"Put down the curtain."
The First Emperor kept writing.
The brush tip made of goat hair outlines one simplified Chinese character after another on the rough bamboo slips.
To this day, the First Emperor is already completely familiar with simplified Chinese characters, and all the memorials sent by ministers in the court are written in simplified characters.
The original Qinwen seal script was sealed in a high pavilion in the doctor's office and gathered a thick layer of dust.
Perhaps hundreds of years later, some scholars studying ancient literature will step into the doctoral office and blow away the dust that has accumulated for decades.
While complaining about why Dazhuan is so complicated and has nothing in common with simplified Chinese characters.
While flipping through the "Comparative Table of Simplified Chinese and Large Seal Scripts", I tried to echo the Qin State that rejoiced when it heard the war, the First Emperor who dominated the world and had power all over the world, and a certain vertical character whose name can be seen on any page of history books.
"reject."
Ying Chengyu turned around.
The focus of his eyes was on the special candle that was placed on the table and was as thick as an adult's forearm. The flame burned slowly and smeared the entire carriage.
"Why do you light wax in broad daylight? What's wrong?"
The five luxury carriages are all one-piece sealed carriages. Except for a door at the front that can be used to get in and out of the carriage, there is no gap in the entire carriage.
When the heavy curtains on the doors are lowered, the car will be plunged into pure darkness, as if it were soaked in the deepest black ink.
Since the design of the carriage is based on the layout of the palace, it can be called an ancient RV. The interior area is so large that even an ordinary candle cannot illuminate the entire carriage.
Only this kind of special giant wax can illuminate the carriage with the light released by burning itself.
Ying Chengyu has always criticized the design of this carriage, thinking that it is just a large coffin.
The skylight outside the carriage flowed into the carriage, which originally had only candlelight. The eyes of the First Emperor became much brighter, and the originally dark handwriting on the bamboo slips returned to its original appearance, thick and thick.
"Put down the curtain."
The First Emperor emphasized his tone, and under the brighter light, he browsed the text of the memorial much faster.
"If a thief attempts an assassination, you and I will be exposed to them."
"I'm not afraid. No one in this world can assassinate me." Ying Cheng said calmly, "If you have good martial arts skills, you can do whatever you want."
He stuck his head out to take a few breaths of fresh air, feeling suffocated and looking around.
Suddenly he shouted loudly: "Is there anyone throwing a hammer? Don't hit the wrong car! We are in this car, assassinate and stab accurately!"
Why is Chang'an Jun so mad?
In the motorcade, the civil servants and generals who were sitting in the carriage accompanying the First Emperor's wax sacrifice frowned and thought.
To this day, no matter whether they still call Ying Chenglong "Shu Zi" in their mouths, they no longer call him "Shu Zi" in their hearts.
"Look, let me just say you are suspicious. Where did the assassin come from on Chidao?" Ying Chengyu turned to the First Emperor and continued to taunt him.
"Um."
Rustle~
The soft tip of the pen scratched the hard bamboo slips, and the sound of outlining and correcting never stopped.
The convoy was moving at high speed on a high-speed road without traffic jams, and the vertically growing green pine trees were constantly being left behind the convoy.
Yongcheng is majestic, and the outline of the tall city has already appeared. This not-long gallop will soon be completed without any surprises.
Pass~
A dull loud noise came from under a green pine on both sides of the road.
Smoke and dust exploded, scattering dust in the air.
When the yellow dust returns to the earth under the influence of gravity, the sound can be heard everywhere.
An extremely huge hammer, at least seven feet long, sank into the soil and smashed into the earth, sinking two feet deep.
From then on, Jianghu was missing an iconic weapon - the big hammer.
Yongcheng.
Ying Chengxi, the First Emperor stepped out of the carriage, and the only people waiting below were Gai Nie and Zhang Han.
Ying Chengyu raised his eyebrows, walked quickly to Gai Nie and whispered, "Where is the Yue girl?"
Gai Nie hasn't answered yet.
Dressed in elegant black clothes and wearing an iron mask, the Yue girl held up Ying Chengyu's sign and was let go by the officials, walking to Ying Chengyu's side.
The First Emperor glanced at the ferocious look on Yue Nu's face, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes.
Is this the Yue girl who can cure the "Yellow Emperor"?
Without saying much, under the leadership of Zhang Han and surrounded by a group of officials, they entered Yongcheng first.
Ying Chengyu followed the First Emperor, deliberately falling two positions behind. As he walked, he asked the Yue girl who was following him, "What happened?"
Before traveling, Ying Chengyu asked Yue Nu to patrol ahead and check things out. This was also the reason why Ying Chengyu was so unscrupulous in the carriage.
The Yue girl's light kung fu is as good as that of Jing Ke, and her swordsmanship is as good as that of Ge Nie.
There was a Yue girl walking in front of her, so Ying Chengyu wasn't afraid at all.
"I found an assassin and killed him with one sword."
Yue Nu's words are concise and to the point.
"There really are assassins, huh..."
Ying Chengyu chuckled, not paying attention, and took two quick steps to catch up with the First Emperor, and was about to walk side by side with the First Emperor.
"Chang'an Lord, don't overstep your bounds." Gai Nie said coldly.
Ying Chengyu glared at Gai Nie, pretending to be displeased and said: "Do you hold a grudge?"
Since he once said that Gai Nie was transgressing, Gai Nie would remind him every time he walked with the First Emperor.
Ying Chengyu, who was chatting casually, did not know that the assassin who died was called Big Iron Hammer.
When Jing Ke and Sledgehammer failed to meet each other on the bank of Yishui River, Sledgehammer was missing from history.
Later, when Ying Chengxuan in Xianyang ordered Zhang Liang to be captured, if he had better hammer and light skills, he would have been able to catch up with Jing Ke and meet Jing Ke face to face.
Under Jing Ke's introduction, maybe he can now become a member of Chang'an Junfu without a code name, and maybe he can also leave his real name in the history of history.
But there is no possibility in life.
Sledgehammer is dead.
Death was silent.
Death is lighter than a feather.
But he will definitely not be the last person to die for assassinating the First Emperor.
The First Emperor unified the world and usurped the interests of those above him, and was hated by the remnants of the six kingdoms.
Those who want to kill the First Emperor are as numerous as the crucian carp crossing the river.
Soon, Ying Chengyu will also face such an encounter, even worse than the situation of the First Emperor.
What the First Emperor usurped was the interests of the remnants of the aristocrats of the Six Kingdoms, and these remnants of the nobility of the Six Kingdoms had lost their country and could only carry out assassinations like rats in the gutter.
Most of the vested interests that Ying Chengyu wants to invade next hold high and powerful positions in the Qin State.
Yongcheng is also as lively as Xianyang.
There are also peach branches in front of every house, and there are sacred tea and Yulei.
The ethereal and heavy sound of drums and the dull and down-to-earth sound of knocking on wooden boards also sounded constantly.
The difference between here and Xianyang is that the people in Yongcheng will be more excited than the people in Xianyang, because this is the place where the First Emperor held the wax festival.
National affairs.
Sacrifice to Rong.
In the eyes of the ancients, the most important things in a country were sacrifices and wars, and sacrifices came before wars.
In ancient times, civilization was not that developed, productivity was seriously insufficient, and people were relatively ignorant.
People respect and fear heaven, earth, gods, and ghosts.
When the weather is dry, God is angry; when earthquakes happen, Empress Dowager Tu is angry.
A good harvest is the result of Houji, the god of grain, and victory in war is the blessing of Huangdi, the god of war.
No matter what happens, the ancients can relate it to the four heavens, earth, gods and ghosts.
Heaven, gods, gods, and ghosts are even wider than the Qin Law of the Qin Dynasty.
The annual wax festival was the grandest event in the Qin Dynasty.
The king of Qin would recite sacrificial texts on the high platform in the center of Yongcheng where he worshiped heaven and earth.
The high platform must be more than three feet high. Qin Jun is standing at such a high place that he can be seen by the people within ten miles.
It stands to reason that with such a high platform, the sound of speech should be very small when it reaches the bottom.
But every year during the Wax Festival, Qin Jun’s words on the high platform would be loud and unusual, and the people listening below the high platform could hear the words truly. This was naturally regarded as the power of the gods.
The process of wax sacrifice in the Qin Dynasty is not complicated, after all, the old Qin people never gossip.
First of all, the First Emperor rushed to Yongcheng from Xianyang with hundreds of civil and military officials.
Then he took the sacrificial inscription written by Fengchang, one of the nine ministers in charge of the ceremony, and climbed up to the high platform to recite it.
The high platform will be filled with various sacrifices. The food is mainly pigs, deer and sheep, supplemented by salt, millet, wine and delicacies.
After reciting, the First Emperor's mission was completed, and the next step was Lingyou's.
A small number of actors will wear animal skins, which are called "corpses", which means that they are gods.
Most of the actors will perform various dances and sing many songs that they do not understand to please the gods and pray to heaven and earth.
People will start to dance the animal dance, a very ancient and primitive dance. They imitate the actions of animals to drive away diseases and evil spirits.
The culture of gods and ghosts has always been accompanied by the development of Chinese culture. Basically all dynasties believed that gods and ghosts must come on the Spring Festival.
When this whole process is completed, the cooks and maids will distribute the sacrifices to the people, and everyone will start feasting.
Because Qin's laws are usually extremely strict, such as prohibiting alcohol, not having to talk casually, not being allowed to eat beef, etc.
There are no taboos on this day of the Wax Festival, which makes it particularly valuable.
It can not only satisfy the appetite, but also release the mental stress with laughter.
In the eyes of all the people in Yongcheng who admired, looked forward to, and couldn't wait, the First Emperor came to the foot of the high platform for worshiping the sky and stepped on the first stone step of the platform.
The people rejoiced.
Hundreds of civil and military officials are waiting to serve.
A movement and a stillness, clearly distinguishable.
Amidst the increasingly boiling sound of drums and the sound of knocking on the door.
Under the stern and warning look of the First Emperor looking back.
Ying Chengyu sighed deeply and nodded helplessly.
The First Emperor looked back with satisfaction and stepped onto the second step of the high platform.
Ying Chengyu followed closely and stepped onto the first step of the high platform.
"Why is there someone following the king? Was there someone last year?"
In the crowd, a boy grinning from ear to ear asked his father beside him.
"No, the king does not rule the world this year. Ask someone to follow you and prove it to your ancestors."
My father replied seriously, his son's eyes filled with admiration as he said, "Father, how come you know everything?"
Most people in Yongcheng do not know what it means to climb this high platform.
Even though they participate in the wax festival here every year, worship the heaven and earth, and eat the sacrifices.
And a small number of people who know what it means will educate people around them.
"Only the king can ascend the high platform. The person behind the king should be the eldest son."
In the eyes of these "insiders", only the well-known eldest son Ying Fusu in the Qin State today can be the second son of Qin.
If they knew that Ying Fusu had been established as the crown prince, the word "should" in the explanation would be replaced by the word "dingran".
The people did not know that the person following the First Emperor was Ying Chengyu, but the civil and military officials who came with the First Emperor knew it.
Under the high platform, the faces of all the civil and military officials who watched the two brothers move forward changed.
Your Majesty's request to ride in the same carriage with Lord Chang'an is a favor to Lord Chang'an, but no matter how much favor you have, how can we climb this high platform together? Your Majesty intends to pass the throne to Lord Chang'an!
Only the king can climb the high platform. This is an ancestral system. Your Majesty was forced by the Queen Mother to appoint the eldest son as the crown prince, but he did not like the eldest son's accession to the throne, so he was assigned to Shangjun. Lord Chang'an is the second emperor of Qin in your heart.
No wonder His Majesty not only restored the state affairs for Lord Chang'an, but also expelled Wei Liao to leave a state captain for Lord Chang'an. This makes sense.
…
Civil and military officials all had their own thoughts, but no one communicated with them verbally. At most, they only communicated with eyes.
Many people's eyes rested on the two queen mothers, Zhao Ji and Han Ji.
Judging from the current situation, most people believe that there is a rift between the First Emperor and his biological mother Zhao Ji. This is not the first time. Queen Mother Zhao has been imprisoned in Yongcheng by His Majesty for how long.
The Empress Dowager Zhao was interested in winning Fusu, and the First Emperor was interested in winning Chenglong. The King of Qin had a fight with the Empress Dowager again.
Well, this is also an old tradition. It is easy for the Qin State to produce powerful queen mothers. There are two precedents such as Mi Bazi and the Queen Mother of Huayang.
】
They saw that Queen Mother Zhao's face was extremely ugly, and her eyes were burning with blazing anger.
Next to Queen Mother Zhao, Queen Mother Han was elated, with her chest puffed out like a proud rooster.
Li Si suppressed a smile on his rigid face.
I, Li Si, bet against two kings. How many people in the world can match Si's eyesight?
Queen Afang had a clear expression on her face.
That's it. No wonder your majesty trusts your uncle so much. That's what your majesty means. It seems that after the wax festival, I will propose marriage to Ping'er, otherwise it will be difficult to wait for my uncle to ascend the throne.
Concubine Chu stood next to her son, looking at Ying Chengyu with waves in her eyes.
After going round and round, the throne finally fell into your hands...
Her son Ying Jianglu sighed repeatedly.
Uncle, you have long said that you want the throne, so the generals will stop fighting and want to drink.
…
on the steps.
The First Emperor was in front, and Ying Chengyu was behind. There was always one step between them.
Even if the First Emperor deliberately climbed up the high platform slowly, he did not wait for anyone to come to him.
Such laziness!
"I come first, you come first."
"...If you really don't want to do it anymore, just call Fusu back. Don't think about me all the time."
During the wax sacrifice ceremony, the first person to speak on the high platform must be Qin Jun.
"Then I'll go first."
"Um."
Ying Chengyu responded feebly.
The First Emperor, who gave up the idea of waiting for victory, quickly crossed the last step and reached the high platform.
Walking to the center, on the high platform paved with white jade, the First Emperor unfolded the bamboo slips in his hands and shouted loudly.
"I inherited the legacy of the ancestors of the Qin Dynasty, installed the Nine Cauldrons in Xianyang, quelled the riots, and unified the four seas. This is the emperor's earth scroll. My magical achievements and holy virtues have been handed down to this day, and the gods and ghosts have heard about it..."
The First Emperor's voice seemed to be amplified by the gods and ghosts in the world. It was at least three times louder than before, enough for everyone under the high platform to hear.
When the First Emperor began to recite, there was no one kneeling under the high platform.
Everyone knelt down spontaneously the moment the First Emperor's voice sounded.
The thrilling drum beat stopped.
The down-to-earth knocking panel also stopped.
Children who love to be active and noisy also know that it is not appropriate to make noise at this moment, and they all imitate the adults around them and kneel down on the ground, touching the ground with their foreheads.
Between heaven and earth, only the voice of the First Emperor was resounding, just like the God of Haotian using the body of the First Emperor, standing on a high platform to issue an oracle.
The angry Zhao Ji knelt down, and the innocent Han Ji knelt down.
The old Wang Wan knelt down, and so did the imaginative Li Si.
Even the great hero Geniegai, who often talked about why a man would do this and was determined not to be a licker, knelt down.
In front of heaven, earth, gods and ghosts, during the wax sacrifice.
As human beings, kneeling is natural.
In the Qin Dynasty, there was no etiquette for people to kneel down.
Even when meeting the First Emperor, theoretically there is no need to kneel down.
But facing heaven and earth, facing gods and ghosts.
If you are a human being, you must kneel down.
No one would think that kneeling at this time is a despicable act. This idea is unreasonable in this era.
No one would have thought that there would be people who would not kneel down at this time, including the First Emperor.
During the wax sacrifice, he has to be the representative of heaven, earth, gods and ghosts on the high platform, so he will not kneel.
But during certain sacrificial ceremonies presided over by Feng Chang, the First Emperor also knelt.
On the stone steps of the high platform, Ying Chengyu sat on it, tilting his chin and looking at all the living beings below.
He didn't feel like he was looking down, nor did he feel that he was superior to others, playing with everyone's fate by applauding.
I don’t feel independent, I feel like everyone is drunk and I am alone.
In the passionate speech of the First Emperor Kang, in the atmosphere where everyone was looking forward to it with solemnity.
He felt a little lonely.
It has been twenty-six years since he came to this world, which is almost as long as he lived in his previous life.
But for this era, he still has a strong sense of alienation deep in his heart.
This sense of estrangement has never gone away since he was born.
The most obvious sense of isolation at the beginning was the discomfort of not having games, movies, TV series, scripts and other entertainment projects.
There is no discomfort from common foods such as peppers, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cantaloupe, grapes, apples, and bananas.
There is no discomfort from junk drinks such as Coke, Sprite, Fanta, milk tea, lemonade, etc.
But these have faded away little by little over time.
By now, Ying Chengyu has become accustomed to eating spicy hot pot, drinking orange juice with Zhetang added, and happily playing mahjong with the maids at his house.
And as these most obvious feelings of estrangement disappear, less obvious feelings of estrangement fade over time.
First it floated up slowly, then settled down, getting deeper and deeper, accumulating more and more...
He couldn't stand the idea that nobles could decide someone's life or death with just one word, even though he enjoyed this privilege.
He couldn't stand the forced smiles on the balcony, even though he went to the balcony the most.
He couldn't bear to see the people under the high platform bending their knees and kneeling on the ground piously, like dogs wagging their tails begging for mercy.
Even if the idea of the Son of Heaven is for imperial rule, even if the sacrifice to heaven and earth is for the stability of imperial power.
Even if he wanted to, he could become the object of worship for everyone in the world.
He wanted to change all this, not because of any grand ideals, but because he wanted to live a more comfortable life.
The word "human" is easy to write, but it shouldn't be so easy to control.
We can't just be like the cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs that are kept in captivity and are kept in a village and a country and live just for the sake of living.
His requirements are not high, just change the word "live" to "life".
But there are some things that he can't do immediately as he thinks about them. He once told his grandfather, King Qin Zhaoxiang, about these things back then.
The murderous intent shown in the eyes of his biological grandfather, King Qin Zhaoxiang, the hero of the generation, is still deeply imprinted in Ying Chengyu's mind. Ying Chengyu has never seen a murder more serious than that day. meaning.
"Tell me, who told you these words?"
Those who have not experienced it personally will never be able to understand the intimidating power of a king - it was forged with the blood of countless people and the fate of countless people.
"Wow."
Fortunately, Ying Chengyu was only four years old at the time and could cry and pee.
It was the crying and soaked pants that made King Qin Zhaoxiang realize that he was just a four-year-old child. What could a four-year-old child do? What can you understand?
Someone must have given instructions!
Someone must have done it!
That night, except for his father and mother, everyone Ying Chengyu had seen in seven days died - eunuchs, palace maids, lieutenants, guards, and ministers, not a single one was left...
Lu Buwei, Meng Wu and others often joked with Ying Chengyu about this matter.
"Fortunately, I didn't go to see King Xiao Qin in those seven days, otherwise he would be a lonely ghost now."
Just a few words, but hundreds of people lost their lives. Ying Chengyu, who was not a good young man in his previous life, but had nothing to do with human life, had a nightmare for half a year.
I dreamed that the eunuchs, palace maids, and lieutenants turned into ghosts, with their faces covered in blood and their heads separated. They held their heads and asked him why he killed them.
That incident made Ying Chengxuan understand that there are some things that should not be said or even said.
Otherwise, people will die, many, many people will die...
"Emperor and Queen Earth!"
The First Emperor's roar was so loud that it reached the ears of the people kneeling on the ground, the ears of all civil and military officials, and the ears of the empress dowager, empresses, concubines, sons, and princesses.
These four words are particularly loud. The First Emperor deliberately emphasized the tone, giving these four words a sense of weight and mission.
Ying Chengyu tilted his head, looked at the backs of the heads kneeling under the high platform, and blinked.
"Bless me, Great Qin!"
The First Emperor shouted these four words with all his strength and internal strength.
After shouting, the whole person was a little unsteady, as if the Haotian God attached to him had returned to heaven.
But no one could see this scene, because except for Ying Chengyu, everyone was kneeling on the ground with their foreheads touching the ground.
They looked ferocious and pious, using up the last strength in their bodies.
Following their king, they prayed loudly to heaven, earth, gods and ghosts.
"Emperor, Heaven and Empress, protect our great Qin!"
"Emperor, Heaven and Empress, protect our great Qin!"
"Emperor, Heaven and Empress, protect our great Qin!"
"..."
The sound spread for hundreds of miles, completely clearing the sky that was still filled with white clouds.
I don’t know if it was done by God Haotian or Empress Houtu, but it’s just a miracle.
"Emperor, Heaven and Queen, protect my great Qin?"
Ying Chengqiao whispered and then read.
Just like these years, he looks no different from those nobles.
Like light and dust.
