The Heavens: From Film and Mythology to Conquering Myriad Realms

Xianyang, Prime Minister's Mansion.

As the prime minister of Qin, Li Si held a prestigious position. His mansion was extremely luxurious, with countless servants and strict guards.

After being enhanced by the Haotian Pearl, Lu Yao's martial arts skills, while not invincible, are such that there are few who can defeat him.

After careful consideration, Lu Yao decided to meet with Li Si in case the plan failed.

The atmosphere in Li Si's study was somewhat heavy.

Lu Yao placed the long sword on the table, put one foot on the chair, and looked very dashing.

Li Si, being quite sensible, did not shout for his guards.

The fact that the intruder was able to sneak into the heavily guarded Li residence without making a sound shows that he was highly skilled in martial arts.

If one were to call upon the guards carelessly and anger this masked man in black, one's life would likely be in danger at such close range.

To become the prime minister of a country, one must have some judgment.

"What do you mean by that, young hero?"

Li Si narrowed his eyes, wondering what the masked man's purpose was.

Lu Yao knew that Li Si was very wary of him, but he didn't care. He wasn't there to gain Li Si's trust.

"Prime Minister Li must have received the message from the palace. I wonder what Prime Minister Li's plans are?"

Lu Yao stared at Li Si, propped his head up with one hand, and casually asked.

Li Si's pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly realized what was happening.

"Are you one of Consort Li's men?"

Li Si frowned, and although he was asking a question, his tone was very certain.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for decades, Li Si quickly deduced Lu Yao's approximate identity from the origin of the letter.

Lu Yao was taken aback when Li Si asked him this question. As expected of the current prime minister, he reacted quickly.

However, his guess was slightly off.

Lu Yao was not Li Fei's subordinate, but the mastermind behind all of this, though he was indeed on the same side as Yu Shu.

"As expected of the Prime Minister, it was Consort Li who sent me to see Prime Minister Li."

Lu Yao didn't explain, but instead went along with Li Si's guess and readily admitted it.

This would make Li Si even more convinced of the source of the intelligence.

"Then why does Consort Li inform me of His Majesty's illness?"

Li Si was somewhat confused about Consort Li's thoughts.

"To tell you the truth, Prime Minister Li, His Majesty's condition is not optimistic, and there are already some signs of it."

Lu Yao didn't beat around the bush and said it directly.

Li Si's expression changed slightly. If what Lu Yao said was true, he really couldn't just sit and wait to die.

"What does Consort Li want me to do?"

Li Si naturally understood that there is no such thing as a free lunch; if you want to gain something, you must pay a price.

"Consort Li misses her homeland and wants Prime Minister Li to help her leave the palace after the matter is settled."

Lu Yao smiled gently, giving Yu Shu a reason.

Of course, there is a good reason for this. If the Qin Emperor died, Consort Li, as the Qin Emperor's favorite concubine, would very likely be buried with him.

Li Si understood perfectly; no one wanted to be buried with the dead, so it seemed that Consort Li was trying to save herself.

"Prime Minister Li has extensive connections in the court, many ministers have a past relationship with you, and you have the Empress's assistance in the palace. It's hard to say who the second emperor of Qin will be."

Lu Yao's words seemed to have a magical power, causing Li Si to feel a sense of disorientation.

"But His Majesty's heart already belongs to the eldest son, Fusu. How can this be changed?"

Li Si was tempted, but still shook his head. Preventing Prince Fusu from ascending the throne would not be easy.

"As far as Your Majesty knows, His Majesty's illness came on suddenly, and he did not leave a will."

Lu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Li Si with an inscrutable expression.

Li Si's expression changed drastically upon hearing Lu Yao's words. This meant he was being asked to forge a will to pass on the throne, and if discovered, his entire family would be exterminated.

Various thoughts flashed through Li Si's mind, and even a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead.

"A decree of succession is only valid if it contains the Imperial Seal and His Majesty's personal seal; otherwise, it is just a piece of waste paper and the entire court will not recognize it."

Li Si finally made up his mind and decided to take a gamble.

Lu Yao smiled inwardly; the matter was settled.

"Prime Minister Li has served His Majesty for many years and is also a master calligrapher. He must be able to imitate His Majesty's handwriting."

Lu Yao stood up, walked to Li Si's side, and said softly.

"Your Majesty's private seal can be stamped on by the Empress Dowager, but the Imperial Seal of the State is guarded by special personnel, so there is no way to do that."

Lu Yao stroked his chin, then shrugged.

Li Si lowered his head and pondered, secretly calculating the chances of success.

"If Your Majesty can affix His Majesty's private seal, although it may be flawed, it can still convince the court officials."

After pondering for a while, Li Si finally agreed to this method.

The Emperor Qin always carried his personal seal with him, so he could easily justify the claim that he hadn't prepared it in advance due to a sudden illness.

If Li Si then leverages his influence in the court, his chances of success are very high.

The two quickly decided to choose Prince Huhai as the candidate for the Second Emperor of Qin in their edict.

Hu Hai was younger than Prince Fusu and was fond of playing and ignorant of politics, making him a perfect candidate for Li Si to take control of the government.

Lu Yao also wholeheartedly supported this move. Hu Hai was a great contributor to the downfall of the Qin state, and Lu Yao would not have agreed to it if it were anyone else.

Soon, Li Si drafted the edict of succession in his study. The edict clearly stated that Hu Hai would be the second emperor of Qin, and that Li Si would be appointed as regent due to Hu Hai's young age.

Li Si truly lived up to his reputation as a master calligrapher; when he wrote an imperial edict, his handwriting was exactly the same as that of the Qin Emperor.

"Please pass this on to Consort Li."

Li Si handed the forged imperial edict to Lu Yao with great care.

He wasn't afraid that Lu Yao would use this to frame him. The edict was written in the handwriting of the Qin Emperor, so what did it have to do with him, Li Si?

Lu Yao carefully put away the imperial edict, picked up the long sword on the table, and quickly disappeared into the night.

Watching Lu Yao's departing figure, Li Si sighed. He didn't know if what he did was right or wrong; he just wanted to protect himself.

"Somebody come!"

Li Si shouted, and a maid entered.

"Order the guard commander to double the number of patrols starting today! Also, deduct three months' salary from his pay!"

Although Li Si agreed to join forces with Consort Li, he was still resentful about Lu Yao's free entry and exit from the Li residence.

After leaving Li Si's residence, Lu Yao went straight to Denggaolou.

The spies, who climbed to the top of a building, notified Yi Xiaochuan to come and meet them.

Now that the blank imperial edict has been obtained, it's up to Yu Shu to decide what to do next.

Now that the Emperor Qin is seriously ill, Yu Shu will naturally be by his side to take care of him, and there is a great chance that she will be able to obtain the private seal. It should not be a problem.

Soon, Yi Xiaochuan arrived at Denggaolou from the Meng Mansion.

Lu Yao recounted the situation to Yi Xiaochuan, leaving Yi Xiaochuan dumbfounded.

"Don't you know how skilled you are in martial arts, Brother Yao? You can come and go from Li Si's mansion at will!"

Yi Xiaochuan looked at Lu Yao, utterly shocked.

Yi Xiaochuan considered himself to be quite skilled in martial arts, but he was still somewhat wary of infiltrating the Prime Minister's residence.

Lu Yao simply smiled and offered no explanation.