111: Qilin Hall

Everyone entered the Qilin Hall in order, with She Jian and the other three in the middle-to-back, kneeling on cushions.

Lin Yue couldn't help but look at The First Emperor, dressed in a black dragon robe at the very top, wanting to see this legendary Ancestral Dragon, but his view was blocked by the Tongtian Crown.

The crown had twelve tassels, each with twelve pieces of five-colored jade, arranged from top to bottom in vermilion, white, azure, yellow, and black, obscuring The First Emperor's true face and gaze, making him appear even more sacred and mysterious.

"Brat, stop staring." She Jian secretly nudged Lin Yue, reminding him in a low voice.

"What's wrong, General?" Lin Yue subconsciously asked.

"Don't be disrespectful," She Jian said.

"Understood," Lin Yue nodded.

He secretly pondered, just one more look!

"name: ???

Martial Power: ???

Intelligence: ???

Command: ???

Politics: ???

Charm: ???"

What the heck?

Lin Yue was a bit surprised; had his Art of Recognizing People failed again?

Could it be... Before Lin Yue could think further, his heart trembled violently, because he had a feeling that The First Emperor's gaze, from behind the crown's tassels, was fixed on him!

And a faint, unreadable smile seemed to appear at the corners of The First Emperor's mouth, beneath the crown.

Lin Yue came to his senses and quickly lowered his head, looking at his feet. Then, a resounding voice from within the hall entered his ears.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the rebel Lu Bu from Shanggu Commandery has been brought!"

"Bring him in!" Qin Shi Huang waved his hand, and two Armored Soldiers brought Lu Bu into the Qilin Hall.

Lu Bu was nine feet tall, and although all his meridians were sealed, his aura alone far surpassed many people in the hall.

Lu Bu was escorted step by step to the front of the hall. Perhaps it was Qin Shi Huang's aura that overwhelmed Lu Bu, as he finally lowered his arrogant head, eventually kneeling in the great hall.

"Audacious rebel! Now that our Great Qin enjoys peace across the four seas, with clear rivers and a prosperous era, why did you rebel?" A minister stepped out and cursed loudly.

Lu Bu only lowered his head and did not answer.

Subsequently, many ministers in the hall, not far behind Lin Yue, successively stood up and cursed Lu Bu. They were truly eloquent and articulate!

"Brother, who are they? Why are they so fierce?" Lin Yue asked curiously, tugging at the sleeve of a nearby civil official.

Seeing his somewhat bored expression, Lin Yue figured he was accustomed to such situations and likely knew more about it. Moreover, he wasn't old and seemed approachable.

"Oh, them? Just a bunch of censors, useless, but their mouths are incredibly sharp," the civil official said with a smile, glancing at Lin Yue and seeing his military attire.

"No wonder," Lin Yue understood. So, they were a group of censors. He then looked around a few more times, but because he wasn't close, he couldn't find Ye Xuan.

"How should I address the young general?" The civil official, seeing Lin Yue's distinguished appearance, asked.

"You jest, sir. This humble general is Lin Yue, merely a Commandant. I don't deserve the title of General," Lin Yue said with a smile.

"Ah, that's not right.

I see we are of similar age, and you are already a Commandant. How could you not become a General in the future?

If I'm not mistaken, you're here because of Lu Bu, aren't you?" The civil official smiled.

At these words, She Jian and the other three simultaneously turned to look at the man.

"How did you know?" Meng Fang couldn't help but ask.

She Jian slapped his head, signaling him to shut up.

"Heh heh, I'm always here, and you all look unfamiliar. And the rebel leader Lu Bu was just escorted to Xianyang, so it's easy to guess," the young civil official chuckled.

"Sir is truly talented. May I ask your name?" Lin Yue smiled, feeling that the person before him was extraordinary.

"I don't deserve to be called 'sir,'" the young civil official waved his hand, then sat up straight and said, "Literary Clerk, Sima Yi."

What kind of official position is Literary Clerk?

Lin Yue was about to ask She Jian, but then suddenly realized, holy cow, this is Sima Yi!

"name: Sima Yi

Martial Power: 70

Intelligence: 93

Command: 86

Politics: 92

Charm: 90"

This was Sima Yi in his youth!

Although not in his ultimate form, he was still enough to crush most people, making him incredibly desirable!

Lin Yue really wanted to call out to him from behind, to see if he truly had the 'wolf's gaze' (a legendary trait of Sima Yi).

But with the two of them sitting next to each other, this idea was destined not to be realized.

Lin Yue shifted his body, just about to speak with Sima Yi, when he was interrupted by a voice.

"My beloved ministers, what do you think should be done with him?" The First Emperor asked, his calm voice echoing, and the hall immediately fell silent.

After a brief silence, an old minister spoke:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble minister believes that for such a traitorous rebel, he should be torn apart by five horses, as a warning to others!

The other leaders should be executed one by one to eliminate future troubles.

The other rebels should be sentenced to forced labor according to the law, to atone for their sins."

"This minister seconds that!"

"This minister seconds that!"

People in the hall continuously stood up to support severe punishment and the execution of Lu Bu, to prevent anyone from harboring disloyal intentions!

"You see, so many people in the hall support his execution.

In my opinion, if nothing unexpected happens,

something unexpected is about to happen." Sima Yi smiled mysteriously.

"What?" Lin Yue was a bit confused by his sudden turn.

"Actually, look, none of the big shots at the front have voiced their agreement," Sima Yi nudged Lin Yue and said.

Lin Yue took a look and found that it was indeed true.

Soon, someone stood up.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble minister believes that although Lu Bu caused trouble in Shanggu Commandery, the harm was relatively minor, and he previously showed signs of repentance. Why not give him a chance to atone for his crimes by rendering meritorious service?"

Two counties in Shanggu Commandery, countless families torn apart, homes destroyed and lives lost. Lin Yue wanted to see who could say something as brain-dead as "the harm was relatively minor."

He followed the voice and found that this brain-dead person was none other than Ye Xuan, hidden among the censors!

"This minister seconds that. Although Lu Bu previously harbored disloyal intentions, he has now reformed. Moreover, only Great General General Meng Tian was able to subdue Lu Bu, which sufficiently demonstrates his strength.

Now that Lu Bu has been moved by Your Majesty's magnificent heavenly might and is willing to pledge allegiance to Great Qin, wouldn't our Great Qin gain another fierce general?" Someone at the front of the hall stood up. Lin Yue used his Art of Recognizing People to take a look and found that it was Zhao Gao.

He then thought for a moment and roughly understood the situation: Lu Bu had been targeted by Ye Xuan.

First, Ye Xuan spoke to save Lu Bu, then Zhao Gao echoed him. If The First Emperor agreed to spare his life...

Regardless of whether Lu Bu would remember this favor, just to gain a foothold in this unfamiliar court, Lu Bu would certainly first attach himself to Zhao Gao!

The early bird catches the worm—Ye Xuan's plan was shrewd!

"This humble minister was truly misled by treacherous individuals before. Now, I understand Your Majesty's magnificent heavenly might and the will of the people.

This humble minister is willing to atone for his crimes by rendering meritorious service and serve Your Majesty like a dog or horse!"

Lu Bu, who had been silent, saw a turning point and immediately spoke loudly with his head to the ground!