The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

After Wang Jian passed away, the First Emperor, in recognition of his life's achievements, issued an edict to grant Wang Jian the title of Marquis of Wucheng and ordered his grandson Wang Li to inherit it.

Recently, Wang Ben, the Marquis of Tongwu, followed his father Wang Jian's example and voluntarily resigned from his position as General of the Duwei Army to the First Emperor. This seemingly accomplished retirement, seemingly hoping to avoid undue attention and better protect his own and his family's interests, was a way to avoid excessive attention. Regardless, with Wang Ben's departure, Wang Li has become the new generation leader of the Wang family.

The command of the Duwei Army was now handed over to the deputy general Tu Youlai. At the same time, the First Emperor issued an order to dispatch Wang Li to the Beidi camp to serve as Meng Tian's deputy general and concurrently as the Guard Duwei.

After receiving the order, Wang Li acted quickly and led his deputy general Su Jiao and several close associates on the journey to Jiuyuan.

The time came to April of the 36th year of Emperor Qin Shihuang's reign.

Meng Yi had already returned to Xianyang with Lu Su and the child, as well as Ying Bu, Han Xin, Xiao He and others.

The First Emperor issued an edict to transfer Meng Yi to be the Chief Censor, responsible for inspecting officials in counties and prefectures across the country.

Since Xin Qiliu was already serving as the Lieutenant Commander, Meng Yi gave him a heads-up. Ying Bu continued to serve in the Lieutenant's Office and was promoted to the rank of Marquis.

Because Zhao Ping, the Left Marquis, had taken advantage of the situation when Zhao Gao and Feng Jie led their men to the Meng Palace to arrest Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, Xin Qiliu was transferred to the Imperial Court as soon as he was appointed Lieutenant Commander. Li Le and Sun Xi took over as the Left and Right Marquises, while Qian An was demoted to the rank of Hou Hou.

Inside the Zhangtai Palace in the imperial city of Xianyang, the First Emperor looked glum and bloated. He forced himself to sit on the dragon throne, his hands trembling as he reviewed memorials, a hint of fatigue in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, you should rest." The waiter beside him whispered, his eyes full of worry.

The First Emperor shook his head slightly and said weakly, "I cannot rest. State affairs are more important." As he spoke, he picked up the bottle of pills beside him and swallowed a few pills with difficulty.

After a while, the First Emperor felt much lighter and had more energy.

At the same time, Zhao Gao and Zhao Cheng were plotting in the corner of the secret room in the mansion.

Zhao Cheng asked respectfully, "Brother, does Meng Yi's tour this time require us to personally take charge?"

Zhao Gao smiled sinisterly, "Don't worry. When I find the right opportunity, I will make sure that Meng Yi never returns."

On the other side, Meng Yi was in the study of the Meng Mansion, discussing the details of the inspection with Ying Bu, Meng Xin, Xiao He, Han Xin, Li Ziwei and others.

Meng Yi's voice was deep and powerful: "Ying Bu, Meng Xin, you two will stay in Xianyang to guard the Meng Mansion and ensure everything is safe."

Ying Bu frowned and said worriedly, "General Meng, I'm afraid there will be danger during this inspection of the eastern counties."

Meng Yi patted Ying Bu on the shoulder and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, I'm here and I won't let you brothers fall into danger."

Then, Meng Yi looked at the others and said, "Xiao He, Han Xin, and Ziwei, you will all set out with me."

Everyone nodded in agreement with a serious look on their faces.

"Yes, General!" everyone answered in unison.

The next morning, sunlight streamed down the streets of Xianyang. Meng Yi, along with a few other soldiers and a detachment of officers, set out from the city gates. The sound of horse hooves echoed through the roads, stirring up clouds of dust as if to bid them farewell.

When they passed by Sanchuan County, Meng Yi suddenly remembered that Li Si's eldest son Li Feng was working there, so he prepared to pay him a visit.

Soon, the group arrived at the gate of the prefectural governor's residence. Meng Yi dismounted with swift and agile movements. He dusted himself off, straightened his clothes, and strode into the residence.

When Li Feng learned that Meng Yi was coming, he hurried out to greet him. He was dressed in a long blue robe, looking elegant and with a warm smile on his face.

"My dear brother, I have heard of your great name for a long time. Seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved!" Li Feng bowed and spoke sincerely.

Meng Yi returned the greeting, saying, "Brother Li, thank you for your compliment. I was ordered to conduct an inspection this time, and I came to visit you and learn about the situation in Sanchuan County."

Li Feng led Meng Yi and others into the living room and seated them as host and guest.

The maids brought tea and snacks. Li Feng personally poured tea for Meng Yi and said, "Brother Meng, the public security in Sanchuan County has been good recently, and the people are able to live and work in peace. This is all thanks to Your Majesty."

Then the two of them communicated with each other a lot.

Meng Yi nodded repeatedly in appreciation after hearing this. He and Li Feng engaged in an in-depth discussion on how to improve people's livelihoods and promote local development. The two expressed their views in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

Before they knew it, it was already past noon. Meng Yi stood up to say goodbye, and Li Feng personally escorted them out of the mansion. Meng Yi mounted his horse, waved goodbye to Li Feng, and continued on his patrol.

Along the way, they visited various counties and communicated with local officials and people to understand their living conditions and needs. Meng Yi listened carefully to everyone's opinions and suggestions, and wrote them down in a notebook from time to time.

A month later, Meng Yi and his entourage finally arrived in Chen County, Huaiyang Commandery. The streets here were bustling with people coming and going, full of life and energy.

At this time, Chen County was bustling with people, but behind this prosperity lay an unknown darkness.

Meng Yi and his companions quietly entered the vicinity of the county government office and secretly observed the surrounding situation. They saw the county magistrate's housekeeper and servants walking down the street in a show of force, followed closely by a group of ferocious officials.

When the people saw these people, they did not dare to approach them and moved away, their eyes filled with fear and resentment.

Meng Yi's expression grew increasingly gloomy. Li Ziwei, who was standing beside him, lowered his voice and said, "General, judging by the arrogance of these people, they must have bullied the people on a daily basis."

Meng Yi and the others nodded, while Han Xin gritted his teeth and said, "These dog officials are so despicable!"

A trace of anger flashed in Meng Yi's eyes, and he whispered, "Don't worry, let's collect evidence first, and then catch them all in one fell swoop."

After several days of investigation and evidence, Meng Yi discovered that Chen County Magistrate Wang Chang and County Lieutenant Chen Xian were in cahoots with each other, bullying the people and committing all kinds of evil, which seriously damaged the interests of the people.

He then led the crowd and the lieutenant's troops to rush into the county government office and arrested Wang Chang and Chen Xian on the spot. The two were immediately frightened to the point of turning pale and trembling all over.

"You two despicable corrupt officials actually took advantage of your positions to oppress the good people and make life miserable for the people!" Meng Yi scolded angrily.

Wang Chang and Chen Xian were so frightened that they knelt down and begged for mercy, their voices trembling: "Sir, spare our lives! We know we are wrong, please let us go!"

Meng Yi looked at them coldly, a glint of determination in his eyes. He sternly said, "As officials, you two should be fair and honest, working for the welfare of the people. Instead, you have abused your power for personal gain, engaged in corruption and bribery. Your crimes are truly unforgivable. Come, throw them into prison. I will investigate their crimes thoroughly before making any further decisions."

The soldiers of the Wei team immediately stepped forward and dragged Wang Chang and Chen Xian away. Wang Chang struggled and cried, "Sir, I really know I was wrong. Please give me a chance!"

Chen Xian also echoed: "Sir, we won't dare to do it again. Please forgive us this time!"

Meng Yi remained unmoved, and their pleas for mercy gradually faded into the air.

At the same time, Wang Chang's family members were shocked and didn't know what to do. They knew that if Wang Chang's crimes were exposed, they would face serious consequences.

So they decided to send someone to rush to the capital to ask Zhao Cheng for help.

After Zhao Gao received the news from Zhao Cheng, he began to think about it. He knew that this matter was of great importance.

So he first arranged for someone to pretend to comfort Wang Chang's family, telling them not to panic and that everything would be solved.

Zhao Gao thought to himself: "Meng Yi has always been fair and honest, and has won the trust of Your Majesty. This time he has caught Wang Chang and Chen Xian's handle, and he will definitely not let them go easily. If I come forward to plead for mercy directly, I am afraid it will arouse Your Majesty's suspicion. However... it seems that this time I can only cut off my arm to survive." Thinking of this, a trace of resentment appeared in Zhao Gao's eyes.