The Deepest Affection in Qin's Time

But to be honest, this isn't exactly good news for them.

Because Ying Zheng's order was for them to rescue the Empress Dowager and bring her back to Qin.

They still vividly remembered the scene of Cao Yuan's battle with Donghuang Taiyi that day.

If Cao Yuan wanted to, he could easily slap them all to death.

"Boss Zhao, what do we do?"

The leader of the Six Sword Slaves, Zhen Gang, cautiously asked.

"Let's take one step at a time..."

Zhao Gao shook his head and sighed, walking step by step toward Xinzheng, with a sense of tragic grandeur, as if he were saying, "The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold, once I enter Xinzheng, I will never return."

The six swordsmen looked at each other in bewilderment and had no choice but to follow Zhao Gao into Xinzheng.

The next day.

The Cao residence, which had been kept tightly closed, suddenly opened its gates.

Zhao Gao and the Six Sword Slaves went inside together.

After a night of internal struggle.

Zhao Gao decided to have a frank and open talk with Cao Yuan.

Given his relationship with Cao Yuan, and with Empress Dowager Zhao Ji also present, even if Cao Yuan disagreed, he probably wouldn't make things difficult for him.

After that, he could return directly to Xinzheng, at most he would be charged with incompetence, but he wouldn't lose his head.

"Lord Zhao has traveled a long way to come here; surely it's something important?"

Cao Yuan looked at Zhao Gao with a smile and glanced at the six sword slaves standing behind Zhao Gao.

At this moment, Zhao Gao was caught in a dilemma: whether to stand or sit.

He stole glances at Zhao Ji, who was massaging Cao Yuan's shoulders and back from behind, and felt a mix of emotions.

To be honest, he really didn't understand.

Zhao Ji was clearly second only to the King of Qin; no, it should be said that no one in Qin was more noble than Zhao Ji.

Even so, Zhao Ji remained with Cao Yuan, doing the things that servants and maids would do, trying to please Cao Yuan like a dog.

Moreover, Zhao Ji seemed to enjoy it immensely, even to the point of being extremely pleased.

This puzzled him greatly.

How can a person be so despicable?

It seems Cao Yuan was right; he really didn't understand women.

“Mr. Cao Yuan, to be honest, the reason we’ve come to see you this time is to ask you for a favor.”

Zhao Gao had to carefully observe Cao Yuan's expression before speaking.

He was afraid that if he said the wrong thing, Cao Yuan's smiling face would turn into a frown.

That would be terrible.

"Oh? What is it? Tell me."

Cao Yuan sipped his tea slowly, his tone carrying a hint of feigned ignorance.

As the saying goes, one doesn't visit a temple without a reason.

What else could Zhao Gao have wanted besides Qin King's mother, Zhao Ji?

Could it be that she wants to find him to be gay?

Then all he can say is that Zhao Gao really wanted to die.

Seeing that Cao Yuan showed no displeasure, Zhao Gao breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Ever since the Empress Dowager left with you, sir, the King of Qin has been thinking of her day and night, unable to eat or sleep. So he sent me here to invite the Empress Dowager back to Qin to ease her longing."

He spoke very tactfully and politely, embellishing Ying Zheng's words dozens of times.

Cao Yuan paused for a moment, placed the teacup in his hand on the table, and said to Zhao Ji with a smile, "Empress Dowager, your son misses you. Would you like to go back and visit him?"

Zhao Ji hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "I have indeed been out for quite some time, so it's normal for Zheng'er to be worried."

Zhao Gao almost showed a look of joy on his face, but he held it back.

Cao Yuan calmly said, "A meeting is fine, but the King of Qin must come in person. I am a Confucian by training and I value etiquette above all else. How can an elder go through the trouble of traveling to see a junior?"

Zhao Gao's face stiffened.

According to Confucian ethics, this is indeed the case.

But the problem is...

Zhao Gao was at a loss for words.

He was not a scholar, much less a strategist; how could he be good at talking?

So Zhao Gao had no choice but to apologize and leave in a sorry state.

He had prepared for the worst, and now all that remained was to return to Xianyang and inform the King of Qin of this matter.

As for the rest, we can only leave it to fate.

As soon as Zhao Gao left, Cao Yuan gently held Zhao Ji's hand and said softly, "You're not unhappy, are you?"

Zhao Ji shook her head and said softly, "How could I not be happy? You are my man, and of course I will support your decision."

Cao Yuan smiled slightly and said, "With your words, I feel relieved. Of course, you can also rest assured that after a while, we can stop hiding it and openly be together outside."

After months of consolidation and cultivation, although his strength has not improved much, his realm has become more and more stable.

They have made ample preparations for continuing to use the Bronze Treasure Box to enhance their strength.

Five days later.

After traveling day and night, Zhao Gao and the Six Sword Slaves finally returned to the Xianyang Palace.

"This servant Zhao Gao greets Your Majesty!"

Zhao Gao knelt on the ground and bowed respectfully.

Eunuchs and servants like him had to kneel and pay their respects to Ying Zheng, unlike Gai Nie and other ministers who only needed to perform the proper courtesies between ruler and subject.

Ying Zheng threw the pen in his hand aside.

"Where is the Empress Dowager?"

Zhao Gao kept his head down, not daring to look at Ying Zheng.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is currently at Cao Yuan's residence in Xinzheng. This servant is too weak to rescue the Empress Dowager from Cao Yuan's clutches. I implore Your Majesty to send another expert to assist you."

Zhao Gao's tone was filled with fear and self-blame, as he was afraid that Ying Zheng would blame him and his life would be in danger.

When Ying Zheng heard Zhao Gao's reason, he frowned slightly but did not immediately reprimand Zhao Gao.

Ever since he witnessed Cao Yuan and Donghuang Taiyi's battle, he has never dared to underestimate the powerful figures in the world.

It was precisely for this reason that he began to heavily rely on Donghuang Taiyi to help him deal with Lü Buwei, from which he reaped great rewards.

As a result, Lü Buwei now hardly dares to openly oppose him.

"How is the Empress Dowager doing with Cao Yuan?"

Ying Zheng exhaled a breath of stale air and asked.

"Still... safe and sound."

Zhao Gao hesitated for a moment and did not say anything good.

If he dared to say that Zhao Ji was massaging Cao Yuan's shoulders and back, serving him tea and water, and doing so with obvious pleasure, he would be courting death.

Ying Zheng snorted coldly, and the imperial study fell into a deathly silence.

After a long silence, Ying Zheng finally spoke: "Zhao Gao, you are also a Grandmaster-level expert. How many Grandmasters do you think would be needed to deal with a Celestial Realm expert?"

He had considered asking Donghuang Taiyi to deal with Cao Yuan, but considering that he was currently in a stalemate with Lü Buwei, it was not advisable for Donghuang Taiyi to act rashly, so he temporarily abandoned the idea.

Zhao Gao hesitated for a moment and said, "The gap between a Grandmaster and a Celestial is not comparable to that between a Grandmaster and a Grandmaster; it cannot be made up for by sheer numbers."

Ying Zheng's face showed displeasure, but he still continued to ask, "Then do you think it would take me several Grandmasters to bring the Empress Dowager back to Xianyang safely?"

Zhao Gao fell silent even more.

He could hear and see Ying Zheng's determination.

This is an attempt to force him to fight desperately.

Just as Zhao Gao was in a dilemma, a report came from outside that the Eastern Lord and the Moon Goddess of the Yin-Yang School requested an audience.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao's eyes suddenly lit up.

While investigating the Empress Dowager's whereabouts, he did a lot of research on Cao Yuan.

Therefore, he inadvertently learned that Cao Yuan and Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School had a close relationship, which seemed to be ambiguous.

If we can use this connection, we might be able to rescue the Empress Dowager and send her back to Xianyang.

Thinking of this, Zhao Gao quickly said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that may be feasible."

Ying Zheng, who was just about to summon Yan Fei and the Moon Goddess, asked upon hearing this, "What plan?"

Zhao Gao said, "Your Majesty may not know this, but Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School once had a relationship with Cao Yuan. Perhaps we can give it a try."

Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Zhao Gao, concerned only with his own life, didn't care whether he would offend the Yin-Yang School.

So he told them everything he had learned about the ambiguous relationship between Cao Yuan and Dongjun Yanfei.

After hearing this, Ying Zheng didn't know whether to be angry or amused. After a long while, he said, "I understand. You may leave now."

Zhao Gao felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly withdrew.

Soon after, Dongjun Yanfei and the Moon Goddess entered, bowed to Ying Zheng, and reported on the recent situation of the Yin-Yang School.

Ying Zheng listened patiently to the end.

As is customary, he should then ask a few polite questions such as what difficulties the Yin-Yang School might be facing that he could help resolve.

However, Ying Zheng suddenly spoke up this time: "I just received news that the Empress Dowager has appeared in Xinzheng. I would like to request that you two personally go there and bring the Empress Dowager back to Xianyang."