Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Chapter 31 I desperately want to be emperor

Li Si trembled. He somewhat understood what he was thinking in the future. It was nothing more than what Hu Hai and Zhao Gao had said: after he ascended the throne, all the affairs of the court would be entrusted to him, making him a powerful minister second only to the emperor.

Li Si rose from a minor official guarding a warehouse in the State of Chu to the position of Prime Minister. To protect his power, he framed his senior fellow apprentice Han Fei and sent him poisoned wine, forcing him to commit suicide.

Fusu is kind and generous, and has been greatly influenced by Confucianism. Once he ascends the throne, will he, a Legalist, still be given important positions?

Shen Chuan also became interested. The comments section mentioned Hu Hai, which reminded him of the performance of a certain tremolo prince in the drama. He opened the search box and searched for Qin Er Shi. As expected, it was the first result. The sky also changed accordingly, and the words "Sand Dune Incident" appeared. Text also appeared on the sky, explaining the cause and effect.

In the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the First Emperor Ying Zheng died of illness in Shaqiu during his eastern tour. Before his death, he left a will ordering his eldest son, Fusu, to return to Xianyang to succeed him. Zhao Gao secretly intercepted the will and conspired with the accompanying Prime Minister Li Si and Prince Huhai...

In the dimly lit carriage, only the candlelight illuminated the faces of Hu Hai, Li Si, and Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao looked at Hu Hai and Li Si meaningfully and said, "Our father has passed away. How can we change the will?" Hu Hai shook his head repeatedly. Although he was unruly, he was also aware of the affairs of state. "To depose my elder brother and install me in the throne is unjust; to disobey my father's will is unfilial."

Zhao Gao slowly shook his head, and in a seductive tone, softly bewitched, "Your Highness, is being a subject of someone else the same as being the emperor yourself?"

"If Prince Fusu were to succeed to the throne, His Majesty did not make any arrangements for Your Highness in the imperial edict."

"At that time, you'll have nothing left."

Zhao Gao spoke softly, but every word struck a chord with Hu Hai. "Yes, if I become emperor, everything will be mine; if I don't, I'll have nothing." Li Si, overhearing their plot, was horrified. "Impossible! I would never allow you to do such a horrifying thing!!!"

"Father, Father!!"

Hu Hai scrambled to Qin Shi Huang's feet, clutching at his robes, hoping for a reprieve.

"Your son had no intention of usurping the throne! You see, it's all stated on the celestial screen. From the beginning, your son only wanted to obey your decree; your son intended for your eldest brother to ascend the throne, Father!"

Hu Hai hurriedly turned around, pointing at Zhao Gao, "It's all because of you, you eunuch! Father, your son is still young and doesn't understand anything!"

"He must have been frightened by this eunuch to commit such a grave mistake."

Hu Hai continued wailing, and Ying Zheng's eyes gradually grew impatient. With a burst of strength, he kicked Hu Hai away. Ying Zheng bent down, dusted off his clothes, and coldly watched the wailing and pained Hu Hai. "Don't delay my appreciation of your excellent strategies."

"My good son, my good prime minister!"

As for Zhao Gao, he was doomed and there's no need to mention him.

On the screen above, Zhao Gao rolled his eyes and put on an indifferent expression. "Very well, I'll act according to the will. But Prime Minister, if Prince Fusu succeeds to the throne, will there still be a place for you, a member of the Legalist school, in the court?"

"If I were to lay a hand on you," Zhao Gao sneered, "you'd better not regret it!!"

Seeing that Li Si seemed thoughtful and wavering, Zhao Gao continued to tempt Hu Hai, saying, "Now only the three of us know about this matter, and we can do it completely without anyone noticing."

"Moreover, the world praised the righteousness of Tang of Shang killing Jie and Wu of Zhou destroying Zhou."

Zhao Gao spoke faster and faster, his tone becoming increasingly urgent, relentlessly breaking down Hu Hai's psychological defenses. "Your Majesty has more than twenty sons. Do you think it'll be your turn to be emperor?"

"Now is the best time. If you miss this opportunity, you won't be emperor in your next life, or even the life after that."

Zhao Gao's final words were like a heavy hammer, completely shattering the few remaining feelings of filial piety and righteousness in Hu Hai's heart.

Hu Hai abruptly stood up and went to Li Si, his face full of pleading. "Prime Minister, let's think about this again. My elder brother has long been dissatisfied with you. How has he opposed you?"

Seeing that Li Si was wavering, Hu Hai hurriedly knelt down beside Li Si, saying, "I'm different. If I become emperor, I will listen to you in everything."

"I will trust you and give you more important positions than even my father did!!"

"I will respect you as I would my adoptive father!!!"

Upon hearing this, Li Si's expression suddenly changed. "Uncle?"

"I know that doing this will let down my father and my elder brother."

"But I..."

Hu Hai was trembling with emotion, his hands waving wildly in the air, shouting, "I want to be emperor so badly!!!"

"I dream about this!!!"

"I miss myself so much!!!"

The ancient people in front of the canopy couldn't help but burst into unrestrained laughter when they saw Hu Hai's performance. They had never seen anything like this before. Even if they knew this historical fact, it was just cold, hard text in history books, nothing like the vivid scene shown on the canopy.

Some people even began to understand Hu Hai. Who wouldn't want to be emperor? If I were in that position, I would want to be emperor too.

Some commoners couldn't help but fantasize: "If I were the emperor, even the hoes for farming would have to be made of gold, every meal would have to include white steamed buns, and ideally, four dishes every meal, all of them meat!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed. The performance by the actors on the screen was truly vivid, and anyone could see that he wanted to become emperor.

His sons around him also burst into laughter. Zhu Yuanzhang noticed the one laughing the loudest and, remembering what had been said on the celestial screen, became displeased again. "Fourth son, what are you laughing at?!"

"Do you agree with what Hu Hai said?"

"You want to be emperor too, don't you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's large hand gripped the back of Zhu Di's neck, making Zhu Di feel numb. Why was his father so fixated on his future as emperor? He wasn't emperor yet! All the blessings were for him to enjoy later, while he had to suffer now. What kind of logic was this?

Zhu Di thought to himself: If Yongle appeared in front of me, I would spit in his face and curse him.

How could you be so selfish?!

Pah!

Two veteran actors almost couldn't keep up with the scene.

I don't think this person is acting; he genuinely wants to be one.

Follow-up comment: Wouldn't you want to be in that situation?

[Li Si was still hesitant at first, but the title "Uncle Father" completely captivated him.]

[Actually, he did manage to do it later on. Isn't the "Father-in-Law" just half a father? And Li Si ended up with only half a father.]

Follow-up comment: Li Si: You think it's funny?

[Even more filial, they pretended that the First Emperor was still alive, keeping his death a secret. In the sweltering heat, the First Emperor's body would have long since decomposed, and the stench of the abalone masked the putrid smell of the corpse.]

Follow-up comment: The First Emperor was, after all, a monarch, yet his body was desecrated like this after his death. Hu Hai was too filial. Follow-up comment: Fusu was a coward. He committed suicide without even asking any questions. He was too cowardly and weak. Follow-up comment: You know what, of the four crown princes, he was the only one who wasn't a pity. The others were more or less a pity. Follow-up comment: Fusu was useless. He had no one to blame but himself. In the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the ailing First Emperor Ying Zheng watched as the armored soldiers in front of his carriage beheaded Zhao Gao with a single blow. Li Si and Hu Hai knelt down beside him, trembling with fear. "Immediately issue an edict to Fusu, ordering him to return to Xianyang immediately."

"Order the East Tour convoy to return."

As for Huhai and Li Si, Li Si is at least somewhat useful in governing the country. With this leverage, he can help Fusu stabilize the court. As for Huhai... let's just wait until after my death to have him buried with me. Otherwise, given Fusu's personality, he won't be able to do it.

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