In the mid-winter month of the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the capital Xianyang was in chaos.
There are so many things that happened in the rest of this month. First there were all kinds of strange celestial phenomena, and then there were rumors of "the one who destroyed the Qin was evil" flying all over the sky. Then the Mo's attempt to assassinate the emperor failed, and the whole city was searching for Mr. Fusu.
But suddenly ran away...
Not only that, Fusu's subordinates rushed to Afang Palace and released many prisoners in Afang Palace. These civilians, the prisoners were so frightened by the severity of Qin's law that they did not dare to move at all, but some of them were like headless flies everywhere in Guanzhong.
Running around, the lieutenant troops in the garrison were in dire straits.
At the same time, there were rumors that Prince Fusu tried to collude with the Mohist family to murder His Majesty, but fled with a guilty conscience after the failure. And because the Changnan Marquis' mansion was empty, Heifu's family followed Fusu. Some people said that Changnan Marquis was also involved.
This time the conspiracy.
In short, with the help of thoughtful people, the above rumors spread in the streets and alleys of Xianyang, and the image of black and support is running in the direction of rebellious officials and traitors.
Three days have passed, and the chaos has not subsided. People in the city are not allowed to go out at will during the day. Guards and lieutenants are dispatched to arrest people everywhere. The escaped prisoners and civilian husbands have committed many crimes, and the people in Guanzhong have also spontaneously organized to fight with them...
This is the biggest chaos that Xianyang has fallen into since the Lao Ai Rebellion in the ninth year of the Qin Dynasty. Xianyang has no outer city wall. Not to mention the panic among ordinary people in Guizhou, even the government and the court are also worried.
According to common sense, with the efficient and meticulous system of the Qin Dynasty, this should not be the case. Everyone secretly speculated that it was His Majesty who made such an improper move...
It is speculated that when Fu Su fled, Qin Shi Huang's condition worsened and he could not govern for several days.
Only a few people, including the prime ministers and the minister of the CRRC, Zhao Gao, knew about this matter. The news was concealed in the palace, and all memorials were "kept in the air".
Everything in the Qin Dynasty was determined by the Supreme Being. The emperor was seriously ill and temporarily lost the ability to make decisions. For a time, the center of the Qin Dynasty, which lost the emperor, was almost paralyzed.
Except for the two prime ministers who imprisoned the guard Meng Tian who had been reported by Meng Yi for "just killing relatives", they only asked the guards and lieutenants to dispatch small units to arrest civilian husbands and prisoners.
As for how to deal with the incident of Fusu's escape? The ministers were arguing endlessly, but no one dared to make a decision...
Prime Minister Li Si of the left and Prime Minister Feng Quji of the right reached an agreement after pushing the blame with each other: "It is better to wait until His Majesty wakes up before making a decision!"
Under such circumstances, Master Fusu and his party managed to escape Guanzhong by luck with the talisman in their hands, and entered the Ziwu Valley, a shortcut to Hanzhong. The imperial court only sent people to follow them from a distance, and they could neither catch nor go there.
bar……
Zhao Cheng, the general in charge of this matter, went to the palace twice every day to report the latest situation to his brother Zhao Gao.
"Other people think that Young Master Fusu can't escape very far, but I don't think so. Beyond Ziwu Valley is Hanzhong, to the south of Hanzhong is Bajun, and across the river from Bajun is Dongting County. The three counties are famous for having many barbarians and few.
There are many small roads beyond the government's ability to compile households. Once Fusu successfully arrives at Tancheng in the south of Dongting County, he will enter the area under the jurisdiction of the Southern Expeditionary Army..."
Zhao Cheng was very worried. He knew very well that Fu Su's escape was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Once the eldest son lost his qualifications as heir, Zhao Gao's disciple Hu Hai, Qin Shihuang's favorite youngest son, would undoubtedly become the most promising son, and they
The family is bound to prosper!
Therefore, Zhao Chengzhen hoped that the young master Fusu could be arrested or even die on the road... It was a pity that the Zhao brothers were not powerful enough to send assassins to hunt down Fusu, and they could not foresee in advance that such rapid changes would happen.
of chaos.
Zhao Gao smiled.
"I do hope that Fusu can really escape to the south."
Anyone with a discerning eye can see where Fusu's escape path leads. Once Fusu is lucky enough to run to Tancheng, Changnan Hou Heifu will face a dilemma: Should he break with the imperial court? Or send Fusu back?
If he chooses the former, he will be convicted of "rebellion" and face the wrath of Qin Shi Huang.
If you choose the latter, you will not get any favors, but will lose your final banner.
"Brother, how will your Majesty deal with this matter after he wakes up? Master Fusu, is there still a chance of turning over?" Zhao Cheng was more concerned about this point.
Standing up and looking at the dimly lit Xianyang Palace, Zhao Gao asked his younger brother, "What kind of person does your majesty expect his heir to be?"
"How can I know His Majesty's thoughts?" Zhao Cheng shook his head.
"But I know."
Zhao Gaodao said: "Your Majesty taught Mr. Fusu two lessons, one was called 'dictation' and the other was 'The king and his ministers fight a hundred battles in a day', but there was another lesson that he didn't have time to teach, which was 'there is no family affection in the heavenly family'!"
"If Fusu really dares to raise his troops and enter the palace, His Majesty will naturally be furious, but he will also be pleasantly surprised. Of course he can easily put down the rebellion, but there is no telling. After that, he will give Su a hard lesson and then throw the throne to him.
He took his royal chariot to the west to find the Queen Mother of the West..."
Zhao Cheng was stunned, but Zhao Gao smiled and said: "Of course, it is possible that he cut Fusu into pieces in anger, because His Majesty does not tolerate betrayal, and Qin Shi Huang is moody. Who can say for sure?"
But no matter what, the difference between life and death is 50-50.
"And if he helps Su Qieyong enter the palace to apologize, your majesty will be disappointed, but he will still not take his life. At worst, he will be imprisoned."
"I thought that with Fusu's temperament, he would go to the palace to plead guilty and take everything on himself, but I never expected that he would choose the worst one!"
If it weren't for the palace, if it wasn't for the secret conversation with his younger brother, Zhao Gao would have laughed out loud.
It's like the opponent is pushed to the high ground and you are racking your brains on how to deal with it, but he suddenly clicks surrender!
Zhao Gaole is broken.
"Fusu never thought that once he ran away, he would be found guilty of being unfaithful and unfilial."
"Once you leave Xianyang, the eldest son is no longer the eldest son, but Fusu, a rebellious minister and traitor who is greedy for life and afraid of death!"
"What's worse is that, in your majesty's view, Fusu is looking forward to the death of his father, and pins his hopes on the distant generals. Like a vine, relying on the Marquis of Changnan to regain the throne, the world that your majesty has worked so hard to unify may be destroyed.
It is divided into two. The one who destroys the Qin Dynasty is black. This year the ancestor dragon dies, the first emperor dies and the earth is divided. Young Master Fusu's departure is leading the current situation to the three most taboo prophecies of His Majesty!"
After saying that, Zhao Gao spread his hands: "So, Fusu is finished!"
He also caused misfortune to Hei Fu. Should the Marquis of Changnan accept this hot potato or not?
"It's so stupid."
Zhao Cheng was sighing, but Zhao Gao felt that it was not surprising that Fusu would reach this point.
Arbitrary, good at maneuvering, and ruthless, this is the heir Qin Shihuang expected, but the most important thing is to continue the system created by Qin Shihuang, especially the abolition of feudalism and the establishment of prefectures and counties!
Just like the sun rising and setting, although today's sun may not be yesterday's sun, it is the sun and this cannot change.
In the heart of Qin Shihuang, the emperor of the Qin Dynasty could never become a warm and bright moon, coexisting with the stars. In that case, it would be no different from changing dynasties.
Is Fusu suitable?
Obviously it didn't fit in, but Qin Shihuang was correcting him, hoping that the eldest son could change in the direction he expected, but Fusu was also affected by experience and various people.
With so many people expecting it, they pulled the seedlings to encourage them to grow. The seedlings grew crooked, so crooked that even he himself could not recognize himself.
"Fusu, or Fusu's advisers, were afraid of Your Majesty and did this in a panic. Isn't this the fate of a son who doesn't know his father and a father who doesn't believe in his son? His understanding of the emperor is less than one-tenth of that of Zhao Gao...
…”
Zhao Gao is very self-aware. He has offended Meng Yi and Hei Fu, but why can he survive until now? The other party can't do anything to him?
Of course, it was because he was an idiot in the shadows clinging to the emperor's feet. The emperor believed that Zhao Gao was loyal and reliable. Even if, like Meng Yi, he found evidence that he was destined to die, as long as Qin Shihuang said a word, Zhao Gao would still live.
Good.
Precisely because he understood Qin Shihuang's thoughts, Zhao Gao was able to prosper and seize those fleeting opportunities!
Now, this giant is about to fall, and Zhao Gao must push up the new king he has carefully cultivated for many years, otherwise, his end will be tragic!
He suddenly asked Zhao Cheng: "What if your Majesty's time has come this time and he never wakes up?"
Zhao Cheng trembled: "If this is the case, not only Xianyang, but also the whole world will be in chaos!"
"confusion?"
Zhao Gao laughed and said: "Everyone in the world is afraid of chaos, but I think chaos is a good thing."
"For kind-hearted people like Fusu, chaos is a trap, but for us, chaos is like the ladder of this palace! It allows people to reach heights that are otherwise unreachable!"
Some people are born with great talent, but they take chances and are afraid to try.
There are people who are respected as princes, but have no reputation for benevolence. Due to their limited abilities, they are unable to adapt to this complicated and chaotic situation, and are defeated by setbacks.
They have stood on the high ground for too long, and if they make one mistake, they will be pulled down into the abyss.
Someone has already been eliminated, but in this chaos, who are the people who have the opportunity to climb up?
"It's the night owl perched on the emperor's shoulder, with one eye open at all times!"
"I believe that there is nothing more tragic in life than poverty, and nothing more tragic than being a humble rat in the toilet."
"He is a black dog who started his career as a soldier and climbed all the way up, never stopping."
Only those who have climbed up step by step from the lowest point understand that everything is empty and only the ladder is real. There are only two kinds of life in this world: being stepped on by others, or stepping on others' heads! Climb up, climb up
That’s everything!
Zhao Gao came from a humble background, but his ambitions were not small. He knew very well where the key to the future situation was and who his biggest competitor was.
Now Fu Su is on the run, Hei Fu is far away in the south, Li Xin is on an expedition to the Western Regions, Meng Tian has been imprisoned, Meng Yi is struggling to support himself, Wang Ben is very old, and he is not alive for a few days, and the only people in charge of the government are the left and right prime ministers.
If the emperor really dies, no matter what kind of edict he leaves or who succeeds him, Zhao Gao feels that it is time for him to have a talk with Li Smith...
He was confident that Prime Minister Zuo, who had just been deposed by Qin Shihuang, would cooperate with him!
Zhao Gao stared at the stars in the sky and revealed his long-buried thoughts.
"There are different opinions, but in fact, Yinghuo Xing is none other than me, Zhao Gao!"
"Once I can climb to a high position, I will stay in my heart and control Tai'a!"
But in the early hours of the morning, the visitors who came in a hurry made Zhao Gao's wishful thinking in vain.
