DLERB -Chapter 17 Remnants of the Six States Come Knocking! Your Conspiracies Are Nothing More Than My Toys!

At last, dawn broke.

The gates of the Chancellor’s Estate slowly opened.

Li Si stepped out wearing plain robes.

He looked as though all vitality had been drained from him. His eye sockets were sunken, and overnight he seemed to have aged ten years.

Looking at Old Zhou, the Zhao Estate steward kneeling on the steps before the gate, Li Si frowned deeply.

“Who are you?”

Old Zhou slammed his forehead heavily against the ground, blood instantly seeping from the impact.

“Replying to the Chancellor, this humble one is Old Zhou, steward of the Zhao Estate.”

Li Si’s expression changed immediately.

“Someone from the Zhao Estate?”

Old Zhou did not dare raise his head and kowtowed once more.

“Chancellor, this humble one has come to confess my crimes!”

He pointed toward the dozen heavy wooden chests behind him.

“All the hidden account books, letters, and records of crimes from the Zhao Estate have been brought here by this humble one!”

“I beg the Chancellor, for the sake of my sincere repentance, to spare my life!”

Li Si stared at the dozen chests, then at the blood covering Old Zhou’s forehead.

He remained silent.

The cool morning breeze of Xianyang swept past, carrying a few fallen leaves with it.

After a long while, he finally spoke to the estate steward behind him.

“Carry them inside.”

Hearing those three words, Old Zhou felt as though he had been pardoned from death. His body went limp as he collapsed to the ground, repeatedly kowtowing.

“Thank you, Chancellor! Thank you for your mercy!”

Li Si did not spare him another glance. He turned and walked back into the estate, his figure swallowed by the towering gates.

One by one, the chests were carried into the Chancellor’s Estate.

Old Zhou sat collapsed upon the cold stone steps, drenched in cold sweat.

He knew that from this moment onward, the once-powerful Zhao Estate had completely vanished like smoke.

And that Lord Zhao Gao, still far away on the imperial eastern tour and dreaming his grand ambitions…

Was likely nearing his end as well.

…

At the same time, within Chunyu Yue’s residence—

A heavy medicinal smell lingered throughout the bedroom.

The old scholar reclined against the bed, his complexion gray and lifeless like that of a corpse.

Yet his old eyes shone with terrifying intensity, flickering with a sickly madness.

A Confucian scholar knelt before the bed, his voice trembling.

“Teacher, the men we sent out have all returned with reports… Luowang’s forces in Xianyang really… really have been uprooted completely.”

“At Wutong Alley, the fire burned all night. The Jinyiwei sealed off the entire street. They say the corpses were burned into charcoal.”

Chunyu Yue stared motionlessly at the carved canopy above the bed.

After a long silence, he suddenly laughed.

The laughter was hoarse and dry, like sandpaper scraping together.

“If they’re gone, then they’re gone.”

The student froze, staring at him in confusion.

“Teacher… what do you mean?”

Chunyu Yue slowly turned his head. Madness filled his cloudy old eyes.

“What is Luowang worth?”

“Nothing more than a pack of rats Zhao Gao kept in the gutters. Unworthy of standing on the stage.”

Struggling, he tried to sit up straighter.

“Go! Send more people immediately!”

“To Chenliu, to Daliang, to Linzi! Go to every gathering place of the former noble clans of the Six States!”

The student looked utterly bewildered.

“Teacher, that Ninth Young Master dared wipe out Luowang overnight. His methods are so ruthless. Shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we avoid the sharp edge for now and preserve ourselves first?”

“Avoid?”

Chunyu Yue interrupted him sharply, his voice suddenly rising.

“He can destroy a group of assassins, but can he destroy the entire world?”

His bony finger pointed toward the direction of Xianyang City outside the window.

“Go tell those former royal clans!”

“Tell them Ying Ziye, at only eight years old, governs the state with bloodthirsty cruelty, abusing private punishment and bathing Xianyang in blood, drawing the wrath of both heaven and man!”

“The hearts of the people within Xianyang have already been lost, and the foundations of Great Qin are shaking!”

“This is the best opportunity they have waited more than ten years for!”

“If they do not raise armies now, then when will they?!”

The student still wanted to persuade him further, but Chunyu Yue suddenly grabbed a pottery bowl from beside the bed and smashed it violently onto the floor.

“Get out! Do exactly as I said! Go now!”

The student trembled in fear and no longer dared say another word. He scrambled out of the room in panic.

Silence returned once more.

Looking at the gradually brightening sky outside, an incomparably sinister smile appeared on Chunyu Yue’s face.

“Ying Ziye… Ying Ziye… do you really think killing a few people is enough to suppress the surging undercurrents of this world?”

“The strength accumulated by the Six States over hundreds of years is far beyond what a mere yellow-mouthed child like you can imagine.”

“When their great armies arrive, you, little eight-year-old tyrant, will become meat on the chopping board for all under heaven!”

Just as he was imagining Ying Ziye being crushed beneath countless troops, the bedroom door was knocked on again.

“Teacher!”

The student from before had returned, his voice carrying both excitement and nervousness.

“What is it?”

“There… there is a guest outside the estate. He says he has come from the east and has urgent matters to discuss with you, Teacher!”

Chunyu Yue’s eyes instantly lit up.

“From the east? Quickly, invite him in!”

A moment later—

A middle-aged man wearing luxurious robes and a scholar’s headscarf entered the bedroom under the guidance of the student.

He appeared to be around forty years old. His face looked refined and scholarly, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, carrying the imposing scrutiny of someone long accustomed to power.

He gave a slight bow toward Chunyu Yue on the bed.

“This junior, Han Shi, greets Lord Chunyu.”

Chunyu Yue sized him up and spoke bluntly.

“You claim to come from the former Han Zhang clan lineage. What brings you here in the middle of the night?”

Han Shi smiled faintly, though the smile carried a trace of coldness.

“Lord Chunyu is one of the great scholars of this age. Why ask a question whose answer you already know?”

He stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“I have heard that Xianyang now has an eight-year-old regent who behaves wildly, treats human lives like grass, and is no different from a tyrant.”

“Though we remnants of the Six States live hidden among the common people, our hearts still care for all under heaven.”

“If we fail to seize such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, would heaven itself not condemn us?”

At last, a genuine smile appeared on Chunyu Yue’s withered face.

“Good! Excellent! ‘Heaven itself would condemn us’ indeed!”

He slapped the side of the bed excitedly.

“What does Sir intend to do?”

Han Shi answered calmly.

“Lord Chunyu is highly respected, and your students are spread throughout the realm. You need only raise your voice and publicly denounce that brat’s reckless tyranny. The scholars of the world will surely respond in droves. At that point, public sentiment can be used.”

Chunyu Yue nodded.

“Stirring public opinion is naturally my duty! And then?”

The smile on Han Shi’s lips widened further.

“Then, we will secretly spend our fortunes to recruit death warriors and bribe street thugs throughout Xianyang.”

“Three days from now, Lord Chunyu may lead the scholars and court officials to gather before the palace gates under the name of a ‘petition.’”

“At that time, my people will mix into the crowd, waiting only for the right moment…”

He did not finish his sentence.

But the killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable.

Chunyu Yue’s breathing quickened.

“An inside-outside coordinated assault… to storm the imperial palace!”

“Exactly.”

A trace of hesitation flashed through Chunyu Yue’s eyes.

“But… His Majesty the First Emperor is still on the eastern tour. If he learns of a military uprising in Xianyang…”

Han Shi let out a dismissive chuckle.

“My Lord, rest assured.”

“The eastern tour route is long and filled with dangers.”

“We have already placed countless ‘friends’ along the way.”

“I can guarantee you this: from this moment onward, not a single carrier pigeon flying out of Xianyang will ever reach His Majesty’s temporary palace.”

The final trace of concern in Chunyu Yue’s heart vanished completely.

He stared at Han Shi and spoke word by word.

“Good! We shall follow your plan!”

“In three days, either he dies—or I do!”

…

Inside the deepest prison cell of Xianyang’s great prison—

The place had already been transformed into Ying Ziye’s temporary base of operations.

Qinglong knelt on one knee, delivering his report.

“Young Master, as per your instructions, Chancellor Li Si has sealed away all the criminal evidence confiscated from the Zhao Estate. He also made a copied duplicate and sent it here.”

Ying Ziye was leisurely wiping the gleaming dagger at his waist with a white cloth.

Without even raising his head, he replied:

“Tell him to keep it. It will be useful later.”

Qinglong paused briefly before continuing.

“Additionally, last night, a visitor arrived at Chunyu Yue’s residence.”

“The Jinyiwei investigated him. He came from the east and calls himself Han Shi. He appears to have connections to the former Han royal clan that was destroyed long ago.”

Ying Ziye’s hand paused in the middle of wiping the dagger.

He raised his exquisitely delicate little face and asked in a childish voice:

“Oh? A guest from the east?”

The corners of his mouth curled into an innocent and radiant smile.

“Did he say what kind of greeting gift he plans to give me?”