The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

"It's just that two new guards under Zhonglang Cheling fell asleep while on guard."

Half an hour later, in the room where Zhonglang Huling and his subordinates rested, two subordinates of Heifu explained to Heifu why Meng Yi was angry just now.

One of them was Li Liang, a native of Longxi County, with the title of Gong Dafu, and a mature face. The other was Dong Yi (yì), a native of Xiayang, Neishi, also a Gong Dafu, with a big and strong figure, a typical Guanzhong warrior.

The guards were required not to sleep too much and had to be called at any time. Moreover, falling asleep while on guard was indeed a serious crime.

After being scolded by Meng Yi, the two young guards were directly expelled from the guards. They returned home in disgrace and would definitely be beaten by their father and brothers at home, because they had missed a bright future and even delayed the official career of the whole family.

"So as a Lang in the palace, you can't make even the slightest mistake..." Dong Yi said with emotion.

Li Liang responded, "Even if you're not a Lang, as a Qin official, you can't make a single mistake."

Li Liang, a native of Longxi, was less than 30 years old. He was Li Xin's cousin. His emotion was from the bottom of his heart. He realized that he had said something wrong after he said it.

Hei Fu just kept the two's words in his heart, but said, "So that's how it is. I thought that it was Zhonglang Meng who enforced the law too harshly."

Dong Yi said, "Zhonglang Jiang does enforce the law strictly. Originally, a young Langwei of 17 or 18 years old would be reprimanded or slightly punished for his first offense. Unexpectedly, he was directly expelled..."

Hei Fu took the opportunity to say, "I've heard that before Meng Jun became Zhonglang Jiang, he was ordered by the king to try a case and sentenced Zhongchefu Ling to death?"

Li Liang was more thoughtful. When he heard about this, he kept silent.

Dong Yi's mind was simpler, and he had no scruples. He smiled and said, "What Zhonglang Huling said was right. Meng Zhonglangjiang was previously a judge in the court, specializing in hearing cases. A few years ago, Zhongchefuling committed a crime. His Majesty asked Meng Jun to try the case. Meng Jun did not dare to bend the law, and sentenced Zhongchefuling to death and removed him from the officialdom. Finally, His Majesty Qin Shihuang pardoned him because Zhongchefuling was honest and worked diligently for many years..."

After hearing that this was true, Heifu shook his head secretly.

The first thing he did to make a fortune was a false accusation lawsuit. In the end, he was cleared of his grievances under Xi's judgment and received the reward he deserved.

So Heifu had a good impression of Qin's judicial system from beginning to end. In addition, he had been an official for many years and was very familiar with Qin laws. So he knew that Qin attached great importance to legal procedures. From county jailers to county jailers, and then to the court of justice, judges at all levels basically handled cases according to the law, rather than relying on their own morality and personal relationships.

But when he came to the center of the empire, he found that this seemingly tight and seamless Qin law system had a natural big hole.

The King of Qin, or the Emperor, was absolutely above the law

Although the kings of Qin in all dynasties, as well as the current Emperor Shi Huangdi, understood that the Qin law was the foundation of the Qin State and the unification of the world, almost every generation of Qin kings had more or less used the "pardon power" that belonged exclusively to the monarch.

During the second war against Chu, Qin Mo Cheng Shang, who had worked with Hei Fu, told him one thing. During the reign of King Hui of Qin, Qin Mo's eldest son Fu? (tun) lived in Xianyang, and his son was arrested for murder. King Hui of Qin relied heavily on Qin Mo at the time. Considering that Fu? was older and had only one son, he planned to pardon his son. However, Qin Mo's eldest son believed that whether it was Qin law or Mohist rules, killing was a capital crime, and if it was pardoned rashly, it would be a violation of the rules, so he asked the King of Qin to execute his son according to the law.

During the reign of King Zhao of Qin, Qin General Zheng Anping surrendered to Zhao in the Battle of Handan. In theory, Fan Ju, who recommended him as a general, should be executed, but King Zhao of Qin ordered the whole country that anyone who dared to speak out about Zheng Anping would be killed, and on the contrary, he increased the reward for Fan Ju to make him feel at ease. It was not until Wang Ji, another benefactor of Fan Ju, was also executed for the crime of colluding with the princes, and the evidence was conclusive and public opinion was surging that King Zhao of Qin had no choice but to execute Fan Ju.

Now, Meng Yi, who was in charge of the trial, has sentenced Zhao Gao to death, but the emperor has once again used the power of pardon, directly exempted Zhao Gao from the crime, and still let him work in the Central Chariot House and continue to regard him as a confidant...

This is very normal. After all, from the beginning of legislation, the Qin law was a law built around the centralization of monarchy, and the final decision-making power must be in the hands of the monarch. Nowadays, when encountering important death penalty cases, such as court officials who should be put to death for crimes, the court judge will even report to the emperor for review. Only when the emperor ticks the box will the death penalty be established.

Therefore, some people who are treated differently by the emperor have the privilege of not being blamed for their mistakes.

"But Zhao Gao, who should not be pardoned, was pardoned..." Heifu thought secretly.

Heifu was very wary of Zhao Gao.

Not only did Zhao Gao do something in history, but when they first met, Heifu showed only a little murderous intention, and Zhao Gao, who had been the driver of the King of Qin for many years and was good at observing words and expressions, discovered it, which scared Heifu into a cold sweat.

After entering Xianyang, the King of Qin asked all the ministers to discuss the title of the emperor. Heifu thought he had mastered the correct answer, and he flattered the emperor just right, so he would definitely win. Who would have thought that Zhao Gao, the commander of the Central Chariot House, also guessed what the emperor was thinking. In the end, one of them was "deeply in line with my heart" and the other was "quite in line with my wishes", and they were evenly matched. Heifu was promoted by the emperor, and Zhao Gao was also promoted by one level.

After knowing this, Heifu was horrified.

"I relied on cheating, but what did Zhao Gao rely on? Observing the emperor's words and expressions? Or guessing the emperor's thoughts?"

He was even more afraid of Zhao Gao. He was on duty in the imperial palace, and when Qin Shihuang went out, he had to stay by his side. This was in line with the power of the Minister of the Imperial Chariots, so he would have to deal with Zhao Gao in the future.

Facing this man, Hei Fu found that he had no confidence at all.

He was now certain that Zhao Gao was not a eunuch, had a wife, a daughter, and a son-in-law, and was also a master of the inner palace who was "strong enough to stop a galloping horse". Hei Fu's martial arts might not be as good as his.

In addition, Zhao Gao had been by Qin Shihuang's side for nearly 20 years, and he was a traitor who looked loyal. He was deeply trusted by the emperor and could even use the power of pardon for him. Even Meng Yi could not sentence him to death, let alone Hei Fu, a newcomer.

"It's best to restrain the killing intention and keep peace for the time being..." Hei Fu made up his mind not to provoke this powerful character for the time being.

"However, this time the discussion of the title of emperor has taken away his limelight. Will Zhao Gao regard me as an enemy?"

Heifu had to be on guard. Based on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, he decided that he must have a good relationship with his superior Meng Yi.

But Meng Yi is a person who is strict with his subordinates and himself, and is not easy to deal with. Moreover, it seems that Wang Li, the commander of the Zhonglang Cavalry, is quite dissatisfied with Meng Yi, and the Wang family is not easy to deal with.

With Zhao Gao, his superior Meng Yi, and his colleague Wang Li as hidden dangers, Heifu suddenly discovered that the water in the Zhangtai Palace is really deep.

"It's useless to think too much. First, consolidate the one-third acre of land in your hands, and then follow the emperor's footsteps. This is the way to survive in the forbidden area!"

He looked at Dong Yi, who had a face full of flesh. Dong Yi was easy to deal with, and his mind was simpler. He was also from Xiayang, the internal historian, and was from the same hometown as Zhang Han. The two had worked as guards together. There was only a layer of relationship between him and Heifu, and they soon became warm.

Li Liang was different. He seemed to respect Heifu, but he actually had a lot on his mind.

The two hundred guards below were all young masters from Guanzhong, and each of them had a high title. They were not as good as the three thousand young men from Nanjun brought up by Heifu. It was not easy to convince them...

Just as Heifu was adapting to his new position, the first grand court meeting after Qin Wangzheng became emperor also kicked off...