People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

On the contrary, he felt that Consort Ya was living a very comfortable life, and he was at ease entrusting his granddaughter to her.

Li Ji smiled secretly; this was why she had been visiting Ya Fei and Xue Nu these past few days.

When the Snow Woman saw Cao Ze, her beautiful light blue eyes flickered with uncertainty.

She suddenly felt unsure how to interact with Cao Ze.

Seeing Xue Nu's state, and with the reassurance that Ya Fei had given him earlier, Cao Ze knew what kind of psychology was causing Xue Nu's distress.

Young girls are all like that, they're easily embarrassed and need to be coaxed a lot.

If the occasion weren't so inappropriate, he would have already taken the initiative.

The group settled down.

Gongsun Yu pondered for a few moments, then slowly exhaled and said, "Liji, Grandpa just had a little talk with Consort Ya."

"Grandpa wants you to stay by Princess Yafei's side for a while and learn dance. Are you willing?"

Li Ji exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Ya Fei, is it true?"

She had seen the Snow Maiden dance several times, especially on the snow in the backyard of Feixue Pavilion. Her dancing was like that of a snow fairy from a dream, which made her very envious and wish she could dance so gracefully herself.

Ya Fei chuckled and said, "Li Ji, learning to dance is not something that can be done overnight. Fortunately, you have been learning martial arts since you were a student, so your basic skills are solid. Otherwise, even if I were to teach you, it would be difficult to teach you to become a master if you wanted to learn to dance halfway through your studies."

Just as Li Ji was about to express her gratitude, she suddenly paused and said somewhat apologetically, "Um... Sister Ya Fei, I'm afraid I can't stay to learn to dance."

She would soon need to return to Puyang with her grandfather to guard the city.

No matter what, she was a junior expert who was about to unlock the full potential of her skills, and she was capable of taking on more than a dozen elite soldiers by herself.

Given Puyang's current situation, even though she is the only granddaughter of a great general, she still has to go to the battlefield.

Ya Fei and Gongsun Yu exchanged bewildered glances.

Just as they predicted.

Li Ji is not the kind of heartless, stupid girl.

On the contrary, she was more resilient than most people and knew what was good and what was bad.

Even so, we will still do it with unwavering determination.

Even though there was a strong possibility that Puyang would fall to the Qin army, she was still willing to stay and contribute her strength.

Gongsun Yu wanted to say something several times, but didn't know how to say it.

No matter how eloquent he was, he found it difficult to lie to Li Ji.

He could only use drinking tea to mask his inner turmoil.

At this moment, Ya Fei glanced at Cao Ze, and the meaning in her gentle eyes was very clear.

It's your turn.

Chapter 139 Come to my bowl

Cao Ze looked at Ya Fei's helpless yet pleading eyes and smiled calmly.

If you want Liji to stay willingly, the best option is to let her make the choice herself.

Otherwise, even if Li Ji is kept, she will escape unless she is locked up in a violent manner.

He coughed lightly and said, "Liji, I need to tell you something."

Li Ji asked curiously, "What is it?"

Cao Ze said in a deep voice, "A good thing or a bad thing, which do you want to hear?"

Li Ji felt bitter inside, but on the surface she smiled sweetly, not wanting to look miserable in Fei Xue Pavilion, one of the few places worth remembering.

"What could possibly be worse than Zhao not sending troops?"

"Sir, please tell me the good news first."

Cao Ze said leisurely, "The good news is... Zhao has agreed to send troops to aid Puyang. However, to prevent retaliation from the Qin army afterward, this matter needs to be kept strictly confidential and can only be known by a few people."

"what?"

Li Ji suddenly looked at Gongsun Yu and exclaimed, "Grandpa, is this true?"

Gongsun Yu was taken aback at first, but when he understood Cao Ze's meaning, he nodded somewhat stiffly, as if realizing something belatedly.

"The King of Zhao said this himself, and this matter must be kept secret. You must not mention it to outsiders."

Li Ji nodded repeatedly, "I know. The Qin army has always been vengeful. Not only did they take away the old capital of Wei, Chaoge, but they also forced Chu to move its capital to Shouchun."

Gongsun Yu nodded slightly, "Shouchun has now been renamed Yingdu."

Just as Li Ji was about to express her joy, she saw that her grandfather wasn't in high spirits. Suddenly, she remembered what Cao Ze had just said.

One good thing, one bad thing, well...

"Mr. Cao Ze, what was that bad thing?"

Li Ji asked nervously, her eyes filled with worry.

Her intuition told her that something bad was very likely related to her.

Cao Ze first sighed.

This made Li Ji's heart jump into her throat.

Ya Fei rolled her eyes at Cao Ze. Is it something a human being would do to bully a little girl like this?

But she also understood that Cao Ze's lie was well-intentioned.

I just don't know how Cao Ze will cover up the lie. She can't exactly say that she wants to take Li Ji as her student, can she?

The Snow Woman didn't know what had happened, and her feelings were almost the same as Li Ji's.

She couldn't help but ask, "Cao Ze, is this really that bad?"

Cao Ze said in a heavy tone, "It's terrible. Many people have encountered this before. Its history can be traced back hundreds of years, and now it's happening to Li Ji."

Consort Ya gently stroked her head, feeling both annoyed and amused by Cao Ze's deliberate mischief.

"Alright, stop keeping us in suspense. Look, Xue'er and Li Ji are almost scared to death by you."

Cao Ze's serious expression vanished in an instant, replaced by a relaxed smile. He said, "But it's not as bad as I imagined. However, Li Ji will need to learn to dance from Consort Ya."

Li Ji asked blankly, "What is it?"

Cao Ze continued his deception, saying, "The most important matters of the state are sacrifice and war. Every time we wage war, it is related to the fate of the nation."

"Therefore, in order to prevent being deceived by the old general, the King of Zhao decided to have you, as the old general's only granddaughter, stay in Handan as a hostage."

"That's why the old general wanted you to stay by Princess Yafei's side to learn dance."

Do you understand now?

Ya Fei stared at Cao Ze in disbelief. How could he lie like that?

She suddenly became very worried about Xue'er's future. If Xue'er continued to be silly and naive, and Cao Ze had any wicked thoughts, she would be sold out and still help count the money.

Li Ji was stunned for a long time. No wonder her grandfather was still in a low mood even though it was a good thing.

“Liji… understands.”

She smiled at Gongsun Yu and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, with Sister Yafei here, your granddaughter will be fine in Handan."

Gongsun Yu almost burst into tears, but forced a smile and said, "That's good, as long as you're willing."

"Grandpa, I will always pray for you!"

Li Ji waved her delicate fist: "We must protect Puyang!"

Gongsun Yu couldn't hold back this time, tears streaming down his face as he said, "Li Ji, I'm so sorry. As long as I live, Puyang will live!"

Cao Ze sighed slightly. He had previously advised Gongsun Yu to abandon Wei and run away.

Just like how he gave up the vast grasslands.

The colonel is right: those who understand the times are the heroes.

But this era has never lacked people like Gongsun Yu, who are willing to go through fire and water and be shattered to pieces for the sake of righteousness.

Perhaps those who are pragmatic and adaptable can become heroes.

But it will never become a legend that people talk about.

Gongsun Yu left early, as he couldn't stay any longer; otherwise, Li Ji would easily notice something amiss.

The Snow Woman smiled brightly and said, "Li Ji, it seems we can be together for a long time."

Li Ji said hopefully, "I want to be with you and Sister Ya Fei forever."

Hearing Li Ji's words, Cao Ze smiled and thought to himself, "You're not without a chance."

Come into my bowl, and I guarantee you'll all be reunited.

For some reason, Ya Fei couldn't seem to cheer up.

She knew very well how happy Liji was now, and how sad she would be when she learned the truth in the future.

But at least the person survived, which is something that countless princes and nobles of the Wei royal family could not obtain.

Hopefully, the old general and the Mohists can defend Puyang City.

Looking at the smiling Xue Nu and Li Ji, Ya Fei slowly said to Cao Ze, "Sir, there's still some time before dark. Why don't you take this opportunity to tell us the rest of the story?"

She's now more interested in hearing stories than in thinking about the frustrations and unpleasant things in real life.

Seeing that Xue Nu and Li Ji were also looking at him, Cao Ze smiled slightly and said, "Alright, please listen to Chapter Twenty-One—The Virtuous Xi Ren Admonishes Bao Yu with a Charm, and the Clever Ping Er Saves Jia Lian with Soft Words."

Unbeknownst to them, Yanfei was leaning comfortably against the wooden railing on the second floor, watching them and listening quietly.

As a Grandmaster at the peak level who was related to the leader of the Mohist school, Gongsun Yu was someone she couldn't possibly ignore.

Since Cao Ze and the others did not deliberately lower their voices to hide anything, she heard everything they said clearly.

She was surprised that the Zhao state would send troops to rescue Puyang; it was truly strange.

Consort Yan didn't understand military affairs and couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it and continued to listen quietly to Cao Ze's lecture on "Dream of the Red Chamber" on the second floor.

Having nothing to do these past few days at Feixue Pavilion, she took the opportunity to finish reading the first twenty chapters of "Dream of the Red Chamber".