Chapter 75 Li Si suddenly realizes
Li Si, whose whole body was cold, was terrified.
He wanted to deny that he had ever seen the Emperor's edict, but his words died before he could finish them.
Your Majesty ordered Zhao Gao to bring this message to me, which means you must have already made up your mind.
The fact that I am still alive means that Your Majesty does not want to kill me.
Denying it outright at this time will only make His Majesty feel bad.
Thinking of this, Li Si bowed his head, and the hem of his robe hit the ground, raising a large pile of yellow soil and filling the air with dust.
"Your servant Li Si deserves death!"
Zhao Gao could have stopped Li Si, but he didn't.
He let Li Si lie on the ground like a quail, shivering for a long time, then he helped Li Si up as if awakened from a dream, and said comfortingly: "Brother Li, why are you kneeling down? You are scared. Gao has not informed His Majesty of this matter yet, so Brother Li, don't be afraid."
Just before he knelt down, Li Si's mind had calmed down and he was able to control his emotions, but he did not do so.
He still looked as if he was guilty of a crime worthy of death, with cold sweat still remaining on his stern face, and an expression showing fear that he tried hard to conceal but couldn't.
He was covered in dust and his hands were covered in dirt. He grabbed Zhao Gao's hand and begged, "Brother Zhao, save my life!"
"Even if Your Majesty knew about this, he would not blame Brother Li. How could Your Majesty be willing to kill such a talented person who could write the county system?" Zhao Gao patted Li Si's hand, asking him to relax.
"Brother Li is a master of both Confucianism and Legalism. You will surely be of great use to your majesty in the future. Don't forget Gao then."
"If I ever succeed, I will never forget Brother Zhao's kindness in saving me today!"
"That's great. It's getting late today, so I'll go back to the palace."
"I'll give Brother Zhao a ride."
"Thank you."
Li Si escorted Zhao Gao from Li Mansion all the way to Xianyang Palace.
The two men bid farewell again in front of the officials on duty, and Zhao Gao headed towards the Xianyang Palace.
When Zhao Gao was about to enter the corridor, he looked back and saw Li Si still standing there watching him go away. He was moved and turned back to Li Si's side.
Li Si asked, "Brother Zhao, did you leave anything at my house?"
"No." Zhao Gao shook his head.
Zhao Gao had heard of this way of accepting bribes.
The eunuchs in the palace who delivered imperial edicts would always leave some "items" in the homes of the people who delivered the imperial edicts, and they were all valuable items.
He never expected that one day he would encounter it himself.
"When you have nothing to do, Brother Li can go out with Chang'an Jun more often."
"Li Si will keep this in mind."
Li Si bowed to Zhao Gao and said goodbye.
This time, he turned around and left, and Zhao Gao stood there and watched him go.
When Li Si walked away, Zhao Gao clapped his hands together, shaking off all the dust that had collected on him from Li Si's handshake, and chuckled.
If Li Si was really scared, how could he not sweat? He should have understood my suggestion.
Li Si returned home and asked his servants to make a pot of tea.
A whole roll of bamboo slips was spread on the table. Li Si held a brush in his right hand and wrote down word by word what Zhao Gao said to him after he stood up from his knees.
After writing a sentence, he would stop writing for a long time and carefully write a comment under that sentence.
Original words: Why did Brother Li kneel down? He was scared of Gao. Gao has not informed His Majesty of this matter yet, so Brother Li does not need to be afraid.
Annotation: I don't need to kneel down, Your Majesty has already known about this matter and has not punished me.
Original words: Even if Your Majesty knew about this, he would not blame Brother Li. How could Your Majesty be willing to kill such a talented person who could write the county system?
Annotation: The reason why Your Majesty does not blame me is that the county system I wrote is very much to Your Majesty's liking.
Original words: Brother Li is a master of both Confucianism and Legalism. You will surely use him in the future. Don't forget Gao when the time comes.
Annotation: I wonder what the first sentence means, "I am the leader of both Confucianism and Legalism"? Could it be that Zhao Gao just said it casually? The last two sentences are easy to understand. The court judge is already one of the nine ministers. If Your Majesty still wants to use me, I will be the prime minister. At that time, even Zhao Gao will not be as important as me in Your Majesty's heart.
Original words: That's great. It's getting late today, so I'll go back to the palace.
Note: You have told me everything you need to know.
Original words: When you have nothing to do, Brother Li can hang out with Chang'an Jun more often.
Annotation: Befriend Chang'an Jun.
Li Si pondered for a long time.
Thinking of how he had said in the Zhangtai Palace that Ying Chengjiao was going to rebel and got a slap in the face by the First Emperor.
Thinking back to the court meeting in the Xianyang Palace, the First Emperor clearly admired his county system, but, contrary to his usual practice, did not support him.
Looking at the sentence written on the bamboo slips again, combining the two, Li Si finally woke up from his dream.
This sentence should not be said by Your Majesty, but Zhao Gao's suggestion.
If I hadn't sent him to the Xianyang Palace, you would never have told me this.
As Your Majesty's confidant, Zhao Gao knows much more secrets than I do.
That bastard, no, it was Chang'an Jun. Together with His Majesty, he deceived everyone.
This way, everything makes sense.
The first slap His Majesty gave me in the Zhangtai Palace was to remind me that Lord Chang'an had a special status.
It’s a pity that I was obsessed and trapped in my own thoughts, but didn’t understand your majesty’s intention.
In the Xianyang Palace, I should not have spoken without your Majesty's permission. But I spoke without permission out of jealousy, which ruined the plans of your Majesty and Chang'an Jun.
If I had left the Xianyang Palace at night, I would have been able to put aside my pride and speak softly to him, and I would have received this reminder from Zhao Gao.
At today's court meeting, I should have done my best, and I regret it very much.
"Husband, can I come in?" Li Si's wife Cai Yan knocked on the door and asked.
Li Si frowned.
He had already set a rule at home that no one was allowed to disturb him when he was drinking tea alone without permission.
Cai Yan saw Li Si's expression and stood at the door and said worriedly, "The last time my husband drank alone and Zhang Cang came to visit, my husband entered the palace and returned home with a disfigured face..."
Li Si's heart softened, knowing that his wife was worried about him getting into trouble again, and he said in a warm voice, "Come in, if you have any questions from now on, I will tell you everything I can."
Cai Yan walked in and approached Li Si. Seeing that Li Si was covered in dust, she forced Li Si to stand up.
While brushing off the loose dust for Li Si, he complained: "How come you are covered in dust just to meet a eunuch?"
"He is not an ordinary eunuch. He is the eunuch who can forcibly add the word 'Zhong' before the 'Chefu Ling' of our dynasty."
"That's also a eunuch."
After Cai Yan finished taking care of Li Si, she saw that Li Si had written a lot of words on the bamboo slips, so she leaned over to take a look.
Li Si, who usually did not want trivial matters in the court to affect his family, acted out of character this time.
Not only did he not stop Cai Yan from reading the bamboo slips, but he also explained them to Cai Yan in detail.
He was a little scared.
According to Zhao Gao's suggestion, he went to the palace that day and said that Ying Chengjiao was planning a rebellion, which might have violated the taboo of the First Emperor. If the First Emperor took it seriously and punished him according to Qin law, it would be a false accusation and the whole family would be exterminated.
Li Si needed someone who could enlighten him at critical moments, someone who knew a lot and must be able to keep secrets for him.
And the only person who can be qualified is his wife Cai Yan, who has lived and died with him.
"Your Majesty and this Ying Chengjiao."
"It's Changan Jun."
"Your Majesty, if you and this Lord Chang'an have a plan, why don't you just tell your husband? Why do you have to keep your husband in the dark?"
"Everything is explained clearly. Even a fool can do it. Why does Your Majesty need Li Si?"
Cai Yan looked at the words Li Si wrote about making friends with Ying Chengjiao, and her expression was a little unnatural.
"Xijun, what's wrong with you?"
"nothing……"
