The Heavens: From Film and Mythology to Conquering Myriad Realms

Xianyang, Lu Mansion.

Lu Yao placed the letter in his hand into the burning coals. Wisps of black smoke rose as the letter was completely burned.

As the behind-the-scenes boss of Denggaolou, Lu Yao would naturally know about Yi Xiaochuan's reception of Xiang Yu and others.

It was no coincidence that Yu Xiaoyue went to Denggaolou to find Gao Yao at this time.

Before Xiang Yu even entered Xianyang, Lu Yao's spies had already sent him their message at breakneck speed.

Lu Yao thoughtfully placed Yu Xiaoyue in front of Xiang Yu, just as he expected.

When Xiang Yu met Yu Ji, the woman destined for him, he was still moved.

During this time, Lu Yao was in Xianyang, constantly gathering all kinds of information from all over the world through his intelligence network.

He even sent his spies ahead of time to find famous strategists and generals at the end of the Qin Dynasty, among whom he already had information on Zhang Liang and Han Xin.

He also found Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, who were serving corvée labor in Dazexiang.

These two men are key figures in the uprising that led to the overthrow of the Qin Dynasty. Lu Yao has already made contact with them and will provide them with assistance, waiting for the opportune moment to sound the call to revolt.

Just as Lu Yao was busy making plans, a mournful cry came from the Qin Emperor's palace.

"His Majesty the Emperor has passed away!"

The eunuchs of the Qin Emperor's Palace ran to the square outside the main hall and shouted loudly.

"Boom boom boom!"

The mournful Qin music began, and a suffocating atmosphere enveloped the entire palace.

Upon receiving the news, the Qin court officials quickly donned white mourning clothes and gathered in the Qin court where they held discussions.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to His Majesty on his journey to heaven!"

After the eunuchs announced the news of Emperor Qin's death, all the civil and military officials knelt down to show their grief.

After the formalities were completed, all the city lords stood up.

"His Majesty has passed away, and we are deeply grieved. But a family cannot be without a head, and a country cannot be without a ruler! We urge you gentlemen to discuss this matter immediately!"

After receiving Li Si's hint, a minister stepped forward and said with a sorrowful expression.

His words sparked whispers among the courtiers, who were all discussing who would inherit the throne.

"What's there to discuss? The eldest son, Fusu, should naturally inherit the throne!"

An official from Fusu's faction immediately stood up and spoke loudly.

"That is not true. His Majesty did not designate a successor while he was in power, so how could it be Prince Fusu who succeeded to the throne?"

For every person who agrees, there will be someone who disagrees; this is a partisan struggle, and to not fight it is to perish.

"The eldest son, Fusu, is His Majesty's eldest son and should naturally succeed to the throne."

Another official from Fusu's faction stepped forward to support Fusu.

And so, the court officials argued back and forth, one after another.

"Quiet!"

Li Si frowned and shouted loudly, his face serious, but in his heart he was overjoyed.

He possessed a forged edict of succession from Consort Li. Although it lacked the imperial seal, the Emperor Qin's private seal was quite convincing.

Furthermore, since the Qin Emperor did not leave a will to pass the throne to him, Li Si was in an invincible position!

"His Majesty's edict is here. You shall receive it!"

Li Si took out the prepared edict of succession, walked to the high platform, and shouted loudly.

Upon seeing this, the court officials immediately knelt down to receive the imperial edict.

"I unified the six kingdoms, established the empire, and created an unparalleled legacy. However, I am now seriously ill and fear that I will not live much longer. Thinking of my princes, only Prince Huhai is pure in nature and possesses the virtues of benevolence and filial piety, which pleases me greatly."

Hu Hai has been intelligent and quick-witted since childhood, and he has kept my teachings in mind. He abides by etiquette and the law, and has the well-being of the people in his heart. I firmly believe that he can carry on my will, build on the past and usher in the future, and ensure the eternal stability of the Qin Dynasty and the well-being of the people.

Therefore, I now pass the throne to my son, Huhai, hoping that after he ascends the throne, he will respect Heaven and love the people, diligently govern the country, respect the virtuous and employ the capable, uphold the laws of our ancestors, and expand our territory.

All ministers should wholeheartedly assist the new ruler, and not fail the trust I have placed in him, so as to jointly ensure that the Great Qin Dynasty will last for thousands of years, prosperous and unbroken. So be it.

Li Si closed the imperial edict in his hand, feeling extremely excited. However, as a prime minister, he was still quite good at maintaining his composure, and his expression showed no sign of it.

"I'll wait for the order!"

The court officials rose, but some of them looked extremely grim; these were the people from Fusu's faction.

"Li Si! How dare you forge an imperial edict!"

A scholar from Fusu's faction pointed angrily at Li Si and roared.

They had no other choice but to hope that the edict of succession was fake, otherwise their careers would come to an end, or even their lives would be in danger.

Li Si had anticipated this and was not flustered at all.

"This edict was given to me by His Majesty when he was seriously ill. It bears His Majesty's private seal as proof, and the Imperial Household Department can verify the handwriting."

Li Si spoke quite frankly and had the people from the Imperial Household Department testify.

The man who had been questioning them trembled upon hearing this; he knew they were finished.

Suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.

"No! This edict doesn't have the Imperial Seal of the State! It's invalid!"

The scholar who was questioning him immediately found the flaws in the imperial edict and said loudly.

Li Si knew that there was nothing he could do about it; the absence of the Imperial Seal of the State was indeed a flaw.

"His Majesty's condition was critical, and he fell into a coma before the imperial seal could be affixed. That is why the Imperial Seal of the State could not be obtained. However, the fact that the edict bears His Majesty's private seal naturally proves His Majesty's intentions."

Li Si squinted and gave his excuse: since the Qin Emperor was already dead, no one could testify against him.

"Besides, Prince Fusu doesn't even have an edict in my possession that only bears His Majesty's private seal. How can he expect the gentlemen to agree with him?"

"you you you!"

The scholar, his face flushed, was unable to utter a rebuttal.

They indeed did not have an edict of succession, and by comparison, Hu Hai was indeed more qualified to succeed to the throne.

"Yes, yes, His Majesty's decree is here, and we should indeed obey it."

"Although there is no Imperial Seal of the State, it is not a big deal."

The princes, nobles, and officials were all discussing it.

"We obey the imperial edict and request that Prince Huhai succeed to the throne!"

All the civil and military officials knelt down again and shouted in unison.

Seeing that the overall situation was settled, Li Si could no longer suppress his excitement and a smile appeared on his face.

In the imperial court, only the members of Fusu's faction looked grim, but seeing that the situation was hopeless, they had no choice but to kneel and accept the imperial edict.

Soon news spread throughout the court that Prince Huhai had succeeded to the throne.

The study in the Lu residence.

Lu Yao's eyes were deep as he toyed with the identity token that Fu Su had given him, lost in thought.

He had been planning for so long, so Hu Hai's ascension to the throne was something he had expected and was not surprising.

Huhai's ascension to the throne will likely be a great blow to Fusu, and Li Si will not allow Fusu to remain in the Great Wall Army indefinitely.

Fusu also had a powerful general, Meng Tian, ​​by his side, who posed an even greater threat.

If the two of them lead the Great Wall Legion back to fight their way back, that would be a huge problem.

Lu Yao believed that Li Si would soon take action.

"Crack!"

Lu Yao stopped playing with the token, his fingers slowly opening, revealing that he had crushed it to pieces.