Immediately, Qin Shi Huang turned to his ministers and generals and said, "Would any of you be willing to give up everything you have now and accompany this beautiful lady?" How could the ministers and generals possibly dare to do so? Even if they had the heart, they certainly lacked the courage! "Hah! Hah! Lady Li! Have you seen this? All my ministers and generals cannot manage this—even I have just shown them. This proves that no man in the world can possibly do it! The person you are seeking can only appear in dreams, correct?" Qin Shi Huang laughed proudly and enthusiastically. Yet, no one responded at the scene. The atmosphere remained unusually still. Believing his words to be sound, Qin Shi Huang immediately began to display his own confidence. Turning first to the heavens, then to the earth, and finally to every single person present, he declared, "If such a person truly exists in the world, I shall hand over my Imperial Seal to him—without a single word of regret!" Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished. "Your Majesty! Absolutely not! Absolutely not! While we can joke about everything else, the Imperial Seal is the very treasure of the state—something that must never be lightly spoken of or joked about!" Your Majesty! Consider carefully!" Many ministers immediately knelt down, offering counsel to the supreme ruler, Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was autocratic and domineering, declaring, "I am heaven! Heaven is me! My words are the words of heaven! If I say no such person exists in the world, then no such person exists!" "Your Majesty is indeed wise! Your Majesty—" The court officials and ministers all bowed in unison. Before the last word of "Your Majesty" could be uttered, a voice echoed in the air: "If I am heaven, then what is the heavenly sovereign?" The ministers turned to find a handsome, elegant young man, standing beside a graceful and poised young lady. Without needing to ask, they knew these two were Gao Liang and Zhang Yuping. Everyone was stunned. One general turned to Gao Liang and said, "You're not just the alchemist from the pharmacy room? How dare you speak here!" Emperor Qin Shi Huang, seeing that Zhang Yuping was not truly the Imperial Consort Li, became furious and addressed her directly, "You dare! How audacious of you to impersonate the Imperial Consort Li!" Here they come! Drag them out and execute them! "Hold!" Gao Liang stopped them. He fixed his eyes on Qin Shi Huang and said to him, "I have yet to hear your answer to what I asked just now!" Qin Shi Huang was at a loss for words. At that moment, Chancellor Li Si stepped forward to speak on Qin Shi Huang's behalf: "By the will of Heaven, long-lived and ever-prosperous! Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, representing Heaven in ruling the world!" The ministers and officials all bowed deeply and paid their respects to Qin Shi Huang. Gao Liang sneered and said, "Son of Heaven? Son of Heaven? Then I ask you—do you possess the emblem of the Heavenly Emperor? Has Heaven itself granted you the true authority? If you have that emblem, then you are truly the Son of Heaven. To proclaim yourself Son of Heaven without such a symbol is to invite divine retribution!" "Brave man! Drag this arrogant alchemist out and execute him! How dare he disturb the ground before me!" Qin Shi Huang was furious. Zhang Yuping and the Princess Yushu both looked worried at Gao Liang, yet Gao Liang smiled faintly, bowing to Qin Shi Huang and Li Si and saying, "Five days from now, we will ascend the Immortal Platform, offer prayers to heaven and earth, and take the Elixir of Immortality in hopes that the Heavenly Emperor will protect us. Yet, alas! Alas! Though I have just perfected the Elixir of Immortality, it will not be able to be presented to the world. My own death—what could that matter?" Upon hearing Gao Liang speak of his intention to perfect the Elixir of Immortality, Qin Shi Huang immediately signaled his attendants not to move, instead adopting a more gentle tone and urgently saying, "Minister! If you truly succeed in perfecting the Elixir of Immortality, I shall reward you generously! I shall grant you ten thousand mu of fertile land, beautiful women and magnificent mansions, and bestow upon you the title of a Marquis with ten thousand households. How does that sound?" Gao Liang shook his head, leaving everyone utterly puzzled. Even Zhang Yuping found it hard to understand—why would her husband refuse? The Princess Even Zhao Erhu, who had been made into a servant and was now highlighting his position behind the scene, and Zeng Erniu, who had been given a similar role, shook their heads in admiration, thinking to themselves: "Old boss! Why didn't you agree? After all, as soon as we agree, we'll never worry about food, clothing, housing, or daily expenses again—we'll live a life of constant prosperity and dignity!" Qin Shi Huang and Li Si certainly found this hard to understand. Li Si had once been a warehouse keeper, but working in such a humble position meant a life of unremarkable routine. Therefore, in order to realize his ambitions in public service, he had made great efforts to come to Qin, where he served as a guest under Lord Lü Buwei. Through his outstanding abilities, he won Lü Buwei's recognition, and then, thanks to Lü Buwei's recommendation, gained access to Qin Shi Huang. Eventually, he proposed the strategic vision of conquering the six states and unifying the world—a plan that proved sound and highly appreciated by Qin Shi Huang. Ultimately, after successfully achieving this vision, he was appointed as the first Chancellor of the Qin Dynasty. Only after becoming a chancellor did I acquire today's vast tracts of fertile land, beautiful women, magnificent mansions, and the status of a peer of the realm. Yet why does the current high official, Gao Liang, refuse this offer? Even Qin Shi Huang is puzzled—such an exceptional offer, one that every alchemist strives for, should surely be enough to persuade Gao Liang. Qin Shi Huang then asked, "What are your requests, Minister? Please state them freely. As long as you succeed in creating the Elixir of Immortality, I will do my utmost to fulfill every one of them!" "Very well, Majesty! I have two requests. First, I would kindly ask that the Emperor borrow the Seal of the State for one week. After that week is over, I will return it promptly!" Gao Liang said sincerely before the assembled ministers. Qin Shi Huang hesitated slightly, but Gao Liang added, "If the Emperor finds this request unsuitable, then I shall simply withdraw my intention to create the Elixir of Immortality." Upon hearing that Gao Liang had decided not to pursue the Elixir of Immortality, Qin Shi Huang immediately pleaded, "Then I shall follow your wishes "Then what about the second request?" Li Si asked on behalf of Emperor Qin. "Your Majesty! As for the second one, I believe that now with the whole realm unified, it would be best to reduce harsh punishments and abolish unreasonable laws such as the system of punishing entire clans—those of nine generations. At the same time, we should lighten taxes so that the common people can rest and recover. Furthermore, while conquering the various states, we should not rely solely on military force; instead, we should implement benevolent governance, combining both firmness and flexibility, so that the conquered states truly come to embrace and accept our rule!" Gao Liang, having deeply studied the history of the Qin dynasty before his journey, was particularly dissatisfied with the Qin dynasty's severe punishments, heavy taxation, and autocratic rule. He reminded Emperor Qin of a timeless saying attributed to the wise ruler Li Shimin of the Tang dynasty: "The ruler is like a boat, and the people are like water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it." Although Qin Shi Huang felt a fresh sense of insight, he would not abandon his long-standing belief in the legalist approach to criminal law and administration. After all, since the reforms initiated by Shang Yang under King Xiao Qin, through his own unification of the six states, Qin has seen over sixty rulers—each of them capable and competent. None of them has been a weak or ineffective monarch; otherwise, Qin would not have achieved such remarkable strength. The governance and military achievements of the preceding kings had laid the solid foundation for his ultimate unification.