Chapter 24: Zhao Gao: Damn It, Why Am I Still in This Script?

At this moment, the scene on the celestial screen shifted once again!

Prince Jianglü and two other princes wept as they embraced, choosing to commit suicide by the sword rather than be slaughtered by Huhai. Prince Gao, with tears of blood in his eyes, volunteered to be buried alive with the First Emperor.

The scene flipped again—this time to an execution ground!

A youth, wearing a cruel expression, sat upon the dragon throne, a dancing girl held in each arm. On the execution grounds, many people were gathered, their hair disheveled. Below the celestial screen, the princes and princesses in the grand hall stared at the figures on the execution ground, their faces filled with disbelief. They saw themselves! They were the princes and princesses of the Great Qin—Huhai's own brothers and sisters! How could Huhai not spare even them?

Instantly, all eyes turned toward the cowering Huhai, who was curled up in a corner.

In the celestial screen, twelve men holding massive blades stood upon the execution ground. Kneeling before them were the princes of Great Qin. One prince, filled with grief and indignation, cursed at Huhai: "Huhai... you will meet your retribution! You will meet your retribution! The Imperial Father will not forgive you; he will never forgive you!"

Upon hearing this, Huhai toyed with the dancing girls and laughed cruelly. "Haha... Oh! Is that so? Then go down and keep the Imperial Father company first! Execute them!"

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

As the blades fell, the heads of the twelve princes were severed in unison, the gushing blood staining the earth of the execution ground red.

Soon after, six more princes were dragged up, bound in a line, and crushed alive by carriages until they were reduced to mere pulp. Next, ten princesses were torn apart by five horses, and even then, Huhai ordered their remains to be dismembered into dozens of pieces and fed to wild dogs!

Below the celestial screen, everyone was shocked by Huhai's brutality. Ying Zheng was filled with both heartache and rage; his eyes turned red with fury. "Someone... bring me this rebellious son... no, bring me this animal! Hang him up! I am going to beat him to death today!"

The surrounding princes and princesses joined in the fray, beating Huhai. Even Fusu, usually known for his gentle and scholarly nature, could no longer restrain himself. Everyone, having witnessed Huhai’s atrocities, felt the veins in their necks bulging with rage. It must be said that Huhai possessed a unique talent; even after being beaten for so long, his cries remained remarkably loud.

***

However, the display on the celestial screen was not yet finished. The scene shifted again.

In the imperial harem, Huhai moved among the dancing girls and instructed Zhao Gao: "From now on, leave the affairs of the court to you. Don't disturb me while I am enjoying myself with beauties unless it is necessary." He then seized a dancing girl and began a life of indulgence. This happened every day; he never even repeated a partner, killing one batch after another!

At court, the atmosphere was foul. Zhao Gao, a mere eunuch, covered the sky with one hand, controlling the government. All the power of the Qin Empire fell into his grasp! Anyone who dared to disobey him was branded a traitor or eliminated under various pretexts. Li Si, dissatisfied with Zhao Gao’s absolute control—as this was not what they had originally agreed upon—was executed by waist-chopping. Meng Tian and Meng Yi also met tragic ends at the hands of Zhao Gao and Huhai. As for anyone who had offended him, their entire clans were exterminated, leaving no one behind.

Behind the scenes, Zhao Gao unscrupulously plundered the wealth of the people. Throughout the court, this eunuch held the power of life and death. He was the master of this world! Loyal officials were slaughtered by Zhao Gao in increasing numbers; even those who remained dared not speak out. The entire court was filled with the stench of death! No one dared to defy Zhao Gao's decisions. Officials who offered bribes were promoted, while corrupt officials and treacherous sycophants ran rampant!

Huhai could not have cared less about any of this. As long as his food, drink, and entertainment were uninterrupted, what did it matter if he was the Emperor or not? He even felt that the money Zhao Gao plundered was insufficient, and thus implemented plans to increase taxes on the common people to fund his debauchery. Consequently, uprisings grew like a prairie fire, spreading everywhere; even the native-born Qin people joined the rebel armies!

Yet, Zhao Gao and Huhai remained indifferent. Zhao Gao continued to wallow in the thrill of being above all others, while Huhai remained lost in his pool of wine and forest of meat.

***

Below the celestial screen, Ying Zheng breathed heavily, his eyes fixed on Zhao Gao, wishing he could devour his flesh and drink his blood! Zhao Gao collapsed to the ground, paralyzed with fear. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, spare my life! Please, spare my life!" He pleaded, his head thumping against the floor with such force that it soon began to bleed—a display of desperation that was truly genuine.

He feared the First Emperor; he feared him deeply! Especially now that the First Emperor was still alive. Initially, when he saw himself wielding such power on the screen, he had been excited. After all, had any eunuch in history ever reached such heights? When he saw Huhai hand over all authority to him, he had nearly sung with joy! An eunuch, though he might not be castrated, was ultimately looked down upon by everyone.

But so what? He had risen... Zhao Gao had climbed, step by step, to the very top. He had become the one standing above all others. If people looked down on him, he would simply kill them! However, the more he watched, seeing the vast rebel armies, even a fool could see that this had everything to do with him. Furthermore, he was Prince Huhai's teacher... Did this not indirectly imply that he, Zhao Gao, had thrown the Great Qin into chaos?

Then, catching the soul-piercing gaze of the First Emperor beside him, he remembered... Damn it, the First Emperor was not dead yet!

"This is madness... You can talk about Huhai, but leave me out of it! I’m being framed to death..." Zhao Gao's heart was in as much turmoil as an ant on a hot pan. To show this in front of the First Emperor... was this not essentially asking for his head? "You are talking about the younger prince, Huhai, not me... Why are you doing this, oh celestial screen? Can we not just get along?"

Despite his thoughts, he dared not harbor malice toward the screen, for who knew if a bolt of heavenly lightning would strike him dead? Between dying early and dying late, Zhao Gao clearly chose the latter.

From the words on the screen, Li Si felt that Huhai’s ascension was, nine times out of ten, related to him. He felt a chill run through his heart. The screen had mentioned him... although he was eventually executed by waist-chopping, it was clear he was implicated!

Waist-chopping? Yes, waist-chopping. "Damn it, I am the dignified Prime Minister of Great Qin, and I was executed by a eunuch?" Li Si thought bitterly, casting a venomous glare at the constantly kowtowing Zhao Gao. At the same time, he felt extremely fortunate that the screen had only mentioned him in passing. "I should be able to survive, right???" But as for Zhao Gao, the minimum sentence would likely be the extermination of his three clans!

The First Emperor cast a cold glance at the blood-covered Zhao Gao but said nothing. In his heart, Zhao Gao was already a dead man... He saw no point in speaking to the dead; it was bad luck.

Simultaneously, the scene on the celestial screen shifted once more, and a narrator's voice rang out: "Zhao Gao's ambition grew, and he was no longer content to be the one beneath one; he desired to be the one above all."

Hearing this, Zhao Gao, who had been kowtowing incessantly, collapsed completely to the ground, knowing he was finished. He had been thoroughly ruined by the celestial screen.