One early autumn night, in the sky above Xianyang City, due to the collision of several large dark clouds, several curved and dazzling lightning bolts scurried through the gaps in the thick clouds like snakes. After a few seconds, what followed was It was bursts of violent thunder. At the moment of the flash, the bright light illuminated the distant sky and the splendid rivers and mountains covering hundreds of miles in the pass, as well as the splendid palace villa and the majestic Xianyang Palace as bright as day. However, the roar of the thunder was greatly diminished by the sounds of various instrumental music floating in the palace, and the colorful lights and countless high and low candlesticks in the palace were also pale and weak against the rapid lightning. Suddenly, a violent gust of wind blew up, lifting the pale dead leaves scattered everywhere into the air. For a moment, they were stirred up and flew all over the sky, as if the entire Xianyang Palace was shaking.
Qin II was bewildered by Zhao Gao and was imprisoned in the palace for a long time, and his actions became more secretive. He spent most of the time hanging out in the harem. The officials wanted to stir up trouble, but they didn't know where he lived. In addition to watching songs and dances, this comfortable emperor was also obsessed with parties, juggling, competitions, cockfights, card games, chess games, and hunting. In short, he enjoyed the joy of a hundred skills and the music of music every day; the beauties of the six countries and the fair ladies every night Party. The place where they live is full of luxury goods, such as curtains, bells and drums, exotic flowers, exotic herbs, rockeries, golden tripods, pepper orchids, Yaoqins, jade paintings, embroidered silks, carved tables, brocade screens, etc.; those palace maids and concubines , such as Concubine Song, Qi Jiang, Wu Ji, Zhao Li, Yue Nu, and Qin E abound. The objects are all wonderful and colorful; the fairies are graceful and charming. If the second generation comes to a place, the place will become lively. The beauties were either dancing gracefully or vying for favor. The young women would impress the young king with their pure and gentle singing voices or unique dances. They all hoped to be favored by the second generation, and all the beautiful girls were also impressed. The adolescent emperor fell in love at first sight. But there were too many beautiful women in the harem. Among the tens of thousands of beauties, most of them could never see the emperor at all, let alone be favored by him. They could only lament the misfortune of fate and the fleeting time. Most of the time, these people often lean on the railing and look out, crying sadly. They will think of their relatives in their hometown and their childhood playmates. Occasionally, they will stare at the birds in the sky in a daze, and they will also imagine that one day they will look like Like a bird, it flies freely and happily to its hometown and returns to its relatives.
In the autumn and July of the third year of Qin II, the emperor summoned Zhao Gao in Xianyang Palace. In the more than two years after Zhao Gao ascended the throne as II, due to the continuous increase in power, his tall and powerful body gradually gained weight. In recent days, he has become a bit bloated and staggered a lot when he walked. After he met the emperor, he talked about some anecdotes and the two laughed heartily from time to time. But the young emperor noticed that Zhao Gao was in a trance and lacked concentration, so he asked him if there was anything wrong. Zhao Gao, however, bowed his head and said softly that it was okay. The second generation asked about the "thieves" in Shandong. Zhao Gao was most afraid of the emperor asking about this. He was suddenly startled and replied: "It's just a small group of thieves who are causing trouble. The government has sent people to capture them all! There are still a few die-hards among these unruly people who continue to collude with the government. , trying to create greater trouble!" The Second Emperor suddenly seemed to remember something, and asked: "By the way, didn't you say that Li Youya secretly collaborated with the thieves? You also said that Prime Minister Li Si instigated him to do this. Damn old ghost, he is loyal on the surface, but he is like this behind his back! I asked you to interrogate the traitor, how did you do?" Zhao Gao narrowed his sly eyes and replied maliciously: "Okay, He has been recruited, can he not be recruited?" However, I thought that he was a minister of the late emperor and was not tortured, so there are still some important details that have not been explained clearly. "The Second Emperor snorted and said: "Although the late emperor's ministers cannot be punished severely, they can also be punished with light punishments such as whipping. But you must remember that you cannot unjustly accuse the prime minister. He is our Qin State. What a meritorious minister! "Zhao Gao said yes repeatedly, but there was an imperceptible evil smile on his lips, and then he retreated. At this time, the second generation turned around and saw the beauties next to him, and started laughing and playing with them.
Zhao Gao then exited the hall, wiping the sweat on his forehead with his sleeves, and then hurried back to the house. As soon as Zhao Gao returned home, he had a large pile of letters and memorials set on fire. Zhao Gao looked at the fire with a strange and sinister smile on his face. But this fire seems to indicate that a fire in the future will also burn down this luxurious city. It turns out that these are urgent documents sent from all over Shandong to report the military situation of all parties to the court, especially after the Julu War, the Great Wall Army was wiped out, Wang Li died on the battlefield, Zhang Han was defeated one after another, and Liu Bang marched into Luoyang and Yingchuan. wait. On the battlefield across the country, in addition to the two armies of the Chu State fiercely attacking the Qin State, the rest of the princes' armies also launched varying degrees of offensives against the Qin State's garrisons in various places. The Qin State had long been in a precarious state. . But the second generation was as if he was dreaming, and he didn't know anything about this. Zhao Gao is indeed bold and can cover the sky with one hand. In this way, the Second Emperor didn't know about the defeat of the Great Wall Army at all. He only got some understatement lies from Zhao Gao about "just some thieves". What's more, Zhao Gao also used some false words to confuse him on weekdays. He, for the second time, was ignorant and wasted in the big lie compiled by Zhao Gao, intoxicated with himself, and knew nothing about the turbulent uprising situation in Shandong. Even Zhao Gao himself could not estimate the uprising situation across the country. He thought that the Qin army could not be defeated. Although Wang Li was dead, there was still Zhang Han. Didn’t Zhang Han still have 200,000 Qin troops? Now he should be ordered to fight Xiang Yu immediately. After Xiang Yu is defeated, he should be ordered to come to Sanchuan to fight Liu Bang. No matter what, we must not let Liu Bang capture Luoyang and reach Hangu Pass. After Zhao Gao thought about it, he wrote another edict with his own hands, stamped it and immediately sent it to Zhang Han in Hebei Province.
In Zhang Han's camp in Hebei, the morale in Zhang Han's camp has been very low since Wang Li was killed in battle. Zhang Han himself was also uneasy and would even dream that Xiang Yu was chasing him. In the following days, the Qin army continued to retreat, and finally retreated to Handan City. However, Handan City was already dilapidated. At this time, Zhang Han also remembered that when they first came here, there were many people in the city and the market was prosperous. However, since the people were forced to move to Hanoi, everything here has become desolate. Although there are banners and hunting in the city, it always feels cool and windy, and everywhere is full of sadness and defeat. What's more, if the soldiers have no fighting spirit, they will have no chance. Fighting spirit. Zhang Han frowned immediately when he thought of this, with a sense of vicissitudes of life on his face. At this moment, the imperial envoy arrived. Zhang Han hurriedly greeted the envoy. After the envoy arrived at the mansion, he said in public: "Zhang Han, do you know the crime?" Zhang Han seemed to be a monk who was only two feet tall and was confused, so he had to be obedient and non-committal. Then the envoy said:
"As a general of the Qin State, you have been fighting abroad for three years, but you have still not been able to defeat the rebels, which greatly disappoints me. What is the reason? Is it that the general is unwilling to serve me? I order you to mobilize the army immediately and kill them as soon as possible. Xiang Yu, end the war in Hebei, then return to Sanchuan and destroy Liu Bang, otherwise the law of the country will be ruthless!"
After Zhang Han heard these brief words, he was even more shocked and took the order with trembling hands. After the envoy left, Zhang Han suddenly felt an inexplicable fear. He didn't know what was going to happen. Will he become the second Yang Xiong? Let’s discuss it with everyone. The generals were also filled with indignation and felt inexplicable melancholy. After much thought, Zhang Han was at a loss, so he decided to send Sima Xin, a clever and eloquent internal historian, to Xianyang to report to the emperor in person. The purpose was to ask the emperor's true thoughts face to face, and to inquire about Prime Minister Li Si's current situation. Let's see if these accusations and distrust come from the emperor's original intention, which means that Zhang Han has suspected that such an edict may be issued by Zhao Gao.
In the National Prison in Xianyang, the imprisoned retired prime minister Li Si was sitting on the ground in a daze. He was wearing a torture device and his whole body had been beaten black and blue. He looked a little numb. The cell was not large, and the walls were dark and dirty. There was some straw on the floor, and it already gave off a moldy smell. The door was made of a rusty iron frame, and a large solid iron door was placed on the iron frame, locked with a large rusty iron lock. From time to time, a few rats jumped out from under the corner. Li Si looked at them blankly and gave a sad, bitter smile. He has a special liking for mice. At this time, he remembered a past incident and a sentiment he had at that time:
When Li Si was young, he worked as a minor official in his hometown of Shangcai County. Once he saw rats eating food in the toilet. When rats saw people or dogs approaching, they ran in panic and were very scared. But when Li Si later saw some giant rats in the official warehouse, the situation was completely different. Those rats crawled on the big grain piles and ate freely, and they didn't pay attention to people or other things at all. Where they lived It's clean, comfortable, and carefree. Li Si compared the rats in these two places and said something very emotional that would influence future generations of careerists. He said: "It doesn't matter whether a person is promising or not, it just depends on his position!" It doesn't matter whether a person has talent or virtue, what matters is what position he is in. It was precisely because Li Si got inspiration from the mouse that he later studied hard and studied the legalist treatment techniques. He also studied under Xun Kuang, a great scholar at the university, and learned the ways of King X. After completing his studies, he served as an official in the State of Qin. Later, he gained the respect of the King of Qin. His official position became more and more powerful, and he became the prime minister below one person and above ten thousand people. This life was really not wasted! But now...
Suddenly, a burst of rapid footsteps interrupted Li Si's memory. When he looked up, he saw three strong jailers approaching, opening the iron locks and walking in. One of the fierce-looking guys yelled at him: "I was ordered to interrogate you. Did you instigate Li Youtong to be a thief? Act on it!" Li Si shouted that he was wronged. The jailer ignored him at all and shouted loudly: "Who in jail doesn't cry out that he was wronged?" He asked the other two jailers to push him down and then whipped him dozens of times. After a violent beating, Li Si's back and buttocks had been stretched open, and he passed out from the pain in a short while. The jailer asked someone to bring a basin of cold water and pour it on his head. Li Si woke up with a start, moaning continuously in his throat and feeling extremely painful. The guards yelled at him again, then locked up and left. Li Si was filled with grief and his face was filled with tears.
Ever since Zhao Gao asked the Second Emperor for instructions on flogging, such beatings had become commonplace for him. In the following period, Li Si would be inexplicably subjected to such floggings, and he was asked to explain. Evidence of guilt. But Li Si did not conspire with the thieves. What did he explain? After being beaten for the last time, he seemed to have given up his life, and he was not woken up until the middle of the night by the cold. It was already late autumn and it was very cold at night. Li Si shivered and struggled to crawl under the window. He wanted to see some light, so he slowly stood up and looked up at the starry sky. He saw that the moon was indeed very bright that night, but it could not shine through. The hearts of the people in the world... Li Si's eyes were like a torch, and he held the guardrail in front of the window tightly with both hands. He stood there for a long time, and then he said with tears: "Oh, how sad! What an unscrupulous king! How I regret letting you become the emperor, I am so stupid to give you advice! To this day, you still say that I am a traitor. How ridiculous it is! In the past, Xia Jie killed Guan Longfeng, King Zhou of Shang killed Bigan, and King Wu killed Wu Zixu. , Aren’t these three ministers loyal? But they were not spared death in the end, precisely because the king they served was ruthless! Think about it, my ability is not as good as those three, and the second generation is ruthless The unrighteousness, stupidity and narrow-mindedness far surpassed them. I didn't expect that I would die for my loyalty! Think about how many people Hu Hai killed after usurping the throne? How many tall and spacious buildings did he build for himself with great luxury? They also ignored morality and shame and levied taxes from the people. I once tried my best to dissuade this kind of measures that lost the support of the people, but that fool just refused to listen. Which of the ancient sage kings and sages did not eat three meals a day in moderation? There are certain numbers of carriages and horses for travel, and limited palaces and residences. Even the laws and systems they promulgate must comply with the wishes of the people. Even if the king's actions are wrong, the ministers have the right to ask them to correct them. Only loyal ministers and good generals can replace the king. Only by sharing the worries can the country enjoy long-term peace and stability! But this is not the case with this person today. What he did is so unpopular. Otherwise, how could he arouse resistance from everyone in the world? I know that the number of rebels has spread all over the country, and the rebels are about to fight. When we arrived in Xianyang, this fool didn't know anything about it. Instead, he continued to listen to the traitors and continue to mess around. How can the country last long if they treat military affairs like this? I must wait until the day when the rebels from Shandong invade Xianyang! I must wait until the day when the Shandong rebels invade Xianyang! I want to witness how the Shandong rebels broke into Xianyang City! Hehe!... By then, the entire Xianyang City will become a habitat for elk! God!..." After Li Si finished speaking, his heart was as sharp as a knife, He fell down involuntarily, and continued to huddle in that dark, damp corner, looking lonely, helpless, and extremely miserable.
This is retribution. If Li Si had been selfless in his heart and had justifiably assisted Fusu in ascending to the throne of God, he would not have lost his current glory and wealth based on his assistance and Fusu's filial piety and benevolence. But he was too worried. He was worried that he would no longer be at the top of power, so he teamed up with Zhao Gao to kill the virtuous and kind eldest son Fusu, as well as Meng Tian, Meng Yi, and all the princes and princesses of the First Emperor. People, this is not the undisputed traitor of the second generation. This is clearly the countless dead souls seeking revenge, redress of grievances, and debt collection. People in future generations should also keep in mind what will happen to those who harm others and those who seek skin from tigers.
Sima Xin came to Xianyang and couldn't find out where the emperor lived, so he went to Li Si's home. But as soon as he reached the gate, he found that the gate had been sealed. Sima Xin was a military general and was used to fighting on the battlefield. Seeing this situation, he was furious and wanted to open the door of the mansion and go in to see what happened. But when he broke in, he found a mess inside, and it was obvious that the house had been ransacked. Sima Xin felt that something was wrong and he was in trouble, so he hurriedly walked out. At this time, someone outside the door told him: "The doctor wants to see the general." Sima Xin asked: "Where has Prime Minister Li gone?" The man said: "The prime minister ordered his son Li You to rebel and has been imprisoned. As a foreign general, you, How can you dare to trespass into forbidden areas without knowing the importance?" Sima Xin asked in shock: "How could Prime Minister Li rebel? I'm afraid you are mistaken!" The man scolded: "Bold, this is a matter for the court. How dare you doubt it?" Sima Xin didn't dare to say anything more and had no choice but to follow the man to the duty room next to Sima Gate. The man asked Sima Xin to wait here, and asked the guards to watch him carefully, and then left. Sima Xin waited for a long time, but no one came to summon him, so he had an ominous premonition. It turned out that Zhao Gao had arrested Zhang Han's family members, and he wanted to threaten Zhang Han. Zhao Gao was afraid that the news would be leaked, so he sent someone to take Sima Xin to a safer place, just to prevent him from running around again.
What was Zhao Gao doing at this time? It turned out that he was with Nisei. This time, the Second Emperor didn't know what happened. He thought of Li Si again, and told the people around him that he would send someone to review Li Si. He must not unjustly accuse the prime minister, because Li Si did make a great contribution. But these people were bribed by Zhao Gao, and they had already reported this to Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao heard that the Second Emperor was worried about him and wanted to send someone to re-examine Li Si, so he quickly sent someone to interrogate Li Si again. These people pretended to be from the palace and were ordered to review Li Si. After hearing this, Li Si was very happy, thinking that his grievances might be clarified now, so he truthfully reported to the interrogating officials, saying that he did not encourage Li You to rebel, and that all the previous confessions were made by the doctor who ordered Zhao Gaoqu to beat him. Li Si strongly asked the officials to report the truth to the emperor and redress his grievances. However, after the interrogation, the officials beat Li Si violently. Li Si felt confused and had to shout: "Unjust!" But the more he shouted, the harder he was beaten. As a result, Li Si was beaten to death again with a hundred lashes. The jailer splashed water on Li Si to wake him up and scolded him for not telling the truth. Li Si was in unbearable pain, so he had to change his words: "I am from Chu, and I had an affair with a Chu people because I was thinking about the township party! I also once encouraged my son Li You, telling him not to be enemies of the Chu people." After hearing this, the jailer heard this After he stopped talking, he said to Li Si: "Remember, whenever someone asks you, just answer like this, and no one will hit you!" Li Si had no choice but to agree. The minions asked Li Sihua to sign before leaving. An ancient poem lamented:
Severe punishments and laws are imposed by the king, and it is too late to regret when disaster is imminent.
The generals of the family are still reluctant to die, and Yang Kuangwei invites the prophet.
That night, Zhao Gao was worried that Li Si would retract his confession, so he ordered an official to make a secret visit overnight, falsely claiming that he was a domestic slave who had been rescued by Li Si in the past and came to visit his master. Li Si couldn't remember when he had helped him. He thought it was destiny, so he summoned up all his strength and wrote a sincere memorial with tears in his eyes. The content is:
The guilty minister has been the prime minister and has been in charge of the country for thirty years. At the time of the late Emperor, the Qin State's land was only a thousand miles away and its army was only a few hundred thousand. The ministers did their best to follow the edicts carefully, secretly dispatched counselors externally, and gave them large amounts of gold, silver and jewels to persuade the princes; at the same time, internally they He stepped up training of the army, rectified politics, educated the people, appointed brave and capable men as officials, and respected meritorious ministers, and raised their titles and salaries. Therefore, he finally conquered the six countries and unified the world. The late emperor became the first emperor. This is my responsibility. Count 1. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, although the land of Qin State was vast, I was worried about the intrusion of ethnic minorities from the north and south, so I agreed with the late emperor to send troops to expel the Xiongnu and pacify Baiyue, making Qin State stronger. Its territory started from Yinshan Mountain in the north and reached the sea in the south. The second count. After the founding of the country, he valued virtuous and capable officials, respected Qin's meritorious ministers, raised their titles, and made the relationship between monarch and ministers closer. This is the third crime of ministers. He also helped the late emperor establish the sacrifice of the country, established the worship of the ancestral temple, and implemented the system of prefectures and counties throughout the country to show the virtuousness of the emperor. This is the fourth crime of the minister. The minister also changed the styles of the emblems and decorations on the utensils, unified the weights and measures, formulated the laws, regulations, etiquette and music systems, and stipulated the standards and writing methods of characters, thus developing the culture of Qin. This is the fifth crime of the minister. The minister also suggested that the late emperor built expressways throughout the country, improved traffic roads, and built Xianyang, making the three hundred miles of Qinchuan land covered with palaces and towers like a paradise on earth. This shows the success of the emperor. This is the sixth charge against me. The minister also suggested that the emperor relax the criminal law and reduce the people's taxes to satisfy the emperor's popular wish, so that the emperor can win the support of all the people and never forget the favor until death. This is the seventh crime of the minister. A minister like Li Si has committed too many crimes, all of which are capital crimes! But His Majesty has always favored me, which is why I have survived to this day. Your Majesty, Li Si, pays homage to you!
After Li Si finished writing the memorial, he bit his finger and dripped red blood on it, expressing his sincerity and loyalty. Then he gave this person numerous instructions, asking him to personally hand it over to the Second Emperor. The man agreed and took the memorial away. Li Si was already a seventy-year-old man at this time. Due to mental and physical exhaustion, he suddenly felt dizzy and fainted again.
