Chapter 8: What? Has My Great Qin Fallen?

This matter involves these three individuals—could it be that he intends to frame them before the king? How dare he? Does he not fear death? The Meng family enjoys the king’s utmost trust and would never dare to confront all three of them at once. Meng Yi fully understood the weight these three held in the king’s heart, as well as their capabilities. Offending even one would be perilous; to cross all three would mean death without even a trace left behind.

Yet, Meng Yi could not help but wonder what grave matter this man wished to reveal to the king to go to such lengths. He also pondered why this man had chosen him to deliver the bamboo slip.

Under Meng Yi’s watchful gaze, Li Nian finished writing and handed over the bamboo slip: “General, please present this to the king.”

Meng Yi nodded solemnly, firmly clutching the bamboo slip as he walked step by step toward Ying Zheng. It felt less like carrying a mere bamboo slip and more like holding a stone that decided Qin’s fate.

When the bamboo slip reached Ying Zheng, he opened it and for the first time, a ripple of emotion appeared on his usually impassive face. He glanced at Li Nian before returning his attention to the slip.

After reading, Ying Zheng rolled the slip up and fell silent, closing his eyes to contemplate.

At that moment, Li Nian felt the entire hall fall into a terrifying silence. His heart brimmed with anxiety, yet there was nothing he could do but wait quietly for the judgment of fate.

After a while, Ying Zheng opened his eyes, looked again at Li Nian, and issued an order.

Hearing the command, Li Nian finally exhaled slightly. Ying Zheng had acted according to what was written on the bamboo slip, choosing to trust him. For now, his life was spared.

This was an extremely dangerous move!

The people Li Nian had mentioned in the slip were none other than Ying Zheng’s own son and favored ministers. Writing about them clearly meant the matter involved them—and nine times out of ten, it was not something good.

Ying Zheng could have easily viewed this as an attempt to slander and frame his son and ministers. Based solely on this, he could have ordered Li Nian dragged out and executed. Yet, Ying Zheng’s curiosity prevailed; he wanted to know more about Li Nian’s origins and the truth he bore.

This moment deeply impressed upon Li Nian the terrifying nature of feudal dynasties. Serving a lord was akin to facing a tiger; life and death hung upon a single whim.

“Feudal dynasties are truly detestable. Some dream of traveling back to ancient times, probably imagining themselves among the ruling class.”

Li Nian did not wish to return to this era, but having already crossed over, he resolved to live well.

After dismissing some attendants, Ying Zheng spoke: “I have done as you requested. Now, can you speak? Who exactly are you? What is your origin? What is the meaning of this bamboo slip?”

Li Nian took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and replied: “I dare not conceal anything from Your Majesty. I am not from this era but come from a future time.”

“Not from this era but from the future?” Ying Zheng mulled over these words, roughly understanding their meaning, but still asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Li Nian explained: “My arrival in Qin is like Qin people traveling back to the times of Xia Qi or Shang Tang. To Xia and Shang, Qin people would be future folk. Similarly, I am a future person in Qin.”

The hall trembled in shock at these words. This man was from a time after Qin?

Soon, Ying Zheng caught the hidden implication in Li Nian’s words, his expression darkening. He fixed his gaze on Li Nian: “You mean you are from a dynasty after Qin? That my Qin no longer exists?”

Hearing that his lifelong dream had collapsed—that Qin would not endure forever—Ying Zheng struggled to maintain composure. Restraining himself from accusing Li Nian of heresy and having him executed was already a sign of his rational mind.

Li Nian did not immediately answer but recited the history of dynasties: “Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou split in two, Spring and Autumn and Warring States, Qin unified the two Han, Three Kingdoms Wei, Shu, and Wu, Two Jin dynasties, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, and then the dynasties end.”

After reciting, he officially answered: “Your Majesty, in the era I come from, Qin has indeed long ceased to exist—more than two thousand years have passed.”

“My Qin is no more?” To hear that the dynasty he fought for had fallen over two millennia ago was staggering.

Two thousand years—a vast stretch of time. From the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to Qin was but a brief moment.

He had risen early and worked late, inheriting his ancestors’ ambitions, spending decades to conquer the six states and unify the realm. He had believed Qin would last forever, yet this man told him his Qin was gone—gone for over two thousand years. Ying Zheng, naturally, refused to believe it.

“Heretical lies! You mock the king!”

Ying Zheng looked toward the voice—it was Meng Yi, pointing at Li Nian and shouting: “That prophecy you recited says ‘after Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, the dynasties end.’ That means after Ming and Qing, no more dynasties exist. Then where do you come from?”

Indeed, if dynasties ended after Ming and Qing, where exactly was this man from?

Ying Zheng fixed his gaze on Li Nian, deciding that if he could not explain himself clearly, he would be torn apart.

How dare he deceive the king? How dare he curse Qin’s demise? Such crimes were unforgivable!

Li Nian replied: “General Meng, I speak no falsehood. In my time, dynasties have indeed ended—at least across the land of Huaxia. The country I come from is not a dynasty as you know it. It is called the ‘People’s Republic of China,’ something very different from a dynasty!”

Ying Zheng and Meng Yi noticed the pride and confidence with which Li Nian spoke of his homeland.

The People’s Republic of China? A name unheard of. If this country is not a dynasty, what kind of state could it be? How different was it from Qin?

Li Nian’s words hinted at more: “In my era, dynasties have ended at least in Huaxia land,” suggesting that beyond Huaxia, some dynasties might still exist.

Huaxia likely referred to the realm Ying Zheng now ruled. Could the lands beyond—west and north—still harbor dynasties?

But now was not the time to ponder this. Ying Zheng said: “One prophecy alone cannot prove you come from a future nation. These are your words alone. How can I know if they are true?”

Indeed, it was all Li Nian’s claim that he came from the future, from a country that was not a dynasty. Yet, who could prove it?

Li Nian had anticipated this and said: “I can prove it. The items that came with me are all from the future, unlike anything in this era. Some cannot even be made in Qin. Your Majesty need only allow me to demonstrate, and proof will be clear.”

Li Nian intended to use a smartphone to open the king’s eyes. He had stored many videos on it and hoped to show Ying Zheng what the future was like to earn his trust.

If the king still did not believe after seeing the videos, Li Nian had another plan: to demonstrate some technologies that could be produced in this era but were unknown to it, such as papermaking and cement production.

These were not difficult to create, and he could find the methods easily in the knowledge stored in his mind’s search engine.