socalfunplaces Chapter 203 Clearing the Road
Chapter 203 Clearing the Road
This woman is indeed extraordinary. With just a few words, she completely cleared Miao of the poison and subtly shifted the blame towards herself—clever and cunning indeed.
Lin Tian did not back down. He stepped forward several paces, clasped his hands in a fist salute, raised his head, and spoke in a voice as sharp as metal striking stone: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! Your Majesty and I are of one heart and soul; how could I dare to deceive you? This matter has already been reported to Your Majesty, and the evidence against Miao Du is conclusive. He has confessed in person, and there is no way to deny it!"
Ying Zheng was the true king of Qin. Lin Tian's single word, "Zheng'er," firmly placed all the weight back on the young monarch's shoulders.
According to his deduction, in those days, a boy was considered an adult when he tied his hair at fifteen. Ying Zheng was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and Zhao Ji in the phoenix carriage was at most in her early thirties.
Lin Tian sneered inwardly: Did a woman in her thirties from ancient times really think she could get away with him? Dream on!
"Zheng'er has been traveling a long and arduous journey back to the country from Han, and his mind is in a daze, which I find understandable. As for the matter of Marquis Changxin, I have just learned a little about it—those so-called 'Gu worms' are nothing more than fragrant butterflies and moths, whose nectar is extracted from their wings and mixed into rouge to make the fragrance sweeter and longer-lasting. This matter was secretly ordered by me to Marquis Changxin, and I did so in secret to avoid disturbing the palace servants."
Zhao Ji spoke in a gentle voice, each word clear and flawless, as if she were simply saying that she had picked a few roses that morning.
She has always loved beauty, as everyone in the country knows—beautiful women cherish fragrance and color, so why bother to explain?
Lin Tian suddenly spat out, "Pah!" He almost blurted out "bullshit," but bit his tongue hard.
Who would have thought she could be so perfectly smooth-talking—Lin Tian could never swallow this result!
A glint flashed in his eyes as he pierced through the gold-embroidered curtain, delivering a ruthless blow: "Is Your Majesty's action an attempt to exonerate Miao Du? The laws of Qin are strict and impartial; I urge Your Majesty to be careful with your words."
He simply tore off the mask of pretense, waiting for Zhao Ji to chime in—as long as she said one more word in defense of Miao Du, he would immediately seize the opportunity to implicate Lü Buwei, killing two birds with one stone and uprooting him completely!
"As the Empress Dowager, I know this matter was indeed framed by others. Grand Preceptor, please grant me a few days; I will certainly give you an explanation..." Behind the curtain, Zhao Ji paused briefly before slowly continuing:
"This great Qin empire was conquered by our late king with every sword and spear; it belongs to the Ying family, not anyone else! On his deathbed, our late king entrusted me with the task of assisting Zheng'er—now the Grand Preceptor is so aggressive and autocratic; does he truly intend to tear a hole in the sky and drive the people to their wits' end?!"
"Grand Preceptor, I've lived to this age, and two words are etched into my very bones: Ying Shi." Lü Buwei suddenly stood up, a smirk playing on his lips, his words dripping with icy coldness.
Lin Tian's heart skipped a beat—Zhao Ji's tactic of avoiding the real threat and using the situation to her advantage was indeed cunning. The Empress Dowager was, after all, the Empress Dowager; she maintained her composure and controlled the situation. Not to mention that hurtful remark, "Her surname is Ying, not Lin," coupled with Lü Buwei's cold laugh—it was clear she was drawing her sword but not actually attacking, just waiting for him to back down. But Lin Tian refused to swallow his anger, only retorting, "Ha! Of the billions of mouths under heaven, whoever speaks the loudest truly holds the reins of this world."
"Insolence!!" Lü Buwei's voice suddenly rose, sharp as a knife scraping against bricks. "Lin Tian! You have uttered rebellious words, shown no respect for the emperor, and disregarded the ancestral temple. What is your punishment?!"
"A crime?" Lin Tian laughed, tilting his head back and flicking his sleeves. "What law have I broken? Who is qualified to judge me? Today we are evenly matched, so farewell." Before he finished speaking, he had already turned and strode away, his back straight as a pine tree. As he left, he threw out a sentence: "A grasshopper in autumn, no matter how happily it jumps, can't jump over the frost."
"Your Majesty! This man is so arrogant that he doesn't even deign to give you a second glance!" Lü Buwei hurried to the imperial carriage, lowering his voice urgently, "If this villain is not eliminated, he will be a major threat to Qin! If he bewitches the King and destabilizes the court, our century-old foundation may crumble in an instant! I urge Your Majesty to make a swift decision and expel him from Xianyang immediately!"
There was a moment of silence behind the curtain before Zhao Ji's calm and aloof voice rang out:
"Prime Minister Lü, you'd better watch yourself. Our old scores are settled. Zheng'er is still angry, so I'll head back to the palace now. Tell Marquis Changxin to make sure the rouge is purchased before he comes back—be more careful next time, and stay away from you."
"I am tired, I will return to the palace to rest," she instructed her attendants.
"The Empress Dowager is returning to the palace!" The eunuch's shrill voice pierced the sky, and Zhao Ji's entourage immediately turned around and disappeared into the depths of the palace gate.
At this moment, Li Si strolled over from around the corner of the palace wall and stopped beside Lü Buwei.
Lu Buwei's mind raced with the words Zhao Ji had just spoken. His brow furrowed, and he abruptly turned to stare at Li Si: "Li Tingwei, you just came from the palace—what happened?!"
Li Si hesitated for a moment, then finally answered in a low voice, "Your Majesty... is kneeling outside the Empress Dowager's bedchamber and has not yet risen."
...So that's how it is. The Empress Dowager's path is completely blocked.
In an instant, Lü Buwei understood the veiled meaning in those words and sensed a chilling killing intent—Ying Zheng was about to make his move.
His anger surged, all directed at Lin Tian: If this man hadn't appeared out of nowhere, he would still be the Prime Minister, second only to the Emperor, above all others! But it was Lin Tian who disrupted the game, forcing him to retreat step by step, losing face completely. Lü Buwei's knuckles clenched white, his heart hardening: He wouldn't have peace of mind until this villain was eliminated!
The crowd dispersed, the market returned to its bustling state, but today's turmoil has only just begun.
The more the people chewed on it, the more interesting it became—that Imperial Preceptor Lin Tian, who was not even twenty years old, debated with a hundred schools of thought, overwhelmed Miao Du, faced the Empress Dowager without losing his momentum, acted decisively, and left gracefully, he was simply like a knight-errant who jumped out of a bamboo scroll!
He accomplished his task and left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame!
Especially the line, "Whoever speaks the loudest holds the world in their hands," everyone knew perfectly well: wasn't that referring to Lü Buwei? Who would have thought that this national advisor would actually dare to speak up for the common people, putting the word "people" above all else.
Some people whispered that Lin Tian possessed the benevolence of Mencius and the courage of Mozi—the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.
The wind rose from Xianyang, swept past Hangu Pass, and into the streets and alleys of the six kingdoms. The name Lin Tianzhi quietly took root in the common parlance.
After the crowd dispersed, Han Fei, Zhang Liang, Wei Zhuang, and Gai Nie remained standing in the same spot.
Han Fei rubbed his temples and sighed, "Alas, Brother Lin's temperament is truly unpredictable... I'm really afraid that if he loses his temper, he'll draw his sword right here in front of the Empress Dowager!"
Zhang Liang shook his head: "The master knows when to advance and retreat. He will never act without absolute certainty—what he wants is never to kill."
"Then what does he want?" Han Fei pressed.
"Clear the path." Zhang Liang's gaze was calm. "Sweep away all the stones blocking the King of Qin's way, crush all the vines that are hindering him."
Gai Nie bowed and took his leave, returning to the palace to report. The remaining three then headed together towards the Hall of Recruiting Talents.
Although Zhang Liang had not yet been bestowed the title of one of the Three Masters of Confucianism, nor was he among the Three Heroes of Qi and Lu, he was already the patriarch of the Confucian school. Moreover, he returned to report that he had died at the hands of Lin Tian—he went there not to plead for mercy, but only to see with his own eyes just how accurate and ruthless that sword strike really was.