Ye Wushuang charged out directly, which no one had anticipated.
The great scholars had even less expected that Ye Wushuang would show no fear towards them and would immediately kill.
This led to many of them dying without understanding what had happened.
They simply couldn't believe that Ye Wushuang would dare to lay hands on them.
Alas, the very things they found unbelievable were precisely what occurred.
Once they all lay dead, the palace guards erupted in chaos.
"What, how are they all dead??"
"It's over, it's over, we've truly messed up this time!!"
"Hiss! These were all great scholars! To die like this, and in Xianyang Palace no less, how will the world talk about us!!"
Even these guards knew the influence great scholars held over the world.
Furthermore, many among them had connections with these great scholars.
Their families might have been disciples of these scholars.
Therefore, despite being guards of Ying Zheng, they held a deep reverence for the great scholars.
Yet now, Lin Tian had killed all these great scholars, which to them was an act of utter defiance.
However, Lin Tian did not feel the same way.
"Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king; all by the shores, are the king's subjects!"
"These great scholars, even if not subjects of Great Qin, were still the people of Great Qin!"
"As people of Great Qin, daring to be so disrespectful to the King, they deserved to die!!"
"Guards! Announce this widely: the great scholars showed disrespect to the King and were executed by Lin Tian in Xianyang Palace! If anyone seeks revenge, they can come find me!!"
Lin Tian was utterly unconcerned by the deaths of these great scholars.
He knew that historically, there was an event called the Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars.
Although such an event had not occurred now, Lin Tian did not mind if it truly did.
Thus, Lin Tian's expression was cold, his face devoid of any fear.
Instead, it was the guards who heard Lin Tian's words and became frightened.
Lin Tian had killed too many people, so many that even these guards felt a sense of dread.
Especially at this moment, with Lin Tian holding a sword, it made many feel that.
Perhaps in the next moment, he would draw his sword and kill again.
And this time, the targets might be them.
This feeling was terrifying.
Fortunately, at this moment, Ying Zheng heard the commotion and appeared.
"This, what happened? Why did you kill them all?"
"These great scholars, though they possessed some talent, dared to disregard the King! To disregard the King is to disregard Great Qin. I've killed too many such people, a few more won't matter!"
"But, but he has many disciples who hold official positions in our Great Qin!"
"To find a toad with two legs is difficult, but are people with two legs hard to find? If his disciples are dissatisfied, then expel them. It's a good opportunity for Great Qin to initiate a new round of imperial examinations! At that time, even more talented individuals will become officials of Great Qin!!"
Lin Tian truly did not tolerate such people.
If they harbored any dissenting thoughts, Lin Tian would not hesitate to kill them all.
Although he was not a bloodthirsty man, he did not mind killing.
After all, the enemies who had fallen by his hand numbered at least fifty to sixty thousand, if not a hundred thousand.
Therefore, killing these people carried no burden for Lin Tian.
Upon hearing Lin Tian's words, Ying Zheng was taken aback.
He actually disliked those great scholars.
He even wished he could be like Lin Tian and kill them directly.
However, in his heart, he still harbored some reservations.
He worried about the influence these great scholars had on scholars throughout the land.
But after hearing Lin Tian's words, he suddenly came to a realization.
The method of selecting talents in Great Qin had already changed. It was no longer reliant on recommendations from nobles or the prestige of renowned teachers to become an official of Great Qin.
The officials selected in the current Great Qin mostly came from the common people, from impoverished families.
These officials had no connection with those great scholars.
In fact, many of them had never even heard the names of the great scholars.
Therefore, killing the great scholars had no impact on them.
As Lin Tian said, people with two legs were easy to find. Killing or replacing all officials who supported the great scholars with others was entirely feasible.
With this thought, Ying Zheng's heart felt a sense of clarity.
"If you put it that way, it indeed makes sense!"
"Then what else do I have to worry about? Killing those great scholars is just that!!"
"However, with those great scholars dead, what about our Feng Shan ceremony on Mount Tai?"
Ying Zheng still felt a slight deficiency in cultural knowledge.
He still wished to follow the Zhou rites and perform the Feng Shan ceremony on Mount Tai.
In his view, the Zhou rites were ceremonies recognized by everyone under heaven.
Therefore, using Zhou rites was only natural.
But now that the great scholars were gone, how many people in the world still understood Zhou rites?
This posed a dilemma for Ying Zheng.
At this moment, Lin Tian spoke.
"Zhou rites are indeed recognized by people under heaven, but the current world is already the world of Qin, no longer the world of the Zhou dynasty's Son of Heaven!"
"Therefore, we should create our own Qin dynasty's rites and laws based on the Zhou rites!"
"Thus, the Feng Shan ceremony on Mount Tai should be conducted according to Qin rites!!"
"According to Qin rites?"
"In the Qin dynasty's realm, the King is supreme. Therefore, the rites and laws enacted by the King are Qin rites. As for other matters, they can be supplemented by others! The Feng Shan ceremony on Mount Tai can be carried out entirely according to the King's wishes!!"
"According to my wishes?"
Hearing these words, Ying Zheng's heart was stirred.
Previously, he had also felt that Zhou rites were too cumbersome and did not wish to use them.
But since everyone under heaven followed Zhou rites, he had no choice but to use them.
Therefore, Ying Zheng always felt a sense of being controlled by others.
However, upon hearing Lin Tian's words, he suddenly saw the light.
If Great Qin could use Qin laws, if Great Qin could act according to his wishes, then he would have no reservations and could do as he pleased.
Moreover, he would not be controlled by others.
"Good! Then I shall re-enact a set of Qin rites. I want the people of Qin to follow our Qin dynasty's etiquette!"
"I want to tell the world that our current Qin is no longer the era ruled by the Son of Heaven of the past!"
"I want to usher in a new era!!"
"At the same time, I need to hold the grand Feng Shan ceremony on Mount Tai in a few days. No one can stop me from doing this!!"