During the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of the net.

So far, it's clear that Li Ji has lost this bet.

Gong Langwei was indeed vigilant enough, and his speed in protecting the emperor was alarming.

So far, Ying Zheng hasn't even seen a shadow of the Shadow Guards.

In comparison, the Shadow Guard had already disappointed Ying Zheng somewhat.

Although this verification stemmed from a bet, Ying Zheng also wanted to know which people were more trustworthy.

All the palace guards have retired. After their shifts for the day are over, each of them can go to the reward room at the north gate of the palace to receive their reward.

Furthermore, even among these palace guards who rushed to the scene, there was a distinction between those who arrived first and those who arrived first, who naturally received more rewards.

In fact, several of these officials had performed well and had already caught Ying Zheng's attention; it was only a matter of time before they were promoted to the rank of colonel.

After all the palace guards had left, the previously tense and agitated side hall returned to quiet, and everyone returned to their places.

Inside the study in the side hall, only Ying Zheng and Li Ji remained, and the terrified palace maids from before were replaced.

Ying Zheng stroked the jade pendant at his waist, a hint of smugness in his eyes, and asked Li Ji:

"Commander Li, what are your thoughts on the palace guards who were the first to arrive to protect you?"

"The palace guards arrived swiftly to provide assistance, their escort was conducted in accordance with regulations, and their response was commendable."

Li Ji truthfully stated that, given his status as a Luo Wang assassin, even if a second-class assassin from Luo Wang got close to Ying Zheng, the arrival of these palace guards would still prevent them from succeeding.

In this situation, perhaps only the top-tier members of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) have a chance of success.

However, the top-ranking officials also faced two problems: how to get close to Ying Zheng, and how to escape unscathed after succeeding.

To get close to such a monarch, one must pay a huge price, and after paying such a price, killing the other party is no longer the only option.

Li Ji himself is a living example. It would be easy for him to kill the King of Qin now, but even after killing him, he would not be able to escape Xianyang Palace.

A living and trusted King of Qin is naturally more valuable than a dead one.

After hearing Li Ji's assessment, Ying Zheng nodded slightly and said:

"So, it seems Commander Li also admits that the Shadow Guard is no match for the Palace Guard?"

Li Ji ignored Ying Zheng's dissatisfaction with the Shadow Guards and calmly replied:

"Although the palace guards arrived swiftly to provide assistance, their attention was focused on the area near the king's residence, neglecting to survey the surrounding area. They could only block enemies in the open, but not those in the shadows."

Upon hearing Li Ji's words, Ying Zheng frowned and asked:

"What does Commander Li mean by this?"

"What I mean is that although the palace guards protected Your Majesty in a timely manner, they were not the first to arrive at Your Majesty's side."

The first to arrive were the King's Shadow Guards.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng frowned even more deeply.

"Commander Li, are you joking with me? Where are the Shadow Guards? I haven't seen them at all."

Li Ji did not immediately answer Ying Zheng's question, but instead looked at a shadowy spot diagonally above and said:

"Cold Shadow, Blood Shadow, did you not hear the King's words? If you don't come out now, when will you?"

As soon as the words were spoken, six dark figures suddenly darted out from the shadows of the beams high in the library.

They suddenly leaped down, landing lightly and silently.

There were two leaders, one on the left and one on the right.

The one on the left is dressed in a close-fitting black iron-lined soft armor, with several short blades hanging at his waist; he is named Han Ying.

The one on the right is not wearing heavy armor, but only a dark red outfit, with a pair of blood-stained iron wrist guards on his wrists, named Blood Shadow.

The four ordinary shadow guards following behind the two were all dressed in black tight-fitting clothes, carrying short blades and wearing silver armor masks.

The six people stood in neat rows. Han Ying and Xue Ying stepped forward half a step at the same time, knelt on one knee, and the four behind them bowed down in unison, saying:

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Lord Xuan Ying!"

The mysterious figure mentioned by the six people was none other than Li Ji.

This is a tradition of the Shadow Guard; each generation's leader does not address the leader by name, but instead refers to him as "Mysterious Shadow."

This tradition stems from the internal structure of the Shadow Guard.

Although the Shadow Guard had 800 editors, they were divided into three groups.

The guard team provides close protection for royalty.

The search and arrest team is responsible for field operations to apprehend suspects.

The detention team is fully responsible for guarding the Tooth-Eating Prison.

The leaders of the three groups are only below the commander and are known within the Shadow Guard as Cold Shadow, Blood Shadow, and Ghost Shadow.

When Ying Zheng saw the six people appear, he was startled.

When exactly did these six people enter this library? Why did none of the many palace guards notice them before?

Although surprised, Ying Zheng's expression remained largely unchanged. He addressed the six kneeling men in a deep voice:

"No need for formalities, the six of you have given me quite a surprise."

Could you all please explain to me what exactly is going on?

The six people got up from the ground. Han Ying and Xue Ying quickly glanced at Li Ji. After seeing Li Ji nod slightly, Han Ying spoke:

"Your Majesty, after hearing the palace maids' shouts, we abandoned the ground and leaped from the palace beams and ridges, not competing with the palace guards on the ground for a straight path, nor did we notify them for verification. Therefore, we arrived three breaths ahead of the guards on duty outside the palace."

"Is that so?" Ying Zheng listened with skepticism, then asked, "Why didn't any of the palace guards notice you? Were they all blind?"

Han Ying bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, our Shadow Guards' mission is to remain hidden and conceal our presence."

Our hiding places are all in the interlayer of the beams and the dark corners of the eaves, places that are out of the sight of ordinary patrolmen.

Even if ordinary people look up, they only see the courtyard and the steps below, rarely examining the shadows of the beams and pillars on the roof.

Furthermore, because we held our breath and remained completely silent while lying in ambush, the guards did not discover us.

After hearing these words, Ying Zheng remained silent for a long time.

He had previously thought that the Shadow Guards were just a group of close-range sentries, whose role was only to serve as a highly mobile bodyguard to cover for any shortcomings.

In his view, the Palace Guards, armed with long spears, stood in neat formation, their armor gleaming, and their combat strength and numbers far surpassed those of the Shadow Guards.

However, from today's perspective, Shadow Guard clearly has an independent and more effective defense system.

After a long silence, Ying Zheng first glanced at the six Shadow Guards, then looked at Li Ji and said:

"I underestimated the Shadow Guard. Commander Li must have anticipated this."

Li Ji glanced indifferently at Han Ying and the others, then replied:

"I am not sure when they will arrive, but I am certain that they will be faster than the palace guards."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because, no matter what a person does, his shadow is always the first to react."

This was the second time Ying Zheng had heard something about shadows. The first time he heard it, he didn't take it seriously, but now he was starting to believe it.

Although Gong Langwei only lost to Ying Miwei by three breaths, sometimes those three breaths can be the difference between life and death.

Moreover, the palace guards were much closer to him than the shadow guards.

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng immediately said to several Shadow Guards:

"The Shadow Guards hid their forms and lay in ambush, arriving swiftly upon hearing the sound, and rendered meritorious service in protecting the Emperor."

Each person will be rewarded with 500 taels of gold, 20 bolts of brocade, and a fine iron sword, which will be distributed by the Imperial Household Department later.

Alright, you may all step back now. I still have a detailed discussion with Commander Li.

The six Shadow Guards bowed respectfully, then turned and left.

Once again, only Ying Zheng and Li Ji remained in the library, but this time, Ying Zheng's mindset had undergone a complete transformation.