READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 11
Zhao Gao and Hu Hai, the chief culprits, were both killed with a thousand cuts. Although Li Si was coerced, it was also a death penalty according to Qin law.
Li Si trembled, but did not beg for mercy. He just silently placed the crown on the ground, gave a solemn salute to Ying Zheng, and calmly prepared to meet his fate.
At this moment, the Prime Minister on the right, Feng Quji, stepped forward and pleaded with Ying Zheng:
"Your Majesty, I thought Li Si could not be killed!"
Ying Zheng quite appreciates Feng Quji's loyalty. He and his son Feng Jie both sacrificed their lives for the country, which is very touching.
So now that Feng Quji is asking for mercy, Ying Zheng still needs to listen to this veteran minister's advice.
"I wonder why Feng Aiqing said this?"
"Your Majesty, Heaven has predicted that the world will be in chaos."
Feng Quji pointed at the light and shadow in mid-air and said loudly:
"Now is the time to employ people, how can your Majesty destroy the Great Wall?"
"Although Li Si had it, it was Zhao Gao who threatened Li Si's descendants that made him have to accept it."
"But Li Si's achievements are countless. Even if the merits and demerits cannot be equaled, why don't your majesty keep Li Si and let him assist the young master Fusu and make meritorious deeds?"
Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly and asked expressionlessly:
"Then according to the old prime minister's opinion, how should I deal with Li Si?"
"How dare I guess His Majesty's heart? It's just that the old minister cherishes Li Si's talent, so this offends His Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will learn from it?"
Feng Quji did not answer, but expressed his inner thoughts sincerely.
It was this sincerity that made Ying Zheng remain silent for a moment. After a moment, Ying Zheng looked at Li Si again and said stiffly:
"Li Si, since the old prime minister intercedes for you, then I will spare your life."
"However, death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be avoided."
"From today on, I will deprive you of the title of Tonghou, deprive you of the position of prime minister, and demote you to the rank of young concubine. I hope you will assist Fusu well in the future, and do not repeat the same mistakes, so that you can take care of yourself."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me!"
Li Si was so moved that he almost cried. Why does Ying Zheng need anyone? Being able to be ignored by Ying Zheng is enough to show Li Si's status in Ying Zheng's heart.
Although Li Si is now just a young concubine with a low official position, he is still a young concubine. A concubine is an official who can often accompany the prince.
Even though there is no prince in the Qin Dynasty now, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Fusu will definitely become the prince, and it will happen soon.
The identity of the young concubine can bring Li Si close to the water. Yue comes first. If he can be valued by Fusu, he will be able to make a comeback soon.
After Ying Zheng dealt with Hu Hai, Zhao Gao and Li Si, he looked up at the sky again. Now the fate of the three people has changed, and Ying Zheng has fallen. Want to see who else can come to destroy his country of Qin?
Daming, outside Fengtian Palace
"Haha, calling a deer a horse, this Zhao Gao is really a damn talent!"
"This operation is indeed unprecedented, but it is hard to say whether it is unprecedented!"
Zhu Yuanzhang commented on Zhao Gao with a smile, but his eyes kept lingering on the civil and military officials below, and then he asked a profound question:
"Do you think that Zhao Gao acted so boldly because the Second Qin Emperor was too stupid, or because the Prime Minister had too much power?"
When Zhu Yuanzhang asked this question, everyone looked at Hu Weiyong subconsciously.
After all, the current prime minister of the Ming Dynasty is Hu Weiyong.
And Hu Weiyong also felt great pressure at this moment, and he hurriedly stood up and answered:
"The biggest reason why Zhao Gao dared to be so arrogant when he came to power was because Qin II was too stupid and unprincipled."
"The prime minister is just a minister of the emperor. The king is the guide for the minister. If the king wants the minister to die, the minister has to die."
"The emperor is the supreme ruler of this country. Zhao Gao regards a deer as a horse and is an unfaithful and unjust traitor who has no father and no king."
As soon as Hu Weiyong finished speaking, a large number of officials knelt down behind him, waving flags and cheering for Hu Weiyong:
"The Prime Minister is right!"
"The Prime Minister is worthy of being the humerus of my Ming Dynasty. Everything he says and does is a wise saying."
"..."
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said as if joking:
"In our opinion, Zhao Gao dared to do this because the prime minister has too much power."
"How many powerful officials have appeared in the past dynasties? And these powerful officials, without exception, all hold the position of prime minister."
"Lu Buwei, Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang, Huo Guang, which of these people is not the prime minister? The prime minister, in his position as a minister, does the work of the emperor, and can even directly stop the memorial and handle it alone. What do you think this makes sense?"
Unconsciously, Hu Weiyong was already covered in cold sweat.
I don't know why, but today he always felt that Zhu Yuanzhang's words seemed to have something to say. Could it be that the memorial he handled did not satisfy Zhu Yuanzhang?
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang look at him again, Hu Weiyong's head turned rapidly, and then he said:
"Since ancient times, the prime minister has only assisted the emperor in handling government affairs."
"The superior has a lot of things to do every day, and some trivial matters are handled by the subordinates. Otherwise, it is the subordinate's fault if he disturbs the superior with some sneaky things."
"The prime minister commanded hundreds of officials and assisted the emperor to create a prosperous era. In history, not only the prime ministers who had powerful ministers, but also many virtuous ministers helped the emperor govern the country."
"Guan Zhong, Xiao He, and Fang Xuanling all made great contributions to the peace of the world."
"Therefore, I believe that Zhao Gao’s trouble does not lie with the Prime Minister, and there is nothing wrong with the Prime Minister. The fault lies with Zhao Gao and Qin II."
"I second the motion!"
"I second the motion!"
Today, Hu Weiyong has deep roots in the DPRK and has his own comrades in almost every department.
Every time he submits a letter, there will always be party members waving flags and shouting, giving people a feeling that Hu Weiyong responds to his call.
"Well, there is nothing wrong with a good Xiangzhi, but it is Zhao Gao and Qin II who are wrong. Zhu
Yuanzhang nodded slightly, with a slight smile on his face, as if he was very satisfied with Hu Weiyong's answer, and then said:
"Weiyong, you must help us well, we will also create a prosperous age of Hongwu!"
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang smile, Hu Weiyong breathed a sigh of relief, and then said hurriedly:
"Rest assured, the superior will do his best."
Hu Weiyong thought that the matter had been revealed, but he did not realize that although Zhu Yuanzhang was smiling, there was no smile in his eyes, and there were even cold gleams that kept appearing.