Palace attendant Gu Cun quietly walked into the hall, presenting two bowls of lotus seed soup still steaming with heat. He placed them gently on the desk with light hands and feet, then silently retreated backward and left.

Fu Su looked at the rising steam from the lotus seed soup, merely holding a spoon and slowly stirring it, watching the white tender lotus seeds floating and sinking in the lacquered bowl. Fu Su smiled faintly: “Bi Zhi, sit. Do you know of Bai Qi’s Battle of Changping?”

The young man was startled, then nodded and sat beside Fu Su. The two of them never concerned themselves with hierarchy in private, so the young man naturally picked up the other bowl of lotus seed soup and, without regard for the heat, personally tasted it first before placing the bowl he had tasted in front of Fu Su.

This was not taking advantage of favor to act arrogantly, but rather testing for poison for Fu Su.

Although the young man had performed this action countless times, Fu Su couldn’t help but mock himself inwardly.

Scholarly attendant, scholarly attendant – was he really a poison tester?

Such measures had naturally already been taken by other palace attendants before the food was presented. But the young man could never set his mind at ease. Every time Fu Su tried to dissuade him, it was useless. He always claimed that he had studied various arts under his master since childhood, and herbal medicine and toxicology were among his specialties.

The more Fu Su thought about it, the more bewildered he became. It wasn’t until the young man had finished more than half of the other bowl of lotus seed soup that he came back to his senses and continued the previous topic: “Bai Qi ranks first among the four great generals of the Warring States period because of this Battle of Changping. In this battle, Bai Qi completely defeated the Zhao army and buried alive over four hundred thousand surrendered Zhao soldiers, shocking the world. Although this greatly enhanced our Qin’s prestige, it contributed nothing whatsoever to the great cause of unification.”

Throughout his life, Bai Qi led troops in a hundred battles with a hundred victories, annihilating over one million troops from the six states and capturing about ninety cities large and small from the six states. He never suffered a single defeat in his entire life and was revered as a war god by both Qin people and people from other states. It could even be said that Bai Qi was practically a god-like existence in Qin, surpassing even the King of Qin. For Fu Su to dare question Bai Qi strategically would certainly cause an uproar if word got out.

Seeing the young man holding his bowl and falling into contemplation, Fu Su did not elaborate further, knowing that the young man would understand his meaning.

Sure enough, before long, the young man sighed quietly: “I see now.”

Fu Su nodded with satisfaction. Although Bai Qi’s killing of over four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers had indeed caused Zhao’s sudden decline and depression after the introduction of mounted archery, it had also aroused a sense of shared sorrow among the remaining six states, causing them to unite against a common enemy. Those over four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers – if they had known death was inevitable, who would have willingly laid down their weapons and surrendered? Even in death, they would have wanted to take someone down with them. So for a very long time afterward, whenever Qin conquered other states, the resistance they encountered was extremely stubborn.

“No wonder…” the young man murmured, also understanding why King Zheng of Qin did not kill the royal family and high ministers after destroying each state – it was also for the sake of the great cause of unification.

“Father Emperor’s actions, though they present hidden dangers in the short term, if our mighty Qin endures, the remnants of the six states are nothing to fear,” Fu Su said indifferently, his words carrying tremendous calm authority.

Worry still lingered in the young man’s eyes, but he said nothing more. Instead, he silently finished the lotus seed soup in his bowl spoonful by spoonful, then raised his head and smiled at Fu Su: “This soup is fine, it can be consumed.”

Only then did Fu Su pick up his spoon and drink a mouthful of the now-cooled soup. On the surface he appeared unconcerned, but inwardly he was quite displeased.

This kid – wasn’t he deliberately preventing him from eating hot food on purpose?

Fu Su stood at the archery range. First, he received a bone thumb ring from his scholarly companion and put it on his thumb, then took a purple fir wood and horn bow along with a white falcon-feathered arrow. He stood with feet shoulder-width apart, turning his left shoulder toward the target, slightly narrowing his eyes to calm his mind and steady his breathing.

Raising his hand, nocking the arrow, drawing the string, opening the bow – each movement was executed with perfect fluency and ease, his motions elegant and pleasing to watch, displaying his bearing and demeanor with every gesture.

“Swoosh—” The arrow shot toward the target’s center, piercing through the target. Even without checking, Fu Su knew the force was just right to have the white arrowhead barely visible behind the target.

“White Arrow.” The young man handed Fu Su another batch of arrows from behind.

Fu Su picked up three arrows and shot them in continuous succession without pause. Each hit its mark, with the arrows connecting end to end, looking like pearls on a string or a single arrow.

“Triple Connection.” There was admiration in the young man’s voice as he glanced at the small boy standing timidly beside the target, his eyes carrying a cold warning.

Fu Su picked up another arrow, nocked it on the string, and gazed for a long time before slowly releasing it.

This arrow was shot upward at an angle, with the tail and head not on the same horizontal plane. It moved neither quickly nor slowly, advancing steadily and smoothly, ultimately hitting the target’s center precisely.

“Angled Shot.” The young man’s tone held undisguised worship. He could manage the first two archery techniques, but this angled shot was the most difficult. The previous White Arrow and Triple Connection techniques relied on sufficient speed, so wind direction didn’t play a decisive role. The angled shot required finding the right angle and making correct judgments about wind direction. The young man admitted he couldn’t perform it so perfectly.

“Yielding Distance.” Fu Su said indifferently, his peripheral vision catching the small boy who had moved closer again, though he withdrew his gaze without any pause.

Yielding Distance – when a minister shoots with his lord, he should not stand alongside the lord but should yield and retreat one chi. The young man stood one chi behind Fu Su, drew his bow and nocked an arrow, completely mimicking Fu Su’s movements. The bowstring rang out crisply as the arrow left the string, cleanly hitting the target’s center.

“Excellent.” Fu Su smiled and praised.

The young man respectfully lowered his bow and stood at attention, presenting Fu Su with four more arrows.

In the Six Arts of a gentleman, archery consists of Five Shots: White Arrow, Triple Connection, Angled Shot, Yielding Distance, and Well Formation. Well Formation involved shooting four arrows in succession. Fu Su lowered his bow and stood, while the young man looked at the four arrows that had hit the target’s center, arranged up, down, left, and right exactly like the character for “well.”

“Young Master’s archery skills are exquisite. Bi Zhi is impressed.” After the young man said this, he waved his hand, and a nearby guard was about to run to the target to retrieve the ten arrows from the target’s center. But before the guard could act, the small boy who had been watching from the side ran over first, struggled to stand on tiptoe to remove each arrow, then ran back with quick steps.

Seeing this, Fu Su smiled slightly and took another quiver, handing it to the young man: “A gentleman has nothing to compete over, but when it comes to archery, he bows and yields before ascending, then descends to drink. Such competition befits a gentleman. Bi Zhi, it’s your turn.”

The young man pursed his lips, not bothering to remind his young master that he was telling him things he already knew, but deliberately raised his voice, clearly intending for someone to hear.

Taking the yellow poplar wood horn bow in his hands, the young man exchanged positions with Fu Su. Just as he was about to draw the bow and shoot, Fu Su beside him reached over, actively helping adjust his posture while instructing him on where to apply force, how to hook the string, and how to shoot powerful and accurate arrows.

The young man’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Even if his archery skills weren’t as good as his young master’s, he wasn’t a beginner either. Was this really necessary?

Thinking of how Fu Su always read books with a loud voice during recent lessons, it was probably also related to this small boy who was always eavesdropping under the window.

But Prince Hu Hai had been strictly forbidden by the King of Qin from reading, writing, or practicing martial arts – this was an unspoken understanding among everyone in the palace. While the eldest prince’s actions wouldn’t violate the King of Qin’s decree, if someone caught him at it, it wouldn’t look good.

“Young Master… you’re breaking the rules…” Taking advantage of Fu Su leaning over to guide his posture, the young man lowered his voice to advise.

“Rules? Whose words constitute rules?” Fu Su smiled with his lips curved, his tone extremely sarcastic. He had passed the age of worshipping Father Emperor and had begun questioning every decree Father Emperor issued. Though he couldn’t openly rebel, he could still engage in small acts of passive resistance. Because there were many eyes and ears in public, Fu Su didn’t explain much, merely saying indifferently: “He is my brother.”

The young man said nothing more, keeping his facial expression rigid as he allowed Fu Su to manipulate him like a teaching sample.

The small boy holding the arrows secretly moved even closer.

Fu Su sat in the military tent, wiping his bronze jade-hilted sword that had accompanied him for many years with silk cloth, occasionally glancing at the young man beside him who was lost in thought with his head lowered.

“Bi Zhi, return to Xianyang. I have General Meng watching over me here, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Fu Su stared at the diamond-patterned decorations on the sword blade, speaking indifferently with a composed expression.

Time flowed like water. The young man of those days had grown into a youth, his father king had been upgraded to father emperor, and he had been promoted from prince to eldest prince. But when he was with Bi Zhi, his self-reference had dropped from the formal “I” to the casual “I.” Fu Su smiled slightly as he stroked the sword blade, knowing what his scholarly companion was struggling with.

Today a family letter had arrived from Xianyang. Gan’s Prince of Yiyang was critically ill, summoning his son back to Xianyang to attend his sickbed. But Bi Zhi was unwilling to leave him alone in Shangjun, so he was caught in a dilemma.

Seeing the young man still remaining silent, Fu Su sighed: “This matter is still my fault. If I had gone along with Father Emperor, I wouldn’t have been demoted here, dragging you along with me.”

“Eldest Prince, you humble Bi Zhi too much.” A bitter smile appeared on the young man’s handsome face. After Emperor Qin Shi Huang returned to Xianyang Palace, at a banquet, Chunyu Yue disapproved of the commandery and county system the emperor was implementing and suggested following Zhou rituals to implement a feudal system instead. This suggestion was refuted by Li Si and met with the emperor’s displeasure, directly leading to Chunyu Yue’s dismissal. As his disciple, Fu Su had petitioned strongly against this matter, so Emperor Qin Shi Huang sent him to Shangjun to serve as supervisor of General Meng Tian’s army.

Fu Su’s gaze fell on the green ceremonial tablet lying quietly on the desk, and he sighed with feeling: “Then what are laws? What are rules? Are they the words of rulers and fathers? The words of the wise? Or the words of sages?”

The young man remained silent, his delicate eyebrows furrowing deeply.

Fu Su snorted coldly and smiled coldly: “Rules are meant for some people to follow and for others to break. But those without the ability to break rules who presume to challenge them will meet with complete destruction.”

“Eldest Prince…” the young man called out anxiously, his worry evident in his expression.

Fu Su waved his hand, restraining his emotions, and said indifferently: “When Bi Zhi returns to Xianyang this time, please also help me observe the situation in Xianyang. Being trapped in Shangjun with my eyes and ears blocked is extremely disadvantageous.”

Various emotions flashed across the young man’s face before finally transforming into a sigh. He lowered his head in a reverent bow: “Your Highness, please take care of yourself…”

Fu Su nodded, knowing the young man only addressed him as “Your Highness” when his attitude was extremely solemn.

Watching the young man retreat backward from the military tent until his figure disappeared from view, Fu Su couldn’t help but feel momentarily dazed.

This scholarly companion personally sent by Father Emperor had stayed by his side inseparably for many years.

The part of his life that knew him had become longer than the part that didn’t know him.

Fu Su curved his lips upward. After finishing with the sword, he sheathed it and casually picked up the green ceremonial tablet from the desk.

Slightly curving his index finger, he flicked the cold surface of the tablet, listening to the clear jade sound the green ceremonial tablet made. Fu Su murmured to himself: “Old friend, now I only have you left…”

Fu Su opened his eyes, inhaling the quiet and elegant fragrance of moon lin incense as he stared at the plain white ceiling, unable to return to his senses for a long time.

Only now did he realize that the parting in the military tent had been his last meeting with Bi Zhi.

Rules… were they really so difficult to break? He had failed, and Hu Hai had failed too…

“Imperial Brother, you’re awake?” Hu Hai had been keeping watch by the bed. Seeing him open his eyes, he immediately leaned over with concern.

“Mm.” Fu Su responded briefly, closed his eyes again, and gradually regained his clarity.

Hu Hai extinguished the Boshan incense burner burning moon lin incense nearby, then opened the windows and air conditioning to bring fresh air into the room. Looking at his imperial brother’s crimson eyes, he saw a hint of worry. Moon lin incense was made with the Tang Dynasty’s imperial incense moon lin as the main ingredient, with additional measures of galangal, patchouli, ligusticum, and other spices. This created a strange incense that could influence people’s dreams. However, when used, it brought some small side effects, easily affecting one’s mood.

Fu Su took a deep breath of the cool air, feeling slightly better. He had been continuously using moon lin incense to fall asleep recently, wanting to influence Bi Zhi’s dreams and make him remember past events. Bi Zhi should have re-experienced those dream memories together with him just now, right?

But… Fu Su sighed and closed his eyes. No matter how much moon lin incense he used, the life he could remember was still very brief.

Yes, what right did he have to resent anything? Bi Zhi’s life had already spanned over two thousand years, and the time he had been present was merely an insignificant dozen or so years for Bi Zhi.

“Imperial Brother?” Hu Hai pressed his lips together and called out with concern.

Fu Su waved his hand, indicating he was fine. After a long moment, he slowly opened his lips: “Send that green ceremonial tablet to him.”

Hu Hai was startled upon hearing this. Although his imperial brother hadn’t explicitly stated who “him” was, how could he possibly mistake the identity?

Though he had countless questions in his heart, Hu Hai still nodded: “Yes, Imperial Brother.”

The doctor perked up his rabbit ears, looking puzzledly at the green ceremonial tablet in the express delivery box. The boss had already told him just how precious this item was. Remembering the incident at the auction where they retrieved the immunity token, the doctor asked in confusion: “Boss, why do I feel like that Fu Su guy is helping you suppress the universe-stabilizing formation? Not only did he not obstruct you from retrieving the immunity token, but now he’s even sent you the eleventh imperial antique!”

The boss stroked the cold jade surface of the green ceremonial tablet. These past few days of repeatedly reliving those distant memories in dreams had made him incredibly nostalgic for this green ceremonial tablet, and his consciousness hadn’t clearly heard what the doctor was saying.

Only after the doctor repeated the question did the boss sigh quietly and say wistfully: “Because he knows I would definitely find it hard to decide to bury the twelfth imperial antique underground, so he’s simply facilitating all the others for me.”

“The twelfth imperial antique? You’ve already found it? What is it?” the doctor asked eagerly.

The boss lowered his eyelids and touched the crimson dragon robe he was wearing.

At first, the doctor didn’t understand what this meant, but when he suddenly comprehended, he was struck speechless.

Mini Theater

Hu Hai: Imperial Brother, why are you sitting down in most of your appearances?

Fu Su: …

Hu Hai: Ahem, nothing. I’ll order takeout for Imperial Brother. What would you like to eat today?

Fu Su: Crab roe soup dumplings, crystal shrimp dumplings, char siu buns…

Hu Hai (pulling out his phone): So Imperial Brother was already quite the homebody back then.