Chapter Two: Emperor Qin Shi Huang Is Astonished!

The atmosphere in the great hall instantly grew even more oppressive.

Hu Hai’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Fusu and shouted, “Nonsense! You’re talking nonsense!”

“How could I possibly destroy Great Qin?”

“I don’t have that kind of power!”

Young Lord Gao and Young Lord Jianglu had originally intended to pounce on Fusu with more insults, but upon hearing Fusu’s shocking words, they trembled in fear and dared not speak.

A mad dog! It’s about to bite anyone nearby!

In any case, Fusu was finished today. Better not try to catch a chicken and lose the rice bowl, only to bring trouble upon oneself.

The two men silently stepped back several paces, preparing to make way for the two brothers.

Fusu knelt upright, regaining his composure as he thought inwardly, “If you want to kill me, then I’ll drag you down with me!”

Then, Fusu spoke again: “Father, this younger brother of mine, Hu Hai, may seem clever and innocent, but in truth, he is scheming, cruel, and ruthless!”

“If he ascends to the throne, not only will he slaughter all of our brothers, but he will also confuse right and wrong, eradicating all voices of opposition within the court!”

“It is because of his reckless actions that the Great Qin, forged through six generations of hard work and sacrifice, was devoured in just three years!”

At these words, Hu Hai’s face instantly turned pale.

Damn it!

How ruthless you are, slapping such a huge pile of dirt on my head!

As Hu Hai was about to retort, Emperor Qin Shi Huang waved his long sleeve and laughed bitterly in anger.

“Very well!”

“Fusu, you’re done pretending, aren’t you?”

“I’m still alive, yet you dare openly discuss the succession of the throne now?”

“How do you know that I will definitely pass the throne to Hu Hai?”

“Yes!” Hu Hai immediately glared at Fusu and shouted, “I’m still young, and Father is in the prime of life. This is a curse—cursing Father! You must be severely punished!”

Emperor Qin Shi Huang glanced coldly at Hu Hai without a word.

Fusu looked at Hu Hai with a cold sneer and mocked, “Young? You’re reckless! You even conspired to harm your own eldest brother. How much more so when it comes to usurping the throne!”

“Impudent!”

Zhao Gao’s sharp, quacking voice rang out again as he immediately ordered, “Guards, seize this traitor who speaks nonsense!”

Several burly eunuchs moved forward at once.

Upon seeing this scene, Fusu burst out laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” Zhao Gao blurted.

Fusu pointed at Zhao Gao and shouted, “Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?”

“I am the legitimate eldest son of Great Qin! Even Father can accuse me of treason, but can you?”

“Father hasn’t even spoken yet, and you already order my arrest. You’re already overstepping your authority—no wonder you dared to alter the will later, committing an unforgivable crime!”

“Wait!” Emperor Qin Shi Huang frowned.

Zhao Gao had indeed overstepped.

But more importantly, the emperor was troubled by Fusu’s claim of the altered will.

“You say Zhao Gao altered the will to name Hu Hai as heir?”

Qin Shi Huang felt his head spin.

He was still alive, yet the succession was being discussed as if he were dead?

Fusu nodded respectfully.

“Your Majesty, after your passing, Zhao Gao altered the will, naming Hu Hai as heir. This caused the Great Qin to collapse within three years.”

“Fusu!” Hu Hai exploded.

Zhao Gao hurriedly protested, “Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, would never—dare not! These are lies fabricated by Young Lord Fusu to escape guilt.”

“Shut up!” Qin Shi Huang glared at Zhao Gao, then looked at Fusu with a cold sneer. “Very well.”

“Since you’ve made everything clear, tell me—when did I pass away?”

Fusu, grasping at straws, recalled carefully and replied calmly, “In the thirty-seventh year of King Zheng’s reign, Father passed away at the Sand Dune Palace during the fifth Eastern Inspection Tour.”

“What did you say?” Qin Shi Huang’s eyes widened.

The fifth Eastern Inspection Tour?

Sand Dune Palace?

What had been a joke now struck a chill in the emperor’s heart.

He had just completed the fourth tour and had already roughly planned the fifth—but had told no one. None of the proposed routes involved Sand Dune Palace, and no one knew his next tour would head east.

Fusu’s words matched the emperor’s secret thoughts perfectly.

Such a conclusion was terrifying upon reflection!

Could everything Fusu said be true?

The downfall of Qin was not caused by outsiders, but by Hu Hai!

Seeing that Qin Shi Huang was shaken, Fusu seized the moment and continued, “Father, I am innocent!”

“I have been framed!”

“I beg Father to thoroughly investigate the Chief Eunuch Zhao Gao, Hu Hai, and that Consort Li—there are serious issues with them all. Justice must be served!”

At these words, Zhao Gao and Hu Hai turned pale again.

If an investigation truly began…

Yet Qin Shi Huang’s attention seemed elsewhere, and he calmly asked, “I am still in my prime and in good health. How could I be gone in two years?”

Upon hearing this, Fusu’s lips twitched.

“I dare not say!”

“Speak!” the emperor glared.

Fusu hurried to answer, “You were poisoned!”

“Poisoned?!” Qin Shi Huang exploded with rage, slamming the table. “Who would dare poison me?!”

Fusu hesitated but replied, “You were poisoned by yourself!”

“Poisoned by myself?” The emperor’s expression turned puzzled.

Fusu nodded with a hint of regret. “You are the eternal emperor, yet you always sought to defy fate and live forever!”

“But the elixirs you consumed were actually highly toxic!”

“Each pill contained excessive heavy metals. To be honest, the fact that you lasted so long despite ingesting so much poison only proves how incredibly strong your body is!”

Qin Shi Huang listened to this slightly mocking explanation, shaken to the core, yet still in disbelief, “Impossible!”

“Why impossible?” Fusu challenged. “If you’re unsure whether it’s poison, just feed it to an animal for a while.”

“Give a pill to an animal?!” The emperor frowned.

Each pill was crafted from countless rare materials…

“Father, to be frank, what you call elixirs are really poisons. Even dogs wouldn’t eat them!”

Qin Shi Huang was speechless.

Suddenly, Fusu thought of something and said, “Exactly who made them should be the ones to take them!”

“They won’t last more than a few years!”

Although Qin Shi Huang appeared calm, inside these words stirred a storm of shock and turmoil.