Chapter 25: Ying Zheng: Playing the "deer as a horse" game, are you? Everyone who says it is a horse shall die!

On the screen above, Zhao Gao ordered someone to bring a deer and presented it to Huhai, saying, "Your Majesty, this is a fine horse I happened to acquire!"

While Huhai was indeed dim-witted, he was not a fool; at a single glance, he could see it was a deer. He laughed and said, "Chancellor... surely you must be mistaken? This is clearly a deer; how could it be a horse?"

Zhao Gao smiled silently, then turned to the officials in the great hall and asked, "My fellow colleagues, would you say this is a deer or a horse?"

Some officials remained silent, others said it was a horse, and some insisted it was a deer. Finally, Zhao Gao commanded those who called it a horse to stand on his left, and those who called it a deer to stand on his right. Some officials cautiously asked, "Chancellor, do you say it is a deer or a horse?"

Zhao Gao glanced at them and said, "I, Zhao Gao, believe it is a horse!"

After he spoke, the officials began to pick their sides. The few loyal ministers who could not bring themselves to betray the truth stood on the right. Zhao Gao marked these men in his heart, and once the court session ended, he had his men execute every minister who had dared to call it a deer. From then on, Huhai was completely sidelined, and with this act of calling a deer a horse, Zhao Gao purged the last of the Great Qin’s loyal ministers. Within the imperial court, Zhao Gao’s word became law. He had achieved absolute power.

...

Beneath the sky-screen, Zhao Gao’s heart turned to ice. "Stop... please, stop... it’s all over now, I don't even have the luxury of choosing how to die!" Zhao Gao was utterly shattered. His eyes were vacant, and saliva mixed with blood dripped from his lips. He had been frightened out of his wits.

...

On the screen above: "Huhai was already panicking, but it was too late... in the end, he could only abandon all restraint!"

"Meanwhile, the rebel armies outside had completely shattered the foundations of the Great Qin."

"Liu Bang led his rebel forces through Wuguan and closed in on Xianyang."

"At this time, Zhao Gao, fearing that Huhai might one day regain power and hold him accountable, conspired with his son-in-law Yan Le to strike first."

Yan Le led soldiers into the Wangyi Palace, claiming they were there to arrest Huhai. Terrified and with nowhere to turn, Huhai was forced to commit suicide. He was only twenty-four years old, having reigned for a mere three years. The image on the screen froze on Huhai’s face, etched with absolute terror.

Beneath the screen, Ying Zheng swept a cold, icy gaze over the dazed and foolish Zhao Gao. The fire of rage in his eyes had become palpable.

He was truly enraged! How could the entire civil and military officialdom be so thoroughly cowed by a mere eunuch?

"Good... very good! An eunuch of his generation truly has talent, to hold the entire court in such fear! What a masterful display of calling a deer a horse!" The First Emperor laughed in his fury, scanning the officials in the hall.

Those ministers from the screen who had stood on Zhao Gao’s left, calling it a horse, were trembling in terror. They fell to their knees, one after another! Among them, the corrupt scholars led by Chunyu Yue made up the majority. They all wailed, begging for mercy! The self-righteous Chunyu Yue, enraged by his own disciples, coughed up blood and died on the spot.

The First Emperor sneered. "Mercy? You dare beg me for mercy? Guards, take Zhao Gao and all these men who called it a horse away. Have them all torn apart by five horses!"

"Send their entire clans to Meng Tian; let their descendants spend their lives building the Great Wall, adding bricks and mortar to my Great Qin!"

The officials kneeling on the ground were so terrified they nearly lost control of their bladders. They were dragged away by the guards amidst their desperate screams.

Li Si felt an immense sense of relief... he was lucky to have escaped this calamity. As for Huhai, the First Emperor had not yet decided how to deal with him; after all, even a tiger does not devour its own cubs. But in his current fury, he truly wanted to run the brat through with his sword. Instead, Huhai was left hanging in the great hall, beaten by the princes and princesses, with even the mild-mannered Fusu landing a few kicks.

Struggling to calm his seething rage, Ying Zheng began to contemplate how Huhai had ascended to the throne. Did he pass it on himself? He could not even bring himself to believe that. Yet, if it were only Zhao Gao and that worthless brat, it would have been impossible. Unless... unless there was help from someone with great power and influence in the court.

At this thought, Ying Zheng scanned the room, his gaze finally resting on Li Si. Li Si was terrified, watching his nose, breathing shallowly, not daring to make a sound. He could not guarantee whether he had been involved in this future.

The more Ying Zheng thought about it, the more he suspected Li Si. Only he had the authority to convince the court officials... and the screen had mentioned him as well, suggesting he had made some sort of deal with Zhao Gao. A flicker of sorrow passed through Ying Zheng’s eyes. Li Si was one of his most trusted and relied-upon men. Unlike Zhao Gao, whom Ying Zheng had always known to be a rabid dog—loyal and protective if handled well, but capable of biting the hand that feeds if not—Li Si, as a representative of the Legalists, had genuine talent and had offered many strategies during the conquest of the six states.

For a moment, Ying Zheng was conflicted about how to handle Li Si. "Enough... enough! I will give him one more chance. If he acts this way again... do not blame me for forgetting our old ties!" Ying Zheng thought to himself, closing his eyes and slowly turning away. He felt he had no one left to trust. No one understood him; no one could grasp his intentions, not even his own sons!

As for Huhai... in the end, Ying Zheng’s heart softened.

"Prince Huhai is hereby demoted to a commoner... banished from Xianyang. Whether he lives or dies depends on whether the people of Great Qin are willing to spare him!"

"I am weary... court is dismissed!" Ying Zheng walked out of the hall without looking back.

Fusu, watching his father’s tall, receding figure, fell into deep contemplation. Li Si, his clothes soaked with cold sweat, remained rooted to the spot. The Emperor had just left like that?

After a long while, Li Si returned to his senses and gave a bitter smile. If he could figure this out, how could that Emperor through the ages not know? He decided that when he attended court tomorrow, he would carry a bundle of thorns on his back and beg for punishment. Whether he lived or died would be entirely up to the Emperor’s will; he only prayed that the Emperor would spare his family for the sake of their past. With this thought, Li Si’s mind cleared, and his previous dread vanished.

...

In another dimension, Huhai, the Second Emperor of Qin, finished watching the videos. Seeing Zhao Gao call a deer a horse, he was completely stunned! He had never imagined that while he treated Zhao Gao as family, Zhao Gao treated him as an outsider.

"I treated you like a brother, and you treated me like a fool?" Huhai wanted to scream, "Father, love me again! Father, save me!"

...

In another dimension, after finishing his affairs, Ying Zheng stepped out of the hall in solitude and looked at the sky-screen. He noticed the chat messages had become sparse, with long intervals between them. His consciousness sank into the group chat.

Great Qin Ancestral Dragon: "What is going on? Why so quiet? Is this still the group I know?"

[Hehe, Great Emperor, Tianbao has muted them all...]

Hearing this, Ying Zheng felt less dejected. As it turned out, Tianbao was the only one who truly cared for him; these days, even sons could not be relied upon! But he still said, "Tianbao... that is unnecessary. Unseal them! Regarding what that brat Huhai did, I can understand them!"

[Alright then! The Great Unsealing Spell... has been activated!]

An Empty Bowl has come online!
Great Han Wild Boar has come online!
Great Tang Li Er has come online...

A flurry of emperors, bored and eager for gossip, scrambled to come online!