Some time had passed since Hu Hai ascended the throne as the Second Emperor of Qin.
While slaughtering his siblings and massacring loyal ministers, Hu Hai had almost completely handed power over to Zhao Gao. He himself remained in the harem all day long. He drove out all of Qin Shi Huang's former consorts, installed a large new batch of concubines, and indulged in endless debauchery within, never emerging all day.
Not only that, he also greatly expanded corvée labor. The Qin Dynasty's burdens had already been heavy, but after Hu Hai took the throne, he went even further, leaving the people across the realm groaning in misery.
Ministers risked their lives to remonstrate directly, urging Zhao Gao to handle state affairs instead of caring only for pleasure all day.
Zhao Gao simply had the loyal minister who had risked his life to remonstrate executed right there in court. Smiling, Zhao Gao said, "Life is short to begin with. Shouldn't one enjoy it while one can?"
On the surface, it did sound rather reasonable.
But that philosophy would not have caused much trouble if applied to anyone else. Only when applied to you, Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin, was it absolutely unacceptable!
You were the sovereign of all under Heaven! The Qin Dynasty's Second Emperor!
If even you craved pleasure and ignored state affairs, how could the realm possibly remain stable?
But no one dared to speak anymore.
Though Hu Hai was wreaking havoc in Xianyang, the unrest throughout the realm instead seemed to quiet down.
The descendants of the Six States, who had been highly active during Qin Shi Huang's reign, all fell silent. Not a single faction made any conspicuous move.
The silence was somewhat eerie.
All the fierce tigers lay in wait, and all the