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

Kong Fu glanced at him arrogantly and said indifferently.

"What need is there for clever strategies to deal with such treacherous officials? Simply suppress evil with righteousness and persuade people with reason!"

Seeing Kong Fu's confident demeanor, Chunyu Yue and Shusun Tong exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat uncertain.

Kong Fu saw through their doubts at a glance, and his disdain grew even stronger.

A bunch of spineless cowards terrified by Legalist cruel officials!

He snorted coldly, but still said one more thing to keep people calm.

"I have not come here unprepared. Along the way, I have sent out letters to invite renowned Confucian scholars from various places to come to Xianyang together."

"Soon, a large number of like-minded people will come to support us. At that time, Confucian scholars from all over the land will gather, creating a formidable force. Let's see how arrogant Li Si can be then!"

Hearing this, Chunyu Yue and the others finally felt reassured.

Yup!

No matter how eloquent Li Si was, he only had one mouth.

Once all the Confucian scholars in the land have arrived in Xianyang, even if His Majesty favors Li Si, he will still have to consider the opinions of the scholars throughout the land!

Chunyu Yue and Shusun Tong, along with other Confucian scholars, quickly rose and respectfully bowed.

"Mr. Kong Fu's foresight and wisdom are truly admirable!"

"With you here, sir, we feel much more at ease!"

Meanwhile, inside the Qilin Hall.

Before it was completely dark, candles had already been lit inside the hall, casting flickering light on the mountain of memorials and on Ying Zheng's sharply defined face.

The palace doors were tightly shut, and Zhao Gao, who was serving, was specially driven outside. He could only hunch over and eavesdrop, but he couldn't hear anything, and his heart grew increasingly uneasy.

Inside the hall, Feng Quji stood bowing before Ying Zheng, recounting in detail what had happened in Lantian County that day.

After listening to Feng Quji's account, Ying Zheng put down his pen, his face expressionless, but his eyes turned cold.

"A bizarre and ingenious scheme? Encouraging the people's laziness?"

"What kind of nonsense is going on in the heads of these pedantic scholars who've been brainwashed by the classics? How can they see the curved plow, such a beneficial instrument for the country and its people, as a scourge?"

"I wish I could cultivate all the land under heaven and fill the granaries of Qin to overflowing, but they, on the other hand, complain that the people are too relaxed?"

The cold voice echoed in the hall, making Feng Quji's heart skip a beat, and he dared not reply.

Ying Zheng shifted his gaze from the memorial to Feng Quji, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"You went to Lantian specifically today, didn't you?"

Feng Quji hadn't intended to hide it from Ying Zheng anyway. When the emperor asked, he quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. I do indeed want to see how the curved plow is being promoted, and... I also have some selfish motives. I want to see if I might have the honor of catching a glimpse of the 'Young Master Huan' that Your Majesty spoke of."

"Hehe." Ying Zheng chuckled, not angry at all, but instead asked with interest, "So, what do you think of my Huan'er?"

When Zhao Huan was mentioned, Feng Quji's face showed undisguised admiration.

"He remained calm and composed under pressure, and when surrounded by constables, he acted decisively and ruthlessly, displaying the demeanor of a great general! What's even more remarkable is that he showed no arrogance afterward. He is truly a dragon among men!"

Feng Quji had been in and out of officialdom for many years and had met countless people, but people like Zhao Huan were truly rare.

"You have good judgment." Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with Feng Quji's assessment. He then changed the subject, "However, Kong Fu openly slandered national policy and incited his servants to commit violence. According to the laws of our Great Qin, even immediate execution would not be unreasonable. Why did you let him go so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Quji's eyes flashed with a sharp light, knowing that this was the issue His Majesty truly cared about.

"Your Majesty, I believe that it would be a pity to kill Kong Fu, but he would be useful to keep him alive."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Ying Zheng became interested.

Feng Quji gathered his thoughts and replied:

"Your Majesty, since you last proposed establishing the Academy of Crafts to gather talents from all over the world, Zheng Guo and Xia Wuqie have already set off to various places to search for masters of agriculture and medicine, and have not yet returned. It is clear that this matter is not something that can be accomplished overnight."

Ying Zheng nodded; he naturally understood this. This was also why he used a combination of appeasement and pressure to bring these people under his control.

"Among the various schools of thought, Confucianism was the most influential, with disciples all over the world. To bring them all under control would require forceful measures. But this Kong Fu has a special status; he is a ninth-generation descendant of Confucius, and his position in the hearts of Confucian scholars is extraordinary."

"I believe we can make good use of this man. We can use Kong Fu to command the Confucian scholars of the land!"

"Using Kong Fu as a puppet to command all Confucian scholars..."

Ying Zheng slowly pondered these words, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

After a long while, he slowly leaned back in his chair, his face showing undisguised approval.

"Excellent! Well said! As expected of my Right Chancellor! Your thinking is profound and your insightful!"

"Excellent! What a brilliant 'using Confucius to command all Confucian scholars'!"

This Feng Quji, who usually appears steady and conservative, unexpectedly came up with such a ruthless and effective plan at a critical moment.

"However..." Ying Zheng's tone shifted, his voice turning cold, "Kong Fu can be spared, but those servants who obeyed him cannot. Issue my decree: execute them immediately, as a warning to others!"

"Yes, sir!" Feng Quji's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed to accept the order.

Your Majesty is not only upholding the laws of Qin, but also avenging Prince Huan and Prince Fusu.

Ying Zheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, Kong Fu's aggressive arrival in Xianyang this time is most likely because of that court incident, and he's after Li Si, isn't it?"

A meaningful smile appeared on Feng Quji's face.

"Your Majesty is wise. I also think so. Chunyu Yue and his gang were humiliated by Prime Minister Li's 'speech,' and Kong Fu must be the savior they invited to get back at him."

"If this had happened before today, Li Xiang might have been caught off guard by such a sudden attack. But now..."

"Now, all the Confucian scholars in the world combined are probably no match for Li Si alone."

Ying Zheng took over Feng Quji's words, and the two men smiled at each other, everything understood without a word.

He shouted to Zhao Gao outside the hall.

"Zhao Gao."

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Gao pushed the door open almost immediately, bowing deeply with a fawning smile plastered on his face.

"Issue my imperial decree: Go to the Left Prime Minister's residence and inform him that Kong Fu, a ninth-generation descendant of Confucius, has arrived in Xianyang today and will attend court tomorrow. Tell Li Si to make proper preparations."

"Yes!" Zhao Gao responded in a shrill voice, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and quickly retreated.

After dealing with this matter, Ying Zheng's thoughts returned to Zhao Huan.

Although Feng Quji arrived in time to avert the crisis in Lantian County today, the incident also served as a reminder to Ying Zheng.

Although Huan'er possesses exceptional martial arts skills, her identity is ultimately sensitive.

Since his "business-minded father" couldn't always be by his side, it would be troublesome if they encountered a situation similar to today's, or if they ran into even more ignorant and powerful people.