Huo Ban finally vanished, and in the imperial city, by the banks of the Mercury River, only Qin Shi Huang's hearty and relieved laughter echoed.
General Qing Jiang's voice sounded again in Yan Shouyi's mind:
"Where the people's hearts lie is where the empire stands. Kid, you have not only enlightened Qin Shi Huang but also enlightened me."
Although General Qing Jiang had already learned what the world was like now, he couldn't help but sigh.
It turned out that the territories of the Qing Jiang Kingdom and the Yu Shu Kingdom had already been unified.
If this unification had come a little earlier, perhaps his and the Yu Shu princess's ending would not have been so tragic.
Qin Shi Huang, two thousand years ago, and General Qing Jiang, one thousand years ago, were both fortunate for the current era. They envied Yan Shouyi from the bottom of their hearts for being born in this time.
At this moment, Weng Qianxiang, along with Liang Yinqiu, Wang Sihui, Hu Hai, and others, arrived beside Yan Shouyi.
Hu Hai quickly went to help Qin Shi Huang, "Father Emperor, are you alright?"
Qin Shi Huang still held pride and did not wish to sit on the ground as an inferior.
So, with Hu Hai's support, he struggled to stand up, "This emperor is unharmed."
"But Father Emperor, your soul..."
Hu Hai was not foolish; he could see that his father emperor's soul was severely depleted.
He just didn't know if there was a danger of his soul scattering.
Qin Shi Huang waved his sleeves, seemingly unwilling to explain further.
Yan Shouyi also got up with Weng Qianxiang's support, but he turned and walked towards Lin Zitong, Long Feicheng, and the others.
As they drew closer, everyone exchanged knowing smiles, revealing a sense of lightheartedness after escaping calamity.
After experiencing this great disaster, everyone trusted each other more and became more united.
He pulled everyone up one by one, patting their shoulders as encouragement.
Finally, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but touch Lin Zitong's belly and ask, "Is the child alright?"
Lin Zitong gave him a glare.
It was only as small as a grain of rice; what could be wrong?
Long Feicheng, standing nearby, exclaimed, "Huh?" as if he had discovered something important.
He stretched out his neck and said, "Brother Yan, you're quite the actor. I almost thought Sister-in-law was pregnant just now!"
Yan Shouyi was taken aback, "Ah?"
What was he acting? His sister-in-law was indeed pregnant!
Before Yan Shouyi could reply, Long Feicheng slung an arm around his shoulder and chuckled, "Don't even think about tricking us into giving you gift money! I don't even have a girlfriend yet, and you and Sister-in-law are having a baby? I don't believe it!"
The others also laughed foolishly, uniformly believing that Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong couldn't possibly be holding a baby so soon.
Yan Shouyi chuckled and did not refute or clarify.
He and Lin Zitong had already decided to announce Lin Zitong's pregnancy once they returned to the surface and everyone had settled down.
Wouldn't everyone be incredibly excited then?
Thinking of this, Lin Zitong couldn't help but touch her belly.
The child was too fortunate, having so many godfathers and godmothers from the moment of birth. They would surely dote on it immensely.
She just didn't know if it would be a boy or a girl.
If it were a boy, she would definitely keep him away from Little Long, or he would learn bad habits.
Well, if it were a girl, she wouldn't let her meet Little Long at all!
Lin Zitong thought this.
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi felt something in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, it was the Ancestral Dragon Sword that Qin Shi Huang had given him.
Snapping back to reality, Yan Shouyi hurried back to Qin Shi Huang and offered the sword with both hands, "This is your sword."
Qin Shi Huang scrutinized Yan Shouyi and then shook his head, "It belongs to you now."
"This..."
Although Yan Shouyi had already formed a connection with the Ancestral Dragon Sword, he had no intention of claiming it for himself.
Qin Shi Huang smiled slightly, "You possess the true dragon's purple energy. The Ancestral Dragon Sword will not be wasted in your hands."
"Then what about you?"
"The empire is no longer as it was. After hearing your words, this emperor has no lingering concerns and does not intend to remain in the mortal world."
As soon as he said this, Hu Hai was the first to object, "Father Emperor, you are going to reincarnate?!"
Qin Shi Huang looked back at the unpromising Second Emperor of Qin, "What is wrong with that?"
"But if you reincarnate, our Great Qin's foundation, and this imperial mausoleum..."
Once reincarnated, one would forget all memories of their past life, meaning everything Qin Shi Huang possessed during his reign would no longer belong to his soul.
What was the difference between this and giving up immense wealth?
Especially since he didn't know which family he would be reincarnated into in the next life. What if it was a family of hardship?
At least Hu Hai believed that his reincarnation as a prince was sheer luck, and he probably wouldn't be so fortunate again if he reincarnated.
Qin Shi Huang snorted, "What is there to fear for a man?"
"But..."
"No 'buts'!" Qin Shi Huang was so angry he slapped Hu Hai, "As a prince, you should not be so timid! This emperor is willing to give up everything to enter reincarnation, and you intend to guard this dilapidated imperial mausoleum for eternity?"
With Qin Shi Huang gone, the mausoleum would no longer be a true imperial mausoleum, and Hu Hai would lose the meaning of guarding it.
Just as Qin Shi Huang said, if Hu Hai didn't reincarnate, would he stay in the mausoleum forever, becoming a pitiable lonely ghost?
After being slapped, Hu Hai became much clearer-headed.
He gritted his teeth and finally made a decision, "Your son is willing to reincarnate with Father Emperor! In the next life, your son still wants to be your child!"
Qin Shi Huang snorted, seeming to dislike having such an unfortunate son.
Hu Hai lowered his head dejectedly.
He was not the most outstanding, nor the most powerful. In fact, among Qin Shi Huang's many children, he was the most mediocre.
Even after death until now, Hu Hai still felt he had failed his father emperor.
But unexpectedly, his father emperor, who had just slapped him, now touched his head.
Hu Hai raised his head in surprise.
He saw Qin Shi Huang smiling with affection, "Unexpectedly, it is you who remains by this emperor's side even now."
Hu Hai was stunned, then grinned foolishly.
He was the most mediocre, but also the one who loved his father emperor the most.
So much so that Hu Hai did not build a separate imperial mausoleum for himself, and after death, he only wished to guard his father emperor's tomb.
"Although I unified the six states, I still died prematurely. I thought that being an emperor was failure enough, and being a father was useless. But seeing you, this emperor finds some solace," Qin Shi Huang said softly.
"Father, Father Emperor..."
Hu Hai was overcome with emotion, covering his face and weeping. Qin Shi Huang embraced him as if holding a child.
Seeing this scene, Liang Yinqiu, Xia Qi, and the others were also deeply moved.
This was probably the most interesting and thought-provoking experience among their countless archaeological excavations.