Chapter 100 Calling a Deer a Horse [Jinjiang Authentic Edition Exclusive Release·He is also going to be finished...
Hu Hai's heart skipped a beat, thinking of the care his brothers had given him, especially his sixteenth and seventeenth brothers who were not much older than him. A trace of conflict appeared on his little face, but then he became indifferent: Yes, "teacher" is right, and "his" order is also correct. The eldest brother is gone, and the rest of the brothers will only be a nuisance if they stay. It is better to go and accompany father early and put an end to it all!
Hu Hai comforted himself in this way.
"However, Teacher, your words have given me another worry."
"The Second Emperor of Qin" pinched his eyebrows with his fingers, and looked very sad.
"Your Majesty, if you have any concerns, please share them with me. I will do my best to help you resolve them."
"Qin Er Shi" put his hands behind his back, lowered his eyes, and walked slowly around the large pillar where his father once ran, thinking deeply:
"Teacher's words just reminded me that I can't keep my seventeen brothers. I'm afraid that if my nine sisters and one younger sister stay for a long time, they may become trouble in the future."
"Zhao Gao" was stunned, and Hu Hai was also stunned.
"I am ignorant and do not know the deeper meaning of Your Majesty's mention of the princesses."
"Zhao Gao" looked at "Qin Ershi" and asked in a very low voice.
"Emperor Qin II" shook his head helplessly and said, "Teacher, you've been smart all your life, but you can only be foolish for a moment. Don't you think about this? Although my sisters can't compete with me for the throne, they're all married, and their in-laws are all civil and military officials in the court. If the princesses see what happened to my brothers, will they be angry and use the power of their husbands to cause trouble for me? I'm not afraid of them, but as you said, my throne is not yet stable. If the princesses get entangled with each other, it will be a big trouble."
Zhao Gao's eyelids twitched slightly. He swallowed and looked at the "disciple" he had personally taught, and whispered, "Then what do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"Kill them, kill them all." "Qin Er Shi" waved his hands irritably.
"Not only will the princes and princesses be killed, but the widows left behind by our father will be sent to the imperial mausoleum to accompany him if they are obedient, and those who are disobedient will all be secretly executed. As for those ministers who clamored in the court and questioned my throne, my teacher will also help me deal with them."
Hu Hai's heart was so frightened that it almost jumped out of his mouth. Could he be so "powerful" when he grew up? Not only did he kill his brothers, sisters, and younger sisters without blinking, but he could also kill the wives and old ministers left by his father without hesitation?
[Wouldn't this be too many people to kill?]
The six-year-old Hu Hai still had a conscience.
His tiny bit of conscience was also questioned by "Zhao Gao" in a troubled manner.
"Qin Er Shi" waved his hand and said, "Didn't the teacher say that we can't be soft-hearted at the critical moment? These people never imagined that I would one day inherit the throne. If I leave them here, they will attack me sooner or later. I might as well strike back in advance."
"Yes, Your Majesty is wise. I will help Your Majesty deal with all these people."
"Zhao Gao" bowed and smiled respectfully.
"Qin Er Shi" nodded, a hint of guilt in his tone:
"But this time, we do have a lot of people to kill. Teacher, you must pass on my order to recruit hundreds of thousands of laborers from the people to speed up the finishing work on the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and to complete the construction of the Afang Palace as soon as possible."
"Before leaving the palace for a tour, the late emperor was obsessed with building the Afang Palace. Now that my father has gone to the imperial mausoleum, how can I, as his son, watch the Afang Palace be built and its foundation left there in vain?"
"Now that so many people are going to see the emperor, I can't do anything else. I can only make up to him on these two matters."
Zhao Gao: "..."
Hu Hai: “…”
Another flash of lightning appeared outside the window.
Hu Hai, sitting limply on the ground, only heard his middle-aged "teacher" say "yes", and then the scene in front of him changed rapidly.
In front of the majestic and winding Great Wall, the eldest brother, dressed in a white robe, looked towards Xianyang with red eyes and cried out in heartbreaking pain: "A father has given his son death, how can he ask for mercy!"
As soon as the words fell, a sharp Jijin sword slashed the eldest brother's neck heavily, and hot blood flew out like ink, pouring all over Hu Hai from head to toe. Hu Hai shuddered, and subconsciously trembled as he sat on the ground and backed away, crying out in a trembling voice:
"It's none of my business, it's none of my business..."
After Brother Fusu fell heavily into the yellow sand, the scene before him turned into the eldest prince's mansion. Hu Hai saw a black-robed eunuch strangling Qin Ying to death with a long white silk scarf, and his eldest sister-in-law was also forced to commit suicide.
The mother and son stared at him intently, their eyes wide open. He hadn't yet wiped his eldest brother's blood off his body when he saw their bulging eyes and trembled with fear. He timidly said, "I didn't kill them. I didn't kill them."
After the people of the eldest branch of the family died, the sound of several corpses falling to the ground was heard in front of him. Hu Hai was so scared that he curled up in the corner of the screen, covering his ears and closing his eyes. The figures of his brothers who died tragically one by one and their painful cries before death would still rush into his mind and ears.
"I am the son of the late emperor and have no intention of rebelling. Why are you arresting me?"
"Your Majesty, please show some mercy. I am willing to abandon my status as a young master and serve as a guardian of the late emperor within the imperial mausoleum."
"Wuwuwu, don't kill me, don't kill me!"
"Brother, brother!"
“…”
"Hai Di, Hai Di!"
Amidst the cries of his brothers, a gentle yet shrill familiar female voice suddenly rang out. Hu Hai, who was sitting in the corner with his ears covered and his eyes closed, heard his eldest sister's voice. He subconsciously opened his eyes and raised his head, only to see his eldest sister, who was running forward desperately, beheaded with a "bang".
The bloody head with loose hair flew away from the slender white neck and flew straight into his arms. The tearful eyes looked at him pitifully and resentfully. Hu Hai was so frightened that his breathing stopped. With a cry of "Ah--", he threw the head of the beauty in his arms far away. He climbed up from the wooden floor in a hurry, but he didn't run two steps and was tripped to the ground with a "bang". He looked down in panic and saw that only half of his second sister's body was left.
“Ahhh!”
Hu Hai's face was paler than snow. He struggled to get up from the wooden floor again and again, but was tripped by his sisters' shattered bodies again and again. He was so scared that he couldn't make a sound. After he was finally scared to tears and crawled to the door of the inner hall, he saw his tenth sister being pressed to the ground with blood all over her body. A long iron nail was heavily wedged into her eyebrows by a pair of big hands.
"Father, Father Emperor, Zi..."
"Ah! Get out! All of you get out!"
"I didn't kill you! Get out of here! Don't come near me!"
Looking at the tenth sister with an iron nail stuck in her forehead, holding the severed limbs and hands of her sisters, and walking towards him bloodied and ghostly with her tragically dead brothers and sisters, Hu Hai cried and shouted, waving his hands and yelling loudly, stumbling to his feet from the wooden floor, as if struggling to run towards the light in the thick darkness. He used all his strength to break free from the bloodstained hands of his brothers and sisters, and the moment he ran to the outer hall, the voices of his relatives behind him crying and resentment also stopped abruptly.
An extremely dazzling light emerged in the empty outer hall. Hu Hai, whose face was covered with tears and snot, was so frightened that he frowned and stretched out his hand to block it. The next moment, noisy voices appeared in the outer hall, and it was full of people.
Hu Hai shook his head, blinked his tearful eyes, and looked over. He saw "him" wearing a crown, sitting on the imperial steps beside the large black lacquer table where his father had sat. Below the imperial steps, civil and military officials sat on his left and right.
This scene seems to be a court session?
Hu Hai looked at the dark inner hall with lingering fear, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his blood-stained sleeve, and walked curiously towards the group of ministers.
He saw his "teacher" walking in from outside the hall leading a khaki fawn, and his forward steps stopped.
[Teacher, what are you doing?]
"Prime Minister, what are you doing?"
Hu Hai's doubtful voice and the laughing voice of "Qin Ershi" sounded at the same time.
All the civil and military officials in the court looked at "Zhao Gao" with suspicion.
Hu Hai watched helplessly as his "teacher" who had been promoted to "Prime Minister" walked past him with a deer on a rope and smiled.
The little deer even called out "Yo Yo~" twice in a ethereal voice to the people in the hall.
The beautiful sound of the deer's cry was like a clear spring, which made the frightened Hu Hai feel a little fond of it.
He took two steps and touched the deer's body with his little hands. Then he saw his "teacher" bowing confidently to "him" at the top and saying:
"As the new year begins, I would like to present this fine horse to Your Majesty, wishing you good health."
[Good horse? ! ]
"Good horse?!"
Hearing the words of "Teacher"/"Zhao Gao", not only did Hu Hai open his eyes wide in shock, but "Emperor Qin II" who was sitting at the top was also so surprised that he burst out laughing.
Before Hu Hai could reveal his expression of "Is he blind?", he saw "himself" sitting at the top, stroking the large lacquer table with his hands, laughing so hard that tears came out of his eyes:
"Hahahaha, could it be that the Prime Minister has lost his mind? This is clearly a deer, how can the Prime Minister say it is a horse?"
"That's right, Your Majesty. The auspicious animal I'm leading is indeed a horse."
Zhao Gao's expression didn't change at all. He was still smiling gently, and his tone was extremely firm: "This is a horse. Your Majesty has made a mistake. Please take a closer look."
The Second Emperor of Qin frowned, turned to the eunuchs standing on his left and right, pointed doubtfully at the deer below with its hollow cries, and said:
"Look at the little animal below, it's clearly a deer."
The eunuchs standing on both sides with their heads lowered remained silent, as if they had not heard anything.
Hu Hai frowned and looked at the ministers below.
One of the officials immediately jumped out, pointed at Zhao Gao's nose and cursed:
"Zhao Gao! You treacherous Prime Minister! Not only did you not control the Second Emperor, you even resorted to calling a deer a horse and causing chaos in the court! Your crimes are unforgivable!"
"Your Majesty, the Second Emperor! I beg you to swiftly execute this thief, Zhao Gao!"
As soon as the scolding official finished his words, another official jumped up and pointed at the official who "talked about the deer" and shouted:
"Your Majesty, this man is the thief who is causing chaos in the court. The auspicious object the Prime Minister is holding is clearly a horse!"
"Yes, it's a horse! And a thousand-mile horse at that!"
"You traitors who conspired with Zhao Gao, are you blind? This is clearly a deer, not a horse. How could you, just to flatter Zhao Gao, confuse right and wrong in public?"
"You are the ones who can't tell right from wrong and are blind!"
“It’s a horse!”
“It’s a deer!”
“It’s a horse!!!”
"It's a deer! The black bird has arrived! This animal is also a deer!"
“…”
“…”
The originally quiet morning meeting suddenly became noisy because of an animal whose species was "unidentifiable".
Hu Hai, who was touching the deer's body, shrank his neck timidly, fearing that these courtiers, whose faces were red and their necks were thick, would start fighting and punch him in the face.
"Qin Er Shi" who was sitting on a high place also noticed that something was wrong.
This is clearly a deer, but my "teacher" insisted on saying "horse" in court.
Everyone in the hall was divided into three groups. One group pointed at Zhao Gao's nose and cursed him as the "traitorous prime minister", shouting "It's a deer, not a horse". Another group loudly defended Zhao Gao and shouted "It's obviously a horse! A thousand-mile horse!". A very small number of people lowered their heads like the eunuchs in the palace and said nothing.
Hu Hai had never seen such a noisy scene among the ministers. He was so scared that he ran to the pillar, biting his lip and silently observing the farce in the court. He saw his "teacher" looking at the officials who were shouting "deer" loudly with an extremely indifferent gaze.
As he followed the scan, he caught a glimpse of a thin, white-haired old man. Hu Hai stared at him for a while before he realized that this old man, who was about seventy or eighty years old, was actually "Li Si", who was highly respected by his father during his lifetime.
"Li Si" also belongs to the small group of silent people. He closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. Although he did not say a word, his whole body seemed to be just an old, empty shell. He exuded a strong bitterness from the inside out, looking fragile and tormented.
The court meeting was dispersed amid the panicked cries of the deer. The feces that the deer had excreted had not even cooled down yet when the officials who had "called out for deer" were ordered by Prime Minister Zhao Gao to be detained and imprisoned.
Hu Hai saw that when "he" heard the news, he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he sighed and closed his mouth.
The scene before his eyes changed again. In the bustling vegetable market, officials with disheveled hair, shackles, and dirty, smelly, and blood-stained clothes were forced to the market by soldiers. When the sharp swords fell, bloody heads rolled everywhere.
Blood.
There was bright red blood everywhere.
The blood that fell to the ground spread like a raging fire from the vegetable market to the Xianyang Palace.
Hu Hai was already numb with fear from the various severed limbs and hands. Seeing the boundless blazing fire still surging towards him, he subconsciously ran to the "Second Emperor of Qin" and followed the "Second Emperor of Qin" to the harem. As he was enjoying wine, meat, and fruits, hugging beautiful women, listening to the music, and admiring the beautiful dancers below, he saw his "teacher" hurriedly approaching, leaning over helplessly to him and the "Second Emperor of Qin":
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Si has come to the palace again and wants to see you."
Upon hearing this, the Second Emperor of Qin became extremely annoyed. He pushed the beauty in his arms aside and said angrily,
"Teacher, it seems that old man Li Si is becoming increasingly useless! Every time I want to relax in the harem, he rushes in to dissuade me! It's so annoying!"
"Yes, not only is Your Majesty annoyed, but I am also annoyed with the old Prime Minister. Alas, isn't there anything we can do about it? After all, the Prime Minister is an old minister who entered the Pass with the late Emperor and swept across the world. He is old and has a lot of experience. Moreover, regarding Your Majesty's ascension to the throne..."
Zhao Gao had almost finished his words when Hu Hai saw that his impatient red face had completely turned black.
Under his gaze, he saw the "teacher" dismiss all the singing girls and dancing girls in the palace, walked up to the "Second Emperor Qin" and whispered:
"Your Majesty, after this year's purge, there are no longer any enemies within the imperial court, and no courtiers are so daring as to question your authority. Under your rule, the common people outside the palace live and work in peace and contentment. In my opinion, your throne is becoming increasingly secure, and the greatest remaining threat can be eliminated."
"The biggest threat?"
"Qin Ershi", who had just raised the corners of his mouth because of the praise from his "teacher", frowned in confusion after hearing the last sentence of his "teacher".
Hu Hai, who was sitting next to him, also looked at "Zhao Gao".
Zhao Gao frowned and sighed:
"Your Majesty, you are aware of Li Si's abilities. The late emperor held him in such high esteem that he not only appointed his eldest son as the governor of Sanchuan Commandery, but also arranged for Li Si's second son and second daughter to marry the princess, and for the prince to marry the prince."
"If it weren't for the suddenness of your Majesty's death, and the fact that Prince Fusu and Li Si had a terrible argument in court over their political views during your lifetime, Li Si, listening to the advice of the old ministers, was worried that Fusu would be seduced by those Confucian sophistry after he ascended the throne, and would reinstate feudal fiefdoms, favoring Confucianism over legalism, and undermining the unity of the Qin Dynasty and its Legalist school, that's why he was willing to take such a risk and work with me to help you ascend the throne."
"But now, Li Si's two sons and two daughters have died along with the princes and princesses because of royal affairs. As their biological father, how could Li Si not secretly resent Your Majesty?"
"If Li Si knew how to respect Your Majesty, he wouldn't always choose to disturb Your Majesty's leisure time in the harem. In my opinion, Li Si should not be allowed to stay for long!"
"Qin Ershi" narrowed his eyes and drooped his eyelashes.
The corners of Zhao Gao's mouth rose slightly. He would not tell his emperor apprentice that every time Li Si came to the palace to ask for an audience with His Majesty, he would delay until Qin Ershi was enjoying himself with eating, drinking and having fun in the harem, then he would come out leisurely and tell the emperor about Li Si's request for an audience.
Once, twice, three times...
Oh, let alone the impatient and stupid "Qin Er Shi", even the wise and mighty "Qin Shi Huang" would probably find this "old minister of the previous king" annoying.
Alas, who made this the fate of the "Prime Minister" of the Qin Dynasty?
Shang Yang, Zhang Yi, Gan Mao, Fan Ju, and Lu Buwei all failed to live happily until old age, so why could Li Si escape?
At the vegetable market, "Li Si" was beheaded in the street by the executioner with a "click" sound like a dead leaf in the wind.
All three clans of Prime Minister Li’s family were killed.
Hu Hai only felt a bone-chilling coldness rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!
There was a voice in his heart telling him: Li Si is finished, and "he" will be finished too!
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