11: Chapter 11 That guy's got a knack for talking! What a load of bullshit drill!

Aside from Zhao Gao's faction, most of the civil and military officials agreed to let Zhao Fusu ascend the throne.

But Zhao Fusu had indiscriminately led the army to surround their residences.

They were still very dissatisfied with Zhao Fusu, but they could do nothing against him and could only harbor their resentment internally.

General Wang Jian, Feng Quji, Wei Liao, and Li Si were kneeling in the front row.

Zhao Fusu stood on the high platform, looking at General Wang Jian, Feng Quji, Wei Liao, Li Si, and the civil and military officials behind them.

One could see that the expressions of the officials were very tense and uneasy.

No matter who it was, having their home surrounded by troops would make anyone feel anxious.

They didn't know what Zhao Fusu wanted to do.

They also feared provoking Zhao Fusu, afraid he would tear off his hypocritical mask of benevolence and exterminate their entire clans.

"Dear ministers..."

Zhao Fusu said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, this is just an exercise."

"Our late Emperor has passed away, and the Remnants of the Six States are stirring. There's no guarantee they won't rebel and attack the city of Xianyang."

He said in an awe-inspiring, righteous tone, "In this exercise, I have mobilized the troops merely because I want to practice how to protect you ministers when the Remnants of the Six States attack."

"You ministers are the pillars of our Great Qin Empire, our core officials. Nothing must happen to you or your families!"

Zhao Fusu's blatant lying made the civil and military officials roll their eyes.

He's so damn good at talking.

This exercise of his, what bullshit about protecting them and their families.

He was using them and their families as leverage; if they didn't obey, he would stage a scene of the Remnants of the Six States rebelling and have them rush into their homes to kill their families!

"Young Master Fusu is absolutely right."

"This subject thanks Young Master Fusu for his benevolence."

Li Si was the first to speak up, even bowing to Zhao Fusu.

"This subject thanks Young Master Fusu for his benevolence."

Now that the second-in-command of the Great Qin Empire had spoken, what else could the officials say?

Most of them had been promoted by Li Si.

Since Li Si was taking Young Master Fusu's side, they had no choice but to follow suit.

As for Hu Hai, they had all abandoned him.

Zhao Gao's cronies wanted to object, but Zhao Gao had already fled.

At this moment, they all kept their heads down and remained incredibly well-behaved, fearing Zhao Fusu would target them for being Zhao Gao's men.

The lives of their entire families were in Zhao Fusu's hands; they had to bow their heads to him!

"Big Brother Fusu."

Hu Hai was carried by two imperial guards like a little chick and tossed carelessly before Zhao Fusu.

"Ah, it's my eighteenth brother."

Zhao Fusu looked at Hu Hai, whose hair was a mess.

Zhao Fusu felt that letting Hu Hai ascend the throne was truly a joke.

This was also a major reason why he staged a coup after gaining power.

Besides ensuring a political environment for an industrial revolution in the Great Qin Empire, he also wanted to change systems that hindered national prosperity.

For a country to remain strong for a long time, it must choose the most suitable leader to take power.

Zhao Fusu didn't scold Hu Hai; instead, he helped tidy up Hu Hai's disheveled hair.

Seeing this scene of brotherly love from Zhao Fusu, Chunyu Yue was very satisfied with his disciple.

The behavior of Fusu and Hu Hai was the embodiment of Confucian brotherly harmony.

Chunyu Yue supported Zhao Fusu taking power with every fiber of his being.

He had put 120% of his effort into training Fusu.

He had trained Fusu strictly according to his ideals of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, as well as gentleness, kindness, courtesy, restraint, and yielding.

In Chunyu Yue's eyes, Fusu had always been his most prized disciple.

He was the hope of Confucianism.

Fusu was 100% going to take the throne.

Once Fusu took power, he, Chunyu Yue, would be the Imperial Preceptor.

Confucianism would also flourish!

Chunyu Yue's face turned incredibly flushed with excitement.

"No, Young Master Fusu, you..."

Chunyu Yue soon witnessed a scene he found hard to believe.

Zhao Fusu supported Hu Hai as they walked toward the throne.

It wasn't Zhao Fusu himself who sat on the supreme throne representing imperial power; instead, he held Hu Hai down, and while Hu Hai couldn't even control his own body, Zhao Fusu forcibly pressed him onto the imperial throne.

Hu Hai's meager strength was like that of a weak scholar before a muscular man like Zhao Fusu; he couldn't resist at all.

What is Young Master Fusu doing?!

His actions immediately sent the entire court of officials into a frenzy of speculation.

They all reached the same conclusion: Young Master Fusu actually wanted to support Hu Hai's ascension and let Hu Hai become the Emperor!

No way!

The officials looked at one another, each seeing disbelief in the others' eyes.

Young Master Fusu caused such a huge commotion, and yet he isn't taking the throne himself?!

Then why did he make such a huge fuss?

Regardless, the officials couldn't understand it.

General Wang Jian frowned slightly.

Li Si, Feng Quji, and Wei Liao were all frowning.

They were the greatest sages of this era, yet even they couldn't figure out what Zhao Fusu was doing.

Could it be that Young Master Fusu is still too benevolent?!

Is that why he's supporting his younger brother Hu Hai to take the throne?

But that doesn't seem right either.

These shrewd old foxes knew how to read people.

They could clearly see the hunger for the fragments of power in Zhao Fusu's eyes.

Then why would Zhao Fusu let Young Master Hu Hai sit on the throne?

The only thing they could think of was abdication.

The story of Yao and Shun's abdication in ancient times is still a celebrated tale today.

Did Young Master Fusu want Young Master Hu Hai to follow the example of Yao and Shun from ancient times, hoping Hu Hai would be sensible enough to abdicate the throne to him?

No, that's not right!

It shouldn't be about abdication.

Xiao Weizi, the decree-passing eunuch, had a different perspective from Li Si, Feng Quji, and Wei Liao.

Xiao Weizi was a commoner from the bottom of society. With food prices in Xianyang rising, he couldn't afford to eat. To survive, he made a difficult decision and resolutely cut off his treasure to enter the palace as a eunuch.

In the Qin Dynasty, eunuchs had both their penis and testicles removed.

It seems to have been written in some book that different dynasties had different ways of dealing with a eunuch's lower body; at first, they only removed the penis, but when they found it could grow back in some people, they eventually cut everything off.