"Zheng'er, is the art of governing the state vested in the monarch? The monarch's path is to master his ministers; have you learned this?"
...
Scenes from years past replayed one by one in Ying Zheng's mind.
"So many years have passed."
"Things have changed, people are gone."
"Mother."
"Dong'er."
"Teacher..."
Ying Zheng gazed at the courtyard before him, overwhelmed by a feeling he found hard to describe.
Perhaps,
only in this place could Ying Zheng reveal such a vulnerable side of himself.
Back when he had not returned to Qin,
motherly love, filial piety—his mother was willing to give up everything for him, even her own life.
Back when he had not returned to Qin,
his mother had treated Dong'er as her daughter-in-law, carefully caring for her in every way.
But after returning to Qin, everything changed.
"Father-in-law."
"I have already given the order."
"Search the entire city."
"If any trace of Dong'er is found, report to me at once."
