The First Volume Enters the Great Qin Chapter 15 Li Si

  When everyone stood up, Hu Hai stared at the old man standing in the first position of the row.

  He had already seen from his standing position that the old man was Li Si, who had been serving as the Prime Minister of the Great Qin Empire since the beginning of the First Emperor and was now the number one civil official.

  Li Si's hair was flecked with white, his hands held a jade tablet, his face was gaunt but his eyes were spirited, three strands of white whiskers hung neatly on his chest, his not-too-tall body did not hunch like the other elderly ministers, instead he stood straight and upright, exuding an aura of dignity.

  Huhai saw Lisi lower his head and stand there with a humble attitude, and his eyes flashed: "This time I went on an eastern tour, the villain Zhao Gao intended to assassinate me, and the villain Zhao Gao and more than 40 accomplices including Zhao Cheng have all been killed by me. Zhang Han!"

  Hu Hai loudly said, "Hang Zhao Gao and his treacherous party members in the city to show the people." Originally Hu Hai wanted to say hang on the city wall to show the people, but Xianyang had no city walls so he changed it to hang in the city to show the people. He knew that Zhang Han would definitely know where to hang them.

  "Yes!" Zhang Han loudly responded and turned around to retreat.

  Huhai finished speaking and stared at the many high-ranking officials in front of him. Originally, Li Si, who was standing upright with a calm demeanor, heard Huhai's words and his body suddenly stiffened, and he looked up at Huhai with a shocked expression.

  Huhai finished speaking and stared at the reactions of Li Si and many other ministers. Li Si looked up to see Huhai sitting high on his horse, staring intently at him with a cold gaze. Was this still the Huhai in his heart who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, mediocre and weak?

  Li Si's heart skipped a beat, his face returned to normal, and he hastily lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Hu Hai again. However, the exposed blue veins on his hands holding the jade tablet revealed that the turmoil in his heart was not as calm as his surface appearance.

  Huhai saw Li Si's retreat and a smile rose from the corner of his eyebrows. These people had indeed not yet received the news that Zhao Gao had already been killed by himself.

  Looking back, apart from Li Si, the many high-ranking officials and ministers who heard Hu Hai's words suddenly fell silent. What Hu Hai said was obviously too shocking for them, even with their many years of experience in officialdom, they were momentarily stunned, unsure whether it was because they didn't believe it or for some other reason.

  It wasn't until they saw Zhang Han leading a team of imperial guards holding the pickled and preserved heads of Zhao Gao and others that everyone came back to their senses.

  At that moment, the many ministers who had originally lost their voices collectively were like a beehive that had been bombed. Some ministers immediately wailed and knelt on the ground, crying out: "Your Majesty is wise." Some shouted: "Long live Your Majesty!" Some, however, were trembling all over with a pale face.

  Looking at this scene of the play, Hu Hai coldly swept his eyes over those pale and dispirited ministers, cleared his throat twice and said: "Zhao Gao is dead, Zhao Gao and his accomplices have been caught by me, I hope that all of you can work together with me to quell the rebels, protect our great Qin dynasty. If there are any more who dare to disrupt my rule, they will be beheaded immediately!"

  In the end, Hu Hai was already filled with murderous intent, his icy gaze causing all the ministers to tremble with fear.

  This is the typical policy of carrot and stick. Hu Hai would not let go of those ministers who followed Zhao Gao, if there were no uprisings led by Liu Bang and Xiang Liang against Qin, Hu Hai would have cut them all off with one knife, sweeping away all of Zhao Gao's followers cleanly.

  However, the situation is different now. Hu Hai does not want to stir up trouble in Guanzhong again because of his own massacre. He knows that there are many remnants of the six states in Xianyang alone, and these people are eager for the downfall of the Qin dynasty.

  Apart from a few who must be killed, such as Yan Yue and the like, Hu Hai plans to temporarily spare these big rats who eat the king's salary but cannot share his worries. After all, they have managed to reach this position today, at least with some ability.

  The several ministers who had been swept by Hu Hai's murderous gaze heard his words and suddenly felt a sense of relief in their hearts. They were originally those who had surrendered to Zhao Gao's power, and now they understood that the emperor was giving them a way out.

  But if you don't take care of things, then next time there will definitely be only one dead word.

  Everyone couldn't help but think of one thing at the same time, what exactly happened to Your Majesty's eastern tour? Is this still the Hu Hai that we have seen before?

  Many officials looked at Hu Hai, who was sitting on his horse with a fierce aura, and had only one feeling: the emperor in front of them was not just a replica of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in his youth? Even more majestic than Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

  It was unclear who started it, but the numerous ministers, trembling with fear in their hearts, simultaneously knelt down on the ground and loudly exclaimed: "Your Majesty is wise and brilliant, long live Your Majesty for ten thousand years!"

  Perhaps it was psychological, but now when Hu Hai heard the voices of these ministers, he felt more courteous than before, and there was also some fear.

  Huhai smiled coldly and drove his horse forward, no longer paying attention to the many officials kneeling on the ground. Originally not far away, Wang Li and other Jinyi military leaders came too late to admire Huhai's clever tactics and hurriedly rode their horses to follow up.

  The guards who escorted Hu Hai, apart from the 10,000 palace guards, were the remaining hundreds of thousands of troops. Hu Hai had already arranged for the original garrison soldiers in Xianyang to vacate their barracks to accommodate these guards, who were the ones he trusted most. As for the original tens of thousands of garrison soldiers in Xianyang, they could only be stationed in other barracks, and Hu Hai had long since made plans for them in his heart.

  As Hu Hai approached, he found that Xianyang, which had no city walls, still had a huge and deep moat, with a wide stone bridge spanning both banks. This Qin capital without city walls was everywhere emitting an atmosphere of antiquity and vicissitudes, but the various buildings of different heights and sizes, which could not be seen at a glance, also showed its vigorous vitality and prosperity.

  Wang Li and others drove their horses to stop two meters away from Hu Hai, without disturbing Hu Hai's feeling of the thickness and vicissitudes of Xianyang City.

  Hu Hai felt that Wang Li and others were following him, so he turned his head and said: "Go and pass on the order for Li Si to enter the palace and see me." Meng Gan, who was beside him, hastily responded with a "yes" and galloped away on horseback. Seeing Meng Gan's eager-to-please appearance, the remaining generals all smiled speechlessly.

  Huhai also smiled, he liked Mongan very much, not just because of his age.

  It's time to enter the city! Hu Hai secretly thought in his heart.

  Looking at the long stone bridge, on the other side was the capital of the most powerful empire in the world at that time. He didn't know why he suddenly felt a little dazed. The black horse under him seemed to have sensed Hu Hai's hesitation and uncertainty, and without waiting for Hu Hai to urge it on, it stepped over the wide stone bridge and entered Xianyang!

  On both sides of the broad stone bridge stood two rows of soldiers, who saw Hu Hai drive his horse to come quietly and kneel on one knee. As the horse's hooves lightly stepped on the huge stone slabs that made up the wide bridge surface, a clear "dang dang" sound was emitted.

  The stone bridge is neither long nor short. Before you know it, Hu Hai has already crossed the stone bridge and is now entering the capital of Great Qin, Xianyang.

  Right in front is a wide and massive bluestone-paved street that stretches as far as the eye can see. On both sides are countless shops and taverns, mostly one or two-story earthen houses.

  At this time, all the houses on both sides of the main road were closed, and every three or five steps there was a soldier standing guard, as if carved. Occasionally, Hu Hai also saw black-clad Qin soldiers guarding vigilantly on several taller buildings.

  Hu Hai drove his horse forward, and he could clearly feel that there were people lurking in the houses on both sides, with countless Xianyang people staring at him tightly through the gaps in the doors and windows. Behind him, Wang Li and others followed closely, and assassinations within the Great Qin Empire were not uncommon at this time.

  Every time Hu Hai walked by, the soldiers guarding both sides of the street would silently kneel down on one knee. Except for the sound of horseshoes "clattering" forward, everything in front seemed like a silent movie, somewhat illusory and hazy.

  Hu Hai tightened his grip on the reins, was this what power tasted like? He couldn't deny that he liked the feeling.

  ……

  Hu Hai did not know where his imperial city and palace were, but the soldiers lining both sides of the street clearly pointed out the direction to him.

  This time, Huhai did not look around his palace much because as soon as he arrived at the imperial city, Li Si came to see him. The emperor returned to the palace, and naturally there were many eunuchs and palace maids outside the palace waiting to greet him.

  Huhai drove his horse into the palace, and Wang Li and other generals, as well as Li Si and others, all followed on foot behind Huhai's horse. Huhai casually pointed to a palace maid and had her lead Wang Li and others to a side hall to wait, while he himself followed another palace maid with Li Si to his own bedroom.

  Back in the palace, Hu Hai refused the request of the palace maid to change his clothes for him. He felt that this armor was a bit heavy but convenient. Hu Hai did not know what the name of this palace was, because he could not recognize the small seal on the door, and he also had no time to ponder it.

  Li Si knelt down on the ground, Hu Hai sat high up on a golden throne, looking at Li Si who was kneeling respectfully on the ground.

  The grand hall was silent and still. All the palace maids and eunuchs had been driven out by Hu Hai, for a long time.

  "Li Ai Qing, don't you have anything to say to me?" Hu Hai finally spoke up.

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