Meng Yi looked up, somewhat bewildered. Qin Shi Huang repeated to him, "A death order! No one is above his authority except him. You are not allowed to go east or west. His life is your life. Do you understand?"
The words were clearly stated, but Meng Yi still thought for a long time before solemnly nodding. Qin Shi Huang said meaningfully, "Even if I send troops to kill him, you must protect him with your life. Can you do that?"
Meng Yi said with difficulty, "This humble general will only obey Your Majesty's orders."
Qin Shi Huang said angrily, "My orders are that you must obey him."
This paradox stumped General Meng Yi. He pondered for a long time, feeling dizzy and confused, before finally bowing his head and reluctantly saying, "...This subordinate obeys."
Qin Shi Huang helped Meng Yi up, placed his hands on his shoulders, and said earnestly, "I've entrusted my life and fortune to you. If you don't protect this brother of mine..." The fat man didn't finish his sentence, but it was more effective than threatening to execute his entire family. Meng Yi nodded firmly. Qin Shi Huang repeated, "Remember, once you leave this hall, he is your only master. Even if I want to kill him, you must protect him."
The matter was of great importance, so Meng Yi, unusually, asked, "Your Majesty, may I ask why?"
Fatty Ying's face was gloomy, but he squeezed Meng Yi's shoulder hard: "I don't have time to fuss. You just need to know that if we can save his life within seven days, we can save our own."
After repeated emphasis, Meng Yi realized the seriousness of the matter and stood by my side without saying anything more. Qin Shi Huang summoned several officials in a very short time and repeated his statement. This order naturally caused a great sensation; the courtiers exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions changing. Such treatment was probably unprecedented not only in this dynasty and in Chinese history. It could be said that, apart from not abdicating to me, the Emperor had already entrusted his life to me. At this moment in Xianyang, it was difficult to find an armed force capable of confronting the ten thousand royal guards. If I were to launch a coup, the Qin state would be thrown into utter chaos.
It wasn't until the very end that I understood what Fatty meant. He was afraid of making a fatal mistake, so he temporarily handed over almost all his real power to me. Of course, he knew I absolutely couldn't actually launch a rebellion. But even so, Fatty was still loyal!
After explaining everything, Qin Shi Huang finally felt relieved and took a sip of his drink. Suddenly, he held the bottle up to his face and examined it closely for a long time before saying, "Hmm, the taste is strange. What's in it?"
My expression changed, and I hurriedly grabbed Meng Yi and ran outside: "Hurry, your king is about to turn against us."
Fatty Ying laughed from behind, "Don't run away, I was just teasing you!"
I was so angry that I almost launched a mutiny on the spot.
For the rest of the time, the fat man had someone arrange accommodation for me. Before the side effects of the Temptation Herb had worn off, I couldn't get too close to him, so I was placed in the former Prime Minister's residence—Lu Buwei's home.
By this time, Lü Buwei had already been overthrown by the fat man, leaving only the vast Prime Minister's mansion. An old man with his hair in a small topknot, holding a writing brush in one hand and a bamboo slip in the other, asked Qin Shi Huang with utmost care, "Your Majesty... what should this new mansion be called? It seems that Immortal Xiao doesn't yet have an official title?"
Fatty Ying said discontentedly, "What? No, King Qi, huh—"
"Uh..." The old man was speechless.
At present, the State of Qi is still a vassal state of equal rank to the State of Qin. Although it is no secret that Qin Shi Huang covets the world, it is still a bit inappropriate to openly grant someone else's territory to his minister. I could see that the old man was quite troubled. I guessed that he was now in a position of authority in the Ministry of Works. The name of this mansion needed to be registered, so I said, "Let's call it Xiao Mansion for now."
"Uh..." The old man was speechless again.
I glanced at my watch; Qin Shi Huang was about to have his "illness" act up. Fatty and I exchanged a knowing look, and I bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I shall take my leave for now."
Qin Shi Huang waved his hand and said, "Go away."
We were both afraid of encountering a situation like Li Si's, so we made preparations in advance. It was a rather unfortunate situation. Just as I led Meng Yi to the entrance of the main hall, someone announced: "The envoys of Yan, Jing Ke and Qin Wuyang, request an audience with Your Majesty. They are waiting in front of the hall."
Chapter Ninety-Three: Keeping the Appointment
I always felt that I wasn't some celestial official in charge of the human realm's axis, but rather more like the legendary god of bad luck—Xiao Qiang today actually came through a series of bad luck step by step.
I have no complaints about Fatty. We met, we reminisced, and he's now the powerful King of Qi, commanding ten thousand imperial guards. Among the seven kingdoms, there's probably no one with more real power than me. The only downside is the side effect of the Temptation Herb. This Fatty Ying in the palace is, to put it bluntly, at his limit. I don't know when he might suddenly change his attitude.
But at this crucial moment, that damned idiot Ersha arrived. In other words, if I hadn't been here today, he would have immediately and logically entered the palace to present the map, then assassinated the fat man, and ultimately lost his life.
If the fat man had taken the blue potion, everything would be fine; we could send him away and discuss things further. But not now. The fat man is about to transform, and I saw him give me a distress signal; his eyes were no longer so clear.
The palace attendant knelt outside the hall awaiting the King of Qin's decree. I glanced at the fat man one last time and, in a moment of inspiration, said, "The envoys have traveled a long way and are weary. Let us arrange for them to rest at an inn first. Your Majesty can see them another day."
Seeing that it wasn't a direct order from the King of Qin, the palace official hesitated for a moment, but remained kneeling. Although I held real power, I was still a newcomer, and no one was willing to submit to my "tyranny."
Qin Shi Huang paused for a moment, then waved to the palace attendant, signaling him to comply. His eyes were filled with confusion, as if he were somewhat disoriented; this final order must have been issued with great effort and restraint. He looked at the beverage bottle in his hand, then suddenly froze, his hand loosening its grip and the bottle falling to the floor of the hall. The plastic bottle struck the stone slab with a dull thud, spilling bright yellow orange juice everywhere—he no longer recognized plastic.
I forced a dry laugh as I met the curious gazes of the crowd. "Your Majesty has taken the elixir; you'll feel temporarily unwell. It will be fine in a few days." I didn't even bother to say goodbye, and started walking out as I spoke. Qin Shi Huang didn't recognize me anymore, but he was still in a daze. Why wait to take this opportunity to escape?
A eunuch crawled on the ground and carefully picked up the plastic bottle. As I backed away, I said, "That's holy water. Keep it safe and don't drink it, or the King will exterminate your entire family." The eunuch shuddered and hurriedly held the bottle carefully, not daring to move.
When the ministers saw me shouting and arguing, refusing to even bow to Qin Shi Huang, their arrogance and prestige unprecedented in history, they all looked at me differently. Some were fearful, some fawning, and others, more straightforward, suspected I had used some kind of sorcery to manipulate their king, their expressions filled with resentment and disdain. This was probably why Qin Shi Huang entrusted his guards to me. He understood that when I was lucid, no matter how close we were as brothers, no matter how many times he had ordered me not to harm him, I had undoubtedly become a significant political force. Some wanted to win me over, while others hated me. Regardless of the reason, only true strength could ensure self-preservation.
However, some genuinely believe I cultivate immortality—because they've never even seen a plastic bottle before. People in this era live very easily; when they encounter something inexplicable, they simply attribute it to deities.
As I came out of the hall, I ran into Li Si. Old Li was strolling leisurely at the entrance of the hall with his hands behind his back. When he saw me coming, he said with a smile, "Xiao Qiang is out?"
I knew the allure herb had worked again the moment I saw his expression, and said dejectedly, "You've thought of me again?"
Li Si also asked in confusion, "Yes, I was just wondering what happened."
I briefly told him about the Temptation Grass, saying, "It just comes in waves. Now Brother Ying doesn't even recognize me anymore."
Li Si sighed, "This is really troublesome. How about this, I'll send someone to find you after he recovers."
I waved my hand and said, "By the time he remembers me, you've already forgotten me. Forget it, let's wait a few days until you're both more settled before talking about it."
I asked the guards in the square, "Where are the two envoys from the Yan Kingdom?"
The guards already knew that I had become their direct superior, and they quickly saluted and said, "They have been assigned to the guesthouse."
Nod, get into the car, and just as I'm about to start it, Meng Yi suddenly leans against my window and says nervously, "Xiao Xian... Wang..."
I know he didn't know how to address me. Generally speaking, in people's eyes, I'm someone who got close to the king through deception and trickery—the kind of person who could be called a "celestial being." But this swindler also has the official title of King of Qi, though that title sounds rather awkward and terrifying now, because even Qin Shi Huang was only a feudal lord at the time. It's like there can only be one emperor, but suddenly one day the first emperor bestows a title upon a second emperor—how do you address him? It's not like "comrade," which anyone can call—"Comrade Zhang," "Comrade Wang," "Emperor Zhang," "Emperor Wang"—that's just inappropriate.
Only now did I have time to properly observe Meng Yi. He was a young general, about my age, with an ordinary appearance and a large nose, but he was tall and imposing, exuding a heroic aura, and was very brave and loyal. Under his command, the Qin soldiers of more than 2,000 years ago were able to face the enormous gasoline-powered vehicles without flinching, which was quite commendable.
He's looking at me now, and he looks a little embarrassed.
I said warmly, "Just call me Qiang..." I stopped halfway through my sentence. It didn't seem realistic to ask him to call me Qiangzi or Xiaoqiang; how could a soldier under this system dare to address his superior by his given name? Being approachable was a bit of a stretch, but he clearly preferred not to call me King Xiao. In his heart, Fatty Ying was his only king. I casually said, "Just call me Principal Xiao."
Meng Yi asked, puzzled, "Principal?"
"Oh, that's also a title."