Zhao Gao can be said to be a well-known historical figure in China, and everyone knows the allusion of referring to a deer as a horse.
When mentioning Zhao Gao, the first thing that everyone thinks of is that he was a great eunuch who brought disaster to the country and the people. He was also the most famous eunuch. The eunuch chaos also started with him. The demise of the Qin Dynasty had a lot to do with him. , even considered to be the culprit.
Those who know more about him believe that he is a member of the royal family of the Zhao Kingdom. In order to avenge his country, he lurked around Qin Shihuang and endured the humiliation, waiting for the opportunity, and finally the great revenge was avenged.
As for whether Zhao Gao has done any good deeds or has any merits, he can't say a single thing.
The statue of a deer turned into a horse
So is Zhao Gao really that unbearable? Is this really the case? Is Zhao Gao an eunuch? Is Zhao Gao a member of the Zhao family? Are you here to avenge Zhao?
The answer is obviously no!
Zhao Gao is a clan member of the Qin State, not a member of the Zhao State. He is an authentic Qin person. Therefore, there is no such thing as revenge for the Zhao State.
Zhao Gao was not a eunuch, but a former eunuch, but he was definitely not a eunuch. History books and articles before the Eastern Han Dynasty never said that Zhao Gao was an eunuch.
Zhao Gao was very accomplished in calligraphy and articles, and was a great talent. Otherwise, someone as wise as the First Emperor would not have allowed him to be Hu Hai's teacher.
The TV series "The Legend of Chu and Han" Zhao Gao
Below, I will answer the questions one by one from three aspects.
How Zhao Gao was transformed from an eunuch to a eunuch and became a "eunuch".
Zhao Gao was eunuched, which was caused by a misreading or deliberate interpretation of " Historical Records ".
Regarding Zhao Gao's life experience, "Historical Records. Biography of Meng Tian" records this.
Those who are high in Zhao are alienated from each other. Several of Zhao Gaokun's younger brothers were all born in hidden palaces. Their mothers were tortured and killed, and they were always humble.
The general meaning of this passage is that Zhao Gao is a relatively distant member of the Zhao family. Because his mother had been punished for committing crimes, the Zhao Gao brothers were all born in the "hidden palace" and were destined to live a humble and humble life for generations to come.
"Historical Records. Biography of Li Si" records this.
The second generation said: "Why? The husband is high, so he is also an eunuch."
The general meaning of this passage is, what is the reason? Zhao Gao was just a servant serving in the palace. Hu Hai's implication is: How could Zhao Gao rebel? These words were Hu Hai's rhetorical question to Li Si in the face of Li Si 's advice.
Li Si, the author of "The Order of Remonstrance and Expulsion"
The "Hidden Palace" should be the place where prisoners are punished, or where the prisoners live.
The word "Huan" first appeared in Western Zhou Dynasty bronze inscriptions. Some scholars believe that this word already appeared in Oracle Bone Inscriptions . The ancient Chinese character form of "Huan" is Conghu, Congchen, and its original meaning is to be a slave in the house of an emperor or aristocrat. It is extended to include official positions, learning official affairs, being a slave of a noble, a eunuch, etc.
Today's Chinese vocabulary, "officials", "officials", "officials", etc. all mean to be officials.
Zhao Gao was eunuch. The problem lies in the interpretation of "hidden palace" and "Huan".
As we all know, there were three very serious periods of eunuch chaos in Chinese history, namely the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the eunuchs disrupted the government, and there were chaos among the five princes and the ten ministers, which made people and gods angry. In this context, there was a scholar surnamed Liu who hated eunuchs when he was annotating "Historical Records". He also saw that "Historical Records" recorded that Zhao Gao was an eunuch and was born in a hidden palace. He intentionally or unintentionally said that Zhao Gao was an eunuch. Castrate! Note that eunuchs are the later eunuchs. He even explained that Zhao Gao's father was also a eunuch, and Zhao Gao's mother had an affair with someone else and gave birth to Zhao Gao, so Zhao Gao also became a eunuch!
In fact, Sima Qian only recorded some of Zhao Gao's life sporadically in the "Biography of Li Si" and "Biography of Meng Tian" in "Historical Records". Even so, these books did not define Zhao Gao's identity as a "eunuch" in later generations.Later historians searched through the historical documents of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but still did not find any book that clearly pointed out that Zhao Gao's identity was a "eunuch" in later generations.
Statue of Sima Qian, author of "Historical Records"
There is another issue that needs to be explained. Zhao Gao is indeed a eunuch, but the eunuchs of the Qin Dynasty were not eunuchs. Zhao Gao was an official responsible for recording matters in the palace, or in charge. A confidential person, so Hu Hai said that he was a slave. There was a special term for eunuchs in the Qin Dynasty called "eunuch". At that time, eunuchs and eunuchs could not be equated. It can be seen from this that Zhao Gao is a eunuch, not an eunuch.
It was already a matter of the Eastern Han Dynasty that all eunuchs were called eunuchs. At this time, the word eunuch was what everyone later thought of as eunuch.
This matter is clearly recorded in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Preface to the Biographies of Eunuchs":
Eunuchs all use eunuchs, and it is not complicated to adjust other officials.
The word "eunuch" appeared even later. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial palace was changed to the imperial palace, and eunuchs served as eunuchs and young eunuchs. By the Ming Dynasty , the power of eunuchs was increasing day by day, and only the eunuchs with higher status were called "eunuchs". In the Qing Dynasty, people called all eunuchs "eunuchs", and eunuchs became synonymous with eunuchs.
At this point, Zhao Gao, who had long been recognized as a eunuch, followed the wheel of history and was eunuched.
Qin II Hu Hai
In addition, there is another strong evidence that Zhao Gao is not a eunuch, that is, he is a man with children.
"Historical Records. The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin" has a clear record in the "Change of Wangyi Palace":
Gao Qianqian said "It is impossible to steal from Guandong", and Xiang Yu captured the Qin general Wang Li and other huge deer came down. Before, chapter Han and other armies were defeated, and they wrote to ask for help. Yan, Zhao, Qi, Chu, Han, and Wei were all established as kings. From the east of Guan to the east of the Great Di, Qin officials responded to the princes, and the princes led their troops to the west. Township. Pei Gong generals have slaughtered Wuguan tens of thousands of people, so that people can be selfish, fearing the wrath of the second generation, and punishing them.
The second envoy gave Gao the task of being a thief. Gao was afraid that Naiyin and his son-in-law Xianyang ordered Yan Le and his younger brother Zhao Chengmou to say: "The superior will not listen to the advice. The matter is urgent and I want to blame my clan for the disaster. If I want to be replaced easily, I will establish the son Ying. Ziying is benevolent. He was so thrifty that the people all recorded his words." He ordered the doctor to act as an internal response, and deceived him into thinking that there was a big thief, so he ordered Le to call the officials to attack, hunt down Le's mother, and build a high house.
He sent more than a thousand generals and soldiers to the gate of Wangyi Palace, bound the guards and ordered his servants to shoot him, saying: "Thieves have entered here, why don't they stop?" The guard said: "The soldiers in Zhou Lu are very careful. How can thieves dare to enter the palace? Le Sui then killed the guards, led the officials in, and started shooting. The officials were frightened, and either walked away or blocked them. Those who blocked them often died, and dozens of people died. The doctor ordered him to come in together with Yue, shoot up the curtain and sit on the curtain. The second generation was angry and summoned the left and right, but everyone on the left and right was in panic. There was an eunuch beside him, but he didn't dare to go. The second generation entered the house and said, "Why don't you sue me? Even this!" The eunuch said, "I dare not speak, so I am safe. The envoys who have spoken out have all been killed, and how have they been until now?" Yan Le said that two people were in front of him. Shishu said: "One step is arrogant and unruly, and the whole world is on the same side. Each step has its own plan." The second generation said: "Can the prime minister be seen?" Le said: "No." The second generation said : "I would like to have a county as my king." Fu promised. He also said: "I would like to serve as the marquis of 10,000 households." Fu Xu. He said: "I would like to be the head of Guizhou with my wife and compare myself to other princes." Yan Le said: "I was ordered by the prime minister to punish my subordinates for the world. Although my subordinates spoke too much, I dare not retaliate." He ordered his troops to advance. The second commits suicide. I will not translate this text
. Anyone who is interested can read it carefully. The text is very clear. Zhao Gao's son-in-law Xianyang ordered Yan Le to force Hu Hai to commit suicide under Zhao Gao's instruction.
Let me ask you, how can a eunuch have a daughter?
Zhao Gao's son-in-law Yan Le, the one who forced Hu Hai to be killed
Zhao Gao changed from a member of the Qin clan to a member of the Zhao Gao clan, which originated from a misunderstanding of the pre-Qin surname culture.
1. What is the surname of Qin State?
Regarding the origin of the Qin State, " Historical Records. Qin Benji " records:
He paid a lot of money to worship and assisted Shun in taming birds and beasts. Many birds and beasts were tamed, which is Baiyi.Shun gave him the surname Ying.
Da Fei gave birth to two sons: one was named , Da Lian, , who was actually the bird surname; the second was Ruo Mu, who was actually the Fei surname. His great-great-grandson is called Feichang, and his descendants are either in China or Yi and Di. Fei Chang went to Xia to return to Shang Dynasty when Xia Jie was . He became the emperor of Tang Dynasty and defeated Jie in Mingtiao. Xuan Sun of Dalian said: Meng Xi , Zhongyan, with the body of a bird and the words of a human being. Emperor Taiwu heard about it and divined it, and it was auspicious, so he sent the emperor to marry him. From to Taiwu and below, after Zhongyan, he made great achievements in the world and assisted the Yin Kingdom. Therefore, the surname Ying became more prominent and he became a prince.
His great-great-grandson was called Zhongyi, who was in Xirong and Baoxicui. Live well and be honest. Integrity brings evil. When evil comes, there is strength, and when people are honest, they go out well. Both father and son used their talents to serve the Yin Dynasty. King Wu of Zhou defeated Zhou and killed the evil ones. At that time, Feilian was in the north of Zhou Shi, but he returned without any retribution. He was repaid for altar and Huo Taishan , and got a stone coffin with the inscription: "The emperor ordered Chufu not to interfere with the Yin Dynasty, and he gave you the stone coffin with the name Fahrenheit." He died and was buried in Huo Taishan. Fei Lianfu had a son named Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng gave birth to Meng Zeng. Meng Zeng was fortunate to be King Zhou Cheng, and he was a wolf in the house. Gao Lang begot Hengfu, and Hengfu begat Zaofu. Zaofu was lucky enough to be a good charioteer from King Mu of Zhou. He obtained the horses of Ji, Wen Li, Hua Qi and Luo Er. He went hunting in the west and was so happy that he forgot to return home. King Xu Yan caused chaos, and Zaofu served as King Miu's governor. He drove back to Zhou Dynasty, traveling thousands of miles a day to save the chaos. King Mu granted the title of Zaofu to the city of Zhao, and the Cepheus family became the Zhao family. Since the birth of Fei Lian, Ji Sheng has been living in Zaofu for five generations, and he has lived in Zhao. Zhao Sheng followed. Those who come to reform with evil will be treated as honest men, and fleas will die. There is a saying that Nv Fang, Nv Fang gave birth to Pang Gao, Pang Gao gave birth to Tai Ji, Tai Ji gave birth to Da Luo, and Da Luo gave birth to Feizi. They were all favored by Zhao Cheng and their surname was Zhao.
Tai Shigong said: The first person of Qin was named Ying. Later, they were enfeoffed and took the country as their surname, including Xu, Tan, Ju, Zhongli, Yunyan, Tuqiu, Jiangliang, Huang, Jiang, Xiuyu, Baiming, Fei, etc. The Lian family and the Qin family. However, the Qin Dynasty granted the city of Zhao a title to its forefather, making it the Zhao family.
Zhao’s ancestor Cepheid
The above text reveals some information.
First, the ancestor of the Qin people was Dafei. Because he helped Shun tame birds and beasts, he was given the surname Ying by Shun. Dafei was Boyi. This Boyi was the same Boyi who later helped Dayu control the floods. It can be seen from this that the ancestors of the Qin people were very good at dealing with livestock, birds and beasts. They should have made a great contribution to the domestication of livestock by humans, so his descendants produced many people who served as charioteers for the Shang and Zhou dynasties. , that is, the people around the leader, so we had the historical opportunity later.
Second, one of Boyi's descendants named Fei Chang once drove for Shang Tang and helped Shang Tang defeat Xia Jie; Boyi also had a descendant named Zhong Yan who also drove for the king of Shang. Later generations assisted the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and the surname Ying became a prominent noble in the Shang Dynasty and became a vassal of the Shang Dynasty.
Third, at the end of the Shang Dynasty, Boyi's descendants Feilian and his eldest son Erai, one was good at running and a scud, and the other was extremely strong and was a Hercules, so they were highly used by King Zhou. After King Wu defeated Zhou , Evilai was killed, and Feilian fled to Mount Huotai and died there. The descendant of the second son Ji Sheng, Cepheus, was good at driving and helped King Mu of Zhou put down the rebellion of King Xu Yan, so he was sealed to Zhao City. From then on, the Cepheus branch began to take Zhao as their surname. Xilai's descendants were also granted a title to Zhao City because of Zaofu's favor. They lived in Zhao City and also took Zhao as their surname.
Fourth, Sima Qian said that the ancestors of the Qin people had the surname Ying. Later, due to the enfeoffment, many surnames were divided, but the Qin people still took Zhao as their surname because of Cepheid.
"Historical Records. The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin" records:
The First Emperor of Qin was also Prince Zhuangxiang of Qin. King Zhuang Xiang was the proton of Qin in Zhao. When he saw Concubine Lu Buwei, he was pleased to take her and gave birth to the first emperor. King Zhao of Qin was born in Handan in the first month of the forty-eighth year of his reign. When he was born, his name was Zheng and his surname was Zhao. When he was thirteen years old, King Zhuang Xiang died, and Zheng Dai was made King of Qin.
This text clearly records that Qin Shihuang’s famous name was Zhao. If he had to call it according to current custom, it would be Zhao Zheng.
Eternal Emperor Qin Shihuang
As for the name of Zhao Zheng, "Historical Records·Chu Family" also has clear records:
(King Kaolie of Chu) In the 16th year, King Zhuangxiang of Qin died, and King Zhao Zheng of Qin was established.
"Historical Records. Zhao Shijia " records:
The ancestor of the Zhao family shared the same ancestor with Qin.
This text once again makes it clear that Qin and Zhao were co-ancestors.
In summary, it can be seen that the surname of Qin's clan is Ying's Zhao, which is very clear.
2. Those nobles of Zhao XX in the Qin clan.
It has been recorded many times in "Historical Records" that a noble clan member named Zhao Moumou was named.
"Historical Records Biography of Shang Jun" records:
Shang Jun was in Qin Dynasty for ten years, and there were many nobles and relatives in the clan who resented him. Zhao Liang meets Shang Jun. Shang Jun said: "You can see the martingale from Meng Langao. Now you can hand over the martingale, okay?"
Zhao Liang said: "I dare not be the original servant. Confucius There is a saying: 'Those who recommend the virtuous will wear them. Advance, gather unworthy people, and the king will retreat. 'The servant is unworthy, so he dare not accept orders.' The servant heard it and said: 'Occupying it without its position is called greed for position, and having it without its name is called greed for name.' The servant listens to the meaning of the king, Then he was afraid that the servant would be greedy for position and fame, so he did not dare to obey orders."
This passage explains that after Shang Yang served as the prime minister of Qin for 10 years, Qin's royal relatives were very resentful of him. Therefore, under Shang Yang's appointment, he met Zhao Liang and said that he met Zhao Liang because he was recommended by Meng Langao and hoped to make good friends with Zhao Liang. In response, Zhao Liang directly refused, citing the words of Confucius as the reason, and said that he did not dare to obey.
From Shang Yang's attitude towards Zhao Liang and Zhao Liang's tone, we can clearly feel that Zhao Liang is a high-ranking and powerful figure in the Qin State. Even if Shang Yang wants to see him, he has to make an appointment through an intermediary, and he wants to befriend Shang Yang after the meeting. Then there is no face given at all. In addition, the article said at the beginning that "the noble clan has many dissatisfied people", and then gave an example of Zhao Liang. It is obvious that Zhao Liang was a clan minister of the Qin State. Otherwise, the context cannot explain it.
Based on the above records, it can be concluded that Zhao Liang is a member of the Qin royal family and has huge political influence in the Qin State. Even Shang Yang, who has served as prime minister for 10 years, had to humiliate her.
Statue of Shang Yang
"Historical Records. The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin" records:
King Qin controlled the world, established the title of emperor, visited the Eastern Land to appease the people, and arrived at Langxie. Liehou Wuchenghou Wang Li, Liehou Tongwuhou Wang Ben, Lunhou Jianchenghou Zhaohai, Lunhou Changwuhoucheng, Lunhou Wuxinhou Feng Wuze, Prime Minister Wei Lin, Prime Minister Wang Wan, Qing Li Si, Qing Wang Wu, the fifth doctor Zhao Ying, and the fifth doctor Yang Zhen followed and discussed the emperor's merits at sea.
In this passage, there are only two ministers of the Zhao family. One is Lunhou Jianchenghou Zhao Hai, and the other is the fifth official Zhao Ying. They are both ministers trusted by Qin Shihuang and cannot be from Zhao. . Because, after the Gao Jianli incident, Qin Shihuang no longer trusted people who were close to the Six Kingdoms.
This matter can be found in "Historical Records. Biographies of Assassins".
Therefore, he punished Gao Jianli , and never came close to the princes for the rest of his life.
It can be inferred from this that Zhao Hai and Zhao Ying can only be members of the Qin clan, so that they can gain the trust of Qin Shihuang. In the same way, Zhao Gao is also in the same situation, otherwise it would not make sense.
Let me talk about one more thing here. The fifth doctor Zhao Ying is probably the King of Qin who succeeded Hu Hai. Ziying, I won’t go into details here!
TV series "Qin Shi Mingyue" Gao Jianli
3, Zhao Gao is a native of Zhao due to the misreading of "Zhu Zhao".
Regarding Zhao Gao's life experience, "Historical Records. Biography of Meng Tian" records this. This is the reason for misunderstanding.
Those who are high in Zhao are alienated from each other. Several of Zhao Gaokun's younger brothers were all born in hidden palaces. Their mothers were tortured and killed, and they were always humble.
The origin of Tian Dan recorded in "Historical Records. Biography of Tian Dan" is as follows:
Tian Dan is a member of the Qi Zhutian sparse family.
The two texts also introduce the origin. Tian Dan is clearly "Qi Zhutian", while Zhao Gao is directly "Zhu Zhao". There is no "Zhao" in front of "Zhu Zhao", and the intention is obvious. That is, Zhao Gao is a clan member of the Qin State. There is no need to explain. If he is a clan member of the Zhao State, it will be clearly recorded as "Zhao Zhu Zhao".
In addition, after the Gao Jianli incident, Qin Shihuang no longer trusted people who were close to the Six Kingdoms. Therefore, the Zhao family is no exception and will never be trusted, let alone reused.
Bronze statue of Mengtian on horseback
4, surname culture of pre-Qin Dynasty.
In the pre-Qin period, that is, before the Han Dynasty, surnames and surnames were separate. The surname is similar to the title of a tribe, which is a group of people with a common maternal ancestor, so surnames such as Jiang, Ji, Ying, Si, etc. all have the female character next to them. Later, with the development of economy and society, different surnames were divided into different surnames, and surnames were all owned by people with status.
The surname is used to distinguish marriages, and the surname is used to distinguish noble and humble people. At that time, men were called by their surname, with their surname in front of their given name, and women were called by their surname, with their rank or husband's surname or posthumous name in front of their surname.
For example, Zhao Dun, the minister of the Jin State, is the Zhao family; Tian Dan, the famous general of the Qi State, is the Tian family.
Zhao Dun on a winter day
Zhao Ji, this woman is not surnamed Zhao, but surnamed Ji, and she is married to the Zhao family. For example, the wife of Zhao Shuai, the minister of the State of Zhao, was the daughter of Duke Wen of Jin, and was called Zhao Ji; she was also the wife of Zhao Shuo, the minister of Jin, and the sister of Duke Cheng of Jin, also called Zhao Ji. It can be seen from this that Qin Shihuang The mother of Zhao Ji also means the same thing. A woman named Ji marries someone from the Zhao family - a different person.
Meng Jiangnu in folklore, Meng means boss, Jiang is the surname, in today's terms she is the eldest daughter of the Jiang family.
There was another custom in the pre-Qin period, that is, the legitimate sons and grandsons were only called by their first names and not by their surnames, including princes and nobles. For example, Gongsun Yang was the grandson of a certain prince in the Wei Kingdom named Yang, that is, the famous Shang Yang. In fact, his surname was not Shang at all, but Ji, and he was a descendant of King Wen of Zhou. Similarly, most of the close clan clans of the Qin State called the prince so-and-so, such as the brother of Qin Xiaogong who opposed Shang Yang's reforms, the prince's teacher, the prince Qian; for example, the sons of Qin Shihuang, the prince Fusu, the prince Hu Hai, the prince Gao, etc.
It is precisely because of the traditional habits of the pre-Qin Dynasty that before the Han Dynasty, including the history books of the Han Dynasty, the names of Qin Shi Huang were Qin Wangzheng, Shi Huangzheng, Zhao Zheng, etc., and Ying Zheng was never called Ying Zheng. Regarding this, there is a clear record in "Historical Records: The Family of Chu": "In the 16th year of King Kaolie of Chu's reign, King Zhuangxiang of Qin died, and King Zhao Zhengli of Qin was established."
At the same time, some estranged members of the clan were directly called by their surnames. , Zhao Gao, Zhao Liang, Zhao Ying, and Zhao Hai all belong to this category.
Fusu Statue
In short, since Sima Qian said that "Qin named Zhao City after its founder, and named it the Zhao family." Then the Zhao family in his works is not only the Zhao clan but also the Qin clan. It is more reasonable for Zhao Gao to be the Qin clan. . Because Qin Shihuang had great distrust of the princes after the Gao Jianli incident, "Historical Records" records that he "never approached the princes again throughout his life."
If Zhao Gao was really a nobleman of Zhao State, then Qin Shihuang had no reason to keep him by his side to handle secrets. It is logically speculated that it is most reasonable for Zhao Gao to be trusted and reused by Qin Shihuang as a member of the royal family.
Zhao Gao was a calligrapher and a talented scholar, so he was trusted by the First Emperor.
"Historical Records. Biography of Meng Tian" records:
The King of Qin heard that Gao Qiangli was well versed in prison law, and he was considered the official of Zhongche Mansion. Gao Ji had a personal affair with his son Hu Hai, and he was sentenced to prison. Gao committed a serious crime, and the King of Qin ordered Meng Yi to punish him according to law. If Yi dare not follow the law, he will die for a high crime and be removed from his official position. The emperor used his high integrity to do things well, pardoned him, and restored his official title.
The general meaning of this passage is: The King of Qin heard that Zhao Gao was very capable and proficient in criminal and prison laws, so he promoted him to the post of CRRC Magistrate. Arrange Zhao Gao to be Hu Hai's personal tutor to teach Hu Hai how to decide lawsuits. Zhao Gao committed a serious crime, and King Qin asked Meng Yi to punish him in accordance with the law. Meng Yi did not dare to bend the law, and he should be executed according to law and deprived of his official status. Because Zhao Gao was able to do things well, the First Emperor pardoned him and restored him to his original official position.
Peking Opera Zhao Gao's face
"Historical Records. The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin" records:
The only son Hu Hai, Zhao Gao and fortunately five or six eunuchs knew about his death. Zhao Gao therefore tried to teach Hu Hai Shu and prison laws and regulations, and Hu Hai was lucky enough to do so.
The general meaning of this passage is: Only Hu Hai, Zhao Gao and five or six trusted eunuchs (not necessarily eunuchs) knew that the First Emperor had died. Zhao Gao once taught Hu Hai calligraphy and prison law, and Hu Hai liked him very much.
Zhao Gao in the film and television drama
"Historical Records. The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin" records:
Zhao Gao, because he left the Fusu Seal Book given to him, called the son Hu Hai and said, "When the emperor collapsed, there was no edict to ennoble the princes and only gave the eldest son the book. When the eldest son arrives, , that is, he is established as the emperor, but his son has no size, what can he do?" Hu Hai said, "It's true. I heard that a wise king knows his ministers, and a wise father knows his son. If a father sacrifices his life and does not ennoble his sons, what can be said?" Zhao Gao said, "No. The power of today's world depends on the son, Gao and the prime minister. I hope you will take care of it. Moreover, my husband and his ministers are the same as those who see their ministers as others. How can they be the same as those who control others and those who see them as controlling others?" Hu Hai He said, "It is unrighteous to abolish an elder brother and establish a younger brother. It is unfilial to refuse to obey the father's orders and fear death. It is impossible to be weak but only talented enough, and strong because of the merits of others. If the three are contrary to morality, the world will not obey, and the body will be in danger." , Sheji does not feed with blood!" Gao said, "When a minister hears the soup and kills his master, the world is justified, and it is not unfaithful. The king of Wei kills his father, and Wei Guo records his virtues. Confucius wrote it, and it is not unfilial. If a man is great in his conduct, he should not be cautious, and if he is virtuous, he should not give in. Every country tune has its own suitability, but officials have different merits. Therefore, if you consider the small and forget the big, it will be harmful in the future. If you are suspicious and hesitant, you will have regrets in the future. If you dare to act decisively, ghosts and gods will avoid it, and later on you will be harmed. There will be success. I hope you will succeed." Hu Hai sighed and said, "The great event has not started yet, and the funeral has not yet ended. How can we do this to the prime minister?" Zhao Gao said, "It's time, but there is no time to plan. Winning food and leaping horses, For fear of the later time."
This passage mainly records the scene where Zhao Gaoli admonished Hu Hai to succeed the throne after the death of Qin Shihuang. Faced with the situation at that time, Hu Hai hesitated many times, disapproved of seizing the throne, and listed several reasons, but Zhao Gao deftly resolved them one by one, and all the reasons given were high-sounding, making Hu Hai unable to refute or even accept it. Feeling embarrassed. From this passage, it can be clearly seen that Zhao Gao is a man who has read poetry and books, and he also knows or is good at learning and applying it.
Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote "Shuowen Jiezi Preface": "Prime Minister Li Si wrote the "Cangjie Chapter", Zhongche Mansion ordered Zhao Gao to write the "Yanli Chapter", Taishi ordered Hu Wujing to write the "Bo Xue Chapter", all based on history "Zhen " and "Da Seal Script " may have been modified in a provincial way, and are also called Xiao Seal Script." According to expert research, these books were all popular Chinese models of Xiao Seal Script at that time, and they were lost one after another in the Han Dynasty.
The Yangxin of the Northern and Southern Dynasties was also called Zhao Gao's "good seal script" in " Cai Lai Able to Write Names of People ".
Dazhuan is the name of the font. In a broad sense, Dazhuan refers to the writing before Xiaozhuan, including bronze inscriptions and Zhouwen (the traditional version of bronze inscriptions). Contemporary Chinese characters experts estimate that there should be oracle bone inscriptions in the Qin Dynasty, so they are also included. In a narrow sense, large seal script refers to 籀文 and remaining stone inscriptions and stone drum inscriptions.
The "Education Dictionary" edited by Gu Mingyuan explains that "Yanli Pian" is an elementary school textbook written by Zhao Gao of the Qin Dynasty.
According to "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi", "Yanli Pian" has six chapters in total, covering prison laws and regulations. In the early Han Dynasty, it was compiled into " Cangjie Chapter ".
"Yuan Li Pian" has been lost.
Li Si Dazhuan
From the above historical records, it can be found that Zhao Gao was by no means an ignorant and treacherous villain, but a talented man who was well-educated, proficient in criminal and prison laws, good at calligraphy, and eloquent.
In short, Zhao Gao is by no means a eunuch, let alone a native of Zhao, but a member of the Qin Dynasty clan, a great talent, a great calligrapher, and a great legal expert.
Of course, Zhao Gao was still involved in the chaos and even destruction of the Qin Dynasty!
