To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 372 Zong Yu launches an attack, sparking fierce competition in the imperial court!

His Majesty is so benevolent that he not only believed such absurd nonsense, but also spared no expense in allocating vast sums of national treasury funds and allocating countless quantities of fine iron and coal for his extravagant spending!

"But what was the result?"

Zong Yu suddenly raised his voice and said sternly, "A whole month! A whole month! Zhang Fan hid in that Gewu Academy, working behind closed doors, like a turtle hiding its head and not daring to see anyone!"

"Our Great Qin poured in its wealth like water, and what did we get in return?"

"What we got in return was an explosion! Honest and law-abiding Mohist disciples were blown to pieces! This kind of ingenious and cunning skill not only failed to benefit the Qin Dynasty, but instead became a weapon of violence!"

Zong Yu became more and more agitated as he spoke, his eyes even reddening. "Let alone that steel behemoth capable of pulling 100,000 shi of grain, I haven't seen Zhang Fan build even a single wooden wheel for the most ordinary grain-carrying wheelbarrow in the past month!"

He kowtowed sharply, his forehead striking the gold brick.

"Your Majesty! This is a complete and utter deception! This Zhang Fan, relying on some tricks of the trade, has misled Your Majesty and wasted the nation's wealth and the people's hard-earned money—this is his first crime!"

"The war in the north is now critical, and the Northern Expeditionary Army is on high alert. The transportation of supplies is of paramount importance. Zhang Fan is using this illusory 'divine chariot' as an excuse to delay military operations, causing our army's logistical supply to be delayed. If this leads to a missed opportunity and the Northern Expeditionary Army faces the danger of running out of food, Zhang Fan wouldn't be spared even if he had ten heads! This is the second crime!"

"What is even more unforgivable is that he dared to make a military pledge before His Majesty in front of the entire court, and now, with the deadline approaching, he has handed over a pile of scrap metal. He treats the emperor as if he were nothing, committing the grave crime of deceiving the emperor! This is the third crime!"

Zong Yu raised his head, tears streaming down his face, his expression a mixture of grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, this old minister implores Your Majesty to immediately issue an edict to seal off the Academy of Sciences, imprison Zhang Fan in the death row, and punish him according to the law, to serve as a warning to others! This will quell the anger of the court and the public, and uphold the laws of the Great Qin!"

The entire Zhangtai Palace echoed with Zong Yu's fierce and angry accusations.

However, this is not the end.

Zong Yu took a deep breath and said loudly, "Your Majesty! The national treasury has been greatly depleted by this sorcerer, and the supplies for the Northern Expedition are difficult to sustain."

The Xiongnu are powerful, with 300,000 archers. If we force an attack, Qin will surely be bogged down.

This old minister dares to humbly request Your Majesty to rescind your decree and postpone the Northern Expedition!

"This old minister strongly proposes to restore the old policy of 'marriage alliance and tribute'! Select noble ladies from the royal family, prepare silk and jade, and send envoys to the Xiongnu Chanyu's court to seek peace on the border."

"Let our Great Qin recuperate and restore its national strength before considering future actions. This is the most foolproof plan to preserve the Qin state! I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

These words immediately ignited an uproar throughout the imperial court.

"Nonsense! How can the mighty Qin Dynasty grovel before barbarians!" Among the military officers, Meng Tian had the most explosive temper. He immediately tried to draw his sword, but was firmly held down by Wang Ben beside him.

But the situation was quite different for the civil officials.

As soon as Zong Yu finished speaking, the civil officials stepped out of the ranks in unison.

"We second that proposal!"

An elderly imperial censor knelt tremblingly on the ground and cried out, "Lord Zong is absolutely right! Zhang Fan has deceived the emperor and committed an unforgivable crime; he should be torn apart by chariots!"

"Your Majesty, I second your proposal! Please execute Zhang Fan and restore the marriage alliance!" Another official of the Nine Ministers rank knelt down.

"I second that proposal!"

"Your Majesty, I second that proposal! I beseech Your Majesty to punish Zhang Fan for deceiving the Emperor!"

"Your Majesty, please execute this wicked man and appease the people's anger!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Faced with the outrage of the crowd and the officials' demand for the throne, Ying Zheng remained seated on his throne, unmoved.

His gaze grew colder as he silently watched the weeping and wailing ministers below.

"snort!"

A cold snort suddenly rang out.

The civil officials who were still speaking felt a chill run down their spines and instinctively shut their mouths.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Li Si, the Left Chancellor of Qin, walking out from the ranks with a grim expression.

Li Si, dressed in black court robes and wearing a tall crown, coldly surveyed the kneeling officials, his gaze finally settling on Zong Yu's face.

"Lord Zong, what a grand display of official power and pomp!"

Li Si spoke, his tone laced with sarcasm, "What? Did the Immortal Master desecrate your ancestral graves, or kill your ancestral descendants? That you, one of the Nine Ministers, would dare to roar like this in the Zhangtai Palace?"

Zong Yu felt a chill run down his spine under Li Si's gaze, but since things had come to this point, he could not back down. He retorted forcefully, "Prime Minister, you are mistaken! Every word I uttered was for the sake of the Qin Dynasty and its people!"

Zhang Fan's one-month deadline is fast approaching, yet he has produced not a single result and has even injured a craftsman. Is the Prime Minister truly going to cover up such a crime of deceiving the Emperor?

Li Si sneered, turned to face the throne and bowed, then turned to Zong Yu and said in a deep voice, "Almost there? Lord Zong, you know it's 'almost there,' not 'already there'!"

Li Si flicked his sleeve and said sternly, "What Mr. Zhang declared before the palace that day was 'a one-month deadline.' I checked the calendar yesterday, and there are still three days left until the deadline!"

"A gentleman's promise is as good as his bond. The imperial court values ​​strict laws and regulations; every word is worth a thousand pieces of gold! Since we agreed on one month, then it's thirty days. Less than an hour, less than an incense stick's worth of time, it's not a month!"

Li Si stepped forward, staring intently at Zong Yu: "The deadline hasn't arrived yet, and you're already shouting and making baseless accusations. What? Did you establish the laws of Qin with your mouths?"

Are you instructing His Majesty on how to conduct himself, or do you think Zhangtai Palace is a place where one can make noise at will?

"What's wrong with waiting a few more days? If Mr. Zhang can't produce a steam train after three days, there's no need for you to impeach him. I will personally draft an edict to punish him!"

But if anyone dares to spout nonsense here again within these three days on trumped-up charges, don't blame me for punishing you according to the laws of the Qin Dynasty for the crime of roaring in the court!

Li Si's words stunned the entire audience.

He invoked the law and set time limits, leaving these civil officials speechless.

Zong Yu opened his mouth, his face turning pale, wanting to refute but unable to find a flaw in his argument.

Indeed, there were still three days left until the deadline, but he couldn't wait to see Zhang Fan die, so he launched his attack ahead of schedule.

"Prime Minister... what the Prime Minister said... is indeed reasonable, but..." Zong Yu still tried to salvage the situation.

That's enough.

Ying Zheng, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

The two short words, spoken softly, instantly silenced the hall.

Ying Zheng said calmly, "The Prime Minister is right. The deadline has not yet arrived, so how can you be accused of deceiving the emperor? You may all return to your ranks. This matter will be discussed again in three days. If there is nothing else, court is adjourned."

After saying this, Ying Zheng suddenly stood up, turned around and walked towards the back of the hall, leaving the ministers in the hall looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zong Yu gritted his teeth, "Three days... fine, I'll wait three more days! Zhang Fan, let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve in three days!"