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

Han Fei, holding the gold coin, said with a flourish, "Brother Cao's teachings in Handan are vast and numerous, many of which I, your senior brother, have never heard of."

Li Si said calmly, "I once compiled the 'Lüshi Chunqiu' under Lü Xiang's tutelage. Coincidentally, all the knowledge I learned from Mr. Cao Ze's lectures was collected and recorded in the 'Lüshi Chunqiu' by me. It is normal that you are busy in Xinzheng and do not know Mr. Cao Ze's 'Probability Theory'."

Han Fei had a toothache and wished he could run over and grab his brother-in-law right now to ask him, "What exactly did you say in Handan?"

"Could you please explain the reason, junior brother?"

Li Si calmly said, "Based on the game rules you explained, and applying Mr. Cao Ze's probability theory, I conclude that as long as you deliberately play fewer 'positive' numbers to mislead me, you will definitely win. My probability of winning is less than three-eighths."

Han Fei said dejectedly, "Isn't there still a chance of winning?"

Li Si shook his head slightly: "If it were anyone else, Junior Brother would not easily admit defeat. Junior Brother and Senior Brother have shared a room and slept side by side for more than three years. Senior Brother knows Junior Brother as well as Junior Brother knows Senior Brother. Therefore, the probability of Junior Brother winning is almost zero."

Han Fei sighed helplessly, "You're amazing."

Li Si smiled broadly, quite pleased with himself: "It's truly rare to have my senior brother admit it personally. Senior brother, please have some tea."

Han Fei raised his hand and said, "Don't rush to drink the tea. Since Junior Brother has seen through the game, then Senior Brother will speak frankly."

Li Si's smile remained unchanged. "Senior brother, please speak. Junior brother is eager to hear the details."

Han Fei smiled and said, "Junior brother has Brother Cao's 'Probability Theory,' which is perfect. Senior brother also has Brother Cao's help."

"Oh? What kind of help is it?" Li Si wondered, but his expression remained calm and composed.

Han Fei slowly said, "Before you enter Xinzheng, I, your senior brother, ask Brother Cao to capture Tianze."

Li Si's hand trembled suddenly, his pupils contracted as he looked at Han Fei, then he hurriedly looked at Cao Ze, who was still talking to Zi Nu.

"What my senior brother is trying to say is..."

Han Fei wore a broad smile, which Li Si found extremely irritating.

“That’s right. Tianze is currently in the secret dungeon of the royal palace. Would you like to come with me, junior brother, to see the murderer who killed the Qin envoy?”

The thought flashed through Li Si's mind: "Could it be that my senior brother is bluffing me, or that Tianze has someone impersonating him?"

But he immediately denied it.

According to intelligence reports, Tianze's strength is at least first-rate. How could such a master be impersonated so easily?

Thinking of this, Li Si's hands trembled uncontrollably.

Recalling the scenes in the imperial court, he realized that his senior brother was setting a trap for him!

Li Si's heart skipped a beat.

No wonder his senior wanted to play games with him first; he wanted to tell him that the outcome of a game is already determined before it even begins.

The so-called ten-day limit and five-day boundary are merely game rules and tactics to lure him into the game.

My senior is really...

Li Si remained silent, meeting Han Fei's gaze at him directly. "Since you've already captured Tianze, why do you still..."

Han Fei interrupted Li Si, "My senior brother has already made it clear that he came here for no other reason than to cooperate. Do you know what the game we just played was called?"

Li Si's hands stopped trembling. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"Please enlighten me, senior brother."

Li Si's attitude became respectful because Cao Ze's assistance to his senior brother was too strong, and his senior brother had lured him into a trap, leaving him with little choice.

Only at this moment did he truly understand why his senior brother had said that his strengths and weaknesses were both real.

He certainly wouldn't act rashly, just to spite someone, and flip the chessboard over, smashing it on his senior's head.

"This game is called 'Victory Without Victory,' and I believe you, junior brother, will understand its meaning."

Li Si seemed to have a sudden realization, "Victory without victory... a name with profound meaning."

Han Fei slowly stood up and paced around, saying, "The rules of the game seem to be clearly disadvantageous to our side, while the other side is gaining a huge advantage."

"But in reality, it's quite the opposite; danger lurks in the shadows."

"The key to reversing the balance of power lies in exploiting the opponent's greed."

Li Si sighed slightly: "The path to officialdom is difficult, and the political situation is constantly changing, which indeed reflects the unpredictability of this game."

He was indeed greedy, and for a bright future, he made a bet with Han Fei in the Korean court.

He said, "Senior brother's words have a specific meaning. Please teach Li Si."

Han Fei smiled calmly and said, "Let's continue discussing this game of winning without winning."

"The victory without a win is achieved by playing the right card, which may seem like a great return, but ultimately leads to defeat. Playing the wrong card may seem like a small return, but ultimately leads to victory."

Li Si gripped the gold coins tightly in his hand. "Life is not like a game. If you lose, you don't get a second chance."

He also stood up, looked behind his senior brother Han Fei, and said in a deep voice, "Choosing the side with the greater chance of winning may not result in victory, but it may ensure that you don't lose."

Han Fei turned to Li Si and smiled, "Junior brother, do you still remember a saying of Confucius that your teacher once spoke of?"

"A high position inevitably leads to danger; a heavy responsibility inevitably leads to ruin; excessive favor inevitably leads to disgrace. One may appear to be in a high position, but in reality, one is bound to be in danger; victory or defeat may have already been predetermined."

Li Si's breathing quickened slightly as he realized what his senior brother meant.

Zi Nu looked at Cao Ze with some confusion, "What does this mean?"

Cao Ze yawned. He wanted to go back to sleep with Xiao Hongyu and Cai Die, to be inseparable, and didn't really want to listen to these two's riddles.

"The meaning is very simple: Lü Buwei is no good, he's too old and outdated, and he's doomed. I advise Li Si to find a powerful backer soon and not put all his eggs in one basket."

Zi Nu understood immediately.

Wei Zhuang, with his sharp ears and keen eyesight, heard Cao Ze's words clearly and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

Li Si vaguely heard Cao Ze mention Lü Buwei, and his heart became even more unsettled.

"Junior brother is willing to hear the details, please do not hesitate to enlighten me, senior brother."

Han Fei continued pacing, and unintentionally saw Cao Ze, who was engrossed in the gentle embrace of Zi Nu, causing his originally composed steps to falter slightly.

"I've heard that Prime Minister Lü Buwei holds a high position of power in the Qin state, and although King Ying Zheng of Qin is in power, he has not yet come of age, so all matters, big and small, are handled by Lü Buwei. Moreover, he still calls Lü Buwei 'Uncle.' The current situation in the Qin state is that the Prime Minister has great power while the monarch's power is weak. Don't you think this is very similar to this game, Junior Brother?"

A draft passed through the room, causing the candlelight to flicker and dim, creating a sense of stillness in the room.

Li Si remained silent; how could he not understand what his senior brother was saying?

After a long while, Li Si exhaled a breath of stale air.

"The King of Qin holds a high position, so how could Li Si possibly get close to him? Rather than wasting time, he should seize what he can seize."

Han Fei knew that his junior brother had relented because he wanted to give him, as the senior brother, a way out.

"Junior brother, do you still remember Lord Chang'an, Chengjiao?"

Li Si was slightly taken aback: "Cheng Jiao? Not dead... huh?"

He suddenly remembered that Cheng Jiao had only disappeared in the State of Zhao, and it had not been confirmed that he was dead.

Could it be...

Li Si looked at Han Fei with surprise and doubt. His senior brother was so brave? He even dared to keep Cheng Jiao alive.

Wei Zhuang looked up out the window. When he learned that Cheng Jiao was in Xinzheng, he was just as stunned by Han Fei as Li Si.

Han Fei coughed lightly and said, "Junior brother understands."

Zi Nu exclaimed in shock, "Chang'an Jun Cheng Jiao... is in Xinzheng?"

Cao Ze snuggled into Zi Nu's arms and said with a grin, "What's so surprising? Come to think of it, I was the one who brought Cheng Jiao here."

If Ying Zheng doesn't leave home, he will have no choice but to choose Cheng Jiao as a backup.

They joined Cheng Jiao in infiltrating the Korean delegation sent to Qin and sneaked into the Qin Palace in Xianyang.

Zi Nu couldn't help but ask, "Did you catch Cheng Jiao?"

Li Si and Wei Zhuang both looked at Cao Ze.

Han Fei stood there awkwardly, thinking, "Good heavens, they really don't give me any face."

Cao Ze corrected, "It wasn't arrest, it was invitation. Cheng Jiao volunteered."

Li Si hesitated for a moment, then finally smiled wryly and said, "Senior brother is brilliant, junior brother admires you."

He had no choice; his senior had arranged an even better path for him, so he had no reason to refuse.

Han Feilang smiled and said, "In that case, three days later, Senior Brother will hand Tianze over to Junior Brother for disposal."

“A victory without a victory…” Li Si murmured, “What a magnificent victory without a victory.”

Five days, neither too early nor too late, is the day when the fighting will cease, but also the day when victory will be lost.

Dark clouds in the night sky obscured the bright moon, and shadows enveloped the earth.

Han Fei did not return to the palace, but secretly took Wei Zhuang back to Zilan Pavilion, and brought Zhang Liang along, and they drank together.

Zhang Liang drank a cup of wine and said, "Brother, why do you trust Li Si so much? If Li Si breaks his promise, wouldn't it be like trying to fill a basket with water?"

Han Fei blushed and laughed, "My junior brother is indeed untrustworthy. He is a smart man and a pragmatist. That's why I linked him with Cheng Jiao. As long as Cheng Jiao and Lü Buwei are alive, he will weigh the pros and cons of turning against them."

Zhang Liang suddenly realized, "No wonder my brother said that Li Si's weakness is reality."

Han Fei said with a sigh, “The Doctrine of the Mean is easy to know but difficult to practice. Even I find it hard to do. I still remember that my teacher once reminded my junior brother to follow the rules of the Mean. Unfortunately, my junior brother did not pay attention to it. Or perhaps he knew it, but he is the kind of person who has his own ideas and is difficult to change because of the words of others. Even Confucius could not change his mind.”

Instead of boasting with Han Fei, Wei Zhuang, and Zhang Liang, Cao Ze was in the next room having a quiet conversation and drinking with Zi Nu, waiting for the dark clouds to dissipate and the bright moon to hang high in the sky.

……

The State of Qin, Xianyang.

Inside Ganquan Palace, Zhao Gao was whispering with a young man.

"Brother Cheng, how's your cultivation going lately?"

Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "Although I haven't broken through to the next level, my strength has increased considerably, and I have now reached the peak of the first-class level."

Zhao Gao nodded slightly: "Very good."

"However, we cannot slack off. If you can break through to the half-step Grandmaster realm, I will arrange for you to enter the Luo Net."

Zhao Cheng asked with a soft "Eh?", "That scoundrel Lü Buwei has given in?"

Zhao Gao smiled and said, "That's right. Yan Ri is dead, Jing Ni has fled, Xuan Jian is injured, and Lü Buwei has come to me asking me to send the Six Sword Slaves under my control to Xinzheng to assassinate Cao Ze and settle things with Jing Ni. The condition is that we can intervene in the Luo Wang."

Zhao Cheng was slightly puzzled: "Xinzheng in Han State is not Handan in Zhao State. If you want to assassinate Cao Ze and settle accounts with Jing Ni, you can just send a large number of assassins. Why do you need to use your brother's hand?"