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

Cao Ze perked up and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

Ya Fei's expression revealed a sense of reminiscence.

"The attack on Baiyue by the allied forces of Han and Chu occurred around the tenth year of my father's reign (256 BC). My father was very vigilant about this allied force initiated by Han and ordered his spies in Han to investigate it thoroughly."

"And the investigation revealed that it was just an ordinary battle."

"After further investigation, it was discovered that it was actually Crown Prince An of Han who facilitated this matter. And the reason why Crown Prince An was able to succeed was due to the support of the Bai family of Han."

Cao Ze reminded him, "Your Highness, Han An was not the Crown Prince at that time."

Consort Ya was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "No wonder I felt something was off when I saw the files before. If Han An isn't the Crown Prince, then it makes sense."

Cao Ze awaits the next installment.

He knew very well that King Han An's efforts to conceal what happened back then were not simply a matter of seizing power through bloodshed.

During the Warring States period, coups were not commonplace; they were more like a New Year's Eve dinner.

Launching wars and seizing power through bloodshed are almost considered virtuous and righteous.

Ya Fei continued, "This time, the allied forces of Han and Chu attacked Baiyue for more than a year. It was not until the following year, after Li Kai, the Right Sima of Han, was killed in battle, that the war came to an end."

Cao Ze thought to himself that Nongyu must have lost contact with Madam Hu around this time.

"It seems... rather ordinary. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon, does it?"

A faint smile appeared on Consort Ya's beautiful face.

“I didn’t think so at first, but Han Cang just mentioned a rumor he heard when he fled from Nanyang to Handan. I think there must be a big secret behind it.”

Cao Ze said, "It's just a rumor, and Han Cang was just a young boy who hadn't been castrated before entering the palace. How could he possibly discern anything?"

Consort Ya shook her head slightly: "No, no, no. As I just mentioned, there was a key force that enabled Han An to persuade the King of Han at the time to travel thousands of miles to form an alliance with the State of Chu to attack the Baiyue."

"The Bai family?"

"Yes, compared to the Zhang family, who served as prime ministers of Han for five generations, the Bai family was more powerful in Han. All of this stemmed from that legendary female marquis. If the Bai family hadn't had a shallow foundation, insufficient resources, and few members, Han would probably have followed in the footsteps of Jin long ago."

Chapter 171 The Scent of Jealousy

As soon as Ya Fei finished speaking, the image of the Marquis appeared in Cao Ze's mind.

"Her gaze could dim the starry sky, and countless souls perished beneath her twin swords. Yet, her beauty made even death seem like a gentle process. No one had ever seen her age; she remained forever young and beautiful..."

"Legend has it that it made a powerful, secret pact with the darkness, and that it needs the purest blood to maintain it."

Cao Ze recited the rumors about the female marquis that Tang Qi knew in a chanting tone.

Ya Fei asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Cao Ze joked, "Of course it's just a rumor."

Consort Ya chuckled and said, "Although I often talk about rumors in the martial arts world, such rumors are not credible."

"The internal energy cultivation method that the Bai family has always practiced is similar in nature to that of me and Xue Nu, both belonging to the ice system."

"The Marquis was able to fight Bai Qi, who had already reached the peak of the Grandmaster level, many times without being defeated, so her strength was at least at the Grandmaster level."

"Having reached this point, one's internal energy cultivation techniques have long been perfected and refined; why would one need human blood? Unless..."

At this point, Ya Fei suddenly said, "The Marquis has been missing for more than ten years, and her son, Marquis Xueyi, has been in charge of the Bai family. Could it be that the Marquis was seriously injured by Bai Qi back then and is now dead?"

Cao Ze didn't interrupt. Of course he knew the Marquis was alive, but there was no need to say it.

"Perhaps. Your Highness, please continue with the story of the Bai family and Han An from back then."

Consort Ya didn't care whether the Marquis lived or died; even if she did, what difference would it make?

Even if South Korea were to completely replace South Korea, it would merely be clinging to life under the covetous eyes of other countries.

"Back then, Han An was not the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and the King of Han had not yet established a crown prince, so Han An began to covet the throne."

"According to reports from spies in Han back then, the idea of ​​forming an alliance with Chu to attack Baiyue was first proposed by the female marquis of the Bai family, but it was resolutely rejected by King Han Li."

"However, less than half a year later, Han An took the initiative to submit a memorial to the throne, renewing the Han-Chu alliance. King Han Li agreed and put Han An in charge of the matter."

"Sir, may I guess why?"

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and said, "The Marquis knows something and wants to seize things from Baiyue. Han An therefore allied with the Bai family, inviting trouble into the country, forcing King Han Li to agree to the alliance, otherwise..."

Ya Fei chuckled and said, "Sir, you are indeed clever. That's right, exactly."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "No wonder Your Highness said this is a disgrace to Korea."

Ya Fei said jokingly, "It's not over yet."

Cao Ze continued, "Oh? What else?"

In order not to miss the opportunity for Ying Zheng to leave home, and to find out what Han Fei had discovered, he planned to leave Zhao and go to Han at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

At this moment, I am naturally very concerned about matters related to South Korea.

"Sir, have you ever heard of the legend of Ji Wuye, who is hailed as the strongest general in Korea in the last hundred years?"

Cao Ze paused for a moment and said, "Your Highness, are you referring to the time when Ji Wuye led his retainers and eight thousand desperate soldiers from Han to fight against a hundred thousand Chu troops?"

Don't be fooled by Ji Wuye's current power, arrogance, cunning, greed, lust, and obsession with power.

He was a first-rate general, both brave and resourceful.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have risen from an ordinary guest minister who wandered from the state of Chu to the state of Han to his current position.

Ya Fei scoffed, "That's right, it's certainly impressive. But you wouldn't know why this war happened."

Cao Ze's heart stirred slightly: "Could it be related to the Han-Chu allied forces?"

"Indeed, as the war between Baiyue was drawing to a close, the State of Chu betrayed its promise. Not only did it stab its then-commander Bai Yifei in the back, but it also took advantage of the weakness of the Han army to launch an army of 100,000 men, intending to swallow up Han."

"This angered the already elderly King Hanli, who fell ill and died within a month, allowing Han An, who was strongly supported by the Bai family, to smoothly ascend to the throne."

Cao Ze, playing the straight man, asked, "And then?"

Ya Fei narrowed her beautiful eyes and said softly, "Perhaps the fate of Han was not to perish. It produced a very lucky and fierce general like Ji Wuye, who was suddenly killed in his tent when he encountered the commander of Chu who was attacking Han."

Cao Ze asked in surprise, "A coincidence?"

Ya Fei snorted, "The commander-in-chief that time was Xiang Cheng, a confidant of the King of Chu and the father of the current patriarch of the Xiang clan."

"Could it be that the Qu Jingzhao family and the other two families were behind this?"

Ya Fei retorted, "Besides them, who else could make the commander of the 100,000-strong Chu army die suddenly in his tent without anyone knowing?"

The spies from various countries found no evidence of this matter, but by analyzing the clues in the context of the Chu state, it was not difficult to arrive at a reasonable answer.

At that time, King Xiong Yuan of Chu had just returned from studying in Qin and was in the prime of his life.

Externally, there was Xiang Cheng; internally, there was Huang Xie.

They wanted to take advantage of the military campaign against South Korea to eliminate domestic threats and then reform and strengthen Chu.

Unfortunately, they were out of luck, and their own general was killed by a scheme.

It remains mired in the old problems of the Chu state, unable to extricate itself.

Cao Ze nodded slightly: "Ji Wuye is indeed quite lucky."

Ya Fei smiled gently, "It's not just good luck, it's absolutely the best you can get."

"Back then, the first blow that Chu inflicted on Han was not a direct attack on Han, but rather a targeted attack on the 80,000 Han soldiers led by Bai Yifei in Baiyue, which resulted in Bai Yifei suffering a major defeat with more than half of his troops killed or wounded."

"To be honest, Bai Yifei was too young back then, only a year or two older than Xue'er. If it weren't for his family background, how could he have become a commander? If it were a seasoned general holding the city, even if the Chu Kingdom launched a surprise attack, they wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat."

"If Han An hadn't made a secret agreement with the Bai family, Bai Yifei would never have been able to be ennobled. However, the position of Grand General, which was within his grasp, was snatched away by Ji Wuye."

"It is said that Bai Yifei's personality changed drastically because of this."

Cao Ze frowned slightly and said, "That's not right. With the Bai family's power, how could they just stand by and watch Ji Wuye replace Bai Yifei as the Grand General? Moreover, now the Blood-Clad Marquis has become one of Ji Wuye's Four Fierce Generals."

Ya Fei propped her fair, round chin up with one hand, her eyes fixed on Cao Ze, her beautiful eyes blinking.

"That's why I say Ji Wuye is incredibly lucky."

"In which year did Bai Yifei suffer a great defeat and return home, while Ji Wuye's fame spread throughout the state of Han and rose to prominence among the seven kingdoms?"

"Meanwhile, Han An had already taken over the position."

"Like his father, King Hanli, he was very wary of the Bai family, especially since he had ascended to the throne with their support. As a king, no one would not feel apprehensive."

"Therefore, Han An chose to fully support Ji Wuye, who had just saved the state of Han, in order to restrain the Bai family."

"As a result, Ji Wuye rose to prominence in just a few years, becoming a powerful general in the state of Han, enjoying immense prestige."

"But strangely, the Bai family hardly reacted."

"That's why I said earlier that the Marquis was dead. If the Marquis is dead, then it makes sense that Bai Yifei has sided with Ji Wuye."

"However, Han An was too clever for his own good. He wanted to drive away one tiger to devour another, but he didn't expect to raise a tiger that would become a threat."

As Ya Fei recounted this, she couldn't help but sigh.

The state of Zhao was not as chaotic as the state of Han, but it was not much better.

Cao Ze stared at the bronze treasure box on the tea table, lost in thought.

Ya Fei's speculation is quite reasonable.

But the Marquis did not die.

Baiyue, the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon, the treasures of Baiyue, the scrolls of "Azure Dragon" and "Seven Mansions"...

Cao Ze shook his head slightly; the answer to all the mysteries would only be revealed once they arrived in South Korea.

He had a premonition that South Korea definitely held clues about the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions.

Consort Ya put the bronze box back in its place and repeatedly instructed Cao Ze to keep it a secret.

They left the secret room.

Before even reaching the bottom of the stairs, one could faintly hear the Snow Woman confiding in Li Ji.

The air was thick with the smell of vinegar.

Cao Ze couldn't help but look at Ya Fei, a strange look in his eyes.