During the Qin Dynasty, the prime minister Zhao Gao was extremely ambitious.
秦朝时，宰相赵高野心勃勃。
He wanted to seize power but feared that the ministers would not obey him.
他想要独揽大权，但担心大臣们不服。
One day, he brought a deer into the imperial court.
一天，他牵来一只鹿，带到朝堂上。
He pointed at the deer and said, "Your Majesty, this is a fine horse."
他指着鹿说：“陛下，这是匹千里马。”
The emperor frowned and asked, "This is clearly a deer. How can it be a horse?"
皇帝皱眉问：“这明明是鹿，怎会是马？”
Zhao Gao turned to the ministers and asked, "What do you think? Is this a deer or a horse?"
赵高转向群臣问道：“你们说，这是鹿还是马？”
The ministers looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
大臣们面面相觑，不知如何回答。
Some, fearing Zhao Gao’s power, nodded and said, "This is a horse!"
有些胆小的大臣害怕赵高，只能附和：“这是马！”
Others, refusing to lie, firmly said, "This is obviously a deer."
也有大臣坚持真相，说：“这分明是鹿。”
Zhao Gao noted the names of those who opposed him.
赵高暗中记下了反对他的人。
Soon, those who told the truth were secretly punished or removed from office.
不久后，反对的大臣纷纷遭到迫害。
The remaining officials were too afraid to speak the truth.
朝廷上下人人自危，再也不敢说真话。
From then on, Zhao Gao controlled the government, making it even more corrupt.
从此，赵高独掌大权，秦朝的政治更加黑暗。
However, this also led to chaos, and the Qin Dynasty soon collapsed.
但秦国也因此内乱不断，最终走向灭亡。
"Calling a deer a horse" means deliberately distorting the truth and forcing people to accept lies.
指鹿为马，指的是故意颠倒黑白，强行改变事实。
