Why?
"Because His Majesty needs villains by his side. If there are no villains, then he must find another one!"
"What?"
"You think those people were really killed by Zhao Gao? Hahaha, wrong, wrong! Zhao Gao killed people that His Majesty wanted to kill but was afraid of incurring his infamy, isn't that right?"
Looking at Li Si's smiling face, Wang Li immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
If he remembers correctly.
Over the years, Zhao Gao had killed many people who had unclear relationships with Lü Buwei in the past. He mistakenly thought that Zhao Gao was retaliating against Lü Buwei, never expecting that it was His Majesty who gave the order behind the scenes.
"Now that His Majesty wants to make an effort to change the turbulent situation in Qin, he will inevitably need to rely on my hand, Li Si. Therefore, at this moment, even if Li You kills Li Lin, he will not kill Li You. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
“My dear nephew, you are the noble descendant I have the highest hopes for. Your future is bright. I hope you can grow up quickly. I have been in this position for many years. It is time to hand over this seat!”
Li Si smiled at him several times today, which was unusual for him, but it didn't make him feel happy at all. Instead, it made him feel fear, fear coming from behind.
Perhaps, the Qin court was not as harmonious as it appeared on the surface.
The First Emperor was not the easy-going emperor he knew, nor was he as benevolent as he appeared on the surface.
certainly.
Wang Li, slow to realize the truth, could never have imagined that more than a decade ago, two influential figures had viewed King Zheng of Qin in the same way he did, believing him to be merely a benevolent ruler.
I'm not worried about what he might do.
Unexpectedly, the bird that had been silent for ten years soared into the sky during a rebellion.
These two men were Lao Ai and Lü Buwei.
One was implicated in the crime, and the other committed suicide by poisoning himself.
"Your Excellency is so young and vigorous, another twenty years as prime minister is more than enough!"
"Hahaha, my dear nephew, please don't joke like that. I am well aware of His Majesty's great talent and ambition, and I also know that he is a very decisive person. He will not let anyone serve as prime minister for thirty years!"
Li Si shook his head, a hint of naivety flashing in his eyes as he looked at Wang Li.
At this time, the First Emperor was unaware that Li Si viewed him in this way.
He is currently in prison.
He didn't genuinely intend to come to the imperial prison; he just happened to drop Li You in along the way and saw Zhao Gao, who was imprisoned among the death row inmates.
At this time, Zhao Gao was already quite old.
He was three to five years older than the First Emperor.
Because of the whipping, he looked much older, like a decrepit old man in his sixties or seventies, no longer as imposing and dashing as before.
This made the First Emperor, who originally intended to leave directly, feel compassion.
Zhao Gao had been by his side for over thirty years.
Recently, without Zhao Gao's care, he has been quite unaccustomed to it, and has even started to mispronounce the names of several eunuchs, which happens quite often.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! This old servant has missed you so much!"
Zhao Gao wept bitterly, looking like a little old man who had been bullied.
He was truly handed over to Meng Yi by the First Emperor without any explanation. The First Emperor's sudden decision made him feel very unreal, and he even suspected that Li Si had secretly reported him.
Otherwise, how could he have been thrown into this godforsaken prison by the very person he trusted most, the First Emperor?
"Zhao Gao, I know everything you've done over the years. I know you haven't poisoned me, but you arranged for the imperial physicians who were testing the elixir to meet with Xu Fu. In other words, you were the one who arranged for Xu Fu to bribe those imperial physicians, weren't you?"
Faced with the First Emperor's questioning.
Zhao Gao knew he couldn't explain it clearly, after all, he had come for money in the first place, and besides, he hoped that the First Emperor would die sooner rather than later.
Rather, it was the sheer amount of money he had embezzled over the years and the extent to which he had deceived the First Emperor that was truly appalling.
If the First Emperor were to suddenly learn the truth about everything, he would surely die a horrible death.
So he decided to strike first, and while the paper ball could still hold back the fire, the First Emperor died.
If the second emperor were to find someone who believed in him, then his power and position would be able to be maintained.
However, the friendship and absolute loyalty he shared with the First Emperor during his youth still remain.
It's just that as time went by, they were slowly corrupted by the desire for power. Now they still have loyalty, but it's no longer the absolute loyalty they once were.
"Your Majesty, this old servant truly knew nothing about it. This old servant only received a small amount of money from Xu Fu..."
"Ha, stop talking! I originally thought that you would come to your senses and sincerely repent while you were imprisoned in the imperial prison. Considering our years of friendship, I could spare your life and let you die peacefully! What a pity! It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. The shocking things you, Zhao Gao, have done over the years are enough to make you die thousands of times over."
The First Emperor was heartbroken; at this point, he no longer cared about past relationships.
Although he was influenced by compassion in his old age, it was not a major factor. He still gave the order as decisively as ever: "Guards, make Zhao Gao cut three thousand seven hundred and thirty-five times. He cannot die until he has made the required number of cuts!"
"Ah? Your Majesty, this..."
When Meng Yi heard the First Emperor's order, his eyes widened in disbelief. He didn't know what to do. The 3,735 cuts were the sum of all the evil deeds, big and small, that Zhao Gao had committed over the years.
Can you really scrape with so many blades? Who could possibly do that?
"Your Majesty, where have I done so many wrong things? Your Majesty, please don't forget that you ordered me to..."
"Add one hundred cuts. Meng Yi, remember this: Zhao Gaofan will add one hundred cuts to my head for every single word he says!"
"Your Majesty, there are no executioners like this in the imperial prison!"
"No? Hehehe, how could there be no? There's always a way. Whoever can get Zhao Gao to meet these conditions, I'll directly appoint him as the Marquis of Xianyang and reward him with 100,000 coins!"
"His Majesty......"
Meng Yi originally wanted to persuade him, but when he heard the First Emperor offer such a reward, he was speechless. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue persuading him, but that he himself was tempted.
The other officials and soldiers in the prison were green with envy at the sight of Zhao Gao's body!
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