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

The Xianyang Palace was where Ying Mu grew up, while the Chang Gongzi Courtyard near Zhangtai Palace was where Ying Mu truly began to grow up.

When he first arrived, Fusu earnestly instructed him: "Brother Mu, the courtyard is near Zhangtai Palace, so you must not make noise. If you disturb Father's peace, there will be nothing your elder brother can do."

At first, Ying Mu was unfamiliar with the environment and simply obeyed silently. Later, Fu Su saw that he was really bored and allowed him to bring Da Hei and Xiao Hei with him. Every day was chaotic and noisy. Fu Su then advised him, "True learning requires enduring loneliness. Look at my elder brother, who spends his days with ancient books and lamps. And those old scholars in the academy, aren't they all living a boring life? Those who spend their days walking dogs and playing with birds are just spoiled brats."

After Ying Mu had heard it all before, he simply ignored it. He found the Zhangtai Palace complex spacious and rode around the palace in a dog-drawn carriage. Zhao Gao, the lackey of the King of Qin, did not come to stop him, so he simply let himself go... and Fusu was very tolerant of him.

Now that Fusu has gone to the northern military camp and Xiao Hei has been buried in the woods, it's inevitable to feel a little sad looking at this courtyard.

When Ying Mu returned to his courtyard, his gloomy mood dissipated. In his nearly five years of life, Ying Mu rarely did anything that treated people inhumanely. On the contrary, he directly and indirectly saved hundreds or even thousands of lowly, insignificant lives. Although there were more than a dozen people in his courtyard, only three were officially employed as servants. Moreover, compared to the other young masters and princesses, Ying Mu already appeared to be very noble and virtuous.

Inside the room, Xue was sitting cross-legged by the window, doing needlework by the daylight.

Ying Mu took off his boots and lay down beside Xue, leaning against her warm and tender body, closing his eyes to rest, and said softly, "Why haven't I seen that girl Yin Man lately?"

Xue Qian smiled and said, "By order of the King of Qin, the princess has returned to the Prince's Academy."

Ying Mu nodded and gave a soft "hmm".

Xue carefully put down her needlework, turned to the side, and gently massaged the young master's shoulder. She said that since the young master returned to the palace, his spirit and physique had improved by leaps and bounds. Although he did not dislike reading and writing, he was still a child after all and preferred to play freely when he went out to collect folk songs...

"Young master, are you still going out?"

Ying Mu gave a soft "hmm".

"Should we bring the princess along?"

Ying Mu paused for a moment, then replied, "No. That girl is too troublesome. It's good that she's back at the Prince's Academy. There are too many people around outside, and it wouldn't be good if something happened."

Xue chuckled and said, "If the princess finds out, she'll probably make a scene again."

Ying Mu chuckled softly, snuggled closer to Xue, found the pillow, and whispered, "I'm not going to talk anymore, let me take a nap."

"Um."

Xue leaned back on the couch, quietly watching the young master fall asleep again.

When Ying Mu woke up again, it was already half an hour later.

He opened his eyes and saw Xue sitting peacefully on the couch, fast asleep. He moved slightly, and Xue suddenly opened her eyes, staring at the young master with a radiant smile. "Young master, you're awake? Would you like some water?"

Ying Mu was stunned for a moment before looking up and asking, "Was I talking in my sleep?"

Xue shook her head: "Young master is sleeping soundly, I did not hear any noise."

Ying Mu swayed as he sat up, took the bamboo water bottle from the side, and without letting Xue reheat it, drank the cold water in the bamboo bottle in one gulp. The drowsiness lessened, and he immediately felt refreshed. He glanced back and saw that Xue was still sitting still.

"Your legs are numb, and you didn't even try to wake me up?"

Seeing that Xue's pretty face was slightly red and she hadn't said anything, Ying Mu sighed softly, leaned over and reached out her small hand to massage Xue's numb thigh, and they started chatting casually.

As the two were talking, Chun walked in lightly. Seeing that Ying Mu had woken up, she placed the scrolls of books she was carrying on the tea table next to the wooden couch and said, "Young Master, the King left a message yesterday, saying that if you want to go outside the city again, you must wait until you have finished copying Shang Yang's book and take the copy with you before you can leave."

Ying Mu remained silent for a moment, then nodded and gave a soft "hmm".

It is said that since the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, each Qin king would give his princes a copy of the Book of Lord Shang to prepare for the princes' examinations many years later. This Book of Lord Shang was mostly copied by the teachers of the academy, but when it came to King Zheng of Qin, it eventually became a matter for each prince to copy the book himself... Ying Mu could understand this, of course. King Zheng of Qin was a hostage in Zhao for eight years and only returned to the country at the age of nine. After becoming the King of Qin, he regained power in the face of interference from his maternal relatives. He was no ordinary person.

As the saying goes, one cannot understand what one has never seen. Therefore, the generation gap between Ying Zheng and ordinary children was probably as vast as an insurmountable chasm.

After all, how many fools had the King of Qin ever met in his entire life?

Therefore, although the King of Qin has more than twenty sons, if we are to say who can truly enter the King of Qin's field of vision, apart from a few princesses, then among the sons, there are only the eldest son Fusu who studies Confucianism, the seventeenth son Mu who is inclined towards military and political studies, and the eighteenth son Huhai who prefers law.

As for the other offspring?

The only reason they are given the opportunity to study is probably because of blood ties.

"Oh, I see. He's just uncomfortable seeing me idle." Ying Mu muttered a rebellious remark under her breath, put on her boots, stood up, and pointed to the now empty coffee table, asking, "Where's that scroll you copied yesterday in the study?"

Chun nodded and gave a soft "hmm," then looked down and matched the characters on the scrolls on the coffee table with those on the scrolls in her arms. Only then did she look at Ying Mu and carefully take out a stack of cloth and hand it to him.

"My lord, His Majesty sent over a piece of calligraphy yesterday."

Ying Mu took the palm-sized piece of cloth, each sheet bearing a Qin seal script character, so precise it was like a model.

The eight large characters are precisely—

The valiant Qin people, united in the face of national crisis.

As expected of a monarch who can unite the court into one force and still ensure its normal operation even after a forceful purge, the intricate schemes and calculations he employs are truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people… Ying Mu clicked his tongue inwardly and plopped back down on the couch: It seems that I am still far from being able to integrate into the court of this era!

Ying Mu remained silent, and the two maids naturally dared not utter a sound either. It wasn't until Ying Mu looked up again and sighed softly that Chun smiled and said, "His Majesty has also tidied up the study for the young master and left behind many books."

"Have there been significant changes?"

Chun nodded and replied, "Yesterday, both Xue and I went to see it, and it is indeed different!"

Ying Mu looked at Xue, and seeing that she nodded, he got up to leave.

"Oh, by the way, frame these calligraphy pieces with gold leaf and hang them on the screen by the door." Upon reaching the door, Ying Mu suddenly turned around, pointed to the eight large characters on the couch, said this, and then turned and left.

He knew that the letters from Chang Sheng and the others would probably arrive in the next few days, and the 600,000-strong army was also heading to Nanyang one after another. Then, after the spring of next year, General Wang Jian would lead the Qin military elite to the Nanyang camp. Once all the support was in place and the army had rested, what would follow was that unprecedented and unparalleled battle of a million men, which, regardless of the outcome, would be enough to terrify the Qi king and his ministers.

As for those eight calligraphic works?

That makes it even simpler...

Worth two thousand soldiers, and written by Qin King Ying Zheng himself, isn't it worth displaying? If it were to remain two thousand years from now, it would surely be enshrined!