Chapter 38

Mount Tai.

Thunderstorms rolled across the sky, accompanied by ceaseless, howling gales.

Dressed in formal ceremonial robes, Ying Zheng stood beneath a massive pine tree, exuding a majestic aura that commanded awe without anger. Beside him stood Li Si, Meng Yi, and several others.

Due to the sudden downpour, the scholars in the entourage began to grumble and murmur once more.

Ying Zheng furrowed his brow and closed his eyes, the veins on his temples throbbing violently.

Yet, he uttered not a word.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and gazed at the driving rain, his heart filled with profound incomprehension. Was he truly so unpleasing to the heavens?

Had he not unified the six states, standardized the written script, and harmonized the gauge of carts? What fault had he committed?

No, even if the heavens refused to acknowledge him, so be it! He, Ying Zheng, was the First Emperor; what did it matter if he lacked the mandate of heaven!

Observing the First Emperor's expression and noting that he kept his emotions hidden, Li Si prepared to step forward and rebuke the scholars himself.

Just at that very moment, however, a strange object materialized out of thin air in the sky.

"Protect His Majesty!" Meng Yi shouted loudly, moving to draw his ceremonial sword.

"Hold," the First Emperor said, fixing his gaze on the characters written upon the object. Strictly speaking, the script was unlike anything he should have been able to read, yet he understood with absolute clarity what was inscribed upon it:

*Delivered to Ying Zheng, the First Emperor of Qin, beneath the Five-Arbor Tree at Mount Tai.*

Ying Zheng waved his hand to signal them to stand down, then reached out and took the object himself.

"Your Majesty, you must not!" Li Si cried out, only to see that Ying Zheng remained entirely unharmed.

At that instant, Li Si also caught sight of the characters inscribed upon the object. He dropped hastily to his knees. "This is a heavenly book! His Majesty holds the mandate of heaven! This is undoubtedly immortals descending a heavenly book upon Your Majesty!"

At his words, the entire retinue dropped to their knees as well, save for the scholars, who still stared with wide eyes at the letter in the First Emperor's hand.

They had witnessed with their own eyes the letter materialize out of nothingness, and the characters upon it were indeed incomprehensible to them.

Reluctantly, they too had no choice but to kneel.

"His Majesty holds the mandate of heaven!"

The First Emperor paid no heed to those around him, keeping his eyes fixed solely on the heavenly book in his hand.

Though he knew not how to open this heavenly book, a mere touch told him that other items were undoubtedly enclosed within.

Nevertheless, the envelope was not difficult to dismantle. After examining it for a moment, the First Emperor extracted the letter from within, alongside several thick stacks of paper.

He pulled out the single sheet of thin paper and began to read.

Since it was a heavenly book, it was surely the immortals' response to his imperial sacrifices at Mount Tai. He wondered whether the immortals would censure him or validate his achievements.

Yet, after a single glance, the First Emperor furrowed his brow.

"You may rise."

Li Si stood up. Without the Emperor's command, he dared not cast his gaze upon the heavenly book—nor could he read it even if he wished to.

He could only study the Emperor's expression, yet why did the Emperor now wear such a bizarre look?

What on earth had the immortals said, and why was this celestial script not written on bamboo slips? What kind of material was this?

In an instant, every gaze was fixed upon the heavenly book in the First Emperor's hands.

Yet Ying Zheng alone could perceive its contents.

*Dearest First Emperor Daddy!!! Greetings!*

Ying Zheng: ......

Could this truly be written by immortals? What was the meaning of "dearest," and what was this "Daddy"?

He continued to read.

[First Emperor Daddy, Zheng-ge, I am a person from over two thousand years in the future. My name is Xia Zui. I know you have many doubts right now, but do not worry, I will answer them for you one by one.]

A person from over two thousand years in the future?

[What you are holding in your hand right now is paper. I have placed the method for making paper in another stack for you. Alongside it, you will find a world map and the events that will transpire after your ascension sacrifices at Mount Tai. I hope they will be of use to you.]

[There is too much I want to say, and I don't know where to begin. Anyway, please go ahead and kill Zhao Gao and Huhai first! The specific reasons are also in the other stack; you will understand once you read them. Oh, and Xu Fu—kill him too!]

[As for Li Si... sigh, well, First Emperor Daddy, just handle him however you see fit! Ahhhhhhh! I really, really love you!]

[Zheng-ge, you have no idea how many fans you have in future generations; we all adore you to pieces. But you must stop taking those immortal pills—they are merely concocted by alchemists to deceive you. You must take care of your health, wuuwuu.]

[Do not overwork yourself with state affairs either. Your health is of the utmost importance. Delegate all the dirty and exhausting work to your ministers.]

Ying Zheng gazed at the cascade of extravagant praise, thinking that this person from future generations was overly enthusiastic to the point of leaving him at a loss for how to react.

However... kill Zhao Gao and Huhai?

Ying Zheng glanced sideways at Zhao Gao, causing a sudden, chilling shiver to run down Zhao Gao's spine.

Li Si, standing nearby and noticing the Emperor's abrupt glance at Zhao Gao, anticipated a spectacle. The heavenly book must have mentioned Zhao Gao, and judging by the Emperor's expression, it was certainly no compliment.

Yet, since Zhao Gao was named in the heavenly book, would his own name, Li Si, appear as well?

At this moment, the scholars dared not even draw a full breath, silently pondering the contents of the heavenly book.

Could it be that Ying Zheng truly held the mandate of heaven, to the extent that even immortals had bestowed a heavenly book upon him?

For a moment, they felt a wave of bewilderment. Could it be that they were genuinely in the wrong?

Having finished reading the ensuing rainbow-fart flattery, Ying Zheng reached the concluding remarks of the letter.

[First Emperor Daddy, once you have read this letter, might you write a reply to me? This humble maiden wishes to request a title. Could you appoint me as a Great General? Please, I really, really want to be a Great General~]

Ying Zheng slightly frowned. The post of Great General was appointed only when dispatching troops on a campaign.

Yet the author of this letter was actually a woman. Keeping his expression impassioned, he folded the letter and picked up the remaining sheets of paper held by Li Si.

Xia Zui had mentioned in her letter that she had placed many items within that could prove useful to His Majesty.

The first thing that caught Ying Zheng's eye was a cartographic map, though it looked somewhat peculiar and spanned the length of an arm when unfolded.

Tucked within this map was a small slip of paper.

[First Emperor Daddy, this is the world map of your era. The region framed by the red line is the State of Qin. If you wish to conquer the surrounding nations, you must cherish your health!]

[First Emperor Daddy, please look at the small island framed by the blue line in the map. I beg you to blast it to smithereens! This is where Xu Fu later flees across the sea with three thousand boys and girls. He has deceived you!]

Ying Zheng confidently surveyed the map in his hand. The realm had long since been unified by him; how could only that framed portion be Qin?

All under heaven was Qin territory.

Yet, after searching for a long time and finally locating the heavily circumscribed territory designated as Qin, the First Emperor fell silent.

"Li Si."

Hearing the Emperor summon him, Li Si hurried forward and bowed. "Your Majesty."

"Meng Yi, come and look at this map," Ying Zheng called, summoning Li Si as well.

He named several others in succession. Zhao Gao, who was not called, lowered his gaze and stood quietly to the side.

Why had His Majesty not summoned him?

What on earth was written in the heavenly book?!

With a racing heart, Li Si stepped forward and saw the immense scale of the map. "This is..."

The First Emperor pointed at Qin. "The territory of my Qin is actually this minuscule."

"Your Majesty!" Meng Yi blurted out. "How can there still be so many nations surrounding our Great Qin?!"

Indeed, the map clearly marked numerous nations distinguished by different colors encircling Qin.

Falling immediately to his knees, he petitioned, "I beg Your Majesty to issue a decree appointing me to campaign for Qin!"

He would conquer vast territories for His Majesty and for Qin!

The assembled officials, who had previously prided themselves on the immense scale of Qin, were utterly incapable of accepting the reality revealed by this map: so much land existed in the world, yet Qin occupied mere fraction.

The First Emperor gazed at the map. "This matter shall be discussed later."

Military campaigns could not be rushed and required careful deliberation.

Temporarily reining in his urge to conquer neighboring lands, the First Emperor looked upon the vast territories depicted on the map and silently vowed that one day, he would make the entire world submit to Qin!

He put the map aside and took up the topmost sheet from the remaining stack.

Unfolding it, Ying Zheng saw that it detailed the history of Qin.

Unable to read the characters, those nearby could only observe the Emperor's changing complexion.

[First Emperor Daddy, before you read this, be sure to prepare some heart-calming medicine. Do not suffer any mishaps! Let me give you a minor spoiler: the State of Qin has perished.]

Upon seeing the four words *the State of Qin has perished*, the First Emperor felt a sudden darkness cloud his vision.

Yet he quickly recovered. Perishing was normal; even without ten thousand generations, dynasties usually lasted for several hundred years.

However, as he read further, his face grew steadily darker, and the oppressive aura radiating from him caused those nearby to hold their breath in sheer terror.

What on earth had the Emperor read? What was written in the heavenly book?!

The First Emperor watched as the text described his death from illness at Shaqiu in the thirty-seventh year of King Zheng of Qin, during his fifth imperial tour. Following his death, Zhao Gao and Li Si colluded to elevate Huhai to the throne, forging an imperial decree in the First Emperor's name commanding Fusu and Meng Yi to commit suicide.

After his demise, to conceal the stench of the First Emperor's decomposing corpse, Zhao Gao and Huhai even packed carts full of salted fish.

Once enthroned, Huhai indulged in hedonism, launched massive construction projects, and even slaughtered his own brothers and sisters. Zhao Gao, wielding supreme authority, even gave rise to the idiom of calling a deer a horse.

Browsing rapidly to the end, upon reading that the Qin dynasty perished with the Second Emperor, the First Emperor coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Your Majesty!" Li Si cried out in panic.

Clenching his fists tightly, the First Emperor swallowed a heart-protecting pill and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. "It is nothing."

*Hahahahaha, a fine Zhao Gao! A fine Huhai! A fine Li Si!*

No wonder that woman from later times had told him to kill Zhao Gao, Huhai, and that fellow Xu Fu.

They had actually deceived him with the promise of eternal life!

The First Emperor put away the letter detailing future events and picked up another.

Unfolding it, he saw the heading: *The Four Great Inventions: Papermaking, the Compass, Printing, and Gunpowder.*

[First Emperor Daddy, please take care of your health. These are the manufacturing methods for the Four Great Inventions. Take them and use them first; there are other things inside as well, more than enough for your needs. Please, do not eat those immortal pills anymore. Let us focus on nurturing our health.]

Gazing at the papermaking technique among them, the First Emperor's initial fury gradually subsided.

As for Huhai, Zhao Gao, and the rest, he would deal with them in due course; there was no need to rush this very moment.

Once they returned to the palace, it would be the day of reckoning for those two.

As for Fusu and Meng Yi, the First Emperor sighed inwardly. Those two... alas.

Within this single sheet of paper, Xia Zui had stuffed everything she thought the First Emperor could possibly use, including the method for making cement, the extraction method for penicillin, techniques for longevity and wellness, and much more.

The First Emperor carefully preserved this letter as well, and turned to the next one.

The moment he unfolded it, the First Emperor was greeted by another wave of enthusiastic praise.

[First Emperor Daddy, these are words of admiration from people of later generations. I hope reading them brings a smile to your face!]

[My handsome old ancestor just wanted an elixir of immortality—give it to him!]