DLERB -Chapter 209 My Crown Princess Is Also My Partner!

Ying Ziye’s voice fell in the hall.

Not loud.

But it struck like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

“Absurd!”

An even more aged figure than Kong Fu stumbled out from the royal clan’s ranks.

It was Gongzheng Ying Teng’s younger brother—the current Court Supervisor, Ying Guang.

He dropped to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face, and desperately kowtowed toward Qin Shi Huang.

“Your Majesty! This cannot be allowed, Your Majesty!”

“This is the Crown Princess of Great Qin! The future mother of the nation!”

“In her veins will flow the future of the imperial bloodline of Great Qin!”

“How can… how can it be a lowly artisan’s daughter?!”

He cried as if his heart were being torn apart.

“The bloodline of my Ying clan has lasted for a thousand years, so noble! How can it be defiled by the blood of a wild girl!”

“The ancestors will curse us, Your Majesty!”

“After I die, I will have no face to meet the forefathers of Great Qin!”

Ying Guang’s wailing ignited the atmosphere like a fuse.

“Yes, Your Majesty! The Court Supervisor speaks rightly!”

“Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

The nobles who had just been suppressed by Ying Ziye immediately found a new pillar of support and began to clamor again.

They were afraid.

If today an artisan’s daughter could become Crown Princess,

then tomorrow, what value would their proud bloodlines and noble status still have?

This was cutting at their roots.

Ying Ziye turned around and looked at the old man crying on the ground.

He did not get angry.

Instead, he smiled.

“Court Supervisor.”

His voice was calm.

“I ask you—was the world of Great Qin conquered through noble bloodlines, or through the swords of its soldiers?”

Ying Guang’s cries faltered.

Ying Ziye stepped forward.

“Let me ask again—was Great Qin’s grain stored in its granaries filled through the prayers of nobles, or through the sweat of farmers?”

Ying Guang opened his mouth—but no words came out.

Ying Ziye’s voice suddenly rose.

“My wife—my Crown Princess—I do not want a tool who only knows how to bear children!”

“I want a partner who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me!”

“A collaborator!”

“Collaborator?”

The term was completely unfamiliar to everyone in the hall.

Ying Ziye did not explain.

He pointed directly at Gongshu Wan.

“When I strike the Xiongnu in the north, she can improve grain transport carts so soldiers at the front can eat a hot meal!”

“When I campaign against the Yue tribes in the south, she can design stronger warships so the Black Water Dragon Banner of Qin can reach farther seas!”

“When I face fortified cities, she can build more accurate trebuchets so my men shed less blood!”

Word by word, his voice struck like iron.

“Tell me!”

“Can your daughters—who only know poetry, makeup, and embroidery—do any of this?!”

The entire hall fell into silence.

The nobles who had been shouting just moments ago all lowered their heads.

Li Si stood frozen in place, feeling as if his entire career as Chancellor had become a joke today.

Gongshu Wan raised her head.

She looked at the back standing in front of her.

For the first time.

For the first time, someone had taken what others called “trivial crafts” and declared them important.

For the first time, someone had linked her, an artisan, to the fate of an entire empire.

Her hands clenched tightly at the hem of her clothing.

On the dragon throne, Qin Shi Huang had remained silent the entire time.

He looked at his son, then at the oil-stained girl.

Ying Ziye turned, faced Qin Shi Huang, and bowed deeply.

“Father.”

“With what is in her mind, combined with my blueprints…”

“In three years, the combat strength of Great Qin’s cavalry can be doubled!”

BOOM!

These words were even more explosive than the idea of a “partner.”

Wang Jian and Meng Tian both began breathing heavily.

They looked at Gongshu Wan as if she were a walking arsenal of war power.

Qin Shi Huang leaned slightly forward.

Finally, he spoke.

“Bloodline…”

“Compared to the empire of Qin…”

“Which carries more weight?”

He asked the entire court.

But no one dared to answer.

Qin Shi Huang stood up.

“Good.”

He only said one word.

Li Si’s heart sank to the bottom.

He knew the situation was already decided.

However, Qin Shi Huang’s next words gave him a faint trace of hope.

“However, the selection of the Crown Princess concerns the foundation of the state and cannot be treated lightly.”

The Emperor’s gaze fell on Li Si.

“Gongshu Wan shall be made the principal consort.”

“But the Chancellor’s daughter, Li Yannran, is gentle, virtuous, and widely known for her talent. She may be made secondary consort and marry into the Eastern Palace as well.”

“In this way, both civil and martial qualities are combined—this is the most complete arrangement.”

As soon as these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall immediately loosened.

The nobles let out a long breath.

Good. Good.

At least one noble lady still retained dignity and maintained balance.

Li Si also hurriedly knelt to express gratitude.

“This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your great grace!”

Everyone turned to look at Ying Ziye.

This was the best compromise the Emperor could offer.

On one side was the combat-capable “partner,” and on the other was the court-pleasing “virtuous consort.”

A perfect harmony of both worlds.

No one would refuse it.

“Father.”

Ying Ziye spoke.

“I do not want a secondary consort.”

Li Si’s movement froze in place.

The entire court froze once again.

Ying Ziye’s voice was soft, but carried absolute resolve.

“In my Eastern Palace, there will only be one mistress.”

“And my wife… will also be only one.”

Qin Shi Huang’s expression darkened.

“Are you teaching me how to rule?”

The Emperor’s pressure enveloped the entire hall.

But Ying Ziye did not retreat—instead, he stepped forward.

From his robes, he pulled out another roll of parchment.

He walked down to the steps before the throne and raised it high.

“I would not dare.”

“I simply wish to tell Father this.”

“That axle’s ball-bearing design… was only an appetizer.”

“This thing… is what can truly change the world.”

“And the only person in the entire Great Qin who can build it…”

“Is her.”

A trembling attendant received the parchment and presented it to Qin Shi Huang.

The Emperor unrolled it.

On it was a strange mechanical structure he had never seen before—composed of a boiler, pistons, and connecting rods.

Below it was a line of text.

“The power of steam can drive all things. Its force is hundreds to thousands of times greater than oxen and horses.”

Qin Shi Huang’s hand trembled slightly.

He suddenly looked up at Ying Ziye—and then at the silent girl standing in the center of the hall.

He suddenly understood.

This was not a marriage arrangement.

It was an investment.

A gamble—exchanging the position of a Crown Princess for the technological leap of an entire empire!

“Haha…”

Qin Shi Huang laughed.

“Hahahahaha!”

He slammed the blueprint heavily onto the dragon table.

“Good!”

“Truly, the Crown Princess that belongs only to you!”

He raised his voice and declared:

“Transmit my decree!”

“Gongshu Wan of the Mo family, virtuous and talented, possessing extraordinary intelligence and insight—she has won my favor! She is hereby betrothed to the Ninth Prince Ying Ziye as Crown Princess! The wedding shall take place in seven days!”

The decree shocked the entire court.

But it was not over.

Qin Shi Huang’s voice rose again, even louder than before.

“Furthermore!”

“Establish the Heavenly Engineering Institute in Xianyang, in charge of all artisans, construction, and machinery of the empire!”

“Appoint Gongshu Wan as Chief Master of the Heavenly Engineering Institute, rank equivalent to Shangqing!”

“A decree is hereby issued!”

A single imperial edict.

A humble artisan girl had ascended to the heavens in a single step.

Not only becoming Crown Princess—

But also the first female high official in the history of Great Qin!

Outside the Qilin Hall, the sunlight was bright.

But in the eyes of the kneeling nobles, the sky over Xianyang had already begun to change.

At the back of the crowd, several members of the royal clan and marquises exchanged a subtle glance.

The wedding seven days later…might be their final chance.