My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

It was as if it were just a moment of closing and opening my eyes, but when I opened them again, I found myself in Xianyang Palace.

"Phew!"

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, sat up abruptly, looked at the familiar hall in front of him, and remained silent for a long time.

I don't know how much time passed.

"Someone come here!"

A eunuch entered.

"His Majesty?"

"Summon Zhao Gao!"

Ying Zheng's voice revealed no emotion.

He paused, then continued.

"Immediately! And... summon Chancellor Li Si to the palace to see me at once!"

"only!"

The eunuch sensed that something was off about Ying Zheng's demeanor and quickly withdrew.

The palace fell silent once more.

Ying Zheng slowly stood up, gazing at the deep night outside, his face exceptionally gloomy.

Soon, hurried but light footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Zhao Gao was the first to enter.

His face remained humble and respectful as he quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Your subject Zhao Gao greets Your Majesty. I wonder what Your Majesty's purpose is in summoning me so late at night?"

"Can't I summon you unless there's something important to say?"

Ying Zheng's voice was exceptionally cold.

Zhao Gao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. He bowed and said...

"Your Majesty's health is precious! I am worried about Your Majesty and am extremely anxious. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"Yeah?"

A cold smile crept across Ying Zheng's lips.

"Didn't you ever think about killing me sooner so that that brat Huhai could succeed me and then wreak havoc on my Great Qin empire?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He immediately banged his head on the ground, making a loud "thump" sound, and wailed in a sobbing voice.

"Your Majesty! Why do you say such things! Your Majesty, I... Your Majesty's loyalty is unwavering, as Heaven and Earth can attest!"

"How dare I... how dare I harbor such a treasonous thought!"

"Your Majesty must have been working tirelessly these past few days and has been misled by treacherous people. Your Majesty, I am filled with fear and trepidation!"

Ying Zheng watched his performance with a cold expression.

"Misled by a villain?"

Ying Zheng sneered, a hint of amusement on his face.

"If even immortals are considered villains, then what are you?"

He walked slowly to Zhao Gao, the hem of his dark robe almost brushing against Zhao Gao's bowed forehead.

"You are Huhai's teacher. If Fusu ascends to the throne, your power will inevitably be greatly reduced."

"But if Huhai were to ascend the throne, wouldn't you, as the imperial tutor, wield absolute power?"

Zhao Gao broke out in a cold sweat, and his legs felt weak.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhao Gao, am loyal to the Qin Dynasty! How could I possibly do something so outrageous?"

"Your Majesty! You must trust me!"

"Your Majesty, I am loyal to you; I am loyal to the Great Qin!"

"If I have truly committed such a heinous act, then I beseech Heaven to send down divine punishment upon me!"

Zhao Gao swore an oath to Heaven.

If it were the Qin Emperor of the past, he might have believed it, since people at that time still believed that oaths were effective.

But Ying Zheng, who knew history, only sneered, his eyes becoming even more piercing.

No wonder he deceived me, including my past self!

Just then, Li Si arrived in haste.

He had clearly been summoned urgently from the mansion, and his official robes were slightly disheveled.

Upon entering the hall, one immediately feels the suffocating atmosphere.

Seeing Zhao Gao's pale face beside him, his heart sank even further.

Li Siqiang composed himself and stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Your subject Li Si has come by imperial decree to pay his respects to Your Majesty..."

When Ying Zheng saw Li Si arrive, he gave a cold laugh.

"Prime Minister Li is here!"

Li Si's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself that something was wrong, but then he heard Ying Zheng continue speaking.

"I just had a dream that I suddenly died while I was out on an inspection tour..."

Ying Zheng sat on the throne, looking down at the two of them.

"After my death, I left a will appointing Fusu as my successor."

"But do you know what happened after that?"

"We were unaware!"

Zhao Gao and Li Si trembled.

"Afterwards, not only did you two not act in accordance with my will, but you also forged an edict in my name to order Fusu to commit suicide. Then you installed Huhai as emperor, and in the end, my Great Qin Dynasty perished after only two generations."

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Gao and Li Si were slightly taken aback.

Ying Zheng stood up again, slowly walked to Li Si's side.

Li Si knelt on the ground, his official robe completely soaked with cold sweat on the back.

"Li Si".

Ying Zheng's gaze was icy, and those two words alone made Li Si tremble and lower his head even further.

"I remember when you first entered Qin, you were just one of Lü Buwei's retainers."

"It is I who appreciate your 'Memorial on Expelling Foreign Guests,' and despite the opposition, I have kept you in Qin."

"I have promoted you from Chief Clerk to Guest Minister, then to Minister of Justice, and finally to Chancellor, reaching the pinnacle of your official career."

Ying Zheng leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Li Si.

"I have granted you high office and generous salary, allowed you to participate in confidential matters, and entrusted you with the administration of this vast empire... Li Si, have I treated you well?"

Li Si's throat tightened, and he could only touch the ground with his head.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain; I... I could never repay it even if I died!"

"A debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain? Too heavy to repay even with ten thousand deaths?"

Ying Zheng repeated the two words, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Then tell me!"

"Is this supposed unwavering loyalty, which you would repay even with death, really meant for you to alter the imperial edict and wreak havoc on the court while my body is still warm?!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! I had no such intention!"

"Then tell me, why did you and Zhao Gao tamper with the imperial edict in my dream?"

Li Si raised his head and hurriedly replied.

"If this is true, then it must have been Zhao Gao's idea first."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I must have been deceived or coerced!"

"Deceived? Coerced?"

Ying Zheng, however, seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.

"You, Li Si, as the Prime Minister of Qin, oversee all government affairs, and your retainers and former officials are scattered throughout the court and the countryside!"

"Zhao Gao is nothing but a eunuch. Without your approval and cooperation, Prime Minister, what could he use to deceive you? What could he use to coerce you?!"

After saying that, Ying Zheng's gaze returned to Li Si.

"You're only doing this because Fusu promoted Confucianism, which clashes with your Legalist ideals!"

"You're just worried that after Fusu ascends the throne, he'll heavily rely on the Meng family, who are close to him, thus jeopardizing your position as prime minister!"

"Therefore, in order to preserve your power and your Legalist tradition, you are willing to abandon your loyalty to me, to join forces with villains, to forge an imperial edict and assassinate the emperor, pushing my empire and the fate of the Qin Dynasty into an abyss of no return!"

"Li Si, Li Si, your loyalty has truly come at a high price!"

Upon hearing this, Li Si slammed his head heavily onto the floor.

"Your Majesty, please understand! Your subject... Your subject has absolutely no disloyal intentions!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty must be suffering from nightmares. How could such a thing happen!"

Zhao Gao, who was standing nearby, quickly spoke up as well.

"Your Majesty's Great Qin Dynasty will surely continue for thousands of generations, and even be passed down forever!"

Ying Zheng glanced at him and simply waved his hand.

"Take him away... and keep a close watch on him."

Ying Zheng originally wanted to tear the two apart with five horses, but then he thought that his Qin Dynasty had been defeated by the two men, and that tearing them apart with five horses was not enough to satisfy his anger, so he spoke up.

"I still need to think carefully about how to repay you two for your unwavering loyalty to me and to the Great Qin."

As soon as Ying Zheng finished speaking, the warriors in the hall immediately went up, lifted the two men up, and dragged them out of the hall.

Inside the empty hall, only Ying Zheng and his attendants, who dared not even breathe, remained.

He was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"Summon Fusu back to the palace!"

"yes!"

……