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

To avoid Zhao Jia, who had previously advocated for peace talks and displeased Zhao Yan, being suddenly deposed.

Meanwhile, Guo Kai and Zhao Qian, the chief envoys, were on the other side.

Standing opposite Zhao Jia and Consort Ya, they were clearly separated.

With Han Cang's support, Zhao Yan walked unsteadily to the front hall.

Han Cang glanced at Cao Ze without leaving a trace, his eyes half-closed.

Zhao Yan sat down on the throne and exhaled.

"The day before yesterday, General Pang Nuan delivered a military report that the 50,000 Qin troops led by Lord Chang'an Chengjiao and Fan Yuqi have arrived at Tunliu."

Zhao Yan, having said this, looked at Guo Kai and asked, "Prime Minister, what do you think?"

Cao Ze calmly looked at Guo Kai. He already knew from Han Cang that, because of Guo Kai's instigation, Zhao Yan was preparing to send people north, and Guo Kai was one of them.

Guo Kai smiled kindly and said, "My king need not worry."

"Thanks to Mr. Cao Ze, the Qin state now knows that we have discovered their plot. Therefore, the Qin army stationed at Tunliu will no longer march east out of the Taihang Mountains and directly threaten the capital of our Great Zhao. However..."

Guo Kai changed the subject.

"It is likely that Lord Chang'an, Chengjiao, will soon head north to support Meng Ao."

"General Pang Nuan reported earlier that Meng Ao's army had set up camp at Dushan, southwest of Qu Ni. North of Dushan is Yaoshan, which is the highest mountain. From Yaoshan, one can see Dushan. It is advisable to go and occupy it."

"In my opinion, we should send troops north as soon as possible to join forces with Pang Nuan, defeat the Qin army, and spread the glory of our great Zhao!"

Cao Ze smiled silently. As expected of the God of War, Prime Minister Guo Kai, he's truly impressive.

Ya Fei frowned slightly, seeing Cao Ze remain calm and silent.

It was obvious to everyone that Guo Kai wanted Zhao Yan to send Cao Ze north.

However, the Empress Dowager thought that Guo Kai wanted to promote Cao Ze and give him a higher official rank, which suited her wishes.

Zhao Qian, however, seemed indifferent to this, his face blank and apathetic, as if his mind was wandering elsewhere.

His illness had probably worsened, and he kept wanting Cao Ze to severely humiliate and trample on his mother.

Unable to contain himself, Zhao Jia stepped forward and said, "Father, there are not many troops that can be mobilized at will in the country. We also need to guard against a feint by the Qin army that could endanger Handan."

"With General Pang Nuan's abilities, he is capable of stopping the Qin army at Yaoshan and preventing them from entering Zhao territory even a little bit."

Guo Kai said slowly, "Your Highness, General Pang Nuan is indeed capable of holding off the Qin army, but how long can he hold them off with only 30,000 troops?"

"You must understand that every day we delay, our Great Zhao's national strength is depleted."

“If Qin is once again prepared to rely on Ba and Shu to weaken our Great Zhao, then even if we win, we will have failed.”

Seeing that Zhao Yan was still hesitant, Guo Kai said firmly, "Your Majesty, the State of Zhao cannot withstand another Battle of Changping!"

Zhao Jia felt deeply helpless.

His advocacy for peace talks stemmed from this reason, as did Guo Kai's theory of a swift victory.

Ultimately, it was because the Qin state, with its control over Ba and Shu, had ample logistical support, giving it a significant advantage over the Zhao state.

Zhao Yan gripped the dragon head armrest, his face grim.

This was his biggest worry, and also the Achilles' heel of the Zhao state.

He looked at Cao Ze, who had remained silent, and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Cao Ze?"

Cao Ze glanced at Guo Kai and said with a faint smile, "Your words, Prime Minister, are wise and insightful in governing the country. I deeply admire them."

Guo Kai looked at Cao Ze with slight surprise, only to meet Cao Ze's smiling eyes. Suddenly, he felt a little uneasy.

After looking at Guo Kai and Cao Ze, who were working together seamlessly, the Empress smiled with satisfaction.

Cao Ze raised the corners of his mouth slightly and continued, "Therefore, I believe that Your Majesty can send the Prime Minister to supervise the army to the north. With the Prime Minister and General Pang Nuan there, the Qin army will surely suffer a great defeat."

He looked at Guo Kai and said, "Your Excellency, wouldn't you agree?"

They were going to fight together, even if it meant dying together. Since Guo Kai wanted to scheme against him, he naturally wanted to drag Guo Kai down with him.

Guo Kai hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I..."

Cao Ze said, "I have heard the King say that the Prime Minister's strategies are extremely remarkable."

"Back then, he devised a plan to persuade the king to appoint General Li Mu, which ultimately led to a great victory over the Yan state and the capture of dozens of cities in Yan territory."

“Recently, five states have formed an alliance and advised Your Majesty not to become the last state in the alliance, thus preserving the strength of Great Zhao.”

“Every single incident demonstrates that the Prime Minister possesses the demeanor of a renowned general, even surpassing Lü Buwei of Qin.”

"Therefore, I implore Your Majesty not to waste the talent of the Prime Minister, but to go north and join General Pang Nuan in attacking the Qin army."

Guo Kai was speechless. He knew that his son was excellent and capable of leading troops into battle.

The problem is, even if he is the supervisor of Pang Nuan's army, if Pang Nuan secretly kills him so that Zhao Jia can smoothly take over, wouldn't he die unjustly?

Just as Guo Kai was about to smear himself, Han Cang said, "Your Majesty, what Mr. Cao Ze said is all true. Zhao is currently facing a shortage of capable generals. Why not let the Prime Minister gain experience? Perhaps one day he can help our Great Zhao recover lost territory."

Zhao Jia frowned, thinking that sending Guo Kai as the military supervisor to the north had both advantages and disadvantages.

A cold glint flashed in Ya Fei's beautiful eyes as she considered whether to have General Pang Nuan eliminate Guo Kai.

Zhao Yan looked at his most trusted close advisor.

"Guo Kai, as Mr. Cao Ze suggested, you shall go north as the military supervisor."

Guo Kai had a toothache, glanced at Cao Ze who was smiling silently, and composed himself.

"Your Majesty, I obey your command. However, I would also like to request that Your Majesty allow Mr. Cao Ze to accompany the army and assist me."

"Approved."

Cao Ze shrugged; he had known all along that he couldn't escape it.

Now that Guo Kai has been dragged into this mess, whether he will die or not depends on whether Pang Nuan is willing to make the move.

He left the palace with Consort Ya and went to Feixue Pavilion.

Inside the elegant room, Xue Nu knelt beside Cao Ze.

After Li Ji brought over the incense burner and lit the incense, she sat down next to Ya Fei.

Ya Fei had no interest in eating the beautifully made ice cream on the table.

She looked at Cao Ze, her beautiful eyes questioning, "Sir, what is the meaning of your actions today...?"

Cao Ze nodded slightly and said, "Guo Kai has murderous intentions towards me and wants to take this opportunity to get rid of me."

“Of course I couldn’t let Guo Kai have his way, so I got involved myself, dragged him into the mess, and went north with him.”

Li Ji's eyes widened suddenly, her heart pounding.

Snow Maiden's heart tightened as she looked at Cao Ze's profile, her large, azure eyes filled with concern, and she couldn't help but feel worried.

“I heard from Sister Yafei that Guo Kai is always good at using schemes and tricks. You should be careful. If it really doesn’t work out, then don’t go.”

Cao Ze shook his head. "We can't not go. If we don't go, we'll be playing right into Guo Kai's hands."

If we were to name the person Zhao Yan trusted most, in the entire state of Zhao, it would probably be Guo Kai. Han Cang lacked Guo Kai's abilities.

The reason he was able to ignore Guo Kai in Handan was simply because he frequently topped up his account at Changhou's place.

Ya Fei said slowly, "What you say is correct, sir."

"Fortunately, there are five days to prepare. When you go north, you must not leave the army. As long as you are in the army, no matter what Guo Kai does, he cannot harm you."

Ya Fei said with great confidence.

Cao Ze was not as optimistic as Consort Ya. Guo Kai was well aware that the Zhao army was almost entirely composed of the Crown Prince's faction, so his decision to drag him north clearly indicated that he had a backup plan.

"Ah."

He paused for a moment, then said, “Your Highness could contact General Pang Nuan. If possible, even at a cost, it would be best to keep Guo Kai in Yaoshan forever.”

This was also one of his purposes in dragging Guo Kai into the mess.

It is only polite to reciprocate. Guo Kai wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of him, so he naturally couldn't let Guo Kai get away with it.

Consort Ya nodded slightly. "I am considering this matter."

Once Guo Kai dies, his cronies will naturally disband.

As for Zhao Qian, who was ignorant and incompetent, he naturally had no chance of rising to power.

In the afternoon, Cao Ze went to the Hundred Schools Forum to express his intention to go north with the army.

He knew that once he left, he probably wouldn't come back.

This brought to a close "Journey to the West," a story that had been dragging on without a conclusion.

The year-long "Journey to the West" series has come to an end, so much so that the air in Handan seems to have become more cheerful.

As dusk approached, Li Ji found Cao Ze, who had just returned to Qingping Residence.

"The Snow Maiden wants you to go to Feixue Pavilion."

She glanced at Jingni and Liwu, who were taking care of the child, and had some guesses in her mind, but on the surface she still pretended to be unaware.

Cao Ze didn't think too much about it and went to Feixue Pavilion with Li Ji.

Upon entering the elegant room, Cao Ze looked at the beautifully dressed Snow Woman with some surprise.

Since Feixue Pavilion stopped holding dance performances, the Snow Maidens in Feixue Pavilion have basically been wearing plain dresses and everyday clothes.

Although she was still far more beautiful than the average woman, she was not as stunning as she was at that moment.

The Snow Maiden smiled sweetly at Cao Ze, then looked at Li Ji and said, "Li Ji, I want to talk to Cao Ze."

Li Ji seemed to understand something, and silently left the room, feeling somewhat saddened.

Cao Ze was pulled inside by Xue Nu and sat down. There were fruits, pastries, potato chips, ice cream, and drinks on the table.

Cao Ze felt a little disoriented, as if he had returned to the modern world.

The Snow Woman took the initiative to start a conversation, chatting casually with Cao Ze.

These were all trivial matters that happened within Feixue Pavilion.

From how Ya Fei taught her to learn Zhao dance, to now learning to make pastries.

No matter how small the matter, he is meticulous and patient.