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

Cao Ze snapped out of his daze and blinked: "That's great."

Yan Lingji chuckled and stood up.

She is tall with long legs, and wearing long boots, she has a unique charm when she dances.

The setting sun had not yet faded, and the crimson light shone on Yan Lingji's fiery red breastplate, as if a ruby ​​had been embedded in it, as if it had given life to the breastplate and skirt. Flames seemed to flow on Yan Lingji's jade-like body.

Cao Ze slowly hummed the tune of this era.

The "Airs of the States" in the Book of Songs mostly deal with matters of love between men and women, and are bold and open about them.

Yan Lingji twirled and danced gracefully, following the tune Cao Ze hummed. Sometimes she would point her toes, her long legs like open jade fans, straight up and raised above her head, displaying her shapely, slender, and smooth legs to Cao Ze without reservation.

The sun sets, and twilight descends.

Yan Lingji danced gracefully, standing elegantly on the river stone.

Her long, slender legs resembled two pure white jade pillars, and even in the dim light, her snow-white skin still dazzled the eye.

Cao Ze embraced Yan Lingji's supple and fragrant waist, and whispered in her ear with a smile, "My lady, it's night. Would you like to play a song with your husband?"

Yan Lingji's earlobes were slightly pointed, white and tender, soft and smooth like river pebbles, without a single ear hole. She looked like a beautiful young woman from the Central Plains who had not yet married. Cao Ze wanted to bite her, but he couldn't bear to hurt her.

Yan Lingji felt itchy from Cao Ze's blowing, and although the tips of her ears were still white and tender, they were already very hot.

Of course she knew what Cao Ze wanted to do.

I feel a mix of regret and excitement.

She still doesn't understand why she blurted out those words on the mountain today.

Was it because she saw Jing Ni give birth to Xiao Yan'er, and saw Cao Ze's respect and affection for Jing Ni?

As Yan Lingji pondered, before she knew it, Cao Ze had stripped her clothes off completely.

After she came to her senses, she instinctively crossed her arms and looked at Cao Ze, who was still chuckling. She said somewhat awkwardly, "I think, I think it's not good to do these things on the river at night. How about we go back to the city?"

Cao Ze teased, "Backing down? Who was it that just said 'I'm not afraid of you'?"

Yan Lingji, naked, lay half-reclined in Cao Ze's arms, looking slightly embarrassed. "You can say whatever you want, but you can't push your luck!"

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "If you don't take an inch and push your luck, then you've got nothing at all."

Yan Lingji didn't understand immediately. After she figured it out, she was completely at a disadvantage. She was like a peeled egg or a lamb to the slaughter, completely at Cao Ze's mercy.

With her delicate eyebrows and red lips, Yan Lingji possessed an unparalleled beauty.

Her jet-black hair was slightly disheveled, held up by six fiery red hairpins, and her eyebrows were delicate and beautiful.

The woman was stunningly beautiful, a rare beauty, which stirred Cao Ze's heart.

After fishing for mermaids for months, I can finally stir-fry and cook them today.

After overcoming her initial panic and restraint, Yan Lingji's beauty became even more radiant, and her smile exuded charm.

Her beautiful eyes sparkled with spring, and she said with a smile, "You got off easy this time, falling for your trick."

As the moon gradually brightened, its light spilled across the earth, making the river and Yan Lingji's graceful body appear as if draped in a layer of silver gauze, hazy and indistinct.

Cao Ze gently caressed Yan Lingji's exquisite figure.

Yan Lingji's hidden silhouette appeared and disappeared, and the boundless spring-like charm revealed in her shadowy figure was enough to make any man linger.

Cao Ze gently patted Yan Lingji's bottom as a slight punishment, and said jokingly, "What do you mean by falling for my trick? You were the one playing with fire."

Yan Lingji nestled in Cao Ze's arms, laughing heartily. Her laughter, like silver bells, lingered in the bright moonlight and gentle breeze.

She sang softly, "The cypress boat floats on the current..."

Cao Ze was somewhat surprised that Yan Lingji could sing poetry.

Yan Lingji didn't notice the surprise in Cao Ze's eyes and continued singing a cappella, reciting the poems that Li Wu occasionally taught her to sing, immersing herself in the music.

The song drifted on the river breeze, soft and melodious, so enchanting that it made the strings of musical instruments break and the moonlight lose its luster.

Suddenly, Yan Lingji turned her head and looked into Cao Ze's eyes. Before Cao Ze could kiss Yan Lingji's soft and beautiful lips, Yan Lingji parted her lips slightly and uttered a melodious song, each word seemingly filled with tenderness and passion.

She sang softly, her voice clear and bright, as if sighing: "My lords, seek me now! The plums have fallen, three in number. My lords, seek me now! The plums have fallen, fill your baskets. My lords, seek me now..."

Her charming, soft, and melodious voice carried an indescribable tenderness.

In a daze, Cao Ze seemed to see a young girl expressing her longing and expectation for love through plum blossoms.

Perhaps this is the charm of poetry that has been passed down for more than two thousand years. With just a simple melody and a simple metaphor, one can feel the fleeting nature of time and the sincere emotions of pursuing love and marriage.

Yan Lingji sat on Cao Ze's lap, looking at Cao Ze's dazed and absent-minded face, and smiled slyly. Her delicate red lips, as beautiful as a flower, pressed against Cao Ze's lips.

Cao Ze was pulled back to reality by the soft lips, and could no longer suppress his impulse, so he pushed Yan Lingji down onto the river stone.

Yan Lingji chuckled, her beautiful eyes half-closed, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, as proud and smug as a cat that had just stolen some fish.

"Kiss me..."

Under the moonlight, on the river, two figures intertwined, a scene as beautiful as a painting.

A gentle breeze and a bright moon; the trees rustle in the wind; a melodious song is sung in all directions.

……

In the early morning, Cao Ze woke up from his dream, and a strand of jet-black hair fell around his neck.

Yan Lingji was fast asleep on his chest, the soft morning light shining on her face like a blooming begonia.

Cao Ze couldn't resist kissing Yan Lingji's cheek. The sleeping Yan Lingji let out a soft moan, barely opening her sleepy, beautiful eyes, and said angrily, "What do you want to do?!"

Cao Ze couldn't resist turning over and hugging Yan Lingji, stirring up trouble once again.

Yan Lingji paled and resisted repeatedly, but finally collapsed onto the river stone.

……

A tavern on the street in Xinzheng.

The storyteller struck the stage with his gavel, igniting the first commotion of the morning.

"Today, I shall recount a horrific event that spread like wildfire yesterday—the Qin envoy is dead!"

The news of the Qin envoy being killed in Han quickly spread throughout Xinzheng and could not be covered up.

Han Fei sat in the main hall of Zilan Pavilion with a worried expression.

Everything was getting better. Once the Bai family, to which the Marquis belonged, was eliminated, the Nightfall would no longer be a threat.

But at that very moment, the Qin envoy who had come to Han was killed by Tianze.

The planned assassination of the Marquis over the next two days was forced to be postponed.

Cao Ze walked in with a radiant face. Seeing Han Fei's bitter expression, he casually asked, "Brother... Brother Han, why are you making this gesture?"

Han Fei sighed, "The Qin envoy was killed, and my father ordered us to arrest Tianze. Now the warrant for his arrest has been issued. It will be difficult to surround and kill the Marquis at this critical juncture."

He didn't even need to think that in another day, the Qin state would receive news of the Qin envoy's violent death.

There is a high probability that they will send another envoy to South Korea to extort and exploit the country.

There's a low probability they'll directly deploy troops to the border and wipe out South Korea at the slightest provocation.

In this way, the plan to send Zheng Guo and his brother to Qin to dig canals and exhaust Qin's strength back then came to nothing.

Cao Ze said, "Oh, I see."

Wei Zhuang strode into Zi Lan Xuan, his brows furrowed.

"Border intelligence: Wang Yi, the Left Chancellor of Qin, led his heavy armored troops to Pingyang yesterday, intending to garrison troops in Wusui."

Han Fei was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly got up and took out a map from the compartment.

"Wusui... is here."

Han Fei pointed to the location of Wusui and said, "Wusui is located at the junction of Dongjun, Sanchuanjun and Shangdangjun in Qin. The Pingyang Heavy Armor Army is the elite of Qin's elite forces, and can be said to be one of the four elite Qin armies besides the Lantian Army. At such a time, the Qin must have something to do with it by mobilizing it so easily."

Wei Zhuang, who was always full of confidence, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Since Wang Yi conquered Shangdang, the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army he led has been stationed in the Taiyuan area.

Why would they go to Wusui to stay on the very day the envoy died?

Cao Ze voiced Wei Zhuang's question, saying, "The Qin envoy died just yesterday, and Qin mobilized its troops yesterday. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

Han Fei said solemnly, "It is indeed a coincidence. Wusui is only a hundred miles away from the border of Han. It can deploy troops on the border of Han in less than a day. With the three counties as logistics, it is enough to make Qin fight a protracted war."

Wei Zhuang clenched his well-defined knuckles into a fist, and Han Fei's meaning was self-evident.

The Qin state either intended to use its large army to press on the border in order to extract more benefits from the Han state.

Or perhaps the Qin state already knew that the Qin envoy would die in Han, and thus implemented the so-called "righteous war theory," giving it a legitimate reason to wage war against Han.

If it is the latter, regardless of whether Tianze kills the Qin envoy or not, the Qin envoy is doomed to die.

Wei Zhuang shared his insights.

Cao Ze then said, "The King of Qin is about to come of age. At this time, Qin does not have the intention to go east and sweep across the six states. Qin's stockpiling of troops in Wusui is probably to prepare for a future eastward expansion. Putting pressure on Han is just a side effect."

This situation is similar to nuclear blackmail in later times, or what is called aircraft carrier patrols at sea.

They either give in and pay up, or they get a warning; they have very few options.

Han Fei sat cross-legged in front of the table, one hand supporting his face and the other tapping the table repeatedly.

"In that case, the death of the Qin envoy is not something that needs to be addressed urgently..."

Having said that, Han Fei sat up straight, braced himself on the table with both hands, and suddenly stood up.

"We must act swiftly and decisively, and deal with the Marquis first!"

He originally planned to use Cao Ze's help to investigate the Tide Demoness, first eliminate the spies in the palace, then destroy the Marquis, and gradually take action.

And now...

If things continue as they are, and Qin extorts Han, Han will inevitably weaken again, while the Marquis and the old nobles she represents will be unharmed. If the Marquis, who is prepared, takes the opportunity to launch an attack, Han will be thrown into turmoil.

Wei Zhuang glanced at them coldly: "That would be best."

Han Fei looked at Cao Ze: "Brother Cao, I'd like to ask you to contact Tian Ze and meet him outside Xueyi Fort tomorrow night at midnight."

Cao Ze asked, puzzled, "Why should I go?"

Han Fei said earnestly, "Tianze isn't stupid; he knows that Han is currently trying to capture him. Only Brother Cao could possibly get Tianze to come out and help us surround and kill the Marquis."