Chapter 6 fourth quarter

More than ten years later, I still can't be sure if all that happened.Because that's just...well, it's just ridiculous. That was when our first emperor had just unified the world.You know, the territory of the empire is unprecedented.The power possessed by the First Emperor was something that no monarch in the past had ever had.Therefore, there is nothing in this world that he cannot get as long as he wants it. In Beiban, Xianyang, from the east of Yongmen to Jingwei, the palaces of all the vassal states were imitated.It gathers the most precious jewels and the most beautiful women from various kingdoms.In Shanglin Garden, a large-scale Afang Palace was also built.The first emperor could enjoy everything that the princes of the world could enjoy in the past without leaving Xianyang.

We are also very happy for Shi Huangdi, and we all think that he is probably the happiest emperor since ancient times. However, the first emperor was only happy for a while at the beginning of the establishment of the empire, and soon lost interest in all this, showing a bored look. The courtiers tried different ways to make him happy, comedians' banter, samurai's horns, and even the illusions of the Western Regions were brought to the palace, but to no avail, the first emperor was still unhappy. The ministers talked a lot, not knowing what the emperor wanted. Finally one day, Emperor Shi Huang himself told us.

"I want to live forever," he said. You can imagine the uproar this statement caused among the courtiers.The first emperor is no longer the child when he first came to the throne, and he should not be indulging in absurd fantasies, but now he actually says that he wants to live forever! Shock, doubt, panic. Then there are all kinds of advice: tactful, direct, oral, written... In front of us, Emperor Shihuang threw a bunch of remonstrance books under Dan Chi. "Things you haven't seen may not really exist!" He roared angrily, "There are really immortals and immortal medicines in this world, but you don't know about them!"

He ordered the pile of remonstrance books to be burned, and in front of the raging flames, he said to his ministers: "Next time I will burn more than just remonstrance books." I was not deterred by his anger, wrote a fierce Qin letter and submitted it, and then ordered a coffin. I am the official historian, and the historian must tell the truth. The First Emperor summoned me in his bedroom.He was wearing casual clothes, leaning on a huge nanmu couch, looking at me with a gloomy face.I also looked at him without fear. A court lady was standing on his legs for him, secretly looking at me in fear from time to time.

After a long time, he said, "Why did you do this? Didn't you hear Tenth's order?" I said: "Your Majesty will do His Majesty's will, and my subjects will fulfill their duties." Shi Huangdi looked at me, and the sternness in his eyes gradually faded away.He breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Zhongxiu, I know your loyalty. But can you let me be quiet? I am really tired and don't want to argue with you anymore. You can't convince me, just as I can't persuade you you." The first emperor's voice was full of exhaustion. I was a little surprised, but I couldn't bear it. I couldn't say the sharp remonstrance I had prepared. I just said: "Then, can your majesty tell me the reason? I don't argue with your majesty."

The First Emperor waved his hand to let the court lady back down, and after thinking for a while, he quietly said: "I own the whole world, but if Teng ends up just like ordinary people, returning to the dust silently, then what's the point of getting the world?" I said sincerely: "Why is Your Majesty the same as ordinary people? Your Majesty has the virtues of being the Three Emperors and the Five Emperors. Even if you live forever, you will still have a great reputation to pass on to the world..." "Don't talk to me like that! I'm tired of hearing it." Shi Huangdi said coldly: "The reputation after death is worthless, and who knows what kind of reputation it is! It sounds good now, once I die, hehe ...You are the Taishi, so you should know very well, which emperor was not surrounded by the sound of praises during his lifetime? Which emperor was not attacked wantonly after death?"

I am speechless. Sages like Yao and Shun have been criticized by others. It is said that Yao has no way to govern the country, causing the "four evils"; I can't name a Mingjun who has no criticism during his life and after his death. The First Emperor said: "You didn't say anything, did you? Because you also know that death will take away everything: power, wealth, honor, women... You can't guarantee that the reputation of my empress will not be distorted and trampled! So , I tell you, in this world, only being alive is the most authentic and reliable; only longevity is the most worth pursuing!"

I said: "But..." I wanted to say: But there is no such thing as immortality in the world.But if you want to go back to the old problem, it will not help in the end.Why not take advantage of the fact that he can still listen to the words, and speak from other angles, which may still be useful.So he said: "... But, you have conquered, possessed, and enjoyed, isn't that enough? Everything in the world is precious because it will be lost. If you can be sure to possess it forever, you will feel tired instead. " "Tired? A joke!" Emperor Shihuang smiled contemptuously, and said, "That is the idea of ​​those who cannot occupy themselves. I will never be tired and never satisfied. There is the sea in the east, quicksand in the west, Baiyue in the south, and Baiyue in the north. There are the Huns... So many places are unfamiliar to me. Give me enough time, and I can conquer the ends of the sky... Changsheng, Changsheng, oh, longevity is so good..."

The First Emperor said with infinite fascination, his eyes flashed with excitement.He has stopped looking at me, and is completely immersed in his imaginary world... I anxiously found Guowei, who was leisurely pruning flowers and trees in his garden. "Unless there is a war," he said, carefully pruning a honeysuckle vine, "don't bother me." I said, "It's more important than war! Captain, you can't ignore it." "Oh?" Guo Wei stopped his work and asked, "What happened?" "The emperor wants to live forever." I told the Guowei the whole story.

Guowei pondered for a while, and then began to repair the flower vines: "Then let the emperor do it!" "What?" I was taken aback, "Guo Wei, how could you do this, this is no small matter, the country will perish!" Guowei was still cutting the flower branches, and said calmly: "Don't worry, the empire will not perish." I grabbed Guowei's hand and said: "Guowei, the matter is really serious. The emperor can't even listen to Li Si's words now, only you may be able to..." Guowei smiled slightly and said, "Do you believe that there are gods in this world?"

I said: "No." Guowei said: "Do you believe that there is really an elixir of immortality in this world?" I said: "No." Guowei said: "Then what are you worried about?" After finishing speaking, he withdrew his hand that was grabbed by me, and double repaired the bunch of flower vines. I was stunned as if I had realized something, and said: "Guowei, you mean...you mean..." Guowei repaired the flower vines, and said slowly: "I mean: anyway, it is something that doesn't exist at all, so let the emperor go! If you can't find it after searching, he will give up one day. As the emperor If you are so shrewd, will you still look for a god for the rest of your life? Why bother to stop him, but strengthen his pursuit?" I suddenly realized, and I was very impressed. After thinking for a while, I said: "But, as ministers, seeing the monarch go on so absurdly without making any remonstrance, isn't it a little... a little..." "Then what do you want?" Guowei looked back at me and said, "A corpse remonstrance? You still don't understand the emperor's temperament? When was he frightened by human life?" Said, put down the flower scissors, He stretched out and patted me on the shoulder, and said: "I know, you historians all have the stubbornness of Dong Hubing's straight writing. But listen to me, the life of a loyal minister is very valuable, don't sacrifice it at every turn. Show loyalty. Return your coffin!" I came out of Guowei's mansion with admiration and shame. Alas, Guowei is Guowei.At any time, he can be far-sighted and calm. I heard that I have been to Guowei's place, and my colleagues have asked me about Guowei's attitude.I told them what the captain of the country said.After hearing this, they all suddenly realized, and said in admiration, "Yes, yes, the Guowei thought it through, why didn't we think of it?" Therefore, no one would stop Emperor Shi Huang from going out on parades for neglecting government affairs, no one would accuse the alchemists of wasting state money to seek immortals, no one would make irresponsible remarks about the smoky alchemy furnace in the palace... We firmly believe that these disruptions are temporary and everything will get back on track soon. It was much later that we realized what a terrible mistake we - including the captain - had made.But by then it was too late.No, exactly, even if we knew what was going to happen, we couldn't prevent it from happening. Because that is God's will. It is really providence. While we were patiently waiting for the first emperor to wake up, the first emperor had stepped into the trap created by God's will step by step. He visited famous mountains and rivers one after another with great interest, such as Yishan, Taishan, Zhifu, etc., offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods everywhere, and carving stones to praise virtues everywhere.We are surprised at his tirelessness, and we don't know what kind of thoughts are supporting him to continue this boring game. A trace of worry floated in my heart. That day has finally arrived. The first emperor came back from a cruise on the East China Sea and brought back a strange man named Donghai Jun.According to the friends who were waiting for the car, the first emperor trusted the Lord Donghai so much that he drove in the same car and ate in the same case all the way, without even the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers. After hearing what my friend said, I really want to meet this Lord Donghai, so that I can pierce his mask in front of Emperor Shihuang as soon as possible.I am confident that with my knowledge, it should be more than enough to deal with such charlatans. I soon got my wish and met Lord Donghai, who was called by Emperor Shihuang to enter the palace. As soon as I stepped into the gate of the palace, the first emperor proudly pointed to a person beside him and said to me: "Zhongxiu, you always refuse to believe that there is a magic of immortality in the world, and now there is a person who lives forever, how about it?" ?” I followed the expectations of the first emperor, and saw a man in black with an indifferent expression. There was nothing unusual about his appearance, and he seemed to be only thirty or forty years old.So I sneered and stared at the human said: "Longevity? Excuse me, Gui Geng?" The First Emperor said: "Hey! Don't be rude! This Donghai group is more than a thousand years old. There is nothing he doesn't know about the millennium. You Taishi, you can ask him for some historical facts!" My heart skipped a beat, and I looked at Shi Huangdi, who was also looking at me with twinkling eyes. I suddenly understood why Emperor Shihou wanted me to enter the palace: he still had doubts about this "immortal" Lord Donghai, so he wanted to use my cross-examination to find out his details.So I thought, the general historical events are recorded in the annals and spread all over the world. I know that others can also feel tired.A thousand-year-old man like Dongqun dares to boast, so he must have come prepared. If you want to question him, you can only find the truth that few people know now, but there are many rumors from the outside world to ask him. After thinking about it, I asked the first question: "Excuse me: Who is Lao Tzu?" I would like to think that he would say that Lao Tzu was the official of the Zhou Dynasty's Tibetan room like ordinary people, but I didn't expect him to say coldly without thinking: "He is also a Taishi just like you. He served Zhou first and then Qin." I was taken aback and couldn't believe my ears. Lao Tzu spent his whole life in concealment and anonymity. At that time, the Zhou family was in decline. He left the customs and passed away.In fact, he did go to the state of Qin and spent his later years in Qin.As a Taishi, he also wrote down some of his own affairs, which were stored in the historical archives of the Qin State. After a long time, even the official historians of the Qin State may not know about it.I was sorting out old files not long ago, and found this secret by chance from a pile of dusty slips and slips.But the indifferent Donghai Jun in front of him said it so easily, and the tone of his speech was indifferent, as if it was a very normal thing. I didn't believe that there is such a thing as immortality in the world, so I asked him many such remote and obscure things: How did King Zhou Zhao die?Whether King Mu's war against the dog army will win or lose... Jun Donghai answered them one by one.When he answered, his tone was always flat and his expression was indifferent.Those soul-stirring secret past events came out of his mouth, as if they had become the most common trivial matters. He knew every detail of it, but he didn't take it to heart at all. The more I asked, the more my heart sank. I couldn't help him, and he even knew more details than me about some things. Finally, I had no choice but to admit defeat. I stared at Mr. Dongdi with resentment, and said, "Why is such a good knowledge used for such a thing?" I wish he could express anger, contempt, or ridicule to me, so that I can feel more at ease, at least I can know that he is not so unfathomable. However I was disappointed.He didn't look angry at all, didn't have a word of rebuttal, he didn't even look at me again, he just sat there indifferently, as if I didn't exist anymore. The First Emperor laughed out loud, the laughter was very pleasant, and there was a kind of lightness after finally getting rid of his worries.He ordered the left and right to reward me with two night pearls and told me to go down. When I stepped out of the palace gate, I heard Lord Donghai say in a cold voice: "Your Majesty, have you tried enough?" The First Emperor said: "Where did you think sir? I definitely have no such intention..." I walked out of the palace in a daze, with pain in my heart: I am the most knowledgeable Taishi of Qin, but today, in terms of knowledge I am best at, I was defeated so easily by a charlatan!I felt a faint uneasiness in my heart. I wanted to say what the uneasiness was, but I couldn't say it. In such a chaotic state of mind, I walked to Guowei's Mansion unknowingly.Maybe it's because I feel deep in my heart that only a wise Guowei can deal with this kind of thing! When I saw Guowei, I told him the ins and outs of the matter. At first, Guowei listened casually, but gradually, he became serious, his expression became more and more dignified, and he asked me a few words from time to time.Finally, when I finished speaking and waited for his comments, he was silent. I said: "Guowei, talk! This Donghai Lord makes me panic, but I don't know why?" Guowei's right hand firmly held the index finger of his left hand, and moved it back and forth. This is a movement he used to make when he weighed and considered before every large-scale battle. I was surprised to see it. After a long time, Guowei said slowly: "You are right to worry, we are going to be in big trouble." I said: "But I don't know what I'm worried about, isn't I just a warlock?" Guowei shook his head and said, "He is not an ordinary warlock." I forced a smile and said, "Guo Wei, do you really believe that he is over a thousand years old?" Guowei sighed and said: "If this is the case, I'm afraid he has surpassed immortality." My heart skipped a beat, and I said, "Guo Wei, what do you mean by that...?" Guowei said: "People in the time of King Zhao of Zhou must have known that King Zhao was stabbed to death in the river because of adultery? People in the Spring and Autumn Period, did everyone know where Lao Tzu went after he left the customs?" I know what the uneasiness in my heart is coming from! The answer from Mr. Donghai is too perfect, perfect beyond common sense.At that time, I wanted to ask him to the bottom, and asked all the difficult things, but I forgot that even if he really came from those times, he would not know these things.However, Mr. Donghai didn't raise any objections, he answered every question, and every answer was impeccable!What kind of person does it take to do this? I felt a chill running down my back, and said, "Guo Wei, is this Dong Haijun..." Guowei said: "I can't be sure about anything now, I want to go to the palace." The captain of the country has gone to the palace, and I am waiting for him. Sit and stand, stand and sit, I don't know how long it took before Guowei came back. Guowei's face was pale, he sat down and was lost in thought without saying a word.I have never seen Guowei like this before, so I hurriedly asked: "Guowei, what's the matter with you? Have you seen him? What do you think he is from? Where is your majesty? Did you say anything?" Guowei didn't answer my question, but just sat there blankly.After a long time, he suddenly said, "Have you ever heard of a mirror that can reflect people's internal organs?" I was startled, and said, "Guo Wei, what are you talking about? What mirror?" Guowei murmured: "I saw it. The shape is really strange, four feet wide and five feet high, like gold but not gold, like stone but not stone. It was clearly laid out in front of me like that. I saw my bones, saw My guts, alive. Do you know how our guts move? I know... I felt a chill in my heart, and said loudly: "Guowei, Guowei, wake up! No matter what you see, it must be fake, it must be an illusion created by Mr. Donghai! Those quack warlocks have this ability!" Guowei slowly turned his gaze to me, and said, "Illusion? Are the questions he answered you also an illusion? No one can deceive my eyes. I broke my left arm when I was young, but it recovered later. Not many people know about it. The mirror clearly reflected the old scar on my arm bone... Forget it, admit it, this time we met for real." I said: "Really what? Really immortal? Really immortal?" "It's really a monster." Guo Wei sighed and stood up, "I just don't understand why it came so fast? Our empire has only just been established!" I said, "Guowei, what are you talking about?" Guowei looked at me and said: "When a country is about to perish, there must be evildoers. As a Taishi, you should know the meaning of this sentence better than I do. Unexplainable monsters are always the precursors of the country's collapse. Xia The virtue of the Hou family declined, and two dragons descended and returned; the decline of the Yin and Shang Dynasties began when Emperor Wuyi shot his blood into the sky, and was killed by a thunderstorm; Hehe Zongzhou died in Baosi, and Baosi did not seem to be the result of the dragon's saliva. Transformed? Now, it's our Daqin's turn." I was stunned for a long while before I said in a daze, "Just... there is nothing I can do? Guowei, haven't you always been invincible and invincible?" Guowei sighed: "I can defeat all opponents for the empire. But this one does not belong to the world." I said, "Then... What are you going to do, Captain Guo?" Guowei said: "I plan to go back to hiding." I was taken aback, and said: "What? Retirement? No! Guo Wei, you can't leave. Once you leave, the state affairs will become even more out of hand." Guowei said, "Can I clean up if I stay?" I said: "At least... At least everyone will feel at ease. With the prestige of the national captain, sitting in the court, maybe the Lord Donghai will not dare to be too reckless..." Guo Wei shook his head and said: "He is too smart, he directly attacked the emperor. I am old, and I don't have the time and energy to fight a protracted struggle with the evildoers around the king." Looking at Guowei's pale hair and slightly hunchbacked back, I don't know what to say. Guowei walked slowly to several cases, picked up the golden tiger talisman on the case, played with it lightly, and said: "The empire is my work, if it dies for a short time, it will be a shame to me. Therefore, I must Do one thing and prove it's not my fault. I said casually in a daze, "what to do?" Guowei said, "Find a successor and pass on my wisdom to him, so that he can build another Qin State in the future. This is to prove that the subjugation of the country was not caused by my incompetence." I was dumbfounded.Guowei's mind has never been guessed by ordinary people.But I still never expected that he would have such an incredible idea! Guowei continued: "Of course, I will be very careful not to let him use this resourcefulness to deal with the empire. I will find someone who is smart enough, has enough endurance, and keeps his promise to suppress his ambition with an oath. Don't let him rise up before the troubled times come. At the same time, he secretly ordered the magistrate of the county where he is located not to give him a chance to be a leader. If the empire does not perish, what he has learned will be useless, and it will cause him to criticize The covetousness of power; if the empire must perish, his official career would be a vain sacrifice for the empire. My mind was in turmoil, trying to grasp something, but I couldn't grasp anything. They are all crazy.I thought sadly. The emperor I was loyal to was stunned by a sorcerer, thinking about pursuing immortality; the lieutenant I respected abandoned the empire he created, and somehow went to find some heir!what should I do?what can I do?I am just a civil servant with great reputation and no real power. I have nothing but loyalty. I can only helplessly watch the empire fall step by step. One morning three days later, Guowei left Xianyang quietly without disturbing anyone.He left a letter of resignation to the first emperor.But Emperor Shihuang didn't look at it and threw it aside casually - he was completely immersed in the absurd world that Lord Donghai created for him, and everything in reality was considered insignificant by him.