klisemfg Chapter 221 Eastern Tour - Surge (2)
Chapter 221 Eastern Tour - Surge (2)
Hu Hai dragged his tired body back to his residence from the palace.
It happened that Zhao Gao was waiting for him at the door, so the two of them went into the house and sat down.
At this moment, the candlelight in the house flickered, illuminating their gloomy faces.
Zhao Gao said to Hu Hai in a low voice: "My lord, don't worry about Fusu. I will take care of everything. You just need to accompany His Majesty well."
Hu Hai nodded and said, "I feel at ease with my teacher here." His voice revealed his dependence and trust in Zhao Gao.
When Zhao Gao was unaware, a gleam of light flashed in Hu Hai's eyes like lightning.
Zhao Gao smiled contentedly and continued, "However, we still need some time to carefully plan our actions. Li Si and Meng Yi are both your Majesty's loyal ministers. We must not act rashly against them."
Hu Hai frowned and asked worriedly, "Then what should we do?"
Zhao Gao patted Hu Hai's shoulder gently, soothing him like a spring breeze, "Don't worry, my lord. Lord Feng is on our side, and many in the court support you."
The two men discussed the details for a while, and finally Zhao Gao said, "Very good, my lord. Follow our plan. Remember, be absolutely loyal and filial to His Majesty."
Hu Hai nodded heavily to show that he understood.
Just when Zhao Gao was overjoyed and thought that everything was under his control.
Unexpectedly, under the careful care of Yu Heng and many imperial doctors day and night, the frail body of the First Emperor actually showed very slight signs of improvement!
Not only that, after repeated pulse diagnosis by the imperial physicians, they found that the Emperor's pulse, which had been extremely disordered and almost cut off, was now gradually becoming stable and peaceful.
At this moment, the First Emperor woke up.
And just at this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from outside the originally silent palace.
This sudden noise instantly broke the peaceful atmosphere in the palace.
It turned out that Prime Minister Li Si had joined forces with several loyal old ministers in the court to come and request an audience with His Majesty.
At this moment, outside the door of the First Emperor's bedroom, Li Si and other ministers were waiting anxiously and worriedly.
They all had frowns on their faces and were filled with worry. From time to time, they would peek into the closed palace gate to see what was going on inside.
Time passed minute by minute, and every extra moment of waiting was an unbearable torture for these ministers.
Finally, after everyone's long and anxious wait, the palace gate that symbolized supreme power and majesty began to slowly open.
Accompanied by a dull "creak" sound, a eunuch with a solemn expression walked out from the door.
After walking up to Li Si and the others, the eunuch first bowed respectfully, then said, "My Lords, His Majesty is aware of your purpose and has specially ordered me to summon you to the palace to see him."
Hearing this, Li Si and others hurriedly straightened their slightly messy clothes, and then hurriedly followed the eunuchs and entered the First Emperor's bedroom one after another.
As soon as they stepped into the bedroom, Li Si and others' eyes were all cast on the huge bed located in the most conspicuous position in the bedroom.
As expected, just as he had heard before, the First Emperor was lying on the bed. Yu Heng, beside him, was supporting the First Emperor as he leaned against the bed's backrest.
Although the First Emperor's complexion still looked extremely pale and haggard, a hint of clarity could be seen in his originally dull eyes.
Li Si and others hurriedly entered the palace, and before they could even find their feet they knelt down and touched the ground with their heads to pay their respects.
Li Si took a few steps forward and spoke first, "Your Majesty! I recently heard that Your Majesty is ill, and I, your humble servant, am deeply concerned! The long-term stability of the vast Qin Empire depends entirely on Your Majesty! I implore Your Majesty to take good care of your health."
After saying this, Li Si kowtowed heavily to the ground, pressing his forehead tightly against the cold ground, fully demonstrating his utter loyalty to the First Emperor and his deep concern for him.
Upon seeing this, the ministers who had come with Li Si also shouted in unison: "We sincerely hope that Your Majesty can take care of your health!"
The shouts of the crowd, like bursts of thunder, echoed continuously in this spacious bedroom.
The First Emperor listened quietly to what everyone said, and his originally tense face relaxed a little, revealing a hint of gentleness.
Then, he gently raised a slightly pale hand and waved it lightly towards the bottom, signaling Li Si and others to stand up quickly.
Seeing this, Yu Heng, who was serving at the side, hurried forward, carefully stretched out his hands to hold the emperor's elbows, helped him slowly stand up from the bed, and let him slowly sit on the soft pillow behind the bed.
At this time, the First Emperor's voice was heard in a deep voice: "I am fully aware of the sincere wishes of all my dear ministers. Fortunately, my health has improved slightly now. I only need to rest and recuperate for a few days, and then I can choose a day to return to Xianyang City. In the meantime, I hope that all of you will stick to your duties and do your best to handle the affairs of the court."
Upon hearing this, Li Si and the other ministers kowtowed once again in gratitude, and responded in unison, "Your Majesty, we will obey your command!"
After a brief pause, Li Si stepped forward again, bowed respectfully, and then said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I have something to say from the bottom of my heart. I dare to ask Your Majesty to allow me to speak out!"
The First Emperor nodded slightly and replied softly, "Yes."
After receiving permission, Li Si hurriedly bowed and continued, "Your Majesty, you are the pillar and backbone of the entire Great Qin Empire! Your every move is related to the survival of our Great Qin. If your Majesty makes even the slightest mistake, what will become of this vast state of Great Qin? Therefore, I, at the risk of my life, implore Your Majesty to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to ensure the eternal prosperity of our Great Qin for generations to come."
At this moment, Zhao Gao, who had been serving at his side, suddenly changed expression. He hurriedly stepped forward, pointed at Li Si, and shouted angrily, "How audacious, Li Si! How dare you speak so arrogantly and curse Your Majesty to die! Your Majesty may be feeling a little unwell, but your body remains healthy. What's the point of this little ailment? Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and you are naturally blessed by Heaven. You will surely live a long and prosperous life, enjoying a peaceful and prosperous era forever!"
Upon hearing Zhao Gao's rebuke, Li Si fell to his knees and explained, "Your Majesty, please understand. I am loyal to you and have absolutely no intention of cursing you. I offer this advice out of deep concern for the safety of the Qin Empire."
However, the First Emperor already had a look of annoyance on his face at this time, and a barely perceptible glint of anger suddenly flashed in his eyes, followed by a heavy cold snort.
Meng Yi, watching the tense situation unfold, couldn't help but ponder in his heart: The situation is extremely tense now. If no action is taken, Li Si might be in danger.
Therefore, Meng Yi resolutely made up his mind to give it a try and try to rewrite the course of history to see if he could find a glimmer of hope for the crumbling Qin Dynasty and strive for the last chance to save the defeat.
Meng Yi took a deep breath, stepped forward, clasped his fists, and bowed. "Your Majesty, I believe what Prime Minister Li just said is absolutely correct. Prime Minister Li's words are all based on the long-term stability of our Great Qin. Your Majesty is ill and has fallen into a coma several times, yet some within the court are secretly forming cliques and factions for personal gain. Therefore, I humbly implore Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible regarding the succession, in order to stabilize the court and avoid chaos and unrest within the country."
These words were like a thunderclap exploding in the hall, instantly making the entire scene silent.