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

He was quite interested in the experience of his second uncle, Wei Er, growing into the future zoo director.

Of course, they were more interested in the glamorous and alluring Lady Mingzhu, the weak and easily bullied Lady Hu, and the shrewd and beautiful Lady Hu.

Oh, and there's also the charming and lovely Princess Honglian, the alluring Fire-Striker, and the little parrot that flies around...

Cao Ze mentally flipped through his notebook, beaming with joy.

It seems that I may be able to bring my wives from my private folder to life in my lifetime.

Li Wu jumped down from the willow tree, patted Cao Ze on the shoulder, and chuckled, "What, you can't bear to part with it?"

Cao Ze softly recited: "Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road, fragrant grass...the sky."

Li Wu tiptoed, raised her jade-like hand, and held it over her eyes like a parasol to gaze into the distance.

"It's quite fitting for the occasion."

Yes, Bi Lian is gone... Cao Ze smiled self-deprecatingly to himself.

Two days passed by in a flash.

After Cao Ze and the Queen reached another friendly exchange, Cao Ze returned to Qingping Residence from the palace to prepare for some cultivation.

Huh? Why are they here...?

Cao Ze entered the courtyard and saw two pretty girls standing in Qingping Residence, with Jing Ni and Li Wu taking care of Xiao Yan'er.

"Mr. Cao Ze".

A long-lost smile appeared on Shao Siming's pale face as she quickly walked up to Cao Ze.

Shao Siming Hei followed her sister, her gaze towards Cao Ze carrying a complex expression.

Aside from resting and avoiding some attention, the sisters rode almost day and night, taking six days to travel from Xianyang to Handan on horseback.

Cao Ze looked at Jing Ni and glanced around.

Jing Ni shook her head slightly, indicating that no one was watching her.

"Has something happened?"

Cao Ze led the Black and White Sisters to sit down next to Jing Ni and Li Wu.

He and the Black and White Sisters had a private agreement to communicate discreetly through letters as much as possible.

If one were to go in person, it would be a matter of life and death.

Bai Qiao said with a serious face, "Not long ago, the leader of the Luo Wang, Yan Ri, secretly approached the sect leader, intending to go to Zhao State to kill you, sir."

A faint killing intent involuntarily flashed in Jing Ni's eyes, sending chills down the spines of the Black and White Sisters, just as they felt when facing Lord Dongjun and Lord Yueshen.

As expected of the former top-tier assassin of the Luo Wang organization, he is not far from reaching the Grandmaster level.

Cao Ze had long anticipated that Yan Ri would not easily give up the "Seven Mansions" scroll in his hands.

"It seems that Donghuang Taiyi did not agree."

Bai nodded slightly. "That's right. Since entering Qin, the leader has been distancing himself from the Luo Wang."

Hei continued, "So the cult leader sent us sisters to investigate the gentleman."

Cao Ze pondered for a moment.

It's not hard to guess why the Yin-Yang School wanted to distance itself from the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven). Although the Luo Wang wielded considerable power in the Qin state, it was ultimately not a legitimate entity.

"Did Yan Ri say when he would make his move?"

The two twin sisters, who seemed to have a telepathic connection, shook their heads simultaneously.

"No, Yan Ri understood the sect leader's refusal and left immediately."

Cao Ze fell into deep thought.

If Yan Ri wants to assassinate me, he will definitely need to bring Xuan Jian with him.

According to Jing Ni, the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) does not have any master-level assassins.

And now that he is in Handan, Yan Ri still knows about Jing Ni and Li Wu.

So, how would you act if you were the one who occupies the sun?

Cao Ze recalled what Guo Kai had told him not long ago: that he would recommend him to participate in the Qin-Zhao War.

If Yan Ri and Guo Kai were in cahoots, then it was most likely that Yan Ri would assassinate him while he was away from Handan.

Thinking of this, Cao Ze calmed himself down.

Preparation is the key to success; lack of preparation leads to failure.

Yan Ri wanted to kill him, but he also wanted to kill Yan Ri.

If I can kill Yan Ri before entering South Korea, then I won't have to be so restrained in South Korea.

"Yes, I understand."

"You will stay at the Purple Orchid Pavilion across the street for a while. During this time, I will try to help you recover the spiritual power you lost in the past."

Cao Ze made the arrangements directly.

After Zi Nu and the others left, the area opposite them became empty.

The black and white sisters showed their joy.

"Thank you, sir!"

Due to the unique nature of the Myriad Leaves Flying Flowers Flowing Style, they had already established a Grand Circulation within their bodies and cultivated to the first-class level.

But what brought them success was also what brought them down.

The consequence of breaking through too early is that one's spiritual power weakens and dissipates.

To break through to the half-step Grandmaster level, one must first sense the power of heaven and earth. This alone almost eliminates any possibility of further improvement in their strength.

As their spiritual power declines, they may even fall from their current realm.

Cao Ze smiled faintly and said, "This is what you deserve. When the time is right, I will help you resolve any future worries."

As for when the time will be right, that depends on how far he can go.

The black and white sisters bowed in gratitude again, completely convinced of Cao Ze's abilities.

Compared to their work at the Yin-Yang School, where they risked their lives, and despite Donghuang Taiyi's ability to resolve potential threats, he failed to do so, they had long harbored resentment. However, due to Donghuang Taiyi's long-standing influence, they could only endure it.

Now that Cao Ze has extended an olive branch and can help them solve their biggest worries, they naturally don't hesitate to join him.

The next day, Cao Ze, who had just returned from lecturing at the Hundred Schools Forum, received intelligence delivered by Lian Cheng of the Fierce Tiger Gang.

By this time, the Fierce Tiger Gang had absorbed the intelligence channels of the Wuqi Caotang and the Wild Wolf Gang, and was well aware of any disturbances in Handan.

This is also why he was able to keep track of what was happening in the Zhao court in real time.

Cao Ze unfolded the silk and quickly glanced through it.

At the beginning of the month, Meng Ao was ordered to move the royal guards to Yewang and then returned to the capital.

Three days ago, the Qin court issued a decree to send troops to attack Zhao, with Meng Ao and Zhang Tang leading the army to attack Zhao.

Today, Zhao Yan directly ordered Pang Nuan in the court to prepare for battle and to ensure a crushing defeat for the Qin army.

However, there were two things that he paid the most attention to.

First, King Ying Zheng of Qin wanted to send Chang'an Jun Chengjiao to lead an army to attack Zhao, but Lü Buwei put this off on the grounds that the war was a matter of national destiny and that Chengjiao was not familiar with military affairs.

Cao Ze wondered to himself, could it be that he, this little butterfly, had quietly changed Cheng Jiao's fate of being framed and killed?

He thought back briefly and realized that after Meng Ao launched his attack on Zhao, Cheng Jiao was sent to the battlefield by Ying Zheng as reinforcements.

In reality, they were feigning an attack on one side while secretly preparing to launch a two-pronged attack on Zhao.

However, for him now, the next thing is what he needs to pay more attention to.

As the crown prince, Zhao Jia submitted a memorial to the court, advocating for peace talks with the Qin state.

The reason is that for the Zhao state today, recuperation and restoration are more urgent.

Cao Ze frowned almost imperceptibly.

History books describe Zhao Jiade as a person of upright character and prudence, clearly a kind and benevolent person.

He reported to the court that it was not surprising that people were recuperating and resting.

Moreover, the State of Zhao, or rather the seven states, all need to recuperate and rebuild.

But why did none of the seven kingdoms dare to rest and recuperate? It was simply because of their military preparations.

If the Qin state were to increase its strength and other states did not follow suit, they would be crushed at any moment.

After a country has been destroyed, what's the point of talking about recuperation and restoration?

This was also Qin's open strategy: to use the advantages of Ba and Shu, and its own powerful logistics, to slowly wear down the national strength of the six states.

To put it bluntly, Zhao Jia's memorial this time was somewhat inappropriate.

If things go wrong and Zhao Yan really has the intention to negotiate peace, Guo Kai can easily make Zhao Jia a sacrifice in the peace talks by making him a hostage sent to Qin for further studies.

As night fell, Cao Ze met with Consort Ya discreetly at Feixue Pavilion and discussed the events that had occurred in the court that day.

Ya Fei gently rubbed her temples, feeling a slight headache.

"This matter was the result of discussions between Zhao Jia and General Pang Nuan."

"Since the defeat of the five states, Qin has marched eastward to retaliate against them, and now it has an invincible military force. Once we engage in battle, our Zhao army is very likely to be at a disadvantage."

"More importantly, according to General Pang Nuan, the Zhao state can hardly sustain a prolonged war. If the battlefield becomes as stalemate as it was during the Battle of Changping, it could very well plunge the Zhao state into turmoil."

Cao Ze nodded slightly.

There are advantages and disadvantages. Many times, you can't do whatever you want, and you don't have a choice.

The state of Zhao had long suffered from accumulated problems, and although Zhao Yan was capable, he was clearly not the kind of ruler who could restore the state.

With the emergence of figures like Guo Kai, it was virtually impossible for the State of Zhao to rise again.

Snow Maiden brewed a cup of fragrant tea for Cao Ze and Ya Fei.

"What are your thoughts on this matter?" Ya Fei asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Cao Ze said, "His Majesty has given the order; this battle is inevitable."