Qin Official

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Gao Jianli stood up and was about to throw the stone in his hand at Qin Shihuang. At the same time, a loud shout rang out from behind him at the entrance of the palace door.

Gao Jianli was within five steps of the king's couch, but Heifu was more than ten steps behind Gao Jianli, and his weapons had been collected by the imperial guards outside, so he was now unarmed.

In desperation, Heifu could only take off the bronze armor Dong Yi, the official next to him, had put on his head. Like a pitcher who had played "war ball" with his subordinates countless times, he exhausted all his strength and raised the ball high and gradually away. Throw it, hoping to stop him!

When the armor thrown by Hei Fu hit Gao Jianli's back hard, Gao Jianli just happened to let go of the bamboo in his hand. At almost the same moment, a figure within three steps of the emperor stood up suddenly and raised the small case in front of him. It was lifted up and collided with the building that was attacking Qin Shihuang!

It's Zhao Gao, Zhao Gao, the commander of CRRC who has been observing Gao Jianli!

Gao Jianli's building was deflected by Heifu's blow with his arm, and was blocked by Zhao Gao throwing a low case. Finally, it landed on a copper pillar a few feet away from Qin Shihuang's side. The clanging sound was deafening!

Qin Shihuang was also startled by this sudden attack. He stood up subconsciously and looked at the copper pillars that protected him from disaster. He then looked at Gao Jianli, who had been pushed to the ground by Zhao Gao, and the small steps at the entrance of the palace. The black man who came running...

Suddenly, he seemed to have gone back to the assassin in white who was lame and armed with a sharp knife and chased him in the hall many years ago, causing him great disgrace! When Mrs. Xu's dagger hit the copper pillar, was it the same sound?

Qin Shihuang could not forget Jing Ke's eyes. Although Gao Jianli's eyes were blind now, they still seemed to be burning with hatred as before.

Qin Shihuang's left ear was also filled with this echo, buzzing endlessly.

The emperor sat down again. Zhao Gao had broken Gao Jianli's arm. Hei Fu also came to bow to His Highness, saying that the rescuer was late.

Qin Shihuang just stared at the smashed Zhu, and laughed angrily:

"On the lips, I sing about eternal prosperity and longevity, but in my heart, I want to die!"

"What a Gao Jianli!"

"What a bunch of relics of the Six Nations!"

…

Gao Jianli was dragged down by Dong Yi and others. The palace servants were cleaning up the mess on the ground. The broken building was quickly carried away and the low case was replaced with a brand new one. However, the emperor was sullen and silent for a long time, and all the ministers in the palace also I can only stand and watch my eyes, nose and heart.

The "Song of Qin" that had just been eulogized became a joke in an instant, but no one could laugh.

Hei Fu was secretly looking at Zhao Gao, and just now, he saw the ruthlessness of this man again.

He took three steps and two steps at a time, and when he ran into the palace with the imperial guards, Gao Jianli was already restrained by Zhao Gao. Zhao Gaonai was a charioteer, and his arms could control a galloping horse. He pinched Gao Jianli's slender arms and twisted them out of shape. When Heifu passed by, he could even hear the crisp sounds of broken bones and dislocated joints. Zhao Gao, on the other hand, was grinning proudly.

This was such pain, but Gao Jianli gritted his teeth, blushed, and said nothing.

Although his stance is different, Heifu still admires this kind of person. Unfortunately, those hands that can play the most wonderful music in the world have been destroyed by Zhao Gao, and his fate has already been doomed the moment he threw the building. …

When being dragged away, Gao Jianli didn't struggle at all, just closed his eyes and smiled.

When his eyes glanced over, Zhao Gao also happened to raise his eyes. Their eyes met, and then they quickly moved away.

Hei Fu was lamenting that Zhao Gao was cruel and ruthless, while Zhao Gao was a little depressed and unhappy. He had always been suspicious of Gao Jianli. How could these scholars from the Six Kingdoms of Shandong succumb so easily? Sure enough, Gao Jianli proposed to assassinate the king, and Zhao Gao saw the opportunity, set off a low case, and blocked the blow for the emperor.

This was a rescue effort, but the fly in the ointment was that Heifu arrived early and late, and he arrived at this moment. He also threw his armor and hit Gao Jianli in the back, causing his frame to tilt. According to the situation at that time, even if Zhao Gao did not stop him, he would not be able to hit the emperor...

"Why are you everywhere?" Zhao Gao secretly hated him.

At this time, the emperor, who had been silent for a long time, spoke.

"Heifu, Wang Li and Dong Yi said that you rushed into the palace gate and said you had something important to see me. When you went up to the palace, you took three steps at a time. When Gao Jianli stood up to throw the building, you shouted a warning and struck him with your armor. Could it be that you knew it earlier? Is this person trying to do something wrong?"

Zhao Gao pricked up his ears. He wanted to hear how Heifu would explain!

Heifu bowed down and said, "I came to Duyi last night and heard from Zhang Han that Gao Jianli was a friend of Jing Ke. Now he was pardoned by your majesty and was blinded by smoke. He worked as a musician in Yuefu and was often close to your majesty, so he had doubts in his heart..."

He considered his words and said: "Furthermore, Zhang Cang, the historian under the pillar, recently studied music with Gao Jianli in Yuefu. Gao Jianli was ordered to enter the palace this morning. Cang noticed that his words were different, so when he met me at the gate of the Shaofu, he said this The matter has been said. He always felt that Gao Jianli behaved surly and felt uneasy, so he asked me to come into the palace to remind His Majesty to be careful about this person. I came in a hurry, but it was still a step too late. I am guilty!"

"Is that so?"

Qin Shihuang glanced at Li Si, the sweaty Tingwei who came over after hearing the news, but skipped him and directly called Zhonglang General Meng Yi, asking him to immediately send Lang Wei to question Xia Wuji, Zhang Cang, etc. and Gao Jianli Reach the most people.

Heifu didn't panic at all. He had informed Zhang Cang a long time ago, saying that if something happened in the palace, he should be mentally prepared to be investigated. Zhang Cang is a smart man and knows what to say in order to stay safe at such a sensitive moment. Own.

Without Heifu's words, Zhang Cang had been too close to Gao Jianli recently and often brought him things. The suspicion was high. He might have been directly imprisoned by the Tingwei for a thorough investigation. Even if he could escape the suspicion, he might not be able to keep his official title. .

"Zihu, Zihu, don't feel sorry for Gao Jianli. Think about yourself first. You have made friends you shouldn't have made. Brother, I can only help you with this..."

People were asked to investigate the matter thoroughly. Qin Shihuang's mood was still a little hard to calm down. After a while, he seemed to be talking to himself, and then seemed to say to Li Si, Zhao Gao, Hei Fu and others in the palace:

"Am I too lenient to these relics of the Six Nations?"

…

In the 27th year of the First Emperor of Qin, in autumn and August, as the morning glow had just broken through the clouds, heavy drums and trumpets sounded in Xianyang City, sobbing and mourning.

The execution ground next to the Wei Bridge was already crowded with Qin people watching the excitement. One hundred and twenty prisoners wearing ocher clothes were lined up, with their hands tied behind their backs, kneeling on the ground, mourning and wailing, behind them were expressionless people. Expression of executioner.

These people were all people involved with Gao Jianli: wealthy households in Songzi County, Julu County, all the families in Songzi City who had given Gao Jianli preferential treatment, and several Yuefu musicians who had close contacts with Gao Jianli. They sympathized with Gao Jianli and secretly provided him with lead weights. The young official of the Shaofu...

In the center of the execution ground was the real owner of today's execution. Five horses were arranged in five directions, with ropes tied around their bodies. The ropes were tied around the neck and limbs of a man with disheveled hair and ragged clothes.

The people of Qin kept scolding Gao Jianli for trying to assassinate the supreme emperor. Some of the Kanto scholars and merchants in the periphery had different expressions. They felt sympathy, but did not dare to show it.

Gao Jianli's death was approaching, but he kept smiling.

The person in charge of the execution was Sima Xin, the jailer of Xianyang Nan City. He coughed lightly and went over to ask Gao Jianli: "Gao Jianli, you have caused your old friends Yan and Zhao to die together. Do you ever regret it?"

"It was Zhao Zheng who killed them, not me."

Gao Jianli replied: "If you give me another chance, I will still hit it with a brick! But this time, I will hit it more accurately!"

"A clown, a moth flies into a flame!"

Sima Xin looked unhappy, but Gao Jianli laughed.

"No matter how strong the fire is, as long as there are enough moths that are not afraid of death, can't they be extinguished!?"

As soon as these words came out, Sima Xin suddenly changed his color and had Gao Jianli's tongue cut out so that he would not talk any more.

The bright eyes were blind, the dexterous hands were useless, the tongue that used to be able to sing loudly was gone, and the bloody pieces of flesh were thrown to the ground. Gao Jianli is now in pieces like his beloved building...

He could not see the scene at the execution ground next to him. He could only hear the sound of the executioner's ax chopping, the miserable howls of the people who had helped him, and the smell of blood, feces and urine that gradually filled the air.

Finally, when all sounds fell silent, it was his turn.

The ropes around his limbs and neck began to shake, and Gao Jianli knew that the last moment was coming.

But he didn't care. He was listening carefully, listening to the chirping of geese high in the sky...

In mid-August, geese fly south.

He opened his bloody mouth and wanted to say something, but couldn't. He could only tell himself in his heart.

"I, the lonely goose, will finally return to the flock!"

As the whip cracked, the horses roared, and the elegant musician was torn to pieces by the most severe punishment of Qin Law!

In a corner of Xianyang City Tower, Hei Fu and Zhang Cang watched all this from a distance.

Although Empress Zhang Cang was frightened, she could not hide her grief. She did not turn away and secretly wiped away her tears.

But Hei Fu only watched the heads of a hundred and twenty rich people and scholars from the Six Nations rolling into the Wei River. The banks of the Wei River were dyed red. The blood flowed into the turbid river and turned orange. A little further away, the blood color disappeared, as if Nothing happened.

His hunch was right. The emperor had decided to strengthen control over the old lands of the Six Kingdoms. Starting from the assassination of Gao Jianli, the relationship between the Qin Dynasty officials and the relics of the Six Kingdoms might become further and further apart...

…

After the assassination of Gao Jianli, the emperor ordered the Tingwei to carry out a purge in the palace. Not only were those who had close relations with Gao Jianli imprisoned for strict investigation, but from then on, musicians and painters from the six countries could no longer enter the palace. Half a step in the ban!

Even the three Chu painters who painted the Queen Mother of the West for Qin Shihuang in the past were no exception.

Even so, the Yuefu was still able to organize hundreds of Qin music officials to perform the adapted "Song of Qin" for Qin Shihuang in Zhangtai Palace.

It's completely different from Gao Jianli's tune. The musicians rang the bells, played the yu, and played the harp, but there was no persuasion. There were so many of them, and the music they played was so loud that they could stand dozens of steps apart. reached the ears of the emperor.

But Qin Shihuang was very disappointed. The same eulogy was played by a group of more than a hundred musicians, but it was not as powerful as Gao Jianli's performance. It seemed dull and boring.

"If you don't want to listen, get down!"

The emperor waved his sleeves, and the hundreds of musicians lowered their heads and slowly retreated, quickly disappearing outside like the fading tide.

The palace was empty again, with no one in sight, only the howling of the wind, and the emperor sitting high up alone, with his eyes downcast and his expression indistinguishable...

At this moment, he seemed to be a lone bird flying too high and too far, far away from the geese, and was not understood by the world.

It was not until Prime Minister Wang Wan and Imperial Censor Feng Quji entered the palace to pay homage that the emperor raised his head and announced:

"Zhao Gao defended me against Gao Jianli's attack. He saved me with meritorious service. He was diligent in royal affairs. He was promoted to the rank of Zuo Geng. He was still the order of Zhongche Mansion. I was also given two hundred yi of gold!"

"Hei Fu was in a hurry and threw his armor at the assassin. He also saved the driver and made great contributions. He also recommended strategies such as westward expansion, farming, and high-saddle stirrups. They were all beneficial to the country and the people, and were in line with my wishes. I will reward them for their merits and give them two promotions. Level, I will be honored as the middle watch! I will also give you two hundred yi of gold!"

After saying this, Qin Shihuang asked Wang Wan and Feng Quji again:

"Among the thirty-six counties, where is there still a shortage of county captains?"