Qin Official

It was late at night, but the back door of Li Si's mansion opened and closed. Several people in soap clothes and holding lanterns looked around and left the place.

Xianyang has been strictly enforcing the curfew recently. Only the powerful officials and officials can move around freely in the middle of the night.

Li Yu watched them go away through the crack in the door, took a deep breath, and returned to his father Li Si's study, where he claimed to have "went to bed." Prime Minister Li was sitting in his clothes, looking very energetic.

He raised his eyelids and asked his son, "Is Yan Le gone?"

Li Yu nodded: "Let's go. He came to my house on Zhao Gao's order because he wanted to..."

Li Si smiled and said, "I know why Zhao Gao sent people to find me."

"If I am not mistaken, the current situation is that your Majesty is unwilling to kill Zhao Gao according to Wang Ben's wishes, but he does not dare, let alone can't touch Wang Ben. Hei Fu and a group of thieves are getting closer to Guanzhong, and your Majesty is too dependent on Tongwuhou What's more, even the current queen is also the daughter of Marquis Tongwu. Even if Zhao Gao trusts Zhao Gao again, his method of dealing with the Feng family will not be effective..."

Indeed, now Zhao Gao is in a dilemma. His power has not yet reached the level of describing a deer as a horse in history. There are so many people in the court who dislike him. How can Wang Ben, who has hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line, be rid of him with an imperial edict? It's simply an idiot's dream, not to mention that even if Wang Ben is killed, Wang Li, who controls 50,000 border troops in the north, will not give up.

That's why Zhao Gao asked Li Si for help.

"It seems like I'm asking for help, but actually I want to test my attitude."

Li Si sneered. Since Zhao Gao did not dare to come in person, he did not meet him in person and asked his son to do it for him: "Have you conveyed my words to Yan Le?"

Li Yu nodded: "Following Zhao Gao's wishes, I said that my father also believes that this matter is a divorce plan by Hei Fu. His evil intentions are to make the emperor and ministers of Xianyang in the DPRK discord with each other and drive each other against each other!"

"Father doesn't want chaos to arise in the court and Hei Fu and the Six Nations group to steal the opportunity..."

"I also said that for Lang Zhongling, there are two plans for the present!"

Those two plans were considered by Li Si repeatedly. He had long expected that Zhao Gao would come for help when he was helpless.

"First, on the grounds that Marquis Tongwu was unwell, he was transferred back to the court. Your Majesty personally explained it clearly to him. He will temporarily replace him as a general on the front line. The selection will be decided by order of your Majesty and the doctor."

"Secondly, the public opinion on the front line in Guanzhong is currently raging. It would be disadvantageous for Lang Zhongling to continue to stay in the court. It is better to avoid the spotlight temporarily and go to Lishan to guard the mausoleum of the late emperor to rectify his innocence!"

It seems that he is thinking about Zhao Gao, but in fact, Li Si's real purpose is to kill two birds with one stone.

"Wang Ben returned to the court and was relieved of military power. Zhao Gao left the capital and lost the advantage of being close to the second generation."

Li Si stroked his beard: "If everything goes well, the political generals in Guanzhong and Xianyang will return to me. Although my family has no influence in the army, no matter who is sent to the front line, even if he is indeed someone whom both the superior and Zhao Gao trust, he will If the generals resist and resent him and find it difficult to control the entire army, he will surely be defeated by Heifu.”

In this case, the Li family's "anyway" conditions are complete. Heifu can successfully knock on the door, and Li Si will hand over Xianyang!

He asked his second son to step down and called his old retainer who had been following him since he became a Langguan.

"Li Ji, take two retainers with you and carry my customs clearance talisman, go to Hanzhong, try to get to the south, meet Hei Fu, and ask to see my son Li You."

"If Li You is indeed still alive, then ask Mr. Hei a few questions for me."

Li Si stood up and said:

"The first thing is, do Mr. Li and his black husband have more hatred or kindness?"

"The second thing is, the conversation between the old man and him on the steps of Zhangtai Palace twelve years ago, does Hei Fu still remember it?"

"Young people are to be feared. The position above one person and below ten thousand people can be given up by me, and I will give it to you together with the intact Xianyang City!"

The old retainer bowed his head: "What if the eldest gentleman is ill or even dies?"

Li Si was slightly startled, this was not impossible.

But he only sighed: "In the Spring and Autumn Period, Gongzi Zhou ordered to kill Duke Huan of Wei and establish himself on his own. Shi Hou, the son of the official Shi Que, followed him."

"When Shi Hou accompanied Zhou Xu on a visit to the Chen Kingdom, Shi Que asked his family minister to tell Chen Hou: 'These two people are actually trying to kill the widowed emperor. If you dare, they will try to do it.' So the Chen people followed it and killed Zhou Xu in Pu, Shi Que also asked his family to kill Shi Hou."

Li Si gritted his teeth and said: "Li You didn't know the truth, helped Zhou to do evil, and offended many people. Now that he is defeated, he has brought it upon himself. Although Li Si is not a pure minister, he also has the consciousness of righteousness and annihilation of relatives!"

The family leader accepted the promise and retreated. Li Si looked at the bright moon rising high outside the window and murmured:

"Li Si had many sons."

"But there is only one chance to preserve the continuity and wealth of the clan!"

…

When Li Si sent his family out of confinement, in Zhao Gao's mansion, Zhao Langzhongling also listened to his son-in-law's reply.

Yan Le whispered: "What do you think Li Si's plan is?"

Zhao Gaoyi hesitated: "Li Si's words seem to be for my sake, but in fact they mean that both Wang Ben and I will lose. He can monopolize the power in the court!"

Yan Le only cares about one thing: "Can this save the lives of my wife and my family?"

Zhao Gao shook his head: "With Li Tonggu's personality, this is not guaranteed."

"Decades ago, Li Sichu came to Xianyang and became a disciple of Lu Buwei. He wrote "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" for him. He was also recommended to the palace as a Langguan and was highly used by the First Emperor. During the Lao Ai Rebellion, Lu Buwei hesitated, but he still Li Si persuaded Lu Buwei on behalf of the First Emperor to side with His Majesty and defeat Lao Ai."

"But afterwards, it was said that Li Si tried to persuade the First Emperor to change his family and gain the trust of the First Emperor, saying that after Lu Buwei arrived in the fiefdom of Henan, there would be an endless stream of guests from various princes, fearing chaos. So the First Emperor forced Lu Buwei to move to Shu, causing him to commit suicide. Li Si once again persuaded the First Emperor to forgive the sins of Lu Buwei's family and followers so that they would not have to go to Shu. This was really a huge favor..."

"He treated Han Fei the same way. When Han Fei first entered the Qin Dynasty, Li Si admired his junior brother very highly and treated him with love. But secretly, he also joined forces with Yao Jia to slander Han Fei, saying that he was a prince of Han who came to Xianyang just to survive. Han, after all, will not serve the Qin Dynasty. If the king does not use it now, if he stays for a long time and returns, he will bring trouble to himself. It is better to kill him with the law of transgression!"

"So the First Emperor sent officials to punish Fei, and Li Si ordered him to leave poison and commit suicide. Han Fei wanted to confess, but Li Si secretly obstructed him, and Fei was not allowed to see him, so he died!"

Zhao Gao knew these old secrets very clearly.

"Li Si is so duplicitous towards his old master and junior brother. Now he is trying to persuade me to put down my power and stay away for a while. But what will he do when he takes over the government?"

Zhao Gao turned around sharply: "Will he turn his back on me and pursue the case of Feng and Gongzi Gao, and kill me? You know, when Feng Quji was imprisoned, Li Si was running back and forth, as if he wanted to rescue him. Feng’s posture won him reputation from both the government and the public.”

"At that time, this old Shuo Shu may send officials to arrest me and ask me to come out to take the blame. Without His Majesty's protection, I, the Zhao family, will probably die!"

"That woman, what should we do?" Yan Le was shocked. Who could have expected that Li Si contained so many pitfalls in just two sentences.

Zhao Gao bit his nails and said: "Although Your Majesty is unwilling to kill me, even if I stay in the court, Wang Ben has sent a letter to force the palace. Neither he nor the civil and military officials of the court can tolerate me, and they will kill me soon. If things go on like this, I I'm afraid that one day, His Majesty, he won't be able to withstand the pressure and will shed tears and ask me to commit suicide."

"And if I give up everything and go to guard the late emperor's mausoleum, I will put my life in Li Si's hands. I'm afraid I will die faster."

He showed a sad smile: "Should I regret it? I should endure it for a while longer and not come forward to help Your Majesty get rid of the Feng family and the young master!"

Who would have thought that Heifu would take advantage of this matter so thoroughly.

“Before I knew it, I was cornered.”

A trace of cruelty flashed in Zhao Gao's eyes: "But, there is still a way to survive!"

Yan Le quickly asked: "How can I survive?"

Zhao Gao looked at him: "Zhang Ao, are you back from Beidi County?"

Yan Le nodded: "I'm back, and I'm being held in prison waiting for my husband to deal with me."

Zhang Ao was a close minister promoted by Zhao Gao and the son of Zhang Er. His mother was killed by a black husband many years ago. Zhang Ao was randomly stuffed into a huge group of Wei prisoners, brought back to Guanzhong, castrated and made a eunuch.

Some time ago, Zhao Gao sent Zhang Ao to capture Heifu's eldest son in the north. As a result, Zhang Ao not only failed to find him, but also stabbed a large number of people, causing Wushi Luo to run away, so he was imprisoned after returning.

Zhao Gao raised his hand: "Bring Zhang Ao out quickly, I want to see him!"

…

"Mr. Zhongling! I am ashamed of my high hopes for Lang Zhongling!"

As soon as Zhang Ao entered the door, he grabbed the ground with his head, hugged Zhao Gao's legs and cried endlessly.

But Zhao Gao did not blame him. Instead, he kindly helped Zhang Ao up and let him sit down. The two of them ate together, filled with fine wine and delicacies.

Zhang Ao was in jail for several days. He was very hungry, but he still endured it. He lowered his head and said: "I hope Lang Zhongling will give Zhang Ao another chance. Ao Ding will go to the north again to kill the gangster's little traitor." catch!"

"That matter is no longer important. If you don't catch it, you just don't catch it."

Zhao Gao poured him wine himself and said with a smile, "Zhang Ao, how do I treat you?"

Zhang Ao also had a thick face and immediately knelt down and said: "The doctor treats me just like a father treats his son!"

"In that case, you can treat Zhao Gao as your adoptive father." Zhao Gao helped Zhang Ao up again, flicked the dust off his body, and said with a smile: "But I recently learned that your real father is still alive. ah."

"My father?"

Zhang Ao secretly raised his eyes. He was still young when he was imprisoned in Guanzhong. He only remembered that his father's name was Zhang Er, and he was a foreign hero. He later became a wanted criminal by the court and disappeared.

Last year, he was sent to Beidi County for half a year. When he came back, he was imprisoned again. He didn't know about Zhang Er.

"Your father, Zhang Er, is a heroic figure. He was a famous knight in the outside world, and later an anti-Qin righteous man. Now, he has become the prime minister of Wei State. He was named Changyuan Lord by King Bao of Wei. He holds great power in Wei State and serves as the Shangzhu State of Chu State. , and I can speak well..."

Speaking of this, Zhao Gao paused and leaned forward: "I have been wanting to make friends with Zhang Jun for a long time. Can you leave the customs for me and go to Wei to contact him?"

Zhang Ao's ears were buzzing, and he couldn't believe it. He had been tortured since he was a child and lived alone in the Qin Palace. No relatives or friends could be trusted. Now he actually knows that his father is still alive and has become the prime minister of the country. He still has a chance. Go see him?

But will his father recognize him?

He clamped his legs together, and the thing in the middle disappeared more than ten years ago.

So, should I go see my father?

"Go, of course you have to go! I will be a humble dog and horse in Qin, but when I return to Wei, I will have the opportunity to become a master!"

Zhang Ao clenched his fists under the case and put on a smile: "I am willing to serve Lang Zhongling, but I don't know what message I want to convey to Zhang Er on Lang Zhongling's behalf?"

"My brother Zhao Cheng is the captain of Hedong in Anyi, and he holds the military power in Hedong. You go to Hedong, pass through Zhiguan and Hanoi to Wei. When you see Zhang Jun, tell him..."

Zhao Gao touched his chin and considered his lines.

"Qin Lang Zhongling Zhao Gao and his younger brother Zhao Cheng, the captain of Hedong County, are the descendants of Zhao Changan and the evil grandsons of Lord Zhao Changan. After entering the Qin Dynasty for two generations, they were reduced to lowly captives. They were humbled for generations. Their mother was tortured and killed. Several of Kun's disciples were all born into hidden officials. However, they were highly powerful and well versed in prison law. They were promoted to be magistrates of Zhongche Mansion and served the First Emperor and Hu Hai for many years."

"However, although Zhao Gao pretended to flatter the tyrant, he was actually enduring the humiliation and gradually leaving the country. He just wanted to find opportunities to avenge Zhao and the princes!"

"It's a pity that the Six Kingdoms are about to perish. Gao has no choice but to protect himself."

Zhao Gao slowly told his "story", his voice suddenly filled with indignation and suddenly becoming deeper.

Zhang Ao's mouth opened wide when he heard this. For someone who didn't know better, he would really think that Zhao Gao was a spy from the Six Nations who had been hiding for many years, lurking alone in the abyss of time, lonely and hesitant, and in troubled times.

But he always sticks to the vow in his heart!

Zhao Shenhai's voice suddenly became excited and high-pitched!

"However, when he suddenly heard that General Xiang was expanding the Chu Kingdom, Gao Geng burst into tears; and when he heard that the Zhao family was re-established, Gao Geng didn't know what to worry about; when he heard that Prime Minister Zhang was reviving the Wei Kingdom, Gao Geng was so happy and excited!"

He seemed to be deeply moved: "Seeing that the situation of the princes is so good, it is true that I have been lurking for many years and it will finally be useful. What Zhao Gao has done in the past year, including killing Feng, killing Young Master Gao, and slandering Wang Ben, are all for the purpose of slandering Wang Ben from within. , overthrow the Qin State and destroy the Qin clan!"

After even deceiving himself, Zhao Gao solemnly handed over to Dongfang:

"Therefore, Zhao Gao is willing to welcome the righteous troops of the Six Nations, pass through Hedong and enter the Pass, to destroy the violent Qin Dynasty and fight against the black husband together!"