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

Cao Ze was slightly taken aback when he heard Zhao Yan whispering about Consort Ya.

Is there a connection between Ya Fei and the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions?

Not only Cao Ze heard it, but Han Cang also heard it.

He began to suspect something.

He had always known that the Zhao royal family had a bronze treasure box, but he didn't know who was watching over and hiding it.

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Yan actually had his younger sister collect it.

According to the Zhao royal family's custom, shouldn't it be governed by the most powerful person in the royal family?

Could it be that……

Han Cang considered a possibility: Zhao Ya might be a hidden expert within the royal family.

Soon, Consort Ya was summoned to Zhangtai Palace.

She was surprised to see Cao Ze there as well.

"Brother Wang, your illness..."

Consort Ya felt conflicted; she both hated and felt helpless towards Zhao Yan.

In order to consolidate his rightful throne, he insisted on putting someone like Guo Kai in power.

Zhao Yan weakly raised his arm and said, "I'm not dead yet."

Consort Ya calmly asked, "What did my brother summon me for?"

She secretly wondered if he was planning to make a will so that Zhao Jia could take over his position.

"Ya Fei, is the bronze treasure box still there?"

At this moment, besides Zhao Yan, there were only five people in the room: Zhao Yan's personal attendant, Cao Ze, Han Cang, Empress Chang, and Consort Ya. Everyone else had been asked to leave.

Ya Fei's expression changed slightly, and she realized something.

"exist."

Have you found a way to open it?

"No."

Ya Fei was very direct.

Over the past few centuries, countless clever people have tried various tricks to open the bronze box, but none of them have been able to make a single crack in it.

It cannot be melted by fire, nor can it be penetrated by water.

It can't be smashed open, and it can't be sawed through.

Even if it were melted by the fire of volcanic lava used to forge famous swords and struck by lightning, the bronze treasure box could not be damaged in the slightest.

Zhao Yan stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.

"Heaven has forsaken me?"

He slowly closed his eyes. Apart from Cao Ze, who didn't care, both Han Cangchang and Consort Ya's expressions changed slightly.

They only breathed a sigh of relief when Zhao Yan spoke.

"Han Cang, tell me everything you've investigated."

"Cao Ze, listen to this. If you can unravel the mystery of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon, I will surely bestow upon you the title of Marquis!"

Zhao Yan said with his eyes closed, after thinking it over, he thought that if anyone in Handan could possibly unlock the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations, it might only be Cao Ze.

Cao Ze's lips twitched slightly. Good heavens, he's being asked to unravel the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon right now?

He also thought it would be simpler to quickly talk to his wife in front of Zhao Yan.

Fortunately, it wasn't a death order, otherwise he really would have cuckolded Zhao Yan to his face.

Consort Ya and Cao Ze looked at Han Cang together.

Han Cang said, "Your Majesty, Consort Ya, Mr. Cao Ze, what I am about to say is confidential and must not be spread."

Ever since he mentioned the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions to Zhao Yan that day, Zhao Yan has ordered him to secretly investigate everything about the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions.

Unfortunately, he was not well-educated and could only rely on rote memorization to record every detail about the Azure Dragon's seven constellations from his time in the royal archives.

Cao Ze had always been very curious about the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions; it would be a lie to say he didn't care.

After all, this thing has been rumored to be too bizarre.

The mere possibility of granting immortality is enough to make most people with the ability to access the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions covet it.

It is said that in the past, the Zhou Dynasty divided the country into eight hundred vassal states. Later, the vassal states fought each other, running through the poison circle and engaging in battles to win the game, all because they were fighting over the seven boxes that were related to the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions.

This is why it is said that the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions are protected by the royal families of the Seven Kingdoms.

Unfortunately, for thousands of years, since the beginning of historical records, no one has been able to truly glimpse its secrets.

So much so that it was gradually forgotten.

Otherwise, all countries would have already beaten their brains out by the Azure Dragon's seven constellations.

Chapter 169 Conquering the Six Kingdoms

Ya Fei blinked her beautiful eyes and glanced slightly towards Cao Ze.

After a moment's thought.

Her sexy, rosy lips moved slightly.

Cao Ze suddenly heard Ya Fei's voice transmitted in a thin, thread-like manner, and he listened intently.

He glanced discreetly at the guards who had been silently standing not far from Zhao Yan's body.

He knew very well that this was at least a top-tier expert.

If he were skilled in the art of telepathy, he might very well hear Ya Fei's message to him.

Unfortunately, he doesn't know the Taoist method of transmitting sound through the heavens, and he communicates directly through thought.

Its efficiency rivals that of the Trisolarans, and its secrecy rivals that of the Wallfacers.

Cao Ze heard Ya Fei asking him about the cause and effect.

He took the opportunity to make up his own story.

After listening, Ya Fei nodded slightly.

It was just a coincidence; it was indeed because my brother was afraid of dying.

She just didn't expect that the Empress Dowager would care so much about her spoiled son.

After Han Cang finished speaking, seeing that the three had no objections, he began to tell them everything he knew about the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon.

Over the centuries, many things have become blurred and unclear.

Even though the Zhao royal family had plundered many books from the Zhou royal archives, they still knew very little about the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions.

The recorded events are mostly fragmented accounts and hearsay.

Han Cang concluded, "According to ancient legends, the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions were a legendary artifact created by the seven sages after the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou."

The Empress couldn't help but ask, "Which seven saints?"

Han Cang said, "I don't know exactly which seven saints they are either."

Cao Ze smiled faintly. It was obvious that Han Cang had not read Zhuangzi.

Consort Ya glanced at the Empress with her bright, beautiful eyes.

The chapter "Xu Wugui" in the Zhuangzi mentions that when the Yellow Emperor was about to meet Dawei at Mount Juci, Fangming was the charioteer, Changyu was the charioteer, Zhang Ruo and Yan Peng were the horses in front, and Kun Hun and Hua Ji were the charioteers behind. When they reached the wilderness of Xiangcheng, the seven sages were all lost and had no way to ask for directions.

"These seven sages refer to the Yellow Emperor, Fang Ming, Chang Yu, Zhang Ruo, Yan Peng, Kun Hun, and Hua Ji."

The woman stubbornly insisted, "Did Zhuangzi see it with his own eyes?"

Ya Fei was speechless for a moment. Zhuangzi loved fables and often used fiction to describe the world. He didn't know how many things he said to Confucius and his disciples that they never actually said.

If one were to truly be concerned, the credibility of such claims would be virtually nonexistent.

However, she was too lazy to say more.

She knows more than Han Cang.

Considering the future of the Zhao state, she did not want her brother to pursue such illusory things.

While investigating the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, she saw many records in ancient texts that many monarchs caused their countries to be in turmoil because they wanted to explore the secrets of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions.

After some thought, Cao Ze offered his opinion: "The Seven Sages may refer to Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, King Wen, King Wu, and the Duke of Zhou."

"The Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon may not have been formed in a short time."

He had read the Records of the Three Kingdoms and remembered a sentence that said, "Although six dynasties have passed, the method of performance evaluation has not been established, and the texts of examinations have not been passed down to the seven sages."

Consort Ya crossed her arms, her beautiful eyes half-closed, and said, "Instead of thinking about which seven saints they are, we should think more about the true purpose of Crown Prince Han in joining forces with the Chu army to invade Baiyue."

"Did the former Crown Prince of Han, now the King of Han, and the Marquis in Blood Robe find any clues about the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon in Baiyue?"

"You must understand that the distance between South Korea and Baiyue is much greater than that between Chu and Baiyue. Why would South Korea send troops without a reason?"

Cao Ze's eyes flashed with a strange light.

Ya Fei is wrong about one thing. At that time, Han An was not the crown prince, but a prince. He planned to join forces with the Chu army to conquer Baiyue in order to become the crown prince.

As far as he knew, Han An became the King of Han because of this military achievement.

Compared to the actual history, this Han An is more like a combination of King Heng Hui of Han and King An of Han.

Lying on the couch, Zhao Yan was in a state of turmoil. All he wanted now was results and answers, not those vague and cryptic analyses.

"Cao Ze, you speak."

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and said, "Does Your Majesty remember the first hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period?"

"It must be Duke Zhuang of Zheng."

Cao Ze nodded and said, "That's right. It is said that during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, the state of Zheng became very powerful, and its power overshadowed that of the Zhou emperor. The Zhou emperor allied with four other states to reduce the power of Zheng, but was defeated by Duke Zhuang of Zheng."

"Everyone in the world is curious about the source of power that led to Duke Zhuang of Zheng's rise to become a hegemon. This may be closely related to the mystery of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions."