The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Not long after, a soldier of the Imperial Guard was seen running towards the palace with a panicked look on his face and staggering steps.

When he got closer, the imperial guard was already panting, his face filled with panic. He fell to his knees with a thud and reported in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, His Majesty... His Majesty has passed away!"

However, at this moment, after hearing the news, Hu Hai's originally tense face suddenly relaxed, a hint of joy that was difficult to conceal flashed across his eyes, and the corners of his mouth even rose slightly.

He first casually patted his robe to smooth out the wrinkles, then raised his hands to adjust the crown on his head and the jade belt around his waist, and then slowly walked towards the dragon throne that symbolized supreme power and sat down on it leisurely.

Although Hu Hai still appeared calm on the surface at this moment, there was a subtle glint of cunning in his eyes that was hardly noticeable.

He coughed twice, cleared his throat, and then called out, "Come here, quickly summon General Tu You to the palace!"

Soon, General Tu You arrived at the palace. When he heard the tragic news of the First Emperor's death, his heart was shaken, but he still suppressed his inner pain.

He took a deep breath, bowed to Hu Hai, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, now that things have come to this, please quickly order the summoning of Feng Quji, Zhao Gao, and other important officials to come to discuss and jointly prepare for the late emperor's funeral."

Hu Hai nodded slightly, agreeing with Tu You's proposal. He then spoke, "General Tu You is quite right. Immediately send a message to Zhao Gao, Feng Quji, and Yao Jia, asking them to come into the palace immediately. Furthermore, the palace's defenses must be strengthened immediately, with more patrols and guards assigned. No mistakes must be made!"

Tu You solemnly clasped his fists and accepted the order, saying, "Your Highness, rest assured. I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

After saying this, Hu Hai nodded slightly and waved his hand gently, signaling Tu You to leave.

When Tu You turned and left, his steps seemed a little heavier than usual.

Hu Hai sat steadily on the dragon throne, which symbolized supreme power.

At this moment, Zhao Gao, who was far away outside the palace, received the relevant news.

An unconcealable smile of triumph instantly appeared on that face that was originally sinister and cunning. Then he quickly took his trusted confidants and hurried towards the palace.

Meanwhile, Feng Quji, on the other side, did not dare to delay even a moment after receiving the summons, and hurried into the palace anxiously. He hurried along the way, his brow furrowed tightly, and he felt a vague sense of unease in his heart.

Soon, Zhao Gao arrived at the palace. When he saw Hu Hai, he immediately knelt on both knees and bowed respectfully, shouting, "Long live His Highness!"

Hu Hai asked softly, "Teacher, please stand up. Now that our father has passed away, what should we do next? I hope you can give me some advice."

Zhao Gao slowly stood up, narrowing his eyes slightly. A subtle hint of fierceness flashed across them as he spoke in a sorrowful voice, "Your Highness! The late emperor has passed away. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to our Great Qin. I, this old minister, believe that the most urgent matter right now is to stabilize the court. We must not let this tragic news spread, lest it cause chaos within the court!"

At this time, Hu Hai was holding his chin with his right hand, his brows furrowed. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from afar. It turned out that Yao Jia hurried into the palace.

Yao Jia hurried into the hall, bowed respectfully to Hu Hai, and then raised his voice and said, "Your Highness, the emperor has passed away, and his body has not yet been buried. It is only right that this matter be announced to the people of the world as soon as possible, and that the funeral be conducted according to the laws of our ancestors. At the same time, the successor to the throne must be determined as soon as possible!"

Hearing Yao Jia's words, Hu Hai's expression changed slightly.

Zhao Gao, who was standing aside, glared at Yao Jia fiercely, feeling secretly angry.

"Prime Minister Yao, the situation is still unclear at the moment. If we rashly announce the news of the late emperor's death to the public, I'm afraid many unpredictable changes will arise." Zhao Gao said with a forced smile, and there seemed to be a mystery hidden in his words.

Upon hearing this, Yao Jia was furious. He pointed at Zhao Gao and shouted, "Sir Zhao, do you dare to violate the rules set by our ancestors?"

Facing Yao Jia's question, Zhao Gao smiled coldly and replied, "Master Yao, your words are a bit too harsh. I, an old minister, only care about Your Highness. How can I say that I am violating the ancestral rules?"

Seeing the atmosphere between the two men growing increasingly tense, Hu Hai quickly stood up, waved his hand, and signaled them to calm down. He then said, "My dear ministers, please don't argue endlessly about this matter. This is of great importance. Let me think it over carefully."

Just when Hu Hai was in a dilemma, Feng Quji beside him coughed lightly and then slowly said, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, what these two gentlemen said is true.

On the one hand, he increased security forces to prevent possible unrest, and issued an edict to all ministers in the court, declaring that His Majesty was in poor health and seriously ill. He especially ordered Fusu, Meng Tian, ​​Wang Li, Li Xin, Ren Qi, Zhao Tuo and other important ministers to rush to Xianyang to meet him.

On the other hand, we must quietly begin preparing for His Majesty's funeral, and once all arrangements are complete, we will officially announce the matter to the world."

After hearing these words, Zhao Gao suddenly felt that everything in front of him became clear.

It turned out that before this, news had already been sent back from Jiang Huang, saying that their conspiracy to forge an imperial edict to sentence Fusu and Li Xin to death had been exposed. What was worse was that even Meng Tian had successfully escaped from Xianyang City.

Just when Zhao Gao was extremely worried about this matter, the strategy proposed by Feng Quji was like timely help - first, he used the excuse that the First Emperor was seriously ill to issue an edict to trick Meng Tian, ​​Fusu and others back to Xianyang, and then catch them by surprise. This was truly an ingenious conspiracy!

Zhao Gao thought to himself, "Oh my! Feng Quji is truly a cunning and treacherous man. His deep scheming and brilliant strategies are truly admirable. I must be on guard against him in the future!"

Thinking of this, he quickly agreed, "Your Highness, I also think that what Prime Minister Feng said is absolutely right."

Hu Hai listened to what the two said, nodded slightly, and said: "Okay, Master, you can issue an edict according to what Prime Minister Feng said. The edict will be issued to the court at the morning court tomorrow."

Zhao Gao and others quickly bowed and accepted the order.

Then, Hu Hai was heard saying slowly: "However, I am just worried that you gentlemen will not accept it." He swept his eyes over the crowd with a hint of worry.

Zhao Gao's eyes rolled, and he quickly said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I think you only need to control the other princes and make a decision after Your Highness successfully ascends the throne."

Yao Jia, who was standing nearby, was horrified when he heard this. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable. All of these young masters are your majesty's bloodline. Such an act will surely chill the hearts of the royal family."

Zhao Gao sneered, looked at Yao Jia with disdain, and said, "Prime Minister Yao, this is an extraordinary period. If there is any unusual movement, your throne will be in danger." His tone was full of threats and provocations.

Yao Jia fell silent after hearing this. He knew that he was only a figurehead, the Left Prime Minister, with no real power. Why bother vying with Zhao Gao for supremacy? He shook his head helplessly and sighed.

Feng Quji then said, "Your Highness, I believe that besides stabilizing the court, some ministers may not be loyal to Your Highness, so you must be careful and vigilant."

Hu Hai nodded slightly in agreement. He knew that he had just ascended the throne and was now facing the challenge of ascending the throne, so his foundation was unstable.

Then he turned to Zhao Gao and said, "Teacher, you must pay close attention to the movements of those ministers. If you see anything unusual, report it to me immediately."

Zhao Gao quickly responded, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely live up to your trust."