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

Ying Zheng initially thought that Xu Fu was merely greedy for money and deliberately mysterious, using the guise of seeking immortality and alchemy to deceive the court into giving him rewards; at most, he was a treacherous minister who deceived the emperor.

But he never expected that this person's ambition would be so great!

Where can one seek immortality and medicine?

It was clearly a case of using his imperial power to deplete the strength of the Qin state, draining the nation's top craftsmen, provisions, weapons, gold, silver, and manpower, and taking the entire foundation of the nation's founding overseas!

Three thousand boys and girls form the foundation of the population.

Skilled craftsmen in all walks of life are the foundation of development.

Grains, farming tools, military equipment, and wealth are the foundation of a nation!

This is not a sorcerer seeking immortality; it is clearly a long-planned national theft, a plan to establish a nation across the sea!

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng's chest heaved violently, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty coldness, and his dragon aura was so fierce that Zhao Gao dared not raise his head.

"Well done, Xu Fu!"

Meng Yi, standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

He had always known that alchemists squandered the national treasury, but he never imagined that their ambitions were so vast.

They took away the nation's elite craftsmen and skilled warriors, along with massive amounts of food, weapons, gold, silver, and seeds, and equipped them with talents from all walks of life. The entire force was complete enough to establish a kingdom in unfamiliar waters.

This isn't just escaping; it's blatant theft of the Qin Dynasty's destiny!

Thinking of this, Meng Yi broke out in a cold sweat, and a chill ran through him.

If the secret had not been revealed in advance, and Xu Fu had sailed away and established himself overseas, the Qin Dynasty would have suffered countless losses and become a laughing stock for all time, with unimaginable consequences...!

Outside the palace gates, the sounds of carriages and horses had just subsided.

Just as Li Si lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage, he looked up and heard a bomb being dropped from the sky. He stumbled and his hair stood on end.

This Xu Fu did more than just deceive the emperor! It was utterly appalling!

Just as he lost his balance, a slender hand firmly supported his arm, stabilizing him.

Li Si looked up and met a pair of bright, smiling eyes.

Song Ye smiled and asked, "Why is Li Tingwei so careless when he walks?"

Upon seeing that it was her, Li Si quickly composed himself and solemnly thanked her, saying, "Thank you for your help, Lord Song. I apologize for my rudeness."

Upon hearing this, Song shook his head slightly, his smile composed and polite. He stepped aside and gestured, "It's nothing, just a small matter. Why don't you come to the palace with me, Minister of Justice?"

Li Si nodded slightly and replied, "That is certainly the case."

After they finished speaking, the two walked side by side calmly into the palace gate.

Li Si glanced sideways at Song Ye, who stood calmly beside him, and the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

Why did she react so calmly to what Tianmu said?

As if they already knew everything...

After much deliberation, Li Si decided to test the waters, casually remarking, "What Tianmu said is truly astonishing. Xu Fu harbors wolfish ambitions; doesn't Lord Song seem at all surprised?"

Song Ye walked with composure, a faint smile playing on his lips, and replied indifferently, "What's so surprising about alchemists being greedy for profit and power?"

A seemingly casual remark, yet it achieves great results with minimal effort.

But Li Si didn't stop there, and continued to press: "That's true, but Xu Fu's plan was extremely meticulous, even deceiving the officials in the court. How could Lord Song, at such a young age, see through it all?"

These words were almost a direct probing, intended to question whether she already knew about it.

That's because you guys are stupid.

Song's expression remained unchanged: "It's just that bystanders have a clearer perspective."

Li Si was speechless for a moment after hearing this, and had no further reason to ask questions.

The two walked into the palace road one after the other, and soon arrived outside Zhangtai Palace.

Upon closer inspection, several imperial guards were seen escorting a person forward without any mercy.

The man's hair was disheveled, his Taoist robe was stained, and his feet barely touched the ground as he was dragged forward like a dead dog.

It was Xu Fu, who had just been captured.

Upon seeing this, Li Si paused slightly.

Song Ye, standing beside him, slowly stepped forward, his eyes slightly narrowed.

So this is the famous alchemist Xu Fu from history.

They are also the benefactors who help people get started in their daily lives, hehehe.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects—"

Ying Zheng stood on the steps in front of the palace. Upon hearing this, he simply waved his hand casually, indicating that the two should dispense with the formalities. His gaze remained fixed on Xu Fu, who was in a sorry state, from beginning to end.

That gaze, filled with overwhelming killing intent, made Xu Fu unable to maintain his composure in the slightest.

"Your Majesty! I know I was wrong! I was momentarily blinded by greed and made a grave mistake! I had no intention of deceiving Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please have mercy and forgive my foolish mistake this time!"

Seeing this, Li Si secretly thought to himself: Was he momentarily bewitched?

Who is such a good person who is so deliberately bewitched?

"..."

Acting to this extent is truly futile.

Li Si had no idea that he would be the next one to be bewitched by the ghostly cries.

"..."

Ying Zheng looked down at Xu Fu, who was weeping bitterly on the ground, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and he had no patience left.

You think you can just wipe the slate clean with a mere "bewitched"?

That's utterly delusional!

A cold light suddenly appeared—

Ying Zheng drew his longsword from his waist with a backhand motion, the sharp blade slicing through the air with a chilling glint.

Before anyone could react, the man leaned forward, flicked his wrist, and his longsword pierced precisely into Xu Fu's shoulder blade and side abdomen!

This sword strike was extremely powerful, piercing through the flesh in an instant.

Blood gushed out, instantly staining Xu Fu's tattered Taoist robe red.

"Well--!"

Intense pain instantly swept through his body. Xu Fu convulsed violently, a piercing cry of pain stuck in his throat, his face ashen white.

The entire Zhangtai Palace was deathly silent.

Ying Zheng slowly withdrew his longsword, and drops of blood dripped down the blade, hitting the bluestone ground in a shocking and gruesome manner.

Such a wolf in sheep's clothing would be too lenient to kill with a single sword strike.

"I will settle your score with this life slowly."

After saying this, Xu Fu was dragged away again.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, extremely quickly.

The sword returned to its sheath, the crisp metallic clang breaking the deathly silence. The First Emperor slowly raised his eyes, his deep gaze once again falling upon the sky.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Don't let that scoundrel Xu Fu succeed in the slightest.

Xu Fu's proposal, which nearly emptied the national treasury, undoubtedly crossed a line with the current Right Chancellor, Song Ye.

The repair of the giant ocean-going ships cost a fortune, and the support of thousands of boys and girls, hundreds of craftsmen, and archers and warriors consumed countless sums of money year after year. The stockpiling of grain, medicinal herbs, gold, silver, weapons, silk, and seeds further squandered the Qin Dynasty's accumulated treasury silver over the years.

At that time, the unified Qin Dynasty undertook a massive infrastructure project, including the Great Wall, which already placed a heavy burden on the national treasury, barely enough to keep the country running.

[Xu Fu's unrestrained exploitation was like a bottomless black hole, devouring most of the abundant national treasury and crippling the financial foundation of the Qin Dynasty.]

How could Song allow that?

She absolutely would not allow it.

【then--】

A campaign to eliminate sorcerers thus began.