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

Before Meng Yi could process this devastating news, Cao Can, appearing out of nowhere, strode forward, his sharp gaze fixed on Hu Hai, and demanded in a stern voice:

"May I ask, young master, when exactly did His Majesty pass away?"

"Why did you conceal this and lie, claiming His Majesty needed to rest, and send Zhou Bo and me away for no reason?"

Upon hearing this question, Meng Yi snapped out of his daze, grief and anger surging into his heart. He immediately waved for the Imperial Guards to step forward and detain Prince Huhai and Zhao Gao.

Subsequently, Li Si and his officials rushed into the tent.

"His Majesty has passed away?!"

"Didn't Zhao Gao say that His Majesty needed to calm down and recuperate? Why did he go?"

"What exactly is going on?"

Li Si forced a calm expression, lowered his eyes to look at Zhao Gao, and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Gao, things have come to this point, do you have anything to say to everyone?"

Zhao Gao's eyes darted around quickly, and he instantly understood. He immediately seized the opportunity to cover up his lie, putting on a helpless and earnest expression.

He claimed that he did not deliberately conceal the truth, but was acting entirely out of desperation.

The situation in the northern frontier is tense. If news of the First Emperor's death were to spread with the army, it would surely shake morale.

He spoke with certainty that he originally intended to stabilize the situation in Shaqiu, and after the group quickly returned to Xianyang and the court was at peace, he would then choose an opportune time to announce it to the world, which was by no means motivated by selfishness.

This high-sounding excuse sounded incredibly forced and hypocritical.

No one present was a fool; they all knew that Zhao Gao was trying to cover up his true intentions.

Before he could finish speaking, Meng Yi sneered, "Zhao Gao, your explanation is far too far-fetched!"

"You suppressed the news of His Majesty's death for many days and prevented officials from seeing him, clearly harboring malicious intentions and taking advantage of the situation for personal gain!"

"Your Excellency is mistaken! I was acting in the public interest, not for personal gain! The reason I did not report it was to protect the future monarch!"

At this point, his eyes darted around, and he revealed his trump card: "Moreover... before His Majesty passed away, he personally left behind a will. I originally intended to make it public after the imperial carriage returned to Xianyang, to prevent any villains or remnants of the six kingdoms from causing trouble!"

Remnants of the Six Kingdoms: ? What a huge scapegoat.

"An imperial edict?" Meng Yi looked surprised and stepped forward, asking in a deep voice, "What imperial edict are you talking about?"

Everyone knows that the current crown prince of the Qin Dynasty has been chosen.

Then where did another will come from?!

Zhao Gao said no more, slowly took out a properly sealed edict from his bosom, and unfolded it.

The handwriting on the edict closely resembled that of the First Emperor himself. The content began by rebuking Prince Fusu for being stationed on the northern frontier for many years, not only for his lack of merit in defending the border but also for his frequent complaints, deeming him too weak and unfit to be a ruler.

He then praised the eighteenth prince, Hu Hai, for his benevolence and kindness, far surpassing that of Fusu.

Throughout the entire text, every sentence criticizes Fusu and elevates Huhai, subtly implying the intention to depose the eldest son and establish a younger one, thus changing the heir apparent.

After listening to the entire imperial edict, Meng Yi was speechless.

Do you think I'm stupid?

Do you want me to believe you or not?

Zhao Gao held the forged imperial edict and loudly read its contents.

The tent was deathly silent.

All eyes were fixed on the scroll with its lifelike handwriting, their expressions filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Song Ye remained silent throughout, letting Meng Yi do as he pleased.

The next moment, Meng Yi burst into laughter in fury, and retorted sharply, "Absurd! Utter nonsense!"

"The Crown Prince guarded the northern frontier for three years, personally leading his troops to defend the border, deterring the Xiongnu, and ensuring the safety of the Qin's vast territory. How can you say he achieved nothing while guarding the border?!"

"His Majesty has repeatedly praised Fusu for his benevolence and virtue, regarding him as the heir apparent for all ages of Qin, a fact known to all in the court and among the people!"

As he spoke, he pointed to Hu Hai, who was being held captive on the ground, and said, "Looking at the eighteenth prince Hu Hai, he has always been unruly, lazy in his studies, and ignorant of government affairs. How can he be considered fit to inherit the throne?"

Meng Yi really is.

I really feel like my intelligence has been insulted.

"This edict is a complete distortion of the truth! It could never be His Majesty's own handwritten edict! It's purely the work of your treacherous minister Zhao Gao, who has deceived the emperor and wreaked havoc on the country!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao never expected that Meng Yi wouldn't buy it at all, and quickly retorted, "Your Excellency, please be careful what you say! The handwriting on this edict is clearly His Majesty's own; there is absolutely no falsehood!"

"I don't believe it!"

Meng Yi declared firmly, "His Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler; he would never leave behind such a foolish and chaotic edict! No matter how similar the handwriting may be, if the content is contrary to heaven and reason, it is a forged edict!"

Song Ye: That's right! Meng Qing, hurry up! Someone's taking you for a fool!

"..."

Hu Hai, his face contorted with humiliation, cried out, "Meng Yi! What do you mean by this?! My father's edict is right here! This is utter disrespect to me!"

He used his status as a prince to exert pressure, attempting to force Meng Yi to back down.

But Meng Yi wasn't buying it at all, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Please forgive me, young master. Once I have thoroughly investigated the whole truth, if you are found to be innocent, I will personally apologize with a bundle of thorns on my back."

"..."

Having said that, Meng Yi turned and sternly ordered the imperial guards outside the tent: "Men! Immediately seal off the palace, and forbid anyone from entering or leaving! Thoroughly search all the officials' camps, with a focus on Zhao Gao's residence. Leave no stone unturned, search every inch of the place!"

"yes--!"

Seeing this, in a secluded corner, Zhao Gao and Li Si exchanged a silent glance.

They were confident that no matter how much Meng Yi investigated, it would be useless.

They've all rebelled and plotted rebellion? Who would be foolish enough to leave any evidence against them?

But it's okay, it's okay.

Song Ye's thoughtful touch is here, ready to serve you~

In a short while, the Imperial Guards returned quickly with two identical imperial edicts in hand to report the matter.

One scroll was taken from Zhao Gao's sleeping tent, and the other was searched from Li Si's camp.

Upon hearing this, Meng Yi immediately looked at Li Si in the corner, gritting his teeth: "Li... Si!"

Li Si's body stiffened, and his mind went blank for a moment.

How could that be?

How is this possible?!

In a flash, Li Si immediately turned his head and locked his gaze on Zhao Gao, a surge of overwhelming rage welling up in his heart.

Good heavens, Zhao Gao! How dare you plot against me!

He failed to see the same shock in Zhao Gao's eyes.

Next, Meng Yi opened the document in front of all the officials. The document reprimanded Crown Prince Fusu and Meng Tian for dereliction of duty in guarding the border and ordered the two to commit suicide immediately as an apology to set an example for others.

It was still two edicts with identical content.

By now, how could Meng Yi not know what had happened?

Li Si and Zhao Gao rebelled and installed Huhai on the throne, then ordered Crown Prince Fusu and his own brother to commit suicide.

What a vicious scheme!

Looking at the two volumes of irrefutable evidence of forged edicts, and then at the scheming expressions on the faces of Zhao Gao and Li Si, Meng Yi sneered repeatedly: "Now that the evidence is conclusive, you two have colluded to disrupt the government and conceal the news of the late emperor's death; your crimes are unforgivable!"

"Imperial Guards, listen to my order! Drag these three away and keep them under strict guard. They will be detained and interrogated in Xianyang later!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the Imperial Guards rushed forward, ignoring the three men's frantic explanations and cries, and forcibly dragged them away from the bedchamber.

The noisy and chaotic bedchamber finally fell silent, and all the officials were dismissed and sent away.

The grief and self-blame that had been suppressed just now completely collapsed at this moment.

Meng Yi walked slowly to the bedside, knelt heavily on both knees, and said in a hoarse, choked voice, "Your Majesty, I am late."

Behind him, there was only Song Ye.

Historical records state that during the eastern tour, the imperial entourage passed Mount Tai and the Yellow River. Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered Meng Yi to turn back to the sacred mountain and river he had previously passed to perform sacrifices. He had expected to return to the entourage in a few days, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he could not wait for Meng Yi's return.

By the time Meng Yi finished the sacrificial ceremony, everything had already settled down.

The First Emperor had already been hastily buried, and Hu Hai ascended the throne as the Second Emperor of Qin. Zhao Gao and Li Si held the reins of power in the court.

Ultimately, Meng Yi was framed by Zhao Gao and met a tragic end, being forced to commit suicide.

Therefore, Song also chose to stay behind the scenes.

She first sent a message for him to return. Without much guidance, the clever Meng Yi was able to sense that something was wrong, and then followed the clues step by step.

Arrive at the place where this chess piece should belong, and complete its final journey.