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

"what?"

Cheng Jiao thought he was hallucinating, "Brother Cao is going to Xianyang to see my brother, the King?"

Cao Ze confirmed his suspicions.

He said that Cheng Jiao was of sound mind and would never betray the Zhao state.

"good."

Cheng Jiao couldn't help but rub his hands together. "Brother Cao, could you give me a ride?"

"I love your Journey to the West. I've been wanting to have a drink with Brother Cao for a long time."

Cao Ze couldn't help but laugh and said, "Young Master Chengjiao, I think the rebellion that's been circulating outside isn't something you wanted to do, is it?"

Cheng Jiao hesitated for a moment, realizing he had no choice, and began to complain bitterly.

"Brother Cao, I'm innocent..."

Jingni and Liwu, sitting on the donkey cart, watched Chengjiao tearfully complain to Cao Ze, both feeling puzzled.

I wonder why Cao Ze was chatting with Cheng Jiao for no reason.

Soon, Cao Ze learned the truth from Cheng Jiao.

It was all Fan Yuqi's doing, no, it was the people behind Fan Yuqi who were behind it.

He needed to see his brother, Ying Zheng, as soon as possible.

Cao Ze shook his head and sighed, "Young Master Chengjiao, your current situation... is very bad."

"Even if they surrender to Zhao, they will soon be targeted and assassinated by the Luo Wang organization."

Cheng Jiao asked in surprise, "Brother Cao, do you know who did it?"

Cao Ze sighed and said, "Think about it, who would benefit the most if you died?"

"...Lü Buwei and Lord Changping?"

Chengjiao stopped wiping away tears and snot.

With no life-or-death crisis remaining, he pondered briefly and offered his own judgment.

The fact that his patron, Empress Dowager Xia Ji, had just passed away and yet turned against him, and that the only ones still capable of doing so, were Lord Changping and Lü Buwei from the Chu and Zhao factions.

"Brother Cao believes it was Lü Buwei who did it?"

The only person who could send a net to kill him was Lü Buwei.

Lord Changping is not qualified to command the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven). Even if he wanted to kill him, he would not choose to use the power of the Luo Wang to assassinate him.

"It is very likely that Lü Buwei and Lord Changping conspired together."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiao exclaimed, "That's right! Fan Yuqi was once a retainer of Lü Buwei, and was later recruited by Lord Changping."

At this point, he was filled with despair.

Knowing his brother's predicament, how could he not understand the combined power of the two?

He saw the composed Cao Ze, grabbed Cao Ze's arm, and cried out, "Please, sir, save me!"

Cao Ze reassured him, "Don't worry, I will save you, but before that, you must follow my instructions. Don't show yourself for a while, and wait until things calm down."

Cheng Jiao nodded quickly, "Yes, let's talk about it later."

As if remembering something, he said, "Then you're not going to Xianyang, sir?"

Cao Ze feigned a long sigh and said, "Let's not go for now. Let's go to South Korea to avoid trouble for a while."

Cheng Jiao said gratefully, "Sir, you are truly righteous!"

He had no objection to going to South Korea.

His mother, Madam Han, was born in South Korea, so even if she were discovered in South Korea, she wouldn't be "ruined by the light of day."

Cao Ze appeared to be frowning in thought, but inside he was overjoyed.

If you take Cheng Jiao to Korea and hand him over to Ying Zheng, Ying Zheng's favorability towards him will surely skyrocket.

This is a huge win.

When he went to Qin with Ying Zheng, he used Lao Ai's divine assistance to bring down Lü Buwei.

That's a special win.

When I become Prime Minister Cao, I will unravel the secret of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions.

They've won so much they're exhausted!

……

After traveling in the wilderness for a day, Cao Ze led Jing Ni and the others into a large city called Rao'an in a low-key manner.

He had seen the map; this was the border between Qi and Zhao.

After killing Yan Ri at Yaoshan, he only had three paths to enter Korea.

One option was to enter Qin, specifically through Shangdang Commandery into Han.

The second route was to travel south from Yaoshan, cross the Zhao Great Wall to the south, enter the State of Wei, and then turn onto Xinzheng in the State of Han.

These two routes are the shortest, but also the ones with the greatest risk.

Therefore, he chose the third path.

They went east to Tianqi, and then entered Han from the border between Qi, Wei, and Chu.

Although the journey was twice as long, the advantage was that most of the routes were unpaved, so there was no need to worry about being discovered.

However, he needs to stay in Rao'an first and write a letter to Ya Fei, Xue Nu, and Li Ji to let them know he is safe.

The group checked into a shady inn.

Under the murderous aura emanating from Jing Ni, Boss Hei and Xiao Er wisely refrained from taking any money.

Jing Ni left Wu Xiao Yan'er in one room, while Cheng Jiao and Cao Ze lived in another.

Cheng Jiao was no longer in a sorry state. He threw away his tattered fine clothes and put on coarse cloth, but he still couldn't hide the noble air that came from his years of pampered life.

As soon as Cao Ze entered the room, he began writing letters on the cloth.

Cheng Jiao couldn't help but ask with his eyes shining, "Brother Cao, are you writing a new work?"

He has already read "Journey to the West" through various channels.

I had originally planned to wait until after the Battle of Yaoshan to return to Xianyang and read the famous "Dream of the Red Chamber," but who knew this would happen.

Cao Ze, without looking up, said, "Writing love letters."

"love letter?"

Cao Ze grunted in response, not having time to speak to Cheng Jiao.

When he saw his own inscribed tablets and people burning paper money on some official roads, he realized that his feigned death and escape had been a bit hasty.

Therefore, after finding the adult ant, they immediately rushed to Rao'an, a large city with trustworthy merchants.

In this era, there were very few means of delivering letters; apart from acquaintances, there were only professional letter carriers.

But in this era without contracts, mail carriers had no credibility whatsoever. It was common for them to secretly read letters, take away the mail, and sell information afterward.

Therefore, they have no choice but to spend a lot of money to choose a reputable merchant.

In this era, the term "trustworthy merchant" refers not only to reputable businessmen but also to messengers.

The reason why Lü Buwei was able to secretly carry letters back and forth between Handan and Xianyang was because he was a merchant who kept letters.

Cao Ze put down his pen and let out a soft breath.

I wonder how Xue Nu, Ya Fei, and Li Ji are doing now.

Ya Fei is alright; this woman is rational enough that she wouldn't try to kill herself.

I'm afraid that the Snow Maiden, Li Ji, might do something foolish.

He clearly remembered the glorious deeds of those two girls who went to Puyang alone without saying goodbye.

However, with Ya Fei watching over them, Xue Nu and Li Ji should be fine in the short term.

Cheng Jiao's curiosity was piqued. "Who was it written for?"

"Ya Fei".

"Oh..." Cheng Jiao paused, somewhat bewildered. "Who? Zhao Ya? Zhao Yan's younger sister?"

"Yes, it's her."

"You stay here, I'll go buy some oranges."

Cheng Jiao stared in astonishment at Cao Ze as he left. Buying oranges? Are you sure you're not going to mail a letter?

Well, that's not important.

He remembered the news that came from Handan: wasn't Cao Ze's lover that girl named Xue Nu?

When did he start flirting with Ya Fei?

Cao Ze left quickly and returned just as quickly, still holding an envelope in his hand.

Cheng Jiao asked, "Where are the oranges?"

"Call me 'Dad' first..." Cao Ze thought to himself.

"Not for sale."

"The love letter wasn't sent?"

"Qin and Zhao are at war, and Yan and Qi are secretly conspiring. Merchants in the city are now restricted."

Cao Ze remained silent.

It can only be said that the predecessors cut down trees, and the successors are left to suffer the scorching sun.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, merchants hoarded goods and engaged in smuggling and trafficking, leading to countless small states that were weak and plagued by internal problems.

If war breaks out now, the first thing to do is to restrict the movement of merchants.

Cheng Jiao suggested, "Why don't we just find someone we know to deliver it?"