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

It seems the giant salamander has been developed too "excellently" by itself~

Jingni blinked her eyes, seemingly uninterested in women?

Then why do you tease her in different ways every night in bed and hold her while you sleep?

She believed that if she weren't pregnant, Cao Ze would definitely want to party with her every night, and that couldn't be kept secret.

Jingni didn't ask any further questions. She knew Cao Ze was not serious and was probably saying something in code that she didn't understand.

Cao Ze felt a little uneasy; his wife, Jing Ni, wasn't jealous at all.

It's not that a woman who truly loves a man can't be jealous when he's making love with other women.

On second thought, this is ancient times, and Jingni was trained as an assassin from childhood; perhaps their perspectives are simply different.

That's fine too; it gives her the air of a first wife, which he likes.

Jing Ni glanced at Cao Ze, who looked somewhat melancholy behind her, and silently continued walking.

When Cao Ze said it was just an act, she wasn't as calm as she appeared; she simply kept a cold face to hide the complex emotions she felt inside.

She didn't know how to express it, but when she thought that Cao Ze was doing it for their future, for the sake of being able to live a good life, she felt a little relieved.

No matter how much I say, I am ultimately powerless to change my fate.

……

Chapter 21 Making Zhao Great Again

The next month.

Cao Ze's life is very structured.

He cultivates his inner strength, enjoys a feast with the Hu sisters, and teaches them how to manage the royal court, discover talent, and improve outdated systems, such as the household registration system.

However, this time he was smarter, in order to prevent the Jingni incident from repeating itself.

After consummating his relationship with the Hu Ji Manyu sisters, he either gave them his countless heavenly soldiers to consume or used them as beauty and skincare products for the sisters' beauty spa treatments.

Each time I finished playing, it was quite fun.

What amused him even more was that his lovely wife, Jingni, began to feel jealous and would occasionally say things like, "Don't have sex too often, it will deplete your energy and hinder your cultivation."

Jingni, who knew his cultivation method, could not possibly be unaware that the Yin Five Thunder he cultivated primarily focused on the Qi of the liver and kidneys.

How could two mere women possibly affect his cultivation?

Clearly, Jingni's jealousy, after brewing for many days, could no longer be concealed and finally surfaced.

This brought a pleasant surprise: it allowed him to advance the development of Jingni.

Jingni is starting to soften her stance on those fancy tricks he's been so keen on.

We need to keep up the good work!

Let's make sure Cao Cao reaches the pinnacle of his life after Jing Ni is born!

Unlike Cao Ze, who is an optimist.

As February arrived, the seven kingdoms entered a state of turmoil and uncertainty.

Among the states that intended to join the alliance were the five states of Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, and Chu.

Pang Nuan and Lord Chunshen traveled constantly within their own country, exchanging opinions and reaching consensus with other states.

King Xi of Yan, under the mediation of Crown Prince Dan of Yan, explicitly joined the alliance.

King Zeng of Wei, on the advice of Lord Xinling, explicitly joined the alliance.

King An of Han of the State of Han, who introduced King Gyeongron, who was supposed to counterbalance the Nightfall regime, was recently tricked and killed by the Nightfall regime's Jade Tiger. Under pressure from the State of Qin, he had no choice but to join the Vertical Alliance, hoping to make one last stand.

After more than a month, only the final step remained in the alliance: determining the length of the alliance and the commander-in-chief of the allied forces.

After that, all the countries would begin preparations, waiting to launch an attack on Qin in the spring.

But unfortunately, at this critical juncture, a disagreement arose.

Handan, the Palace of the King of Zhao.

Pang Nuan recounted the alliance of the five states in the main hall of the Longtai Palace.

"Your Majesty, the opportunity to form an alliance is fleeting. Now that everything is ready, we cannot delay any longer. As long as we can thwart Qin's hopes of expanding eastward, what harm is there in Zhao becoming the leader of the alliance?"

Zhao Yan was in a bad mood. He nodded slightly and said, "General, you've worked hard. Please rest in the side hall for a while and allow me to think things over."

In the past five years, the Qin state has attacked Wei four times, Han three times, and Zhao once.

North of the Yellow River, they occupied Shangdang County of Han, rebuilt Taiyuan County, and severed the connection between Yan and Zhao and Wei and Han.

This allowed the Qin state to strategically encircle the Zhao, Wei, and Han states from the flanks.

This action is clearly aimed at the State of Zhao, which is the biggest obstacle to Qin's eastward expansion.

That's why he's very concerned about this alliance, but he doesn't want to pay too high a price.

Zhao Yan paced back and forth, lost in thought.

Guo Kai, who looks like King Gigi, was the chief steward in Zhao Yan's former residence as the Crown Prince's chief steward. He served Zhao Yan's every need, from food and drink to entertainment, countless times and was able to guess Zhao Yan's thoughts at a glance.

It is clear that they want to form an alliance, but they are also worried that if the alliance fails, they will have to bear the consequences of retaliation from Qin.

After a moment's thought, Guo Kai took the initiative to speak:

"Your Majesty seems to be too concerned about alliances. General Pang Nuan is a strategist by training. As someone who advocates alliances, how can you talk about the world without the world being in danger?"

If the world is not in danger, there will be no room for the art of diplomacy. Rather than placing our hopes on other nations with treacherous intentions, the fundamental solution lies in making Zhao great again.

"That makes sense!" Zhao Yan clapped his hands in praise, then sighed, "But..."

He still wanted to form an alliance, since ganging up was better than fighting one-on-one; he really wanted to destroy the Qin state.

Guo Kai muttered to himself.

Wanting both, how wonderful!

Ugh! What a total scumbag!

"Your Majesty, for decades, four generations of our predecessors have devoted themselves to the alliance against the enemy, resulting in countless bloodshed and loss of territory for the State of Zhao. Yet, this has yielded no results and has instead aroused suspicion among other states. The State of Yan has repeatedly become the prey, which is not an unusual situation. If Your Majesty wishes for the stability of the State of Zhao, you must know when to stop."

Upon hearing the words "enough is enough," Zhao Yan began to understand their meaning.

What are you trying to say?

Guo Kai said with an honest and simple expression, "The alliance against Qin is the right path and can certainly be implemented. However, we cannot go all out. We must leave a way out for Zhao so that Yan can take advantage of the situation and invade again."

After listening to Guo Kai's words, Zhao Yan realized that they were largely in line with his own expectations, which solidified his decision.

"I understand."

"Guo Kai, Guo Kai, you are as insightful as I am. Keeping you by my side would be a waste of your talent. After this alliance, I will appoint you as prime minister to lead the government. You can't refuse this time."

Zhao Yan looked at Guo Kai with a smile. With his trusted confidant Guo Kai around, he could always relieve his worries and calm his mind.

Guo Kai remained honest and simple, saying, "Thank you for your favor, Your Majesty."

He was overjoyed, for this time he was finally about to rise to the top and become a high-ranking official.

He didn't love beautiful women or gold and silver; he was only interested in power struggles.

When Zhao Yan ascended the throne and wanted to directly promote them to ministers, they did not immediately agree.

Ultimately, he was born into a lowly family, serving as a minor official in the household of the Zhao royal family. In terms of status, he was merely a royal servant, of humble origin.

If he were to be appointed as a minister directly, he would only ever be an ordinary minister for the rest of his life. It would be better for him to stay by Zhao Yan's side and continue to gain his trust.

Therefore, he advised Zhao Yan to first consolidate his power and not to create discord with the court officials because of them. He also suggested using war to build up the king's prestige and to appoint the highly respected border general Li Mu and the famous military strategist Pang Nuan to attack the ancient enemy of Zhao, the outwardly strong but inwardly weak state of Yan.

In this battle, they killed the Yan general Ju Xin and captured more than ten cities of the Yan state.

Guo Kai, who offered the advice, remained humble and unassuming, concealing his achievements and accumulating strength for his eventual ascension to the top.

This time, the alliance has finally succeeded. Regardless of the outcome, he can serve as the chief minister of the Zhao state, becoming the prime minister of the country and reaching the highest position among officials.

A moment later, Zhao Yan said to Pang Nuan in the main hall: "If Zhao participates in the alliance, the old general can be the commander of the allied forces. However, the alliance leader need not be Zhao."

Pang Nuan said urgently, "Your Majesty, the alliance is led by the State of Zhao, this..."

Zhao Yan ignored him and got up to leave, leaving Pang Nuan alone in the hall.

For several days afterward, Pang Nuan kept submitting memorials, which sparked much discussion in the court and among the people, but ultimately to no avail.

Upon receiving the secret letter from Li Mu's deputy general, Sima Shang, he could only sigh helplessly.

He then went abroad to the State of Chu.

Sima Shang, or rather Li Mu, was right. At present, the State of Zhao has many hidden dangers. We should do what we can and not fight for it.

Lord Chunshen Huang Xie of the State of Chu privately received Pang Nuan, and after listening to his words, he frowned deeply.

This alliance is a delicate matter for the State of Chu, or rather, for the King of Chu.

Compared to the State of Zhao, they preferred to form an alliance to attack Qin.

"I understand, General. I will go see the King now."

Huang Xie dared not delay and met with King Xiong Yuan of Chu late at night.

The King of Chu, who was two years younger than Lü Buwei, was in poor health.

In addition, he was woken up by Huang Xie late at night, so he was not in good spirits and his steps were a little unsteady.

It wasn't because he, like Zhao Yan, indulged in sensual pleasures that he ended up in this state. Rather, it was because over the years, in order to develop the State of Chu and to counterbalance the three powerful families of Qu, Jing, and Zhao, he had to work tirelessly, which led to his current state.

"What business does the Prime Minister have that requires me to be awakened in the middle of the night?"

King Xiong Yuan of Chu spoke weakly.

Huang Xie said, "King Yan of Zhao would rather not join the alliance than have Zhao become the leader of the alliance."

"what?"

Xiong Yuan roused himself and said angrily, "That brat is so shameless?"

Huang Xie sighed and said, "Your Majesty, regarding this alliance..."

Xiong Yuan asked in a low voice, "What does the Prime Minister think?"