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

Cao Ze said bluntly, "So you know how to behave now?"

"Okay, okay," Hu Meiren replied hastily, carefully protecting her fragile relationship with Cao Ze, almost bowing and scraping like a lapdog.

"It's good that you know how to be honest. I told you to be honest, but you just wouldn't listen."

Cao Ze sat down and tapped the tea table. "Why haven't you served tea yet!"

As the brother-in-law, if not now, when?

Hu Meiren bit her lip lightly. This is too much! This is really too much! No matter what, she is a beauty of the country. How can she lose her dignity and serve tea to Cao Ze!

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment."

Hu Meiren felt deflated when she thought of Madam Mingzhu not far away.

Cao Ze stretched and said lazily, "Prepare some more food."

He arrived at the palace early in the morning, without having eaten yet. He still had to continue to berate his sister-in-law, so he needed to eat and drink well first.

"Row!"

This character was practically carved out from between Hu Meiren's teeth.

If she weren't isolated and helpless, with no one in the court capable of standing up to the Nightfall, she would have already reprimanded Cao Ze and ordered him to be thrown out.

Cao Ze didn't care what Hu Meiren was feeling; he was in a good mood, humming a little tune as he leisurely admired the objects on the table.

This object is a bamboo root carved with a taotie pattern and a handle with movable rings.

The teapot has a long neck, bulging belly, ring foot, arched round lid, flame-shaped knob, phoenix-head spout on one side, and cloud-shaped handle on the other.

The body of the pot is decorated with string patterns around the edges, and the belly is carved with a band of taotie patterns in relief. The shoulder is fitted with a movable chain handle, the center of which is carved into the shape of a kui dragon.

What would be considered a national-level cultural relic in later generations was merely an ordinary decoration in the Han King's Palace.

Cao Ze chuckled. Following his brother-in-law had its advantages; in just a few months, his appraisal skills had improved several levels.

I wonder how many treasures my brother-in-law has collected.

If it's no worse than the Azure Coral Bottle, then it must be kept and cannot be sold.

While Cao Ze was making his plans, Han Fei, who had just woken up from a nap at noon in Zi Lan Xuan, sneezed loudly.

Wei Zhuang entered through the window and tossed a large money bag onto the table.

"Here is a thousand gold pieces."

Han Fei blew his nose and asked in great surprise, "Brother Wei Zhuang, where did this money come from?"

"I promised Tang Qi that I would help him take over the Poison Scorpion Sect's territory and integrate the underground gangs in Xinzheng. This is my reward and my monthly salary for the next month."

Han Fei said with emotion, "I knew it, Brother Wei Zhuang is benevolent and righteous."

Unlike Zhang Liang, whose private savings totaled less than a hundred gold coins, this was a great disgrace!

Wei Zhuang said coldly, "If you lose the bet..."

Han Fei glanced cautiously at the Shark Tooth Sword, which was polished to a gleaming shine; his own image was clearly visible on it.

He said confidently, "Don't worry, Brother Wei Zhuang, I've staked on my treasured collection of so many years, I'm absolutely confident I can beat Brother Cao!"

With Wei Zhuang's donation of three thousand gold coins, plus his own collection worth two or three thousand gold coins, it would be enough to help his father host a respectable state banquet in two or three months. With such a huge advantage, he couldn't imagine how he could lose.

"That's for the best!"

Han Fei understood Wei Zhuang's feelings. If he had been beaten to a pulp by Cao Ze during a martial arts competition, he would have... accepted it too.

But someone as proud as Brother Wei Zhuang would certainly not swallow this insult.

They didn't say it outright, but they could easily gather the three thousand gold coins and give them away whenever they wanted.

Brother Cao, you really did a great job!

Han Fei strongly agreed with Cao Ze's decision to beat Wei Zhuang into a pulp; otherwise, Wei Zhuang wouldn't have given him all his savings and all the money he could to guarantee a win.

It seems Brother Cao really came through...

Cao Ze was unaware that his brother-in-law was praising him.

He is currently putting pressure on his brother-in-law's nominal stepmother.

"This tea is a bit bitter, let's have another cup."

"it is good."

"The pastries aren't good, take them away."

"Row……"

"Why does my neck feel so sore? Why don't you rub it for me?"

"Cao Ze!" Hu Meiren was furious. How could anyone bully someone like this?

"Your Majesty, please keep your voice down, my ears are ringing!"

Hu Meiren took a deep breath to calm her agitated emotions.

But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, so he gritted his teeth and said, "My sister willingly became your concubine, but you just stood by and watched her sister being trapped in danger without helping her! Are you even a man?!"

Cao Ze snorted, "Asking someone for a favor is like swallowing a needle. Your Highness, please show some courtesy."

He paused for a moment, then chuckled slyly, "As for whether I'm a man or not, you can ask your sister, she'll tell you whether I am or not."

Hu Meiren was so angry that her pretty face turned red, her chest heaving, and she simply sat down.

"Cao Ze, are you pleased with yourself for toying with me like this?!"

"Yes...no." Cao Ze saw the murderous intent in Hu Meiren's seductive eyes and knew he couldn't bully his sister-in-law anymore.

If she were to complain to her sister, Madam Hu would be in his arms again, her eyes brimming with tears, soaking him.

Hu Meiren took a breath and asked, "How do you plan to help me?"

She knew that Cao Ze was bullying her as revenge for her previous aloofness and coldness towards him.

Therefore, in order to appease Cao Ze, she reluctantly humbled herself.

But she knew she couldn't let Cao Ze keep pushing his luck, otherwise she would be constantly controlled and exploited by him.

"Didn't I say before that if you follow me to the end, I'll guarantee you and your sister live to be a hundred years old?"

Hu Meiren's bright phoenix eyes shimmered, and her chestnut hair swayed gently. "Tell me the truth, what is your relationship with Ji Wuye?"

"Well...we're in a superior-subordinate relationship now. He just mentioned me as the Nightfall Killer not long ago."

Cao Ze's casual tone made Hu Meiren clearly realize that some things were not as simple as she thought.

"...Explain it more clearly."

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "Can I tell you? Do you dare to listen?"

Hu Meiren stared directly into Cao Ze's eyes, her heart suddenly pounding. She gritted her teeth and said, "If you dare to say it, I dare to listen! Even if I die, I want to die knowing why."

Cao Ze suddenly changed his opinion of Hu Meiren. He had thought she was just a beautiful woman with some tricks and scheming, but he didn't expect her to have some courage as well.

"Knowing what's going to happen next, you'll need to make a choice."

"you say!"

"Hehe, then listen carefully."

Cao Ze sipped his fragrant tea and said slowly, "Madam Mingzhu is the Tide Demoness of the Night, and also the cousin of the current Blood-Clad Marquis Bai Yifei. They both come from the Bai family."

"Cousin?" Hu Meiren was somewhat surprised, but not too astonished. "You described it as something terrifying, and this is it?"

Hu Meiren glanced at Cao Ze with some disdain, labeling him as a show-off.

Cao Ze smiled faintly: "If that's all there is to it, of course it's not scary. As long as you are willing to endure humiliation and not confront Lady Mingzhu, you will at least be safe as long as the Han royal family exists."

"What do you mean?" Hu Meiren frowned, vaguely understanding what Cao Ze wanted to say, but also finding it somewhat absurd.

Cao Ze placed his hand on Hu Meiren's fair, luminous shoulder, his tone heavy yet tinged with schadenfreude.

"The Bai family harbors rebellious intentions and is currently planning to replace the Han family."

Upon hearing this, Hu Meiren raised her delicate hand, which was about to strike Cao Ze for his misbehavior, but it froze in mid-air. Cao Ze then grasped it and let it fall. Her alluring peach blossom eyes were filled with shock and uncontrollable fear.

"If the Bai family succeeds, the entire Han royal palace may not be completely wiped out, but as a beauty of the country... tsk tsk, Your Majesty, you can only pray for your own good fortune."

Cao Ze, without a care in the world, was scaring Hu Meiren.

Hu Meiren swayed slightly, almost falling over. She grabbed Cao Ze's arm and said anxiously, "No, we need to stop the Bai family!"

She is currently in the palace. If the Han royal family is destroyed, it would be better if she died directly, but the worst thing would be to suffer a fate worse than death. Not to mention that she still has her sister. Once she is no longer there to protect her, those ill-intentioned nobles in Xinzheng City will definitely be eager to make trouble and cause chaos.

Cao Ze brushed away Hu Meiren's small hand and chuckled, "Han Wang An and those important officials, who doesn't know that the Bai family harbors rebellious intentions, but who can do anything about them? If you were to step forward voluntarily, what do you think your fate would be?"

Hu Meiren stared intently at the man before her, trying to see through him. Her voice was somewhat hoarse as she said, "Even if you don't consider me, shouldn't you consider your sister?"

“That’s true…” Cao Ze sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the tea table. “Pour me a cup of tea.”

Hu Meiren knelt down and poured tea for Cao Ze without any particular order, handing it to him.

Cao Ze took a sip of his liquor. "The most troublesome person for the Bai family right now is not Bai Yifei, nor Madam Mingzhu, but the female marquis who is hiding behind the scenes and overseeing the whole situation."

"She's not dead yet?" Hu Meiren was shocked again.

“She’s not dead, and she seems to be doing well.” Based on the information he got from Madam Mingzhu, Cao Ze analyzed, “The head of the Bai family, that is, the Marquis, is not only powerful, but also has a great influence among the Korean nobility.”

Hu Meiren nodded in deep agreement. Before Ji Wuye became the Grand General of Han, this Marquis was the strongest female general in Han.

"Therefore, if you want to thwart the Bai family's plan, it's best to cooperate with Ji Wuye."

Cao Ze gave an answer that left Hu Meiren somewhat puzzled.

"Bai Yifei, Madam Mingzhu...aren't they people from Nightfall?"

“Hehe, the Nightfall belongs to Ji Wuye, not Bai Yifei. Besides…” Cao Ze smiled mysteriously, “Ji Wuye doesn’t want the Bai family to rise to power.”

Hu Meiren pondered for a moment, "In that case, no wonder Ji Wuye is so eager to support that useless crown prince and suppress the fourth young master Han Yu."

"Yes. And in my guess, once the Bai family takes action, Ji Wuye will soon join forces with Liu Sha and the Fourth Young Master to eliminate the Bai family. Perhaps someone is waiting for this opportunity."

Hu Meiren initially thought it was already terrifying that Chao Nu Yao was Lady Mingzhu, then she thought the Bai family's rebellion was the most terrifying thing, but now it seems...

She's starting to not want to stay in the Han royal palace anymore; who knows when something might happen?

"So, what are you planning to do, sir?"