Qin Dynasty: I confessed to being a time traveler, and the First Emperor fainted from anger.

Chapter 20 The Enraged Qin Shi Huang Punishes Zhao Gao; He Cannot Let Him Die So Easily!

General Meng Tian's eyes widened, the veins on his hand gripping his long sword bulged, and a murderous aura surged around him. He wished he could rush up and tear Zhao Gao to pieces immediately.

He deeply admired Ying Zheng, and seeing this scene, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his hatred for Zhao Gao reached its peak.

Zhao Gao, who was slumped in the corner of the palace, was terrified the moment he saw this scene.

He had been forcing himself to stay upright, keeping his head down, trying to hide his fear.

But when he saw himself directing the eunuchs to arrange salted fish and cover up Ying Zheng's body...

It was as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt from the heavens; his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, completely limp.

His body trembled uncontrollably, his teeth chattered, and cold sweat dripped down his face, staining the bluestone pavement.

He knew better than anyone that this scene was his biggest weakness and the crime that Ying Zheng could not tolerate!

Ying Zheng's fury, like the might of heaven, struck him directly on the head, leaving him without even the courage to raise his head.

The next second, Ying Zheng used all his strength to suddenly raise his finger and point it firmly at Zhao Gao, who was lying on the ground, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

His eyes were bloodshot and bulging with rage. His once loud voice was now hoarse and broken from extreme anger and suppressed breath.

Yet it still carried a world-destroying pressure, causing the entire hall to tremble.

"Zhao Gao'er dares!!!"

This roar, like a thunderclap, instantly silenced the discussions of the court officials and plunged the entire hall into a momentary deathly stillness.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, but the suffocating feeling in his chest still wouldn't dissipate.

He stared intently at Zhao Gao, his eyes filled with a chilling humiliation that seemed to consume him. Each word, uttered with a blood-curdling rage, continued his roar:

"I have treated you well! Since you entered the palace, I have regarded you as my confidant, let you serve me by my side and manage all the affairs of the palace, and I have never mistreated you in the slightest!"

"I have shown you kindness as deep as a mountain, yet you dare to humiliate me like this after my death!"

"To transport my body alongside salted fish, using the stench of the fish to mask the stench of my corpse! You treacherous scoundrel, this is utterly outrageous! It is an outrage against both heaven and man!!!"

With Ying Zheng's roar, his murderous aura surged once more, and a suffocating pressure swept across the entire area.

Even the wind outside the hall was forced back by this imposing force, and everyone inside trembled, not daring to meet Ying Zheng's gaze.

Ying Zheng's body swayed slightly again due to extreme anger and suffocation, and the scene before his eyes became increasingly blurry.

He could even feel a strong wave of dizziness washing over him, making him feel lightheaded and almost collapse on the dragon platform.

But he managed to hold on in the end.

He was the First Emperor, an unshakeable emperor of all time. Even if he was so angry that he was on the verge of fainting, he could never show the slightest sign of weakness in front of his ministers.

He gripped the railing tightly, his gaze fixed on Zhao Gao, the anger in his eyes like a sharp blade, wishing he could tear Zhao Gao to pieces and grind his bones to dust!

Zhao Gao was so terrified by that gaze that he could no longer hold on.

With a "thump," he knelt down on the bluestone slab, his body trembling violently as if he were being shaken, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold ground.

He kowtowed frantically, and soon bright red bloodstains appeared on his forehead.

Blood beads slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the bluestone slab and spreading out in a glaring red.

He kowtowed, his voice breaking into a sob, utterly terrified and pleading, as he incoherently cried out:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life!!!"

"This servant knows his mistake! This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths!!!"

"This servant was blinded by lard and confused for a moment, which is why I did such a rebellious thing!"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life for the sake of my many years of service! I will never dare to do it again! I will never dare to do it again!!!"

Zhao Gao's forehead was covered in blood from the banging, and his body was as limp as a lump of mud. He didn't even have the strength to lift his head, and his heart was filled with despair and fear.

He knew that Ying Zheng was now furious, and his fate was destined to be utter ruin.

He could only kowtow desperately, trying to gain a sliver of hope, but all of this seemed so pale and powerless in the face of Ying Zheng's overwhelming rage.

All the officials and civil and military officials present looked cold and showed no sympathy for Zhao Gao's pleas for mercy.

Ying Zheng, atop the Dragon Platform, watched Zhao Gao groveling on the ground, begging for mercy in a pathetic state.

The anger surging in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest; on the contrary, it was ignited by this cheap and hypocritical pleas for mercy, which fueled an even greater ferocity.

He was the first emperor who unified the world, and his life was filled with unparalleled majesty. How could he have ever suffered the humiliation of being put in the same carriage as salted fish after death, with his corpse's stench masked by the smell of fish?

Zhao Gao, a trusted confidant whom the emperor had placed by his side for many years, enjoyed the emperor's favor, yet he betrayed his master, plotted rebellion, and disgraced the emperor's remains.

Such a heinous crime cannot be easily forgiven with a few cries and pleas for mercy.

If we simply drag him into the imperial prison, it would be too lenient for this treacherous official!

What Ying Zheng wanted was not simply imprisonment; he wanted Zhao Gao to suffer physical torment.

He watched as all his cronies were exposed and purged one by one.

Finally, he will be subjected to the most cruel and extreme punishment, ensuring that he dies a quick and innocent death!

The phrase "drag them down" that was on the tip of his tongue was abruptly changed by Ying Zheng.

Those deep, abyss-like eyes were bloodshot, their pupils almost bursting, and the imperial pressure surging around him swept across the entire scene like a tsunami.

The shock caused all the civil and military officials inside the hall to bow and hold their breath, while the imperial guards in front of the hall stood at attention, ready to fight.

Ying Zheng's voice, still hoarse and broken from extreme anger and frustration, carried a devastating ruthlessness, each word striking the hearts of everyone present:

"Such treacherous officials have deceived the emperor, betrayed their sovereign, and dishonored my remains. Each and every one of these acts is a capital offense deserving of death. How can we allow them to live so easily?!"

"Guards! Execute him on the spot! I want to personally oversee this and make him suffer every ounce of pain for his evil deeds!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two imperial guards stepped forward, their armor clattering together.

He walked straight toward Zhao Gao, who was lying on the ground, his expression solemn and devoid of any personal feelings.

Zhao Gao, who had been frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy, was instantly terrified upon hearing these words. Ignoring the excruciating pain, he desperately twisted his body.

He wanted to beg for mercy again, pleading with Ying Zheng to spare his life out of consideration for their years of service.

But Ying Zheng didn't give him a chance to utter another word, glancing at him coldly, his tone icy and full of disgust:

"Gag him! I don't want to hear a single word of his treacherous sophistry and pleas for mercy; they're an insult to my ears!"

The imperial guards immediately obeyed the order, tearing off thick linen from their waists and quickly crumpling it into a ball.

Ignoring Zhao Gao's violent struggles, they pressed his head down firmly and forcibly stuffed the cloth into his mouth, sealing it shut.

"Waaaaah! Waaaaah—!"

In an instant, all of Zhao Gao's pleas for mercy, cries, and explanations were choked in his throat, leaving him only able to let out broken and painful groans.

His eyes were wide open, filled with terror and despair, and tears mixed with blood and cold sweat streamed down his face.

He desperately shook his head, trying to spit out the cloth, but the Imperial Guards were too strong and held him down, depriving him of the right to beg for mercy.