrong, but he knew that if he answered this question wrong, he would be beheaded immediately.

He hurriedly kowtowed, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty! My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as the sun and moon, as succinct as heaven and earth! Everything I have is a gift from Your Majesty, and my life belongs to Your Majesty! Power is as fleeting as clouds to me; only Your Majesty's safety is what I care about most! If I have even the slightest disloyalty, I am willing to be torn apart by a thousand cuts and five horses!"

As he spoke, he slammed his head against the ground, making dull thuds.

Ying Zheng watched his performance with a blank expression.

"Loyalty? Is your so-called loyalty to me, or to the power of this Great Qin?"

This probing question made Zhao Gao tremble even more violently.

"It is His Majesty! Only His Majesty! Without His Majesty, where would Great Qin be? Where would power come from? This servant's heart belongs only to His Majesty!"

Get up.

Ying Zheng's voice revealed no emotion.

Zhao Gao stood up tremblingly, bowing his back and not daring to raise his head.

"I have a favor to ask you to do."

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty! I would gladly die for you!"

Ying Zheng tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the throne.

"Go and fetch a few of the elixirs that the alchemists have recently refined."

Zhao Gao was taken aback.

"Catch a few more rabbits and a few chickens, and bring them outside the palace."

Elixir? Rabbit? Chicken?

Zhao Gao was completely baffled.

What is Your Majesty doing?

Could it be... that they want to test the medicine themselves? No, if they want to test the medicine, why would they need to capture live animals?

Could it be that they suspect the elixir is tainted and want to test it with a living creature?

Zhao Gao's mind raced, but he dared not hesitate for a moment.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will do it immediately!"

He bowed and carefully withdrew from the main hall. Only when he reached the outside of the hall did he dare to straighten up, wipe the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and quickly leave.

As Ying Zheng watched his disappearing figure, he recalled Zhao Huan's words, "Zhao Gao altered the imperial edict."

If someone had said this to him before today, he would have just taken it as a joke.

But now, a murderous intent flashed through Ying Zheng's mind.

But he quickly suppressed it again.

As Zhao Huan said, the world will only descend into chaos after the First Emperor dies.

Now that I have attained immortality and live as long as the heavens, the world will not descend into chaos.

Zhao Gao is a dog that's easy to use, so keeping him around for now won't cause any major problems.