The Second Emperor (209–207 BCE)

In the first year of the Second Emperor, he was twenty-one years old. Zhao Gao became Chamberlain of the Palace and took charge of affairs. The Second Emperor decreed that sacrifices in the First Emperor’s tomb-shrine and rites at the shrines of mountains and rivers be enlarged. He ordered the ministers to deliberate how to honor the First Emperor’s temple. All bowed their heads and said: “In antiquity the Son of Heaven had seven temples, a lord five, and a grandee three, which were not abolished even after ten thousand generations. Now the First Emperor has his supreme temple; all within the four seas present tribute and service there. The offerings have been increased, and the rites are complete; nothing can be added. The temples of earlier kings are at West Yong or Xianyang. By imperial ceremonial rule the emperor alone should pour the offering at the First Emperor’s temple. The temples from Duke Xiang onward should be abolished in turn, leaving seven altogether. The ministers should make their offerings according to rite, honoring the First Emperor’s shrine as the ancestral temple of the imperial line. The emperor shall again call himself ‘We.’”

The Second Emperor plotted with Zhao Gao: “I am young, newly enthroned, and the black-haired people have not yet rallied to me. The late emperor toured commanderies and counties to display his power, bringing all within the seas to submission through awe. If I remain at ease without touring, I shall appear weak and be unable to govern the realm as my subjects.” In spring he traveled east through the commanderies and counties, accompanied by Li Si. He reached Jieshi, followed the coast south to Kuaiji, and added inscriptions to all the stones erected by the First Emperor. Beside each original inscription he carved the names of the accompanying ministers, to make clear the late emperor’s achievements and abundant virtue:

The emperor said: “The inscriptions in bronze and stone all concern the First Emperor’s works. Now I have inherited his title, but if these inscriptions do not name the First Emperor, in distant ages they might seem to refer to a successor and fail to honor his achievements and abundant virtue.” Chancellors Li Si and Feng Quji and Imperial Counselor De said, at the risk of their lives: “We ask permission to carve the full text of your edict beside these inscriptions, to make it clear. We beg this at the risk of our lives.” The ordinance said: “Approved.”

He continued to Liaodong and returned.

The Second Emperor then followed Zhao Gao’s counsel and tightened the laws. Secretly he asked Gao: “The great ministers refuse to submit, officials remain powerful, and the princes are bound to contest my rule. What can be done?” Gao replied: “I have long wished to speak, but dared not. The late emperor’s great ministers come from distinguished families whose prestige and merit have passed down for generations. I am by origin a humble man of low station; through Your Majesty’s favor I have been raised to high office and entrusted with affairs within the palace. The great ministers resent me; they obey me in appearance only, never in their hearts. Now that Your Majesty is away, investigate the governors and military commandants of the commanderies and counties and execute those guilty of crimes. Above, you will display your power to the realm; below, remove those you have always disliked. These are times to decide by force rather than imitate civil government. Act with the times and do not hesitate, before the ministers can plot. An enlightened sovereign promotes men from the common people, makes the lowly noble, the poor wealthy, and the distant close to him. Then high and low come together, and the state is secure.” The emperor said: “Good.” He began executing great ministers and princes, implicating even lesser officials of the palace guards on charges that left none fit to serve. Six princes were slaughtered at Du. Prince Jianglü and his two brothers were imprisoned in the inner palace, their trials alone postponed. The Second Emperor sent an envoy to Jianglü: “The prince has failed in his duty as a subject. His crime deserves death. The officials will apply the law.” Jianglü said: “In court ceremonies I have always followed the instructions of the ushers; in the palace and temple I have never broken protocol; in receiving orders and replying I have never spoken improperly. How have I failed as a subject? Tell me my crime before I die.” The envoy said: “I was not party to the deliberations. I carry out the written order.” Jianglü raised his face to heaven and cried out three times: “Heaven! I am innocent!” The three brothers wept, drew their swords, and killed themselves. The imperial clan trembled with fear. Ministers who protested were charged with slander; high officials protected their stipends by seeking favor; the people lived in terror.

In the fourth month the Second Emperor returned to Xianyang and said: “The late emperor found the court at Xianyang too small and therefore began Epang Palace. Before it was finished he died, and the workers were sent to cover his tomb at Mount Li. Now that work on Mount Li is essentially done, to abandon Epang unfinished would proclaim that the late emperor was wrong to begin it.” Construction resumed. Abroad he sought to pacify the four barbarian peoples according to the First Emperor’s plan. He conscripted fifty thousand able-bodied men to garrison Xianyang and train with bows, dogs, horses, and wild animals. Since so many needed food and supplies seemed insufficient, he ordered the commanderies and counties to transport beans, grain, fodder, and straw. The conscripts were to carry their own provisions, and grain grown within three hundred li of Xianyang was not to be consumed by them. Enforcement of the law grew increasingly cruel.

In the seventh month Chen She and other frontier garrison soldiers rebelled in the former territory of Jing, calling their movement “Rising Chu.” Chen proclaimed himself King of Chu at Chen and sent his generals to seize territory. Young men in the commanderies and counties east of the mountains, suffering under Qin officials, killed their governors, commandants, magistrates, and deputies and rebelled in response to Chen She. They installed one another as kings and lords, formed alliances facing west, and declared war on Qin, too many to count. An imperial envoy came from the east to report the rebellion. The Second Emperor angrily handed him over to the officials. When another envoy arrived, the emperor questioned him, and he answered: “A band of thieves. The governors and commandants are pursuing and arresting them, and almost all have been caught. There is no cause for concern.” The emperor was delighted. Wu Chen proclaimed himself King of Zhao, Wei Jiu King of Wei, and Tian Dan King of Qi. The Lord of Pei rose at Pei; Xiang Liang raised troops in Kuaiji Commandery.

In the winter of the second year, Zhou Zhang and others sent by Chen She led several hundred thousand soldiers west to Xi. The Second Emperor, greatly alarmed, asked his ministers: “What shall we do?” Zhang Han, superintendent of the imperial household, said: “The rebels are already here in strength. There is no time to levy troops in nearby counties. There are many convicts at Mount Li; pardon them, arm them, and send them against the rebels.” The emperor proclaimed a general amnesty and placed Zhang Han in command. He routed Zhou Zhang’s army and drove it off, then killed Zhang at Caoyang. The emperor sent senior officials Sima Xin and Dong Yi to help Zhang Han against the rebels. They killed Chen She at Chengfu, defeated Xiang Liang at Dingtao, and destroyed Wei Jiu at Linji. With the famed rebel generals in Chu dead, Zhang Han crossed the Yellow River northward to attack King Xie of Zhao and the others at Julu.

Zhao Gao told the Second Emperor: “The late emperor ruled the realm for so long that his ministers never dared do wrong or offer corrupt advice. Your Majesty is young and has just ascended the throne: why decide affairs in court with your high ministers? Should a mistake occur, you would reveal a weakness to them. The Son of Heaven calls himself ‘We’ because his voice is not heard.” So the Second Emperor remained in the inner palace, deciding matters with Gao. Afterward the high ministers seldom saw him at court, the rebels multiplied, and troops from Guanzhong were dispatched east against them without respite. Chancellor of the Right Feng Quji, Chancellor of the Left Li Si, and General Feng Jie remonstrated: “Rebel bands are rising everywhere east of the passes. Qin has dispatched forces against them and killed great numbers, yet the uprisings do not stop. They multiply because garrison service, canal transport, and construction labor are grueling and taxes are high. Please suspend work on Epang Palace and reduce frontier garrisons and transport levies.” The emperor answered: “I have heard Han Fei say: ‘Yao and Shun did not trim the rafters they felled or cut the thatch of their roofs; they ate and drank from earthenware. Even a gatekeeper would have no poorer fare. Yu cut through Dragon Gate, opened the Daxia passage, breached the Yellow River’s obstruction, and released its waters into the sea. He himself carried rammer and spade until no hair remained on his shins: even the labor of a slave was no harder.’ The value of possessing the realm is to be able to indulge one’s desires fully, uphold strict laws, and keep inferiors from doing wrong, thereby controlling all within the seas. The rulers of Yu and Xia, though Son of Heaven, personally endured poverty for the sake of commoners: what use was their rank? I have the dignity of a ruler of ten thousand chariots without its substance. I wish to equip a procession of a thousand chariots and the retinue of a ruler of ten thousand, to match my title. The late emperor began as one lord among many and united the world; with it pacified, he repelled the foreign peoples to secure its frontiers and built palaces to proclaim his triumph. You can see the purpose in his works. Yet within the two years since I took the throne, rebels have risen everywhere and you cannot stop them; now you wish to end the late emperor’s enterprise. Thus you neither repay him above nor serve me loyally below. How can you hold office?” He handed Quji, Si, and Jie over to the officials to investigate other crimes. Quji and Jie said: “A general and a chancellor shall not be humiliated,” and killed themselves. Si remained imprisoned and suffered the five punishments.

In the third year Zhang Han and his commanders besieged Julu, and Xiang Yu, supreme general of Chu, led Chu forces to its relief. In winter Zhao Gao became chancellor and completed his prosecution of Li Si, killing him. In summer Zhang Han’s forces were repeatedly driven back. The Second Emperor sent a messenger to reprimand him. Fearing for his life, Zhang sent his senior official Sima Xin to explain matters. Zhao Gao refused to see him and would not trust him. Xin fled in fear; Gao’s men pursued him but failed to catch him. Xin told Zhang Han: “Zhao Gao rules at court. Whether you win or lose, General, you will be executed.” Xiang Yu pressed the attack, captured Wang Li, and Zhang Han surrendered his army to the allied lords. On the day jihai in the eighth month, Zhao Gao, plotting rebellion but fearing that the ministers would not obey him, staged a test. He presented a deer to the Second Emperor, saying: “Here is a horse.” The emperor laughed: “Is the chancellor mistaken, calling a deer a horse?” Asked for their opinions, some courtiers remained silent, others called it a horse to flatter Gao. Those who called it a deer were secretly incriminated under the law by Gao. Thereafter the ministers all feared him.

Gao had repeatedly said: “The rebels east of the passes can do nothing.” But Xiang Yu captured the Qin general Wang Li and others at Julu and advanced, while Zhang Han’s forces retreated again and again and requested reinforcements. Kings had been established in Yan, Zhao, Qi, Chu, Han, and Wei. Almost everyone east of the passes had rebelled against Qin officials and sided with the lords, whose armies all faced west. The Lord of Pei, leading tens of thousands, had already overrun Wu Pass and secretly contacted Gao. Fearing the emperor’s anger and execution, Gao claimed illness and stopped attending court. The Second Emperor dreamed a white tiger bit the horse harnessed on his left. He killed the horse but remained troubled and sought an interpretation. The diviner said: “The Jing River spirit is causing trouble.” The emperor purified himself at Wangyi Palace to sacrifice to the Jing River, intending to sink four white horses in it. He sent an envoy to rebuke Gao for the rebel troubles. Afraid, Gao secretly plotted with his son-in-law Yan Le, magistrate of Xianyang, and his younger brother Zhao Cheng: “The emperor will not listen to advice. Now danger approaches, and he wants to lay the blame on my family. I will replace him with Prince Ziying. Ziying is humane and frugal; the people all praise his words.” Gao arranged for the Chamberlain of the Palace to assist from within. Pretending that great rebels had appeared, he ordered Le to muster officials and soldiers, then seized Le’s mother as a hostage in his own house. Le took more than a thousand men to the gate of Wangyi Palace, bound the guard commander, and said: “Rebels have entered here. Why did you not stop them?” The commander said: “Guards have been carefully stationed all around. How could any rebel enter?” Le beheaded him and led his men directly inside, firing their bows as they went. Palace attendants and eunuchs panicked; some fled and some resisted, and those who fought were killed, several dozen in all. The Chamberlain entered with Le, and they shot at the curtain surrounding the emperor’s seat. Furious, the Second Emperor called his guards, but all were terrified and would not fight. One eunuch beside him stayed, not daring to leave. Retreating inside, the emperor asked him: “Why did you not tell me sooner, before it came to this?” The eunuch answered: “I dared not speak, and so survived. Had I spoken earlier, I would have been killed with all the others. How could I be here now?” Yan Le advanced and recited the emperor’s crimes: “You are arrogant and willful, killing without justice; the realm has united against you. Decide now what you will do.” The emperor asked: “May I see the chancellor?” “No.” “Then let me rule one commandery as king.” Le refused. “Then let me be lord of ten thousand households.” Again he refused. “Then let me live with my wife and children as a commoner, like the other princes.” Yan Le said: “The chancellor ordered me to execute you for the sake of the realm. However much you say, I cannot report back.” He signaled his soldiers to advance. The Second Emperor killed himself.

In the first year of his reign, the Second Emperor was twenty-one years old. Zhao Gao became Chamberlain of the Palace and was put in charge of affairs. The Second Emperor issued an edict increasing the offerings at the First Emperor's resting place and temple and the rites for sacrifices to mountains, rivers, and the hundred spirits. He ordered the ministers to discuss how to honor the First Emperor's temple. They all bowed their heads and said: “In antiquity the Son of Heaven had seven temples, a feudal lord five, and a grandee three. Even after ten thousand generations they were not to be removed or destroyed. Now the First Emperor's temple is the highest. All lands within the four seas bring tribute; the offerings have been increased and the rites are complete. Nothing more can be added. Some of the earlier kings' temples are in Yong in the west, others in Xianyang. According to the rites, the Son of Heaven alone should pour offerings and sacrifice at the First Emperor's temple. The temples from Duke Xiang onward should be removed. Seven temples will remain in all. The ministers will present sacrifices according to the rites, honoring the First Emperor's temple as the ancestral temple of the imperial line.” The emperor once more called himself “We.”

The Second Emperor discussed his plans with Zhao Gao: “I am young and have only just taken the throne. The common people have not yet gathered around me. The former emperor traveled through the commanderies and counties to show his strength and bring all the lands under his control through fear. If I sit quietly and do not tour them, I will appear weak and cannot rule the world as my subjects.” In spring the Second Emperor traveled east through the commanderies and counties, with Li Si accompanying him. He reached Jieshi, followed the coast south to Kuaiji, and had additions cut into every inscription stone set up by the First Emperor. Beside the inscriptions he placed the names of the great ministers who had accompanied him, to make clear the former emperor's great achievements and fine qualities:

The emperor said: “All the inscriptions on metal and stone describe what the First Emperor did. I have now inherited his title, but the inscriptions do not call him ‘the First Emperor.’ In the distant future they may look as though his successor made them. This does not properly honor his great achievements and fine qualities.” Chancellors Li Si and Quji, and Imperial Counselor De, said at the risk of their lives: “We ask to carve the text of this edict in full on the stones, so it will be clear. We make this request at the risk of our lives.” The emperor's decree said: “Approved.”

He went as far as Liaodong and then returned.

The Second Emperor followed Zhao Gao's advice and made the laws and orders stricter. He secretly told Gao: “The great ministers do not obey me, the officials are still powerful, and the princes will certainly fight me. What should I do?” Gao answered: “I have long wanted to speak of this but did not dare. The former emperor's senior ministers all come from families renowned and honored for generations across the land. Their achievements have been passed down for a long time. I was originally lowly and insignificant. By Your Majesty's favor I was raised to high office and put in charge of palace affairs. The great ministers are dissatisfied. They obey me only in appearance; in their hearts they do not accept me. Now that Your Majesty is away, use the opportunity to investigate wrongdoing by commandery governors and military commanders and execute the guilty. This will show your power to the whole world and remove those whom you have always disliked. This is no time to take scholars as your models; decisions must be made by force. Please act now without hesitation, before the ministers can plan together. An enlightened ruler raises up ordinary people, gives high rank to the humble and wealth to the poor, and brings those far away close. Then his officials and people will rally around him and his state will be secure.” The Second Emperor said: “Good.” He began executing great ministers and princes. Officials and their relatives, even those close to the ruler in the three palace offices, were implicated in crimes; none was left able to take a stand. Six princes were executed at Du. Prince Jianglü and his two brothers were imprisoned in the inner palace; judgment of their crimes was delayed. The Second Emperor sent a messenger to Jianglü: “The prince has failed in his duty to his ruler. His crime deserves death; the officials will carry out the law.” Jianglü said: “At court I have never dared fail to follow the directions of the ceremonial attendants. In the palace and temples I have never acted against the rites. When given orders and asked to answer, I have never dared use the wrong words. How have I failed in my duty? Let me hear my crime before I die.” The messenger said: “I did not take part in the decision. I only carry out the written order.” Jianglü looked up at heaven and cried out “Heaven!” three times. “I have committed no crime!” The three brothers wept, drew their swords, and killed themselves. The imperial clan trembled with fear. Ministers who protested were accused of slander; senior officials clung to their salaries and sought favor. The common people too were terrified.

In the fourth month the Second Emperor returned to Xianyang and said: “The former emperor thought the court at Xianyang too small, so he began Epang Palace with its halls and chambers. Before it was finished, he died, and the workers were sent to restore the earth at Mount Li. Now that the work at Mount Li is mostly finished, abandoning Epang Palace unfinished would suggest that the former emperor was wrong to begin it.” He resumed construction on Epang Palace. He kept the foreign peoples on all four sides in check, following the First Emperor's plan. He called up all fifty thousand able men to garrison Xianyang and had them train dogs, horses, and other animals in archery exercises. So many needed feeding that supplies appeared insufficient. He ordered commanderies and counties to transport beans, grain, fodder, and straw. The men had to bring their own food, and they were forbidden to eat any grain grown within three hundred li of Xianyang. The laws were enforced ever more harshly.

In the seventh month, Chen She and other garrison soldiers rebelled in the former Jing territory and called their state “Rising Chu.” Chen made himself King of Chu, settled at Chen, and sent generals to win over the land. Young men in the commanderies and counties east of the mountains had suffered under Qin officials. They killed their governors, military commanders, magistrates, and deputies, and rebelled in support of Chen She. They appointed one another lords and kings, joined forces, and headed west, calling their movement a campaign against Qin. Their numbers were beyond counting. An envoy returned from the east and reported the rebellion to the Second Emperor. He became angry and handed the envoy to the judicial officials. When the next envoy arrived, the emperor asked him about it. He replied: “They are just bands of robbers. The commandery governors and commanders are hunting them down, and now they have caught them all. There is no need for concern.” The emperor was pleased. Wu Chen made himself King of Zhao, Wei Jiu became King of Wei, and Tian Dan became King of Qi. The Lord of Pei rose up in Pei. Xiang Liang raised troops in Kuaiji Commandery.

In the winter of the second year, Zhou Zhang and others whom Chen She had sent led hundreds of thousands of soldiers west as far as Xi. The Second Emperor was alarmed and asked his ministers: “What shall we do?” Zhang Han, the director of the imperial treasury, said: “The rebels have reached us and are numerous and strong. There is not enough time to call up soldiers from nearby counties. There are many convicts at Mount Li. I ask you to pardon them and give them weapons to fight the rebels.” The Second Emperor proclaimed a general pardon and sent Zhang Han to command the men. Zhang defeated Zhou Zhang's army and put it to flight, then killed Zhang at Caoyang. The Second Emperor sent Chief Secretaries Sima Xin and Dong Yi to help Zhang Han fight the rebels. They killed Chen She at Chengfu, defeated Xiang Liang at Dingtao, and destroyed Wei Jiu's forces at Linji. Now that the famous rebel generals of Chu were dead, Zhang Han crossed the Yellow River north and attacked King Xie of Zhao and his men at Julu.

Zhao Gao advised the Second Emperor: “The former emperor ruled the world for a long time, so his ministers did not dare behave wrongly or offer dishonest advice. Your Majesty is young and has only just taken the throne. Why settle matters with the high officials in open court? If there is a mistake, you will show your weakness to your ministers. The Son of Heaven calls himself ‘We’ precisely because his voice should not be heard.” The Second Emperor therefore stayed in the private palace and made decisions with Gao. After that, senior officials rarely got to see him at court. Meanwhile rebels increased in number, and troops continued to be sent east from the Guanzhong region to fight them. Right Chancellor Quji, Left Chancellor Li Si, and General Feng Jie protested: “Rebel bands are rising all over the east. Qin has sent troops against them and killed very many, yet they are still not stopped. There are so many rebels because border garrisons, canal transport, hauling supplies, and forced labor are hard, and taxes are heavy. Please stop the work on Epang Palace for now and reduce the garrisons and transport duties at the four borders.” The Second Emperor said: “I have heard the words of Master Han: ‘Yao and Shun used untrimmed rafters and thatched roofs that were not clipped. They ate from earthen bowls and drank from earthen cups. Even a gatekeeper's provisions could not be more meager. Yu dug through Dragon Gate, opened a passage to Daxia, cut channels for the Yellow River's waters, and sent them to the sea. He held shovel and rammer himself, until his shins lost their hair. Even a slave's labor could hardly be worse.’ The point of ruling the whole world is to be able to do as one pleases and satisfy one's desires. The ruler must enforce the law strictly so that no one below dares to do wrong and he can control all the lands within the seas. The rulers of Yu and Xia held the lofty position of Son of Heaven but personally lived in hardship to please the common people. What use did they make of the law? I command ten thousand chariots but do not enjoy the reality of my position. I want to build a carriage escort of a thousand chariots, with the full equipment of a ruler of ten thousand, to match my title. Besides, the former emperor rose from among the other rulers and united the world. Once the land was settled, he drove out foreign peoples to secure the borders and built palaces to display his achievement. You can see that his work was properly planned. Yet in the two years since I took the throne, rebels have risen everywhere. You cannot stop them, and now you want to end what the former emperor began. In this way you fail to honor him and also fail to serve me loyally. Why should you hold office?” He handed Quji, Li Si, and Feng Jie over to the judicial officials to investigate other alleged crimes. Quji and Feng Jie said: “Generals and chancellors cannot accept such humiliation.” They killed themselves. Li Si was imprisoned and subjected to the five punishments.

In the third year, Zhang Han and his officers surrounded Julu with their soldiers. Xiang Yu, commander in chief of Chu, led Chu troops to its aid. In winter Zhao Gao became Chancellor and finished his case against Li Si, having him killed. In summer Zhang Han lost several battles. The Second Emperor sent someone to rebuke him. Afraid, Zhang sent Chief Secretary Sima Xin to ask for instructions. Zhao Gao would not see him and did not trust him. Xin fled in fear; Gao sent men to catch him, but they failed. Xin told Zhang Han: “Zhao Gao controls affairs at court. If you succeed, General, he will kill you, and if you fail, he will also kill you.” Xiang Yu attacked Qin's army fiercely and captured Wang Li. Zhang Han and the others surrendered their troops to the other states. On the day jihai in the eighth month, Zhao Gao wanted to rebel but feared the ministers would not obey him. First he tested them. He presented a deer to the Second Emperor and said: “Here is a horse.” The emperor laughed: “Is the Chancellor mistaken? You call a deer a horse.” He asked the attendants. Some said nothing; others called it a horse to please Zhao Gao. Some said it was a deer, and Gao secretly had all who said so brought up on charges. After that the ministers all feared him.

Zhao Gao had often said before that the rebels east of the passes could do nothing. But now Xiang Yu had captured Qin's general Wang Li and others at Julu and was advancing. Zhang Han's forces had been pushed back repeatedly, and he had written asking for more help. Kings had been installed in Yan, Zhao, Qi, Chu, Han, and Wei. Nearly all the lands east of the passes had rebelled against Qin's officials and joined the other states, and their forces were all marching west. The Lord of Pei had led tens of thousands of men to seize Wuguan Pass and had sent someone privately to contact Gao. Afraid the Second Emperor would be angry and have him executed, Gao claimed to be ill and stopped coming to court. The Second Emperor dreamed that a white tiger bit the left-hand horse of his carriage, and he killed it. Troubled by the dream, he asked a diviner what it meant. The diviner said: “The Jing River is causing trouble.” The Second Emperor went to Wangyi Palace to purify himself, intending to sacrifice four white horses by sinking them in the Jing River. He sent a messenger to blame Zhao Gao for the rebels. Gao was afraid. He secretly plotted with his son-in-law Yan Le, the magistrate of Xianyang, and his brother Zhao Cheng: “The emperor will not listen to advice. Now trouble is near and he wants to blame my family. I want to replace him and install Prince Ziying. Ziying is kind and frugal; the common people all respect what he says.” Gao had the Chamberlain of the Palace act as an inside accomplice. Pretending that a large gang of rebels had appeared, he ordered Yan Le to summon officials and gather soldiers. He had Le's mother seized and kept at his house as a hostage. He sent Le with more than a thousand officers and soldiers to the palace gate at Wangyi. They bound the commander of the guards and said: “Rebels have entered here! Why didn't you stop them?” The commander said: “Soldiers are posted carefully all around the palace. How could rebels dare to enter?” Le beheaded him, led the officers straight inside, and began shooting. The palace attendants and eunuchs were terrified. Some fled; others fought back, and those who fought were killed. Several dozen died. The Chamberlain of the Palace and Le entered together and shot at the curtains around the emperor's seat. The Second Emperor, furious, summoned his attendants, but they were all too frightened and confused to fight. One eunuch stood nearby, serving him, too afraid to leave. The emperor went inside and said to him: “Why did you not tell me earlier? Now it has come to this!” The eunuch said: “I did not dare speak, and that is why I am still alive. If I had spoken sooner, I would have been killed. How could I have lived until now?” Yan Le came forward and accused the Second Emperor: “You have been arrogant and reckless, killing people without justice. The whole world has risen against you. Decide now what you will do.” The Second Emperor said: “May I see the Chancellor?” Le said: “No.” The emperor said: “Let me rule one commandery as its king.” Le refused. He said: “Let me be a lord with ten thousand households.” Le refused again. He said: “Let me live as a commoner with my wife and children, like the other princes.” Yan Le said: “The Chancellor has ordered me to execute you on behalf of the whole world. Say as much as you like; I cannot report back to him with another answer.” He signaled his men to advance. The Second Emperor killed himself.