Among the many magicians around the First Emperor, Xu Fu was the most trusted by the First Emperor. Even when Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng fled and the First Emperor was disappointed with the sorcerers, he still could not forget Xu Fu's search for immortals and hoped that Xu Fu could bring him the real elixir of immortality.
So after wandering around Kuaiji Mountain for several days, the First Emperor decided to cross the river and head north to Langya.
As soon as he arrived in Langya, the First Emperor summoned Xu Fu. At this time, Xu Fu was on the coast urging craftsmen to repair the ship and prepare to go to sea again. Suddenly he heard that the First Emperor was coming and summoned him personally. He was shocked. He knew that the First Emperor's visit must be because of his search for immortals. So he sorted out his thoughts and followed the messenger to the emperor's residence.
The First Emperor asked: "Sir, you have gone to sea several times to search for the elixir of immortality for me. Have you gained any results so far?"
At this time, Xu Fu had already thought of a way to deal with it, so he calmly replied: "I have taken people out to sea several times, and I saw Penglai right in front of me, but every time I encountered a big fish. Big fish can make huge waves. It prevents ships from approaching the sacred mountain. I hope your majesty can send guards to go with them and shoot the big fish so that they can approach the sacred mountain."
Although the First Emperor was unhappy, he still had a glimmer of hope and asked: "How many feet long is the big fish? How many people are needed to kill it?"
"The big fish is three feet long, and its whole body is covered with scales. It cannot be shot through without a strong crossbow! Therefore, I hope that your majesty will send a hundred guards with strong crossbows to go and kill it with the common people."
The First Emperor did not comment and said: "I know!"
Xu Fu was afraid that the First Emperor would be angry, so he did not dare to say any more and withdrew from the palace.
At this time, Hu Hai listened to the conversation and said to the First Emperor: "Father, do immortals really exist in the world? You hate the sorcerers in Xianyang so much, why do you only believe in Xu Fu?"
"Xu Fu is different from others. He has grown up by the sea since he was a child and is very familiar with things in the sea. Moreover, he has treated my illness with fairy grass. This cannot be a lie."
"Can that person live forever?"
The First Emperor sighed melancholy and said: "Although I have heard that some people have become immortals, I have never seen them, and I don't know about them either..."
Hu Hai heard the helplessness in the words of the First Emperor and comforted him: "My father will definitely be blessed by the gods and live forever!" Although Hu Hai said this, he was very doubtful in his heart. If he became the emperor, he would not waste time. He must seize all the time to have fun without wasting it!
That night, the First Emperor tossed and turned and could not sleep. He had never seen the sea in the first half of his life. The sea itself was a mystery to him, let alone what was in the sea.
Xu Fu can be said to be his last hope to seek immortality. If there is really a big fish blocking the approach of the ship, does it mean that the immortal does not want to see him? Or maybe even the gods can’t do anything to the big fish?
In a daze, the First Emperor dreamed of a battle with Poseidon. Poseidon was wearing golden armor and holding a spear, standing majestically in front of him. The First Emperor kept urging the soldiers behind him to attack, but they did not dare to approach because of fear. Seeing Poseidon raising his spear and stabbing him, the First Emperor was startled. When he woke up from his dream, he was already sweating profusely and his clothes were soaked.
The First Emperor stood up when he could no longer sleep, and summoned Shusun Tong, a doctor to be recruited who was familiar with dreams, and asked: "I just had a strange dream. In the dream, I fought with the god of the sea. What does this mean?"
"Your Majesty, can you clearly see what Poseidon looks like?"
"You see clearly, Poseidon looks like a normal person, but he is very ferocious. He has a square face, red eyebrows, a fluttering beard, and is eight feet long!"
The fact that Xu Fu used the big fish to hinder the First Emperor had already spread. Shusun Tong also heard about it, and he understood that the First Emperor had this nightmare because he was thinking about the elixir of immortality. Then he thought: "The Water God rules the water, and he has many shrimps, soldiers and crab generals under his command. Every time, big fish and dragons clear the way, but he never reveals himself to others easily. Now His Majesty prays and offers sacrifices thoughtfully and respectfully, but this vicious Sea God appears. Is it... ominous."
"How to crack it?"
"Your Majesty should eradicate it, scare the evil spirit away, and then the good spirit can appear!"
The First Emperor had been hesitating whether to send guards to the sea. After hearing this, he decided to send people to the sea to shoot big fish.
On the second day, the First Emperor ordered Genie to lead 500 guards in five large ships, carrying crossbows, fishing nets, and fishhooks. Under the leadership of Xu Fu, they went to sea to look for big fish.
The group set out from Langya and went north to Rongcheng Mountain. None of the soldiers saw any big fish. Many people thought Xu Fu was a liar and there were no big fish in the sea. Gai Nie also began to have doubts and wanted to turn the ship around.
Xu Fu knew that he would not be able to explain anything when he returned like this, so he hurriedly stopped Gai Nie and said, "General, please be patient. Although we encountered big fish here last time, the big fish will soon eat up all the small fish here." , it must look for food elsewhere, general, please go west along the seaside. If you haven’t seen a big fish by Zhifu Mountain, it’s not too late to go back.”
Gai Nie thought for a moment and agreed to Xu Fu's request.
Just as they were approaching Zhifu, a guard suddenly shouted: "Look, big fish!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw a big fish swimming in the distance. It was completely black and was three feet long. The soldiers were all shocked and were stunned for a moment. Gai Nie quickly shouted: "Spread the boats quickly, surround the big fish in the middle, and get your bows and crossbows ready!"
After hearing Gai Nie's shouts, everyone came back to their senses, quickly turned the bow of the boat, and slowly approached the big fish. When the big fish entered the encirclement, Gai Nie shouted: "Shoot!"
At this time, hundreds of crossbows were fired at the same time. The big fish felt something was wrong and hurriedly swam back. The huge waves caused by the tail of the fish surged towards the hull, and the huge ship swayed. In an instant, several soldiers fell due to instability. Into the sea.
The remaining soldiers quickly fired arrows. After the big fish was hit by the arrow, the sea surface was quickly turned red. However, the big fish continued to struggle and tried to escape. Genie ordered the soldiers to pursue it. The soldiers chased and shot arrows, and the big fish swam out. After more than ten miles, the blood gradually drained away, the physical strength was exhausted, and he floated on the sea unable to move.
It was the first time for everyone to see such a big fish. They were surprised and happy, and they all wanted to drag the big fish back. So, Gai Nie ordered his men to tie the big fish with a rope, and set out two boats to take turns dragging the big fish forward. However, not long after setting off, the carcass of the big fish attracted a large number of small fish. They followed the fleet and continued to eat the carcass of the big fish.
Ganie ordered the guards to shoot arrows to drive away the fish. However, there were too many small fish, and they were small and very flexible. They hid under the big fish and couldn't even be shot by the crossbow. By evening, the crossbowmen were exhausted, but the small fish were getting better and better. The more people gather. When he woke up at dawn the next day, only a skeleton of the big fish was left. In desperation, Gai Nie ordered his people to throw away the big fish and speed back to Langya.
After returning to Langya, Gai Nie reported in detail how he shot the big fish to the First Emperor. The First Emperor was filled with emotion and said: "Xu Fu really didn't deceive me. Now that the big fish is dead, you can ask for the elixir of immortality for me!"
So Xu Fu was ordered to lead three thousand boys and girls and hundreds of workers to go to sea again to find the sacred mountain.
The First Emperor knew that this trip to sea might be far away, and he felt unwell, so he decided to leave early and return to Xianyang. He didn't know it at this time, but this would be the last time he saw the sea and the last time he went on patrol.
The First Emperor decided to return to Xianyang early because he felt unwell. Unexpectedly, as soon as he was on the road, the First Emperor felt more and more top-heavy and his illness became more and more serious.
The accompanying imperial doctor saw the situation and prescribed several medicines. However, after taking them, they had no effect and the condition continued to worsen. Along the way, those accompanying him could intermittently hear the coughing sound coming from the Emperor's car.
Although he was unwell, the First Emperor still reviewed the memorials until late every day, and Hu Hai always accompanied the First Emperor. One late night, Hu Hai fell asleep beside him. When he suddenly woke up, the First Emperor was still reviewing. Hu Hai felt sorry for his father and advised: "Father, please rest early and review again tomorrow."
The First Emperor stretched himself and said: "These memorials are urgent, and they are often delayed for a long time on the road. I can't let these things delay any more time here!"
Hu Hai asked doubtfully: "As the emperor, my father holds great power, so he should enjoy himself. Why do you have to be so tired?"
The First Emperor shook his head helplessly and said: "You don't understand. If you don't hold power tightly in your hands as an emperor, things like Duke Huan of Qi and King Wuling of Zhao will happen. I don't dare to slack off for a moment!"
Hu Hai still looked confused, but he vaguely felt that what the First Emperor said was reasonable, and said: "If you entrust power to ministers you trust, wouldn't you be able to free yourself from the documents?"
The First Emperor said seriously: "Hai'er! You have to remember that you are the only one who is truly trustworthy in the world. Even if others are worthy of your trust at first, they will have trouble controlling their own desires in the end, just like Lao Ai and Lu Buwei. !”
Seeing that the First Emperor spoke so harshly, Hu Hai did not dare to say anything more. He just advised the First Emperor to go to bed early. The First Emperor had no choice but to go to bed. The next day, he still didn't rest until late at night.
After a month of this, the Emperor's illness became even more serious.
One day, the First Emperor recovered a little, and he didn't want to stay in the car all the time, so he came out and walked with the team for a while, with Hu Hai and Zhao Gao waiting beside him. Since they were walking slower than the convoy, they soon fell behind. It happened that the imperial doctor's car passed by him, and they could only hear the imperial doctor inside talking about his condition. Dr. Wang Tai said: "I just diagnosed your Majesty's pulse yesterday. Sometimes the pulse is as weak as a stream, and sometimes as strong as a river. It is estimated that it will be difficult for him to survive this year!"
After hearing this, Imperial Physician Li said: "Not to mention this year, from my perspective, it is only in these few days! The emperor's pulse is weak and his body is swollen. These are all signs that the end is approaching!"
Several other imperial doctors also echoed: "Yes, yes! There is no way to save him!"
This conversation happened to be heard by the First Emperor outside. He was originally taboo about death, but now he openly talked about his own life span. He was furious, his face suddenly changed, and he said: "These imperial doctors are not good at medical skills, but they put the blame on me." , How unreasonable! Someone come and put all these doctors to death!"
The imperial doctors were all dead before they knew why.
The incident spread quickly, and no one in the convoy dared to openly discuss the First Emperor's condition, let alone mention his death.
After marching for more than ten days, the First Emperor gradually realized that the doctors' statements were correct. His body and brain were increasingly out of his control. He often saw King Zhuang Xiang and Queen Mother Huayang in a trance. Queen Mother Zhao and Mi Hong seemed to be smiling at themselves, welcoming themselves to another world.
The First Emperor no longer summoned ministers at this time. He wrote an edict while he was awake, ordering his eldest son Fusu to hand over the army to Meng Tian and return to Xianyang to arrange the funeral, which was the emperor's throne. After writing, he handed it to Zhao Gao and said: "This edict has been sealed. You should send an envoy to send this edict to Fusu and Mengtian immediately!"
Zhao Gao agreed wholeheartedly, wished the First Emperor long live and then got out of the car.
After coming out, Zhao Gao thought that the First Emperor was dying and might not live long. This edict must be related to the appointment of the crown prince. Since it was to be handed over to Fusu, there must be no doubt that the First Emperor wanted to make Fusu the crown prince! Once Fusu is enthroned as the second emperor, Zhao Gao's good days will come to an end. If Hu Hai, who is close to him, is appointed as the second emperor, he will gain even more power. So he decided to keep the edict temporarily. If the condition of the First Emperor improved, the edict would have no effect. At that time, he could use the excuse of missing the First Emperor and forget to send an envoy.
Three days later, the First Emperor's attendant came to Zhao Gao and said: "Master Zhao, Your Majesty has not eaten for two meals, and he has refused to respond. However, the First Emperor has ordered that no one is allowed to enter the car without permission, and I am worried about Your Majesty's safety, so I specially Come and invite Mr. Zhao to come and take a look!”
Zhao Gao was suspicious, so he followed the waiter to the front of the emperor's car. He called twice, but no one answered, so Zhao Gao boldly walked into the car. I saw the First Emperor lying motionless in the car, with a calm expression. Zhao Gao called out twice more, but still no response. When Zhao Gao checked for breath, he found that he had already lost all his breath. Zhao Gao broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly calmed down, thinking that the First Emperor was now on tour and died in the wilderness. This was the opportunity given to him by God.
So Zhao Gao tremblingly opened the edict that had not yet been issued, and it turned out that it was for Fusu to ascend the throne. As expected, Xindao is now in charge of the seal. As long as he gets the support of Hu Hai and Li Si, he can change the emperor's successor. After thinking about it, Zhao Gao walked out of the car calmly and said: "His Majesty the Emperor is tired and doesn't want to see anyone. You should leave first."
After the waiters withdrew, Zhao Gao hurriedly found Li Si and Hu Hai and told them the news of the death of the First Emperor. Both of them were shocked. They didn't believe it until they boarded the emperor's car and checked it.
Hu Hai was immersed in the grief of losing his father at the moment and had no idea at all; Li Si was thinking quickly. The first thing he thought of was that the First Emperor had passed away and was in the wilderness. If a villain or an old person from the Six Kingdoms took the opportunity to rebel, what would happen? It was unimaginable, and I was thinking of countermeasures quickly.
Zhao Gao knew that Hu Hai had no scheming, so he said to Li Si: "Your Majesty's death happened suddenly and cannot be known to the outside world. I think the prime minister must also know the serious relationship between it. He can only mourn after arriving in Xianyang."
Li Si was silent for a moment and said: "Master Zhao has thought carefully and asked you to arrange this matter! Did your Majesty leave any last words or edict before his death?"
"His Majesty wrote an edict to his eldest son Fusu a few days ago, but he has not yet issued it in a hurry."
After listening to this, Li Si looked solemn, and he could naturally guess the intention of the First Emperor. But Zhao Gao kept silent about withholding the edict and not issuing it. Zhao Gao saw all this.
Zhao Gao then told Hu Hai: "Master, don't show your sad application now. Once others notice it, it will easily cause chaos in the world! It will be difficult for you and me to return to Xianyang."
Only then did Hu Hai stop sobbing and said, "I will obey everything you say." Now that the First Emperor was dead, Zhao Gao became the person closest to him, so Hu Hai agreed to his words without thinking.
So Zhao Gao summoned two cronies and secretly arranged them to sit in the Emperor's car, eat on behalf of the Emperor, and review the memorial. In the eyes of outsiders, the First Emperor still ate and reviewed memorials as usual, but no longer summoned ministers. Although some ministers found it strange, they did not dare to go to see him without being summoned by the emperor.
