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

The form of this poem seems to resemble the Qu Yuan poems of the Chu region, folk songs... Han Fei's mind conjured up chapters such as "Li Sao".

However, after carefully appreciating the poem, he suddenly felt a deep sense of awe and reverence for Cao Ze.

Could it be that Brother Cao wasn't just boasting when he said he was known as a Casanova in Handan?

“The moon shines bright over the vast sea, and pearls weep…” Nongyu murmured to herself, staring blankly at Cao Ze, who was also caught up in some kind of emotion.

According to ancient mythology, there are mermaids in the South China Sea who live in the water like fish, yet they do not stop spinning and weaving, and their tears can produce pearls.

She once named this piece "Tears of the Vast Sea," and unexpectedly, Mr. Cao Ze could actually hear the difference.

This is her confidant.

Nongyu gazed intently at Cao Ze's face, silently memorizing it in her heart, wanting to imprint him deep within her soul.

Zi Nu looked at Nong Yu, who was gazing at Cao Ze with deep affection, and felt a little complicated.

She seems to have made things worse.

This made Nongyu completely fall in love with Cao Ze.

Although she had gotten what she wanted, Cao Ze was indeed as she had seen him: a womanizer but also a man of true feelings.

But for some reason, she still felt she had lost out.

Could it be that she'll have to compete with Nongyu for a man?

Thinking of this, Zi Nu sighed softly.

However, as the proprietress of Zilanxuan, she quickly adjusted.

"This love can only be cherished in memory, for at the time it was all in vain... Sir, you are a master of love. Speaking of this love being something to be cherished in memory, could it be that you have fallen for someone?"

Zi Nu's beautiful face remained charming as she playfully teased Cao Ze with a smile.

"Sister!" Nongyu said coquettishly.

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Humans are not plants or trees; their bodies are determined by themselves, and their minds are determined by their hearts. Not only were their hearts moved, but their emotions were also stirred."

Nongyu's delicate hands clenched slightly, her fair face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Cao Ze and Sister Zi Nu.

She vaguely sensed that Sister Zi Nu had some kind of romantic interest in Mr. Cao Ze.

But now, because of one of her songs, things seem to be spiraling out of her control.

Zi Nu felt a pang of jealousy; she never imagined that one day she would be so jealous of her own younger sister.

But he showed no sign of it on the surface.

She smiled charmingly and said in a magnetic voice, "I wonder what has moved your heart, what feelings have stirred within you, sir?"

The answer is blowing in the wind.

Though the wind was strong, it bypassed my soul and struck my still-unrecovered body... Han Fei shivered as the cold wind blew outside the Purple Orchid Pavilion.

"Brother Cao, how about we go to the Cold Palace during the day?"

It was already night when I left the elegant room.

Cao Ze pulled Han Fei out directly.

Now that we have a clue, we certainly can't let it slip by.

"Brother Han, don't you know there's a saying?"

"What?"

Cao Ze said meaningfully, "There's no time like the present."

……

Chapter 247 Meeting Mother in the Underworld, Feng Hou Qi Men

Arriving at the cold palace of Zheng again, the chill was even greater than before.

"If this continues, I'll surely die of illness."

Han Fei kept sneezing.

It is now deep winter, and the cold wind is like a knife.

Every now and then, a light snowflake would drift by, sneaking into people's collars, with an extremely tangy and refreshing taste.

Cao Ze, carrying a lantern, said, "I told you to wear something warmer, but you still did what you wanted. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a martial artist."

Han Fei, frozen stiff, still stubbornly said, "This is called style, you know? If you're wrapped up like a dumpling, you'll become a fat man, and fat men are not good-looking."

"Tsk, prioritizing style over warmth."

"Indeed!" Han Fei flicked his wide sleeves, as if trying to add a touch of elegance to himself.

"Then your father will be pleased."

Han Fei then remembered that his father was an old fat man.

"Ugh……"

Why do you sigh, Brother Han?

Han Fei shook his head and remained silent, no longer feeling cold.

He has been back for several days, but his father has not taken the initiative to see him yet.

Without even thinking, I knew that my actions back then had angered my father.

When South Korea was about to establish a crown prince, various factions employed all sorts of tactics, creating a turbulent and unpredictable situation.

Ji Wuye supports his eldest brother, while his fourth brother bides his time but also intends to rise to power.

As a nationally renowned genius, he naturally attracted a lot of attention.

His father had hinted to him many times that he could give it a try, but before his father could even speak in court, he decisively chose to retire while he was still at the peak of his career. He used the excuse of going to study at Xiaoshengxianzhuang to leave for a distant place.

He could imagine his father's expression at the time; he was probably angry at his father's lack of ambition.

However, he knew very well that a weak South Korea could not withstand the power struggles among the princes; if things went wrong, it would completely lose its hope of becoming a strong nation.

Moreover, he sensed the hidden danger. If he really did participate in the struggle for the crown prince as his father wanted, he would probably die a violent death in Xinzheng.

At that time, the Nightfall regime was at its most powerful and influential, and countless nobles died at its hands.

The night now, though seemingly quiet, has actually expanded from its former overt presence to penetrate every aspect of South Korea, like a malignant tumor clinging to the bone.

Military, political, financial, and espionage... all have the shadow of night.

This is his conclusion based on his observations in Xinzheng over the past few days and the information provided by Zhang Liang.

Of course, the reason he didn't participate in the crown prince competition was because he didn't want to be king.

Han Fei entered the Cold Palace and shook the snow off his body.

Cao Ze glanced at the still pristine main hall. "You said you and Zifang discovered a crucial clue. Where is it?"

Han Fei rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up.

"Brother Cao, have you read the Zuo Zhuan?"

Cao Ze paused for a moment, realizing that Han Fei was referring to the Zuo Zhuan. The name Zuo Zhuan appeared after the Han Dynasty and is now mostly called Zuo Shi Chunqiu, just like Lü Buwei's Lü Shi Chunqiu.

"I've seen some of it, is it related to this place?"

Han Fei shook his head. "Of course it's related."

"The Zuo Zhuan records a story about Duke Zhuang of Zheng."

"It is said that when Duke Zhuang of Zheng was born, he was different from others, so his mother, Lady Jiang, disliked him and only loved his younger brother, Gongshu Duan."

"Later, Gongshu Duan rebelled, and Jiang secretly plotted with Gongshu Duan to become his inside man."

"Duke Zhuang of Zheng, as a hegemon of his time, defeated Gongshu Duan in Yan and said to Lady Jiang, 'I will not see you again until we reach the Yellow Springs.'"

"But later, Duke Zhuang of Zheng regretted it. So Ying Kao Shu advised Duke Zhuang to dig a hole in the ground and find a spring. In the end, the mother and son met in the tunnel and reconciled as before."

"Making up as before means still hating Duke Zhuang of Zheng just like in the beginning..." Cao Ze chuckled and said, "That sounds quite touching."

As the first piece in "Guan Zhi of Ancient Prose", he studied "Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan" in high school, which can be said to be a classic among classics.

The story is melodramatic, but through subtle and ironic writing, it becomes profound and deeply meaningful.

Just as Zuo Qiuming titled his work "Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan".

Zheng was a marquis, yet he was addressed as "Earl," a sarcastic remark implying he had failed in his duty of instruction. "Ke" is used metaphorically to describe warfare between two countries. Duan's behavior violated etiquette; Duan, being disrespectful, addressed him by name, indicating a direct criticism.

It contains many elements, including succession by the eldest son, fratricide, interference in politics by the empress's family, and guarding against the maternal relatives...

It can be said to represent the beginning of the collapse of the social order and perfectly demonstrates what it means to have no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Han Fei, thinking of himself, felt a deep empathy and sighed, "Yes, it's quite touching."

He wasn't worried that his father and the mother of Duke Zhuang of Zheng would dislike him, but if he were to confront the Nightfall, he would inevitably have to confront the Crown Prince, and even his fourth brother.

"Brother Han, if I remember correctly, the story of Huang Quan meeting his mother took place in... Chengying, right?"

Yan is the later Zhoukou Yanling, Chengying is the later Pang Donglai's hometown Xuchang, and the place they are in now is Xinzheng.

"Brother Cao is amazing. He saw the key point at a glance. If I'm not mistaken, that scroll should be in the Yellow Springs."

Han Fei led Cao Ze to the depths of the Cold Palace.

A large wall is carved with relief murals.

However, due to years of neglect, the murals are in a state of disrepair.

Han Fei said, "This is the mural depicting Duke Zhuang of Zheng meeting his mother in the afterlife. If it weren't for Zifang's mastery of history and his recounting of this story to me in front of this mural, I wouldn't have noticed anything unusual about this place."

Cao Ze's gaze lingered on the mural. He had seen it before, but he had no idea what the figures, buildings, and other images in the mural represented, and thought it was just palace decoration.

However, after Han Fei pointed it out, they compared the historical records one by one and discovered something wrong—there was no tunnel to the underworld.

Such an important place couldn't possibly be left unengraved, so there's only one possibility.

Han Fei ran his hand over and tapped the wall carved with the city of Ying, but after a long time he still couldn't find anything special about it.

"Huh? Did I guess wrong? The item isn't with Huang Quan?"

Han Fei was lost in confusion.