Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

Zhao Gao and Li Si had calculated everything perfectly, taking into account the opportune moment, the favorable location, and the popular sentiment. They believed their plan was flawless and would secure their position as heir apparent and the control of the empire.

[But we overlooked the most crucial point—]

[Song Ye, the one in power, controlled the entire situation from beginning to end, coldly observing this grand conspiracy unfold.]

Not long after, the group of confidants of Zhao Gao and Li Si, who were in charge of the city of Xianyang, began to act according to their pre-arranged plan.

Same operation, same technique.

They replicated the methods of forging imperial edicts, fabricating decrees and spreading rumors, falsely claiming that the war in the northern frontier had suddenly changed, that General Meng Tian had unfortunately died in battle, and that Crown Prince Fusu was seriously wounded and in a coma, his fate now unknown.

Rumors spread like wildfire, causing unrest both inside and outside the court. Upon learning of the news, Feng Quji, then the Left Chancellor, was extremely anxious.

[One is a pillar of the state, the other the crown prince; their simultaneous downfall is tantamount to the collapse of the heavens and the earth for the Qin Dynasty.]

Because of the urgency of the situation, Left Chancellor Feng Quji did not have time to verify the authenticity of the information and immediately summoned the other officials remaining in the area to discuss countermeasures.

Seeing this, Song couldn't help but click his tongue and shake his head.

Zhao Gao and Li Si were quite clever.

Unfortunately, I ran into her.

With two approaches in mind, Xianyang and Shaqiu joined forces, employing a two-pronged strategy.

First, they falsely issued an imperial edict ordering Fusu and Meng Tian to commit suicide. Then, rumors spread in Xianyang, causing panic among the people in the city and throwing the officials who remained behind into disarray.

Then, he allowed trusted officials in the court to take advantage of the chaos and seize power.

She guessed... it was nothing more than using the illusion of a crisis in the northern border to force Feng Quji to mobilize troops, rush to its aid, and set up defenses. The real purpose was not to save the northern border, but to use official business as a pretext to legally transfer the garrison in Xianyang, hollowing out their military defenses and rendering them powerless to resist.

Finally, when the defenses were weakened, Zhao Gao and Li Si used a forged imperial edict to establish Huhai as the crown prince. The confidants of the court officials who had been lurking in the shadows immediately took sides, seized power, took over government offices, and controlled the defenses.

Seize power amidst the chaos, and establish order amidst the disorder.

Before anyone could react, by the time the situation stabilized, power had already changed hands.

When Meng Yi, who had been praying in the mountains, returned, the situation was already settled.

By then, Crown Prince Fusu would be dead, and no one could be certain that the edict was fake.

First, use public opinion to undermine morale, then lure the tiger away from the mountain.

Then, they usurped the nest, and then completely eradicated the threat.

The entire plan was meticulously crafted, taking into account both civil and military affairs, internal and external factors, public sentiment, and the morale of the army.

However, all of this is predicated on Song deliberately "letting things slide" to give them room and time to maneuver.

Meanwhile, having received news from Song that "His Majesty is critically ill," Minister Meng Yi returned to Shaqiu.

This was something neither Zhao Gao nor Li Si had anticipated.

Prior to this, Prime Minister Song was preoccupied with various official duties and had no time to spare.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Gao and Li Si publicly announced that the First Emperor was seriously ill and needed to rest and recuperate, so that only his eighteenth son, Huhai, was kept by his side all day long. This further solidified the perception among the officials and the emperor that he favored his youngest son.

This move undoubtedly disrupted the entire plan that Zhao Gao and Li Si had been meticulously devising for a long time.

[The Grand Minister Meng Yi was one of the Nine Ministers, a figure known to everyone in the court. He had always enjoyed the First Emperor's deep trust and had spent many years by the emperor's side.]

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene switched again.

"His Majesty is critically ill; return immediately."

Upon receiving the message from Chancellor Song, Meng Yi dared not delay even for a moment. He rode at top speed to the Sand Dune Palace.

Only after Meng Yi entered the palace grounds did Zhao Gao and Li Si learn of his return.

Not long after, Meng Yi went straight to the emperor's sleeping tent and asked to see the First Emperor.

Zhao Gao stepped forward and blocked the entrance to the tent, saying that the First Emperor was resting and no one was allowed to enter and disturb him.

Seeing this, Meng Yi frowned deeply and asked, "Is it not even permissible for me to have an audience with the emperor if I am merely reporting important matters in person?"

Zhao Gao put on a troubled expression and said, "This is His Majesty's personal order, and I dare not disobey it."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yi had no choice but to postpone his audience with the emperor and planned to wait until the emperor had finished his rest before seeking an audience.

He turned and walked toward the tent where Song Ye handled official business.

Zhao Gao watched his departing figure before secretly letting out a long sigh of relief.

the other side.

As Meng Yi stepped into the tent, he immediately noticed that Song Ye had dark circles under his eyes and was engrossed in dealing with a mountain of documents and memorials.

Seeing this, he asked about the First Emperor's recent condition.

Song also looked up, his voice full of exhaustion, and replied, "I heard from Zhao Gao that His Majesty is seriously ill. I have been busy handling state affairs these past few days and haven't seen His Majesty for several days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yi felt something was amiss and turned to look for Cao Can and Zhou Bo, who were supposed to be guarding outside the emperor's tent.

The camera slowly zoomed in, and in an instant, it captured Song Ye raising a faint smile.

Meng Yi: ...I feel like I've been set up.

But he had no evidence.

Meng Yi slowly turned his head to look at the person involved, Song Ye: looking at the sky with a serious expression. (jpg)

-

Above the sky.

Meng Yi found Cao Can and Zhou Bo.

After some questioning, it was learned that Zhao Gao and Li Si had sent the two away under the pretext that the First Emperor needed to rest and recuperate, and had assigned them other tasks.

After hearing the whole story, Meng Yi felt that His Majesty's serious illness was suspicious in many ways, but since he had no evidence, he could not draw any conclusions.

Over the next two days, Meng Yi repeatedly requested an audience with the First Emperor, but each time Zhao Gao and Huhai found various excuses to prevent him from entering.

At this point, I think even a fool would realize something was wrong.

After being repeatedly rebuffed for two consecutive days and having his requests for an audience blocked each time, Meng Yi concluded that there must be something fishy going on inside the palace.

Meanwhile, Zhao Gao and Li Si secretly calculated the time, estimating that the messenger from the northern frontier had been traveling for many days and the forged edict should be delivered soon, awaiting only the suicides of Fusu and Meng Tian.

At this moment, Meng Yi could no longer hold back and went straight to the First Emperor's bedchamber with the imperial physician Xia Wuqie, determined to force his way in and see him.

Upon seeing this, Hu Hai, who was guarding the tent, immediately shouted angrily and tried to stop the two men.

Ignoring the reprimand, Meng Yi said solemnly, "Your Highness, I am truly worried about His Majesty's health. Let's put everything else aside for now and let Physician Xia come in to examine him first."

Despite Hu Hai's repeated attempts to stop him, Meng Yi remained resolute and forcibly led Xia Wuqie into the bedchamber.

Inside the tent, it was dim and quiet.

The man lay motionless on the bed, his breath deep and still.

Upon seeing this, Meng Yi's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he temporarily put aside most of his fear, assuming that the emperor was seriously ill and in a deep sleep.

At that very moment, Song appeared out of nowhere.

"I have not had an audience with Your Majesty for many days, and I wonder how Your Majesty's health is lately?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Hai immediately jumped forward to stop them, shouting repeatedly, "Father, please rest in peace! You must not disturb us!"

Song also seemed thoughtful: "His Majesty sleeps very well, young master, your voice is so loud..."

Ying Zheng: "......."

Even in death, his corpse was used by his beloved minister; he really was...

Taking advantage of the moment when he was off guard, Xia Wu rushed towards the bed.

When Hu Hai tried to stop him again, Xia Wuqie's expression changed drastically. He abruptly withdrew his hand, his voice trembling slightly: "His Majesty...His Majesty has already passed away!"

"boom--"

These words resounded like thunder within the bedchamber.