Chapter 18: Ying Ziji: With civil officials secured, a general is still needed.

"Father, have you forgotten about the Gongshu family?" Wang Wan whispered from the side.

"I was just about to mention them to the young master." Wang Ben turned and added, "The Gongshu family is a school of craftsmen as renowned as the Mohists, though their focus is somewhat different. What do you think, young master?"

The Gongshu family excelled in the study of instruments of war. Much of the success of the Qin army in conquering territories and cities was due to their contributions. Catapults and the Qin arrows, which flew further than any of the Six States' projectiles, were all their masterpieces.

"The Gongshu family—how could I have forgotten them?" Ying Ziji clapped his small hands. Stirrups, after all, could be considered military equipment. Entrusting the art of metallurgy to them would likely be more appropriate than with the Mohists, and the Gongshu family could even be considered "one of our own."

"Little brother Ziji, my good friend Gongshu Youlan is the eldest daughter of the Gongshu family. I shall bring her to meet you next time," Wang Wan offered, seeing that Ying Ziji was very interested.

"That would be great! When Sister Youlan comes, I will treat you both to hot pot."

"Hot pot... what is that? Is it delicious?"

"Of course! But it requires a special pot made of brass or iron; the traditional tripod cauldrons are too thick, making it very slow to cook."

"Wow, little brother Ziji, you are so amazing!"

...

Hot pot... The young master had asked him to find craftsmen just to make kitchenware for some "hot pot"? Good heavens... Wang Ben felt a wave of helplessness wash over him; he had been thoroughly defeated.

Watching Wang Wan hold hands with Ying Ziji, who was quite a bit younger than her, in such a harmonious scene, Wang Ben had a momentary illusion. The young master looked quite well-behaved when he was like this. He had realized that the young master only seemed difficult to deal with when Hu Hai was mentioned or when he was handling Zhao Gao.

...

The next day, in the imperial court.

Dark clouds hung low over the vast Zhangtai Palace, making it hard to breathe. Inside the Qilin Hall, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy. Many spots in the court were vacant. Many of the young scions who used to run wild with Prince Hu Hai had held positions in the court, but now... they were all still locked up in prison.

Many officials wore grim expressions; they were the uncles or even the fathers of those troublemakers, so it was no wonder their faces were sour.

"This is outrageous! Prince Hu Hai is, after all, the seventeenth prince's elder brother. How could he be thrown into prison without a word?"

"And who is that Zhang Liang? An anti-Qin rebel! My own son, Bai Feiyun, was merely filled with indignation and stormed the Black Tooth Prison to vent the Emperor's anger, yet he was captured by the young master!"

"We have all bled for the old state of Qin. The Prince's actions have chilled our hearts!"

"Let my unfilial son from the Gan family reflect in the Black Tooth Prison, but Prince Hu Hai is a son of the First Emperor—a person of gold and jade; how can he be imprisoned?"

Before the morning session had even begun, there were many clamorous voices. Of course, most used Hu Hai as their rallying cry. Demanding that Ying Ziji release Hu Hai held the moral high ground of seniority and rites, making it sound reasonable in both sentiment and logic.

Ying Ziji sat at a small table, resting his round cheeks in his hands, and let out a yawn. How tired Father must be to face these officials every day.

As time passed, the shouting officials gradually fell silent.

"Breaking into the Black Tooth Prison is punishable by exile under the Great Qin law, but Father has asked me to handle it at my discretion..." Ying Ziji blinked his eyes, appearing like an innocent child seeking advice from his elders. "It is very difficult for Ziji, so I would like to ask you uncles: should I uphold the law impartially?"

Only Li Si, Fusu, Wang Jian, and Wang Ben instinctively took two steps back. That look in the young master's eyes meant he was definitely up to no good! Better to step back and avoid the collateral damage.

"Sigh, although Hu Hai is my brother, I cannot abuse my power for personal gain in the name of the Great Qin's laws. If they must be exiled, then let them all be exiled together."

Even from his childish voice, one could hear a hint of "sacrificing family for righteousness."

Exile? Hearing this, the faces of those below turned pale. In this era, exile was second only to the death penalty. Those locked in prison were all coddled scions; the arduous journey, the unfamiliar climate, and the risk of disease along the way meant they might never survive. Even if they didn't die, being removed from the heart of power in Xianyang meant their careers were effectively over. This was something they could not accept.

"Ziji, how can you do this?"

"This must not happen, young master! Please reconsider!"

...

In the hands of any other monarch, it would be impossible to truly enforce the law impartially because the connections were too vast, even involving a prince. But the one sitting above was Ying Ziji! This mischievous child was capable of anything.

Among the officials, the Right Chancellor Feng Quji, who rarely expressed an opinion, could no longer sit still. Mainly, it was because the eyes of all the noble officials were on him; he himself was from a noble family, and the ancestor of the Gan family had been his mentor.

"Young master, those dozen men hold important positions. If they were all exiled, it would be disadvantageous to the State of Qin."

"Furthermore, they acted to kill the assassin who attempted to harm the Emperor, upholding the prestige of our Qin state. There are extenuating circumstances; they should be dealt with leniently."

Wang Ben and Meng Tian exchanged a look, both feeling quite helpless. Yesterday, the young master had said he would release the noble scions. Yet, today in court, he was using the threat of exile to terrify the civil and military officials. It was clear that punishing the noble scions was not the young master's true intent. So... what was it all for?

"Chancellor Feng's words make sense. In that case, we shall waive the exile. However, they did violate the Qin law, so a small punishment is still unavoidable." Ying Ziji nodded his little head, as if agreeing with Feng Quji.

*Whew—*

The officials breathed a collective sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he had been persuaded. What does it mean to "serve the Emperor as if serving a tiger"? They hadn't been this nervous in front of Ying Zheng, for although Ying Zheng was firm, his actions were predictable and he was relatively tolerant of the noble families. This little ancestor was different; he was impossible to handle.

"Exactly. It is right to let them learn a lesson. How about we let their families take them back and ground them for three months? Or does the young master have another punishment in mind?" Feng Quji bowed.

"Ground them for three months? That won't be necessary." Ying Ziji had been waiting for this question. His small lips curled up. His gaze swept across the faces of every official from a noble family. Everyone felt a bad premonition.

"How about this: since they acted out of a sincere heart to serve the country and only rushed the Black Tooth Prison in a moment of panic, I shouldn't punish them too severely, or it would chill the hearts of you uncles."

"As it happens, I am planning to establish an academy to educate the people of Great Qin. Let them be stripped of their offices for the time being and go to the academy to study and cultivate their character. Once they have learned their lesson, they may be restored to their posts. How does that sound?"

Ying Ziji's true goal had always been this academy. By using the excuse of leniency to insert the noble scions into it, the families would have no reason to block the establishment of the academy. As for causing trouble once the academy was built... well, they couldn't blame Ying Ziji for not showing them mercy. Restored to their posts? That was just empty talk. Hmph, that would depend on whether they studied hard in the academy; there would be examinations for their positions then.

"Go to the academy to study?" The officials were stunned. A moment ago, he was shouting about exile, and now, just by studying, they could be released and restored to their posts? It was almost as if there was no punishment at all. The young master truly did whatever came to his mind...

The officials from noble families breathed a sigh of relief. Feng Quji, however, frowned. He instinctively felt something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He glanced over and happened to see Li Si's expression, which was clearly one of sudden realization.

"Since you all agree with my approach, then let it be so."

"Yu Huatian, go and release them. Oh, and my brother, Hu Hai—keep him locked up for a while longer. He would certainly refuse to go to school, so let him reflect in the Black Tooth Prison for a longer period."

"By the way, Father is broad-minded. To showcase his divine grace, he has pardoned Zhang Liang. He is a descendant of the former Han nobility with extraordinary talent; let him serve as the headmaster."

Zhang Liang? Headmaster? Previously an assassin who tried to kill the King of Qin, now suddenly the headmaster of the academy? The noble scions had gone to kill Zhang Liang, and now they were to be his students. But they dared not object.

"Does anyone have any objections?"

"Then, court is dismissed!"

...

"An academy... and Zhang Liang as headmaster." After the court session, Feng Quji pondered for a long time. The First Emperor had pardoned Zhang Liang? Who could have guessed? But the order must be genuine; if Ying Ziji were lying, Dun Ruo, who managed the Black Ice Terrace, would not stand idly by.

"Is the young master opening this academy out of a child's whim, or is there a deeper scheme?"

"Could it even be that the Emperor found it inconvenient to come forward himself and let the young master handle it?"

Feng Quji's face shifted between shadow and light as he boarded his carriage to return home.

Meanwhile, construction of the academy officially began at the foot of Mount Li.

...

In his bedchamber, Ying Ziji moved a rocking chair outside to enjoy the sun, holding a glass of iced cola.

"Father previously promised to allow me to find my own staff."

"Now that I have civil officials, it's time for military generals. The Xiongnu in the northern frontier are a major threat to the Great Qin."

Several names immediately appeared in Ying Ziji's mind. The vast Qin Empire was teeming with talent, much of it simply undiscovered. Given time, many might end up in the anti-Qin camp. It was better to strike first and intercept them!

Ying Ziji took out paper and brush, and wrote down several names.

Han Xin, Xiang Yu...