Ya She

Chapter 24 The Copper Balance

221 BC, the 26th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign
Feeling someone gently wiping his face with a warm, damp towel, Hu Hai groggily opened his eyes and saw the face of a teenager. It was a chubby face that was normally quite endearing, but every morning Hu Hai hated seeing it.

Because that means he has to get up!
"Sun Shuo, get away!" Hu Hai turned his face away, avoiding the wet towel being wiped on his face, and closed his eyes tightly, intending to take another nap.

Sun Shuo was already used to his young master's habit of sleeping in every morning, and said with a smile, "Young master, today is the first day your teacher is teaching. Are you going to greet him like this?"

It would have been better if this matter hadn't been brought up. Just mentioning it filled Hu Hai with rage. He sat bolt upright in bed, fuming, "Sun Shuo, tell me, isn't Father Emperor being too biased? My elder brother's tutor is the renowned scholar Chunyu Yue, who is said to have started learning to read and write at the age of five. Meanwhile, I'm almost ten years old, and they've only just found me my first tutor, and this person is the Left Attendant of the Imperial Household Department! The Chief of the Imperial Carriage Department! Just a minor official in charge of the royal carriages! To have someone like that as my tutor is so unfair!"

Sun Shuo remained smiling. In his view, the task of waking the young master today had been successfully completed. Judging from the young master's appearance, he certainly wasn't in the mood for a nap. He gently washed Hu Hai's neck, hands, and feet, helping him change his robes one by one while advising, "Young master, His Majesty's favor towards you is evident to everyone in the palace. His Majesty is worried that you won't be able to endure the hardship of studying. I remember once passing by the eldest young master's residence and seeing the mountain of books in his study. The eldest young master's eunuchs were also privately complaining that they were exhausted from carrying those books back and forth every day!"

Hu Hai's mood improved somewhat, but he was also very interested in what Sun Shuo had said, and raised his delicate eyebrows to ask, "Oh? Is that really true?"

Sun Shuo thought to himself that children are indeed easy to coax. Although he was only a few years older than Hu Hai, he always felt that the young prince was spoiled, after all, the First Emperor really loved him too much.

Prince Huhai was born in 230 AD. In the same month of his birth, the First Emperor of Qin annexed the state of Han, beginning his unification of China. The First Emperor was a very superstitious man and believed that the birth of Prince Huhai was a blessing from heaven, so he treated him completely differently from the other princes. He tried his best to fulfill all of Huhai's requests, providing him with the finest food, clothing, and toys. Everyone in the Qin palace knew that Prince Huhai was the First Emperor's most beloved son.

Nine years passed in the blink of an eye. The First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, and Hu Hai was still extremely favored, but Sun Shuo felt something was amiss.

Yes, because the young prince is almost ten years old and still doesn't have a tutor to teach him to read! Compared to the eldest prince, Fusu, who was already studying diligently at the age of five, this is somewhat strange. Under Sun Shuo's intentional or unintentional prompting in recent days, Huhai finally realized this and personally asked the First Emperor if he could study.

Unexpectedly, the tutor that the First Emperor assigned to Huhai was Zhao Gao, the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office.

Sun Shuo wasn't as disappointed as Hu Hai. So what if Fusu's teacher was the renowned Confucian scholar Chunyu Yue? Chunyu Yue's Confucian political views were completely opposite to the Legalist ideology favored by the First Emperor. Zhao Gao, on the other hand, was a court attendant appreciated by the First Emperor. Although he was currently only a minor official in the Imperial Carriage Office, this position was crucial, responsible for managing the emperor's carriages and accompanying him on his travels, even personally driving the emperor's carriages—a position that could only be held by the emperor's confidant. Moreover, it was said that Zhao Gao was an expert in law and a renowned legal scholar; if the young prince received his sincere instruction, he would surely benefit greatly.

These were not words a eunuch should utter; if someone with ulterior motives overheard them, he would be doomed. So he could only smile and smile again, skillfully tidying the young master from head to toe, and then look with satisfaction at the handsome boy he had watched grow up.

Hu Hai was still unhappy and kept muttering to himself. However, being a child under ten years old, he couldn't come up with any new words and just kept shouting "unfair! unfair!" Just as Sun Shuo was about to offer some words of comfort, a cold snort came from outside the bedchamber. A tall, slender young man casually lifted the curtain and entered, while several eunuchs stood with their heads bowed, none of them stepping forward to stop him.

This man wore a five-colored silk robe with fish-scale patterns, a gold lapel hook at his feet, a sash and jade pendant at his waist, and a military crown on his head. The crown was made of blue silk with two tails standing upright on the left and right, its crown reaching towards the sky. This military crown alone had a great history. It was said to be the crown worn by King Wuling of Zhao. After the First Emperor destroyed Zhao, he bestowed this royal crown upon his close ministers.

Is it a coincidence that a close advisor could wear the crown of the King of Zhao, and that this person was also surnamed Zhao?

Sun Shuo suppressed his doubts and, before he could even examine the man's appearance closely, prostrated himself on the ground. He was merely a lowly eunuch. He discreetly tugged at Hu Hai's robes, which were trailing on the ground beside him, reminding him to respect his teacher.

"Who gave you permission to barge into the bedchamber so rudely?" Hu Hai's clear voice rang out in the bedchamber, utterly arrogant. A few beads of cold sweat trickled down Sun Shuo's cheeks; his young master's temperament was truly spoiled by the First Emperor.

"I heard someone shouting that it's unfair. Is that what the young master said?" Zhao Gao's voice was low and slightly high-pitched, and he deliberately kept his tone neither too high nor too low, which made people very uncomfortable to listen to.

"So what if I said it?" Hu Hai was so angry that he jumped up and down. Even without looking up, Sun Shuo knew that the child's face must be red with anger.

"Young master, do you know the meaning of the word 'fairness'?" Zhao Gao's voice remained calm and even, as still as a stagnant pool.

"Huh?" Hu Hai was clearly not expected Zhao Gao to ask such a question. He was intelligent, and although he had not studied systematically, his father would occasionally hold him while handling state affairs. After a moment's thought, he replied, "After Father unified the six kingdoms, he wanted to standardize the written language, the gauge of carts, and the system of weights and measures. Standardizing the system of weights and measures means unifying the system of weights and measures. The weight is a weighing instrument, and the word 'fairness' seems to come from the weighing instrument."

“That’s right, a weighing instrument is a device used to weigh objects. It’s usually made of bronze. The weight is the scale weight, and the balance is the beam. The Zhuangzi says in the chapter ‘Opening Chests’: ‘Make a weighing instrument to weigh them.’” Zhao Gao said calmly, clearly satisfied with Hu Hai’s answer. He took out a bronze balance and several bronze weights from the sleeve of his robe and handed them to Hu Hai. “These are newly forged bronze balances. Take them and play with them, my lord.”

Hu Hai was secretly delighted. His father had always bestowed upon him gold and silver jewels, and this was the first time he had ever seen such bronze market objects. He began to think that this teacher might be quite good. Hu Hai reached out to take them, but because his hands were too small, several bronze weights fell to the ground and rolled quite a distance.

Sun Shuo quickly crawled on his knees to pick up the scattered bronze weights one by one, placed them in his palm, and held them above his head, waiting for Hu Hai to take them.

Hu Hai fiddled with the bronze weight in his hand, and soon used it to weigh the gold seal of a prince on his body. He exclaimed with delight, "Isn't this fair? Impartial and unbiased."

Zhao Gao snorted coldly and said, "Fair? This is indeed fair, but if I were to use this bronze weight to exchange for the golden seal in your possession, would you accept?"

Hu Hai was taken aback. Although it was the first time he had seen this bronze scale, he knew that the prices of bronze and gold were not comparable. After a moment of confusion, he shook his head and said, "I won't exchange it. This is simply unfair."

“I didn’t borrow it, so although fairness comes from the scales, it cannot be measured by the scales.” Zhao Gao’s flat words sounded somewhat eerie.

Sun Shuo's arm was a little sore from holding it up, but he lowered his head even further. He knew that this person was instructing the young master, not from books, but from reality.

It seems the young master has indeed found a very good teacher!

Hu Hai, however, found Zhao Gao's words somewhat troubling. He placed the rather heavy bronze weight in Sun Shuo's hand and asked in confusion, "Then what is fairness? Oh, I see, is fairness only what the public says?"

Zhao Gao gave a slight, cold laugh: "The public? Do the people of the six states want to become Qin people? Do they really want their homes to be trampled by Qin horses?" His words were full of sarcasm and resentment, yet his tone was calm, as if devoid of any emotion, making it incredibly jarring. Cold sweat dripped down Sun Shuo's cheeks. Was it really alright to say such things within the Qin palace?
Hu Hai was also somewhat taken aback and didn't know how to answer the question.

Zhao Gao didn't expect anyone to respond to him. He calmly continued, "Therefore, only the words of the most powerful people are truly fair."

"This is the first lesson I'm teaching the young master. It's not that what the public says is fair, or what the king or monarch says is fair."

"So, strive to become a powerful person, young master."

After a moment of stunned silence, Hu Hai immediately became excited.

Sun Shuo was sweating profusely. Could such a teacher truly be without problems? (215 BC, the 32nd year of Qin Shi Huang's reign)
Sun Shuo jogged alongside Hu Hai in the imperial garden. In the blink of an eye, the young master he had been serving was already fifteen years old, tall and handsome, with a face like jade, an extremely dashing young man. His young master was of noble birth, the First Emperor's most beloved youngest son, and even if he walked around the palace with an air of superiority, no one would say a word.

However, Sun Shuo knew that Hu Haijing was unhappy.

Although the First Emperor had arranged for Zhao Gao to be Hu Hai's tutor, Zhao Gao soon rose to the position of Director of Imperial Seals, in charge of all the emperor's seals, making it difficult for him to find time to teach Hu Hai. As a result, Hu Hai spent his days idly wandering around the palace.

Of course, this was the palace eunuchs' misconception. Only Sun Shuo, who had been following Hu Hai all along, knew that his young master would wander around the palace every day, but would eventually stop at a secluded spot outside the warm pavilion of Xianyang Palace and stay there for the whole day.

Because this was where they could hear the First Emperor discussing state affairs. Sun Shuo knew it wasn't a big deal that Hu Hai was eavesdropping, but if a lowly eunuch like himself overheard something he shouldn't, the consequences would be dire. So he always stood far away, also keeping watch for the young master. He watched Hu Hai standing in the shadows, sunlight filtering through the dense foliage, creating dappled patterns on him, making his slender figure in his heavy robes appear even more fragile.

Sun Shuo sighed silently. The young master's habit of standing all day had actually been formed long ago. Even when he was very young, the young master loved to go to the eldest prince Fusu's study. The eldest prince always welcomed him warmly; after all, Hu Hai was a lovable child. Even if he didn't understand, he wouldn't make a fuss, but would just stare intently with his large, clear eyes, which no one could resist. However, later, the First Emperor said that Hu Hai would interfere with the eldest prince's studies and resolutely forbade him from going to Prince Fusu's study. So Hu Hai would stand outside the study and secretly listen. Later, when Prince Fusu was allowed to participate in government affairs in Xianyang Palace, Hu Hai's post was moved to outside the warm pavilion of Xianyang Palace.

Sun Shuo moved his slightly sore and numb legs, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. These little tricks were passed down orally among the palace eunuchs, allowing one to stand for an entire day. Sun Shuo found it incredibly unbelievable that such a noble young master would need to use them.

As he grew older, Sun Shuo began to understand things he didn't understand before.

For example, why did the First Emperor satisfy his young son's every whim but refuse to let him study? Why did he so readily spoil him and elevate him to the heavens, bestowing upon him any treasure without batting an eye, yet leaving behind only piles of books and swords?

This is because the First Emperor treated him as a son, while he regarded his eldest son, Fusu, as the heir to the empire.

The First Emperor was overly critical of his eldest son, but the harsher his attitude, the higher his expectations for him became. Conversely, the more lenient he was with his younger son, the less he valued him.

Hu Hai had also privately told him that he deliberately acted arrogantly, deliberately demanding all sorts of rare and precious treasures, because the First Emperor always satisfied him without batting an eye. Sun Shuo, however, knew that the young master didn't actually want these cold, golden, and dazzling things. He simply enjoyed seeing the heartbroken expression on the eldest son's face after successfully obtaining treasures from the First Emperor.

One yearns for recognition, the other for fatherly love; both are unaware of their own good fortune...

Sun Shuo glanced at the sun in the sky, then went to a nearby pavilion to prepare some snacks and water. Soon after, he saw his young master approaching with a resentful expression. He quickly prepared a cushion, tested the temperature of the cup—neither too hot nor too cold, just right.

Seeing that Hu Hai, who had sat down, was not drinking, but biting his left thumb nail with a gloomy expression.

Sun Shuo knew that Hu Hai dreamed of rightfully sitting in the Xianyang Palace, but this dream seemed unlikely to be realized. He reached out and stopped his young master's uncouth habit. He didn't know when Hu Hai had developed this bad habit; he noticed that whenever Hu Hai was agitated, he would unconsciously bite his nails, and no matter how he tried to stop him, he couldn't correct it.

"Sun Shuo, this is not fair." Hu Hai said, his handsome face tense, enunciating each word clearly. He only uttered six words, not finishing his sentence, but Sun Shuo, who had always served him, understood his meaning. He was unwilling to accept this. Why could that person study and practice calligraphy with his elder brother, participate in politics, while he couldn't even cross the threshold?

Sun Shuo pulled a clean silk handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped Hu Hai's left hand clean, looking at the mandibles that had been bitten down to their bare base with some regret. His young master's hands were clearly very handsome, but these nails were truly ugly. Should he make the young master wear gloves at all times from now on?
"Sun Shuo!" Hu Hai, unable to get a reply from Sun Shuo, angrily waved his hand, knocking the silk handkerchief to the ground.

Sun Shuo wasn't annoyed; his young master was always like this. He lowered his head and bent down to pick up the silk handkerchief, while also untying the gold seal of the young master from Hu Hai's waist. Then, under Hu Hai's puzzled gaze, he took out a crudely made bronze weight from his own pocket.

Seeing the two small objects sitting quietly on the table, Hu Hai frowned when he noticed the inscription on the bronze weight that read "the twenty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign." He said, "Isn't this the bronze weight that Zhao Gao gave me when we first met? Why do you keep it with you?" He remembered that he hadn't been interested in it for more than a few days before carelessly tossing it away somewhere.

Sun Shuo's face flushed slightly. This bronze weight was the same weight as the young master's golden seal, and he subtly felt that this bronze weight had special significance, which was why he carried it close to his body. He coughed lightly before saying, "Young master, Sun Shuo still remembers that this bronze weight and the young master's golden seal are of the same weight."

Hu Hai nodded, smiled wryly, and said, "That's right, I also weighed it myself."

Seeing that his mood had improved slightly, Sun Shuo pondered for a moment and continued, "Young master, if I may be so bold, this bronze weight is like a subject, which can be seen everywhere in the Qin Empire and circulates among the common people. But this golden seal of the young master represents the young master, which is extremely precious and there is only one of its kind in the world."

"Oh? That's a fresh analogy." Hu Hai raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious about what Sun Shuo would say next.

“This bronze weight is the same as the young master’s golden seal. In a way, it’s fair, because we all have the same life and live in this world,” Sun Shuo said with a smile.

“That’s true.” Hu Hai picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip of water. “You’re not going to say next that this is actually unfair, are you? That our positions are different or something?”

Sun Shuo said in a low voice, "My lord, the matter of the Seal Token once taught you that there is fairness in this world, but only the words of those who truly have power are fair. However, in my opinion, there has never been true fairness in this world. Just as I was born to be your eunuch, while you were born as a prince."

He had actually pondered this question for a long time: why was he destined to serve others from birth? But as time went on, he came to terms with it. Since it was his fate, why should he dwell on it? Besides, he served the young master very well, and he was happy.

“Like this bronze weight, even if it’s not actually bronze, it’s still brass and worthless. But this young master’s golden seal, even if it’s not cast as a gold seal, is still gold, the most precious thing in the world,” Sun Shuo said sincerely.

Hu Hai toyed with the golden seal of the prince in his hand for a long time, then his handsome face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "You've wasted so much breath just to make me know the difference between me and my brother? Am I destined to be this golden seal of the prince, while he is destined to be the Imperial Seal of the State and the Jade Disc of He Shi Bi?"

Sun Shuo lowered his head, silent. He didn't know how to express himself, nor whether this approach was correct. But he truly didn't want to see the young master suffer like this any longer. To covet what doesn't belong to you, regardless of the outcome, always comes at a heavy price.

Unable to get a reply, Hu Hai angrily turned and left, sweeping the cups, plates, and bowls off the table, leaving it in a mess.

Sun Shuo spent a long time searching through the grass before finally finding the rough bronze weight. He carefully wiped away the dust from its tip and tucked it away with great care into his sleeve.

Although he had infuriated his young master during the day, Sun Shuo knew that this boy, whom he had watched grow up, was easy to please. At dinner, he even took out the Golden Phoenix Knife, which he had scavenged from others, for the young master to appraise. Although the young master looked disdainful, his eyes were clearly already gleaming. Having served his young master for so long, he naturally knew where his weakness lay. Well, since he was still unhappy, then he would use some underhanded tactics.

Sun Shuo served Hu Hai to sleep as usual. He saw the last bamboo slip on the table, rolled it up knowingly, hid it in his sleeve, and walked out.

Bamboo slips were actually quite precious, but they weren't considered particularly valuable in the imperial palace. However, the First Emperor's refusal to bestow bamboo slips upon his young son didn't mean he was truly unable to read. Sun Shuo, the all-powerful eunuch, would take care of it for him.

Sun Shuo's method was actually quite simple: he went directly to the eldest son, Fusu, to borrow it.

As the eldest son of the emperor, who possessed more books than even the First Emperor himself, he was indeed a very good person to ask for help. Moreover, the eldest son, Fusu, was a very gentle person. The first time he went, he actually had to bite the bullet and ask, but the gentle eldest son, upon hearing that it was his younger brother who wanted to read, immediately picked out a scroll for him without hesitation. At that time, he didn't know many characters and couldn't remember what book it was, but he only remembered that the young prince was very satisfied when he took it and read it, and it later became a private custom.

He thought that the young master must have always secretly admired the eldest master.

Skilled at avoiding the palace guards, Sun Shuo arrived unnoticed at the door of the eldest son, Fusu's, study. He had barely knocked when the door opened, and a young man in a wide-sleeved green robe with a bright embroidered pattern greeted him with a smile, "I was just talking to His Highness; you should be here tonight." Sun Shuo quickly entered the study and bowed again. Although the young man appeared young, he was a renowned figure in the court many years ago. At the age of twelve, he was appointed Shangqing, a position comparable to the prime minister. Furthermore, he was not a palace eunuch but held an official post, hence his address of the eldest son as "Your Highness."

Only the eunuchs follow the old system. Now, in this empire, there are very few people who can be addressed as "Prince," because the First Emperor has conquered the six kingdoms, and now only his sons can be addressed as "Prince."

"Sun Shuo greets the eldest son." As soon as Sun Shuo turned around, he saw Fusu sitting cross-legged behind the desk, engrossed in his studies. The jade lamp with five shanks and goose feet beside him was burning brightly, casting a bright yellow halo around his silhouette, making him look noble and imposing.

Sun Shuo glanced at him briefly before looking away. Naturally, in his heart, no matter how handsome the eldest son was, he couldn't compare to the youngest son he had raised himself. Seeing the pile of books on the table, he knew the eldest son must be busy with important matters, so he didn't say much. He took out the books to be returned from his sleeve and handed them to the boy beside him, bowing his head and smiling, "Sir, the young master has already finished reading this 'Golden Cloth Law'."

These words brought Fusu, who was deep in thought behind the desk, back to his senses. He put down the book in his hand and chuckled in surprise, "Eh? Hai'er has already seen the 'Golden Cloth Law'. That's quite good."

Sun Shuo was honored and quickly bowed his head to report: "The young master once told me that the best of the fifteen articles of the 'Golden Cloth Law' is the one that 'when government officials receive money, they shall use a basket of one thousand coins to seal it with the seal of the magistrate or the prime minister, and whether the money is good or bad, it shall be mixed together.'"

I've learned quite a bit from those few lines of Qin law.

Fortunately, the usually gentle eldest son came to his rescue, changing the subject with a smile and asking, "What book do you want to borrow this time?"

Sun Shuo had been waiting for him to say this, and quickly replied, "Young Master said that he wants to see the 'Law on Appointing Officials' this time."

This time, it wasn't Fusu who spoke, but the young man beside him. He was more familiar with the books in Fusu's study than Fusu was. After thinking for a moment, the young man exclaimed in surprise, "I took the 'Law on Appointing Officials' to the warm pavilion a few days ago, so it's not here."

Sun Shuo understood. He figured the important figures in the Tiannuan Pavilion had been discussing the "Law on the Establishment of Officials," a matter his young master didn't quite understand and was naturally looking for a copy. Upon hearing that this wasn't the case, a hint of disappointment flashed in his lowered eyes, but he still said with gratitude, "Then I'm truly sorry to bother you, young master. Please lend me another scroll."

Upon hearing this, the young man was about to casually hand him a scroll, but the eldest son, Fusu, turned and said with a smile, "Speaking of the 'Law on Appointing Officials,' I do recall it. It's on top of the third pile of books on the left in the warm pavilion. I just flipped through it today, so it shouldn't have been moved yet. Go and fetch it."

Sun Shuo was touched, knowing that the eldest son must know about Hu Hai's guarding outside the warm pavilion, and also knew why he wanted to borrow the "Law on the Establishment of Officials". However, he really dared not trouble the young man beside him, since the other party was a high-ranking official! So he quickly bowed his head even lower and said, "No need to trouble you, sir. If it is convenient, I will go and fetch it myself."

The young man probably hadn't intended to make the trip for him, since it was quite a distance from here to the warm pavilion, and the autumn night was chilly and dewy, making him even less inclined to leave the house. The young man took a key from his waist and handed it to him, instructing him not to rummage through anything and to say that if he encountered anyone, he should say that the young master had sent him to retrieve a book.

Sun Shuo noted it all down. Actually, this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. There had been previous instances where Hu Hai had specifically requested books that were actually in the warm pavilion. Since young Hu Hai had no one to teach him and could only listen to their political discussions, he naturally became interested in the laws they used in their conversations. This led to situations where he had to go to the warm pavilion to retrieve books he wanted to borrow. Furthermore, many of Fu Su's books were moved between his study and the warm pavilion, and moving books was hard work; he was often called upon to do the manual labor. After all, these eunuchs, considered illiterate, were the most reliable laborers.

Having received the key to the warm pavilion, Sun Shuo took his leave and made his way there under the cover of night. The night was deep, but for a eunuch like him who had lived there for over ten years, only the moonlight was enough to illuminate his path, and he soon arrived outside the warm pavilion. Through the window, he could see a faint blue light emanating from within. Because of the fumes and the fear that a fire might destroy important official documents, the warm pavilion was not lit by oil lamps, but by luminous pearls.

Sun Shuo went around to the main entrance of the warm pavilion and was about to take out his key to unlock it when he found that the lock was not on the bolt.

Sun Shuo was momentarily stunned. As far as he knew, only the First Emperor, the eldest son Fusu, and Zhao Gao, the official in charge of the imperial seal, possessed the keys to the warm pavilion. Since the eldest son Fusu's key was currently in his possession, he couldn't just enter the warm pavilion without permission, regardless of which of the other two was inside. However, after calming down, he realized that there were no guards standing watch outside the warm pavilion, so it definitely wasn't the First Emperor inside.

Why would Zhao Gao come to the warm pavilion in the dead of night? Sun Shuo felt like a cat was scratching at his heart; his curiosity was unbearably itchy. He knew that curiosity was the worst thing to do in the inner palace, but he only considered it for a moment before making his decision.

He can just look and not say anything, that's enough.

Having stood guard here covertly for years, Sun Shuo was intimately familiar with the warm pavilion, even knowing that there was a gap where one could crouch down. His young master naturally wouldn't bend over in an unseemly position, but for him, it was no problem at all. He accurately located the gap in the darkness, peered into it, and immediately saw someone sitting behind a table, flipping through the books on it.

From his angle, he couldn't see the man's face, only the two black, twin-tailed hairpins atop the flamboyant Zhao Wuling King's crown. It was indeed Zhao Gao, the magistrate of Fuwang. However, Sun Shuo instinctively felt this man was up to no good, wondering what he was doing here so late at night. Although he could see the characters on the scroll in Zhao Gao's hand, he couldn't make them out clearly, only vaguely discerning some strokes. He held his breath, watching Zhao Gao stare at the scroll in his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Gao took out a pure white brush from his robes, dipped it in ink, and began writing directly on the scroll.

Sun Shuo blinked, thinking he was seeing things. The guards in the warm pavilion weren't strict, precisely because the scrolls were difficult to modify and hard to smuggle out of the palace. But now he saw what Zhao Gao was doing: he was modifying the scrolls! With each stroke of the brush, the original text on the scrolls would gradually disappear, and then new text would be written on them.

Is he dreaming? Sun Shuo secretly pinched his thigh; it hurt a lot. If he were dreaming, he should have been woken up by the pain.

Is this how Zhao Gao handled the duties of the Imperial Seal Controller? Could he arbitrarily modify any decrees he didn't like? That's outrageous!
Sun Shuo calmed down and realized that Zhao Gao had been doing this for quite some time. The fact that no one had noticed it until now must be because the things he modified were not important matters that were submitted by his subordinates.

Sun Shuo knew from the stacks of books on the left and right of the desk that the stack on the left had been processed, while the stack on the right needed to be processed the next day. He kept a close eye on Zhao Gao and found that he indeed ignored the stack on the left, but instead searched through the stack on the right, quickly made some repairs, and then deliberately placed a scroll on top before leisurely locking the door and leaving.

Sun Shuo squatted in the grass, lost in thought for a long time, before realizing he had been out for too long—long enough to arouse the eldest young master's suspicion. He dusted off his robes and stood up, deciding to keep the matter to himself. No one would believe him anyway, given his identity; besides, he was certain there were no signs of tampering on the scroll. Without evidence, who would believe his empty words?

With a cold sweat dripping down his face, Sun Shuo opened the door to the warm pavilion and easily found the "Law on the Establishment of Officials" that Hu Hai wanted in the third pile on the left as soon as he entered. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, his gaze fell on the pile of books on the right side of the desk.

Just one glance... there shouldn't be any problem with just one glance, right?

Sun Shuo quietly walked over and picked up the scroll. At the top was written "Records of Books." The name sounded familiar; he'd overheard someone mention it earlier that day while on guard duty outside the warm pavilion—that it was a rare book obtained by Lu Sheng, who had gone overseas seeking elixirs of immortality. This book required the approval of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, the head of the Nine Ministers. The First Emperor had just reprimanded the Grand Master of Ceremonies for not being fast enough, yet it had arrived overnight.

Sun Shuo carefully opened the scroll, only to be immediately stunned by the five large, bright characters that greeted him.

"The one who destroyed Qin was Hu."

The five characters were very simple, and he understood them at a glance. Moreover, the annotation below was also simple and clear. The Grand Master of Ceremonies commented: "Suspecting that the young master is a threat to the state, I advise him to move the palace to a new residence."

Sun Shuo was shocked and almost dropped the book in his hand before he came to his senses.

The following line of annotation, although it tries hard to imitate the handwriting of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, still shows that Zhao Gao had instructed Huhai. Sun Shuo has seen several of his writings.

Although the final character "之" in the book was carefully restrained, the last stroke still couldn't help but curve upwards slightly.

This must be a comment that Zhao Gao altered!
Why would Zhao Gao target the young master? If he didn't want to teach him, he might as well have done this!

A raging fire burned within Sun Shuo. Hu Hai's situation was already incredibly awkward; if he were moved out of Xianyang Palace and lost the First Emperor's favor, these eunuchs who treated people differently based on their status would definitely not give him a kind look.

The thought of his young master, whom he had raised single-handedly, falling from grace to the depths of despair was like a knife twisting in Sun Shuo's heart. He could no longer disregard his previous decision not to interfere. He would certainly not stand idly by when it came to his young master's affairs.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Sun Shuo carefully placed the book back on the top right side of the desk, then quietly left the warm pavilion, locked the door, and headed towards the eldest son's study.

Shortly after he left, a tall, slender figure appeared behind the warm pavilion, staring for a long time at a gap where light was shining through. Then he bent down and pulled a dark object out of the grass.

"The twenty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign? Look, this is a bronze weight with great commemorative significance..." The words, devoid of any emotion, drifted from the darkness, yet carried a slight hint of amusement. Sun Shuo, sporting large dark circles under his eyes, walked back listlessly. Last night, he rushed to the eldest son's study to return the key, then recounted everything he had seen and heard in detail, pleading with him for a solution. But no matter how much he pleaded, the eldest son only wore a troubled expression.

Indeed, if someone else had told him something so baseless, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.

Finally, he had no other choice but to ask the eldest son to put in a good word for him with the First Emperor. Judging from the young high-ranking official's eyes, he was clearly angry that he had been peeking at the documents discussing state affairs. Sun Shuo knew that if he wanted to borrow the documents again next time, it wouldn't be so easy.

However, we must first make sure that the young master will not be moved out of Xianyang Palace, otherwise, let alone borrowing books, it is still unknown whether he can maintain such a life of luxury.

The eldest son worked through the night, and Sun Shuo knelt in his study all night, begging for his favor. It wasn't until dawn that he had to take his leave because he needed to help Hu Hai get up. When he entered the youngest son's bedroom and lifted the heavy curtains, he found his youngest son already dressed and standing by the window, looking expressionlessly at the garden outside.

Sun Shuo felt a pang of emotion. As he grew older, Hu Hai had long since stopped sleeping in and no longer needed him to coax him like he did when he was a child.

"Where have you been?" Before Sun Shuo could finish reminiscing about the past, Hu Hai's words, as cold as ice shards, came crashing down on him.

Sun Shuo was taken aback, then lowered his head to hide the smile on his lips. Was she complaining that he hadn't come home all night? Sun Shuo immediately stopped feeling pain in his knees. He pulled out the scroll of "The Law on the Appointment of Officials" from his sleeve and held it out with both hands.

Hu Hai did not take it immediately as usual, but stared at him with cold eyes, making him feel uneasy.

Was the anger from yesterday still lingering? Sun Shuo wanted to say a few more conciliatory words when he heard a sharp, accusatory voice from above: "You've been with your brother all night?"

Sun Shuo nodded, about to explain, but Hu Hai became even more furious at his admission.

"Sun Shuo! We've been together day and night for over ten years, and I never knew you were such a wolf in sheep's clothing!" Hu Hai grew angrier as he spoke, and casually picked up the scroll in front of him and threw it hard at Sun Shuo.

The heavy bamboo slips hit Sun Shuo's forehead, and he didn't even flinch. It wasn't that he didn't want to flinch, but he was simply stunned by what his young master had said. What kind of show was this?
The scattered bamboo slips fell to the ground with a crisp sound, but no eunuchs came in to tidy them up. Sun Shuo knew that Hu Hai had already sent everyone away. Feeling warm liquid flowing down his forehead and watching drops of bright red blood fall to the ground, Sun Shuo, who hadn't slept all night, suddenly felt a little dizzy.

"Sun Shuo! What have I ever done to wrong you? You actually colluded with my elder brother, betrayed my information, and even conspired with him to say that the 'Hu' in 'The one who will destroy Qin is Hu' refers to me?! How dare you say such a thing!" Hu Hai became increasingly furious as he spoke, picking up whatever was at hand and throwing it at Sun Shuo. He usually liked to smash things, and often threw them at eunuchs, but he had never thrown a single thing at Sun Shuo.

Sun Shuo still didn't dodge. He already knew where the problem lay. He was about to open his mouth to explain when a voice spoke up before him: "Young master, please calm down. This person is not worth your anger." The voice was flat and easy to recognize.

It turned out Zhao Gao had arrived long ago. Had his spying last night been discovered? Sun Shuo was puzzled. If he wanted to kill him to silence him, why go through all this trouble by going to Hu Hai? He didn't look up at Zhao Gao. Although this man often came and went from here, Sun Shuo always kept his head down and had never seen Zhao Gao's face. However, he was very familiar with the military crown worn by King Wuling of Zhao, and he recognized him entirely by the crown and the flat, monotone voice.

“I remember this person’s name was given to him by the eldest son, wasn’t it?” Zhao Gao put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a crisp sound as it hit the table.

Sun Shuo was stunned. He had long forgotten about this matter if it hadn't been mentioned. Many years ago, when Hu Hai was still a child and liked to sneak into Fu Su's study, Sun Shuo served by his side and naturally couldn't avoid running into the eldest son. His name at the time was very vulgar. Ordinary people naturally preferred the more common the name, the better. The eldest son disliked hearing it every day, so he asked Sun Shuo to change his name.

“I remember that because you said you were born in October, your elder brother bestowed upon you the name Shuo, which is taken from the poem ‘The Turn of the Tenth Month’ in the Book of Songs, Minor Odes,” Hu Hai said coldly. “‘The turn of the tenth month, the first month of the month, the day of Xinmao, there was a solar eclipse, which was very ugly.’ I like this name very much.”

Sun Shuo blinked, blood trickling down his forehead, blurring his vision. He knew the young master admired the eldest son; he remembered even a casual remark from years ago so clearly. But what was truly terrifying was Zhao Gao. Just how powerful was he to know such a private matter so clearly? And even more terrifying was what Zhao Gao intended to do.
Zhao Gao didn't give Sun Shuo a chance to explain, and in his opinion, Sun Shuo had no chance at all. He simply said, "Since the young master likes this name, then let someone else use it; it will be the same."

Before Sun Shuo could figure out what Zhao Gao meant, he saw his young master walking towards him. Then, a flash of blue light appeared, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

To Sun Shuo's astonishment, what had initially been just a few drops of blood on the ground quickly pooled into a pool of blood. He straightened up and saw that the Golden Phoenix Blade he had given to the young master the night before was still stuck in his chest. The blade of the short sword was completely embedded in his chest, and blood soaked his robes, soon dripping onto the ground.

"Don't be sad. He cares too much about the eldest son, even more than about you, his master. There is no true loyalty, nor is there true fairness. Not betraying his master is just a matter of the copper weight on one side not being heavy enough."

Zhao Gao's calm voice seemed to come from a very distant place. Sun Shuo remained silent; it turned out that his death was just another lesson Zhao Gao wanted to teach Hu Hai.

Perhaps Zhao Gao genuinely wanted Huhai to leave Xianyang Palace so he could make some arrangements, or perhaps there was some conspiracy he simply didn't see through.

It doesn't matter if I can't see through it. His knees hurt, his forehead hurts, and his chest hurts even more...

The young master remained silent. Was he grieving? Don't be sad. He died bearing the stigma of betrayal, so why should the young master be sad?

Sun Shuo struggled to straighten up, desperately wanting to see the young master he had raised one last time, but the blood on his forehead covered his left eye, and his right eye couldn't focus no matter what he did.

He heard Hu Hai loudly summon the eunuchs, then point to a person and say, "You, from now on, will be called Sun Shuo. Remember, this is the name I bestow upon you!"

The man knelt down in fear to express his gratitude, but Sun Shuo felt gratified. Although he was about to die, his name would forever accompany his young master.

Hu Hai was furious. This was the first time he had killed someone with his own hands, and the person he killed was someone very important to him. This person clearly deserved to die, so why was he so distressed? Hu Hai looked at the person in front of him who had straightened up. Only then did he realize that Sun Shuo was actually much taller than him, but he had always been hunched over, serving him with his head down, never truly straightening his body.

Hu Hai looked up at him, as if he had never seen him before.

Then I watched him fall straight down like that.

Sun Shuo opened his eyes and listened as Hu Hai hurried away from him, then listened to his own heartbeat slowly come to a stop.

"I'd like to see if the bronze balance, now without its weight, can still weigh things properly." That flat, emotionless voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"These are yours, hold on tight, and don't drop them again."

Sun Shuo felt something heavy being placed in his hand, but before he could figure out what it was, he stopped breathing.

In his final moments, he finally saw Zhao Gao's face.

In the blurred vision, the person's face was indistinct; only a pair of eyes with an almost demonic allure could be seen. A single glance was enough to...
People thought they had encountered demons.

Fortunately, he had never looked him directly in the eye before.

This was Sun Shuo's last thought in his life.

Later, Sun Shuo discovered that what Zhao Gao had stuffed into his hand was the bronze weight he always carried with him.

Perhaps it was because this bronze weight was stained with the blood from his hands before he died that his ghost was bound to it.

As his body was dragged out and disposed of, the bronze weight fell from his hand and landed in the grass of the Imperial Garden. He then secretly spied on the Qin Dynasty's Eight Trigrams in the Xianyang Palace from the grass, which was quite satisfying for his curiosity.

The prophecy that "the one who will destroy Qin is the Hu" was interpreted as a threat from the barbarian Hu people in the northwest, and the First Emperor began to order the construction of the Great Wall.

Not long after, he saw the eldest son encounter the younger son in the garden. The younger son was calling out to someone else, Sun Shuo, and the eldest son asked him in surprise why. The younger son, who was already quite shrewd, calmly replied, "Brother, you're mistaken. Sun Shuo has always looked like this."

The fact that he could lie through his teeth shows that his young master has really grown up. Sun Shuo watched with great interest and deep emotion.

Not long after, my young master fell in love with Liubo chess.

Sun Shuo couldn't tell whether it was because the eldest son liked it or because the youngest son wanted to surpass the eldest son in some aspect that he was particularly interested.

But seeing the two brothers sitting together in the garden, seemingly amicable, playing chess, was a sight that evoked a deep sense of emotion.

Many years passed, and Hu Hai had several different eunuchs, but he still called Sun Shuo by name.

He felt a pang of sadness whenever he heard Hu Hai call his name.

Later, the First Emperor, who was obsessed with immortality, still died, and surprisingly, his successor was not his eldest son, who had been exiled to Shangjun to build the Great Wall, but his younger son, Huhai.

He overheard the eunuchs whispering, wondering why the Second Emperor had been so sullen since his ascension. He had a sudden realization: it was probably because of the eldest son. The First Emperor's attitude towards his two sons was so clear; even if the younger son ascended the throne, he wouldn't have allowed the elder son to commit suicide. And his younger son, who so admired the elder son, certainly wouldn't have issued a decree ordering his death. It must be him; that so-called First Emperor's will must have been fabricated by that treacherous Zhao Gao. He had personally seen Zhao Gao's white-handled writing brush, capable of altering anything.

The young prince is determined to become emperor, and he must also want to catch up with his elder brother and make his brother look at him differently. Just like a child who has obtained a new toy, he naturally wants to show it off in front of others.

But now that person is dead, what's the point of becoming emperor?
Looking at him, it seemed his young master hadn't really grown up yet. Sun Shuo sighed as he eavesdropped.

……

Later, upon hearing that Hu Hai's study was constantly filled with people and that his temper was growing increasingly foul, Sun Shuo sighed, realizing that his young master hadn't grown up at all. The little he had secretly learned in his youth was utterly inadequate for governing a country. All he could do was issue an edict from the First Emperor standardizing weights and measures, striving to maintain the regulations established during the First Emperor's reign.

With no one to show off to, his young master started acting unreasonably in all sorts of ways.

First, he killed all his elder brothers. Because his most beloved elder brother was dead, he didn't want to call any of them "elder brother" anymore. This was a simple principle that Sun Shuo understood.

Then he began to live a life of extreme extravagance. The First Emperor did not give Hu Hai books, swords, or other valuables, but instead made him addicted to swords and fond of collecting all kinds of them.

……

Sun Shuo watched with no surprise as, within a few years, the magnificent Xianyang Palace was trampled by the rebel army, its precious artifacts and gold and silver treasures were looted, and the Chu army led by Xiang Yu massacred and burned the city, leaving Xianyang Palace in ruins.

The prophecy "Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin" came true, as did the saying "The one who will destroy Qin is Hu," which refers to his young master.

It's ridiculous that he was so nervous back then...

He didn't care how his young master was doing; it was said he had committed suicide. So what?
Everyone dies.

He died, the First Emperor died, Prince Fusu died, Zhao Gao died...

The bronze weight fell onto the grass and was trampled on. The ancient bloodstains on it had seeped deep into the surface of the weight, making it an inconspicuous object. Now, no one dared to look down at it again.

When the palace was finally set ablaze, he was fortunate to escape being burned because the bronze weight had been trampled into the mud.

Sun Shuo watched quietly as the Qin Dynasty fell, as Li Geng leisurely departed, and as he himself was buried by sand and dust, completely unaware of how much time had passed.

Later, he was dug out of the ruins and passed through the hands of many people. In the very end, he was held in the palm of one person's hand.

He glanced at the person lazily, feeling that the face was very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

"The twenty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign..." The man's cold fingers brushed over the inscription on the bronze weight, and he chuckled softly, "A very familiar bronze weight, it seems I've seen it somewhere before..."

He watched the man smile mysteriously, then put him in the box.

It was pitch black, he thought, and he could finally get a good night's sleep.

(End of this chapter)