"The King has agreed?"
Zhao Feng asked with a hint of surprise.
Indeed, he found Tian Jian's actions somewhat perplexing.
However, considering Tian Jian's current predicament, it was perhaps a necessary move.
Everything he did was to protect his family and ensure his survival.
By offering his two daughters to Zhao Feng currently the most powerful man in Qin's court Tian Jian hoped that, should trouble arise in the future, Zhao Feng would look out for him, at least for the sake of his daughters.
This was Tian Jian's plan.
"Lord Wu'an,"
"The official decree is here."
"How could I deceive you?"
Tian Jian smiled and produced a decree stamped with the King of Qin's seal.
He had prepared everything in advance.
"Since the King of Qi has shown such goodwill, it would be inappropriate for me to refuse."
"If this can put your mind at ease, then I shall accept."
Zhao Feng smiled slightly and did not refuse further.
For Zhao Feng
He had only one wife.
But he could have many concubines. To pass on his bloodline and expand his family, this was necessary.
The world was vast.
His path was long.
Having children in the future would only strengthen his control over the empire.
Looking at the two princesses before him, Zhao Feng chuckled inwardly.
"Why does this feel like collecting royal emblems? Aside from a Qin princess, I've married one from every other kingdom."
Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han.
Back when Chu fell, the King of Qin had personally arranged for a Chu princess to enter Zhao Feng's residence.
Now
The bloodline of Zhao Feng's descendants carried the lineage of multiple royal families.
"This is wonderful."
"This is truly a blessing."
"My daughters are fortunate to marry Lord Wu'an."
Hearing Zhao Feng's acceptance, Tian Jian was visibly overjoyed.
"King of Qi, your concern is that after your surrender, His Majesty may still target you."
"You need not worry about this."
"As long as you sever ties with Qi and live a peaceful life as a wealthy noble, His Majesty will not trouble you." Zhao Feng reassured him once more.
"If I had any other intentions, I wouldn't have surrendered to Qin in the first place."
"In the end"
"I just want to live the rest of my days in peace."
Tian Jian sighed bitterly, finally voicing his true thoughts to Zhao Feng.
At this point
The King of Qi had genuinely submitted.
Apart from a few remnants attempting assassinations when the Qin army entered the city, the takeover of Qi proceeded without issue.
In Xianyang
Inside the grand hall of court discussions
"Reporting to His Majesty!"
"A message has arrived from Lord Wu'an!"
An urgent messenger rushed into the hall, holding a letter personally written by Zhao Feng.
"Read it aloud."
Suppressing his excitement, Ying Zheng commanded in a firm voice.
The assembled ministers all turned their gazes toward the messenger, their attention entirely focused.
At this moment
Everyone was filled with anticipation.
For them
For the entire world
A historic moment was about to arrive.
The unification of the realm.
Since the Zhou Dynasty was established, eight hundred years have passed.
Now
Only Qin and Qi remained in the land of China.
If Qi surrendered, the world would belong to Qin.
A new era in history would be written under the name Qin.
Qin would become the name of a unified dynasty.
The dynasty that established unity.
"I accept the decree!"
The urgent messenger was equally thrilled.
He then unfolded the letter written by Zhao Feng.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire court
"Minister Zhao Feng reports."
"Today, I have led our forces into Qi."
"The King of Qi has issued a formal decree, pledging surrender to the Great Qin."
"At this moment"
"I have personally entered Linzi, the capital of Qi, and am negotiating the takeover of Qi's affairs with the King of Qi."
"I request His Majesty to promptly dispatch capable ministers and officials to take over Qi's cities and its military forces."
"Qi is no more."
"From this day forth, the land of China belongs solely to the Great Qin."
The urgent messenger's voice trembled with excitement as he loudly proclaimed the news.
Upon hearing it
No one in the court was surprised. This was the outcome they had long anticipated.
Yet, to hear it with their ears, to witness history unfolding before them
The. grand hall fell into absolute silence.
Everyone was completely overwhelmed by the moment.
The unification of the world.
Once
Such a notion was unimaginable.
But now
Under their king's brilliant leadership, with their full support, Great Qin had united the realm.
The world belonged to Qin, and Qin was the world!
"Magnificent!"
"The world is united, and it belongs to Qin alone!"
"With Qin's forces sweeping eastward, the great ambition of generations of Qin rulers and the dreams of countless Qin warriors have finally been realized!"
"From this day forth"
"There will be no more wars. The world shall know only Qin!"
"Our Great Qin has accomplished an achievement unparalleled throughout history!"
"His Majesty's greatness is beyond compare!"
"Indeed!"
"In the past, King Wu of Zhou established dominion, but it was with the support of feudal lords. The Zhou Dynasty never truly ruled the entire world."
"But now, our Great Qin has wiped out all opposing forces. Every corner of the land is under Qin's control!"
"His Majesty has surpassed King Wu of Zhou and all the rulers of the past!"
"The unification of the world is a glory that will last for all eternity!"
"His Majesty's achievements shall be recorded in history for thousands of generations!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! We humbly offer our respects!"
After a brief moment of silence, the entire court erupted in jubilant cheers.
Every minister was overcome with emotion, fully immersed in the joy of Qin's absolute victory.
This moment
Was not just the crowning achievement of their king, but also of all of them, his loyal ministers.
A triumph of such magnitude had never before been seen in history.
Even a thousand, ten thousand years from now, history will remember this day
Wou.ld remember the court of King Zheng of Qin and the hundreds of thousands of Qin warriors who had made it possible.
The unification of the world they all had a hand in it.
At that very moment
As the entire court rejoiced
Even Ying Zheng himself could not suppress his excitement. His face, usually composed and solemn, lit up with an exhilaration he could barely contain.
Slowly, he rose from his throne.
A wide, ecstatic grin spread across his face as if he could hardly believe this moment was real.
Then, after a brief pause
He let out a booming laugh, spreading his arms wide.
"Hahaha!"
"My ministers!"
"The warring states have fallen! Qin rules the world!"
"I have done it!"
Ying Zheng's voice thundered across the hall.
"Ten thousand years to His Majesty! Ten thousand years to Great Qin!"
The court resounded with the fervent shouts of ministers bowing deeply before him.
"Our ancestors! The Qin kings before me!"
"The warriors who fought and bled for this dream!"
"I, Ying Zheng, have not disappointed you!"
"The world is unified! Qin is the world!"
"From this day forward, the people of our land will no longer suffer from endless wars!"
"From this moment on, the land of China will be ruled by Qin for eternity!"
His voice rang with conviction.
He had fulfilled the wish of his forefathers.
He had achieved the unification of the world.
And he was only in his thirties!
He was in the prime of his life.
"A'fang..."
"The day I have long envisioned... is finally here."
In his heart, Ying Zheng anticipated another moment yet to come
The day he would stand before the entire court and the people of Qin, announcing his wife and children to the world.
With this thought in mind
Ying Zheng looked over the assembled ministers.
"The unification of the world..."
"Is not my achievement alone. It was not accomplished by me alone."
"It was made possible by the efforts of my loyal ministers, and by the sacrifices of our Qin warriors."
"Only with your support was the chaos of this land brought to an end."
"Every one of you is a hero of Qin."
"Qin will not forget your contributions, and history will remember your names!"
His voice was firm and commanding.
"Ten thousand years to His Majesty! Ten thousand years to Great Qin!"
The ministers, their voices trembling with passion, cried out in unison.
"Transmit my decree!"
"Since Qi has surrendered, Lord Wu'an must immediately seize control of its military forces, restructure their elite troops into Qin's army, and station them at the northern frontier of Yan!"
"Once the reorganization is complete, he must return to the capital at once!"
"In addition"
"Prime Minister Han, Chancellor Kui!"
"Draw up a list of capable officials to be sent to govern Qi!"
Ying Zheng's orders were decisive and clear.
"We accept the decree!" Han Fei and Chancellor Kui immediately responded.
At this moment
Wang Jian, standing among the court officials, could barely contain his excitement.
"The world is unified... and Zhao Feng's identity will finally be restored."
"I have been waiting for this day for so long."
"Once his identity is reinstated, Zhao Feng will become the Crown Prince of Great Qin!"
"My daughter, Yan'er, will become the Crown Princess!"
"In the future, my Wang family will even produce a Queen!"
"Hahaha!"
The thought alone made Wang Jian's heart race with anticipation.
"The world is unified..."
"And Lord Feng's true identity will soon be revealed."
"Not just Lord Feng but also Princess Ying."
"Who would have thought that my son, You'er, would one day marry a royal princess a legitimate princess of Qin?"
"My Li family is destined to prosper for generations to come!"
At this moment, only Wang Jian and Li Si knew Zhao Feng's true identity
And they knew exactly what Ying Zheng's true intentions were.
"Logically speaking, Wang Jian must also be aware of Lord Feng's identity, right?"
Thinking of this,
Li Si glanced over at Wang Jian.
Noticing Li Si's gaze, Wang Jian was slightly surprised and met his eyes.
As their gazes locked,
A strange expression appeared on Wang Jian's face.
"What kind of look is that from Li Si? Could it be that he knows Zhao Feng's identity?" Wang Jian thought to himself with a peculiar feeling.
"It seems clear that Wang Jian already knows."
"Looking back, Wang Jian, who had always been known for keeping himself out of conflicts, suddenly tore apart his relationship with Fusu and opposed him directly."
"Could it be that he knew back then?"
"That makes sense."
"After all, Wang Jian is Zhao Feng's father-in-law, and his daughter has already borne Zhao Feng's children. He is family."
"His Majesty must have told him long ago." Li Si speculated internally.
"Could it be that when Li Si and his son entered the palace to seek marriage with Ying'er, His Majesty revealed Zhao Feng's identity to him?" Wang Jian also guessed in his heart.
In the imperial court, everyone was as cunning as foxes.
With just a few clues, they could deduce the truth.
After the court meeting ended,
The candidates for the officials to govern the state of Qi were finalized.
The ministers dispersed one by one.
However, at this moment,
A few eunuchs beside Zhao Gao discreetly approached several high-ranking officials and whispered something to them.
Before long,
Inside Zhangtai Palace!
Several key ministers had gathered there.
The palace doors were shut tight.
Among them were military generals Wang Jian and Huan Yi.
Meng Wu, however, had been dispatched to the northern border to guard against potential disturbances, given that this moment was critical for Qin's conquest of Qi.
Aside from Wang Jian and Huan Yi,
There were also Han Fei, Wei Liao, Zheng Guo, Feng Quji, Feng Jie, and Li Si.
Each of them held a high-ranking position in the court, and they all had something in common.
None of them had aligned themselves with any particular prince, nor had they taken part in the fierce factional struggles.
Perhaps,
That was precisely why they had been summoned to Zhangtai Palace.
"Is everyone here?"
Ying Zheng glanced around the hall and asked casually.
"Your Majesty,"
"Everyone has arrived." Zhao Gao responded respectfully.
"Stand guard outside the hall."
"No one is to approach without my command." Ying Zheng ordered in a deep voice.
"This servant obeys."
Zhao Gao bowed, then withdrew from the hall and shut the doors behind him.
Then,
Ying Zheng turned his gaze toward Wei Liao and the other ministers, smiling slightly. "Do you all know why I have summoned you here today?"
"This… Your Majesty, we do not know."
Aside from Wang Jian and Li Si, the others all bowed and answered.
Clearly,
Upon seeing the officials gathered here, Wang Jian and Li Si had already deduced the reason.
"Have you noticed that you all share a common trait?"
Ying Zheng smiled faintly and spoke again.
Hearing this,
The ministers exchanged glances within the great hall.
At that moment!
Wei Liao's eyes swept across the room, and suddenly, realization struck him.
"Your Majesty means that we have not participated in the factional struggles?" Wei Liao asked in surprise.
The moment these words were spoken,
The situation became clear.
The ministers immediately understood.
Whether it was Han Fei, Li Si, Feng Quji, or the others,
They all had one thing in common.
The court had been divided into factions those supporting Fusu and those supporting Huhai.
But these men had supported neither side. They had refrained from getting involved.
And each of them held high positions of authority. Unless they wished to take sides, no one could force them.
"Wei Qing is indeed a disciple of Guigu. Truly sharp-witted." Ying Zheng chuckled.
"Your Majesty,"
"We all understand that our power comes from Your Majesty. The future heir to the throne of Qin is also to be decided by Your Majesty. We serve Qin, not any one individual. We would never go against Your Majesty's will." Feng Quji spoke calmly.
Hearing this,
The other ministers nodded in agreement. "We agree."
"Before Your Majesty designates an heir, all princes are merely princes. We would never involve ourselves in their affairs. But once Your Majesty has made your choice, we shall pledge our loyalty unto death."
Listening to their words,
Ying Zheng nodded slightly, his expression growing serious.
"The reason I have gathered you all today,"
"First, is because you did not involve yourselves in the factional disputes."
"Second, is because of your loyalty to me."
"Therefore, today, I have decided to tell you something."
"It concerns the Crown Prince of Qin. It concerns the future of the empire." Ying Zheng spoke solemnly.
Hearing this,
All the ministers aside from Wang Jian and Li Si wore serious expressions.
"In truth,"
"I have an eldest son who grew up among the common people."
"He is the child of my former wife, the Lady A'fang." Ying Zheng revealed.
The moment these words were spoken,
The assembled ministers were all stunned.
To them, this was nothing short of an earth-shattering revelation.
"Your Majesty, are you considering making this prince from the common people the Crown Prince?" Han Fei's expression changed slightly.
"If that is the case,"
"I believe it would be unwise."
Wei Liao immediately spoke out.
"Why would it be unwise?" Ying Zheng asked with a faint smile, his tone tinged with amusement.
"A prince raised among the common people has not received the education of the royal family. He lacks knowledge of governance and military affairs."
"If such a man is made Crown Prince, it would bring great harm to the nation." Wei Liao replied with a serious expression.
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