DLERB -Chapter 56 Father Emperor, Uncle Zhao Gao Seems to Be Hoping for Trouble in Great Qin

On the ridge of the field, even the wind had stopped.

Emperor Ying Zheng’s question pressed down on everyone like an invisible mountain.

“If I don’t give them food, will they rebel?”

It was a question that struck straight at the heart.

General Wang Jian’s grip on his sword tightened, veins bulging on his hand.

Li Si lowered his head even further.

Hán Xìn knelt on the ground, his posture straight and rigid, but he did not speak.

All eyes turned to that small figure.

Ying Ziye raised his head.

He looked at his towering father emperor. In those clear eyes, there was not the slightest fear.

He thought about it carefully.

Then he answered in a crisp, completely certain voice.

“Father Emperor.”

“They won’t.”

Those four simple words made Li Si and Wang Jian finally feel half of the tension in their chests loosen.

Ying Zheng looked at him without speaking, as if waiting for an explanation.

Ying Ziye tugged at his sleeve again.

“Because they know that without Great Qin, no one else can give them food.”

“The potatoes and sweet potatoes they eat are gifts from Father Emperor’s destiny—things I found for you and offered to you.”

“Their lives were given by Father Emperor. They were given by Great Qin!”

His small voice echoed clearly across the silent field.

The three thousand Divine Strategy Army soldiers, who had looked fierce moments before, now showed subtle changes in their expressions.

The one-eyed soldier, who had been pinned down tightly by his comrades, even stopped struggling.

He stared at the small figure, something different appearing in his eyes.

Wang Jian released the grip on his sword. On his aged face, for the first time, a genuine smile appeared from the heart.

Well said—“their lives were given by Great Qin”!

Li Si slowly straightened his back. The way he looked at Ying Ziye now was as if he were looking at a deity.

Emperor Ying Zheng’s towering figure stiffened slightly.

He looked down at his eight-year-old son.

After a long silence, he finally uttered two words.

“Very good.”

The atmosphere finally relaxed.

At that moment—

Ying Ziye tugged at Ying Zheng’s robe again.

His little face showed hesitation and uncertainty.

“Father Emperor…”

“Hm?”

“There’s something I want to tell you.”

“But… I don’t know if I should say it.”

Ying Zheng looked at him. The stern lines of his face softened slightly.

“Speak freely.”

Ying Ziye immediately leaned closer.

He stood on his tiptoes and whispered into Ying Zheng’s ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, like he was reporting a complaint.

“Father Emperor, I think…”

“Uncle Zhao Gao… he is not a good person.”

The voice was soft.

But those words exploded like thunder in the minds of everyone who was straining to listen!

Li Si’s relaxed body instantly tensed again.

Wang Jian’s pupils subtly contracted.

Even Meng Yi in the distance paused his motion of stroking his beard.

Ying Zheng’s face darkened.

He placed a hand on Ying Ziye’s shoulder and set him upright.

“Why do you say that?”

His tone carried no clear emotion.

Ying Zheng, seeing his father emperor’s serious expression, seemed a little frightened and nervously twisted his fingers.

He raised one finger.

“First, I found divine crops that can make the people of Great Qin full. But as soon as Uncle Zhao Gao returned, he said it was witchcraft and should all be burned.”

He raised a second finger.

“Second, I brought back abandoned veteran soldiers, let them eat, wear armor, and defend Xianyang. But Uncle Zhao Gao said I was building a private army and plotting rebellion.”

He raised a third finger.

“Third, everything I did was to make Father Emperor happy and make Great Qin stronger. But Uncle Zhao Gao said I was trying to win people’s hearts for improper ambitions.”

He finished counting on three fingers.

He looked up again, his pure eyes filled with confusion and grievance.

“Father Emperor…”

“Are the things I did… really bad?”

“Is it also wrong to let the people eat their fill?”

Ying Zheng fell silent.

He could not say a single word.

On the journey back, weren’t these exactly the kinds of things Zhao Gao had been whispering in his ear?

Sorcery that deceives the people.

Raising private troops.

Buying popular support.

But now, he had seen the truth with his own eyes.

The so-called “sorcery” was a blessed harvest yielding three thousand jin per mu.

The so-called “private army” was a pack of loyal warriors cheering for him with unwavering allegiance.

The so-called “buying popular support” was nothing more than the people’s sincere gratitude and joy.

Every accusation had become a loud slap, striking Zhao Gao’s face.

And also striking the face of him—the emperor who claimed to “listen widely for clarity.”

Seeing that his father remained silent, Ying Ziye pouted, his voice becoming even more aggrieved.

“Father Emperor, I don’t understand the great principles of court affairs.”

“I only know that Grandfather Wang Jian and Uncle Li Si were very happy when they saw the potatoes and the Divine Strategy Army.”

“That Uncle Han Xin and those soldier grandfathers were very happy because they could eat their fill.”

“And the uncles and aunties outside the city were also happy because they had food.”

He paused slightly.

Tilting his little head, his pure eyes were filled with clear, unhidden confusion.

“But Father Emperor…”

“Uncle Zhao Gao… he doesn’t seem happy.”

“He doesn’t look happy at all when he sees all this.”

His small voice, at that moment, struck like a heavy hammer against Ying Zheng’s heart.

Ying Ziye seemed genuinely troubled by this question.

“Father Emperor, why isn’t he happy?”

“I made Great Qin better—so why does he look like… like someone whose parents just died?”

“He seems…”

He paused, as if searching for the right words.

“He seems like he’s hoping something bad will happen to Great Qin.”

Boom!

Those words were like a bolt of black lightning, tearing through all pretense!

Everyone present held their breath at that instant.

This was no longer the innocent speech of a child.

It was a ruthless, fatal, heart-piercing accusation!

Ying Zheng’s tall body suddenly stiffened.

His hand resting on Ying Ziye’s shoulder tightened unconsciously.

In his deep, bottomless eyes, the last trace of warmth was completely extinguished.

What replaced it was an emperor’s fury like a collapsing storm and surging sea!

At that suffocating moment of deathly silence—

Li Si moved.

He stepped out from the ranks of officials and approached Ying Zheng, bowing deeply.

“Your Majesty.”

His voice was calm, yet carried a force as solid as metal and stone.

“This minister has a memorial to present.”

Ying Zheng’s gaze slowly shifted from Ying Ziye to Li Si.

It was cold, sharp—like a drawn sword.

“Present it.”

Three words, without the slightest warmth.

An attendant hurried forward, took the bamboo slip from Li Si with trembling hands, and presented it to the emperor.

Ying Zheng snatched the bamboo slip into his hand.

He did not open it immediately.

Instead, he glanced toward the distance—toward Zhao Gao, who had already been dragged beside the imperial carriage like a drowned dog.

Only then did he slowly unfold the bamboo slip.

His eyes fell on the first line of text.

Just one glance.

Ying Zheng’s expression changed drastically!

The calm, unshaken face lost all color in an instant, turning a terrifying iron-blue!

Crack—

The bamboo slip in his hand was crushed, a crack appearing under his grip!

The surrounding officials all stepped back in fear, not daring to breathe.

On the bamboo slip, written clearly in small Qin script, was:

“Zhao Gao, during the eastern tour, secretly met with envoys of the remnants of the Six States three times; suspected collusion.”

Ying Zheng suddenly raised his head.

An indescribable, overwhelming killing intent erupted from his body!

The entire field seemed to plunge into freezing ice in that moment!

He did not roar.

He only spoke, each word squeezed out from the depths of extreme restraint:

“Summon Zhao Gao!!”