Chapter 176

However, Ying Zheng's expression was extremely grim!

Without caring that many ministers were present, he let out a low shout directly at Ying Su:

"Hmph! Rebellious son!"

His gaze was fierce as he looked at Ying Su before him, his teeth itching with sheer hatred!

The military coup at Outside Xianyanggong, driving him from the throne!

Then, seducing Li Si, making Li Si betray him!

Finally, halting the Great Wall construction, halting the Epang Palace construction, forcing nobles to pay taxes, and angering him out of Outside Xianyanggong!

Next, dispatching Li Cunxiao to utterly defeat Wang Jian's 150,000-strong army!

The most infuriating part was that military exercise!

He actually dared to come and intimidate him!

And the shouts from 200,000 commoners a few days ago declaring the new Emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!

Recalling these incidents one by one in his mind, Ying Zheng almost wished he could pin this rebellious son to the ground right now and beat him severely!

But... this was still in broad daylight before everyone.

Even with all his anger, Ying Zheng had to consider the impact!

At that moment, he forcibly suppressed his rage, directly helped Ying Su up, then nodded and said, "Good son, rise quickly!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Ying Su's hand and led Ying Su toward the direction of Wang Jian's army!

And Ying Su also supported Ying Zheng's arm, escorting him all the way, personally kicking away loose stones on the path, along with some branches and such!

Fearing Ying Zheng might lose his footing, fall, or twist an ankle or something!

This scene, in the eyes of those unaware, was nothing but a father showing kindness and a son showing filial piety!

However, behind this display of fatherly kindness and filial piety, the two were exchanging incredibly vicious threats in extremely low voices!

Of course, it wasn't mutual threats, but rather Ying Zheng's one-sided accusations and scolding of Ying Su:

"Rebellious son, you must be very pleased now, do you think your position as Emperor is secure?"

Ying Zheng angrily questioned Ying Su!

Ying Su laughed: "Father Emperor, tell me how it is not secure?"

Ying Zheng smiled: "You actually don't realize the danger at all?"

"Look at those few stupid things you did, do you feel no danger at all?"

Ying Su shook his head: "I feel nothing, please Father Emperor enlighten me a bit!"

Ying Zheng scolded: "Rebellious son, you want me to remind you? Dream on!"

Ying Su made an "Oh" sound and continued supporting Ying Zheng forward.

They walked for nearly half a ke, Ying Su said nothing, and Ying Zheng finally couldn't hold it back, shouting angrily at Ying Su:

"You had better hope this battle destroys the Xiongnu; if you don't destroy them, you will lose face to death!"

Ying Su glanced at him: "That's it?"

But Ying Zheng roared:

"Is that not enough?"

"If I were to say it, you really don't know how to handle affairs!"

"You, as an Emperor, are performing terribly!"

"Take the matter of destroying the Xiongnu for example, why must you insist on saying 'destroy the Xiongnu'!"

"Wouldn't it be fine to just say 'attack the Xiongnu'?"

"If you say 'attack the Xiongnu', and then you do destroy the Xiongnu, that counts as your greatness; even if you don't destroy them, it's still that you defeated the Xiongnu; either way, it counts as your achievement!"

"But saying 'destroy the Xiongnu', isn't that putting you on the hot seat?"

"If you really destroy the Xiongnu, then it's fine!"

"But what if you don't destroy the Xiongnu?"

"It's over!"

"Your authority as Emperor, won't it become worthless immediately?!"

"Besides that, there is the matter of forcing nobles to pay taxes!"

"You are truly stupid enough!"

"Right here, you are about to send all your Li Yuanba and Han Xin armies out to fight!"

"But before the fighting starts, look at what you've done!"

"Demanding nobles pay back 10% of taxes, and also arresting all the nobles who are sending troops!"

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Are you afraid they won't rebel?"

"Aren't you afraid the nobles will rise up and rebel again?"

"Before, you had Li Yuanba, so you feared no rebellion; what about now?"

"Now Li Yuanba is gone, what will you do?"

"Oh! Right, you still have Li Cunxiao!"

"But even if Li Cunxiao is an immortal, can he split himself?"

"Can he leave you?"

"Inside Outside Xianyanggong, you rule, but what about outside Outside Xianyanggong?"

"What's up, does our Great Qin have only Outside Xianyanggong?"

"What do we do if chaos breaks out outside?"

"Before sending Li Yuanba away, you not only didn't think about how to stabilize people's hearts, but you were thinking about how to trample the nobility!"

"Is this how you act as Emperor?"

Ying Zheng cursed nonstop!

Facing Ying Su grinned: "If not this way, then how?"

Ying Zheng said angrily: "Pacify the people! If I had Li Yuanba in hand, if I wanted to wipe out the Xiongnu, during the period when Li Yuanba was destroying the Xiongnu, I definitely would not have done anything to the nobility!"

"I would think of every possible way to stabilize the nobility. Even if I wanted to deal with them, it would have to wait until after Li Yuanba finished the war!"

"How could it be like you — say you're dealing with the nobility, and immediately deal with the nobility?"

"What, are you in a rush to be reborn?"

Ying Zheng cursed without stopping!

Facing Ying Su grinned:

"No matter how rushed I am, could I be more rushed than you? The Great Wall, Epang Palace, the Mausoleum of the First Emperor — three massive projects started at the same time, draining over two million commoners' labor?"

"You…"

The moment those words left his mouth, Ying Zheng was so furious he nearly wanted to hit someone.

He glared at Facing Ying Su and cursed: "Are you calling this sovereign tyrannical?"

Facing Ying Su laughed:

"I didn't say that. It's just that every commoner under heaven is cursing you exactly like that!"

"I merely gave the order to halt construction of Epang Palace and the Great Wall, and immediately people said the new Emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!"

"What do you make of that?"

"You…"

"Unfilial son!"

"Unfilial son!"

"You… how do you speak to your father-Emperor?"

Ying Zheng was so angry he was numb, wishing he could pin Facing Ying Su to the ground right then and there!

However, Facing Ying Su shook his head: "Mencius said, 'A father is kind and a son is filial; a ruler is benevolent and a minister is loyal.' Do you know what that means?"

Ying Zheng stared at Facing Ying Su with fury blazing in both eyes, silent!

Facing Ying Su said: "On the surface, this means a father is kind and a son is filial, a ruler is benevolent and a minister is loyal. But can you understand it this way?"

"Because a father is loving, a son ought to be filial; because a ruler is benevolent, a minister ought to be loyal!"

"But if a father is no longer loving, must a son still be filial? If a ruler is no longer benevolent, must a minister still be loyal?"

"You are not benevolent, I am not righteous; you are not kind, I am not filial?"

As Facing Ying Su spoke, he turned his gaze toward Ying Zheng!