Shortly after the fire, and shortly after Gu Xun left, the chief official of Tingwei Mansion, Tingwei Li Si, one of the Nine Qings, hurriedly entered Zhangtai Palace.
The fire in the prison of Tingwei Mansion was not a small matter. As the chief official, of course he had to go into the palace and explain to the King of Qin personally.
However, Li Si, who has already learned about the situation in the prison, also knows that he is basically being harmed.
Therefore, he is not particularly worried about this matter.
Of course, the fire in the prison was his fault, but for him, the matter was closer to an unforeseen disaster. As long as the king had no intention of targeting him, it would be a matter of letting go and it would have no impact.
As for if the king intends to target him...then it doesn't matter whether there is this fire or not.
Lord, Lord, Lord, why can’t I kill you?
Entering the study, Li Si was the first to kneel on the ground and confessed to himself:
"Your Majesty, the prison of Tingwei Mansion is flooded inexplicably. The fire is so fierce that it may be difficult to save it."
"This matter is all due to my lax management and negligence, which has led to disaster. Please punish me."
Ying Zheng's reaction was just as Li Si expected - no reaction at all. He waved his hand gently and said, "Li Qing, please get up first."
"The guilty minister is terrified." Li Si said politely, but he also stood up.
The real situation was tacitly understood by everyone. There was no need for him to act too much, it just meant what he meant.
After standing up, Li Si once again apologized and said, "Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Ying Zheng did not rush to talk about the punishment, but asked knowingly, "How is the fire in the prison, and how many casualties are there?"
"Uh..." Li Si raised his eyes cautiously and glanced at Ying Zheng.
My king seems to be planning to gently lift the flames of Tingwei's prison...
After some consideration, he replied softly, "I would like to inform your Majesty that although the fire was fierce, thanks to your kindness, most of the guards and prisoners escaped in time."
"Only...Han Fei, the Ninth Young Master of South Korea, is in the deepest cell. He seems to have not escaped. I am afraid he has perished in the flames."
Li Si didn't know what kind of deal terms Ying Zheng, Gu Xun, and the Imperial Preceptor's Office had reached, but he was certain that his most basic goal—to expel Han Fei from the Qin court—had been achieved.
Once this point is achieved, he doesn't need to do too many additional operations. He can just do things according to the king's wishes.
He, Li Si, seeks promotion and wealth, and the king’s wish is his direction.
Ying Zheng nodded when he heard this and ordered:
"Han Fei was a minister of Qin. Although he was guilty of neglecting his duties, his unfortunate death in Tingwei's prison was also the fault of the State of Qin. His crimes were offset and canceled in one stroke."
"Li Qing, as the chief officer of Tingwei Mansion and Han Fei's junior brother, it is up to you to collect his remains and hand them over to the Korean envoy to take them back home."
As soon as Ying Zheng said these words, it was confirmed that Han Fei died accidentally in Tingwei Prison.
From then on, there was no more Korean Nine Young Masters in the world... Han Fei.
"Li Qing's negligence in doing things caused a fire, so he was... fined one year's salary as punishment."
Li Si didn't have time to think deeply about the hidden meaning, and bowed and said, "My lord, thank you for your kindness."
After everything was settled, Li Si left Zhangtai Palace and returned to Tingwei Mansion.
Although all he can do now is wait for the fire to go out, but as the chief officer, he still has to show off.
In front of the burned-out prison of Tingwei's Mansion, Li Si's face was illuminated by the firelight, his face changing with gloominess and uncertainty. After a long time, he let out a long sigh and thought to himself - Senior brother, don't blame junior brother for what he did. You said it, don't hold back. Li Si didn't know whether Han Fei faked his death and escaped, or whether he really died.
But it is an indisputable fact that he repeatedly targeted his own senior brother in court.
Although the only one who can really deal with Han Fei is King Qin Yingzheng, even though Han Fei's own actions have left a clue...
Although Li Si himself didn’t know whether his push to fuel the flames was really effective.
All in all, he just did it, and he did it in order to achieve his own selfishness.
Naturally, you will have to bear the corresponding consequences.
It's hard to say who is right or wrong in this matter. I can only say that Li Si, who was born in Confucianism, has no harm in his righteousness but his personal morality.
Anyway...he has no regrets.
………………
The next day, Li Si collected the burned bones of "Han Fei" and handed them over to the Korean envoys who had not yet left.
Even though they were all close associates of King Han, they could not help but feel extremely sad about Han Fei's death.
Of course, a palace official who came from a palace would not believe in the so-called accidental death.
However, they didn't know enough, so they just thought that Qin had assassinated the Ninth Young Master and pretended to be an accident.
Everyone knows that ceding territory and requesting ministers is an act of self-discipline, including them, the servants of the King of Han, but they cannot disobey their master's orders.
Knowing that Han Fei offended King Qin for South Korea, how could they not feel sad?
But this doesn't change any reality.
News of Han Fei's death spread to Xinzheng, the capital of Han, as quickly as possible.
At the same time, news that Han Fei was not dead was also secretly sent to Xinzheng.
Is this... Schrödinger's Han Fei?
However, these are no longer within the scope of consideration of Gu Xun, who has left Xianyang and returned to Shu.
This morning, he returned to Chengdu on time with tea leaves and snacks.
Concubine Yan and Zhang Han had a very fulfilling two days.
Concubine Yan completely ignored Gu Xun's instructions and ate and slept every day. Fortunately, as a two-dimensional paper person, she didn't gain weight.
As for Zhang Han, he was busy directing the work of the Shadow Secret Guards all day long. He also had to keep an eye on Shu Mountain and pay extra attention to Meng Mountain. He also had to maintain communication with Xianyang. By the way, he also found a lot of Bashu and other people.
Looking at Jingchu mythology - the focus is on the sacred tree Fusang, the three-legged golden crow, and the place where the sun rises and sets.
When Gu Xun returned to the inn where he stayed, Concubine Yan was the only one there, and Zhang Han ran outside not knowing what he was doing.
Concubine Yan looked at the two cute little black and white beasts in Gu Xun's arms and asked with a surprised finger, "Is this what you are looking for?"
Gu Xun placed the two sleeping cubs on the bed, turned to Concubine Yan and said, "That's right."
"Do you know what kind of beast this is?"
Concubine Yan came over and looked at it carefully, and shook her head, "This little beast has a body like a bear, but its colors are strange, and its face is round and fat like a cat... I have never heard of it."
In fact, Concubine Yan didn't know much about beasts at all, and all she knew was some common sense.
Naturally, she didn't recognize the iron-eating beast, a rare creature that lives in high-altitude mountains.
There are not many people in the world who can be recognized roughly.
Gu Xun smiled complacently and said jokingly, "Don't you recognize me?"
"I tell you, these are famous ferocious beasts. The iron-eating beasts mounted on Chi You, the leader of the Jiuyou tribe who fought with the Yellow Emperor in the past, are referring to them."
"Eating... iron beasts?" Concubine Yan pointed at the two small beasts and couldn't help but let out a long note in surprise.
Is this it?
She looked at the two cute little things sleeping on the couch, but she really couldn't connect them with the ferocious beasts that loved to eat copper and iron in ancient legends.
