nyslfriends Chapter 78: The Fall of the First Emperor
Chapter 78: The Fall of the First Emperor
Deep within the dune palace, a fierce wind, carrying raindrops, lashed the buildings violently.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
"Your Majesty...How dare I deceive you?"
Zhao Gao trembled violently, his voice carrying just the right amount of fear, and his face also showing a timely expression of panic.
His expression suggested he was terrified by the emperor's fury.
But Ying Zheng's hand did not loosen; instead, he used his last bit of strength to clench it even tighter and more firmly.
The force was so great that it hardly seemed like that of a dying person.
"...Heh..."
He stared intently at Zhao Gao, his lips moving violently as if he wanted to question him. But in the end, he only managed to utter some meaningless whispers.
And in that very instant—
The fear on Zhao Gao's face froze instantly, then immediately vanished.
He stopped trembling, his movements became unusually steady, and he even calmly, slowly, and little by little raised his head.
As the candlelight flickered, the submissive and gentle demeanor on his face vanished, replaced by coldness and ferocity.
"Ha...hahahaha..."
Suddenly, a suppressed yet unrestrained chuckle echoed through the palace.
"Your Majesty, why bother?"
Zhao Gao leaned forward slightly, his face, usually hidden beneath a humble facade, appearing distorted and terrifying in the flickering candlelight.
He no longer concealed himself, like a venomous snake that had been lying dormant for many years.
It slowly raised its head, revealing deadly fangs coated with deadly poison, and greedily stared at the dying dragon on the sickbed.
Why struggle so much at this final moment? Wouldn't it be better to leave in peace?
Zhao Gao said softly.
His voice was less one of pity and more of a victor's mockery; every word was like an icicle, piercing Ying Zheng's dignity.
"Why...why..."
Ying Zheng struggled to speak, the metallic taste in his mouth growing stronger, as if blood had already surged to his throat.
But he seemed oblivious, still fixated on Zhao Gao.
Seeing this, Zhao Gao stopped sneer, a hint of reminiscence appeared on his face, and his tone became somewhat elusive.
"Does Your Majesty know that when I first entered the palace, I was young, ignorant, and timid?"
"The eunuchs of the same batch bullied and humiliated me, beating me every day. I was weak at that time and could only swallow my anger and dared not tell anyone."
Zhao Gao shook his head with a wry smile, as if he were truly seeing his former, humble and pathetic self once again.
But then, that memory vanished instantly.
His eyes turned deep and his tone suddenly turned cold.
"But I soon realized that patience never brings pity, but only greater trampling."
"Then on one occasion, they struck with extreme brutality. I huddled on the ground, listening to their piercing laughter. I thought I was going to be beaten to death amidst that horrible laughter."
"It's Your Majesty..."
Zhao Gao paused, his gaze complex as he looked at the dying Ying Zheng, his voice low and somber.
"It was His Majesty, who had just ascended the throne, who happened to pass by and saved me."
"Your Majesty may not even remember this kindness, or even care about it at all. But I will always remember it in my heart and never forget it for a moment."
"From that day on, I began to observe Your Majesty every day."
"Observe how His Majesty is humiliated by Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, and how he is ridiculed by his brothers, including Cheng Jiao."
"Observe His Majesty, how he patiently endures and accumulates strength."
"Observe how His Majesty, with lightning speed, seized power, took personal control of the government, killed Lao Ai, and brought down Lü Buwei."
Zhao Gao's voice gradually became more impassioned as he narrated.
His eyes gleamed with fanaticism, as if he were personally involved in these thrilling power struggles.
"His Majesty's figure, step by step, rising from adversity, treading through blood and fire towards supreme power."
"It is deeply engraved in my heart."
Zhao Gao took a deep breath, clenched his fist tightly, and his voice trembled with excitement.
"It was at that time that I swore in my heart that I must climb up the ranks and that I must use any means necessary to stand by Your Majesty's side."
"Later, I gradually became able to handle some matters for Your Majesty."
At this point, Zhao Gao's face revealed a genuine sense of longing.
"At that time, I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that I was fortunate to be able to follow such a great ruler as Your Majesty and witness Your Majesty create this unprecedented great achievement."
"This is probably a turning point in my life, a stroke of good fortune bestowed by Heaven."
"Your Majesty... is my heaven, my god!"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to do anything for you, even if it means my death!"
Outside the palace, the wind and rain intensified, the gale whipping up the rain curtain, howling and weeping as if lamenting this twisted relationship between ruler and subject.
"but!"
Suddenly, that moment of warmth vanished without a trace.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating Zhao Gao's face, making him look like a demon crawling out of hell, filled with violence and madness.
The sound suddenly rose in pitch, like the roar of a wild beast.
"But how can God grow old? How can God become senile? How can God become so weak?!"
He was almost out of control, advancing step by step until he was almost touching Ying Zheng. His eyes, like those of a venomous snake, were fixed on Ying Zheng's cloudy eyes.
"If Your Majesty cannot control everything, what right do you have to continue controlling this mighty Qin Dynasty?!"
"Your Majesty, who cannot conquer all, by what right do you have the power to control my life and death?!"
Zhao Gao practically roared as he uttered his last words.
The instant he finished speaking, all the expressions on his face—madness, anger, distortion—were evident.
Like the receding tide, it left behind only a desolate and lifeless silence.
Zhao Gao straightened up slightly, looking down at the dying old man on the sickbed. His eyes were devoid of warmth, filled only with coldness and an indescribable contempt.
"It would be best if such a ruler were dead!"
Zhao Gao coldly pronounced the verdict.
"Go in peace, Your Majesty. Great Qin... has its own new destiny."
After he finished speaking, Zhao Gao stopped talking and stood silently by the bed, as if waiting for Ying Zheng's response.
However, there was no more sound from the imperial bed.
At some point, the faint breathing had quietly stopped, but Ying Zheng's eyes remained wide open, staring intently at Zhao Gao.
It was as if they wanted to drag this traitor down with them to the underworld.
But the light in those eyes had long since been extinguished.
The candlelight flickered again, the light and shadow swaying violently, casting a chill over the entire palace.
The First Emperor of Qin, Ying Zheng, died at the Sand Dune Platform.
No earth-shattering wails pierced the night sky, nor did the mournful cries of officials echo throughout the palace.
Only a continuous autumn rain, pattering softly against the desolate terraces and broken tiles, silently buried an emperor.
The empty and desolate palace was left with only Zhao Gao.
He faced Ying Zheng's cold body alone, controlled the unwritten edict alone, and held the Imperial Seal, a symbol of destiny, alone.
An immense sense of power surged through my body like an electric current.
The hall was deathly silent.
Only the sound of rain and his own slightly heavy breathing could be heard.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Gao stretched out his hand, ignoring the imperial edict and the imperial seal, without trembling in the slightest.
He held his breath and took out a small lacquer box that he kept close to his body from Ying Zheng's still warm embrace.
The lacquer box was of ordinary design, unbecoming of an emperor, yet Ying Zheng kept it close to his heart until his death.
Zhao Gao took a deep breath and slowly opened the box. Inside, a strange object lay quietly.
It emits a faint, almost magical glow.
The light was not dazzling, but it was so profound that it seemed to suck away one's soul.
The light illuminated Zhao Gao's face, half of it bright, revealing his greed; the other half hidden in darkness, as deep as an abyss.
It even let out a few low laughs from its throat, like the hooting of an owl.
"Ha...haha...hahaha..."
Laughter echoed through the empty palace, sounding particularly eerie.
"The Great Qin... immortality..."
The light of the phoenix gall bladder flows silently.
It clearly illuminates the greed burning in Zhao Gao's eyes, and also reveals the next one, about to fall into the bottomless abyss woven from power, desire, and immortality.
A struggling, decadent puppet.