DLERB -Chapter 38 Father Emperor, Your Son Has Sent You a Great Gift — Are You Surprised?

Outside the city of Xianyang, the wind swept across the green fields, stirring waves of hope through the crops.

Li Si gazed at the living corpse tied to the wooden stake — the man once known as Chunyu Yue — and listened to the questioning that came from the depths of his soul. He remained silent for a long time.

He did not answer whether it was right or wrong.

Instead, he slowly turned around and pointed toward the three hundred mu of flourishing potato fields. He pointed at the common folk scattered along the ridges of the fields, their faces carrying simple, honest smiles.

His voice was calm, yet filled with unquestionable conviction.

“Master Chunyu, perhaps right and wrong are not that important.”

“If the people of this world can eat their fill… if they can survive…”

Li Si lowered his hand and said each word deliberately:

“That… is the greatest ‘Dao.’”

The greatest Dao…

Those five words struck Chunyu Yue’s already shattered spirit like five invisible warhammers.

He froze.

His cloudy eyes slowly shifted toward the peasants he had once disdained.

He saw an old farmer carefully piling soil around a potato sprout, his expression more reverent than if he were worshipping his ancestors.

He saw several children chasing each other along the ridges, their laughter bright and carefree, untouched by the despair of hunger.

He saw a woman handing a bowl of water to her husband working in the field. The two exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with hope for the future.

These… were the Dao?

“Haha… hahahahahaha!”

Suddenly, Chunyu Yue laughed.

The laughter was hoarse and crazed, like the cries of a night owl.

As he laughed, murky tears streamed from his shriveled eyes.

“Hahahaha… To eat one’s fill! To stay alive! And that is the greatest Dao!”

“I spent my entire life studying the teachings of the sages! I devoted my old age to the classics! I believed I had upheld ‘ritual,’ upheld the order of the world!”

Like a madman, he roared toward the heavens.

“And in the end… the thing I defended all my life… was actually worth less than a single potato!”

“Hahahaha… how tragic! How laughable! How pitiful!”

Laughter and sobbing intertwined in the wind.

At last, all sound faded into silence.

Chunyu Yue stopped laughing and crying. He merely lowered his head and stared blankly at the soil beneath his feet, motionless.

No trace of life remained.

Li Si knew that this great Confucian scholar — once famed throughout the realm and hailed as the backbone of Confucianism — was dead.

Not from the wind and sun.

But on this vibrant field overflowing with hope.

Li Si did not spare him another glance. He turned and silently departed.

Behind him, the old era finally came to an end.

…

A thousand miles away, the imperial eastern tour procession advanced onward.

Banners stretched like a forest, armored soldiers gathered like clouds.

Protected by tens of thousands of troops, the convoy resembled a black dragon winding across the imperial road — majestic and filled with killing intent.

At the center of the procession, inside the imperial dragon carriage, luxury reached its extreme.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black dragon robe and wearing a twelve-tasseled imperial crown sat upright upon a cushioned couch, reviewing bamboo slips.

His face was stern, his nose sharp and prominent. When his eyes opened and closed, they carried a natural aura of supreme dominance over the world.

He was the ruler of the Great Qin Empire — the First Emperor, Ying Zheng.

“Your Majesty, please have some ginseng soup.”

A soft yet slightly feminine voice sounded.

Zhao Gao, the Director of the Imperial Carriage Office, stood nearby in a deeply respectful posture, holding a bowl of ginseng soup.

Without looking up, Ying Zheng merely gave a quiet “Mm.”

At that moment—

“Report—!”

An urgent shout came from outside the dragon carriage.

A rider clad in black armor, covered in dust from travel, stumbled and crawled his way to the front of the carriage, raising a black bamboo tube high above his head.

“Xianyang! Eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch!”

Zhao Gao’s brows lifted slightly. He stepped forward, accepted the bamboo tube, and presented it to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng set down his vermilion brush, opened the tube, and pulled out the secret message within.

He took only one glance.

“Bang!”

Ying Zheng suddenly slammed the desk before him. A crack instantly spread across the golden nanmu table.

“Insolence!”

He shot to his feet, imperial fury erupting across his face.

“I ordered him to oversee the state so he could stabilize the court — not so he could run wild!”

“Right from the start, in Qilin Hall, before all the officials, he punched a court officer to death! Does he still have any regard for me?! Any regard for the laws of Great Qin?!”

The terrifying pressure of an emperor instantly filled the entire dragon carriage.

With a thud, Zhao Gao dropped to his knees, trembling violently like chaff in the wind, though inwardly he was overjoyed.

While kowtowing, he carefully added fuel to the flames.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger! The Ninth Young Master is only eight years old. He is somewhat mischievous. Presumably… presumably it was an unintentional mistake.”

“It’s just that… Yan Le was one of this servant’s subordinates. He was usually diligent in his duties, yet he died so inexplicably. I fear… I fear there may be treacherous people around the Ninth Young Master, deceiving the imperial judgment.”

Ying Zheng’s chest rose and fell sharply. Clearly, he was furious.

“Prepare an edict!”

Pointing at Zhao Gao, he spoke coldly:

“Rebuke Ying Ziye. Order him to remain confined and reflect on his actions! Investigate this matter thoroughly. All involved are to be severely punished without exception!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Zhao Gao was secretly delighted and was just about to fetch brush and ink—

“Report—!!”

Another shout rang out, even more urgent than before!

The second messenger from the Black Ice Terrace was practically carried down from his horse. After handing over the bamboo tube in his hand, he immediately fainted.

“Xianyang! Second dispatch! Eight-hundred-li urgent message!”

Zhao Gao’s movements froze.

Ying Zheng’s brows furrowed even tighter. He snatched the bamboo tube away and unfolded the secret letter.

This time, he read very slowly.

The report stated that the Confucian scholar Chunyu Yue had led a group to force the palace.

Not only had the Ninth Young Master refused to retreat, he had instead summoned three thousand Jinyiwei into the hall and suppressed the entire court with thunderous force.

Chancellor Li Si had bowed his head in submission.

The entire imperial court had been completely brought under control by an eight-year-old child.

The anger on Ying Zheng’s face slowly faded.

In its place appeared deep shock and suspicion.

He slowly sat back down on the couch, placing the two secret letters side by side on the desk as he sank into prolonged silence.

The air inside the dragon carriage became so oppressive it felt almost solid.

After a long while, Ying Zheng finally raised his head. His sharp eyes landed on Zhao Gao, who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Zhao Gao.”

“Your servant is here!”

“An eight-year-old child can command Qinglong’s Jinyiwei?”

Ying Zheng’s voice was calm, yet it sent a chill racing from Zhao Gao’s spine straight to the top of his head.

“An eight-year-old child can force the deeply calculating Li Si to kneel in court?”

Cold sweat instantly poured down Zhao Gao’s back.

He realized that events seemed to be developing beyond his expectations.

He dared not raise his head, only lowering it further.

“Your Majesty… this servant believes that behind all this… there must be an expert advising him!”

“The Ninth Young Master is still young. Perhaps… perhaps the Meng family is supporting him from behind the scenes…”

He was trying to shift the blame toward the military faction led by Meng Yi.

Ying Zheng said nothing.

He simply picked up the two secret reports and read them over and over again.

One described childish recklessness.

The other described decisive ruthlessness.

Could they truly be the same person?

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty—!”

The third messenger rushed before the dragon carriage in an almost crazed state, stumbling and crawling the entire way.

He had even forgotten proper etiquette and failed to kneel. Instead, he raised high above his head a bamboo tube wrapped in red silk — unlike the previous ones.

His voice had completely changed from overwhelming excitement and fear.

With all his strength, he shouted toward the dragon carriage the words that would shake the entire Qin Empire.

“Your Majesty! Great joy! Heaven has bestowed an auspicious sign!”

“In Xianyang, the Ninth Young Master has discovered a divine crop with a yield of five thousand jin per mu!”