"Please? I would beg you, a brat?"
Xishu laughed wildly, as if he had heard some huge joke.
He wanted to turn his head, but because of the restriction of the shackles on his neck, he could only turn sideways along with his body.
The anklets were twitching as they were pulled, and Xishu laughed at Meng Jiakun and Bai Fei who were also laughing.
"Is this guy frightened by Naigong's foot skills and talking nonsense here?"
The Qin people were martial people, and it was impossible for them to learn etiquette, even from aristocratic families with a long history.
Anyone who has never called himself "Nai Gong" in his entire life and has always called himself "I Wu Yu" is not a Qin person.
Meng Jiakun, the oldest of the three, laughed and agreed, "Most likely. Our Master Cheng Jiao was afraid of death and pretended to be crazy and stupid for several years to save his life. He gave up the throne he had obtained. He has never seen the style of my brother Shu kicking people in the head."
Bai Fei, who was also laughing nearby, listened to Meng Jiakun's words and thought of the abandoned son of Zhao State who did not return to his country more than ten years ago. In the entire second generation of Qin State, there was only one Prince Chengjiao.
At that time, I, Master Cheng Jiao, was much more majestic than the Lord Chang'an is now.
At that time, there were many factions in the court, including the Chu-based relatives headed by the Queen Mother Huayang, the foreign scholar faction headed by Lu Buwei, the royal forces that had risen since the reign of Qin Xiaogong, and the native Qin aristocratic families.
These forces were all fighting for power in the Qin State, and their contradictions were essentially irreconcilable.
For example, the old Qin families and the foreign scholar factions were incompatible and attacked each other every day.
The former said that the latter were outsiders and would not die for the Qin State, while the latter said that the former were incompetent and would only drag down the Qin State.
Even the King of Qin found it difficult to balance so many forces. King Zhaoxiang of Qin, King Xiaowen of Qin, and King Zhuangxiang of Qin, three consecutive generations, all had the will but not the strength.
However, the young Master Cheng Jiao somehow managed to mold it into a piece of iron plate.
Looking back, because of my familiarity with Ying Chengjiao, my father established me as the head of the Bai family even though I was usually lazy and did nothing.
Now looking at the two Xianyang Prisons facing each other, they are filled with deep hatred for each other and hope that the other will die soon and be reborn soon. Bai Fei couldn't help but feel unable to laugh.
It would be fine if there were any irreconcilable contradictions or deep-rooted hatred between the two sides.
But no matter how much Bai Fei thought about it, he couldn't figure out when the old Qin family and Master Cheng Jiao, who used to be so close to each other, had developed such a deep hatred.
Absolute nobility, these three words are so cruel.
If these words were said by those scholars from other places who suddenly became rich and became high-ranking officials without any background, Bai Fei would not be surprised at all.
There are only so many positions. How can those foreign scholars become new aristocratic families if they don't kill them? Isn't that what Shang Yang, Fan Ju, and Lu Buwei did?
Absolute nobility is true, but not complete.
The right thing to do is to get rid of the old aristocracy and become a new aristocracy.
But what does all this have to do with you, who comes from a royal family?
The smile faded, and Bai Fei's eyes moved to Ying Chengjiao's face.
"Don't fool us with the death row inmates. You don't have that much hatred towards us. It was you who gave up the throne, not us who betrayed you."
One small step at a time, he walked steadily in front of Ying Chengjiao.
Using the tip of the canvas cloud-climbing shoes that could buy a life, he lifted the hair that was covering the face of the last corpse.
He looked down at the man and said, "If you want to put on a good show, do it better. Why doesn't this man chop off his head? Qin law does not have the punishment of suicide."
There was blood on the deceased's face, and his features were not so obvious when the hair that was blocking his face was removed.
Bai Fei originally just glanced at it casually, but this time he felt that the person looked familiar, and he couldn't help but frown and squatted down while speaking.
"Your power is huge, and the power of our three families is not small either. We might as well stop here before we have too much hatred. The death of Bao Bailingzhi will not be considered a loss of your reputation.
"If you still miss the heroic words we said on the wax festival day, we will kill Cai Ze together as a sacrifice for you. If you are willing, I will also give you a copy of the method of training a slave concubine..."
Before he could finish his words, Bai Fei's pupils suddenly shrank. He wanted to reach out and wipe the blood off the dead man's face, but his aching wrists showed that he was bound and unable to do anything.
He knelt on the ground, leaned forward, and put his head next to the dead man's head, like an old dog.
Only in this way could he get the dead man's head and wipe the blood off his face.
"Xi, Brother Xi..."
Bai Fei had everything under control, and his expression of "I'm giving you face, so please don't refuse it" turned into one of fear.
Xishu, who was laughing crazily, was still mocking Ying Chengjiao, and he was face to face with Ying Chengjiao, talking nonsense like a child and saying that he was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.
Hearing Bai Fei calling him, Xi Shu, who was in a special state, did not hear anything unusual in Bai Fei's words.
When he lowered his head and saw Bai Fei's movements and expression, he felt a little confused.
I don’t know what Bai Fei was doing kneeling there, or what he was afraid of.
"What?"
Bai Fei trembled as he straightened the dead man's head.
"This is... Nephew Fang..."
Xishu's laughter stopped abruptly, just like a wild duck quacking in a pond being hit by a stone and then silenced.
Plop~
The head of the Xi family, who had a crazy look on his face just now, kicked out in a hurry and forgot that his feet were not free, and was tripped by the iron chains on his feet and fell to the ground.
When he fell, the yoke on his neck hit the ground heavily. Although the hay mitigated some of the impact, the head of the Xi family still felt pain in his neck, as if he was hit by the back of a blunt knife.
Xishu, who was nearly falling to death, was helped to the dead body by his good friend Bai Fei. He immediately recognized Xifang, the third son of the head of the family whom he loved the most and was interested in.
"Fang, Fang'er..."
He kicked three heads away, and Xishu, who was an excellent foot player, waved his hands over the three heads, not daring to let go.
It seemed as if Xifang, who was lying on the ground, was not completely dead yet, and would die completely once he was touched by his hand.
Bang!
Ying Chengjiao kicked Xifang on the head and broke his neck with his clever strength, and the whole body was separated into pieces.
The Western head flew out in a straight line and hit the prison wall, leaving white turbid liquid on it, rolling down.
Xishu looked at the headless corpse in front of him with blood gushing out of its neck, and trembled as he muttered to himself: "No, no, don't..."
Ying Chengjiao stepped on the blood that had just flowed out, which could not even be called a pool.
He laughed and said, "That's because Brother Fang died and his body lost its vitality. His heart no longer supplies blood and his blood pressure is gone. Otherwise, all this blood would have splashed onto Uncle Shu's face."
Xishu looked at him blankly, as if he hadn't heard anything, still mumbling "No, no, Fang'er..."
Ying Chengjiao picked up Xi Shu's head from the wall and placed it in front of Xi Shu. He held Xi Shu's head and asked the head of the Xi family to look at his most beloved third son.
"Uncle Shu, look at my footwork just now. I can break the head and neck with my feet."
Xishu's body trembled and he said nothing.
"Not talking? That means I'm not a good kicker. Then please give me another flying kick to the head, so that I, a fool pretending to be crazy, can see your style? You don't give me face? Then give me a stick."
Ying Chengjiao grinned grimly and grabbed Xishu's head and hit it against Xifang's head.
Father and son.
One life and one death.
The living head hits the dead skull.
"ah!"
Drops of brain matter overflowed from the crack in the dead skull and splashed onto the living head and face. Xishu's body trembled violently and he screamed. He tried to shrink his body but was clamped by the big hand on his neck and could not move.
Whether you look at it from a distance or up close, it looks like an animal with a yoke around its neck struggling to break free.
"This boy is vicious..."
Meng Jiakun was furious. He shook the shackles and screamed and cursed.
Before he could finish his words, he was slapped hard on the face by Ying Chengjiao.
The martial arts skills of these people present are not very profound.
No one noticed why Ying Chengjiao was pinching Xishu's head and Xifang's skull in the last second, and then standing in front of Meng Jiakun with a smile and slapping him hard in the next second.
Meng Jiakun fell to the ground. The shackles on his neck hurt the side of his neck so much that it seemed like it was going to break, making it difficult for him to stand up.
Ying Chengjiao squatted down and asked with a smile, "Uncle Jiakun is going to replace Uncle Shu and show the cowardly Chengjiao how to kick someone in the head?"
Only then did Meng Jiakun realize that the Great Qin Chang'an Jun in front of him wanted to kill him. All the hatred in his face turned into fear, and he was unable to speak.
Ying Chengjiao pinched the wrinkled face of the patriarch of the Meng family, causing it to quickly turn purple. Meng Jiakun endured the pain without daring to cry out.
Ying Chengjiao increased the strength of his hands, and blood began to seep from his subordinate's old face.
He grinned and said, "You are afraid of death too."
Gan Luo, who was sitting on the couch, had a gloomy look on his face as he looked at Xi Shu, who had escaped from Ying Chengjiao's control, curled up on the ground like a big shrimp, trembling and screaming constantly, feeling grief-stricken for the rabbit's death.
No matter how much the three great families compete with the Gan family for power, it is still a struggle for interests among the families.
It only matters victory or defeat, not life or death. The Gan family and the three major families are still in the same camp.
“Ahhhhhhhh…”
Meng Jiakun and his best friend Xishu screamed unconsciously, howling in agony as the flesh on their old faces was torn off.
The three great families of Meng, Bai and Xi have always been closely connected. The heads of the Meng and Xi families both screamed in agony.
Bai Fei, the only one who was not hurt, had no intention of sharing the joys and sorrows with his two old friends or speaking a word of justice. He slumped to the ground, buried his head and dared not say a word.
In the prison corridor, the jailer who had already left heard screams and was afraid that something had happened to Ying Chengjiao, so he hurried back.
Even without the special instructions from the Chief Justice Li Si, Ying Chengjiao's dual positions as Prime Minister and National Commandant were enough to make the jailers pay more attention.
When the jailer returned and saw the scene in front of him, he, who had been on the battlefield and wielded the Qin sword and killed, forgot for a moment what Ying Chengjiao asked him to do.
Meng Jiakun rolled on the ground and screamed, Xishu curled up and screamed, and Bai Fei buried his head in his swollen knees and shivered.
If these things happened on the battlefield, they would not have much impact on the jailers.
Having seen arms and legs flying everywhere, and half of a body being run over by a chariot and hung in the wheels and crushed into meat paste, the scene before my eyes was really not tragic at all.
But this is not a battlefield, it is Xianyang Prison.
Those who were screaming, trembling, and afraid to speak were not the soldiers from various countries who might lose their lives at any time, but the heads of the three great families of Meng Xibai.
Although the jailer had received the order from Ying Chengjiao to execute the three great families, he had already been mentally prepared for this.
But when all this happened in front of him, he felt his heart stop beating, his body lost control, and he stood there not knowing where he was, as if in a dream.
"Go do something."
A whisper, like the sound of a huge bell, woke up the jailer.
The jailer's body trembled, he bowed his head and said to Chang'an Jun who had come to his side at some point: "Yes!"
"Your Majesty will not allow it." Gan Luo said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty will not allow you to do such a reckless thing. If you destroy the three families of Meng, Xi and Bai, the people of the aristocratic families will be in panic, and the Qin State will be in chaos."
"That's not your concern." Ying Chengjiao smiled back and said, "How about it, brother Luo, do you want to work with me now? You don't want to go back with your three uncles, do you?"
Gan Luo walked in front of Ying Chengjiao, looked up slightly, and was no more than three inches away from Ying Chengjiao.
He said coldly: "I call you brother, and you really think of yourself as a brother."
Bang~
After being slapped in the face, Gan Luo suddenly turned around and stared at Ying Chengjiao with hatred, and red marks quickly appeared on his face.
Rubbing his palms, Ying Chengqi smiled and said, "You still have time to think about it. The three families of Meng, Xi and Bai have more than a thousand people in total. Even killing a thousand pigs will not be a matter of a moment. I will not kill the three uncles until all the three families are dead."
Gan Luo suddenly launched a surprise attack, but Ying Cheng took advantage of him and flicked his palm with his middle two fingers, causing him to collapse.
Bang~
There were five finger marks on the other cheek that was not hit.
"I don't want to kill you, don't force me."
Ying Chengjiao had a blank expression on his face.
"You are forcing me. I hate your hypocrisy the most. Since you have started a life-and-death war, don't act like a hypocrite here. It's disgusting."
Gan Luo turned his head, and the gaps between the five finger marks on his face were filled with hatred.
"Luckily it wasn't you who was king in the first place. If you want to kill me quickly, His Majesty will be here soon."
Bang!
Ying Chengjiao closed the prison door.
"You can regret it at any time before I give away my life."
The youngest family leader stared coldly at his childhood brother as he left, rubbing his hot and painful cheeks with his hands, and first kicked Bai Fei.
The head of the Bai family held the yoke upright with his head in front of him. If it weren't for the yoke on his neck, he would have buried his head in his bent knees.
"That brat has already left. Uncle Shi was the only one who was not injured. Don't sit here and embarrass the Bai family."
Bai Fei said bitterly: "Otherwise, don't go against Chang'an Jun."
He didn't have any special abilities to begin with, and he got the position of head of the family because of his familiarity with Ying Chengjiao.
In recent years, with the support and guidance of Meng Jiakun and Xi Shu, he has the demeanor of a head of a great family.
But deep down, Bai Fei is still that playboy who gets at a loss as to what to do when faced with big things.
Gan Luo's long-pent-up anger suddenly erupted, and he punched and kicked Bai Fei, cursing as he beat him.
"If you don't stand against him, he will kill you. Since you are so stupid, why don't you let me kill you and frame that bastard? This will also be a contribution to the family."
Bai Fei was beaten so hard that he screamed and begged for mercy, but Gan Luo turned a deaf ear to him and continued to vent his anger.
Poor Bai Fei, his neck and hands were restrained by shackles, and his feet were shackled. It was difficult for him to even dodge Gan Luo who was unobstructed.
I can only learn from my old friend Western technique and curl up into a ball to reduce the area that gets hit.
Gan Luo beat Bai Fei until his face was bruised and swollen. He was so tired that he pointed at Bai Fei's nose.
He panted and said, "Hu~Hu~If you keep saying such depressing, depressing words, I will beat you to death! The dignified head of the Bai family was beaten to death. In order to balance the resentment of the noble families, Your Majesty must also take action against that brat."
Bai Fei kept nodding but dared not say anything.
Gan Luo was so disappointed with Bai Fei that he kicked him hard on the calf, causing Bai Fei to scream.
When the screams started here, Gan Luo had already walked quickly towards Xishu, who was the one who screamed first.
He slapped Xishu, who seemed to be in a state of dementia, left and right, and slapped him several times, making Xishu unable to even scream.
Gan Luo stopped only when he saw that the fear and shock in the Xi family's eyes were no longer mixed with the evasive look of not daring to face reality on his face.
He held Xifang's head within three inches of Xishu, and said coldly under Xishu's hateful gaze: "Although you have more than one son, Xifang is the one you have put the most effort into training, right? Don't let his death be in vain."
In terms of seniority, Gan Luo and Xifang are of the same generation.
At this moment, Gan Luo's words and actions seemed to treat Xifang as a junior.
The strange thing is that Gan Luo seemed to be very normal when he said this. Even Xishu, whose teeth were loosened by the slap, did not think there was anything wrong.
"I want that bastard dead."
Xishu held the head of his third son and said hatefully.
"I want that bastard to die!"
Xishu looked up hysterically.
After a few howls, a handful of hay was forced into Xishu's mouth, who had gone crazy again.
Gan Luo ignored Xishu's murderous look and covered Xishu's mouth, saying, "That bastard hasn't gone far yet. If you want to die to bring him down, keep shouting."
Let go and Xishu spat out the hay in his mouth.
His hatred grew stronger, and he no longer went crazy.
Meng Jiakun, who had stopped shouting since Ying Chengjiao left, watched Gan Luo work coldly.
When he saw Gan Luo coming towards him, he said, "The heads of the three great families have already beaten two of them, and one more of me won't hurt either, so don't hit him on the right cheek."
There was a wound the size of a thumb nail on his right cheek, with no skin and flesh exposed. It was caused by Ying Chengjiao just tearing it.
"Uncle Shi is conscious and it is only natural for him to pretend to be weak to paralyze the boy. Why did Luo hit him?"
"If you don't fight today, you won't have a chance tomorrow. Once you get out of Xianyang Prison, that brat may not be willing to acknowledge you as his brother."
"Uncle, you have the wrong target of hatred. Luo had warned you three uncles what that brat was going to do. If it weren't for Luo, you three uncles would have ended up in this situation."
"Humph, who knows if you two are acting. Otherwise, why are you the only one who can move freely without shackles or fetters?"
Bang~
Gan Luo slapped Meng Jiakun on the right cheek, right at the spot where Ying Chengjiao had torn off his flesh, leaving his hand covered in blood.
"Can you talk properly now?"
Gan Luo wiped the blood off his hands on Meng Jiakun's clothes.
"Calling you Uncle Shi, you really think you are my elder."
The flesh and blood without skin protection was hit hard, causing double the pain, but this time Meng Jiakun did not scream.
Looking at Gan Luo, he said in a deep voice: "You will pay the price, the Gan family will pay the price, no one can treat Meng Xibai like this."
Gan Luo sneered and said, "You are shameless in front, and I will beat you from behind. When that bastard is defeated, I will wait for your three great families."
"Your Majesty will definitely not know about the killing of my three great families. In half an hour at the shortest and an hour at the longest, that bastard will be dealt with by Your Majesty.
"That boy abused his power to kill people, and his defeat is certain. Now it depends on whether Your Majesty is willing to save his life. Don't worry, neither Your Majesty nor we will keep my nephew waiting too long."
Just as Gan Luo was about to answer, a voice suddenly came from behind him, as cold and sinister as a demon.
"I want him to die." Xishu said indifferently, his forehead touching Sanzi's head.
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.
…
The back hall of the Tingwei Mansion.
In the corner was the tied-up Right Supervisor of the Court of Censors, with a finger-thick hemp rope wrapped around him five times, a piece of fine cloth stuffed in his mouth, and his eyes fixed on the table.
In the hall, Li Si, the left prime minister and chief justice, and the chief justice were standing respectfully, also looking at the desk.
Two people stood on both sides of the table.
One was dressed in white as white as snow, with an imposing manner and a brilliant demeanor, standing straight like a sharp sword.
Apart from his expressionless face, the Sword Master really has no shortcomings.
One of them was wearing a dark eunuch robe, standing respectfully with his hands crossed in front of him, his back slightly hunched.
Zhao Gao, who was a middleman and the Minister of Chariots, always acted humble as long as the First Emperor was around.
Behind the desk, the First Emperor, wearing a large crown embroidered with a black bird pattern, sat upright with his knees under him, flipping through the bamboo slips piled in front of him page by page.
"Are these charges true?" asked the First Emperor.
Li Si's heart skipped a beat and he thought something was wrong.
The way the First Emperor asked this question was false, as it questioned the authenticity of the evidence; however, it was genuine in expressing his dissatisfaction.
"yes."
Said Li Si, who was both the Left Prime Minister and the Chief Justice.
After answering the question of the First Emperor, he immediately added: "But one of the charges is untrue, and this can be used to make up for the untrue."
The Chief Justice lowered his head even lower, secretly groaning in his heart, reflecting on how he was not steady enough.
He had clearly decided not to take care of anything and not to serve as a court judge, but to slack off until he retired and returned to his fiefdom to enjoy his retirement.
How could he be persuaded by Li Si's few words and get on board the pirate ship, and now stand here to endure the pressure from the First Emperor.
The Right Supervisor of the Imperial Court was very happy, because there was only one position for each person in the officialdom. Only when the position of the Imperial Court was vacant could he, the Right Supervisor of the Imperial Court, take over.
Li Si could hear that the First Emperor's tone was kind, and so could the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court.
"Whether it's true or not."
The First Emperor waved his sleeves and swept all the bamboo slips on the table to the ground.
"This matter ends here. Let him go."
Your Majesty is in no mood to listen to my explanation. You have already made up your mind about this matter.
Li Si sighed inwardly.
"only."
Tap tap tap
The jailer carrying Ying Chengjiao's orders knocked on the door of the back hall and went straight to Li Si, who kept coughing.
Normally, the Supreme Court has the highest authority in the Court of Censors, and the jailers have gotten used to going straight to Li Si these days, but today is an unusual day.
"What?"
The First Emperor saw the jailer walking hurriedly towards Li Si and asked with narrowed eyes.
The jailer only saw the First Emperor at this time, and hurriedly bowed his head and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Then he answered truthfully: "Lord Chang'an has ordered that Lord Tingwei kill Lord Meng, Lord Xi, and Lord Bai's son first."
The First Emperor's eyes flashed with cold lightning.
"It turns out that killing people depends on the words of that bastard."
Everyone in the room felt their hearts sink as they were overwhelmed by the power and majesty of the First Emperor.
Li Si, who was being stared at by the First Emperor, was sweating profusely.
The First Emperor was very angry.
That guy doesn't know how many people from the Meng, Xi and Bai families are officials in the Qin State. How could you, Li Si, the prime minister, not know this?
If the three families of Meng, Xibai were put to death, it would be impossible for those officials to rebel - military positions such as county lieutenant and county lieutenant required military merit, and most of the aristocratic families were unwilling to go to the battlefield.
But what about escaping? Their family was slaughtered, and they wouldn't just wait to be killed.
The escape of these people was not a big problem. When the First Emperor conquered the six kingdoms, he did not even completely eliminate the nobles of the six kingdoms, so he did not care about this at all.
What the First Emperor cared about was how to deal with the large number of official positions that would become vacant after these people fled, and what if the First Emperor could not quickly find so many suitable officials.
By then, government orders from all over the country will pile up, and chaos will inevitably occur over time.