Chapter 3

Imperceptibly, his gaze grew even more profound.

The aura surrounding him underwent a qualitative transformation.

He lost some of his former frailty and gained a measure of resoluteness.

Though his appearance remained unchanged, still resembling a refined scholar incapable of tying up a chicken,

astonishing changes had occurred within his body, changes imperceptible to outsiders.

Ying Ziye clenched his fists tightly and waved them.

This feeling was excellent!

"At least now I have the ability to protect myself within the Great Qin!"

"Is this the combat power of a Human King level?"

Ying Ziye clenched his fists and waved them again, silently sensing the surging power within his body.

Whether it was strength, speed, agility, or resilience, everything had improved tremendously.

Compared to his former self, he was like a completely different person!

He greatly enjoyed this sensation of being filled with power.

In this ancient era where human life was cheaper than livestock, self-preservation came first.

Suddenly, he received three rewards: the papermaking technique (100 sheets of Xuan paper samples), movable type printing, and 100 years of lifespan!

[100 sheets of Xuan paper samples have been placed in the System Space; they can be retrieved or stored at will.]

Truly delightful...

At the same time.

Inside the traveling palace.

The complexion of Ying Zheng, lying on the bed, began to turn ruddy.

Abruptly—

Ying Zheng snapped his eyes open.

His eyes were filled entirely with bewilderment.

Ying Zheng stared blankly at everything around him.

Wasn't he dead?

How was he alive again now?

Could it be that an immortal had saved him?

Ying Zheng fell into deep thought...

However.

Ying Ziye did not know that Brother Zheng had already awakened.

He raised his head and looked toward Zhao Gao's position.

He saw that Zhao Gao currently wore an expression of deep grief.

Yet, if one observed carefully, one could detect a trace of ecstatic joy hidden within his eyes.

Previously, he had been utterly helpless against the treacherous schemes of Zhao Gao and Li Si.

But now, endowed with the manifestation of national fortune,

he feared not at all the plans of these two men.

Ying Ziye walked forward with light steps.

He made no excessive movements,

yet the crowd before him was forcibly pushed aside, clearing a path.

Soon, he reached the very front of the crowd.

At this moment—

Zhao Gao, standing on the high platform, noticed Ying Ziye's arrival.

Seeing the youth who had suddenly appeared, Zhao Gao could not help but stare in surprise.

This youth was far too familiar to him.

It was the 'renowned' ninth son of Qin Shi Huang—Ying Ziye!

The reason for his immense fame was not due to any great prowess.

Rather, he was the most useless among all the imperial sons and daughters.

Without exception.

In literary pursuits, he was incompetent.

In martial arts, he was unskilled.

Rumor had it he could barely recognize a few characters.

Of the ten tutors who had once taught him, nine had been driven away in anger.

The last remaining one, it was said, was already advanced in years and was literally angered to death.

He was the very definition of a dissolute noble!

A salted fish!

Unlearned and idle!

This imperial son was the synonym for everything bad.

Ying Ziye's reputation in Xianyang City was 'huge'.

Whenever he was mentioned, others would immediately associate him with the word 'good-for-nothing'.

That he was incompetent in literary matters was one thing.

Once, Qin Shi Huang had ordered him to learn martial arts.

Yet several years had passed, and his martial skills had made no progress whatsoever.

Zhao Gao was puzzled; how had this Young Master come to be here?

Was he not supposed to be indulging in food, drink, and pleasure within the temporary palace?

But very quickly, he could not be bothered to think further on it.

This was merely a useless Young Master, nothing more.

In his impression, this Young Master knew how to do nothing at all.

Let alone riding or calligraphy; he could not even write his own name.

If he wished, he could kill this Young Master at any moment.

All that was required was that no one discover it.

Although Ying Ziye held the status of a Young Master, in reality, he was merely an insignificant figure with no actual power.

Besides, only he, Li Si, and Hu Hai knew of the secret edict; no one else was aware of it.

Even if Ying Ziye had come, there was nothing he could do.

Zhao Gao and Li Si exchanged a glance, then smiled at each other, paying Ying Ziye no heed whatsoever.

As for Hu Hai standing nearby, his heart filled with guilt, he cast only a single look at Ying Ziye before turning his gaze away, pretending not to have seen him.

Zhao Gao glanced disdainfully at Ying Ziye.

Feigning ignorance, he said indifferently:

"Who comes here? Why do you appear in this place?"

Ying Ziye was stunned; good heavens, was he actually pretending not to know him?

What immense audacity did one need to pull off such a thing?

Zhao Gao's boldness was truly extraordinary.

In the past, without the manifestation of national fortune, he would have feared Zhao Gao employing underhanded tricks against him.

But now, with the manifestation of national fortune protecting him, Zhao Gao amounted to nothing.

The surrounding officials whispered among themselves.

"Indeed, who is this?"

"He looks quite dashing and distinguished."

"Could he be here to cause trouble?"

"Who would dare cause trouble here? They must be tired of living!"

"Looking at this youth's handsome appearance, he doesn't seem like someone who would cause trouble."

"Everyone shut up; we cannot afford to provoke this master."

Among the hundred officials accompanying the procession, many had seen Ying Ziye before.

But they all lowered their heads.

They dared not oppose Zhao Gao.

They dared not step forward to correct him that this was the Ninth Prince—Ying Ziye.

If His Majesty had truly passed away, then this Prince Ye would be insignificant in Zhao Gao's eyes.

They had heard rumors about some of this Ninth Prince's deeds.

Idle and good-for-nothing, loving ease and hating work, truly a prodigal son.

Ying Ziye looked around; some recognized him, yet dared not speak.

Zhao Gao held power that shook the court and the countryside; now that Brother Zheng had died suddenly, few dared to oppose him.

Ying Ziye remained calm and composed.

He cast a disdainful glance at Zhao Gao.

"What kind of thing are you? Merely a minor Director of the Palace Carriage Office."

"Seeing this young master today, you pretend not to recognize me; who gave you such audacity?"

At these words, the hundred officials were utterly astonished.

They had also heard of this Ninth Prince.

Since when did he have such backbone to speak like this?

Moreover, wasn't he being far too calm?

"This is the Ninth Prince; how could Zhao Gao not know him? He must be saying this intentionally."

"That must be it; this Prince Ye is so incompetent, who would fear him?"

"Keep your voice down, do you want to die? If Zhao Gao hears you, he will surely retaliate."

"Better not speak; when gods fight, mortals suffer!"

Every word of the officials' whispers fell clearly into Ying Ziye's ears.

Even those officials could see through these issues; did they really think he was a fool?

Zhao Gao's move was truly played to perfection.

Had he not bound himself to the manifestation of the nation's fortune, he would certainly be no match for Zhao Gao's games.

But today was different from the past.

Zhao Gao's expression darkened.

This brat actually talked back to him?

Who gave him such audacity?

Wasn't this simply seeking death?

This only gave Zhao Gao a firmer resolve to kill Ying Ziye.

He was just about to speak out to rebuke him.

The next moment—

Ying Ziye retracted his smile, looking at Zhao Gao with extreme coldness.

"Zhao Gao, you have immense audacity!!"

"Do you know that tampering with the last edict is a capital crime?!"

At these words, the scene immediately fell silent.

So quiet one could hear a pin drop!

The hundred officials looked at Zhao Gao in disbelief.

If these words were true, then ten lives would not be enough for Zhao Gao to die.

But could they believe the words of the Ninth Prince?

As the Ninth Prince of Great Qin, Ying Ziye...

...should not be telling lies, right?

But recalling the Ninth Prince's past reputation, some dared not agree.

To claim Zhao Gao fabricated the last edict, one must have evidence.

If this news was false, it would be slander.

How did Prince Ye know the edict had been tampered with?

The hundred officials could not figure it out.

Hearing these words, Zhao Gao's expression sank slightly.

How did Ying Ziye know?

Impossible!

Only the three of them knew about this matter; no outsiders were present.

Could it be that he was guessing?

It must be so.

Zhao Gao's face became extremely gloomy as he inadvertently glanced at Li Si beside him.

At this moment, Li Si's expression had also turned gloomy; he too guessed that Ying Ziye was merely speculating.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

Very soon—

Zhao Gao displayed a smile brimming with confidence,

"Young Master Nine has not appeared in public for too long; this humble official has somewhat forgotten the young master's appearance. Please forgive this humble official."

Zhao Gao bowed slightly and continued, "Young Master Nine has wrongly accused this humble official."

"This posthumous edict was personally written by His Majesty; who would dare to alter it?"

"This is a capital crime; the young master must not wrongly accuse this humble official."

"This humble official knows that because of His Majesty's passing, the young master is filled with grief, but one still cannot wrongly accuse a good person!"

"This humble official merely proclaimed His Majesty's posthumous edict and has not the slightest connection to any alteration."

Zhao Gao feigned an expression of sheer terror, yet his mind was already made up.

Once Hu Hai ascended the throne, the first person to be eradicated would be Ying Ziye!

To dare claim before everyone's eyes that he had altered the posthumous edict.

Although this was true, who could prove it?

The hundred officials present began to harbor doubts.

Zhao Gao certainly would not dare to speak falsely about His Majesty's passing.

To dare fabricate such a rumor would result in the extermination of three generations!

Yet regarding the alteration of the posthumous edict, they dared not say much either.

After all, this was a matter of losing one's head.

They did not believe Zhao Gao possessed the audacity to alter the posthumous edict.

Ying Ziye looked around and saw expressions of disbelief on everyone's faces.

It was no wonder; in this era, any single act Zhao Gao committed would cost one their head.

They did not believe Zhao Gao had the audacity to do such a thing.

Yet the crowd seemed to have forgotten one thing.

The reason Zhao Gao did not dare was because Brother Zheng was still alive.

If Brother Zheng were dead, what would there be that he would not dare to do?

It could be said that Zhao Gao was loyal to Brother Zheng, though he also harbored some selfish motives.

But as long as Brother Zheng did not die, Zhao Gao would not dare harbor the slightest thought of rebellion.

Yet once Brother Zheng died,

Zhao Gao would no longer be the Zhao Gao of before.

After all, how can humans be without selfish desires?

Zhao Gao took in the expressions of the crowd with a single glance.

The corner of his mouth inadvertently revealed a hint of cunning.