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

Hearing the noise, the Marquis, lying on the ground, looked at Cao Ze with disdain: "Is this the only despicable trick a petty thief can think of?"

Cao Ze looked down at the beautiful yet aloof Marquis and chuckled, "You don't need to provoke me into killing you. If all else fails, I'll cripple you and throw you into the Purple Orchid Pavilion to entertain guests."

The Marquis didn't know what Zilan Pavilion did, but she could guess that it was similar to a brothel.

"I would rather die than submit!"

After saying this, the Marquis closed her eyes, seemingly unaffected by lying naked on the ground.

Cao Ze looked at the beautiful snake at his feet and felt a little troubled. Was this woman really not afraid of death at all?

If you can't persuade him, are you going to force him to submit through sex?

It seems not impossible, but given the Marquis's temperament, she would probably cut it off immediately...

Cao Ze felt a chill run down his spine and abandoned the tempting idea, knowing it would only anger the Marquis and bring him no benefit.

Are we really going to kill them to prevent future trouble...?

He wasn't exactly chivalrous, but it would be a shame to easily kill a master at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, whom he had finally captured.

He glanced at Madam Mingzhu, who looked uneasy, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

It turns out that Madam Mingzhu is also afraid. Compared to her aunt, Madam Mingzhu is only outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

On the surface, she appears elegant, noble, and composed, seemingly free-spirited yet alluring and unapproachable. However, her inner self is fragile. Facing someone who holds her destiny in their hands, her demeanor could easily be described as groveling and subservient.

That makes sense. With such a domineering and selfish aunt, how could she possibly be as she appears on the surface?

He coughed lightly and said, "Madam, what do you think I should do with you?"

The tear in Madam Mingzhu's eye twitched slightly, and she forced a smile, saying, "Sir, we've known each other for a long time..."

"Stop." Cao Ze interrupted Madam Mingzhu's attempt to get closer to her. "I'll be blunt now."

He kicked the naked marquis at his feet, "Stop pretending to be dead."

Madam Mingzhu held her breath, a jumble of thoughts flashing through her mind.

Cao Ze was amused to see that the Marquis remained defiant, her eyes closed, and she seemed ready to be killed at any moment.

"You really think I have no other way to deal with you except by killing you?"

Silence, oh silence...

Cao Ze snorted: "Madam Mingzhu."

Madam Mingzhu tensed up: "I am here."

"You know many of my secrets, now I'm giving you a chance."

Madam Mingzhu knelt down, placed her hands on the ground, and bowed deeply, saying, "May you be blessed, sir. From this day forward, I belong to you and will be at your beck and call."

Seeing how quickly Madam Mingzhu slid to her knees, Cao Ze couldn't help but feel disdain. He had previously thought Madam Mingzhu was very proud, but it turned out she was only slightly better than a prostitute like the Empress.

Although the Marquis was now naked and lying on the ground, she was in a much better position than Lady Mingzhu, who was still clothed.

The Marquis opened her eyes, looked at Mingzhu kneeling on the ground, and sneered: "Spineless."

Madam Mingzhu lowered her head awkwardly, kneeling and not daring to move.

She was afraid of dying; she still had so much wealth and luxury she hadn't enjoyed, and she couldn't bear to die.

Her resentment towards her aunt grew stronger. If her aunt hadn't been so arrogant and disdainful of others, she wouldn't have knelt at the feet of the man she considered a gigolo.

Cao Ze said calmly, "Tide Demoness, if you want to become my person, you'll have to do one thing for me."

Lady Mingzhu's heart pounded, and she said in a seductive voice, "Sir, although I am weak, I am still a lady of the state. Even that good-for-nothing King Han is under my control. Whatever you want to do, just give the order. Even if you want to become the prime minister, I will do my best to help you."

Cao Ze waved his hand and said, "I have no interest in the Prime Minister of Han. If you can help me win over the Marquis, I will accept you. If you cannot help me win over the Marquis..."

He paused for a moment and then said, "Then you two, aunt and niece, can be buried together."

Lady Mingzhu's face paled slightly. After a long struggle of thought, she gritted her teeth and said, "I know how to train slaves. Give me some time, and I will make my aunt recognize you as her master!"

The Marquis snorted coldly, her face showing disdain.

Cao Ze asked suspiciously, "Really?"

It wasn't that he didn't believe Lady Mingzhu knew how to train slaves, but rather that he didn't believe Lady Mingzhu could subdue a fearless marquis.

Madam Mingzhu wasn't sure either, but she could only grit her teeth and say, "Please wait and see, sir!"

"Raise your head."

Lady Mingzhu raised her head, which was resting on the ground, and looked up at the man who would decide her fate.

"I'm giving you this chance." Cao Ze looked at the silent Jing Ni and said, "Keep a close eye on them."

"it is good."

……

Chapter 326 Conquering Lady Mingzhu

Deep night.

Cao Ze left the Han King's Palace and traveled along the official road towards Xueyi Fort.

Under the bright moonlight, the farmland stretches as far as the eye can see on both sides of the road.

It was already April, and the lush green fields were beginning to turn a pale yellow. A night breeze carried the scent of wheat.

But on the mountain at the edge of the farmland, flames soared into the sky.

Ji Wuye went berserk, slaughtering indiscriminately within Snow Robe Fortress to mask his inner fear.

The Marquis has run away.

These six words were so heavy they made it hard for him to breathe.

After Cao Ze returned, Snow Robe Fortress, which could withstand an attack by thousands of people, was breached by a dozen experts. Hundreds of Ice Armor Guards were captured by Ji Wuye's personal troops and beheaded in the firelight.

Ji Wuye stood on the edge of the cliff with a gloomy expression. Baiyue Tianze had disappeared. Han Qiancheng and Canglang King had returned to the city to report to the Fourth Prince. Only Liusha remained.

Han Fei stood with one hand behind his back, gazing at the deep, dark bottom of the cliff, and sighed to himself.

He hadn't expected that the usually arrogant and flamboyant Marquis would leave so suddenly, giving him no time to desperately use his reverse scale.

Cao Ze walked over, and Zi Nu stepped forward and whispered, "The Marquis is no longer on the mountain. What did you find?"

“I tracked a trace of her down the mountain, and judging from where she went, it should be Xinzheng.”

Cao Ze looked at the beautiful Zi Nu, whose face was as delicate as a peony and who was extremely gorgeous, and said nothing.

Zi Nu nodded slightly, her purple eyes filled with worry, "Just as I expected."

The Marquis was not alone; as the head of the Bai family, she had her own power and backup plans.

Even without anything else, a Grandmaster at the peak who has infiltrated the royal city is enough to threaten anyone.

Cao Ze half-embraced Zi Nu's slender waist and gently kissed her charming cheek.

Zi Nu wore no makeup tonight, her natural beauty only enhancing her charm. Her cheeks were delicate and radiant, fair with a rosy glow, like a peony glistening with dew, her beauty beyond compare.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Cao Ze reassured Zi Nu.

Zi Nu gently nudged Cao Ze's chest and whispered, "How can I not worry, especially about you? The Marquis hates betrayers the most, and I fear that once she recovers, she will seek revenge on you first."

Cao Ze paused slightly, "If that's the case, then so be it. Use me as bait to lure her into a trap."

Zi Nu rolled her eyes at Cao Ze. "How many lives do you have to live to get you?"

Ji Wuye sat imposingly on the large rock, and with his sharp hearing, how could he not hear what Zi Nu and Cao Ze were saying?

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Ninth Young Master, what do you suggest we do next?"

Ji Wuye stared intently at Han Fei; now they were in the same boat.

Han Fei looked at the inseparable Zi Nu and Cao Ze and sighed.

Normally, he would have spoiled the mood and made Cao Ze realize that he shouldn't provoke his brother-in-law.

But now we don't have to spoil the mood anymore; if something goes wrong, we'll have to explain ourselves.

"The Marquis is deeply wounded and will need a considerable amount of time to recover..."

Ji Wuye interrupted, "The Marquis will recover in five to ten days at the shortest!"

Han Fei glanced at Ji Wuye sideways. If this old man had fought as desperately as Brother Wei Zhuang from the beginning, the Marquis wouldn't have been able to hold on until now.

“I’m not talking about the Marchioness, but something else.”

Ji Wuye was agitated. "What is it? Speak quickly, stop beating around the bush!"

With a Grandmaster at the peak secretly watching him, he wasn't safe even if he stayed in the mansion, let alone go out.

"Soon, another envoy from Qin will come to Han."

Han Fei said, "Given Qin's domineering nature, it will surely force Han to cede territory and sue for peace. Currently, the only places Qin can covet are Nanyang and Xinzheng. Therefore, Qin will definitely send envoys to demand Nanyang."

Ji Wuye frowned and said, "I just want to know how to deal with this troublesome Marquis!"

If it weren't for the Marquis, he might have cared a bit; Nanyang was at least a treasure trove for him to amass wealth. But now that the Marquis was there, he would rather give up Nanyang than let this big problem of the Marquis get rid of her.

Han Fei paused for a moment and then said, "To deceive the heavens and cross the sea."

Zi Nu frowned in confusion, "Ninth Prince, do you intend to use the power of Qin to eliminate the Marquis?"

Ji Wuye sneered, "To call inviting a wolf into the house a deception is ridiculous. Has the Ninth Prince's brain been blown hot by the mountain wind?"

Cao Ze was somewhat surprised. Could it be that Han Fei was really prepared to use Nanyang as a price just to get rid of the female marquis? This didn't seem like his brother-in-law's style.

Han Fei said in a deep voice, "We do need to rely on the strength of the Qin state, but we are not inviting a wolf into our house."

He continued, "The reason it's called a deception is to buy time. As for why we need to buy time, that's a top royal secret."

Ji Wuye said angrily, "What are you talking about! I just want to know what to do next!"

Han Fei said coldly, "Kill the Qin envoy, frame the Marquis, and then use Nanyang as a token of sincerity to get Qin to send experts to Xinzheng to cooperate with us in killing the Marquis."

Ji Wuye snorted, "This is unnecessary. Just hand Nanyang over to Qin and let Qin assassinate the Marquis."

Cao Ze asked strangely, "Brother Han, are you not planning to give Nanyang to the Qin state?"