Different from the unfinished semi-finished products in history, Qin Shihuang did not hesitate to let the Mohists participate in the project because he needed a brand new and magnificent palace for the "Queen Mother of the West" to move in. Two-thirds of the construction process of Afang Palace has been completed.
Its scale is so large that it wastes people and money, not counting the buildings in Acheng and Zhongnan Mountain in the periphery. The front hall alone is five hundred paces from east to west and fifty feet from north to south. It can seat ten thousand people on the top and build a flag of five feet below.
It is a pavilion road, which leads from your highness to Nanshan. The top of Nanshan Mountain is called Que, and it is a complex road. It crosses the Wei River from Afang to Xianyang...
The largest building among them is the Mingtang, located at the foot of Nanshan Mountain. It is 294 feet high and 300 feet wide. It has three floors, upper, middle and lower. There are giant wooden pillars in the middle, running up and down. The lower floor is the main hall, and the middle floor is dedicated to the Queen Mother of the West.
The upper level of the altar is a domed pavilion, with a gold-painted bronze phoenix standing on it, and the roof is paved with wooden tires and lacquered tiles.
The Mingtang had just been completed and was empty. However, as the emperor's personal guards, the guards were loyal and responsible. They searched the Mingtang from top to bottom: every door had to be opened to see if there was any traitor hiding there.
Every brick has to be knocked, for fear that it will be empty inside.
Even if the third floor was closed, Zhonglang's riding order Li Liang had people open it, set up a ladder, and climb up to have a look in person.
In the small space composed of various columns and citrons, there was nothing except a thin layer of dust on the horizontal columns.
"This is dusty."
Li Liang frowned, but he was relieved. Since the dust was intact and there were no traces, it meant that no one had been here.
He didn't mind it being dirty, so he reached for a broom and cleaned it carefully before completing the inspection.
As everyone knows, there is a hidden secret door in a place where Li Liang's broom has not touched. Inside is a small secret room that can only accommodate one person, and one person is already hidden in it.
After Li Liang went down, a vent was opened, and a pair of eyes peered into the main hall of the Mingtang through this place where light could not reach.
It is the ink man who is suitable for the forest!
As a builder, it couldn't be easier for Mo Zhe, who is proficient in ingenuity, to leave himself a secret door in the attic.
These designs cannot be seen at all on the drawings, and even if the most powerful generals and craftsmen come, there will be no clues from the outside.
Mo Zhe knew that Emperor Qin Shi Huang would definitely come here!
The "Statue of the Queen Mother of the West" is actually Athena, and will be placed in the Mingtang today.
The statue was a gift from Daxia to Qin Shihuang. After receiving the news that the Qin Dynasty would send troops, the king of Daxia was very happy and sent skilled craftsmen from the country to carve it out of marble according to the appearance of the "Queen Mother of the West".
That straight nose, that handsome face, and those smart eyes are so lifelike!
It is said that after the statue of the Queen Mother of the West was carved, His Majesty couldn't put it down. He decorated it with ivory donated by the Marquis of Changnan, cast a golden luan crown on it, covered it with soft Shu brocade, burned agarwood donated by Lingnan, and often spent time alone with it.
I stayed there for a few hours, and every time it passed, I felt as if I had lost it...
After all, this was the emperor's last obsession with immortality.
And this is also the only chance for the Mohists to succeed in their assassination.
After drawing lots, Shi Lin successfully received this honor. He happened to be short in stature and did not feel cramped standing in the darkroom.
Considering that he had to identify as many as five of Qin Shi Huang's auxiliary vehicles of the same model during the assassination outside, Mohist gave up on the large crossbow that he had already built, which could shoot at 200 steps but had poor accuracy.
Right now, he has a crossbow in his hand that can only shoot fifty steps, but has high accuracy. He has trained thousands of times and worn out more than ten strings for today. He must ensure that he will hit with one hit!
According to the plan, after he succeeded, Shi Lin would use the flint he carried with him to set fire to himself as soon as possible! Destroy the corpse and eliminate traces, and also burn down the Afang Mingtang, which was a waste of money and people!
"What the world needs is light corvee and small gifts. Stop fighting. There is no need for the Queen Mother of the West!"
The waiting time was longer than Shi Lin expected, because the wizard calculated that the most suitable time to place the statue was after dark, so Qin Shihuang had not arrived until the Mingtang hall was brightly lit.
Although a little stuffy, Shi Lin still used strong perseverance to endure the coughs and sneezes that were choked by dust. He just rubbed his nose desperately and silently recited the oath of Tianqi Mo in his heart:
"Stand up now, take your life, without fear or retreat, and die without regrets!"
He lightly cocked the crossbow arrow and aimed it at the dark hole, which they had accurately measured and found was more than thirty steps away. Qin Shihuang was most likely standing there, in front of the statue of the Queen Mother of the West...
Shi Lin imagined that His Majesty the Emperor, who was as great as a god, was shot dead in a pool of blood by himself, an unknown ink artist, and fell at the feet of the Queen Mother of the West whom he had longed for, and he couldn't help but tremble.
Fear and expectation, but unlike Qingji, Shilin does not seek to leave a name, but hopes that his name will be erased forever.
If the emperor dies, the center of the Qin Dynasty will fall into temporary chaos, but the rest of the Mohists will immediately support Fusu to succeed him.
Then, we will create a world that everyone hopes for, a world that is not only offensive but also loving, and that respects the virtuous and promotes unity!
At this moment, there was a roar of cars and horses, and there seemed to be a noise outside.
Dong-dong-dong, the faint sound of knocking on the pillar rang three times and then disappeared immediately. This was a signal from other Mohists to Shi Lin:
"Qin Shihuang's chariot is here!"
…
Tang Duo stood behind Young Master Fusu, watching the dotted "palace lanterns" in the distance gradually approaching.
This kind of palace lantern is made by the ink artist's exquisite craftsmanship. It uses fine wood as a skeleton and makes it into an octagonal, hexagonal or quadrangular shape, and then inserts tissue paper between the skeletons to allow the firelight burning inside to shine through.
The original intention was to popularize it among the people to replace the torches that were easily blown out by the wind, but now they have become exclusive to the royal family.
"The skills of a Mohist should benefit the world, not just one person."
This was Tang Duo's idea, but it was selfishness that led him to the stage of plotting to commit tyranny and regicide.
In the past ten years, Qin Shihuang has completely expelled Confucianism, Huang Lao, and the Yin and Yang alchemists have almost trapped them. Hundreds of schools in Guanzhong have disappeared, leaving only farmers and Mohists to survive.
In the eyes of Mohists, farmers do not have any high-level political aspirations. They just hope to attract nobles to work in the fields and increase the production of grain, vegetables and fruits. This is consistent with the government's goal.
But the Mohists were different. In addition to advocating for unity, the Mohist scriptures' universal love, non-attack, frugal burial, and frugal use were completely opposite to the emperor's style.
"Qin Zheng and Mo Gui are already at odds with each other, and it is only a matter of time before they separate..."
The young Mohist believed that the Qin Dynasty had failed the Mohist family, but Tang Duo was not surprised: Over the past two hundred years, Mohists have been crossed rivers and demolished bridges countless times. In the State of Lu, in the State of Song, in the State of Chu Yangcheng, no country
It can tolerate an organization with its own armed forces existing for a long time, and even becoming bigger and stronger.
Qin Mo had to pull out his own teeth before marrying Qin, hoping to be rooted in the system, but now it seems that they have failed.
Since we can't join forces with each other, we have to be clear-cut.
"The cunning rabbit is dead, the running dogs are cooked, the birds are gone, and the good bow is hidden. Now Qin Shihuang relies on the skills of the Mohist, so it is tolerated for a while, but one day, our skills will be passed down to the craftsmen through engineering, and the Mohist will not be tolerated in Qin!"
Tang Duo had seen Qin Shihuang's methods against Zimozi's Baijia. When the time comes, it may be banned forever, and Zimozi's learning will be extinct!
Out of this sense of crisis, Tang Duo chose to take a desperate risk and pinned his hope on Fusu.
The rest of the Mohists hold the determination of "even if all the Mohists are wiped out, they will eliminate great harm for the world." Tang Duo does not think so. He hopes that as a new tycoon and an important minister who supports the new king, he will be under the guidance of the young master Fusu.
Occupying a place in the new imperial court. Then from top to bottom, the Mohist government will be promoted, so that Zi Mozi's ideals are no longer just ideals!
And the premise for all this is that Qin Shihuang must die!
While thinking about it, Qin Shihuang's chariot was getting closer and closer, and had already passed Acheng and entered the front palace area.
Six almost identical royal chariots were parked in front of the Mingtang. Each opened a corner, revealing five guards. Only the penultimate chariot opened, and the old emperor in fur robes slowly walked out.
He has rarely been seen in the past six months. His tall and tall figure is still the same, but he seems to be thinner than before. He is surrounded by fully armed soldiers on both sides, forming a human wall that cannot be blown by the wind.
"Long live your Majesty!"
Fusu led the ink master and the craftsmen bowed their heads and waited for Qin Shi Huang to enter the Mingtang for inspection.
The assassination that Mo Zhe has planned for a long time will be carried out there!
But Qin Shihuang only took a few steps forward and stopped. The old emperor raised his head and looked at the vast night sky.
The moon and stars are sparse today. It is a rare sunny day in winter. The sky is empty as usual. What is there to see?
But Emperor Qin Shi Huang was stunned and did not move for a long time.
The nature of human beings is like a repeater. When one person looks at the sky, a group of people will follow suit.
Fusu, ministers, guards, craftsmen, and calligraphers all raised their heads one after another. When they saw clearly what was happening in the sky, their expressions became even more exaggerated, with their mouths wide open, and some even collapsed to the ground in fear.
Since birth, no one has seen such a wonderful sight:
The moon covered Xuanyuan, and in the dark night sky, a very bright starlight appeared inadvertently.
The light is getting bigger and brighter, and the golden meteor, dragging its long tail, cuts through the sky like a long golden arrow!
With the leader in the lead, countless bright stars began to appear, move, and accelerate. One, two, three, and finally dozens or hundreds. They were long or short, large or small, and started from the south.
And head northeast!
Star rain fell from the sky, like a herd of celestial horses, roaring loudly, and the sky kept making low rumbles, but no one knew where they fell.
Tang Duo felt that his teeth were trembling and stars were falling like rain. This was extremely ominous! Is this a warning to them?
Looking around, there are everywhere people bowing down and worshiping the sky, shivering, but Qin Shihuang is the only one who is uniquely independent, tall and lonely...
After a while, the densest meteor shower passed, but there were still a steady stream of scattered meteor showers. Qin Shihuang stopped looking up, glanced around, and gave a cold order to Lang Wei beside him:
"Go back to Xianyang and kill the wizard who said tonight will be auspicious and suitable for placing the statue of the Queen Mother!"
…
Mo Zhe's murderous assassination plan was interrupted by this sudden meteor shower.
In Xianyang City, the city was also frightened to the point where chickens were crowing and dogs were barking, and there was no peace.
Only Zhang Cang, who firmly believed that "the falling of stars is a change of heaven and earth, a transformation of yin and yang, and a rare thing", calmly stayed with his new friend Daxia who stayed in Xianyang for friendly academic exchanges in the past two years.
Together with Mr. Su, we watched this rare celestial phenomenon on the tower.
Zhang Cangdao: "There are many records of falling stars. It is recorded in the history books of Wei that in the fifteenth year of Emperor Gui of Xia, stars fell like rain in the night. "Zuo Zhuan" also said that it was the night of Xin Mao in the fourth month of summer in the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu.
, the stars disappeared, and the stars fell like rain in the night, but that was in April, and the Yun stars at the turn of October seemed to have different origins..."
The fat man listened to the wails all over Xianyang, and people all over the street who were kneeling to the sky shook their heads: "In the past, not many people could understand the Yinghuo Shouxin, but when the Yunxing fell, everyone could notice it, but everyone could see it.
Fearful and uneasy. In fact, when stars fall on the ground, they are just stones. Between the rivers and Jishui, there are often fallen stars and stones. Maybe they are gravels fallen from other places in Jiuzhou. This is like a stone that was rolled to the shore by the waves.
Driftwood. It’s a natural thing. It’s strange, but it’s okay. But it’s not okay to be afraid of it..."
Since Zhang Cang had communicated with him the records of meteors in Zhongxia and provided a very pertinent hypothesis, Su did not hide it, and pointed to the star field where the meteor shower fell and said to Zhang Cang in a mixed Chinese dialect:
"The people of Daxia believe that it was the lion defeated by Heracles, which was put into the sky by Zeus and became the constellation Leo, which is the fifth house of the zodiac."
Zhang Cang asked seriously: "Su, you are the wisest man in Daxia. Do you think this is a disaster, auspiciousness, or a natural occurrence?"
The Su family has always disagreed with the fact that other people in Bactria (Bactria) were ill and sought medical treatment in a hurry, claiming that Athena was the Queen Mother of the West that the emperor wanted to find, and wanted to use the power of the Qin Dynasty to resist the Seleucid Dynasty (Tiao Zhi)'s eastern expedition.
The plan really regards this war goddess as Helen who caused the Trojan War?
So, Mr. Su stroked his beard and made what he thought was a harmless joke:
"Perhaps the Lion Palace does not want Athena to be taken away by His Majesty the Emperor, so it issued a warning and wants to snatch her back?"
…
Today is the last night of Qin Shi Huang's thirty-sixth year. Hei Fu, who is far away in the south, is far less calm than Zhang Cang.
Standing on the city wall in Panyu, Lingnan, Heifu also saw the Leonid meteor shower, which could be seen throughout East Asia. It was so magnificent that the soldiers of the Southern Expedition were dazzled and fell to their knees with cheers and cheers, thinking that the end was coming.
"The stars guard the heart in confusion, the stars weep with blood, and the rain of fire falls from the sky."
Although he was in the tropics, Heifu felt an unprecedented chill. After a long time, he let out a long breath: