Chapter 358: Young Master, I know why you don't want to be king
The order from Emperor Qin Shi Huang to standardize the wheel gauge had been issued long ago, but it would take some time before it was fully implemented.
When Wang Chan left Han, the distance between the two wheels of the carriage she was riding in was more than one finger wider than the distance between the two ruts in Qi. If she continued to move forward without changing carriages, she would damage the ruts on the road.
The local people didn't know who Guiguzi was, so they would hit Wang Chan and create a fifth tumor on his forehead.
After buying a new carriage and spending several hundred dollars, Wang Chan and his apprentice were back on the road.
The not-so-young apprentice scratched his white hair and drove the carriage happily towards a destination he didn't know.
In the newly replaced carriage, Guiguzi suddenly had an idea. He counted with his fingers and suddenly his eyes widened.
"There's another twist!"
When night fell, the sky was full of stars, and Guiguzi lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked up at the starry sky.
"The evil star next to Ziwei is really gone."
The old driver heard the noise and turned around to look at his teacher.
"Master, what happened?"
The curtain was lowered and Guiguzi retreated into the carriage.
"Nothing, drive your car."
"Master, where are we going?"
"Go find Chidi."
…
Zhangtai Palace.
The First Emperor sat in front of an empty desk with a normal look on his face.
There were two people standing in front of him, Gai Nie in a white robe as white as snow, Zhang Han in a skeleton armor, and Xia Wuqie with a worried look on his face.
Gai Nie took a step forward and bowed his head.
"Zhao Gao's misfortune was caused by Nie."
The First Emperor laughed.
"You are asking for a reward, but it's not true. This is the usual trick of that bastard. If you hadn't staked your life on me, I wouldn't have discovered this villain's evil ambition. Now, whatever reward you want, I will grant it to you."
Plop~
The sword master knelt on his knees and lowered his head.
On that expressionless face that has remained unchanged for thousands of years, there is regret visible to the naked eye.
"Before leaving, Chang'an Jun asked Nie to keep a close eye on Zhao Gao. If there is anything unusual with the Eighteenth Prince, it must be Zhao Gao's doing something bad to harm Your Majesty. If necessary, you can kill him first and report later.
"If I had not taken sick leave, I would have been able to capture Zhao Gao when Concubine Hu died, and there would not have been any follow-up incidents. The harm to the Eighteenth Prince is due to Nie. The danger to Your Majesty is also due to Nie!"
Xia Wuqi, Zhang Han was shocked, he couldn't help but look down at Gai Nie, then hurriedly calmed down and stood still, his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart.
With his elbows on the table, the First Emperor said with great interest:
"Oh? When that fellow gave you instructions, did he know that Zhao Gao was Hu Hai's teacher?"
"No, at that time, Your Majesty had not yet asked Zhao Gao to be the teacher of the Eighteenth Prince."
"This is strange. Could it be that this guy has learned the art of Yin and Yang, Taoism, and is good at fortune-telling? Not only can he see that Zhao Gao has ulterior motives, but he even knows that Zhao Gao will use Hu Hai to make trouble. If he is not my brother, I would think that Zhao Gao is under his orders."
Zhang Han lowered his head completely, which was already half lowered.
Xia Wuqie hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and bowed:
"I have a question that I would like Mr. Gai to answer. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to do so."
The First Emperor waved his hand.
"ask!"
Xia Wuqie's body tensed as he stared at Gai Nie, who was kneeling on the ground, half a body shorter than him.
"How did Mr. Gai know that there was something wrong with Young Master Eighteen?"
The First Emperor smiled and continued:
"I am also curious. Zhang Han didn't see it, and neither did the doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau. How did you see it? Could it be that your medical skills are as good as Xia Wuqie's?"
[Your Majesty actually suspected the young master. Damn Zhao Gao, he still can't rest in peace even after his death! ]
Gai Nie gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"Nie didn't see that."
Xia Wuqie secretly took a step forward and was about to reach Gai Nie. There were two silver needles pinched between his fingers in his sleeves.
An inch longer is an inch stronger; an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous.
At this distance, Gai Nie's sword was greatly restricted and he couldn't use it immediately, but Xia Wuqie's silver needle was not a problem.
Zhang Han, who had not dared to breathe heavily, retreated, placed his right hand on the Qin sword at his waist, and pulled it to the best distance to use the Qin sword. The vigorous internal force in his body was about to burst out, and his eyes were locked on Gai Nie.
"Mr. Gai's answer made Wu Qie ask another question."
The silver needle was trembling in my hand, and the tail was buzzing, almost flying out of my finger.
"Since Mr. Gai didn't see it, how dare he say that if the Eighteenth Young Master is fine, he is willing to sacrifice his life for his."
With the sword at your back, you feel like sitting on pins and needles.
Their martial arts skills were roughly at the same level. Xia Wuqie and Zhang Han could not hide their skills from the Sword Master at such a close distance.
Just as the Sword Master was about to speak, he heard a loud slap on the table.
"What are you two doing!"
The First Emperor angrily pointed at Xia Wuqi and Zhang Han.
The two men should have immediately bowed their heads and apologized to the First Emperor, but they did nothing.
Their auras had locked onto Gai Nie, and they would attack him immediately if Gai Nie made any move. The two men's internal energy was constantly collapsing, and at this moment, they were like a balloon that had been blown to the extreme, and the slightest movement would cause the energy to be lost.
"I'm talking about you two! Why are you staring at Gai Nie? Do you two doubt Gai Nie? If Gai Nie wanted to kill me, would I still be sitting here? Do you think what I said before was to test Gai Nie? It was just a joke!"
Zhang Han and Xia Wuqie remained silent and remained tense.
Answering the First Emperor would distract him.
Gai Nie was too close to the First Emperor. In front of such a top master as Gai Nie, if he was distracted for a moment, the First Emperor might be held hostage by him.
It is possible that the First Emperor was joking, but they took it seriously.
"Nie thanks your Majesty for your trust, but please don't be too trusting. Your Majesty trusted Zhao Gao before and used this excuse to shut up Chang'an Jun."
Gai Nie said bluntly, and the First Emperor's face became a little stiff.
"Chang'an Jun and Nie said that all the unreasonable things that happened to the Eighteenth Young Master were related to Zhao Gao. The Eighteenth Young Master was able to understand several laws in just a few days and complained that it was a headache. This is already abnormal enough."
Xia Wuqi, Zhang Han listened to Gai Nie's explanation, but his expression did not relax at all.
Zhang Han said in a deep voice:
"You dare to gamble your life just based on a word from Lord Chang'an?"
The First Emperor stood up and walked around the table.
Zhang Han and Xia Wuqie's hearts were in their throats, and they were extremely nervous. The First Emperor was closer to Gai Nie.
Pulling up Gai Nie, the First Emperor chuckled and said:
"You asked me not to trust you too much, but you trusted that boy so much. What's the reason?"
The two sharp edges on his back disappeared, and Gai Nie suddenly felt relieved.
Xia Wuqie showed his hands, and there were no silver needles between his fingers.
Zhang Han put on his armor and stepped forward, loosening the hilt of his sword. The originally dry hilt was now covered with sweat stains.
If Gai Nie had any plans, this was the best time to act - they had no way of saving the First Emperor's life while the two were in direct contact.
Gai Nie still did not launch a surprise attack under such circumstances, which won them some trust.
"Your Majesty is the King."
The First Emperor’s smile froze.
[King, can't you trust others completely? ]
Gai Nie looked at the First Emperor with some pity.
[My Lord, I know why you don’t want to be king…]
…
That night, the First Emperor stayed in the palace of Concubine Chu.
The next day, the sky was bright.
On the large rosewood bed, the First Emperor and Concubine Chu slept in each other's arms, neither waking up.
A palace maid ran to the window in small steps and reported through the curtain:
"Your Majesty, Concubine Chu, the Queen is here."
"Um."
The First Emperor responded without giving any instructions.
The maid lowered her head slightly and backed away from the bed.
Soon, the door to Concubine Chu's bedroom opened wide.
Afang entered the palace and, led by a palace maid, walked to the bedroom where the First Emperor and Concubine Chu were resting, and pushed the door open.
Inside the palace, the Chu concubine and the First Emperor were only wearing underwear.
Concubine Chu sat back on the bed and said unhappily:
"What are you doing here?"
"Come and make amends."
The Queen walked up to Concubine Chu, full of relief, and said gently:
"I acted on my own and almost caused a disaster, putting Your Majesty in danger. If it weren't for you, Your Majesty's safety would be in danger."
Concubine Chu waved her hand.
"It's all for my man. I forgive you."
The First Emperor lay on his side on the bed, watching the two women talking with a smile, looking very happy.
"This matter cannot be forgiven."
Afang fell to her knees with a thud.
"Afang has three sins!
"The first crime is that I am the queen but I have no children. I am not a mother, so how can I be the mother of the world? This is the crime of not giving birth to children!
"The second crime is that my uncle is your majesty's brother, but I have repeatedly treated him badly. This is a crime against the clan!
"The third crime is that Zhao Gao had evil ambitions, and I allowed him to act on his own, which almost led to a disaster. This is the crime of not knowing how to judge people!
"How can a sinner like me continue to be the queen? Your Majesty, please depose me and make Mi Chu the queen!"
The First Emperor was a little slow to react.
Concubine Chu laughed and said simply:
"improper."
He then pulled up the kneeling Afang with force.
After using the Lilong, Afang became an ordinary person and was completely powerless to fight back against Concubine Chu.
Tears rolled down Afang's eyes.
"But do you think Afang is putting on a show?"
Concubine Chu wiped it off impatiently, and it all smeared on Afang's silk dress.
"Cry, cry, cry, what's the point of crying? How come you, a Zhao person, don't look like a Zhao person?
"What does it matter if you are just putting on a show? The position of the crown prince has been decided. Even if I become the queen, I cannot make Jiang Lu the crown prince. What is the point of me being the queen?"
The First Emperor stood up and said with a smile:
“You’re really brave enough to say that.
"If you can't be the second emperor of Qin, being the king of the Xiongnu is not bad. There is news from the northwest. Jianglu won a great victory along the way and beheaded more than 20,000 Xiongnu."
Then he looked at Afang.
"Don't ever mention this again. When I'm on tour, you're here to supervise the country. If it's someone else, I won't feel at ease."
Concubine Chu snorted coldly.
Afang wanted to say something else, but the dissatisfied Concubine Chu covered her mouth with her hand.
"Stop rapping!"
The next few days were calm.
The death of one of the Nine Ministers did not cause any waves in the Qin Empire, as if Zhao Gao had never existed.
The news of Zhao Gao's death never spread at all.
The Commander of the Chariots was in charge of all the chariot drivers in the Xianyang Palace and was responsible for driving the First Emperor.
The leader of Jingshifang was responsible for protecting the safety of the First Emperor during his charge.
Zhao Gao's duties had almost no overlap with those of other ministers. As long as the First Emperor did not give an order, it would take some time for the ministers to know the news.
Yong land.
Green mountains, green waters, and a beauty that is no longer enchanting.
Zhao Ji was dressed in black, with no makeup on her face, her hair flying in the wind, showing her heroic spirit. She was riding a tall horse and galloping across the plains.
Compared with before, Zhao Ji, who was less charming, lost most of her charm in the eyes of men. But in Zhao Ji's own eyes, she was so beautiful.
She likes to gallop, likes to indulge, and likes freedom, which are the characteristics of the people of Zhao.
She doesn't like to rely on her beauty to entertain people like ordinary women.
He stepped on the stirrup to gain leverage, stood up from the saddle, swung one leg back and jumped down, landing steadily on the ground.
He threw off the hemp reins, crossed his fingers and pressed forward and backward to relieve the numbness caused by blood suffocation.
The maid who took the reins came forward.
"Your Majesty is waiting for the Queen Mother."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Your Majesty, please do not disturb the Queen Mother's pleasure."
Zhao Ji smiled broadly and followed the direction the maid pointed to, and saw her son standing with his hands behind his back.
"Zhao Gao is dead."
The First Emperor poured a bottle of fine wine for his mother, then poured another for himself, and said softly.
After saying this, he picked up his bottle of wine and was about to drink it all in one gulp.
Zhao Ji, who always liked strong liquor, did not raise the cup with her son, but snatched the cup from the First Emperor's hand.
"This wine was brewed by that bastard. It's very strong. If you don't like wine, don't waste it."
The First Emperor did not like drinking.
She drank it all in one gulp. The wine felt extremely spicy when it entered her throat, and Zhao Ji let out a sigh of relief.
"He's dead, but that bastard killed him? He has been wanting to kill Zhao Gao for a long time."
Zhao Ji reached out to take the bottle in front of her.
The First Emperor said softly:
"I killed him."
She grabbed the wine jar but did not pick it up. Zhao Ji concentrated and said:
"What did Zhao Gao do, rebel?"
"Mother's behavior is different from what I expected."
The First Emperor tilted his head to observe his mother's expression.
“It’s a bit bland.”
Zhao Ji picked up the wine jar and drank another bottle of wine.
"A castrated person's body is incomplete, and his desires are stronger than those of ordinary people. I once tried my best to please Zhao Gao, but he didn't react at all, so I knew he had big plans. But he never did anything out of line, and he was also very dedicated to you. And that brat was always staring at him, so I didn't pay too much attention to him. Why, did you come here today because you suspect Zhao Gao was instructed by your mother?"
"No. Zhao Gao had always been close to my mother, and I was afraid that she would be saddened to learn of his death."
As the First Emperor spoke, he picked up the wine jug and continued to pour wine, first filling Zhao Ji's wine jar and then his own.
"What's the fun of drinking alone, mother? I will accompany you."
Zhao Ji put her hand on the mouth of the wine jar.
"Don't worry about drinking. First tell me what Zhao Gao did that I want you to kill him with your own hands."
The First Emperor nodded and told his mother everything from the death of Concubine Hu to the death of Zhao Gao.
“He deserves to die!”
Zhao Ji was furious.
The First Emperor wanted to lift the jar, but he exerted a little force with his hand and could not lift it.
Zhao Ji held the wine jar tightly.
The First Emperor sighed.
"Having said that, you still don't want to drink?"
"Why do you feel sad for such a person?"
"I don't have any."
"You are the flesh and blood of my mother, you can't hide anything from her. You have never liked drinking since you were a child, and you never drink too much even on important festivals. Zheng'er, don't trust someone too much, or you will end up hurting yourself. Today you are Zhao Gao, tomorrow you will be Ying Chengjiao."
The First Emperor laughed.
"Mother, you are worrying too much. I am just worried that you will be lonely drinking alone. How can I feel sad for a villain who wants to kill me and destroy my country? As for Cheng Jiao, I have already exiled him to the land of Han. Don't worry, mother."
"It would be better."
Zhao Ji drank by herself.
"I am here today for another reason. I will follow the example of the holy kings Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang and travel around the world to see the great country of Qin. Mother, do you want to come with me?"
