The Qin Dynasty perished after only two generations? My Great Qin also needs an Emperor Taizong!

At noon, Wang Li arrived again.

Ying Mu suspected that he had arrived right on time for a meal, but seeing that Wang Li was in a bad mood, and considering that Wang Li had come all this way for him, he had no choice but to pull the latter to sit on the couch and gently comfort him. Wang Li's lips twitched slightly as he explained, "Amu, my grandfather said that now that the Yan envoy has entered Qin, there are many people from various countries... it's best not to go out."

"I understand, I won't go out. I'm used to it anyway." Ying Mu nodded, but then turned her head and saw that Wang Li's expression was strange. "What's wrong with you?"

"Sigh, let's not talk about it."

After sighing for a while, Wang Li sidled up to Ying Mu and complained, "Not only did I get kicked by Grandfather this time, but he also confiscated the mare's milk wine you gave me. I really lost out big time."

"Kick you? What's wrong with you?"

Ying Mu grumbled a complaint, then jumped up and changed the subject, urging repeatedly, "Quick! Let me see!"

"Forget it. What's so interesting about it?" Wang Li still wanted to struggle a bit more.

"Hey, how can you say that? What if you suffer internal injuries?" Ying Mu said, half-scaring and half-coaxing. "Besides, I'm just checking how badly you're injured so I can apply the medicine, right?"

"Okay... then."

Wang Li was genuinely startled by Ying Mu's half-truthful words. In his opinion, although Ying Mu was five years younger than him, he knew far more than him... well, at least when it came to eating, drinking, and having fun, he couldn't compare.

With that thought in mind, he took off his shirt and turned his back.

The hall was brightly lit, and Ying Mu could see clearly that behind Xiao Wangli, there was a large, bluish footprint.

No wonder Wang Li was grimacing; that kick was really hard.

"Is this considered corporal punishment?"

"Corporal punishment? It doesn't count." Wang Li shook his head. He had skipped school since childhood, so this wasn't the first time he had encountered something like this. He had a very good attitude, since he was thick-skinned and could get rid of it overnight with some medicine. "Grandpa knew how to control himself. He won't die anyway."

Ying Mu: ...

Indeed, although the older generation often said they would beat someone to death and didn't hold back, at least they wouldn't beat their own direct descendants to death just because they hadn't finished their homework.

"You seem to know your grandfather quite well."

"That's right, I'm his son. As the saying goes, no one knows a father better than his son."

"You're so filial." Ying Mu silently gave a thumbs up.

"That's... Ouch!" Upon hearing this, the carefree Wang Li waved his hand triumphantly, but the movement was too large and he accidentally aggravated his back injury, causing his lips to tremble slightly.

"Alright, alright, let's apply the medicine first. Why are you thinking about all this?"

Ying Mu didn't care much. He took the medicine pot Xue handed him, reached out and pulled Wang Li onto the couch. Seeing that he still wanted to speak, he threatened, "You'd better be quiet. These minor illnesses and injuries shouldn't be delayed."

"A few minor injuries, how could they possibly kill me?"

Ying Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "...It's hard to say."

For a moment, Wang Li fell silent, but after a short while, he couldn't help but start talking about his experience outside the palace.

On the other side, Hu Hai, having finished his lunch, wore a faint, mischievous smile as he rode in a palanquin into Zhangtai Palace. When he approached the Qin King's study, still several hundred meters away, he stopped, dismounted, and jogged quietly into the Qin King's courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Zhao Gao was guarding in front of the King of Qin's study when he suddenly heard the rustling sound of robes fluttering.

He tilted his head slightly, but before he could move, he stopped in surprise. There stood Hu Hai, dressed in the robes of a young nobleman, in the courtyard, bowing to him and saying, "Prefect Zhao!"

"Young Master?"

Zhao Gao hurried forward and said in a low, fearful voice, "Young Master, you dare not call me the Prefect."

"The Prefect of Zhao was personally promoted by my father during the war to destroy Zhao. Why can't I speak ill of him?"

Hu Hai feigned confusion, pinching the soft flesh of his waist with his hand behind his back, and twisting it until a few tears welled up in his eyes. "Could it be that Magistrate Zhao has also been bullied?"

Someone addressed him as Prefect Zhao, and even more so as a prince of the prestigious Qin Dynasty. It would be a lie to say that Zhao Gao wasn't pleased, but why was he addressed that way? Zhao Gao frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then simply added softly, "This... Young Master, please be careful with your words. His Majesty's laws are very strict."

Seeing that Xiao Huhai's expression seemed genuine, with tears glistening in his eyes, Zhao Gao quickly changed the subject: "If the young master has nothing else to do, it would be best if he left soon."

"Something's wrong, I need to get help!"

Hu Hai hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and took out a few bamboo slips from his bosom—these were the homework he had stolen from Ying Mu's room after putting on a good show last time. They even had the old clan elders' annotations on them. This time, he was sure to make the seventeenth prince suffer!

……

Late at night, at Zhangtai Palace.

The King of Qin was reviewing memorials when he saw Ying Mu timidly enter. He closed the bamboo slips in his hand, picked up two slips of paper, patted them in his palm, and scoffed, "Prince Mu, you've got some nerve!"

Looking at the two bamboo slips, Ying Mu immediately understood that Hu Hai had tricked him.

Now, let's talk about the King of Qin. Having ruled the court for several years, he should have stopped concerning himself with the princes' studies. But today, upon hearing Hu Hai's tearful complaint, his aggrieved yet feigned strength, a familiar yet unfamiliar sight, suddenly reminded him of the years he spent as a hostage in Zhao. Wasn't he, like Hu Hai, being bullied by everyone...?

Therefore, Ying Zheng was genuinely annoyed.

How can a three-year-old child learn to threaten with force?

He silently pulled a riding whip from the pouch under his cloak, his face ashen, and without saying a word, he paced back and forth around Ying Mu in the study hall, and then...

Then he realized that the kid was daydreaming!

"Kneel down!" After Ying Zheng returned to his seat, he coldly shouted at Ying Mu, who was lost in thought.

Faced with the unpredictable King of Qin, the young prince pursed his lips, knelt down sincerely, and tried to awaken the king's rare paternal love: "Father..."

Before he could finish speaking, another series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the east side hall.

At this moment, Ying Mu naturally dared not glance around carelessly. Hearing the rustling of robes behind him, he had no mind to think about the identity of the person who came. He only felt his heart tighten again.

From Ying Mu's unseen perspective, a young man entered the hall, looking at the composed King Zheng of Qin with a puzzled expression, before stopping and bowing.

"Father."

Upon seeing the young man, the King of Qin's expression softened slightly. He beckoned to the boy and said in a gentler tone, "Fusu, come here."

The ten-year-old boy Fusu was inexplicably summoned by the eunuch and sat down next to Ying Zheng to listen to his teachings.

Ying Zheng whispered a few words to Fusu, then looked up at Ying Mu, who was staring blankly at the bluestone floor tiles, and said coldly, "I'll let you off this time. Go back after you finish your studies. If there's a next time, you'll be punished yourself."

"understood."

Ying Mu had no further objections and quickly nodded in agreement.