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

The reason his expression changed slightly when a clap of thunder sounded was because he felt the power of lightning in nature spreading to him through the Zhanlu Sword.

He almost thought it wasn't the Zhanlu Sword, but a lightning rod.

After briefly testing the Zhanlu Sword, Cao Ze couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

Because the Zhanlu sword has such excellent electrical conductivity.

It is predicted that this will at least increase the power of his Yin Five Thunders by 30% to 40%.

It is far superior to Jingni's Jingni Sword.

This involuntarily reminded him of a legendary sword technique that supposedly resulted in being struck by lightning; he wondered if he could even master it…

Chapter 151 Would you, sir, be willing to be my Lord Shang?

After the Hundred Schools Society meeting concluded, Cao Ze, Zhao Jia, and Guo Kai went to Longtai Palace.

They happened to run into the Empress Dowager inside the Dragon Terrace Palace.

The queen wore a brightly colored phoenix robe and a gorgeous fox fur coat, making her look charming yet elegant.

She dressed like this on purpose today, wanting to play some exciting games with that young man.

She stopped Zhao Jia, who wanted to go straight in, and said, "His Majesty is not in good health and should not see too many people."

The Empress said gracefully, "The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister can wait outside. Please come in with me alone."

Zhao Jia hesitated and said, "This..."

Empress Dowager opened her phoenix eyes slightly: "Does Your Highness, the Crown Prince, not listen to his mother?"

Zhao Jia was always of upright character and placed great importance on matters of proper conduct between ruler and subject.

Although the queen was not his biological mother, she became his chief queen, and in name, he still had to respect her as his mother.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I dare not."

Guo Kai smiled smugly to himself. So what if you persuade the king? With the queen around, don't even think about getting any benefits from the king through Cao Ze.

"The Crown Prince acted rashly for a moment. Please forgive him, Your Majesty. Your Majesty and I will wait outside. We will pray for His Majesty's well-being together."

The Empress smiled faintly and said, "That's good, so as not to put me in a difficult position."

"Mr. Cao Ze, please come in with me."

Cao Ze kept his eyes down and followed the hostess across the doorway.

He knew very well that to get into Zhao Yan's room where he was recuperating, he would have to go through two alleyways, three porches, and open six doors before he could see Zhao Yan.

Therefore, assassinating a legitimate monarch is extremely difficult.

Only those with at least the strength of a Grandmaster have a slight chance.

After passing through the last porch, the empress suddenly stopped.

He led Cao Ze behind a mica screen.

Cao Ze, who was already very familiar with the Empress, knew exactly what she was thinking.

You could say that he knew exactly what the queen wanted to do just by sticking out his butt and tucking his tail in.

Especially since there's no one around right now.

The Empress gently embraced Cao Ze, inhaling the captivating scent emanating from him. She smiled charmingly, "Sir, you haven't come to see me these past two days."

Cao Ze said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, isn't that... a bit inappropriate?"

Zhao Yan lives next door, so it's easy to be alerted.

The Empress Dowager said dismissively, "Although this is the last corridor, it is all guarded by my people."

She chuckled and said, "I've gone to great lengths to spend some time with you, sir. How do you intend to repay me?"

Cao Ze scoffed, "You're lucky. Eat it yourself."

He never expected that the Empress Dowager would arrange for people to be here; no one else would do that.

As if receiving a command from its master, the prostitute squatted down with a smile.

She had long been used to Cao Ze treating her like a dog in private, but she was quite happy about it and found it very pleasant each time.

To avoid being betrayed by his incompetent teammate, Empress Chang, Cao Ze had no choice but to disregard her feelings and use acceleration from the physics of motion.

After quickly stir-frying several dishes and making delicious food, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman's hands remained slightly raised, tears streaming down her face.

She couldn't help but cough several times in a row, the sound echoing slightly in the corridor.

She glared at Cao Ze and said, "Do you really want to kill me?"

The intense feeling of suffocation she had just experienced almost made her think she was going to die.

Cao Ze urged, "Hurry up and deal with it, don't let anyone find out."

The leader knew he had made a fuss.

However, she had eaten it countless times and was already quite experienced.

First, they ate what was edible, and in just a few breaths, they finished cleaning up.

She also has the time to touch up her perfume, apply some face powder and lip rouge.

Cao Ze watched in amazement.

He didn't know much about the president's makeup skills, but his touch-up skills were absolutely top-notch.

No wonder he's so confident in eating and drinking his food.

The queen, wearing white leather high boots, flirted with Cao Ze with seductive eyes.

"Let's go, sir."

Cao Ze paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you know why His Majesty summoned me?"

Although there's an 80% chance it's a good thing, what if there are 300 axemen inside?

The Queen seemed to still be savoring the taste of what had just happened. "I don't know either. I came here only because Guo Kai asked me to keep Zhao Jia out and prevent him from getting too close to the King."

"But don't worry, you'll be fine."

Cao Ze and Chang Hou entered the room where Zhao Yan was recuperating.

He handed the Zhanlu sword to the guard standing by the door.

Of the seven states, only Qin and Han are relatively traditional, allowing their subjects to wear ceremonial swords when attending court and meeting the king. The other states have long since issued decrees requiring the removal of armor and the sheathing of swords.

"Your Majesty, I have invited Mr. Cao Ze here."

The queen's eyes held a smile.

Cao Ze straightened his clothes slightly and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Han Cang, help me up."

Zhao Yan was helped by Han Cang to sit on the couch.

"Please have a seat, sir."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Cao Ze sat down properly, keeping his eyes straight ahead, and waited quietly for Zhao Yan to continue.

Zhao Yan's complexion was not bad at this time. Thanks to the nourishment from the medicine that Da Lang had been taking for more than a month without any added ingredients, his condition had improved.

It seems the previous rumors were a bit false.

Zhao Yan paused for a moment, then looked at the Empress with some confusion, "I just heard a cough."

The woman remained calm and said, "It's cold outside. I inhaled too much cold air and made Your Majesty worry."

Cao Ze thought to himself, "What do you mean by inhaling too much cold air? It's clearly inhaling..."

Zhao Yan said, "This year's snow is late, but the cold is even more severe than in previous years. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."

"Your Majesty, I understand."

Cao Ze's heart skipped a beat. If he remembered correctly, the reason why the Zhao state was destroyed so quickly was partly due to natural disasters; otherwise, it wouldn't have been devoured by the Qin state so quickly.

Zhao Yan roused himself and said, "Sir."

"Your subject is here," Cao Ze replied, regaining his composure.

"I have read the letter that the Crown Prince handed to me, and centralized power is indeed the best medicine for a strong country."

Zhao Yan slowly said, "But it doesn't seem to have an immediate effect on our Great Zhao."

"I would like you to explain this in detail, so that I may understand it clearly."

Having served as the King of Zhao for several years, he could naturally see that while this centralized system was excellent, it was somewhat detached from reality. He couldn't very well have all the powerful nobles in the country executed, could he?

Cao Ze thought to himself, given the current state of Zhao, it would be a miracle if this stuff took effect anytime soon.

If there were no obstacles, the six states would have long since followed Qin's example and greatly strengthened their royal power.

The reason this thing was brought out was that it wasn't intended for Zhao Yan at all.

Rather, it was bait he used to lure Ying Zheng.

He knew very well that Ying Zheng was a person who naturally liked to concentrate power in one's own hands.

"Very well, let me explain the concept of centralized power to Your Majesty."

Cao Ze continued to focus on vague concepts, with very few practically useful measures.

It wasn't that he didn't want to say more, but rather that Zhao and other states simply didn't possess the necessary conditions for centralized power.

After listening, Zhao Yan calmly said, "Sir, you can speak frankly."

Cao Ze paused for a moment, then asked, "Does Your Majesty know of Lord Shang?"

"Self-awareness".

"Then Your Majesty should understand the purpose of Shang Yang's reforms."

"I understand."