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

He gave a cold laugh, one hand behind his back, the other gripping the envoy's staff tightly.

"When the states of the feudal lords made diplomatic relations, they would visit each other annually, and the Yin dynasty would send envoys to each other, and they would pay tribute to each other from time to time."

"Qin followed the Zhou rites and sent envoys to pay tribute. Han, however, failed to fulfill its duty of protection. Is this how Han treated Qin?"

The royal palace fell silent.

Just as Han Fei was about to give his junior brother a warning, Ji Wuye suddenly spoke up: "The remnants of the Baiyue are skilled in sorcery, and we will do everything in our power to capture the criminals."

Han Fei glanced at Ji Wuye with slight surprise, but after a moment's thought, he understood the reason.

The Bai family has been wiped out. The border troops, originally under Bai Yifei's command, are nominally temporarily under the control of Wei Zhuang, but Ji Wuye has been cultivating the army for over a decade and is able to easily win over the hearts of the border troops.

As a Grand General, Ji Wuye nominally had the authority to command all the troops in Han. He would not let this opportunity pass and would expand his power on a large scale.

For this reason, Ji Wuye was probably the one most worried about Qin attacking Han.

Li Si turned to Ji Wuye, snorted coldly, and showed no respect whatsoever to Ji Wuye, the great general of Han.

"Tianze kidnapped the Crown Prince of Han. Han tried its best to rescue him, but the Crown Prince still died in his palace."

"General Ji's words about making every effort to apprehend the criminal sound to this envoy like an excuse for not being able to deal with Tianze."

Ji Wuye clenched his fist instantly, glaring fiercely at Li Si, "You—"

Li Si turned to Han Fei with a flick of his sleeve, ignoring Ji Wuye's incompetent rage.

He took a few steps forward, paused before the steps, looked up at his senior brother sitting high on the throne, and spoke in a flat yet threatening tone.

"If South Korea is unable to capture Tianze on its own, our Qin cavalry is willing to lend a helping hand. Therefore, we are gathering troops at the border and preparing to strike."

All the officials of the Han court, including General Ji Wuye and Chancellor Zhang Kaidi, changed color.

This person speaks sharply and eloquently, but his heart is despicable.

Han Fei, Zhang Liang, and Wei Zhuang, who was resting with his eyes closed, all remained calm and composed.

Li Si's intelligence was outdated, and he was unaware that Tian Ze had been captured by their good brother Cao Ze and was being secretly imprisoned in the dungeon of the Han King's Palace.

Han Fei remained silent, only coughing lightly.

Wei Zhuang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on Li Si in the hall.

Li Si met Wei Zhuang's gaze without fear. He refused to believe that Wei Zhuang would dare to use the Shark Tooth Sword to cut him in the palace.

"What is within Korea's purview should be resolved by Korea. The Qin army has come uninvited and engaged in armed conflict. Their offer of help is a pretense; I fear they are actually trying to turn the tables."

"Now the Chu people are eyeing us covetously, and the Wei and Zhao states are biding their time. If Qin and Han were to go to war, even if Han were to be destroyed, it would still be a painful blow to Qin. I don't think Qin would want to face a situation where the snipe and the clam fight each other."

Wei Zhuang's voice was cold, and his words, though calm, contained a firm conviction that convinced everyone of his words.

Li Si's gaze darkened slightly; the disciples of Guigu were indeed living up to their reputation.

"If Qin remains indifferent after its envoy is assassinated in Han, wouldn't the world think that Qin has no capable people and that everyone can be bullied?!"

"However, if Your Majesty is willing to condescend and personally escort the envoy's remains back to Xianyang for burial as a sign of sincerity, the State of Qin may forgive and forget the past."

Li Si's lips curled slightly, and he tapped the ground lightly with his staff, as if to put pressure on the officials of the Han court.

A smile couldn't help but appear on Han Fei's usually calm face.

His junior brother was as formidable as ever, using words like knives to strike fear into the hearts of those around him.

Unfortunately, he ran into his senior brother, who also happens to have a brother-in-law who does nothing all day. It can only be said that this time, the junior brother's attempt to use Tianze as a starting point was destined to end in a dismal failure.

They still need him, as the senior brother, to guide his dear junior brother.

Ji Wuye took a deep breath, feeling a sense of powerlessness.

This is obviously impossible; even if Han Fei were willing, he would never agree.

Once Han Fei, as the King of Han, enters Qin, the Qin army outside Nanyang will likely advance rapidly the next day and take over Han.

His only son in Nanyang, Ji Yihu, is likely in grave danger.

Unaware of the unfolding events, his brows furrowed in worry.

Unexpectedly, this little-known Qin envoy was no less eloquent than the strategists who were skilled at persuasion.

Zhang Kaidi, well-versed in poetry and literature, pondered for a moment before speaking when faced with this predicament: "As the ancient saying goes, when feudal lords send off each other, they should not leave their borders. It is unreasonable for Your Majesty to send the remains of the Qin envoy to Qin."

Ji Wuye subconsciously agreed, "Yes, it's illogical."

Seemingly realizing that he was inferior to Zhang Kaidi, Ji Wuye quickly came up with a clever idea: "Han and Qin are both feudal lords and rulers of the same country. How can we condescend to escort them and become a laughing stock of the world?"

Li Si glanced at Ji Wuye, then turned to look at Han Fei on the throne. He said with one hand behind his back, "Although we are all feudal lords, there are differences between us."

Ji Wuye gritted his teeth and stared coldly at Li Si's back.

This brat, relying on the support of the Qin state, dares to disregard him to this extent!

Li Si didn't see the coldness in Ji Wuye's eyes; too many people behind him wanted him dead.

He continued calmly, "The magpie has a nest, but the dove occupies it. Although Han is the ruler of the state, he obtained it by uniting with the three families of Zhao and Wei to divide Jin."

"The King of Qin was a hereditary king bestowed by the Zhou emperor, thus he was considered legitimate."

"To kill someone is to destroy their spirit..." Zhang Kai shook his head slightly. This kid is sharp-tongued and quick-witted; he'll slap you in the face and expose your weaknesses. If he were ten years younger, he might be able to argue with him, but now he's powerless to do so.

"The course of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Zhou."

Han Fei's clear voice rang out, setting the tone for the conversation.

He slowly rose from the throne, strode forward, and looked down at his junior brother.

"The Jin dynasty declined and perished, and the three kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Zhao stood in a tripartite balance. This was not the will of man, but the way of Heaven."

"Although Lord Li proclaims that the Qin state is the legitimate successor of the Zhou emperor, the Zhou dynasty was destroyed by Qin. Your esteemed Marquis Wenxin, Prime Minister Lü Buwei, personally ended the Zhou dynasty's lineage."

Zhang Kai secretly cheered in his heart.

Standing at the end of the hall, Zhang Liang looked admiringly at his elder brother standing before the throne.

In a mere instant, he used the same tactics against Li Si, seeing through Li Si's sophistry.

"It seems that in the eyes of the Qin state, this legitimacy is something that can be summoned at will and dismissed at will, discarded like worn-out shoes."

Han Fei slowly descended the steps, one hand behind his back, and smiled faintly: "Lord Li, am I right?"

Li Si looked calmly at his senior brother standing in front of him, not surprised that his senior brother had easily resolved his difficult situation.

If his senior brother didn't even have this much skill, he wouldn't have admired him to this day.

He turned to the side and took two steps, seemingly unable to withstand Han Fei's imposing aura.

"If Your Majesty is unwilling to condescend to come to Qin, then there is another way."

Han Fei asked, "What method?"

Li Si turned his head slightly and looked at Han Fei, saying, "Back then, after Duke Huan of Qi helped Yan win the battle, Duke Zhuang of Yan personally saw him off, and they talked happily. Before they knew it, they had entered the border of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi felt deeply impolite, so he ceded the area that Duke Zhuang of Yan had passed through to Yan, which became a famous story of the succession."

Zhang Kai looked down at the ground, realizing Li Si's methods and purpose.

The initial plan was to allow the Qin army to enter Han, and then to send the king to Qin. All of this was a bargaining tactic, with the aim of getting Han to cede territory.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Li Si said loudly, "In that case, why doesn't Han follow the example of the Five Hegemons and promise to cede land to Qin, using the location where the Qin envoy was killed as the boundary? Such integrity will surely win the praise of the world and also quell the calamity of war."

"As expected, they're ceding territory..." Zhang Liang muttered to himself.

Inside the palace, the officials were in an uproar, terrified by Li Si's demands.

The fact that South Korea had ceded territory to Qin countless times had already put them on edge.

Han Fei realized that the real show was about to begin.

He ascended the steps of the throne, stood before it, looked down at Li Si, and said with feigned seriousness, "Let's set aside the matter of ceding land for now."

"Let me ask you, how many days did it take for the Qin envoy to travel from Xianyang to Xinzheng before he was murdered?"

Li Si replied directly, "About ten days."

He wanted to see what his senior brother was up to.

"Alright! If South Korea fails to capture Tianze within ten days, then we will do as you say, sir."

Zhang Kai exclaimed in shock: "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

If they fail to capture Tianze, South Korea will lose these territories no matter how much it doesn't want to.

At that time, South Korea will be reduced to a state like Weiguo, isolated and defending its country.

Ji Wuye's expression was uncertain, unable to figure out what Han Fei meant.

Now that Tianze has escaped from Xinzheng, if he is determined to hide, even if all the troops in Xinzheng are dispatched, it will be difficult to find him in a short time, let alone capture him.

Li Si couldn't help but ask, "Is this really true?"

He had expected a heated debate, but things went surprisingly smoothly.

Han Fei confidently declared, "My word is as good as gold."

Brother Cao, you did a great job! You've been a good brother-in-law for a long time.

Otherwise, he would have to consider whether or not to do it now.

Li Si let out a soft breath and smiled: "Then..."

Han Fei spoke up, "However, since the time limit is set, if the case is solved more than ten days earlier, is it fair to reduce the amount of land ceded accordingly?"

Zhang Liang lowered his head slightly, while Wei Zhuang looked away.

They knew that Han Fei had begun to set a trap for his good junior brother.

Li Si frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

But now that he was on horseback, he couldn't get on or off at will.

“Of course, that’s fair,” Li Si said with a slightly subtle tone.

Han Fei laughed: "It took ten days to travel from Xianyang in Qin to Xinzheng, with five days in Qin and five days in Han. If I capture Tianze in less than five days, shouldn't Qin also give Han corresponding territory?"

The royal palace fell silent once more, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Li Si slightly widened his eyes.

What right does he have to decide that Qin should cede territory? My senior brother is forcing him to give up.

Good senior brother, you actually have such a psychological warfare strategy.