DLERB -Chapter 199 My Brother Is a Traitor? Fusu Draws His Sword: Say That Again!

Five more years passed.

Northern frontier, the Great Wall.

The wind cut like a blade, and swirling snow pellets struck faces like needles.

Under a wind-sheltered beacon tower, several armored officers gathered around a bonfire for warmth.

A one-eyed deputy general tossed a piece of dry wood into the fire. Sparks burst.

He lowered his voice, his tone sour.

“Ten years.”

“His Ninth Highness has been ruling like a king in the west—does he still remember us brothers freezing here in the northern frontier?”

Beside him, a scar-faced colonel chuckled and took up the topic.

“A king? He’s far more impressive than a king now.”

“My uncle’s cousin works in Xianyang. Heard about it? The gold His Ninth Highness sends back every year could fill up the Wei River.”

“And all of it is blood-and-sweat wealth, scraped from those western barbarians.”

The one-eyed deputy snorted.

“Scraped from barbarians? Who knows.”

“Ten years without returning to court, commanding hundreds of thousands of ‘New Qin troops,’ and richer than the national treasury itself.”

“In my view, he’s another Lü Buwei’s lover—no, even more ambitious than Lü Buwei!”

“He’s trying to set himself up as a king in the west and build his own country!”

“We guard the empire’s borders here, while he digs at the very foundation of Great Qin outside!”

“This man is a traitor to the state!”

The moment the words fell—

The firelight dimmed.

A tall figure stood behind him, blocking the flames.

The one-eyed deputy turned around.

Fusu stood there.

Five years had turned the once-prince into something like an iron mountain. His facial lines were harder than the stones of the Great Wall, a scar running from his brow to his jaw.

He said nothing.

Just stood there.

The deputy felt a jolt of fear and quickly stood up to salute.

“G-Great Prince…”

Fusu ignored him.

He extended his hand.

Clang.

A guard’s sword was drawn into his grasp.

The deputy’s legs began to tremble.

“Your Highness, I… I only—”

Fusu moved.

One step.

And he was in front of him.

A flash of sword light.

A head flew into the air with an expression of terror.

Blood spurted three feet high, splattering onto the snow, steaming hot.

The headless body swayed twice before falling straight into the bonfire.

Zzzzt—

The stench of burning flesh spread.

All surrounding officers dropped to their knees, burying their heads in the snow.

Fusu tossed the sword back to the guard.

He stepped on the rolling head.

And crushed it.

“My younger brother,”

his voice was colder than the northern wind,

“is expanding Great Qin’s territory.”

“Anyone who dares speak another word against him—”

He lifted his foot and kicked the mangled head far away, smashing it into the distant wall into a mess of blood and bone.

“Will end up like this.”

……

Xianyang.

Qilin Hall.

The court atmosphere was heavy.

An elderly minister with completely white hair stepped forward tremblingly.

Censor-in-Chief Wang Wan, disciple-brother of Kong Fuzi’s lineage.

He held his tablet and bowed deeply toward the throne.

“Your Majesty,”

“I submit a memorial.”

Qin Shi Huang said nothing, only gestured for him to continue.

Wang Wan cleared his throat. His voice echoed through the vast hall.

“His Ninth Highness has been away from the capital for ten years, stationed in Western Qin, and has not returned.”

“The Book of Rites says: ‘When parents are alive, one should not travel far; if one does, one must have a proper reason.’ The prince has not paid respects to His Majesty for ten years—this is a failure of filial duty.”

“Now in Xianyang, rumors spread everywhere in the streets—some say he is building his own power, some say he is cruel and tyrannical, others say he has been possessed by western evil spirits… such slander severely damages the dignity of the royal house!”

“If this continues, it may shake the foundation of the state!”

His voice grew louder and more urgent.

“To correct public perception, stabilize the people’s hearts, and uphold filial duty—”

“I humbly request Your Majesty!”

Wang Wan suddenly dropped to his knees, striking his forehead against the cold stone floor.

“I ask for an imperial decree!”

“Summon the Ninth Prince back to court!”

The hall fell into dead silence.

All ministers kept their heads lowered, barely daring to breathe.

Li Si stood at the head of all officials, motionless like a stone statue.

On the dragon throne—

Qin Shi Huang finally moved.

He smiled.

A faint, cold smile.

He picked up a bamboo scroll from the imperial desk.

It was thick and heavy, bound together with copper wire.

It was the latest fiscal and tax report sent from Western Qin.

Qin Shi Huang stood up.

He did not walk down the steps.

He simply swept his arm.

The heavy bamboo scroll shot out like a stone, whistling through the air.

Bang!

It struck Wang Wan’s forehead squarely.

Wang Wan screamed and fell backward, landing flat on his back.

Blood flowed down his forehead, blurring his vision.

“Filial piety? The foundation of the state?”

Qin Shi Huang’s voice thundered through the hall.

“What Ziye sent back last year alone in gold outweighs every word you’ve spoken over the past ten years combined!”

He pointed outside the hall.

“He expanded my treasury three times!”

“He ensured my northern troops wear double-layer armor and eat meat in every meal!”

“He conquered a territory larger than both Han and Wei combined!”

Qin Shi Huang stepped down the imperial stairs, step by step, until he stood before Wang Wan.

He stepped on Wang Wan’s hand.

Crack.

The sound of bones breaking.

“Agh!”

Wang Wan let out a piercing scream.

“You!”

Qin Shi Huang looked down at him.

“For ten years, you’ve done nothing but move your lips and spread rumors behind my back, trying to sow discord between father and son.”

“He—”

Qin Shi Huang pointed toward the west.

“Is shedding blood and fighting wars for me and for Great Qin!”

“Now tell me—”

“Who is the filial son?”

“And who is the traitor to the state?”

Wang Wan trembled in agony and could not speak a single word.

Qin Shi Huang withdrew his foot and no longer looked at him.

He swept his gaze across the officials.

Every minister who met his eyes immediately dropped to their knees.

“We are guilty!”

……

That night.

Zhangtai Palace.

Qin Shi Huang dismissed all attendants.

In the vast palace, only he remained—and a shadow in the corner, almost merging with darkness.

The leader of the Black Ice Platform.

Qin Shi Huang did not look at him.

Before him hung a massive strategic map covering an entire wall.

His finger slowly traced across it.

From Xianyang, to Hangu Pass, to the former lands of the Six States.

Then further west.

Across deserts of endless sand, across unfamiliar mountains and wilderness.

Finally—

His finger stopped on a vast, ink-black territory.

On it were two Qin seal-script characters:

Western Qin

Qin Shi Huang’s finger lingered there for a long time.

Ten years.

His son had turned a once-crazy idea of his into a real land belonging to Great Qin.

He had even heard that—

Children born there no longer knew what “Rome” was.

They only knew one identity:

They were Qin.

Qin Shi Huang withdrew his hand.

He turned to the shadow.

“Deliver my decree to Western Qin.”

His voice was calm.

The shadow waited silently.

“Tell Ziye—”

He paused slightly.

“He is already eighteen.”

“It is time for him to return.”

The candlelight flickered in the hall, stretching Qin Shi Huang’s silhouette long across the floor.

“My Qilin son…”

“It is time for the world to see how he has grown.”