Chapter 360: You boy, what are you doing?
What do I need to understand?
The First Emperor wanted to say this with a laugh, just as he casually smiled and said it in front of his mother, Gai Nie, Xia Wuqi, Zhang Han, Afang, and Mi Chu.
He couldn't laugh.
He couldn't say it.
He galloped for three days and nights without a rest, and rushed back to his brother in Xianyang from Xinzheng, a thousand miles away, at the fastest speed, under the stars and the moon, and gave a bitter smile.
"Am I a failure? A villain who wanted to kill my people, destroy my country, and harm my son has died. I should be happy and relieved. I should never have locked up the Zhangtai and made a fool of myself like you."
He understands the truth.
He could still look like he didn't care about anything in front of everyone, clapping his hands and saying that Zhao Gao deserved to die. He was an emperor of unparalleled power and he was the ruler of the world whose mood changed with his anger. How could he be sad because of the death of a thief?
But in the dead of night, when no one was around and he was alone in the quiet and dark Zhangtai Palace, he couldn't deceive himself, and didn't want to deceive his own brother.
There are only a few people in this world whom he can completely trust.
"King, no one can do better than my brother."
This is not just the opinion of Ying Chengjiao, but an objective evaluation of China's 5,000-year history.
Without a prophet, the way forward is unknown.
He single-handedly overcame all objections, introduced the system of counties and prefectures, issued a series of decrees that benefited people for thousands of years, including standardizing the writing system, the wheel gauge, the customs, and the construction of the Great Wall. He created the first unified empire and laid a solid foundation for later dynasties.
He is the founder of the Chinese nation.
Without the First Emperor, there might still be China, but it would definitely not be the Chinese nation with its vast territory and 56 ethnic groups.
Zhang Juzheng, a famous politician and reformer in the Ming Dynasty, said:
"From the Three Dynasties to the Qin Dynasty, chaos was re-created. They created laws and regulations, and have kept them to this day for their own benefit. History says that they 'gained the power of a sage.' The Zhou Dynasty was at its end, and it was bound to change to the Qin Dynasty. They swept away all the civil systems of the previous dynasties and only maintained the laws. The governance of the Western Han Dynasty was simple and strict, close to ancient times, but it was actually due to the expulsion of the Qin Dynasty. Unfortunately, Fusu was kind and weak, Hu Hai was immature, and traitors emerged from within, and the remnants of the six kingdoms still existed. Because of the resentment of the world, he took the Qin Dynasty as an opportunity, and was defeated again. This was the misfortune of the First Emperor."
Lu Xun, who gave up medicine to pursue literature and wrote to save the country, said:
"Qin Shi Huang was really wronged. He suffered because he died before his second emperor, and a group of hangers-on spoke ill of him on behalf of the new master. It is true that Qin Shi Huang burned books, but he burned books to unify people's thoughts, and he did not burn agricultural and medical books. He collected many "guest officials" from other countries, and did not focus on "Qin's thoughts" but rather learned from various thoughts."
Without the legacy of the six generations of Qin kings, the First Emperor would not have been able to conquer the world.
But there was no experience to follow and no precedent to rely on for the road after the unification. The First Emperor crossed the river by feeling the stones, relying on vision and courage to force his way out.
The First Emperor selected the future of China from the advice of more than a thousand famous ministers.
Only by becoming brothers with the First Emperor across two thousand years of history and having close contact with him can one understand how great he was.
Ying Chengjiao felt a little reluctant.
A great person is great because he must be self-disciplined.
In the letter sent by Gai Nie, the four big words "Zhao Gao is dead" were written at the beginning , followed by the Emperor Qin Shihuang's recent actions.
If the four words "Zhao Gao is dead" were omitted, Ying Chengjiao would never come back. The First Emperor described in the letter was no different from the one before Zhao Gao's death.
Gai Nie did not see the sadness of the First Emperor.
Or it was Ying Zheng who was sad, not the First Emperor.
The First Emperor was the King of Qin. He could not sacrifice public power for personal reasons, nor would he sacrifice public power for personal reasons. He could not have private affairs.
"It's fine if others flatter me, but you try to flatter me. Which king would be sad over the death of a traitor?"
The First Emperor took out a few pieces of broken porcelain from his arms and placed them on the table.
The last time the First Emperor angrily smashed the porcelain, he said that the porcelain died for you, Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao carefully took it and put it in his arms, and never left it until his death.
"On the 16th day of the fourth month in the third year of King Zhuangxiang, I followed my mother back to Qin. Many Zhao people refused to follow me and many pursued me, wanting to kill my mother and intimidate Qin. Zhao Gao sent his retainers to escort me with his token. When they saw the Qin army, the retainers returned.
"On July 3, the fifth year of King Zhuangxiang, Zhao Gao left Zhao and went to Qin, saying that he was a disabled and useless man and only wished to stay by my side and serve me. There is no more Prince Gao in the world.
"On the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month in the fifth year of King Zhuangxiang, a sharp blade slashed into the chariot from the shaft, only three feet away from me. Zhao Gao clamped the steel blade under his elbow and killed the assassin.
"On March 2, the sixth year of King Zhuangxiang, I went hunting with my father in the forest. Mi Sui, who wanted you to be king, shot an arrow at me from behind. Zhao Gao took the blame and survived the arrow shot in the chest..."
The First Emperor recounted the times when Zhao Gao saved his life, and he remembered them all clearly. It was not because Zhao Gao saved him, but because he almost lost his life.
Behind the casual words "You have saved me countless times" are shocking life-and-death crises, and only the people involved know how dangerous those past events were.
To Ying Chengjiao, Zhao Gao was a treacherous minister who led to the demise of the second emperor of Qin.
To Gai Nie, Zhao Gao was a bootlicker who only knew how to flatter and fawn on him.
To Meng Tian, Zhao Gao was a minister who was neither talented in literature nor in martial arts, and who rose to power through connections.
To Zhang Han, Zhao Gao is an informed, tactful, and knowledgeable man who is deeply trusted by Your Majesty.
To Zhao Ji, Zhao Gao was a good dog, a loyal dog who could inform her of something when a certain villain was around and protect Zheng'er.
When Zhao Gao intended to overthrow the Qin Empire and harm the First Emperor, the people who were the First Emperor's brother, minister, and mother wanted to kill him as soon as possible, believing that his death was not a pity.
If these people knew that the First Emperor was sad about the death of Zhao Gao, few would believe it.
How could Your Majesty be sad about the death of a traitor? It's just a joke!
They would not understand this emotion unless they had stood before the First Emperor dozens of times when he was facing a sword.
The trust of the First Emperor in Zhao Gao was established through repeated life-and-death struggles. The two of them had been friends for dozens of times. Zhao Gao was far more than just a minister to the First Emperor. He was also a good teacher, a close friend, a wise minister, a bodyguard, a confidant, and a childhood friend...
The candle shrank little by little until it was half as bright as before. The First Emperor fiddled with the porcelain pieces and recounted the dozens of times he had been stabbed.
He raised his head, looked at his brother's face, who was trying hard to listen attentively, and smiled.
"Cheng Jiao, you told me not to trust Zhao Gao ten years ago. I didn't listen to you. I was wrong. But I want to ask you, if I don't trust Zhao Gao, who has saved my life dozens of times, who else can I trust? Is it really like what Gai Nie said, that I can't trust anyone? What do you think I should do?"
Ying Chengjiao was stumped by this question.
Without the historical prophet, he could not do better than the First Emperor, and he would most likely trust Zhao Gao more than the First Emperor.
“I have known him since childhood for more than 30 years and he has saved my life dozens of times.
"He knows what I am thinking and what I want. There are many things that I don't need to explain too clearly, or even don't need me to say anything. He will think ahead of me and do things beautifully and perfectly.
"For more than 30 years, he has always put my interests first, been able to protect me from swords and guns, and traveled across mountains and rivers to do things for me without complaining, and was always available whenever I was called.
"Do I trust someone who can make me happy and cheerful when he is free and can provide me with the most authoritative advice when he is free?"
Zhao Gao not only had beautiful handwriting, but was also able to memorize the entire Qin Law. Born into the royal family of Zhao, he also had good political thinking.
Ying Chengjiao covered his head and sighed.
"It's difficult. I might get it wrong even if I look at the answers when doing the questions."
If he were the First Emperor, although he knew the true history, he still would not be sure of his ability to kill Zhao Gao. He would most likely think that Zhao Gao in this life is different from the one in history.
Pat your face hard to wake yourself up and get rid of some sleepiness.
"It is true that Zhao Gao saved my brother's life dozens of times, and it is also true that he wanted to kill my brother and destroy the Qin Dynasty. The merits and demerits of the Qin Dynasty cannot offset each other. It is not wrong for my brother to kill him, and it is not wrong to express his feelings. This does not damage my brother's image."
"Do you think I locked myself up in Zhangtai Palace to commemorate that villain, like a wild animal lying in the dark licking its wounds alone, afraid of being seen by others?"
Ying Chengjiao spread his hands and said helplessly:
"What else? Brother, please stop being so stubborn now."
"That's not entirely true."
The First Emperor was a little confused.
"I gave Zhao Gao the greatest trust, but he betrayed me. All these years, everything he did in front of me was just a pretense? Could it be that Zhang Han was also pretending? Could it be that Gai Nie was also pretending?
"And Xia Wuqie, Li Si, Wang Wan, Tu Sui, Zhao Tuo, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Meng Tian, Meng Yi... Could it be that they are all pretending?
"If Zhao Gao, a eunuch, rebels, the harm won't be too great. But if Wang Jian and Wang Ben, father and son, rebel and want to establish themselves as kings, that would be a disaster. Should I prepare for a rainy day and nip these dangers in the bud?"
Ying Chengqiu broke out in cold sweats after hearing this, and his sleepiness was mostly gone without him even clapping his hands.
I thought you were confused and sad because of the death of your best friend, but I didn't expect that you were thinking of secretly stabbing someone. You, Ying Zheng with thick eyebrows and big eyes, are now thinking of killing your heroes, right?
"Royal brother, Gai Nie knows nothing. He knows nothing except swords. You can't be bewitched by him. You should trust people. If you kill these dangers, more will be created."
"I trusted Zhao Gao. I made him the Minister of Chariots among the Nine Ministers. I gave Zhao Gao money and food. I made him live a good life. I even wanted him to marry his daughter to me and let him be Hu Hai's teacher. How did he repay me? He didn't care about our friendship for so many years. No, it was clear that our friendship was just a deliberate disguise. There was no friendship between him and me! He hurt Hu Hai, killed Concubine Hu, and destroyed my Qin. He rebelled against me. Zhao Gao was like this. What else could others do?"
Ying Chengjiao understood that his brother had a stress reaction due to Zhao Gao's death.
Just like a person who has been hurt by love no longer believes in love, after being stabbed mercilessly by Zhao Gao, the person he trusted the most, the First Emperor now looks to everyone as a troublemaker who wants to destroy his Qin Dynasty.
"Gai Nie's letter said that Zhao Gao wanted to destroy Qin, but did not want to restore Zhao. You and I have always been stuck in a fixed mindset, thinking that the remnants of the six kingdoms all wanted to restore their country. Who jumped out of the fixed mindset and judged Zhao Gao's intentions?"
"The thief said it himself. Xia Wuqie used a secret method to pierce his head with a gold and silver needle to force him to tell the truth."
Ying Chengjiao had a strange look on his face.
"Do you know how many times I have tested Zhao Gao?"
The First Emperor remembered that it was more than thirty times, but after hearing his brother's question, he knew that the number should be more than thirty, so he asked tentatively:
"Fifty? Eighty?"
Ying Chengjiao held up three fingers.
"You bastard, you come to tease me again. When you said that so seriously, I thought you were testing me secretly, but it turns out you didn't. It was more than thirty times."
"It's not more than thirty times, it's more than three hundred times. More than three hundred times, I have not been able to detect Zhao Gao's intention to rebel, which is not good for you. Brother, do you know what this means?"
"This thief is hiding so well!"
"Yes, that's right. Brother, think about it. I have tried over 300 times to not let Zhao Gao reveal his true identity. How could someone with such a patient character really fall victim to some secret method that would cause him to lose his mind?"
This secret method of losing the mind is similar to hypnosis and is only effective on people with weak minds, such as Ying Hu Hai.
If you resist the secret method deep in your heart and are not afraid of pain, and your psychological defenses are not broken, then you will not utter a word even if your brain is broken.
The First Emperor stared at the broken porcelain pieces on the table and thought about what his mother had said.
"The body of a castrated person is incomplete, and his desires are stronger than those of an ordinary person. I once used all my strength on Zhao Gao, but he did not react at all..."
I remembered what Xia Wuqie said when he diagnosed that his young son had been hit by a secret technique.
"This vicious method is usually used on those who are not determined enough to die..."
Tap tap tap
The First Emperor drummed his fingers on the table and narrowed his eyes.
"I was able to hide it from you. I was not bewitched by my mother and my mind was not firm... This thief was not bewitched. He told me on purpose."
"I guess so. Why would he reveal his plan to his brother when he was about to die?
"If I were Zhao Gao, I would hate my brother to the core, and I would not say a word. As long as I don't tell my brother about my plan, he won't be able to guess it, and if he can't guess it, he will start to think wildly, wondering if I have any accomplices.
"I will conduct a large search and capture those important officials of the country, digging my own grave for the Qin State. At the very least, I can make my brother sleep poorly. If my brother is not successful, I will die with my eyes closed."
The frequency of tapping his index finger slowed down. The First Emperor was thinking about the purpose . He had already thought of it, but he didn't believe it.
"Zhao Gao was repaying his brother's kindness. He was born as a prince of Zhao. He had no choice but to sacrifice his life for his country and his family. Before he died, he chose his brother."
The First Emperor sneered and placed his food on the table.
"He chose me? What a joke! These are just your guesses. They don't count! You are not Zhao Gao, how do you know what Zhao Gao was thinking in the end?"
"You are not me, how do you know that I don't know what Zhao Gao was thinking at the end?"
Ying Chengjiao stood up, stretched his body, yawned, walked into the hall, and lit the eight long candles in the palace one by one.
In the dark night, the Zhangtai Palace was brightly lit with candles.
Under the candlelight, the First Emperor exuded majesty without even getting angry.
"What are you doing, boy?"
"Go to sleep, I'm so sleepy!"
Ying Chengjiao's confused voice came from afar.
"You still feel sleepy?"
The First Emperor muttered something under his breath and yawned involuntarily.
"I am a little tired of being led around by this bastard."
Outside Zhangtai Palace.
Zhang Han, who was waiting, felt two long and even breaths in the hall. He let out a long breath, leaned against the large black column, looked up at the white jade plate in the sky, and felt a little sleepy, so he stopped to catch up on his sleep.
People in the hall are sleeping.
People are sleeping outside the palace.
