Ying Fusu

If the First Emperor hadn't failed to explicitly state his will as the successor, Fusu might have simply covered it up.

Fusu would not reveal a single detail to even the court officials.

The reason for concealing and hiding it before was to ensure the stability of the court and the nation.

At this moment, Fusu had to "announce it to the public" in court to explain to the officials why Prince Huhai was ranked after the princess in the order of succession.

At this point, the situation is relatively clear.

—Zhao Gao forged an imperial edict to install Huhai on the throne, but his plan failed;

Perhaps they died, or perhaps they escaped.

Prince Huhai, as a party involved in and beneficiary of the incident, was placed under the control of Prince Fusu.

The truth was thus revealed to the officials and ministers.

certainly;

There is another possibility.

—The First Emperor indeed left a will bequeathing the throne to his son, Huhai.

In order to clear the way for Prince Huhai, he left a will ordering the death of the popular heir apparent: the eldest son, Fusu.

Then, the emperor ordered the execution of each of the important ministers who Hu Hai might not be able to control—or at least those whom the First Emperor believed were uncontrollable and might threaten the Second Emperor Hu Hai.

This logic is barely plausible.

But it was only a reluctant effort.

There are still many minor flaws that cannot withstand scrutiny.

For example, Li Si.

—Who doesn't know that the eldest son, Fusu, and the Left Chancellor, Li Si, have always been at odds?

Just two years ago, Fusu was exiled to Shangjun by the First Emperor;

The reason why the First Emperor was angry and dissatisfied with Fusu was because Fusu advised him to be more lenient in the matter of "burning books and burying scholars alive".

The First Emperor's burning of books and burying of scholars alive was made possible by adopting Li Si's suggestion!

Li Si advised the First Emperor to burn books and bury scholars alive, and the First Emperor adopted the suggestion.

Fusu advised the First Emperor against doing this, and as a result, he was sent to Shangjun to endure the wind and sand.

This is no longer just a matter of incompatible personalities or not being able to see eye to eye;

Instead, their political views and inclinations are highly contradictory, even diametrically opposed.

To be honest, if Li Si had known about Zhao Gao's plan to forge an imperial edict to install Huhai when the First Emperor died, he would have been more likely to have conspired with Zhao Gao than to stop him!

Compared to the Second Emperor Fusu, with whom he was at odds, Li Si would certainly prefer the younger, more controllable Second Emperor Huhai, whom he had installed as emperor.

Therefore, the truth can only be as Li Si said: Li Si was unaware of Zhao Gao's plot.

If they had known, they might have done it together...

...

Furthermore, the list of high-ranking officials whom the First Emperor ordered to be executed in this imperial edict is somewhat questionable.

—They were indeed all important officials.

Indeed, they all held power, and theoretically, they could pose a potential threat to the Second Emperor, Hu Hai.

But it's a bit too 'comprehensive';

The current prime ministers, the general, the vanguard general, and the vice minister of the imperial household...

If this list is used to eliminate key figures, then indeed no one can threaten Hu Hai.

However, there was no one left in the Xianyang imperial court who could get things done or maintain order.

Based on the ministers' understanding of the First Emperor, even if he truly passed the throne to Huhai and intended to purge the court, the First Emperor's methods would not have been so crude.

A more likely scenario is that one of the two prime ministers, the left and the right, will be eliminated while the other remains alive.

Killing is a show of power, sparing is a sign of kindness.

Using both kindness and severity, and then having Zhao Gao fill the vacant position to jointly assist the Second Emperor Huhai, is not an option.

Even General Meng Tian is not someone who cannot be killed.

Considering the connection between Meng Tian and Fusu, killing them was even a necessity.

But if Meng Tian is killed, Wang Li will definitely be kept alive to replace Meng Tian and take control of the northern border troops.

Instead of killing Meng Tian and Wang Li, leaving the Qin Dynasty—and its Second Emperor Hu Hai—without capable generals.

Even the high-ranking official Meng Yi can be killed.

If Meng Tian and Meng Yi were killed, it wouldn't be something the First Emperor wouldn't do to wipe out the entire Meng clan as well.

Could it be Zhang Han, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household?

The Junior Minister of the Imperial Household?!

That's the Imperial Household Department!

He is the emperor's personal steward, holding the emperor's purse strings. He has money and manpower at his disposal, and can even mint coins and forge weapons on his own. He is a monster who can raise an army at any time!

Such a monster—especially one that reports directly to the emperor!

The true successor was Hu Hai. How could the First Emperor possibly kill the Minister of the Imperial Household Department instead of handing over both the Minister of the Imperial Household Department and the throne to Hu Hai?

...

Considering all of the above, this seemingly reasonable logic can be essentially overturned.

—The simultaneous execution of the left and right prime ministers was most likely because Zhao Gao himself wanted to become prime minister and monopolize power in the court.

At the same time, ordering the deaths of Meng Tian and Wang Li was Zhao Gao's way of seizing military power.

The order to execute the head of the Imperial Household Department was Zhao Gao's attempt to bypass the Second Emperor, Hu Hai, and directly seize control of the department's finances.

Having become the Chancellor, he held the power of personnel appointments, and also controlled the border troops and the finances of the Imperial Treasury...

If Zhao Gao had succeeded, would the second emperor of Qin have been Prince Huhai?

Hard to say.

Hard to say...

"May I ask, young master?"

Where is Zhao Gao?

In the silence, Feng Quji, who was kneeling and bowing his head, finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

The officials and ministers immediately realized that Li Si's logic—or rather, the version of the story that Fusu presented—also had a small flaw.

The person involved, Zhao Gao, is currently missing.

Was he killed by Fusu?

Why?

Murder?

still is……

Before the assembled officials could gather their thoughts, Li Si stepped forward again and bowed slightly to Feng Quji.

Then he said, "General Meng and his eldest son refused to obey Zhao Gao's forged edict and went to Shaqiu to meet the emperor."

As he spoke, Li Si picked up the forged imperial edict in his hand, which had been circulated among the officials and contained a more complete list of those to be executed.

Upon learning that the eldest son had not committed suicide, Zhao Gao produced this "last will and testament".

"And he coerced me: by following this imperial edict, you may be able to save yourself from being killed if you support Prince Huhai on his behalf."

"I refused, and Zhao Gao even tried to bribe the imperial guards, resulting in a lose-lose situation."

At this point, Li Si turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to a figure standing in the direction of the palace gate.

He then said, "Having failed to go and knowing that the matter was hopeless, Zhao Gao fled in the night."

"Young Master, General Meng has already sent men to arrest him."

"However, Zhao Gao's whereabouts remain unknown to this day..."

...

Having said these final words, Li Si, having completed his mission, bowed and returned to his seat.

As for the officials in the hall, after a brief moment of deliberation, they once again focused their attention on the kneeling and bowing head of the officials: Right Chancellor Feng Quji.

Amidst the overwhelming expectations, Feng Quji stood up shakily, rubbing his sore knees as he did so.

Then, without even bothering to bow to Fusu, he turned around and looked directly at the assembled officials in the hall.

"Zhao Gao forged an imperial edict, intending to control the heir of our Great Qin Dynasty. The matter was beyond saving, so he fled in fear of punishment."

"Prince Fusu, by order of the First Emperor's last edict, was put in charge of the national mourning."

...

"In terms of primogeniture, Prince Fusu was the eldest of the late emperor's sons."

"In terms of virtue, Prince Fusu's benevolence and wisdom are known to all under heaven."

"Among the people of our Great Qin, there is a custom that the eldest son observes mourning and holds a funeral before inheriting the family business and ancestral hall."

After saying this, Feng Quji deliberately left an opening, waiting for the reactions of the officials.

After all the officials in the hall nodded and showed their approval, they then cupped their hands in the direction of the side hall where the First Emperor's coffin was located.

"Your subject, Feng Quji, the Right Chancellor, bows deeply and respectfully, even unto death."

"Following the will of the First Emperor and the joint initiative of all officials;"

"It is proposed that the eldest son, Fusu, be made the Second Emperor of the Great Qin Dynasty."

"After the national mourning period ends, we will offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple and then inherit the great throne."

……