Chapter 138 My Charming Ancestor 12
Throughout the entire court, not a single civil or military official dared to raise their head or utter a sound.
They were all waiting, waiting for the man on the throne to unleash his thunderous wrath.
"Someone come here."
His voice was eerily calm.
Two armored soldiers standing guard at the palace gate entered upon hearing the sound, their footsteps heavy and their armor clanging.
"Drag Zhao Gao away."
"Throw him into the imperial prison and keep him under strict guard. No one is allowed to visit him without my decree."
"promise!"
The armored soldiers stepped forward, one on each side, and dragged Zhao Gao, who had already lost control of his bladder in terror, out like a dead dog. The foul stench filled the hall, but no one dared to even flinch.
After dealing with Zhao Gao, Ying Zheng's gaze fell on Li Si.
Li Si trembled. He slowly raised his head and met those unfathomable eyes.
It's over.
Li Si's heart sank completely.
"Li Si," Ying Zheng said slowly.
"Your subject... is here." Li Si's voice was dry and hoarse.
"You are the Prime Minister of Qin, and you have made great contributions." Ying Zheng tried to keep his tone calm.
"Today, he must have been frightened and is in a state of confusion."
"Go back to the manor."
"Reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors and take good care of yourself."
"Without my imperial edict, you are not allowed to leave the residence even a step."
Li Si used all his strength to kowtow for the last time.
"I... obey your order."
Then, he stood up shakily, his steps faltering, like an old man who had aged thirty years in an instant, and walked out of the hall of power for which he had fought his whole life.
His silhouette was desolate and lonely.
Ying Zheng's gaze did not linger on him for even a moment longer.
He looked at the rest of the crowd, including his eldest son, who was pale and swaying precariously.
"Fusu".
"Your subject is here." Fusu's body trembled violently.
"You may also step down." There was not a trace of warmth in Ying Zheng's voice.
"Your subject... obeys."
"No one is allowed to discuss this matter in private. Anyone who violates this rule will have their entire family wiped out. Now, all of you, leave."
In the blink of an eye, only Ying Zheng and Zhou Jue remained in the vast main hall of Xianyang Palace.
Ying Zheng slowly descended the steps: "Immortal, follow me."
Zhou Jue followed behind him, passing through a long corridor, and finally arrived at a more solemn palace.
This is where the First Emperor handled government affairs and reviewed memorials.
Inside the hall, there were no luxurious decorations, only rows of bookshelves piled high with heavy bamboo slips. The air was filled with the mixed scent of bamboo slips and ink.
Ying Zheng walked to a large desk and sat down, gesturing for Zhou Jue to sit to his side.
He didn't speak, but simply picked up a scroll of bamboo slips from the table and slowly put it down again. He repeated this as if he were calming something down.
Zhou Jue knew that the turmoil in his heart was far more intense than anyone could imagine.
After a long while, he finally raised his head: "Immortal, I want to know everything."
Zhou Jue took a deep breath: "Your Majesty wants to know why Li Si agreed?"
Ying Zheng neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply looked at her in silence.
"Because we have different paths."
Zhou Jue slowly said, "Prime Minister Li Si followed His Majesty throughout his life. What he sought was to govern the country by law and to centralize power. He believed that strict laws were the only principle to maintain this vast empire."
"Prince Fusu is close to Confucian scholars, and on several occasions his political views have differed from Your Majesty's due to the 'burning of books and burying of scholars' incident. He advocates governing the world with benevolence and virtue, and reducing punishments and corvée labor."
"In Li Si's view, once Prince Fusu ascends the throne, all of his life's learning and the legal foundation he has built for the Qin Dynasty will be completely overturned."
"The Great Qin will revert to the feudal system and repeat the mistakes of the Zhou Dynasty."
Ying Zheng's hand, gripping the bamboo slips, was so tight that his knuckles had turned white and his veins were bulging.
He was well aware of the political differences between Fusu and Li Si, but he never imagined that this would become the source of their betrayal.
"So, Zhao Gao took advantage of this," Zhou Jue continued, his voice completely flat.
"He described to Li Si a terrible future in which Fusu would purge his old officials and abolish Legalism after ascending the throne."
"He was also promised that after Huhai ascended the throne, he could continue to serve as prime minister and wield immense power."
"Li Si... wavered."
"And what about Hu Hai?"
Ying Zheng's voice rang out.
"And what kind of thing is this son of mine?"
“He was taught by Zhao Gao from a young age, and was ignorant and only knew how to enjoy himself. The first thing he did after ascending the throne was to slaughter all his brothers and sisters in Xianyang.”
Ying Zheng's body suddenly stiffened.
"Twelve princes were executed in Xianyang City, and ten princesses were crushed in Duyu..."
With each sentence Zhou Jue spoke, Ying Zheng's face grew paler.
Those were not his enemies, nor were they remnants of the six kingdoms.
That was his child, a descendant of the Ying clan!
"He killed all his brothers and, under Zhao Gao's instigation, ordered the execution or forced rebellion of all the meritorious officials, including Meng Yi, Feng Quji, and Feng Jie."
"He embarked on massive construction projects, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to work, imposing heavy taxes, and causing widespread suffering among the people."
"The world has suffered under Qin for too long."
Zhou Jue's voice echoed in the hall, each word like a heavy hammer blow to Ying Zheng's heart.
The empire he built, the achievements he was so proud of, the eternal peace he dreamed of... were all so thoroughly ruined by his incompetent son!
"Li Si, why didn't you stop him?" Although Li Si had betrayed him, he didn't believe that Li Si would follow his absurdity!
"Zhao Gao framed him for treason, and Qin Er Shi executed him by cutting him in half at the waist and exterminating his entire family."
"What about Fusu?" He seemed to squeeze out the two words through gritted teeth: "And Meng Tian."
This was his last hope.
Zhou Jue looked at him, at the almost overflowing pain in the eyes of this iron-blooded emperor.
“A forged imperial edict was sent to Shangjun, ordering the death of Prince Fusu and General Meng Tian.”
"Meng Tian had doubts and advised the prince to appeal and request a review. But Prince Fusu..."
Zhou Jue paused, his voice becoming very soft: "He thought that was truly your decree."
He only said one sentence: "If a father commands his son to die, how can he possibly plead for mercy!" Then he drew his sword and committed suicide.
A father orders his son to die; what right is there to plead?
boom!
Something in Ying Zheng's mind seemed to have completely collapsed.
He suddenly stood up, the force of which shook the desk in front of him. The bamboo slips on the desk tumbled to the floor with a clatter.
He didn't look at the scattered memorials, but staggered to the huge map that encompassed the entire world.
His hand stroked the location of "Shangjun" on the map. That hand, which once held the power of killing and wielding authority over the world, was now trembling violently and uncontrollably.
madness!
Utterly foolish!
He had his back to Zhou Jue, his shoulders heaving slightly as he let out suppressed breaths.
He was criticizing Fusu for being foolish, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, and for rushing to his death.
Or is she cursing herself for being foolish, pushing such a kind and good-hearted son into such a desperate situation?
Zhou Jue did not disturb him.
She knew that this emperor, who was considered one of the greatest emperors in history, was perhaps going through the most painful moment of his life.
After an unknown amount of time, the suppressed breathing finally subsided.
Ying Zheng slowly turned around.
His face was expressionless, and his voice had returned to calm.
"The Qin dynasty perished after only two generations."
"Then my empire, this land..."
He paused, then asked, word by word, "In the end, to whom did it fall?"
"Liu Bang".
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