Chapter 117 Hu Hai's Argument [Jinjiang Authentic Edition Exclusive Release - Father, You Don't...

The days are short in winter. Just as the hour of You arrived, the sky outside the window was getting dark. The cold wind blowing in my face was filled with thick moisture. It was obvious that snow was going to fall in the capital again.

Hu Hai's mood at this moment was just like the gloomy sky outside the palace, as if a slight twist of the screw could produce a large vat of ice-cold water.

He was furious, sad, and even felt extremely wronged. He cried wildly and punched and kicked the group of black-clad eunuchs who were trying to stop him. He roared in a hoarse voice, "I want to see my father! I want to see my father!"

Zhao Gao, who was following behind, just leaned quietly against the pillar, looking at the frightened Eighteenth Prince with a cold expression as he cried hysterically like a desperate little trapped animal.

Before, when he was still doing his work in Zhangtai Palace, he learned from the negotiations between His Majesty and the Prince of Xiongnu that His Majesty intended to have the Prince of Xiongnu take the Eighteenth Prince to the grassland as a hostage in the future. Now, after hearing the actual news, he was not too surprised, and even felt an extremely strange sense of relief from the bottom of his heart. It was a complex feeling that the dust had settled.

No one can endure a life of confinement with no end in sight. In the past few years, he had the misfortune of being confined in the Qinxue Palace with the Eighteenth Young Master. The only scenery he could see day and night was this palm-sized place. Not only was his newly-started career path inexplicably cut short, but the official position he had worked so hard to get was also replaced by someone else. Seeing his best years of youth wasted here in vain, Zhao Gao had regretted countless times in the dead of night that he had tried his best to become Hu Hai's teacher. If time could flow back, he would definitely beat his then-self unconscious.

However, the matter was done, and as the Eighteenth Young Master's teacher, his fate and that of the Eighteenth Young Master had long been firmly tied together.

Now that the master and disciple have lost their power in Xianyang, it would be better for them to find another way and go to the prairie as soon as possible. In that vast wilderness lives a group of uncivilized barbarians, who have strong limbs but simple minds. Although their living conditions cannot be compared with those in the imperial capital, the emperor is far away, and in that endless new world, there are a lot of scattered powers waiting for people with ambitions to gather them.

Zhao Gao, who considered himself a "man of ambition", narrowed his eyes and silently calculated in his mind.

The black-clad eunuchs who had been beaten by the howling Eighteenth Young Master for a long time could no longer bear it. Seeing that Hu Hai's teacher was standing quietly behind the pillar and was unwilling to step forward to intervene, a middle-aged eunuch had no choice but to plead for mercy to the Eighteenth Young Master:

"Eighteenth Young Master, please don't worry. I will send someone to the Zhangtai Palace to deliver your message to His Majesty."

Hu Hai stopped crying upon hearing this, and hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears and snot from his face. Then, with a pair of red and swollen eyes, he swung his sleeve and angrily cursed at the leading middle-aged eunuch: "Why don't you send someone quickly? If you dare to fool me again, when I see my father, the queen, I will make him skin all of you eunuchs alive!"

"Yes, yes."

The eunuchs were angry but dared not say anything. A young eunuch standing in the front saw the look given to him by the leading eunuch, and immediately endured the pain of being kicked in the leg "rewarded" by the Eighteenth Young Master, and limped along the palace road to Zhangtai Palace.

Hu Hai stood under the eaves, his hands clasped nervously, looking at the departing back of the young eunuch in front of him with hope.

Zhao Gao turned around and went back to his resting room, not bothering to watch the Eighteenth Young Master's final struggle.

…

Inside Zhangtai Palace, the floor-standing eye-protection lamps illuminate the entire inner hall brightly.

The First Emperor, who was kneeling beside the black lacquer table in the inner hall and concentrating on government affairs, watched the young eunuch who came from the Palace of Diligent Studies, led by Lu Zhi, limping into the inner hall and kneeling on the wooden floor with a "thump". With a pitiful expression, he told him the whole process of his youngest son howling and throwing a tantrum in the Palace of Diligent Studies since he heard the news that he would be taken to the prairie as a hostage. The emperor could not help but tighten his slender fingers holding the brush, and his pair of thick black sword-like eyebrows slanting into his temples were slightly frowned.

The First Emperor had extremely complicated feelings towards his youngest son.

Indeed, he wished he could stuff the evil "Second Emperor of Qin" back into his mother's womb and re-create him. However, when he thought about the years that Hu Hai had been imprisoned, and how, except for the first few days of crying and throwing a tantrum, he had stayed quietly in the Qinxue Palace and had not caused any trouble, and that soon the ten-year-old Hu Hai would follow Maodun to the grasslands as a hostage, the First Emperor, as a father, finally sighed in his heart, put down his brush, and said calmly:

"Bring Hu Hai here to me."

"promise!"

The two sturdy eunuchs standing by hurriedly obeyed the order, bowed, and hurried away with the young eunuch who was kneeling below.

After bringing His Majesty a cup of refreshing tea, Lü Zhi knelt down beside the desk below and continued to help His Majesty classify the memorials and bamboo slips from various counties across the country.

Outside the quiet inner hall, fine snow began to fall.

The sky grew darker and the wind grew more bitterly cold.

Hu Hai, who had been standing anxiously under the eaves of the Qinxue Palace, finally saw the palace maids from the Zhangtai Palace. After hearing that his father wanted to summon him, he hurried to the Zhangtai Palace.

The palace road is so long that you can't see the end at a glance. The high black walls on both sides are so tall that you can't see the edge even if you tilt your head as high as possible.

The ten-year-old Hu Hai ran quickly along the palace road towards Zhangtai Palace with tears in his eyes. He felt like there was a fire burning in his heart, and also like there was a piece of ice pressing on his heart.

When he ran to the majestic and solemn Zhangtai Palace, slipping every three steps and panting, he raised his head high and glanced at the palace plaque illuminated by the dim light. Thinking of the scene in his dream, he subconsciously clenched his fists to suppress all the emotions that came to his heart. When he heard the palace servant's voice, he hurriedly put on his white socks and ran into the palace.

As soon as he walked around the screen of the inner hall and saw his father and emperor sitting high up in the hall, Hu Hai seemed to have gone through countless hardships and suffered a lot. He cried out "Wow!" and knelt on the wooden floor. He cried loudly in a hoarse voice, and crawled forward with admiration in his eyes, saying aggrievedly:

"Wuwuwuwuwu, Father, I finally see you!"

"Wuwuwu, Father—Father, Hai has been in the Qinxue Palace for a long, long time. Day and night, every moment, he misses you. Why did you lock Hai up without saying a word? And even send Hai to the prairie as a hostage to the Huns? Wuwuwu, Father, oh Father, what evil deeds did Hai do that angered heaven and man to make you tired of me? Just tell me, and I will change immediately!"

"Wow, father, I don't want to go to the grassland. I can't bear to leave you, my mother, and I can't leave Xianyang."

Hu Hai cried as he spoke, and when he got to the saddest part he just held his head with both hands and knocked his head on the floor and cried heart-wrenchingly. It was so heartbreaking that anyone who heard it cried and anyone who saw it felt sad.

When the First Emperor, who was kneeling at the top, saw his youngest son stumbling in, he burst into tears and burst into tears, and couldn't help clenching his fingers.

After all, he is his own flesh and blood, and he has truly loved his youngest son for several years. It would be fine if he had not seen him, but if he really saw him, he would be able to tell the difference more clearly: Hu Hai is Hu Hai, and "Qin Ershi" is "Qin Ershi".

After a long silence, the First Emperor finally sighed helplessly:

"Hu Hai."

After several years, he finally saw his father again. Hearing his father calling his name, Hu Hai, who felt that he had been framed, felt even more wronged. He raised his head with red eyes, and choked with tears as he said to his tall father at the top of the table:

"Wow, Father, I know I was naughty when I was little. I relied on your favor and did many mischievous things in the palace. But this is because my mother left me too early. Although my mother looked after me, there was always a layer of distance between us. Whenever I saw my brothers and sisters in the harem being loved by their biological mothers and being able to be intimate with them at will, my heart felt like it was soaked in vinegar, full of envy and sourness. Unfortunately, I was too young at that time and had never read. I didn't know how to express my feelings at all. I could only try to win your attention by being naughty and mischievous."

"Now that I'm a few years older, I understand how difficult it is for you, Father. These past few years, I've been studying with my teacher every day. I already understand a lot and know etiquette. In just a few more years, when I'm fully grown, I'll be able to share your worries like my brothers did. Oh, Father! I've never left Xianyang since I was born. I can't live without you. Please don't send me to the grasslands!"

After Hu Hai said this while crying, he fell to the ground in grief again, his eyes, nose and face were all red from crying.

The huge Zhangtai Palace was filled with the young boy's hoarse and sorrowful cries.

As Lu Zhi was sorting the memorials, her movements slowed down a little, and the palace maids in the hall subconsciously held their breath. It was the first time they saw the Eighteenth Young Master, who was used to acting like a little bully, crying so pitifully, and the palace maids in Zhangtai Palace were not used to it.

Not only were the palace people not used to it, but the First Emperor also felt quite uncomfortable.

He originally thought that Hu Hai would throw a tantrum and cry and make a fuss to avoid being sent to the Xiongnu tribe as a hostage. He never expected that when Hu Hai really came, he would just cry and not make a fuss. Every word he spoke was filled with his regret and grievance.

The First Emperor pinched his eyebrows with his fingers. Seeing this, Lu Zhi hurriedly took the palace maids away from the inner hall.

In the blink of an eye, only a father and son, one tall and one short, were left in the entire inner hall.

The First Emperor also stood up from his seat, walked down the imperial steps, and slowly came to his youngest son. He lowered his eyes and looked at his youngest son, who was almost fainting from crying, with complicated eyes, and sighed softly:

"Hu Hai, please get up first. I have something to tell you."

When Hu Hai, who was lying on the ground crying bitterly, heard this, he couldn't help but tremble. He stood up with sobs, his eyes blurred with tears, and looked up at his father with timidity and love.

The First Emperor stretched out his big hand and touched his youngest son's snow-covered head, whispering:

"Hai, you have really made a lot of progress in the past few years."

"It seems that Wang Xun has really taken it to heart."

When Hu Hai heard his father's praise, his eyes lit up with joy, but the words he heard next made his heart sink to the bottom in an instant.

"Father knows you are reluctant to leave your family, but the mission of sending the royal prince as a hostage on the grasslands is for you alone."

"Hai, compared to your brothers and sisters, you are the only one who naturally has half Hu blood flowing in your body. This is your greatest advantage. You are also neither too old nor too young, and everyone knows that you are my most beloved youngest son. If you go to the grasslands, not only will you be quickly accepted by the Xiongnu, but you can also help me control the grasslands. This is an extremely important mission. Father hopes you understand that this is not exile, but a sign of respect."

"Since you keep saying you're sensible and eager to share Father's worries, and now that you've finally got a job you're capable of, why are you clamoring to quit? Could it be that all those words you just said about being loyal to Father were just a lie?"

Hearing his father's low voice, Hu Hai felt as if his whole body was about to split apart. His head was spinning rapidly, and then he gritted his teeth and bowed and whispered:

"Father, it's not that I'm trying to avoid being a hostage on the grasslands, but rather that Xuanniao has other plans for me."

"Xuanniao? Do you have other plans for you?"

The First Emperor paused, raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at his bowing little son with suspicion.

Hu Hai clenched his hands, trying to make his tone believable, and with tearful eyes he looked at his father who was looking at him, choking with sobs and admiration, he said:

"Father, do you still remember that a few years ago, when I was first imprisoned by you in the Palace of Diligent Learning, I caught a cold and developed a high fever. Your Majesty sent Xia Wuqi to personally diagnose my pulse?"

The First Emperor pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

He also clearly remembered that his naughty little son had been ill for a while, and after he recovered from the illness, he began to study obediently in the Qinxue Palace.

At that time, he had just learned about his real future and was annoyed with "Emperor Qin II". When he saw that his youngest son was no longer doing evil, he felt relieved that he had finally straightened out his youngest son in this life.

Hu Hai carefully observed his father's expression and choked with sorrow:

"Father, it was because of this high fever that I was blessed by the Black Bird, and was able to glimpse a glimpse of the future. I finally woke up and realized the heavy responsibility I shouldered. That's why I put away my mischievous heart and willingly followed my teacher to study."

"How much of the future have you glimpsed?" The First Emperor's eyes darkened a little, and he feigned curiosity. "What future is it? Tell me about it, father."

Hu Hai raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears that flowed from his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice with great sorrow:

"Father, the future is too heavy. I, your son, dare not speak."

"I forgive you and you are not guilty. Just tell me." The First Emperor narrowed his narrow eyes slightly.

Hu Hai swallowed twice, then suddenly "thumped" and knelt down beside his father's legs, hugged his father's calf and cried:

"Wow, wow, wow, father, you don't know this. I dreamed of the future of our royal family while I was in a high fever."

"Brother, this is really too much!"

"How did Fusu go too far?"

The First Emperor lowered his head and looked at his youngest son's head. A hint of coldness appeared in his eyes, but his voice was still gentle.

Hu Hai, who couldn't see his father's expression, was still racking his brains to make up stories:

"Father, you, you, ah."

"Son, I saw in my dream that my eldest brother knew that although he didn't have the title of Crown Prince, he was the heir in reality. As time went by, my eldest brother's ambition grew. Because of his political disagreements with you and his repeated scolding by you, my eldest brother, my eldest brother, he really couldn't stand being the Crown Prince in name only for decades. So he secretly united with the Confucian officials in the court and used the hands of alchemists to cast a curse on you. Not only did he curse you to death, but after his evil deeds were exposed, he also killed us brothers and sisters! He is truly evil! Wuwuwuwuwuwu! Haidu almost died at my eldest brother's hands! Father, you must not be fooled by my eldest brother's gentle and elegant appearance! He harbors evil intentions and covets the throne. He deserves death!"

When Qin Shi Huang heard this, a storm of thunder and lightning suddenly surged in his phoenix eyes. His hands hanging by his sides could not help but tremble slightly. His eyes were fixed on his little son who was crying while holding his calf. He thought Hu Hai would become a good person in this life, but he did not expect that this evildoer would be an evildoer for generations to come!

He suppressed the rage that wanted to kick the little bastard to death, gritted his teeth and shouted coldly:

"Hu Hai, what's next? Go on. What else did the black bird make you dream about? How did Fusu commit evil? And what about Ying? What did he do in your dream?"

Hu Hai heard the anger in his father's words, so he looked at his father with red eyes. Seeing that his father's handsome face was red with anger, he felt a little proud and happy. Then he wiped his tears with his sleeve and said:

"Father, I know you favor Ying, but you don't know that Ying is also in a terrible state in his dreams. After all, he is my eldest brother's biological son. Although my eldest brother is dear to me, how can he compare to my biological father?"

"My nephew, filled with ambition to become the crown prince, helped my eldest brother curse our father. After forcing him into the imperial mausoleum, he then proceeded to exterminate all of us uncles and aunts. Not only did my brothers die at his hands, but he also personally led his soldiers to brutally murder my nine sisters and tenth younger sister!"

"Really? Then how did you escape? Father, do you remember that the uncle I hate the most is you?" The First Emperor narrowed his eyes and said coldly.

Hu Hai raised his head and looked at his father again, saying with fear and gratitude:

"Father, you are aware of the little grudge between me and your son. I grew up in my dream, and when I saw them about to attack members of the royal family, I fled the palace. My elder brother was determined to demote Legalism and promote Confucianism in the Qin Dynasty, to promote Confucian officials and suppress Legalists. To reward those relatives within the royal family who followed his cause, he openly violated your will and abolished your county system and reinstated the feudal system. He even angered Prime Minister Li Si to death!"

"In just three years, the Great Qin Empire, under my elder brother's Confucian ideals, has been on the verge of collapse. Many officials have been executed by you, and uprisings have broken out across the land. Seeing that our Great Qin is doomed, I, your son, could no longer endure this. I joined forces with some of my more ruthless officials, stormed back into the palace, executed my sinful elder brother, and deposed him from the throne. However, because you loved me deeply during your lifetime, I spared my nephew's life and confined him to the Imperial Mausoleum at Mount Li, where he will remain with you, repenting day and night for his father's evil deeds."

"so--"

"Hai, you want to tell me that you are actually the Qin III destined by the black bird, and you have an important mission, so you can't follow Maodun to the grasslands as a hostage, right?"

The First Emperor spoke extremely slowly and his tone was icy cold, and it was obvious that he was extremely angry.

When the foolish Hu Hai saw that his father had become so angry, he obviously took his words to heart. So, with his eyes red and swollen like rotten peaches, he sighed and said:

"Father, I was not destined to be the Third Emperor of Qin by the black bird, but the Second Emperor of Qin. This is because the means by which my eldest brother ascended to the throne were truly dishonorable, and the things he did after ascending the throne angered the ministers. So after I cleaned up my eldest brother's mess, the ministers advised us to abandon my eldest brother's three-year reign. Because my eldest brother's actions were in violation of your governing philosophy in every way, the ministers no longer regard him as the Second Emperor, and insist that I am the Second Emperor."

"I want to be the second emperor of Qin, Father. I cannot go to the grasslands, otherwise our royal family will fall in the future!"

Hu Hai raised his head, looked serious, and said in a sonorous voice.

Who would have thought——

Not only did he not notice the shock on his father's face, but he also cried out in pain, "Ah!" and was kicked to the ground by his father.

In Hu Hai's shocked and painful eyes, he saw his father, who was extremely tall, wrapped in anger, "Shua——" he pulled out the six-foot-long sword hanging from his waist with his right hand, and placed the cold and sharp tip of the sword directly at Hu Hai's eyebrows. With disappointment in his eyes, he whispered to him in a cold and disgusted tone:

"Hu Hai! I knew you had a deviant character, but I never imagined your despicable nature was so ingrained in your bones! Will your elder brother curse me, slaughter the royal family, and ruin the Qin Dynasty in three years? Or will you, this evil creature, after my death, join forces with the court officials to usurp the throne and slaughter the entire royal family! In another three years, ruin the entire Qin Dynasty! This tragic future, this whole process of sin, I know better than you, the instigator!"

When Hu Hai heard the words "usurp the throne", he felt completely dumbfounded. After listening to all his father's words, he felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart. He felt cold all over. With fear and cowardice, he looked at his father in front of him, whose handsome face had turned black and was furious from the inside out.

At this moment, he finally understood why his father had imprisoned him without a single word, and he also clearly felt his father's surging anger and murderous intent towards his youngest son.

Father, father—not only did he know the true future, he even wanted to kill him!