owlsbooks Chapter 5: Swiftly Kill Zou Yun
Chapter 5: Swiftly Kill Zou Yun
The flames of the bronze animal-head lampstand flickered and shone due to the draft.
Ying Zheng's silhouette cast a huge shadow on the black curtain, like an inviolable behemoth.
Fusu stood below, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his hesitant expression clearly visible in the swaying light and shadow.
"Speak, what is it now?"
Ying Zheng glanced at Fusu, then his gaze returned to the bamboo slips.
"If it's something trivial, then don't mention it."
In fact, Ying Zheng already knew the purpose of Fusu's trip before Fusu even stepped out of the mansion.
Therefore, the warning in the second half of the sentence was added intentionally by him.
Hopefully, the wise Fusu will be as sensible as ever and refrain from bringing up the matter of submitting a remonstrance.
Unfortunately, this time, Fusu was unwilling to be a clever man.
Fusu's fingertips dug deeply into his palms. He took a deep breath, raised his head, and solemnly said:
"Your Majesty, I implore you to swiftly execute the sorcerer Zou Yun!"
The resounding voice pierced the silence of the hall.
After speaking, Fusu bowed again, performing an impeccable bow.
Therefore, he naturally missed the fleeting, icy disappointment that welled up in Ying Zheng's eyes.
“Pah!”
A piercing, sharp sound tore through the silence.
The bamboo slip in Ying Zheng's hand fell to Fusu's feet, the broken bamboo pieces flying everywhere, the sound of the impact echoing in the hall.
Looking down at his son, who remained silent, expressing his resistance in silence, his face turned ashen, and his chest heaved violently.
Perhaps it was because of the sorcerer's repeated deceptions, perhaps out of fear of death, perhaps out of anger at Fusu's lack of tact, or perhaps out of disgust that he couldn't see the deeper reasons behind his actions.
In short, Ying Zheng was furious.
This anger came on fiercely, breaking down his carefully maintained psychological defenses and erupting forth.
"Your Majesty...Father..."
Ignoring the emperor's wrath that was about to devour him, Fusu slowly straightened up, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.
"I have never heard of such a principle, that a wise king would place his personal desires above the rise and fall of the nation."
He paused, each word perfectly clear.
"This is not the conduct of a holy king!"
"this--!"
Ying Zheng suddenly stood up, like a majestic lion, and in a few steps he was in front of Fusu, his shadow instantly enveloping the young prince.
"Is this the Confucian philosophy you learned from Chunyu Yue?!"
His roar was like thunder, causing dust to fall from the palace beams.
Those eyes, burning with rage, were fixed on him.
Ying Zheng did not dislike Fusu's benevolence; in fact, he was pleased to see that Fusu possessed such kindness.
However, for an emperor, benevolence alone is not enough to subdue the greedy ministers in the court or deter the secret plots of the six royal families.
Therefore, all of Ying Zheng's dissatisfaction with Fusu ultimately boils down to this: the son is not like his father.
Fusu's performance failed to convince Ying Zheng that he could safeguard the empire built up over six generations, and he could not reassure Ying Zheng that he could hand over this eternal legacy to him.
"We could establish another crown prince, but my health... If only I could live another ten years."
"Immortality... physical extinction... miraculous medicine... are there truly feasible methods?"
A barely perceptible hint of dejection flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes.
The next second, looking at the stubborn Fusu in front of him, all his weakness vanished.
Ying Zheng's eyes widened in anger, and he squeezed out a sentence, one word at a time, from his throat.
"Fusu, you must remember this!!"
At such close range, Fusu could clearly sense the chilling killing intent emanating from Ying Zheng.
At this moment, the person standing before him was no longer his father, but the monarch of the world.
"As long as I live, I am the emperor of the Great Qin. This world is not for you to rule."
These words were like a sharp blade, piercing Fusu's heart.
He looked up at his father, whose unfathomable pupils held doubt, rage, disappointment, and... an undisguised murderous intent.
Fusu stared blankly at the emperor before him, a figure both familiar and unfamiliar!
He moved his lips slightly, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and in the end, only a miserable, bitter smile appeared on his lips.
At that moment, he knew that nothing he said would make a difference.
However, Fusu did not obediently lower his head as usual, but stared intently at his father in front of him.
Two pairs of equally stubborn eyes remained locked in a stalemate, neither willing to back down.
Time seemed to stand still, and the air was eerily quiet.
So quiet that they could hear each other's fierce heartbeats, their heavy breathing, and the sound that signified the breaking of the bond between father and son.
"Get lost..."
After a long while, Ying Zheng seemed to have exhausted all his strength, slowly withdrawing his predatory posture and only looking down indifferently at Fusu.
"Get far away from me, and never let me see you again!"
Fusu's answer was mechanical and flat. He was expressionless and bowed deeply again in the direction of the throne, which symbolized imperial power, according to proper etiquette.
"promise!"
He then resolutely turned away, his back to his father, his emperor.
Step by step...
Stepping on the shattered fragments of bamboo slips, they walked out of the cold palace that had swallowed up the warmth between father and son.
Ying Zheng's gaze followed the straight yet solitary figure, watching it gradually disappear into the distance.
Suddenly, he felt a pang of regret. He wanted to call out to Fusu and have a proper chat with him like an ordinary father and son, instead of this endless argument.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to say those words of farewell.
He stood silently in place until he could no longer see Fusu's figure!
"squeak--"
The heavy palace doors slowly closed, separating the inner and outer worlds.
"Cough...cough cough......."
Ying Zheng hunched over in pain, gripping the edge of the wooden table tightly with one hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Bright red blood, mixed with a few scattered tears, fell to the ground along with the sound of coughing.
Zhao Gao, who had been standing like a shadow not far away, was instantly replaced by panic upon seeing this scene.
He darted forward, skillfully took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, poured out two dark pills, and carefully fed them to Ying Zheng.
After doing all this, Zhao Gao quickly looked up.
Those eyes, which were usually lowered and appeared extremely submissive, instantly turned sharp, and their cold gaze silently swept over the eunuch behind him.
The eunuch understood immediately, bowed deeply, and retreated quickly and silently from the main hall.
Outside Xianyang Palace, Fusu and his entourage, immersed in disappointment, slowly departed.
At the same time, another group of people hurried over from the side path, led by Prince Huhai, whose face was full of doubt and excitement.
The two groups of people passed each other by the palace gates, which symbolized the core of imperial power.
"Buzz—"
The heavy palace gates slowly closed behind us.
The cold words spoken in the hall just now still lingered in Fusu's ears.
His steps were unsteady, his brows were furrowed with gloom, and he seemed unable to maintain his upright posture any longer.
"Young Master?!"
The worried whisper pulled Fusu out of his grief. He slowly raised his head and focused his gaze on Meng Yi's concerned eyes.
"What exactly happened inside the hall just now?"
Meng Yi frowned, watching with deep concern as Fusu, who seemed dazed since leaving the palace, stared at him.
This call briefly pulled Fusu back to his senses.
"Oh, it's General Meng."
Fu Su forced a smile and nodded to Meng Yi to indicate that he was alright, but did not respond to his question.
"It's nothing, it's just that this time, I might implicate the general," Fusu said apologetically to Meng Yi.
He was as clear-headed as a mirror, and naturally knew that this rash remonstrance would surely anger Ying Zheng.
Meng Yi, as a fellow traveler, would also inevitably be punished by Ying Zheng.
"You flatter me, sir."
Meng Yi's gaze was sharp and his demeanor as steady as a mountain.
He neither pressed for details about what had just happened, nor exposed the feigned composure, but simply continued to inquire:
"Where should we go now?"
That deep and powerful voice guided Fusu just in time, helping him to shake off his depression.
Where...?
Fusu's gaze passed over Meng Yi and landed on the distant sky.
He remained silent for a moment, then slowly uttered an address: "Immortal Temple!"