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

"I am here on the orders of the general to find the He Shi Bi jade, which has been missing for many years, and bring it back to Korea."

"The He Shi Bi jade?"

Gongliang Wuqi was stunned. "What does the general want with it?"

Yingge narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly: "Is this something you could possibly know?"

Gongliang Wuqi felt a chill and said, "I understand, I understand. But..."

Chapter 34 Taking Jing Ni to strike her on the head, Fei Xue Pavilion

"Just what?"

Yingge's voice carried a hint of coldness, "Mr. Gongliang, before we go any further, I must remind you that the General has been somewhat dissatisfied with you these past few years, and you seem to have become a bit complacent."

"Yes, yes, yes, I've been too complacent."

Gongliang Wuqi quickly admitted his mistake.

"I simply wanted to ask Miss Yingge where the He Shi Bi is, so I'd have a clue where to look for it, after all, the Seven Kingdoms are so vast..."

A smile appeared on Yingge's pretty face: "Since I came here to find you, I naturally know where the He Shi Bi is."

Gongliang Wuqi's somewhat cloudy eyes widened slightly: "Could it be that you are still in the State of Zhao?"

Yingge slowly walked to his side and whispered, "As everyone knows, the He Shi Bi was discovered in the State of Chu many years ago, but for some reason, it ended up in the State of Zhao."

"Back then, King Zhaoxiang of Qin coveted this precious jade and offered fifteen cities in exchange. However, King Huiwen of Zhao was unwilling to accept this, which led to the famous story of Lin Xiangru 'returning the jade intact to Zhao.' From then on, the He Shi Bi jade remained in the State of Zhao... Mr. Gongliang, am I right?"

Gongliang Wuqi smiled bitterly and said, "That's right. But Miss Yingge only knows one side of the story. After the He Shi Bi was returned to Zhao intact, various countries sent experts to Handan to steal it. This angered the King of Zhao, who then ordered the He Shi Bi to be secretly hidden away."

"From then on, the He Shi Bi was never seen again. And because King Huiwen died suddenly, no one knew where the He Shi Bi was or where it was hidden."

"However, there have been rumors that it has been stolen by the Net and stored in the Qin King's Palace."

Yingge categorically denied it, saying, "Impossible! If it had been stolen by the Qin state, given Qin's domineering nature, it would have already spread the news."

"Um...that's true."

Gongliang Wuqi began to ponder whether or not he should go looking for this thing.

Thinking about the recent rumors that Guo Kai is going to be promoted to prime minister, if he could find the He Shi Bi jade and present it to him, tsk tsk, what would he have to fear about betraying Ji Wuye?

"I will stay here for a while, and I hope Mr. Gongliang can find clues as soon as possible. I will offer a generous reward as per the rules."

Gongliang Wuqi rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Miss Yingge, I will arrange for people to investigate in Handan City right now."

"That's good."

……

Just past noon, Cao Ze returned to his small courtyard, Qingping Residence, and quietly pulled Jingni, who was still in her postpartum confinement period, out of the house.

After hearing Cao Ze's words, Jing Ni's clear eyes showed a hint of surprise, and she nodded: "Okay, I understand."

Late at night, Jingni appeared silently near Wuqi Caotang.

Seeing that the Wuqi Thatched Cottage was completely dark and without any candlelight, Jingni quietly crept inside.

From any perspective, Wuqi Caotang was a simple private school.

Jingni appeared in the thatched hut of Wuqi Caotang and quickly and carefully inspected the items inside.

After searching around, Jingni frowned slightly.

Inside this low thatched hut were only a few dilapidated desks and a few straw mats. The walls were covered with cobwebs, and there were several broken holes in the beams, as if they had been hit by a rainstorm. Everything about it showed how dilapidated and shabby Wuqi Thatched Hut was.

If there is a clean and tidy place in the whole thatched hut, then the few stacks of bamboo slips placed on the stone slabs are the most precious place in the hut.

Jingni walked up to the stacks of bamboo slips, her intuition telling her that there was definitely something wrong here.

After gently moving the bamboo slips and tapping around them for a while, Jingni's eyes lit up.

Slowly moving the stone slab holding the bamboo slips, a secret passage leading underground was revealed to Jing Ni.

Jingni vaguely saw a glimmer of light in the secret passage, but when she activated her spiritual senses, she did not detect any danger.

Slowly descend into the secret passage and replace the stone slab.

After Jingni had walked more than ten meters, the lights suddenly came on. Jingni hid behind the stone wall and quietly observed what was inside.

For someone like her, a former top-tier assassin of the Luo Wang (a powerful assassin organization), tonight's infiltration was effortless and lacked any challenge.

Thinking of Cao Ze's repeated warnings against taking risks, Jing Ni's lips curled up slightly.

"Ding!"

The gold coin rolled on the ground, causing Jingni to suppress her other thoughts and look over.

Gongliang Wuqi carefully picked up the gold coin that had fallen to the ground, gently blew off any non-existent dust, and happily put it into his money bag.

He thought to himself, "That young man was pretty straightforward today. I'll have to take advantage of him next time."

Jingni glanced into the stone house and took a soft breath.

Thinking back to what Cao Ze told her, who would have known that beneath the dilapidated thatched cottage lay a world full of gold, jewels, and jade?

“Miss Yingge, it’s unlikely we’ll hear anything about the He Shi Bi anytime soon. Are you planning to stay here indefinitely? In my opinion, you should go do something else first. I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any news here.”

Yingge smiled and said, "Mr. Gongliang, are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No, no, Miss Yingge has misunderstood. I just don't want Miss Yingge to waste her time and miss other things, which would displease the general."

With his hands behind his back, Yingge walked around the golden house.

Looking at this wealth, enough to ensure dozens of people a life of comfort and luxury, he thought to himself, "This guy is truly a miser. He's all alone, yet he's piling up this treasure without spending a single penny. He's practically a living miser."

Gongliang Wuqi looked at Yingge without saying a word, only examining her treasures, and showed a fawning smile: "Miss Yingge, this money is all used to maintain the intelligence network. I'm just keeping it safe."

Yingge remained noncommittal, and snorted, "The general knows about your collecting hobby. As long as you do your job well, he won't touch your things."

"Yes, yes, yes, General is wise, and Miss Yingge is enlightened."

Yingge looked at the elderly Gongsun Wuqi, who was adept at ingratiating himself with people. No wonder the general had sent him to Handan to manage the intelligence network many years ago.

"I will stay in Handan for a while. Don't disappoint me and the general, understand?"

"Yes, yes, I understand."

Seeing that he had achieved his goal of exposing Gongliang Wuxi, Yingge left the stone house and went out of the thatched cottage.

Jingni stood on a rooftop, watching Yingge's departing figure. After a moment's hesitation, she did not follow.

Cao Ze only asked her to confirm whether the He Shi Bi was in Gongliang Wuqi's hands. Now that it's confirmed that it's not, Yingge is no longer worth tracking.

Inside Qingping Residence, Cao Ze listened to Jing Ni's words with a sense of helplessness.

He thought he was lucky, using the He Shi Bi jade as a stepping stone to present it to the King of Zhao and gain an opportunity.

There's no need to consider Guo Kai's mixed storyline anymore.

But now... who knows when Yingge will find the He Shi Bi jade.

Forget it, let's wait and see. We're civilized people.

If we find Yingge, we'll find a dark place, take Jingni, and give her a good whack.

The next day, Cao Ze found the broker.

"Brother, I have a question for you. In Handan city, which establishment is the most prestigious?"

Upon hearing this, the broker said, "Of course it's Feixue Pavilion. It was personally founded by the King of Zhao's sister."

Cao Ze was somewhat surprised. Could the Snow Maiden be a princess? That doesn't make sense!

"Feixue Pavilion? May I ask if the Prince of Zhao's sister is named Zhao Xue?"

Chapter 35 Singing and Dancing Prostitutes and Selling Oneself, Iron-Blooded Alliances and Vertical Alliances

“Zhao Xue? Hehe, my brother, don’t joke around. Her name is Zhao Ya, and the King of Zhao bestowed upon her the title of Consort Ya. The reason it is named Fei Xue Pavilion is probably because Consort Ya took in a student named Xue Nu many years ago.”

"Of course, these are all just speculations and there is no evidence. However, it must be mentioned that Ya Fei's student is extremely talented. Her dancing skills are among the best in Handan City. I'm afraid that apart from her teacher Ya Fei, no one can match her."

The broker sighed, "It's a pity that just the tea fee for entering Feixue Pavilion to watch the dance costs ten gold coins issued by the Iron Blood Alliance. It's too expensive."

Cao Ze knew that this tea fee was the threshold set by Fei Xue Ge.

One gold coin is equivalent to ten taels of gold and twenty taels of silver coins; ten gold coins are equivalent to two hundred taels of silver coins.

If converted into grain, it would be enough to feed a family of three for several years.

Corruption, oh corruption, but he likes it.

Seeing Cao Ze's keen interest, the broker couldn't help but advise, "Young brother, if you don't have the ability, even if you have money, it's best not to go in. Those who come and go there are all important figures, and no one can afford to offend them."

Having worked as a broker for a long time, he could tell that Cao Ze and the others were just rich, but of ordinary status.

But he dared not have any bad thoughts.

This young man doesn't know, but those two women clearly had a faint killing intent about them, so they were very likely people from the martial arts world.

How many women who can roam the martial arts world dare to mess with?

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother, I know my own limitations."

The broker chuckled and said, "That's good. Come on, brother, take me to visit other dance halls and find me a singer and dancer to keep me company. You know, our current queen was a singer and dancer herself. The dance hall she opened back then was very famous. You can imagine how good her singers and dancers are."

Cao Ze smiled faintly. He knew that the broker was setting a trap for him, using the empress to elevate the status of the singers and dancers, clearly trying to get him to spend more money.

However, through exposure, he also learned the difference between singing and dancing prostitutes and prostitutes who sold themselves into servitude.

To put it simply, a singer-dancer is a star performer who specializes in singing and dancing, possessing both beauty and talent, and is waiting for a buyer, such as a successful singer-dancer.

"Selling oneself" refers to women who engage in prostitution, often bordering on being "welfare girls." Singing and dancing are just one aspect of cosplay, used to inflate prices, while selling oneself remains their primary occupation.

However, regardless of the type, neither of them could be considered prostitutes during the Warring States period. Prostitutes were mostly the private property of brothels, while prostitutes were mostly commoners with a certain degree of freedom, essentially self-employed individuals, euphemistically called "respectable women."

The broker, seeing that Cao Ze remained silent, assumed that Cao Ze was afraid of his wife.

He then laughed and said, "It's just listening to a little tune, appreciating the dance, and doing things that men do. Surely your wife wouldn't make things difficult for you? Or are you perhaps afraid, young man?"

Cao Ze said, "Of course I'm not afraid. Brother, let's go to Feixue Pavilion."

He had no interest in singing and dancing or prostitution.