Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield Chapter 717 Chapter 294: Ying Zheng: I've Already Chosen the Crown Prince! My Eldest Son Has Been Found!
Previously on Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield...
Hearing those words,
Every gaze in the grand hall turned toward Chunyu Yue.
Still, numerous officials nursed hidden schemes in their minds.
The selection of a Crown Prince!
From the moment Ying Zheng claimed the throne, certain voices had urged for it, yet he ignored every plea and never gave it serious thought.
The land now stands united.
The Crown Prince seat lingers unfilled.
Such uncertainty spells disaster for any empire.
"Emperor Qin Shi Huang."
"In earlier times, before Qin's unification, foes loomed beyond our borders, allowing delay on naming a Crown Prince. But with the realm now pacified, our nation demands a Crown Prince to anchor its stability."
"This alone will root Qin's legacy deep and let the empire thrive eternally."
"Name the Crown Prince, fortify the realm's base."
"Thus, Qin endures through endless generations."
Chunyu Yue declared anew.
At present,
Chunyu Yue neared outright endorsement of Fusu for Crown Prince.
Facing this unfolding drama,
Chunyu Yue's bold words drew all civil and military officials' stares to Ying Zheng.
Precisely so.
For officials like Han Fei and Li Si, who had joined the trials in Zhangtai Palace before, composure held firm in their hearts—they had long grasped Ying Zheng's grand vision and the destined heir to Great Qin's throne.
This instant!
Positioned below the dais, both Fusu and Hu Hai sensed mounting anxiety.
As princes entrusted with state matters, denying their hunger for the Crown Prince role would ring utterly hollow.
"Appoint the Crown Prince, establish national foundation."
Ying Zheng uttered deliberately.
Gazes of every civil and military official locked on.
Yet Ying Zheng's face now chilled to an icy frost.
"Indeed."
"Qin requires a Crown Prince."
"A choice has dwelled in my mind for ages." Ying Zheng intoned steadily.
Learning of this favored heir,
Court ministers sharpened their focus.
Meanwhile, Fusu and Hu Hai's pulses raced to their throats.
In this pivotal juncture,
The entire assembly knew the decision pitted only them.
"I..."
"During my youth, upon returning to Qin, a beloved companion from childhood stayed close. She endured Zhao's trials with me, stood faithful amid my humiliations there, and when Zhao's folk struck me down near death's door, she staked everything to rescue me."
"For my sake,"
"She abandoned her home to trail me into Xianyang."
"Upon my early ascension, ambitions blazing, I vowed before all officials to crown her Empress."
"Yet that very Empress title brought her ruin, nearly snatching her life and parting us for long years."
Ying Zheng's measured words resounded across the Morning Discussion Hall.
Save for a handful of aged retainers yet present, shock gripped every other soul at this unveiled secret.
This bygone tale eluded most knowledge.
"Efang?"
"Known through annals as Emperor Qin Shi Huang's white moonlight, a key cause he shunned naming an Empress his entire reign."
In the chamber,
As Emperor Qin Shi Huang evoked old memories, Zhao Feng drifted into reflections on famed chronicles.
Efang.
Epang Palace.
Post-unification, Emperor Qin Shi Huang raised heaven's grandest palace, dubbing it Epang Palace.
Its true weight known solely to him, perhaps.
"Who imagined the Great King bore such a tale."
"Endured woes alongside Emperor Qin Shi Huang, yet claimed none of his splendor."
"Even flirting with death."
"Why raise this story now—some hidden intent?"
"Little surprise history notes Emperor Qin Shi Huang's refusal of an Empress; likely only she fit as his rightful consort."
"Harem beauties never touched Emperor Qin Shi Huang's soul."
"Such drama unfolded then..."
Various officials mulled deeply.
For them,
At last unveiling the First Emperor's concealed history.
"Crown Prince hopeful."
"Shall not be Fusu..."
Ying Zheng proclaimed once more now.
These words landed like thunder.
Fusu's visage paled, inwardly chuckling in anguish.
Fusu's backers among the officials saw faces twist sharply, plunging into hopeless gloom.
Chunyu Yue's countenance soured further.
"Emperor Qin Shi Huang."
"Among every prince, beyond Mr. Fusu, does any other bear the worth for this duty?" Chunyu Yue blurted out.
"Chunyu Yue truly lacks wits, challenging Emperor Qin Shi Huang so boldly."
"Still,"
"History records Emperor Qin Shi Huang eventually naming Fusu Crown Prince, paving his path to the throne."
"So why zero shot for Fusu here?"
"Fusu must puzzle alongside his allies."
"Despite Fusu's top odds, he's passed over—Hu Hai must rejoice wildly."
"But would Emperor Qin Shi Huang pick Hu Hai? He lacks true mettle."
"Regardless, Qin falls after the Second Emperor; no one gladly shoulders that curse."
"I'll bide time to forge my own dynasty ahead." Zhao Feng stayed outwardly serene, thoughts churning within.
True to Zhao Feng's musings,
Ying Zheng's flat rejection of Fusu as Crown Prince,
Quickened Hu Hai's breath, hammered his chest with thrill.
"Father skips Fusu for Crown Prince—surely he turns to me?"
"Am I on the verge of Crown Prince glory?" Hu Hai surged with uncontainable elation.
However,
At Ying Zheng's side, Zhao Gao spied Hu Hai's blatant glee, sighing inwardly: "The Crown Prince heir was set ages past; none knew it—who foresaw the Grand Commandant as Great Qin's future Crown Prince?"