My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

Chapter 649: The Darkest Moment of the Qin Empire

Xianyang West Market.

It was so lively at noon today.

Passersby pointed at Zhang Cang and said, "He looks handsome, but he is full of evil intentions. He even dared to instigate the prince to write a letter to His Majesty, trying to alienate the relationship between His Majesty and the prince. It's really abominable."

"Looking at his fat head and big ears, I guess he must have done a lot of dirty things on a daily basis."

"Look at his wife. She's only slightly prettier than an old sow."

When Zhang Cang's first wife heard this, she immediately yelled, "What did you say?"

If Gong Chengmao had not been involved because of the late old Zongzheng, he would have been implicated by now.

In fact, Zhang Cang's father-in-law was the late Zongzheng, who belonged to the royal family of Qin. In terms of relationship, he was a relative of Ying Zheng and Fusu.

However, to be honest, in Xianyang City, even the gatekeepers could be considered a relative of the King of Qin.

You think being a small clerk in Xianyang is comfortable, earning a little money every month so you won't starve but you won't be rich forever. But even for such a small job, as long as it has something to do with the word "official", you still have to find connections and use backdoors.

this is the truth.

Zhang Cang turned his head away. He was now stripped naked and tied to a cart like a big piece of pork, as a demonstration to everyone. Although the word death was at stake, Zhang Cang still disdained to talk to these market villains who were taking advantage of his misfortune.

Some simple and honest people were standing in the corner of the wall in the distance, each of them carrying a basket and a child, looking at Zhang Cang with sad eyes.

"Doctor Zhang is about to be killed. I'm afraid no one will speak for us common people anymore."

Everyone was talking in the back.

Prime Minister Li Si ordered the Chief Justice Zhao Ying to be personally responsible for the execution and to make sure that Zhang Cang was killed to prevent future troubles.

Although Xiao He was a senior official, he had no need to be present at the execution ground where Zhang Cang was beheaded today.

However, Xiao He had a premonition that once Zhang Cang was killed, the prince's power in the court would suffer a serious blow.

Xiao He thought that he had to do something.

Under Ying Zheng, the people who held actual power were people like Li Si and Zhao Gao. As for those who really did things, they were all honest people and loyal ministers.

Ying Zheng did not allow loyal ministers to take power because he did not like anyone to disobey his will.

Ying Zheng has only one ideal in governing the country - everyone obeys my orders.

Simple, crude and effective.

Only now, Ying Zheng is also tasting the bitter fruit of implementing this political ideal for many years.

He was betrayed by his loyal ministers and the upright.

Snow was falling in the sky, and the pale sunlight was shining on the shoulders of the Chief Justice Zhao Ying.

Zhao Ying was also a fifth-rank official in terms of rank, but he was both civil and military, and he was able to balance the interests between the rich and powerful and the common people.

It was almost three quarters past noon.

Zhao Ying guessed in his heart that, from this point of view, the Crown Prince is not strong enough after all, and His Majesty the Emperor has more power.

The people who come to watch today are not just ordinary people.

Chen Yu and Zhang Er also came to the execution ground. If the prince failed today, they would leave the city overnight and find another way.

The only hope of Qin State lies in Prince Fusu. If Ying Zheng attacks the prince and does not trust him, that would mean he will destroy Qin State's hope.

The two hid in the crowd and stopped to watch.

Famous scholars from the Imperial Academy also came.

Several carriages were parked outside, and among the people sitting inside were Kong Yu and Chunyu Yue.

"This is probably the darkest day since the founding of the empire." Kong Yu couldn't help but sigh.

Just as Zhao Ying was about to issue the order to execute him, Xiao He suddenly said to Zhao Ying, "There is a large, whitish object in front of us. What is it?"

Zhao Ying had been to the battlefield before, so he had no fear of the execution ground, and he had never even looked down. But after hearing what Xiao He said, he couldn't help but look up.

He had never seen anything like it.

He couldn't help but come down to see what was going on.

Zhang Cang was seen being stripped of his clothes and lying on the chopping block waiting to be punished.

Zhang Cang revealed his tall figure, fat and white like a gourd. Zhao Ying, who had never had much dealings with Zhang Cang, could not help but surround Zhang Cang, looking left and right.

He exclaimed, "What a handsome man this Zhang Cang is!"

When the subordinates saw this, they quietly reminded him, "Tingwei, everyone is watching."

Zhao Ying was reminded and was about to go back.

But Xiao He said, "What a pity."

Zhao Ying could deny face to anyone in the Supreme Court, but he dared not deny face to Xiao He.

This person is the assistant to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was personally instructed by the immortal in his dream.

There are no less than a hundred versions of the story about Fusu going to invite Xiao He, thanks to the propaganda of the Chu soldiers and the exaggeration of the Qin Tiger Guards.

In short, Fusu went to invite Xiao He completely under the guidance of the gods.

Gradually, the Huben Guards interpreted Ying Zheng's decision to pull Xiao He out of the Imperial College and assign him to work in the Supreme Court as a sign that the Emperor valued Xiao He.

In an instant, Xiao He's value in the Supreme Court doubled.

Everyone was rumored to be saying that Xiao He would be the prime minister of Qin in the future.

However, the fact that Zhao Ying was able to become the Chief Justice certainly was not because he was afraid to offend Xiao He due to the rumors spread by the Tiger Guards.

Zhao Ying saw the great talents and moral character of Xiao He.

In the past, when Li Si was the Minister of Justice, the Ministry of Justice had rarely handled cases fairly for common people.

After Xiao He arrived, he worked tirelessly to properly handle all the unfair prison cases encountered by civilians. Afterwards, he did not take it as an achievement at all, which was the most rare thing.

Fairness is what almost every common person in the world pursues.

As subjects of power, most common people have encountered unfair events of varying degrees in their lives.

Once there is a person who is willing to uphold fairness and justice for them, that person will be more respectable than gods in the eyes of the people.

Not to mention the emperor.

Many times, if we really talk about popularity, in Xianyang City, Ying Zheng's popularity may not be greater than the popularity of Xiao He and Zhang Cang combined at that time.

Xiao He was deeply respected by the common people. He was able to avoid offending nobles who were more powerful than him, and he treated his family and friends properly.

Almost a model of human being.

He is like a piece of fine jade, with almost no flaws.

Zhao Ying respected Xiao He, not because of some dream that the Tiger Guards boasted about, but because Xiao He did what ordinary people could not do.

It lights a lamp for all those who are walking on the long road of life.

Xiao He told everyone that some people were willing to uphold fairness and some people had not given up on the common people.

Because Zhao Ying admired him very much.

If one day the prince really succeeds to the throne, he will have to choose a prime minister.

Many people are qualified to be prime minister, but almost all of them have shortcomings of one kind or another and have made mistakes of one kind or another.

But Xiao He was different. When he became prime minister, everyone would be convinced.

In Zhao Ying's mind, Xiao He was not his subordinate, he was just a wise man who would become the right-hand man of the second emperor and correct the world in the future.

Xiao He was destined to go down in history.

So Xiao He asked what was underneath, and Zhao Ying walked down to observe it himself.

Because the person who asked him the question was Xiao He.

Now everyone in the audience was looking at him and Xiao He, and of course more people were looking at Xiao He. Xiao He took Zhao Ying's hand and said to him, "The Fifth Doctor is so beautiful and has such a physique. I'm afraid he has a bright future."

Zhao Ying twirled the small mustache on his cheek.

Fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead. It was almost three quarters after noon, and he had to behead Zhang Cang on time.

"What Xiao Li said does make sense. But who dares to disobey His Majesty's decree? Xiao Li, please come back to the stage with me."

"Wait a minute." Xiao He suddenly raised his voice.

Zhao Ying was a little surprised. Xiao He usually stayed at home and rarely went out, and he never tried to be in the limelight. He didn't expect that he would do such a shameless thing for Zhang Cang today.

"You may not know that these five officials once followed the crown prince in the battlefield of Chu and made great contributions. They also made great contributions to the rectification of various schools of thought in Qin."

"Now Zhang Cang is about to die. Today I want to ask Zhang Cang if he has anything to say to the Crown Prince."

When Zhang Cang heard this, he immediately turned around and looked at Xiao He.

He was scared to death, and Xiao He still asked him such questions.

Zhang Cang looked at Xiao He. At this time, Zhang Cang did not understand what political struggle was. He still naively thought that he was punished only because he cursed Qin Shihuang.

Zhang Cang did not understand Fusu's situation, nor did he know what his death meant to everyone.

Like a fish that has given up resistance on the chopping block, Zhang Cang closed his eyes and said, "I hope the prince will be safe in the future."

Zhao Ying said, "Xiao Li, the Fifth Doctor has given the Crown Prince his last words. We can now proceed with the execution."

"Wait a minute!" Xiao He obstructed again.

"In the past, Wu Dafu and I served the crown prince together in the palace. Wu Dafu and I are comrades-in-arms. Please let Wu Dafu go and let him drink a bowl of wine with me before he dies."

Zhao Ying was now completely covered in sweat.

In the middle of winter, Zhao Ying was sweating and shivering.

He felt that there would be many obstacles to killing Zhang Cang today. With Xiao He blocking him, he might not be able to act in time.

So Zhao Ying agreed to Xiao He's request and at the same time signaled to his officials to report the situation here to the First Emperor.

Xiao He also saw Zhao Ying's little tricks, but when he decided to help Zhang Cang, he did not expect Ying Zheng to forgive his behavior.

In fact, Xiao He's tricks came from his early years in Pei County when he frequently rescued Liu Ji, who was often imprisoned.

So before Zhang Cang died, he was pulled up from the bloodstained chopping board, put on his clothes, and drank with Xiao He in the snow.

The two of them struggled for a quarter of an hour.

It was finally four quarters past noon.

The direction indicated by the sundial needle cannot be false.

After they finished their drinks, Zhao Ying pulled Xiao He up and said, "Let's go, Xiao Li. It's time to execute the sentence."

When Zhang Cang was in despair, he had a drink with Xiao He and felt it was worth it.

"I will repay Xiao Li's kindness in my next life."

Zhang Cang did not mention Fusu at all, because he finally understood before his death that every Zhang he had shown in front of the civil and military officials had been marked with a price in secret.

A man like him has no face to face the prince again.

Zhang Cang was hung on a chopping board like pork, with his hands and feet shackled.

"Execution!"

But at this moment, Xiahou Ying drove the car himself and Zhao Gao drove quickly over.

Zhao Gao sat in the chariot, feeling very reluctant.

He originally planned to come later, so that Zhang Cang would be beheaded first. Then the prince would not blame His Majesty, but would point the finger at him directly. And he could choose to offend the prince in order to help His Majesty, and thus get the Emperor's strong protection.

Because faith is dead.

The prince will definitely take revenge on him.

But he didn't know where a young concubine named Chen Ping appeared from. He happened to meet him on the road when his car suddenly broke down, and he insisted on letting the groom Xiahou Ying, who smelled of grass, drive for him.

At that time, Chen Ping was surrounded by sword-wielding Tiger Guards.

Zhao Gao had no choice but to get on Xiahou Ying's carriage.

When everyone saw that it was Zhao Gao, a favorite of the First Emperor, who was driving here, they all stopped what they were doing.

The common people made way, and the Chief Justice Zhao Ying personally walked down from the execution platform to greet him.

Zhao Gao stood on the carriage, spread out the imperial edict, and read it loudly:

"Your Majesty has issued an edict that Fifth Senior Official Zhang Cang should not be executed for his crimes, and that his trial should be postponed to the Supreme Court."

As soon as this decree came out, the crowd immediately erupted in exclamations of joy.

"Well, good people will always be rewarded!"

Zhang Cang's wife had experienced many ups and downs and had lost more than half her weight in a few days. She was so surprised and happy when she heard the news that she fainted from excessive surprise while sweating all over.

As they were talking, soon a group of common people appeared from nowhere, pushed their way through the huge crowd and swarmed forward.

They stepped forward and opened Zhang Cang's shackles, then lifted Zhao Ying and Zhang Cang high above their heads and cheered continuously.

"Long live His Majesty the First Emperor!"

"Your Majesty the First Emperor is wise!"

"Long live His Majesty the First Emperor!"

When Zhao Gao and the palace's ushering officers and eunuchs saw this scene, their eyes widened as big as bells.

Chen Yu and Zhang Er couldn't help but high-five to celebrate.

"OK!"

"That's great!"

Just in a corner around the execution ground, a handsome man looked at the situation at the scene with a slight smile on his face.

Then he climbed onto the carriage with his sword and flew away.

Xiahou Ying looked at the man's back, breathing heavily.

His hands held the reins tightly. They had done so much to save Zhang Cang.

Saving a person hated by all the nobles under the nose of His Majesty the First Emperor is a task harder than climbing to the sky.

But in the end, they won.

This is all thanks to Chen Ping.

But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has lost his closest friend.

Snowflakes were floating in the sky, the sun's rays were even brighter, and every inch of snow on the eaves was shining with silver light.

"Long live His Majesty the First Emperor!"

"Your Majesty the First Emperor is wise!"

Faced with this sudden series of events, Zhao Gao had no idea that they were all man-made.

In addition, there were other people watching around him, so Zhao Gao had no choice but to go back and report to Ying Zheng honestly.

In Zhangtai Palace, Zhao Gao pretended to be very happy.

Zhao Gao said first, "Your Majesty, you have pardoned Zhang Cang. Now the people of Xianyang are all praising your wisdom and intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng immediately put down all the memorials in his hands.

He hadn't heard such praise for a long time, ever since he erected twelve bronze men in the palace and expanded the Lan Chi Palace.

(End of this chapter)