"In the twenty-sixth year of the King's reign, Great Qin has annexed all the feudal lords beneath the heavens. The commoners are at great peace!"
"This achievement surpasses the Three Sovereigns; this virtue exceeds the Five Emperors! The title of King is no longer sufficient to crown such glory. From this day forth, let the title of Emperor be established!"
"To be the First Emperor of Great Qin!"
Standing below Shaodian Qingnu and the others, Li Si unfurled a silk scroll and announced the decree to the world.
The Qin Palace had been designed with acoustics in mind during its construction. Coupled with Li Si’s resonant voice, everyone inside and outside the palace halls—from the nobles of the six fallen kingdoms to the soldiers of the Qin army—heard these resounding words.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live Great Qin!"
Countless Qin soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.
Shaodian Qingnu, dressed in a black and gold curved-hem deep robe, watched the grand ceremony. Looking down from the high platform, a vast, dark mass of people knelt across the Qin Palace square. As the wind blew, the Qin banners atop the surrounding palace walls billowed like black dragons rising through the mist.
The Qin army was like a pack of tigers and wolves. Surrounded by them, the royalty and nobles of the six kingdoms had no choice but to kneel and join the cries for the Emperor's longevity.
Shaodian Qingnu was watching with great interest when she heard Li Si declare loudly, "Prince Fusu, as the one chosen by heaven's will, is hereby presented to Heaven, the Ancestral Temple, and the Altars of Soil and Grain. We bestow upon him the imperial patent and seal, appointing him as the Crown Prince to secure the thousand-year line of succession!"
Crown Prince?
Hearing this, Shaodian Qingnu turned to Fusu and said, "He's calling for you. Why haven't you gone up to give thanks?"
"Will Teacher come with me?"
Fusu hesitated for a moment, appearing somewhat afraid to step forward. Ever since his maternal grandfather's betrayal of Qin, Fusu had become somewhat timid in the imperial court. Even though Ying Zheng had personally issued the decree to appoint him as Crown Prince, he found it difficult to carry himself with the necessary majesty.
Seeing him like this, Shaodian Qingnu sighed helplessly.
"Let's go, follow me!"
She waved Fusu forward and led the way. When the nobles of the six kingdoms below saw a woman appear and Fusu following behind her with such profound respect, they were even more astonished.
Who was this woman? How could she make the Crown Prince of Qin so subservient?
Li Si tucked away the silk scroll, bowed to Shaodian Qingnu, and stepped aside, shouting to the crowd below, "Bow to the Crown Prince!"
The people in the hall prostrated themselves before Fusu once again.
Ying Zheng watched Fusu follow behind Shaodian Qingnu and let out a soft sigh. He nodded and said, "You have been troubled, Teacher. Fusu, have you not thanked your Teacher yet?"
Fusu composed himself and cupped his hands toward Shaodian Qingnu. "My thanks to Teacher!"
To the side, Li Si produced another silk scroll and read aloud, "There is one Shaodian Qingnu, whose merits are high and whose labors are great. She is hereby specially titled as the Imperial Teacher..."
"Wait, what?"
Shaodian Qingnu froze. She hadn't expected Ying Zheng to name her the Imperial Teacher in front of so many people. Wouldn't this make her famous? This was the kind of thing that would definitely be written into the history books. How was she supposed to live a quiet life after this?
The nobles of the six kingdoms below stared at Shaodian Qingnu in utter confusion. To them, she was now clearly the great demoness who had assisted the tyrant!
Once the ceremony ended, Shaodian Qingnu walked quickly toward the Jade Maiden Shrine. Ying Zheng and Afang chased after her, calling her name several times, but she ignored them. Seeing this, Ying Zheng suddenly shouted, "Teacher! What if Gua Ren kneels down to ask for your forgiveness?"
As soon as he spoke, Afang said in a panic, "No, no, no, it should be Afang who kneels..."
As the two were arguing, Shaodian Qingnu turned around, crossed her arms, and watched them with an amused expression.
"Kneel, then. Why did you stop?"
Hearing this teasing question, Afang and Ying Zheng looked at each other, both appearing quite embarrassed.
Ying Zheng cleared his throat and said to Shaodian Qingnu, "Teacher! Do you think Gua Ren was wrong to title you as the Imperial Teacher? But Gua Ren believes that Teacher truly deserves such a title!"
"It's just that I hate trouble! Now that you've issued this decree, who knows how many people in the future will try to dig up the identity of the First Emperor's teacher. If someone actually finds out it’s me, it’ll be a huge pain!"
Shaodian Qingnu sighed and waved her hand. "Forget it, forget it. I’m not angry with you! I’m just a bit sleepy and need to rest."
Seeing that Shaodian Qingnu wasn't angry, Ying Zheng looked delighted, but he grew tense again when he heard she was sleepy.
"Teacher, you..."
Shaodian Qingnu reassured him, saying, "Don't worry, I’m just tired. The ceremony went on for so long; have you ever seen me follow such strict rules before?"
That was true. The snake-girl was someone who hated being bound by rules.
However, Ying Zheng still worried about Shaodian Qingnu's health. After ascending the throne as Emperor, he began to vigorously search for alchemists across the land. Even the members of the Yin Yang School, whom King Xiaowen had once expelled, could be brought back as long as they were useful.
Gradually, the number of alchemists in the Qin Palace grew.
After receiving a lecture from Shaodian Qingnu, Ying Zheng ordered Afang to oversee the construction of a palace complex north of Li Mountain.
He placed the alchemists and the nobles of the six kingdoms into the labor force there. While the world did not know of Shaodian Qingnu's presence, they referred to the palace by the name of the woman overseeing it—the Afang Palace!
Shaodian Qingnu flipped through reports from all directions, her eyelids twitching wildly. She grabbed a bamboo slip and threw it at Ying Zheng.
"You brat! Showing such little regard for the people’s strength... is this how I taught you back then?"
Ying Zheng dodged the bamboo slip and defended himself, "Teacher, please calm yourself! The Prime Minister has already established a household registry. Gua Ren has conscripted labor according to these records. Gua Ren knows exactly what the limit of the people's strength is. Furthermore, there are laws to ensure their livelihood; nothing will go wrong."
The system established in the State of Qin starting with Lord Shang allowed the Qin rulers to clearly understand the available labor and resources. This was the prerequisite that allowed Great Qin to win so many national wars.
The King of Qin knew exactly where his country's limits were!
"And what if the people below you are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant?"
Shaodian Qingnu countered. Ying Zheng’s expression immediately turned cold. "Then they shall be killed!"
That momentary flash of killing intent made even Shaodian Qingnu blink. She remained silent for a moment, rubbed her temples, and sighed, waving him off. "Sigh... who else could be the Emperor but you? Remember, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. The world has just been settled; the system of Great Qin must be changed!"
Seeing Shaodian Qingnu's slight fatigue, Ying Zheng nodded. "Gua Ren has already ordered Li Si to discuss it."
After she returned to the Jade Maiden Shrine, Ying Zheng summoned Xu Fu.
"Xu Fu! What of the task Gua Ren gave you?"
Xu Fu knelt on the ground, nodding frantically. "Your Majesty, this servant has already found traces of the immortal mountains! Your Majesty only needs to prepare a fleet, young boys and girls, and gold and silver! This servant is willing to lead the fleet to visit the immortal mountains and seek the immortal elixir for Your Majesty!"
Ying Zheng stared at him intently. "You know the consequences of deceiving Gua Ren."
"This servant certainly knows!" Xu Fu kowtowed, his voice low. "Every word this servant speaks is the truth!"
Whether it was true or false was not for Xu Fu to decide.
Ying Zheng understood perfectly well that his words were likely false, but even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, Ying Zheng was willing to try.
Great Qin had swallowed the world, and there was a severe shortage of officials. The stability of the lands of the six kingdoms mostly relied on Ying Zheng’s personal prestige and deterrence to keep people from rebelling.
Since there were reports of unrest in the former lands of the six kingdoms, and with Fusu stationed in Xianyang, Ying Zheng directly ordered an Eastern Inspection!
Shaodian Qingnu went with him.
By the shores of the Eastern Sea, Ying Zheng stayed for many days. Finally, under Xu Fu's guidance, he saw the flickering, indistinct immortal mountains suspended over the sea.
"It’s nothing more than a mirage..." Shaodian Qingnu murmured.
Xu Fu's face paled slightly.
Ying Zheng turned to look at her and asked, "Teacher, what did you just say?"
Shaodian Qingnu glanced at Ying Zheng and asked, "Do you really believe that is real?"
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