I broke out in a cold sweat and whispered, "What did you say your name was?" Li Si? "The Edict Against Expelling Foreign Guests"? Isn't that the famous prime minister of the Qin Dynasty?
Li Si slowly got up and said to me, "Now you should let me test the medicine, right?" Seeing that I was still hesitating, Li Si said in a deep voice, "Don't think about it. If you don't let me test the medicine, you will never be able to see the king. No matter what your purpose is, you will not succeed." The ministers said, "Hmm, that makes sense."
I tossed the three allure herbs in my hand, whispering, "Aren't you afraid this really is poison?"
Li Si then lowered his voice and said, "If it really is poison, there's nothing I can do. I can't just stand by and watch you ruin my life's ambitions. In this world, only the King of Qin can achieve great things. I know there are many people in the world who want to kill him, but I don't know if you are one of them."
I scratched my head and said, "These words sound familiar, what song is this again?" It seems that Li Si has some insight and is quite bold. He is a typical opportunist who is half opportunist and half power-maker. He is just hoping to follow the fat man and become famous in history, so he doesn't even care about his own life right now.
I looked around again. The 5,000 Qin soldiers had completely surrounded me, making my scalp tingle. Leading 30,000 men to fight 100,000 is one thing, but being surrounded by 5,000 is a completely different feeling. I looked back at the two inner city gates, which were riddled with crossbow bolts, with only a van's mark remaining in the middle... It seemed there was no other way to avoid being shot into the walls today.
I picked up a piece of the alluring herb and waved it in front of Li Si, saying, "Let me tell you, this medicine..."
Li Si, impatient with my rambling, snatched the herb, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. Everyone was watching him intently; if anything went wrong, I'd be shot against the wall. But I wasn't too worried about that; I was worried about what Li Si would remember after eating the temptation herb.
I watched him anxiously alongside the others, wondering what his first action would be after instantly gaining memories of two lifetimes. This thing wasn't just about survival; it wasn't enough to gain trust. What if Li Si had been into doing things that harmed others without benefiting himself in his past life? He could simply clutch his stomach and say it was poison, or perhaps he was just a fool or madman in his past life, and started belly dancing in front of everyone—I doubt I'd survive that. Fortunately, none of that had happened yet. A few seconds after Li Si ate the temptation herb, he gave me a subtle smile and whispered something in my ear that struck me like a thunderbolt: "Hey, this is the first time I've ever heard of someone traveling through time in a golden cup van."
While I was still dumbfounded, Li Si added another sentence that completely shocked me:
"I was just saying those lyrics were from 'Single Love Song,' right? I was wondering why they sounded so familiar—"
Chapter Ninety-One: The King Returns
To be honest, I have quite a strong nerve and have seen a lot of strange things. Ever since Liu Laoliu brought Ersha to me, I have basically never been shocked by anything again—although I rarely even wear sunglasses.
In early 21st-century China, I've met countless emperors, heroes, and literary figures, and I haven't even given them a second thought. But in the Qin Dynasty, over 2000 years ago, I met a prospective prime minister who recognized a golden cup and had even heard the song "Single Love Song"—that's a whole different story.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, I asked Li Si in a low voice, "Where are you from, Brother Li?"
Li Si naturally understood what I was talking about and laughed, "I remember the skit Zhao Benshan and his team performed on the Spring Festival Gala the year I died was called 'Planning'."
I thought for a moment and said, "Oh, that was in 2007. What did Brother Li do before he died?"
Li Si said, "I taught junior high school history. I died in my forties from stomach cancer."
I shook his hand and said, "Please accept my condolences." Then I immediately jumped up again, "How did you end up being reincarnated in the Qin Dynasty?"
Li Si shrugged and said, "How would I know? Don't just talk about me, what's wrong with you? I used to read a lot of time-travel novels, and I've heard of people being reborn as babies after a car accident, but I've never seen someone travel through time with their car."
I said, "I'm a different person, this is what I do."
Li Si suddenly realized and said, "The Time and Space Administration?"
I said with shame, "Do I look like a civil servant to you?"
Li Si laughed and said, "A contract worker, huh?"
"...Pretty much, the work is basically the same."
Li Si took a step back and said, "Then what do you want to do? Take me away? My time travel was caused by you. If you really do that, it's like the police framing me." He scratched his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Li Si—so I'm going to be a prime minister for life?" The middle school teacher who suddenly became the prime minister of the country smiled with satisfaction.
I said urgently, "I don't have time to talk to you now, I need to see that fat guy inside."
Li Si paused for a moment, glanced back at the Qin Palace, and said, "So you've met Qin Shi Huang before? It seems few people know he was a fat man."
"We're buddies... I won't say any more, just help me out. Even though you're not the prime minister yet, you're still one of their own."
Li Si had many questions to ask, and nodded when he heard what I said, but then suddenly pulled me back and said, "I can help you, but you have to agree to one condition."
I stamped my foot and said, "Speak quickly!"
Li Si asked, "You should be able to go back to 2007, right?"
I honestly answered, "I won't be able to go back until 2008. What's up?" Actually, I really wanted to go back to 2007 too. Back then, Ersha and the others were all there, and we'd all be together—how awesome would that be? But that would completely go against the will of Heaven, and Dao-ge isn't stupid...
“2008? That works too!” Li Si suddenly said with a hint of sadness, “After I die, I’ll leave behind a daughter in fifth grade. Her mother is a factory worker, and their family’s living conditions aren’t very good. I hope you can take care of them, a widow and her child. This… won’t violate your company’s regulations, will it?”
I felt quite uncomfortable when I heard that, and immediately agreed: "I won't break the rules, I'll send them money every month from now on."
Li Si glanced at my worn-out gold cup and asked doubtfully, "Do you even have the ability to do this? Judging from the car you drive, your financial situation doesn't seem very good, does it?"
I'm speechless... It's one thing to get scorned for driving a beat-up car in modern times, but I never imagined I'd still be looked down upon if I drove a Mercedes SUV. He definitely wouldn't ask that question if I were driving a Mercedes SUV.
I blushed and explained, "Actually, I'm quite rich, really. Did you hear about Five Star Gin back when you died? And herbal tea, those were all my businesses."
Li Si glanced at me and said, "Oh, so you're the principal of Yucai School?"
Me: "..." It's true that a person's reputation precedes them; the fame of Yucai has already spread to the Qin Dynasty.
Li Si had no more doubts and asked, "How do you want me to help you?"
"I need to see Fatty now, and I need to give him one of these pills. You handle it."
Li Si pondered for a while, then suddenly jumped in front of everyone, gesturing wildly and saying, "Hey, really, after taking this medicine, my back doesn't ache and my legs don't hurt anymore. I can climb five floors in one go without any trouble!" Did the Qin Dynasty have five floors?
People looked at Li Si, who seemed to have gone mad, and exchanged bewildered glances. Someone whispered, "Has he gone mad?"
At this moment, Li Si rolled up his sleeves, swaggered around twice, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Fellow villagers, I am new to your esteemed place. Those with money, please support me financially; those with connections, please show your support in person..."
As he passed by me, I whispered, "That's a bit much. Remember, you've taken some kind of magic potion, not just had a shot of adrenaline."
Li Si paused for a moment, then quickly calmed himself, tucked one leg into his lap, raised one hand to the sky in a yoga pose, and said solemnly, "After taking this medicine, I feel a balance from the inside out—"
An elderly doctor peeked out from behind a guard and asked, "Guest Li, are you alright?"
Li Si muttered to himself, "I'm fine, better than I've ever been."
The old doctor then asked, "What exactly do you feel after taking the medicine?"