160 Death of the Second Emperor

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Zhao Gao had said many times before that "the bandits in Guandong will not be able to do anything." Later, Xiang Yu captured Qin general Wang Li and others in Julu and continued to attack, causing the troops of Zhang Han and others to retreat again and again. They wrote to request reinforcements, and Yan, Zhao, Qi, Chu, Han, and Wei all declared themselves kings. Most of the areas east of Hangu Pass betrayed the Qin officials and responded to the princes, and the various princes also led their troops to advance westward. Pei Gong led tens of thousands of soldiers to capture Wuguan Pass and sent someone to contact Zhao Gao privately. Zhao Gao was afraid that the Second Emperor would be angry and kill him, so he claimed to be sick and did not go to the court. The Second Emperor dreamed that a white tiger bit the horse on the left side of his carriage and killed it. He was very depressed and puzzled, so he went to ask a dream interpreter. The dream interpreter said: "This is the work of the Jing River spirit." So the Second Emperor fasted in Wangyi Palace, prepared to offer sacrifices to the god of Jing River, and sank four white horses into the water. Afterwards, he sent another envoy to question Zhao Gao about the bandits. Zhao Gao was frightened, so he privately discussed with his son-in-law, Yan Le the Magistrate of Xianyang County, and his brother Zhao Cheng, saying that "The emperor did not listen to our advice, and now the situation is urgent, he wants to put the blame on us. I plan to replace the emperor with Prince Ying. Prince Ying was kind and frugal, and the people all listened to him. " He asked the Supervisor of Court Attendants to act as an his insider, pretending that there was a thief, and asked Yan Le to mobilize soldiers to hunt the thief down. He also kidnapped Yan Le's mother and placed her in his own residence. Yan Le led more than a thousand officers and soldiers to the gate of Wangyi Palace, tied up the guards, and said, "The thieves got in, why didn't you stop them?" The guards said: "The palace is heavily guarded, how could a thief get in?" Yan Le killed the guards and led his soldiers directly into the Wangyi Palace, shooting arrows as he walked. The eunuchs in the palace were terrified. Some fled, some resisted, and those who resisted were all killed. There were dozens of deaths. Supervisor of Court Attendants and Yan Le entered the palace together and shot arrows at the curtain where the Second Emperor was resting. The Second Emperor was furious and summoned the guards around him. The guards were afraid and dared not resist. There was a eunuch beside him who stayed with the Second Emperor and did not dare to leave. The Second Emperor fled to the inner room and said to his attendants: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Things have come to this point!" The eunuch said: "I didn't dare to say it, so I was able to save my life. If I had said it earlier, I would have been killed. How could I be still alive now?" Yan Le walked up to the Second Emperor and listed his crimes and said: "You are arrogant and cruel. Everyone in the world has betrayed you. Please make your own plans." The Second Emperor said: "Can I see the prime minister?" Yan Le said: "No." The Second Emperor said: "I hope to get a county and be a vassal king there." Yan Le did not agree. The Second Emperor said again: "I hope to be a marquis of ten thousand households." Yan Le also did not agree. The Second Emperor said, "I hope to be a commoner with my wife and children, like all the other princes." Yan Le said, "I am following the order of the Prime Minister to kill you for the people of the world. Although you have said a lot, I dare not report it to the Prime Minister." Yan Le ordered his soldiers to move forward. The Second Emperor committed suicide.

高前数言“关东盗毋能为也”，及项羽虏秦将王离等钜鹿下而前，章邯等军数卻，上书请益助，燕、赵、齐、楚、韩、魏皆立为王，自关以东，大氐尽畔秦吏应诸侯，诸侯咸率其众西乡。沛公将数万人已屠武关，使人私于高，高恐二世怒，诛及其身，乃谢病不朝见。二世梦白虎齧其左骖马，杀之，心不乐，怪问占梦。卜曰：“泾水为祟。”二世乃斋于望夷宫，欲祠泾，沈四白马。使使责让高以盗贼事。高惧，乃阴与其婿咸阳令阎乐、其弟赵成谋曰：“上不听谏，今事急，欲归祸于吾宗。吾欲易置上，更立公子婴。子婴仁俭，百姓皆载其言。”使郎中令为内应，诈为有大贼，令乐召吏发卒，追劫乐母置高舍。遣乐将吏卒千余人至望夷宫殿门，缚卫令仆射，曰：“贼入此，何不止？”卫令曰：“周庐设卒甚谨，安得贼敢入宫？”乐遂斩卫令，直将吏入，行射，郎宦者大惊，或走或格，格者辄死，死者数十人。郎中令与乐俱入，射上幄坐帏。二世怒，召左右，左右皆惶扰不斗。旁有宦者一人，侍不敢去。二世入内，谓曰：“公何不蚤告我？乃至于此！”宦者曰：“臣不敢言，故得全。使臣蚤言，皆已诛，安得至今？”阎乐前即二世数曰：“足下骄恣，诛杀无道，天下共畔足下，足下其自为计。”二世曰：“丞相可得见否？”乐曰：“不可。”二世曰：“吾愿得一郡为王。”弗许。又曰：“愿为万户侯。”弗许。曰：“愿与妻子为黔首，比诸公子。”阎乐曰：“臣受命于丞相，为天下诛足下，足下虽多言，臣不敢报。”麾其兵进。二世自杀。

159 Horse or Deer

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In the third year (207 BC), Zhang Han and his men led their soldiers to surround Julu. Xiang Yu, the general of Chu, led his soldiers to rescue Julu. In winter, Zhao Gao served as prime minister and eventually interrogated Li Si and killed him. In summer, Zhang Han and his men had s few defeats in battles. The Second Emperor sent people to blame Zhang Han. Zhang Han was very scared and sent Sima Xin, the chief historian, to ask the court for instructions. Zhao Gao refused to meet him and did not trust him. Sima Xin was also very scared and ran away. Zhao Gao sent people to chase him but failed to catch him. Sima Xin met Zhang Han and said, "Zhao Gao has monopolized power in the court. The general will be executed no matter if the contributions made or not." Xiang Yu attacked the Qin army fiercely and captured Wang Li. Zhang Han and his men then led their troops to surrender to the princes. On the Jihai (Earth Overcomes Water ) day of the eighth month, Zhao Gao wanted to start a rebellion. He was afraid that his ministers would not support him, so he conducted an experiment in advance. He found a deer and presented it to the Second Emperor, saying, "This is a horse." The Second Emperor smiled and said, "The Prime Minister is wrong, right? You said the deer is a horse." Zhao Gao asked the ministers around him, some remained silent, some said it was a horse to please Zhao Gao, and some said it was a deer. Zhao Gao took the opportunity to secretly punish those who said it was a deer. Later, all the ministers were very afraid of Zhao Gao.

三年，章邯等将其卒围钜鹿，楚上将军项羽将楚卒往救钜鹿。冬，赵高为丞相，竟案李斯杀之。夏，章邯等战数卻，二世使人让邯，邯恐，使长史欣请事。赵高弗见，又弗信。欣恐，亡去，高使人捕追不及。欣见邯曰：“赵高用事于中，将军有功亦诛，无功亦诛。”项羽急击秦军，虏王离，邯等遂以兵降诸侯。八月己亥，赵高欲为乱，恐群臣不听，乃先设验，持鹿献于二世，曰：“马也。”二世笑曰：“丞相误邪？谓鹿为马。”问左右，左右或默，或言马以阿顺赵高。或言鹿，高因阴中诸言鹿者以法。后群臣皆畏高。

158 Emperor’s Voice

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In the winter of the second year (208 BC), Zhou Zhang and other generals sent by Chen She arrived in the west with hundreds of thousands of troops. The Second Emperor was greatly alarmed and discussed with his ministers, "What should we do?" The Junior Minister Zhang Han said, "The bandits have already arrived and are strong. We cannot reach them in time if we send troops from adjacent counties. There are many prisoners in Lishan. Please pardon them and give them weapons to fight them." The Second Emperor pardoned the whole country and sent Zhang Han to lead the army. He defeated Zhou Zhang's army and Zhang fled, and then Zhang was killed in Caoyang. Then the Second Emperor sent more reinforcements, there were chief historians Sima Xin and Dong Yi, to assist Zhang Han in fighting the bandits. They killed Chen Sheng in Chengfu, defeated Xiang Liang in Dingtao, and destroyed Wei Ju in Linji. The famous bandit generals in Chu were all killed, so Zhang Han crossed the river to the north and attacked Zhao Xie the new King of Zhao and others in Julu.

Zhao Gao advised the Second Emperor, "The late emperor ruled the country for a long time, so the ministers did not dare to do bad things or say bad things. Now your Majesty is young and has just ascended the throne, how can you make decisions with the ministers in the court? If something goes wrong, your shortcomings will be exposed in front of the ministers. The emperor calls himself "Zhen Myself ", so it is not easy for people to hear his voice." So the Second Emperor often lived in the palace and made decisions with Zhao Gao. From then on, the ministers rarely had the opportunity to see the emperor, and there were more and more bandits. The court kept dispatching soldiers from Guanzhong to the east to attack the them. Right Prime Minister Feng Quji, Left Prime Minister Li Si, and General Feng Jie advised: "Bandits from all over Guandong rose up at the same time. Qin sent troops to suppress them and killed many people, but the rebellion has not been quelled. There are too many bandits because the people are too tired from garrisoning, transporting, and labor, and the taxes are too heavy. Please temporarily stop the construction of Afang Palace and reduce garrisoning and transportation in all directions." The Second Emperor said, “I have heard that Han Feizi once said, ‘The rafters of the houses of Yao and Shun were not repaired, the thatched roofs were not repaired, and they ate and drank from clay bowls. Even the gatekeepers were not so shabby. Great Yu dug the Longmen to open up the road to Great Xia, dredged the accumulated water of the Yellow River and led it into the sea. He personally took the planks and earthen hoes and rubbed off the sweat hairs on his calves. Now the slaves' labor would not be more severe than this.' Those who are noble and own the world should do whatever they want, mainly by strictly enforcing the known laws, people below will not dare to do bad things, and the whole world can be controlled. For example, the monarchs of Yu and Xia, although they were the emperors, personally engaged in poor work and set an example for the people. What is the use of laws in this case? I am the emperor of ten thousand chariots, but I am not worthy of the title. I want to build a thousand chariots and set up ten thousand chariots to match the title. Moreover, the late emperor was born in the feudal lords, and later annexed the world. Now the world has been pacified. He can drive out the barbarians from all directions to stabilize the borders, and build palaces to show his pride. You have all seen the process of the late emperor's achievements. Now, within two years of my accession to the throne, various bandits have risen up at the same time. You cannot stop them, and you want to abolish the policies implemented by the late emperor. First you cannot repay the late emperor, and second you cannot be loyal to me. Why do you hold such a high position? "He handed Feng Quji, Li Si, and Feng Jie to the jailer and investigated their various crimes. Feng Quji and Feng Jie said, "Generals and ministers cannot be insulted." So they committed suicide. Li Si was finally imprisoned and suffered Five Punishments.

二年冬，陈涉所遣周章等将西至戏，兵数十万。二世大惊，与群臣谋曰：“柰何？”少府章邯曰：“盗已至，众强，今发近县不及矣。郦山徒多，请赦之，授兵以击之。”二世乃大赦天下，使章邯将，击破周章军而走，遂杀章曹阳。二世益遣长史司马欣、董翳佐章邯击盗，杀陈胜城父，破项梁定陶，灭魏咎临济。楚地盗名将已死，章邯乃北渡河，击赵王歇等于钜鹿。

赵高说二世曰：“先帝临制天下久，故群臣不敢为非，进邪说。今陛下富于春秋，初即位，柰何与公卿廷决事？事即有误，示群臣短也。天子称朕，固不闻声。”于是二世常居禁中，与高决诸事。其后公卿希得朝见，盗贼益多，而关中卒发东击盗者毋已。右丞相去疾、左丞相斯、将军冯劫进谏曰：“关东群盗并起，秦发兵诛击，所杀亡甚众，然犹不止。盗多，皆以戍漕转作事苦，赋税大也。请且止阿房宫作者，减省四边戍转。”二世曰：“吾闻之韩子曰：‘尧舜采椽不刮，茅茨不翦，饭土塯，啜土形，虽监门之养，不觳于此。禹凿龙门，通大夏，决河亭水，放之海，身自持筑臿，胫毋毛，臣虏之劳不烈于此矣。’凡所为贵有天下者，得肆意极欲，主重明法，下不敢为非，以制御海内矣。夫虞、夏之主，贵为天子，亲处穷苦之实，以徇百姓，尚何于法？朕尊万乘，毋其实，吾欲造千乘之驾，万乘之属，充吾号名。且先帝起诸侯，兼天下，天下已定，外攘四夷以安边竟，作宫室以章得意，而君观先帝功业有绪。今朕即位二年之间，群盗并起，君不能禁，又欲罢先帝之所为，是上毋以报先帝，次不为朕尽忠力，何以在位？”下去疾、斯、劫吏，案责他罪。去疾、劫曰：“将相不辱。”自杀。斯卒囚，就五刑。

157 Chen Sheng Rebellion

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In April, the Second Emperor returned to Xianyang and said, "The late emperor thought the palace in Xianyang was too small, so he built the Afang Palace. The late emperor passed away before the palace was completed, so construction had to be stopped and all the craftsmen and slaves were transferred to Mount Li to build the mausoleum. Now that the construction of Mount Li has been completed, if we do not continue to build the Afang Palace, it would be against the will of the late emperor." So he ordered to continue the construction of Afang Palace. The Second Emperor ordered to pacify the barbarians in all directions and implement the strategy of the First Emperor. He also recruited 50,000 soldiers to garrison in Xianyang and taught them horseback riding and archery. With dogs, horses and livestock, a lot of food was consumed every day. It was estimated that the storage was not enough, so he ordered the transportation of food for people and fodder for livestock from the counties. And those responsible for transportation needed to bring their own supplies , and the people within 300 miles of Xianyang could not eat the transported grain. The laws implemented by the Second Emperor were even more stringent.

In July, Chen Sheng (also Chen She) and other soldiers guarding the border rebelled in the former land of Chu as "Zhang Chu". Chen Sheng proclaimed himself the King of Chu, lived in Chen County, and sent his generals to conquer land. Young men in the counties and prefectures of Shangdong areas suffered greatly from the oppression of Qin officials, so they rose up in rebellion and killed the local county officials in response to Chen Sheng. They also established themselves as Princes and marched westward together, under the banner of attacking Qin. The number of people who rebelled was countless. An envoy returned from a mission to the East and told the Second Emperor about the rebellion. The Second Emperor was very angry and handed him over to the jailer for punishment. After that, the messengers returned and the Second Emperor asked about the situation, they all replied, "Those people are just a group of thieves. The local county officials have sent people to hunt them down one by one. Now they have all been captured. It is not worth your Majesty's worry." The Second Emperor was very happy to hear this. In the same time, Wu Chen proclaimed himself King of Zhao, Wei Ju proclaimed himself King of Wei, Tian Dan proclaimed himself King of Qi. Pei Gong raised his army in Pei County. Xiang Liang raised his army in Kuaiji.

四月，二世还至咸阳，曰：“先帝为咸阳朝廷小，故营阿房宫。为室堂未就，会上崩，罢其作者，复土郦山。郦山事大毕，今释阿房宫弗就，则是章先帝举事过也。”复作阿房宫。外抚四夷，如始皇计。尽徵其材士五万人为屯卫咸阳，令教射狗马禽兽。当食者多，度不足，下调郡县转输菽粟刍藁，皆令自赍粮食，咸阳三百里内不得食其谷。用法益刻深。

七月，戍卒陈胜等反故荆地，为“张楚”。胜自立为楚王，居陈，遣诸将徇地。山东郡县少年苦秦吏，皆杀其守尉令丞反，以应陈涉，相立为侯王，合从西乡，名为伐秦，不可胜数也。谒者使东方来，以反者闻二世。二世怒，下吏。后使者至，上问，对曰：“群盗，郡守尉方逐捕，今尽得，不足忧。”上悦。武臣自立为赵王，魏咎为魏王，田儋为齐王。沛公起沛。项梁举兵会稽郡。

156 Zhao Gao’s Advice

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After arriving in Liaodong, the Second Emperor returned to the capital.

At this time, the Second Emperor adopted Zhao Gao's advice and announced the decree. He privately planned with Zhao Gao and said, "The ministers are disobedient, the power of the officials is still very strong, and the princes will compete with me for the throne. What should I do?" Zhao Gao said, "I wanted to say it but didn't dare to. The ministers of the previous emperor were all prestigious dignitaries who had been famous for generations. They had created meritorious deeds and passed them down from generation to generation for a long time. Now I have always been of humble status. It is because of Your Majesty's trust and promotion that I have been in a high position and can be in charge of the affairs of the palace. The ministers are very dissatisfied in their hearts. They are very obedient to me on the surface, but they are not convinced in their hearts. Now that your majesty is away, it is better to take this opportunity to investigate the county magistrates. If they are guilty, execute them. Your Majesty can use his prestige to intimidate the world, and on the other hand, also eliminate those whom you are dissatisfied with in your life. In today's era, we don’t have to be civil when using military means. I hope Your Majesty can adapt to the times and not hesitate, and take action before the ministers have time to plan. A wise monarch can adopt the survivors, make the humble noble, make the poor rich, and make the distant people submit, so that there will be harmony between the upper and lower levels, and the country will be stable. "The Second Emperor said: "Very good." So he had many ministers and princes killed and even implicated the guards around the emperor. No one was spared, and six sons of the First Emperors were executed in Du County. Prince Jiang Lu and two other brothers were imprisoned in the inner palace and finally deliberated their crimes separately. The Second Emperor sent an executor to Jiang Lu and said, 

“Prince, your behavior does not reflect your position as a royal servant, you deserve the punishment of death, I am here to make sure of it.” Jiang Lu said, "I have never dared to disobey the command of the court ceremonies; I have never dared to disobey the etiquette in the court; I have never dared to make mistakes accepting orders or responding to inquiries. What do you mean that I am not a loyal servant of his Majesty? I hope I will know the crime I have committed before I die." The envoy said, "I did not participate in the decision-making, I just followed the imperial edict." Jiang Lu then looked up to the sky and shouted three times, saying, "Oh, Old Heaven! I am innocent!" The three brothers all drew their swords and committed suicide with tears. All the children of the royal family were very shocked and scared. The ministers who gave advice would be considered slander, so the ministers took their salaries to seek a place to live, and all the people were in fear. 

遂至辽东而还。

于是二世乃遵用赵高，申法令。乃阴与赵高谋曰：“大臣不服，官吏尚强，及诸公子必与我争，为之柰何？”高曰：“臣固愿言而未敢也。先帝之大臣，皆天下累世名贵人也，积功劳世以相传久矣。今高素小贱，陛下幸称举，令在上位，管中事。大臣鞅鞅，特以貌从臣，其心实不服。今上出，不因此时案郡县守尉有罪者诛之，上以振威天下，下以除去上生平所不可者。今时不师文而决于武力，愿陛下遂从时毋疑，即群臣不及谋。明主收举余民，贱者贵之，贫者富之，远者近之，则上下集而国安矣。”二世曰：“善。”乃行诛大臣及诸公子，以罪过连逮少近官三郎，无得立者，而六公子戮死于杜。公子将闾昆弟三人囚于内宫，议其罪独后。二世使使令将闾曰：“公子不臣，罪当死，吏致法焉。”将闾曰：“阙廷之礼，吾未尝敢不从宾赞也；廊庙之位，吾未尝敢失节也；受命应对，吾未尝敢失辞也。何谓不臣？愿闻罪而死。”使者曰：“臣不得与谋，奉书从事。”将闾乃仰天大呼天者三，曰：“天乎！吾无罪！”昆弟三人皆流涕拔剑自杀。宗室振恐。群臣谏者以为诽谤，大吏持禄取容，黔首振恐。

155 Emperor the Second

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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。”