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In the first year of the Second Emperor (209 BC), Hu Hai was 21 years old. Zhao Gao was appointed as the Imperial Palace Attendant and was entrusted with important matters. The Second Emperor issued an edict to increase the number of livestock used for the First Emperor's mausoleum and ancestral temples, to raise the level of sacrifices to famous mountains and rivers, and to ask his ministers to discuss ways to honor the First Emperor's temple. All the ministers kowtowed and said: "In ancient times, there were seven ancestral temples, five for the princes, and three for the ministers. Even after ten thousand years, they could not be destroyed. Now the Temple of the First Emperor is the highest-level temple. People from all over the world offer tributes and increase the sacrificial animals. The rituals are very complete and there is no need to increase it. Some of the temples of the previous kings are in Xiyong and some are in Xianyang. According to the etiquette of the emperor, Your Majesty should personally hold the wine cup to worship the Temple of the First Emperor. The ancestral temples from Duke Xiang and below have been destroyed, and there are a total of seven ancestral temples. The ministers offer sacrifices according to the etiquette to respect the Temple of the First Emperor as the emperor's ancestral temple. The emperor should call himself "Zhen Myself " again."
The Second Emperor discussed with Zhao Gao and said: "I am young and have just ascended the throne. The people have not yet submitted. The former emperor toured the counties to show his strength and use his power to make the people of the country submit. Now that the world is stable and he does not go out to tour, it shows weakness and cannot make the people of the world submit." In spring, the Second Emperor toured the counties eastward, and Li Si accompanied him. After arriving at Mount Jieshi, they traveled along the coast and south to Kuaiji. They also engraved words on the stone tablets erected by the First Emperor, and the names of the ministers accompanying him were engraved next to the stone tablets to highlight the great achievements of the previous emperor:
The emperor said: "These stone tablets were all erected by the First Emperor. Now I have inherited the title of emperor, but the words engraved on these stone tablets do not call the First Emperor. After a long time, it will look like they were erected by later successors, which is not worthy of the great achievements of the First Emperor." Prime Minister Li Si, Minister Feng Quji, and Imperial Censor Chen De risked their lives to make a suggestion: "We request that all the edicts be engraved on the stone tablets, so that it will be clear. We risked our lives to make this request." The decree said: "Okay."
二世皇帝元年，年二十一。赵高为郎中令，任用事。二世下诏，增始皇寝庙牺牲及山川百祀之礼。令群臣议尊始皇庙。群臣皆顿首言曰：“古者天子七庙，诸侯五，大夫三，虽万世世不轶毁。今始皇为极庙，四海之内皆献贡职，增牺牲，礼咸备，毋以加。先王庙或在西雍，或在咸阳。天子仪当独奉酌祠始皇庙。自襄公已下轶毁。所置凡七庙。群臣以礼进祠，以尊始皇庙为帝者祖庙。皇帝复自称‘朕’。”
二世与赵高谋曰：“朕年少，初即位，黔首未集附。先帝巡行郡县，以示强，威服海内。今晏然不巡行，即见弱，毋以臣畜天下。”春，二世东行郡县，李斯从。到碣石，并海，南至会稽，而尽刻始皇所立刻石，石旁著大臣从者名，以章先帝成功盛德焉：
皇帝曰：“金石刻尽始皇帝所为也。今袭号而金石刻辞不称始皇帝，其于久远也如后嗣为之者，不称成功盛德。”丞相臣斯、臣去疾、御史大夫臣德昧死言：“臣请具刻诏书刻石，因明白矣。臣昧死请。”制曰：“可。”
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