My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and spoke.

"You were able to think of this, instead of just talking about leniency and tax reduction... I am very pleased. It seems that Manager Chen has indeed done a great job of enlightening people."

He paused, his gaze falling on Fusu's face, sharp yet revealing a rare complexity.

"Just those words alone are far superior to those scholars who can only recite the Book of Poetry and the Book of History."

But then, Ying Zheng let out a long sigh.

"However, reforming the military merit system... is difficult, as difficult as moving a mountain."

"Do you know why the swords of my Great Qin are so incomparably sharp?"

Fusu lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Ying Zheng did not give him time to think, but continued speaking.

"It's not just the fine iron from Guanzhong, but also this system of military meritocracy!"

"It allows commoners and slaves to obtain titles, land, houses, exemption from taxes and corvée labor, and even become officials, as long as they dare to fight and can behead others."

"For the nobles of the six states, this is a deep-seated hatred; but for the millions of commoners of Qin, and even the desperate fugitives who have submitted to us, this is a ladder to heaven!"

"It is this ladder that makes millions of Qin people willing to serve as my vanguard, even unto death."

His eyes were sharp as swords as he stared directly at Fusu.

"You said you wanted to adjust the military merit system, to broaden it, and to include talents in grain management, craftsmen, and administration."

"How could I not understand this principle?"

"However, to move this ladder is to threaten the very foundation upon which our Great Qin Dynasty was founded, and to undermine the hard-won gains that millions have secured for their livelihoods, even at the cost of their lives!"

"Think about it,"

Ying Zheng spoke in a calm and deliberate tone.

"What would a veteran from Guanzhong, who was only exempted from corvée labor by virtue of his fifth-rank official title, think upon hearing that craftsmen could also receive titles for creating excellent machinery?"

"What would a commoner's son, who has just become a county magistrate through military merit, do if he saw a skilled official, well-versed in law and pen, rise to the same level as him without risking arrows and stones?"

Fusu had already considered this matter, and now, with clear eyes, he replied.

"Your subject understands. The implications here are so great that a single hair can affect the whole situation."

"But Father, the ladder of yesteryear may no longer be sufficient to climb the mountain of today."

"If the ladder is forever open only to those who wield the sword, where will the strength, wisdom, and wealth of those who are unable to enter go? Where will their hearts find refuge?"

Fusu became more and more excited as he spoke.

"As Mr. Chen once said, the decay of a system begins when its incentive power and the power required by the times gradually drift apart."

"The military merit system solved the problem of unifying the world, but will the new problems of governing the world, enriching the world, and ensuring lasting peace in the world also require new ladders?"

Ying Zheng shook his head, his tone complex.

"A new ladder...you make it sound so easy."

"Doesn't it know that to build a new ladder, one must dismantle the old timbers?"

"How many people's lives, honors, and achievements are attached to this old tree? Those prefects and magistrates who rose through military merit, and the fierce generals in the army, are the biggest old trees."

"They went to great lengths, even risked their lives, to get to this position, and now you're giving others the opportunity to reach it as well."

What do you think they'll think?

"There are only so many resources in the world. If you get more, they will get less."

"Would they really just stand by and watch you change the military merit system?"

"Impossible!!!"

Ying Zheng looked utterly helpless.

Doesn't he know what Fusu is talking about?

Of course he could have thought of that!

But the question is, how do we change it?

If things really change, the people of Qin might be the first to raise the banner of rebellion.

What I worked so hard to get?

Why should others get it so easily?

Fusu remained silent.

Ying Zheng looked at the silent Fusu and sighed.

He stood up, stepped down from the dragon throne, and sat on the steps in front of it.

Then, he waved to Fusu.

"Come here and sit down."

Fusu was taken aback. Looking at the steps beside his father that seemed out of place with the emperor's majesty, he instinctively bowed.

"Your subject dares not. To behave improperly before the Emperor is a violation of etiquette..."

Ying Zheng frowned, and his unquestionable majesty returned instantly.

"I told you to sit, so sit! No need for all this formality! There are no outsiders here, just the two of us!"

Seeing Ying Zheng's displeased expression, Fusu hesitated for a moment, but still walked over and sat down next to Ying Zheng.

The two of them sat there in the palace.

The empty hall was now empty except for the two people remaining, making it seem even more desolate.

Ying Zheng looked at the vast palace and sighed, as if talking to himself, or perhaps confiding in his son.

"This dragon throne looks majestic, but once you sit on it, you realize it's uncomfortable and cold."

"You're surrounded by eyes and schemes; there's nowhere you can truly relax."

Fusu listened intently, for this was the first time he had ever heard his father say such a thing.

Ying Zheng had always been a stern figure in his eyes, and this was the first time he had ever seen him like this.

Ying Zheng looked ahead, his thoughts seemingly drifting back to the past.

"Back when I was in the State of Zhao, I was even younger than you are now."

"Living under someone else's roof, having to watch their face, I've gone hungry and been beaten."

Ying Zheng raised his head, placed his hands on the ground, and looked at the ceiling.

"At that time, I thought, why? Why can they bully and humiliate me?"

"Later, he returned to Qin, and step by step rose to where he is today, conquering the six states and becoming the supreme ruler of the world..."

"I thought that once I crushed and flattened all those who bullied me and all those countries that made me suffer, I would feel better, and no one in this world could ever give me or my descendants that feeling again."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes, only a bitter taste.

"But as you also know, the Qin Dynasty ended after only two generations."

Ying Zheng spoke calmly, but if you listened carefully, you could hear the deep resentment and helplessness in his words.

Fusu felt his throat tighten; he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Ying Zheng didn't look at him, but continued talking while staring at the ceiling.

"When I heard Manager Chen say that our Great Qin Dynasty only lasted two generations..."

My first reaction wasn't fear.

Ying Zheng looked at Fusu and snorted.

"It's not resentment, it's boundless rage! I have built upon the legacy of six generations, poured my life's blood and sweat into standardizing cart axles, unifying the written language, constructing the Great Wall, establishing prefectures and counties... wasn't every single one of these things done with the aim of ensuring the prosperity of future generations?"

"How did it end up in the hands of that wicked son Hu Hai? In just a few years, my Great Qin Dynasty was destroyed!"

"So you just let the Chu people burn down the Epang Palace that I've worked so hard to build?"

"So, those remnants of the six kingdoms we once crushed have risen again?!"

As Ying Zheng spoke, the veins on the back of his hand became visible, but his tone grew strangely lower and deeper, eventually turning into an almost ethereal sigh.

"But after my anger subsided, I sat here and pondered for a long time."

"I thought of those Qin soldiers who sacrificed their lives to unify the world!"

"I'm reminded of the hard work and dedication of generations of Qin emperors..."

"They spent their entire lives fighting for the title of 'Powerful Qin,' but they never got to see the world unified."

"I trod the blood-soaked path they paved, fulfilling the long-cherished wish of six generations of emperors. I thought I could secure a lasting legacy for the Qin Dynasty, but what was the result?"

He slammed his fist on the steps, the bluestone making a dull thud.

"In just over a decade, the country changed hands, and the ancestral temples fell into disrepair!"

"Did they sacrifice everything just to create a Qin dynasty that perished after only two generations?"

Ying Zheng stood up.

"Therefore, I refuse to accept this!!!"

"Why! Why did my Qin Dynasty perish after only two generations?! I will make my Qin Dynasty last for a thousand generations, even ten thousand generations!!! May it be immortal!"

"If I could unify the six kingdoms, why can't I defy fate?"

Ying Zheng exudes an aura of dominance.

But as he spoke, his expression inexplicably turned melancholy.

Ying Zheng sat back down beside Fusu, looking completely different from the domineering Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

"But……"

"I don't have much time left."

Fusu's heart tightened suddenly, and he felt a lump in his throat.

Ying Zheng raised his eyes and looked into the distance again, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I was able to unify the six kingdoms, standardize cart axles and writing, and build the Great Wall to defend against the barbarian invaders..."

"But I cannot stop the passage of time, nor can I stop illness."

He gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of his mouth, a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"I want to reform the Qin system, protect the people of Qin, recruit talented individuals from across the land, and ensure that the Qin dynasty lasts for ten thousand generations..."

"But all of this takes time."

His voice grew softer and softer until it was completely silent.

"What happens next, I don't know either."