3: Chapter 3 Hu Hai: Speak quickly, all my subjects, rise!

Ying Zheng was, in the end, only human.

As he aged, he found it increasingly difficult to control an unprecedented, centrally governed state.

The purpose of his eastern inspection tour was to use his prestige to quell the turbulent undercurrents threatening to subvert the empire.

But his health was deteriorating day by day, and the undercurrents beneath the empire's prosperity grew more turbulent; he was losing his grip on this unprecedented empire.

Ying Zheng had a dream.

In the dream, he had only two years of life remaining.

During his fifth eastern inspection tour, he died on the road.

His final edict was forged by Zhao Gao and Li Si, who installed Hu Hai as the Crown Prince. The decree ordering Fusu to commit suicide was dispatched by Zhao Gao and Li Si to Shangjun.

After receiving the decree, his eldest son committed suicide.

Meng Tian also committed suicide following four urgent decrees.

From then on, the court was controlled by Zhao Gao and Li Si, who supported Hu Hai's ascension.

For the sake of power, Zhao Gao repeatedly arranged for Li Si to meet Hu Hai while the latter was enjoying himself. Over time, Hu Hai became dissatisfied with Li Si, and Zhao Gao took the opportunity to incite Hu Hai to execute Li Si's entire clan. Later, he even staged the farce of 'Calling a deer a horse' to test the officials.

At this time, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled, raising the banner of revolt against Qin.

Zhang Han led an army of convicts to suppress Chen Sheng's rebellion.

However, the Six States were restored one after another, and Zhang Han was like a fire captain, rushing everywhere to extinguish fires, exhausted from the constant travel.

Later, Xiang Yu rose during the anti-Qin movement, standing firm against the main forces of Great Qin. Liu Bang took the opportunity to march into Guanzhong, bypassing Hangu Pass to attack Wu Pass and defeat the Xianyang garrison. Zi Ying was forced to surrender, and Great Qin fell.

Afterward, the Chu Army led by Xiang Yu and the Han Army led by Liu Bang fought for many years.

Ultimately, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and established the Great Han Empire.

Qin perished after only three generations.

Ying Zheng could not believe that his Great Qin Empire would perish within less than three years of his death.

Now, it was less than two years before his death and less than five years before the fall of the Great Qin Empire.

Every passing second tolled the death knell for him and the Great Qin Empire.

The purpose of Ying Zheng's faked death was to see if his dream was real.

He deliberately had the Black Ice Platform send an edict to Shangjun ordering Fusu's death. He wanted to see if his eldest son would really commit suicide just because he received a fake decree.

If Fusu really went to find a place to slit his throat with a sword after receiving the letter, the Shadow Guards of the Black Ice Platform lurking in the shadows would reveal themselves, stop Fusu, and bring him back so Ying Zheng could give him a harsh scolding.

Fortunately, his dream was not entirely true.

That rebellious son Fusu slapped the middle-aged messenger twice and kicked him out of the main tent, which earned a nod of approval from Ying Zheng.

So, what would Fusu do next?

Ying Zheng was very curious.

If the lifespan of the Great Qin Empire really only had five years left, could Fusu turn the tide?

As a peerless powerhouse who had conquered the Six States, Ying Zheng was unwilling to accept a predetermined fate.

“What is His Majesty trying to do!”

“He was perfectly fine, why did he have to fake his death!”

Zhao Gao was incredibly depressed.

If it weren't for the Shadow Guards of the Black Ice Platform protecting Ying Zheng at all times, he would have wanted Ying Zheng to actually be dead.

The script Ying Zheng gave him also left him trembling with fear.

The First Emperor wanted him and Li Si to control the government, support Hu Hai's ascension, and order Fusu's death.

As for the tiger tallies that controlled military power, they were not handed over to him. This meant that even if they controlled the court, the empire was still under the First Emperor's control.

The First Emperor could mobilize the army at any time to quell any farce.

Zhao Gao was incredibly depressed.

But as long as Ying Zheng was not dead, he only dared to make small moves and did not dare to resist the First Emperor.

He could only follow the script given by Ying Zheng.

“Calling a deer a horse?”

When Zhao Gao saw this plot point in the script, he was scared stiff.

Was the First Emperor a roundworm in his stomach?

How could the First Emperor know about the idea he had meticulously come up with!

Zhao Gao was speechless; the First Emperor truly deserved to be the one who conquered the Six States and became the Eternal Emperor—his methods were far too comprehensive.

Zhao Gao didn't know if acting according to this script would be a good or bad thing for him.

His ambition was swelling.

His eyes were turning red.

In Zhao Gao's view, the First Emperor was playing with fire!

He could use the First Emperor's name to openly develop his own power.

He saw the First Emperor taking elixirs every day, seemingly bursting with energy and able to review hundreds of pounds of memorials written on bamboo slips all night long, just like when he was young.

But Zhao Gao knew very well that those elixirs were like draining a pond to catch the fish. They allowed the First Emperor to maintain his energy at the cost of destroying his lifespan.

By his calculations, the First Emperor would not live more than two years.

As long as he survived these two years, the Great Qin Empire would fall completely under his control.

When that time came, he would step on that idiot Hu Hai's head and become the true master of the Great Qin Empire!

Thinking of this, Zhao Gao's heart burned with passion.

In the court today, after the various officials took off their shoes and entered the main hall of Xianyang Palace, they gathered in small groups to discuss.

The court session had not yet begun, and the place was like a wet market.

They were still discussing the death of Ying Zheng.

Mainly, the First Emperor's death was far too strange.

He was clearly a powerhouse who could review a hundred pounds of memorials a day just a few days ago; how could news spread that he had died in Xianyang Palace?

If Zhao Gao had said the First Emperor had passed away, they would have been suspicious.

But the person who said Qin Shi Huang had passed away was Xia Wuche.

This was the same person who, back when Jing Ke attempted to assassinate Qin Shi Huang in court, had shouted, “King, bear the sword on your back! King, bear the sword on your back!” and even threw his medicine box at Jing Ke's face.

He had saved the First Emperor's life and was his personal physician.

If he said the First Emperor was dead, then it was highly likely that the First Emperor really was dead.

Yet they still had doubts, as they hadn't seen the First Emperor's body!

When they entered the palace, they saw a large bronze-gold coffin placed in the hall. When bronze-ware is first forged, it is bronze-gold in color, a golden hue with a hint of copper-red, which was also called 'auspicious metal' in ancient times; it would gradually turn green through oxidation in the air.

The auspicious metal coffin had already been sealed shut, and they didn't know if Qin Shi Huang was inside or not.

No one had the courage to open the coffin and verify the body.

“Dong, dong, dong...”

The sound of drums rang out; it was time for the court session.

In the main hall, the civil and military officials quickly formed two rows.

Beside them were square mats used for kneeling when greeting the Emperor, and next to those were Heel-rests.

Afterward, they would sit kneeling on the Heel-rests for the morning court session.

Zhao Gao also appeared beside the throne on the high platform, looking down at the civil and military officials below.

A thick sense of ambition flashed in his eyes.

If it were possible, he really wanted to sit on the throne himself.

While everyone was waiting, Hu Hai walked out from the inner palace. He was still a youth, and his emotional management was relatively poor; his joy was clearly visible on his face.

He wore a set of black ceremonial robes and a tasseled crown.

He feigned a serious demeanor, placing his hands in front of him and walking slowly with the courtly gait.

Originally, the courtly gait was a standardized and very elegant way of walking, but Hu Hai had learned it poorly, so it looked very strange when he walked.

With his face excited yet forced into a serious expression, and his heart incredibly nervous, his shoulders leaned forward, making him look like a hunchback.

With his hands on his stomach and his back hunched, his form was like that of a monkey.

When the people in the hall saw Hu Hai, they all had the visual impression of a monkey wearing a crown.

Hu Hai ignored the psychological state of the ministers. He walked onto the high platform with an excited expression and sat on the throne that previously only his father could occupy.

Seeing Hu Hai take his seat, Zhao Gao, the Director of the Imperial Carriage Office, stepped forward a few paces on the platform and shouted in a shrill voice: “Kneel!”

The civil and military officials all knelt and kowtowed.

In the court, besides General Wang Jian who did not need to kneel, there were also the Right Chancellor Li Si, the Left Chancellor Feng Quji, grand marshal Wei Liao, and Censor-in-Chief Feng Jie.

They were the Three Excellencies of the Great Qin Empire and had the privilege of not needing to kneel.

As for the ordinary officials, they did not have that power; all of them had to kneel and kowtow, just like in the television dramas.

Zhao Gao’s shrill voice shouted with a long trailing tone: “Long live...”

“Long live the Crown Prince!”

The civil and military officials immediately shouted.

“Again, long live!”

Zhao Gao shouted again.

“Long live!”

“Again, long live!”

“Long, long live!”

The scene was far too grand.

Hu Hai was only fourteen years old, and seeing such a large display for the first time, his mind went blank, and he suddenly didn't know how to respond.

The atmosphere in the court suddenly became quiet.

The officials wanted to get up, but since you didn't tell us to get up, we didn't dare to.

Zhao Gao bowed his back, walked close to Hu Hai, and whispered: “Say it quickly, you may rise, my dear ministers!”

Seeing his teacher, Hu Hai breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, his teacher was there, otherwise he wouldn't have known how to handle it.

He shouted loudly: “Say it quickly, you may rise, my dear ministers!”