Chapter 120: Second Place on the Top Ten Tyrants List — Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin

Survey of the Top Ten Historical Tyrants, Rank Two — Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin.

The celestial canopy shimmered with golden light, and a new title emerged, exuding a suffocating aura of prodigality.

Labels such as "the greatest prodigal in history," "string‑puppet," and "both stupid and wicked" stared shockingly.

Great Qin, Xianyang Palace.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng sat upright, listening to the ministers' reports.

The celestial canopy descended again; he paid little heed, for the tyrant list had already tallied many, all future rulers.

Yet when the five characters "Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin" appeared alongside the tag "the greatest prodigal in history," describing how he squandered Qin Shi Huang's iron‑bucket empire down to the last scrap, Ying Zheng's red brush in his hand snapped in two with a "Snap!"

The palace air froze instantly, and a pin could be heard dropping.

All the ministers—Li Si, Feng Quji, Meng Yi, and others—held their breath, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, daring not to look at the emperor's expression.

Ying Zheng slowly lifted his head, and in those eyes that once swept the six directions and scorned the world, there was now no ripple, only a coldness that seemed capable of freezing a soul.

He did not rage, did not roar, yet this ultimate calm was more terrifying than any fury.

"Hu Hai… my eighteenth son… "

Ying Zheng's voice was low but rang clearly in everyone's ears, bearing a metallic‑grating texture.

"Prodigal? String‑puppet? Three years… to squander my realm?"

He suddenly laughed, and that smile sent shivers down the spine.

"Good, very good. I want to see how my stupid and wicked dear son managed, in three years, to ruin the Great Qin that I united after six generations of effort."

【Reason for ranking: Hu Hai is deemed the greatest "prodigal" in history, having in just three years ruined the iron‑bucket empire that Qin Shi Huang forged down to the last scrap.】

He was not only a tyrant but also a "string‑puppet" among Zhao's elites, perfectly embodying what it means to be "both stupid and wicked."】

"Others merely dig pits for their fathers; he outright blew away his father's legacy."

Liu Bang recited this sharp netizen comment, nearly spitting out his drink.

"In three years he squandered the legacy of the eternal emperor; this Hu Hai truly is the ancestor among prodigals!"

Emperors of other eras were also stunned.

Three years to ruin a unified great empire? Such efficiency, such destructive power—truly horrifying!

The previous tyrants at least labored for over a decade; this one, however, completed the downfall in three years, earning the title "quick‑draw gunman" of the tyrant world.

Liu Che inhaled sharply, "Three years? I fought the Xiongnu, opened the Western Regions, and that still required the efforts of several generations."

"Whenever I think of Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin, who in three years could ruin the Great Qin that once unified the world, I can only say it's astonishingly brilliant."

Li Shimin's face grew solemn, "After six generations of effort, Qin Shi Huang unified the heavens; the magnitude of his foundation is unprecedented."

"Every time I recall Hu Hai's three‑year ruin… this is beyond ordinary folly, it is… Heaven's intent to destroy Qin, using this man as a pawn."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "That tyrant Hu Hai indeed made the list; in three years he ruined the Qin dynasty's foundation, truly deserving the second spot on the tyrant ranking."

Zhu Di: "It's a pity Qin Shi Huang did not appoint an heir early; otherwise this would not have happened."

The Three Kingdoms plane.

Cao Mou: "I, Cao Mou, swept away the warlords and pacified the north, spending half my life's effort."

"Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin, ruined in three years the realm unified by Qin Shi Huang; such 'talent' is rare through the ages, a prodigy of national ruin."

Liu Bei shook his head and sighed, "Such wanton waste is not merely tyrannical; it is a crime against the world."

"If Qin Shi Huang, in the afterlife, were aware, he would be so angry he might rise again, only to die a second time."

Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan, "When virtue does not match rank, calamity is inevitable."

"Hu Hai is without virtue or talent, rose to power abruptly, was manipulated by treacherous courtiers, and perished in three years; it was inevitable."

"It only caused suffering for the common people, subjecting them to an unprovoked disaster."

【1: After Hu Hai ascended the throne, the three greatest follies of his reign.】

1. Bloodletting the royal clan, severing his own limbs.

After his coronation, Hu Hai swung his first blade at his own family.

Under Zhao Gao's incitement, Hu Hai beheaded twelve brothers on Xianyang's streets, dismembered ten sisters in Du County, and forced the prince Jiang Lü and two others to commit suicide.

Netizens joked, "Family‑annihilation KPI," turning the Ying clan's group chat into a "single‑person channel."】

On the celestial canopy, a hair‑raising scene appeared:

Young princes and princesses were marched to the execution ground, publicly beheaded on Xianyang's streets, blood staining the long avenue;

In Du County, the princesses were brutally dismembered;

The prince Jiang Lü and his two brothers were forced to draw swords and slit their throats…

The entire Ying Qin royal clan was almost entirely slaughtered.

Beside it were sarcastic captions like "Family‑annihilation KPI" and "Single‑person channel."

Puff—!

Ying Zheng could no longer stay calm; a gush of fresh blood erupted, staining the memorial before him crimson.

His body swayed, and a nearby attendant hurriedly steadied him.

"Your… Your Majesty! Preserve the dragon body!"

Li Si and the others were terrified, their souls fleeing, and they all knelt down.

Ying Zheng pushed the attendant aside, harshly wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes fixed on the slain children displayed on the celestial canopy.

They were his own flesh and blood, Ying Zheng's children; Hu Hai… this beast! How dare he… dare such a thing!

"Ten… twelve brothers… beheaded on the street… ten sisters… dismembered… Jiang Lü and they… suicide…"

Ying Zheng's voice trembled, not from fear, but from a volcanic, all‑destroying fury about to erupt.

"Good… very good! Hu Hai, Zhao Gao! You… are excellent!"

His gaze, icy, swept over the trembling princes and princesses, especially the young eighteenth son Hu Hai, who was usually rather obedient.

At this moment, Hu Hai was already so frightened that his face turned ashen, he collapsed limply on the ground, and his crotch was soaked with a wet patch.

The other princes and princesses, watching the scene of their own future gruesome deaths projected on the sky, first felt terror, then boundless anger and chill.

They all turned their gaze to Hu Hai, eyes like knives, wishing they could devour this future executioner alive.

"Family‑annihilation‑level KPI? Single‑player channel?"

Liu Bang clicked his tongue; although he thought the metaphor was harsh, he couldn't help but nod.

"This Hu Hai is truly ruthless—when he goes after his own brothers and sisters, he doesn't even blink an eye."

"Now it's perfect, truly a lone household, but alas this 'single‑player channel' has had no signal for days, and he's gone too."

Liu Che frowned tightly: "Kin slaying each other has been the case since antiquity. Though I know this part of history, such extreme, near‑total slaughter is truly rare."

"This is no longer about consolidating power, but cutting oneself off from humanity, destroying one's own Great Wall."

"The imperial clan is the foundation of the state; when it is solid, the nation is peaceful, when it is wounded, the country is in peril. Hu Hai is stupid, Zhao Gao is vile!"

Li Shimin's face showed compassion: "How cruel! The bond between siblings is considered no better than roadside weeds?"

"That Second Qin Emperor's atrocities incite both heaven and man! This Zhao Gao is the epitome of treachery, urging the young lord to commit this inhuman extermination; he deserves a thousand cuts!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted angrily: "That Hu Hai is a brute, exactly matching what's recorded in the histories."