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

The servant was so frightened that he immediately knelt down, saying, "I didn't know..."

Liu Yi suppressed his anger: "Then hurry up and investigate!"

"Yes."

The servants left the mansion with their men.

They will return soon.

"Mr. Cao Ze appeared in Xicheng."

"Have you returned to Zilan Pavilion?"

"No."

"Investigate further and report back!"

"Yes."

Liu Yi secretly groaned. Ji Wuye didn't have much time for him. If Cao Ze didn't come over in the next couple of days and instead got involved with Ying Ge, he would definitely be in trouble.

He thought he was a dignified Left Sima of the State of Han, in charge of several thousand people. He was a person of great importance. But he never expected to be reduced to a pimp, having to depend on other people's moods.

Cao Ze was unaware that his dear brother Liu Yi was already on the verge of exasperation. He continued to stroll around with Zi Nu, stopping occasionally to buy some trinkets like rouge and jewelry from the nicer shops in the city.

It wasn't until nightfall that they circled back to Zilan Pavilion.

In the evening, Lady Mingzhu, who had finished offering incense to King Han, came into the palace wearing only a silk nightgown and with her long hair draped over her shoulders.

She saw a carrier pigeon land on an empty branch, quickly walked over, took the secret letter tied to the pigeon's leg, and casually and lazily sat on the swing in the hall to read the letter.

"The man in the straw raincoat..."

Lady Mingzhu narrowed her long, phoenix-shaped eyes. Of the four fierce generals of the night, this person was the most mysterious.

It seems that even Ji Wuye and his cousin did not know the true identity of the man in the straw raincoat, only that he had extensive connections and intelligence.

This person deserves much credit for enabling Nightfall to become a dominant force in South Korea in just a few years.

After a moment's hesitation, Madam Mingzhu dressed herself up and took out a black robe to conceal her identity, preparing to visit the Straw-Cloaked Guest that evening.

The winter night was freezing cold, and a layer of ice had already formed on the lake outside Xinzheng City.

A man wearing an oil-soaked straw hat and a raincoat sat cross-legged in front of a carved ice cave, fishing despite the cold, and seemed to have been doing so for a long time.

"Madam Mingzhu came late at night, presumably because of the sword intent incident in the city the other day."

The man in the straw raincoat said without turning his head.

Lady Mingzhu lifted her robe, revealing a face as beautiful as jade in the cool moonlight.

She scrutinized the lone fisherman in the straw raincoat fishing in the cold lake and was secretly surprised. This man was at least stronger than her and must be a first-rate expert.

No wonder Ji Wuye and his cousin valued the Straw-Cloaked Man so much.

"Stranger in the straw raincoat, tell me, who is that person?"

The man in the straw raincoat shook his fishing rod, shooing away the lake fish that were circling the bait.

"do not know."

Those three simple words made Madam Mingzhu's gaze slightly narrow.

"do not know?"

The man in the straw raincoat remained calm, "Does Madam Mingzhu not know the strength of a Grandmaster? When deliberately concealed, investigating is not an easy task; it takes time."

Madam Mingzhu raised a delicate eyebrow slightly. "How long will it take?"

"do not know."

Lady Mingzhu took a deep breath. "Then I'll ask you, what information do you have about Cao Ze?"

The man in the straw raincoat slightly raised his head and glanced at the sky. The huge, bright moon was surrounded by layers of light.

"There will be strong winds tomorrow."

"what?"

Madam Mingzhu couldn't understand this completely unrelated matter.

The man in the straw raincoat said slowly, "The King of Zhao has been replaced."

"I know."

Lady Mingzhu's eyes flickered slightly. She had heard it in the palace today. It seemed that what the man in the straw raincoat said about the strong winds tomorrow was related to the change of King Zhao.

"Does Lady Mingzhu know who caused Prince Jia to ascend to the throne?"

"...Not Zhao Ya, the younger sister of King Zhao Yan?"

"According to a secret report from a spies in Handan, it was Cao Ze, because of a story Cao Ze told."

At this point, the man in the straw raincoat suddenly flicked the fishing hook, and after a brief flash of moonlight, the sharp hook returned to silence.

"What story?"

"The Xuanwu Gate Incident".

The man in the straw raincoat slowly stood up and disappeared into the night.

For him, this story that came true was good and useful.

But he still needs to patiently wait for the right opportunity, for the Bai family member to make a move, so that he can reap the benefits.

A cold wind blew by, lifting Lady Mingzhu's black robe.

Lady Mingzhu stared uncertainly at the spot where the man in the straw raincoat had disappeared. Her intuition told her that this man had grand ambitions and definitely had some unspeakable secret.

Who could this person be?

Madam Mingzhu briefly thought of Zhang Ping, the son of Zhang Kaidi, who had died unexpectedly and disappeared from everyone's sight, but then immediately denied it.

The age doesn't match, and neither does the ability.

After pondering for a long time, Madam Mingzhu put her hood back on and left the cold lake, deciding that she would ask Bai Yifei who the man in the straw raincoat really was when she had the chance.

……

The State of Qin, Xianyang.

Inside the study of Zhangtai Palace, under the glow of candlelight, Ying Zheng carefully read the intelligence reports from Handan, growing increasingly chilled with each reading.

Gai Nie noticed that Ying Zheng's expression was off.

"Your Majesty..."

Ying Zheng raised his hand, stopping Gai Nie from coming over.

He muttered to himself, "Could it be that Cheng Jiao truly harbors rebellious intentions?"

He initially didn't believe it and wanted to capture Chengjiao, but Chengjiao mysteriously disappeared after his defeat, which became a knot in his heart.

Now, seeing Crown Prince Jia forcing King Yan of Zhao, whom he once loathed, to abdicate, it's hard for him not to think about Cheng Jiao's uprising.

Gai Nie caught a glimpse of a few words on the bamboo slip on the table: "King Zhao abdicates, Crown Prince succeeds to the throne."

Suddenly, he understood why Ying Zheng was so upset.

Ying Zheng suddenly looked up, glancing somewhat bewildered at the vast study, then stared at the fine snowflakes falling outside the window, remaining silent for a long time.

At that moment, he felt a sudden sense of loneliness and understood why kings throughout history had called themselves "lonely and isolated."

Looking back on his life, he had met no more than ten thousand people, known no more than a thousand, and been acquainted with no more than a hundred. But the only person he could trust was... his mother!

However, judging from various signs, his trusted uncle did not seem to be as loyal to him as he had thought.

He had been told that the king was supreme, but only now did he realize that what was supreme was not the king, nor the throne, but the power of the king.

Whoever obtains the royal power will be the lonely widow, and will become the King of Qin!

Ying Zheng took a deep breath and forced himself to stand up.

He regretted Cao Ze's death; Cao Ze was the first person who made him clearly see the need to strengthen royal power.

It's a pity it died, just like the snow outside the window, which will eventually melt away in spring.

"Gai Nie, accompany me for a walk outside."

"Your Majesty, it's still snowing outside."

"Wouldn't that be better?"

After the question and answer, Ying Zheng's mood improved somewhat.

As his personally appointed close attendant, and after a year of careful observation, he seemed to be able to trust that Gai Nie would not harm him.

It turns out he wasn't so lonely after all.

Inside Xianyang, Lü Buwei was also reviewing intelligence reports from Handan, which were even more detailed than those in Ying Zheng's possession.

Compared to Ying Zheng's sentimentality and regret, Lü Buwei merely snorted coldly and casually tossed the intelligence aside.

In his plan, making Zhao Qian the King of Zhao would be most beneficial to the Qin state.

Therefore, he agreed to send Zhao Jia as a hostage to Qin.

Who knew that fate would play such a cruel trick? Because of a little story about Cao Ze, Zhao Jiajie was able to get there first and become the King of Zhao.

This directly thwarted his subsequent plans.

Old Zheng walked in and whispered a few words in Lü Buwei's ear.

Lü Buwei's gaze sharpened slightly. "Let him in."

A cold and sinister-looking man dressed in blue, with tight leggings and a blue headband, walked in.

Lu Buwei looked at Xuan Jian, who exuded an eerie aura, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

But his years of cultivated composure allowed him to remain calm and ask with an unchanged expression, "Where is Yan Ri?"

He waited for several months; Cao Ze died, but Yan Ri disappeared.

This led him to believe that Yan Ri had betrayed him.

"died."

"Dead? How did he die?"