Li Si’s voice, tinged with a cry, echoed across the platform.
“This list includes a relative of the Clan Affairs Office—Ying Teng!”
“And… and a subordinate of the Palace Commandant Zhao Hai!!”
As the words fell.
Several officials in the court lineup instantly turned pale as paper.
One of them’s legs gave way and he collapsed directly onto the ground.
Ying Zheng’s gaze swept over them.
There was no anger in his eyes—only ice-cold indifference.
“Jinyiwei.”
He spoke calmly.
Qinglong knelt on one knee.
“Present.”
“Arrest them according to the list.”
“All involved—regardless of rank or royal kinship.”
Ying Ziye paused slightly.
“Exterminate their entire three clans.”
“Understood!”
Qinglong stood up and waved his hand.
Dozens of Jinyiwei, who had been hidden in the shadows all along, surged out like wolves and tigers.
“Your Majesty, spare me! I am innocent!”
“I don’t know anything! I really don’t know!”
Crying and begging for mercy instantly erupted everywhere.
The officials whose names had been called, along with their relatives, were dragged out of the formation like dead dogs by the Jinyiwei.
The atmosphere across the entire square became suffocatingly heavy.
At that moment—
A childish voice rang out inappropriately.
“Father Emperor.”
Ying Ziye tugged at Ying Zheng’s sleeve.
He pointed at dozens of steaming large cauldrons.
“The food is going to get cold.”
“If we don’t eat now, the meat will get old and the potatoes won’t be soft anymore.”
Everyone: “……”
Ying Zheng lowered his head and looked at his son’s little face full of “I want to eat.”
He smiled.
That smile made all the officials feel a chill in their hearts.
“You’re right, Ziye.”
Ying Zheng’s voice, carried by inner force, spread across the entire square.
“Eat!”
The people below froze.
Still eating?
Even now… after killing people?
Ying Zheng looked at the hesitant faces below and spoke again.
“Today is the Heaven Sacrificial Ceremony. It is a celebration for Great Qin—and for the auspicious omen!”
“Some remnants of the Six Kingdoms, ignorant of death, dared to cause trouble.”
“I… am very pleased.”
The officials were completely confused.
Someone tried to assassinate you—and you’re pleased?!
“With these criminals’ heads, we offer sacrifice to the heavens for the auspicious omen!”
“With their wailing, we provide music for the ceremony!”
Ying Zheng pointed at the officials and assassins being dragged beneath the platform.
“This is a double blessing!”
“Something worth celebrating with a drink!”
He waved his imperial sleeve.
“All listen to my decree!”
“Eat!”
“Anyone whose bowl is not full shows disrespect to me!”
“Anyone who does not eat meat properly looks down on the auspicious omen!”
“Begin the feast—!”
Those two words were more powerful than any command.
“Long live His Majesty!”
An old farmer, boldest among them, was the first to raise his broken bowl.
“Long live Ninth Prince!”
“Food’s here!!”
The crowd instantly ignited.
Fear?
It didn’t exist.
With the Emperor here, with the divine-like Ninth Prince providing food—what was there to fear?
Kill them!
Kill all those bastards so we can eat our fill every day!
The people surged like mad toward the giant cauldrons.
A bizarre scene unfolded across Chengtian Gate Square.
On the east side.
Kitchen troops used massive iron ladles to pour steaming potato-and-beef stew into the people’s bowls.
“Thank you, sir! Thank you!”
A man received a full bowl of meat, tears streaming down his face with excitement.
He eagerly grabbed a piece of beef with his hands, burning his mouth, yet smiling in pure happiness.
On the west side.
The Jinyiwei stood in a straight line, expressionless.
Qinglong picked up the list and began calling names.
“Clan Affairs Office—Ying Shao, collusion with enemy states. Execute!”
Slash!
Blade down.
A head rolled several meters away.
Blood dyed the stone slabs red.
East side.
“Wife, eat quickly! The potatoes are even better than meat!”
A man carefully placed the biggest potato piece into his wife’s bowl.
West side.
“Palace Commandant’s subordinate, Zhao San, traitor and accomplice. Execute!”
Slash!
Another head fell.
East side.
A three-year-old child was lifted onto his father’s shoulders, clutching a piece of meat and eating with grease all over his mouth, giggling nonstop.
On the western side—
“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!”
Blade light flashed continuously.
Heads rolled across the ground like gourds cut down in autumn.
Blood formed small streams, flowing along the gaps between the stone slabs.
The thick smell of blood mixed with an even stronger aroma of meat, drifting across the entire square.
But the common people showed no fear.
They didn’t even bother looking.
They simply focused on eating from their bowls with all their strength.
Sweating, mouths full of oil, devouring everything.
In their eyes—
The heads rolling on the western side and the beef stewing in the eastern pots had no essential difference.
Both were things that kept them alive.
With a strong emperor.
With endless food.
This… was heaven.
On the high platform.
Wang Jian and Meng Yi stood side by side.
They watched the feast of blood and flesh unfolding below.
They exchanged a glance.
Neither spoke.
But in both their eyes burned the same flame.
Fanaticism.
It was submission to absolute power, reverence for an iron-blooded emperor.
The Emperor had returned.
The First Emperor who once swept across the Six Kingdoms and ruled with overwhelming might—had returned!
The iron cavalry of Great Qin would once again be invincible under heaven!
Li Si stood nearby.
He did not look at Ying Zheng, nor at the executed officials.
His gaze was fixed on Ying Ziye, who sat on a small throne, swinging his short legs and eating fries one bite at a time.
This child…
Watching heads roll without even blinking.
As if it was not a massacre—but entertainment for his banquet.
Li Si felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
The Emperor could kill.
But turning killing into a nationwide feast of celebration…
That level of method… was far more ruthless than the Emperor himself.
“Uncle Qinglong.”
Ying Ziye swallowed his food and waved.
“What about Xiang Zhuang?”
Qinglong immediately stepped forward.
“Replying to Your Highness, he still has one breath left.”
“Kill him?”
Ying Ziye shook his head.
He stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, looking down at Xiang Zhuang still twitching in the human-shaped pit.
“Too wasteful to kill.”
“Break his limbs, pull out his tongue, dig out his eyes—make him into a human stick.”
Qinglong’s body stiffened.
The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids turned deathly pale.
“No…”
Ying Ziye changed his mind again.
“Forget it. Too disgusting. It’ll affect my appetite later.”
He thought for a moment.
“Throw him into a sturdy prison cell. Feed him well.”
“Remember—don’t let him die.”
Ying Ziye grinned.
“This is such a good bait. I still have use for him.”
“Understood!”
Qinglong immediately obeyed and personally went down, dragging Xiang Zhuang away like a torn sack.
At that moment—
A golden interface only Ying Ziye could see slowly unfolded before his eyes.
【Ding!】
【Congratulations, Host. You have successfully crushed the Six Kingdoms remnants’ assassination plot, suppressed internal traitors, defended Great Qin’s national authority, and greatly increased national fortune!】
【Triggering “National Fortune Critical Reward”!】
【Reward 1: World Map (Resource Marked Edition)!】
【Reward 2: Special Forces Tactical Mastery Manual!】
In an instant.
A massive stream of information flooded Ying Ziye’s mind.
From individual combat techniques, to squad infiltration, decapitation operations, information warfare, psychological warfare…
All modern special forces tactics were deeply imprinted into his memory.
At the same time.
A vast dynamic map, viewed from a god’s-eye perspective, unfolded in his consciousness.
Mountains, rivers, deserts, oceans.
The entire world’s outline appeared with absolute clarity.
Shimmering points were marked across the map:
【Iron Ore】, 【Coal】, 【Gold Mine】, 【Petroleum】…
Ying Ziye’s gaze swept across the territory of Great Qin.
Then he moved the map northward.
Beyond the Great Wall, across the vast grasslands—
A huge, constantly flashing red zone stabbed into his vision.
【Xiongnu】
Threat Level: High.
Ying Ziye withdrew his focus. The massacre in the square had ended, leaving only the sound of satisfied chewing from the people.
Qinglong presented all items recovered from Xiang Zhuang.
Ying Ziye casually picked up a jade pendant.
Carved on it was a crouching, ready-to-pounce tiger.
The clan emblem of the Xiang family.
He tossed the jade pendant lightly in his small hand.
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