A generation of emperors fell like this.

Gai Nie looked at Ying Yuan's body with mixed feelings.

He killed Ying Yuan, but he did not feel the slightest joy.

He knew that what he had killed was not just an emperor, but an era.

Gai Nie turned and left, disappearing into the darkness.

The underground palace returned to peace, with only Ying Yuan's body lying there quietly, heralding the end of an era...

Suddenly, Ying Yuan opened his eyes abruptly and sat up from the dragon bed.

He was breathing heavily and his whole body was soaked with cold sweat.

"It's this dream again..."

Ying Yuan muttered to himself, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

This was not the first time he had this dream.

He has had this dream often since he destroyed the State of Yan.

In his dream, he will be led into the Mechanical City by Yu Ji and then killed by Gai Nie.

Every time he woke up, he felt a sense of fear.

He didn't know what this dream meant.

He only knew that he had to find Yu Ji as soon as possible and find out her purpose in approaching him.

He had a premonition that if he didn't resolve this matter quickly, he would really die at the hands of Yu Ji and Gai Nie...

Ying Yuan suddenly woke up from his nightmare, his heart pounding. The bedroom was quiet, with only a few palace lanterns emitting dim light, which reflected on his sweaty face, making it look even paler. He opened the quilt, walked down from the dragon bed barefoot, walked to the window, pushed open the window frame, and a cool night breeze blew in, making him slightly more awake.

"It's the same dream again..." He whispered to himself, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes. In the dream, the cold sword of Gai Nie and the half-smile of Yu Ji made him feel a chill. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh. How could he, the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, who was invincible in the world, die so miserably at the hands of a woman and a swordsman? This was simply a great shame!
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that dreams were just dreams after all, and he would never allow such a thing to happen in reality. He wanted to control everything, and he wanted everyone to submit to him!

"Come here!" he shouted sharply.

A eunuch hurried in, knelt on the ground, and asked tremblingly: "What do you want, Your Majesty?"

"Go, call Li Si!"

"According to the order!"

The eunuch did not dare to be negligent and quickly retreated.

Ying Yuan paced back and forth in the hall, feeling restless. He had to find out Yu Ji's purpose and her relationship with the Mohist School as soon as possible. He could not just sit there and wait for death, and be slaughtered!

Soon, Li Si hurried over, knelt in front of Ying Yuan, and asked respectfully: "Your Majesty summoned me so late at night, what is the important matter?"

Ying Yuan sat down on the dragon chair, looked at Li Si coldly, and said, "Prime Minister, I have been having a nightmare recently, dreaming that I was harmed by Yu Ji and Gai Nie. What do you think this means?"

Li Si was startled and said quickly, "Your Majesty is the true emperor. It's just a nightmare. It's nothing to be afraid of. Maybe it's just that Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs recently and is exhausted."

"I don't believe it!" Ying Yuan slammed the table and said angrily, "I think there must be some conspiracy! Yu Ji approached me with ulterior motives! Send someone to investigate immediately and make sure to find out her background!"

Li Si complained bitterly in his heart. Although he was in a high position and had great power, he did not dare to interfere too much in the affairs of the harem. Moreover, Yu Ji was the emperor's new favorite, so he did not dare to offend her easily.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. I need some time..." "I'll give you three days!" Ying Yuan said without question, "Within three days, I want to see the results! Otherwise, you'll come to me with your head!"

Li Si was so frightened that he trembled all over and kowtowed quickly, saying, "I obey your order! I will do my best to find out the truth!"

After Li Si left the bedroom, Ying Yuan still couldn't fall asleep. He walked to the table, picked up the wine pot, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all.

"Yu Ji..." He whispered the name, with a complicated light in his eyes. He had to admit that Yu Ji's beauty and talent fascinated him deeply. However, the scene in his dream made him full of vigilance and suspicion towards her.

He put down his glass, walked to the window, and looked out at the dark night sky, his heart filled with confusion and anxiety. He didn't know what was waiting for him in the future...

The next morning, Ying Yuan tried to pull himself together and handle government affairs. On the surface, he was calm as usual, but the nightmare was still lingering in his heart. He even began to doubt everyone around him, including Li Si, whom he trusted the most.

After the morning court session, Ying Yuan returned to his bedroom and found Yu Ji waiting there. She was wearing a lavender dress, looking particularly elegant and charming.

"Your Majesty," Yu Ji said softly, "I heard that Your Majesty did not get enough rest last night, so I came here to play a song for Your Majesty, hoping to relieve Your Majesty's fatigue."

Ying Yuan looked at Yu Ji with mixed feelings. He didn't know whether she really cared about him or had other intentions.

"No need," Ying Yuan said calmly, "I still have government affairs to deal with."

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There was a flash of disappointment in Yu Ji's eyes, but she didn't say anything and just retreated silently.

Ying Yuan looked at Yu Ji's departing back, and felt even more annoyed. He walked to the table, picked up the memorial, but could not read a single word.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the bedroom.

"What's going on?" he asked sharply.

A eunuch ran in hurriedly, knelt on the ground, and said in panic: "Your Majesty, it's bad! Lord Zhao Yuan... Lord Zhao Yuan he... he..."

"What's wrong with him?" Ying Yuan had an ominous premonition in his heart.

"He...he was killed!"

"He... he was killed!" The eunuch's voice trembled and he almost cried.

Ying Yuan felt a chill running from his feet to his head. He stood up suddenly, grabbed the eunuch by the collar, and asked sternly, "What did you say? Zhao Yuan was killed? Who did it? Where was he killed?"

The eunuch turned pale with fear and stammered, "Outside the palace... someone... someone stabbed me in the throat with a sword..."

Ying Yuan pushed the eunuch aside and walked out of the palace quickly. Zhao Yuan was one of his most capable generals, loyal and skilled in martial arts, so how could he be killed so easily? There must be something fishy going on!

He rushed all the way to the place where Zhao Yuan was killed. He saw Zhao Yuan lying in a pool of blood, with a shocking sword wound on his chest, and blood staining the ground red. The guards and palace maids around were so scared that they dared not approach, and their faces were pale and trembling.

Ying Yuan squatted down and carefully checked Zhao Yuan's wound. The swordsmanship was clean and neat, and the person who did it must be a master. Could it really be Gai Nie? But why did Gai Nie kill Zhao Yuan?

He stood up, looked around, and asked coldly: "Has anyone seen the murderer?"

Everyone looked at each other and no one dared to speak.

"I'll ask again," Ying Yuan's voice became even colder, "Has anyone seen the murderer?"

A guard stepped out tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, I saw a shadow... flash by..."

"Dark shadow?" Ying Yuan frowned, "Can you see who it is?" (End of this chapter)