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

Li Zuoche waved his arms repeatedly in front of his chest, "If he finds out, he'll definitely beat me to death."

The upbringing of military generals is no joke.

"Alright, I know what you're thinking, but I still have to remind you, Xue'er has no feelings for you, so don't overthink it."

Li Zuoche smiled wryly and said, "I understand. Brother Cao has already told me that there are plenty of fish in the sea."

"Yes, that makes sense. Feixue Pavilion also has other women from good families. If you like them, I can help you put in a good word."

Putting aside everything else, many of the women in Feixue Pavilion were daughters of noble families and high-ranking officials. They were sent to Feixue Pavilion to learn Zhao dance from her as registered students, and were also required to perform dances at Feixue Pavilion every day.

Li Zuoche hung his head, looking somewhat listless and unhappy.

Ya Fei looked at Cao Ze and said with a light smile, "I apologize for keeping you waiting, Young Master Cao Ze. Please have a seat."

Cao Ze sat opposite Xue Nu and looked at Ya Fei beside him, "I wonder what business Your Highness has with me?"

Consort Ya smiled faintly and said, "Not long ago, I received a letter from General Li Mu, in which he mentioned you and asked me to keep an eye on you."

Li Zuoche: "Brother Cao, do you know my grandfather?"

Cao Ze said, "We've met once."

Ya Fei said, "After just one meeting, General Li Mu was extremely impressed, saying that the young master is a descendant of Cao Gui and a successor of military strategists. With just a few words, he was able to deduce the situation of the allied forces facing off against the Qin state. He has the potential to be a famous general."

Li Zuoche almost spat out the tea he had just drunk.

She quickly wiped her mouth. "Sister Yafei, is he a descendant of the Bing family? Are you sure he's not a descendant of the Ming family?"

Cao Ze thought to himself, it seems that he is a descendant of Cao Gui, and the label of being a military strategist can't be erased.

After thinking about it, I realized that I'm living abroad and my identity is something I've created myself, so it seems I need to properly establish my public persona.

"General Li Mu, you flatter me too much. I shouldn't take it seriously; it was just casual conversation."

Li Zuoche suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, I remember now. My grandfather wrote to me a few days ago, suddenly asking me to thoroughly review the war between the five states and Qin and write a five-thousand-word analysis. I was wondering what was going on, it almost broke my hand."

Ya Fei snorted, "Say less."

Li Zuoche shrank back, not daring to say anything more.

Ya Fei smiled and said, "I heard from General Li Mu that Mr. Cao Ze wants to do business in Handan. I wonder which industry he wants to go into? I have many friends, so perhaps I can help him out."

She did not directly try to recruit Cao Ze into the army.

Cao Ze's ability to directly reject Li Mu's offer clearly indicates that he had his own ideas; he wouldn't be able to recruit Cao Ze without making him face setbacks a few times.

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "I'm still investigating, so I won't trouble Your Highness, Consort Ya."

He's feeling a bit helpless right now.

He clearly wanted to follow Guo Kai's path, to collude with the God of War Guo Kai, and to do a heist in the State of Zhao with impunity.

Why did I run into a "good person"? I can't bring myself to be ruthless.

"Hehe, what trouble is there?"

Consort Ya, being very understanding, said, "You are always welcome, young master."

Faced with Consort Ya's gentle approach, Cao Ze couldn't help but feel a little flattered.

It seems Li Mu has quite a bit of influence, that even the Queen Sister treats him this way.

Or perhaps it was this Consort Ya who spoke on behalf of Li Mu's faction in the palace.

After much thought, Cao Ze couldn't make a decision right away, so he could only continue drinking tea and chatting with Ya Fei to see if he could learn more information.

Chapter 38 The Three Who Destroyed Zhao

Cao Ze chatted idly with Ya Fei.

Ya Fei also seemed to want to know if Cao Ze was really as powerful as Li Mu had said.

However, after talking with Cao Ze, she suddenly realized that Li Mu seemed a bit conservative.

It's hard to estimate Cao Ze's ability to lead troops into battle, since she wasn't a military strategist after all. However, Cao Ze's analysis of the situation in the seven kingdoms was almost identical to what she had heard.

His expertise was particularly unparalleled in matters of commerce and national taxes, which involved money. Many of these were things that had never been heard of before, but upon closer examination, they were not entirely unfounded.

Li Zuoche, standing to the side, was almost in awe of Cao Ze. He was so eloquent, and his words were so effective. He was truly amazing.

"Brother Cao, you are simply a born prime minister!"

Li Zuoche couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Consort Ya nodded slightly. In this era, anyone who saw someone who was both literate and skilled in martial arts would consider them to be a prime minister.

Being able to govern a country when dismounted and fight a war when mounted was almost a true reflection of many prime ministers during the Warring States period.

Meanwhile, the Snow Maiden tilted her head slightly, her clear and innocent eyes fixed on Cao Ze, who was talking animatedly.

Although she couldn't understand what he was saying, this guy who wanted to get to know her seemed really impressive.

Even Sister Yafei was impressed.

Consort Ya couldn't help but say, "Mr. Cao Ze, I have a nephew who is the current Crown Prince, named Zhao Jia. If you are willing, I would like to personally introduce you to him. Perhaps one day you will be able to rise to the highest position in the court."

Upon hearing Zhao Jia's name, Cao Ze smiled helplessly.

Come on, this kid is such a jinx, he's just a spoiled brat.

Following him would mean facing the triple pressure from the three members of the Zhao trio who brought about the downfall of Zhao—Queen Guo Kai and King Zhao.

Let alone him, even if you tied Li Mu, Lian Po, and Pang Nuan together, they still couldn't defeat him.

I'm just here to refresh my resume, why risk my life with these people?

"Your Highness, I came here tonight only to admire the Snow Maiden's dance. Your Highness's sudden visit has truly made me feel uneasy."

Ya Fei realized she was too hasty and felt a little annoyed; she had just been thinking of taking it slow.

"I have been presumptuous. Since you have come to Feixue Pavilion tonight for the sake of Xue Nu, how about we just talk about romance?"

Ya Fei appeared poised and composed. "Xue'er, pour tea for the master."

Li Zuoche watched as Xue Nu poured tea for Cao Ze, filled with envy.

Cao Ze took a small sip, and the aroma of the tea filled the air; it was sweet and refreshing.

It must be said, these nobles really knew how to enjoy life.

"Good tea."

Ya Fei smiled faintly, "Sir said he came tonight for Xue'er. I wonder what Sir thinks of Xue'er's dancing skills?"

Without hesitation, Cao Ze quoted a line of poetry he had read before, which was also his feeling when he first saw the Snow Maiden's breathtaking dance in his youth.

"Its form is like a startled swan, graceful as a swimming dragon. It shines like autumn chrysanthemums, flourishes like spring pines. It seems as if light clouds veil the moon, drifting like swirling snow in a flowing wind."

"The Snow Maiden lives up to her name; her dance is breathtaking, like a snow sprite."

Li Zuoche was dumbfounded. Was this guy possessed by Qu Yuan?

Could you mentor my brother? He wants to learn this!

The snow woman blinked her aquamarine eyes, looking at the handsome Cao Ze, and suddenly felt that this guy was really quite amazing.

She didn't understand anything about money, power, or war.

However, as someone who is proficient in music, she easily perceived the beauty and intensity of Cao Ze's words.

It's no exaggeration to say that these were perhaps the most beautiful words she had ever heard.

Ya Fei exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "Graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon. You truly understand the essence of dance, and your writing is also superb."

Cao Ze humbly replied, "It was just something I felt compelled to say."

The Snow Maiden, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Cao Ze, the Snow Maiden wishes to compose a poem based on this. Is that alright?"

Such beautiful words, if not expressed through music and accompanied by song and dance, would be too much for the Snow Woman to bear.

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Please, Miss Xue Nu, go ahead."

Seeing Cao Ze and Xue Nu chatting and laughing, Consort Ya turned her beautiful eyes and said with a light smile, "Sir, you are very talented. How about I add a reward? If you can write a poem for Xue Nu, you can come and go as you please in Consort Xue Pavilion, and you will not be charged a penny for food and drink."

Cao Ze had to admire Ya Fei's methods; seemingly giving him a free meal, she actually wanted him to come more often.

However, it really hit his sweet spot, which is his penchant for getting things for free.

……

"There is a beautiful woman in the north."

Cao Ze started a sentence.

Ya Fei and Xue Nu looked puzzled. Their old, commonplace remarks seemed rather clumsy compared to the elegant and profound speech they had just delivered.

Could it be that this gentleman's words just now were something he had already prepared?

Li Zuoche's eyes lit up. It's that simple. He could do it too!

"Peerless and independent".

Ya Fei relaxed her brows. This sentence suited Xue Nu's temperament perfectly and was quite fitting for the occasion. As long as Cao Ze didn't mess things up later, she would still give him a lucky draw.

The Snow Woman was slightly disappointed.

After listening to such beautiful words, this one, while still okay, just feels a bit bland.

Li Zuoche had already begun to mentally draft and imitate the original text.

There is a beautiful woman in Handan. She is graceful and elegant.

Yes, very good. He is just as talented as Brother Cao.

"One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation."

Ya Fei's face darkened. Xue Nu was her most prized student. She had never married and never thought of getting married. She had long regarded Xue Nu as her daughter and sister.

Hearing Cao Ze's words about being stunningly beautiful, how could she not be angry?

How could the Snow Maiden be like Bao Si or Daji!

Not only could she not give him the prize, she also had to send a letter to reprimand Li Mu for his poor judgment in recommending just anyone.

Snow Maiden frowned slightly. To be told that she was so beautiful and charming would be hard for her to bear, given her temperament.