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

With an innocent and somewhat naive expression, Xiao Hongyu asked, "What skill does the master possess that's like a donkey's?"

Cai Die chuckled, flicked Hong Yu's nose in Cao Ze's arms, and winked, "What do you think?"

Hongyu's little face was flushed, and her eyes were bright. "So that's how it is..."

She wasn't an innocent girl who didn't understand matters between men and women; she understood immediately after being given a hint by Cai Die.

Xiao Hongyu couldn't help but raise her head, looking at Cao Ze with her beautiful, bright eyes, and said excitedly, "Sir, let's go to sleep then."

Cao Ze gently pinched Xiao Hongyu's nose and laughed, "How can you sleep without taking off your clothes?"

Cai Die got up from Cao Ze's arms with a grin and reached out to tear off Xiao Hongyu's clothes.

Xiao Hongyu instinctively leaned back to avoid Cai Die's delicate hand. When she realized what Cai Die was trying to do, she angrily said, "I can do it myself!"

The butterfly chuckled, its long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly.

Xiao Hongyu pouted and stood up from Cao Ze's arms.

First, she took off her pale yellow and light willow-colored short jacket, then took off her skirt, leaving only a bodice hanging on her body.

She stood gracefully in front of Cao Ze, no more than a foot away.

Her smooth, delicate body resembled a jade statue, fair and delicate, with exquisite curves and incredibly tender, fair skin. Her slender legs, though not as round and long as Zi Nu's, were still fair and beautiful.

Cao Ze couldn't help but hug Xiao Hongyu; her soft, slender waist was irresistible to him.

Xiao Hongyu nestled obediently against Cao Ze's chest, looking at Cai Die who was still standing there in a daze with a hint of pride, and said in a sweet and coquettish voice, "Cai Die, I'm going to sleep with Mr. Cao first, you can wait a while."

Cai Die just smiled, her rosy lips moving slightly without making a sound. But as Cai Die's best friend of many years, Xiao Hongyu still read Cai Die's lips and knew that she was laughing and cursing her as a little bitch.

Xiao Hongyu wasn't annoyed at all, and even lingered with Cao Ze more happily, able to get Cai Die to scold her and to be one step ahead of Cai Die.

She happily raised her hand and said, "Sir, I want to eat donkey meat sandwiches!"

Xiao Hongyu's clear and melodious voice startled Cai Die and Cao Ze.

Cao Ze realized what was happening.

He pressed on Xiao Hongyu's delicate and lovely shoulders and chuckled softly, "Alright, you can eat first."

Xiao Hongyu looked at Cai Die with a charming gaze, a hint of provocation in her eyes.

The butterfly felt a little itchy.

This Hongyu is getting worse and worse; she even knows how to bully her now.

"Wait! I'm coming too!"

……

As the night wind blew through Xinzheng, a white figure moved swiftly through the dark alleys of the city.

Soon after, he arrived at a secluded, dilapidated courtyard and quietly entered the house.

A dashing young man dressed in a silver-white robe glanced at the flickering oil lamp, and without looking up, asked, "Are there many people from the Luo Wang organization in Xinzheng?"

Gai Nie stood beside Ying Zheng and said, "As Young Master Shang predicted, there are indeed quite a few people from the Luo Wang organization in Xinzheng City, and they seem to be searching for something."

Ying Zheng sat upright and looked at Gai Nie, saying, "Do you think that we are being followed by the Luo Wang?"

“Now we can be certain.” Gai Nie hesitated and said, “Young Master Shang, in my opinion, we should leave Xinzheng first.”

They entered the city under cover of night, and as soon as they settled in Xinzheng, they discovered traces of a net.

Out of caution, they left the inn and found an abandoned courtyard to stay in temporarily.

Ying Zheng suddenly laughed, "Leave what?"

Gai Nie was slightly taken aback. He didn't believe that Ying Zheng, with his knowledge, wouldn't be able to see the danger involved.

"Young Master Shang is thinking..."

Based on Ying Zheng's words and actions along the way, he realized what Ying Zheng wanted to do.

Ying Zheng's smile faded, his eyes growing cold. "Right now, I only wish to see those who should and shouldn't be here. So that I can make up my mind."

Although Lü Buwei was unwilling to relinquish power, which caused him some dissatisfaction, Lü Buwei ultimately had considerable affection for him and his father.

But if Lü Buwei harbored rebellious intentions, then he would have nothing more to worry about.

Back then, Duke Huan of Qi proposed "honoring the king and repelling the barbarians," meaning that internal stability must be achieved before honoring the king, and only then can external threats be resisted.

If he wants to accomplish the great cause of his predecessors, he must first secure the internal situation before resisting external aggression.

Lu Buwei, who harbored rebellious intentions, was his biggest obstacle.

Gai Nie remained silent.

It was no secret in the Qin court that Luo Wang belonged to Lü Buwei.

If the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) had not been there to protect Ying Zheng, but to assassinate him, everything would have been different. The Qin court, which had only recently calmed down, would have been plunged into a vortex of infighting once again.

Ying Zheng sipped his tea slowly. "Any news about Cao Ze and Han Fei?"

Gai Nie pulled himself together and said, "Mr. Cao Ze has been residing in Zi Lan Xuan for a long time. As for news of Ninth Prince Han Fei..."

Ying Zheng paused slightly in his teacup, looking at Gai Nie who seemed hesitant, and asked, "What's wrong with Han Fei?"

Gai Nie exhaled a breath of stale air and said, "The people in Xinzheng City seem to be very reluctant to talk about Ninth Prince Han Fei."

"What do you mean?"

Gai Nie clasped his hands and said, "Time was limited, and I did not have time to ascertain the truth. Please forgive me, Young Master Shang."

Ying Zheng waved his hand and said, "Enough. You've already done this much since you just entered Xinzheng. You are worthy of the name Guigu."

He put down his teacup, stood up, and paced around the room for a while.

"Where is your junior brother? He should know Han Fei's whereabouts, right? I'd also like to meet this disciple of Guigu."

Gai Nie wore a bitter smile. Knowing his junior brother well, he was well aware that his junior brother would not serve Ying Zheng.

“I have left a hidden presence in the city. As long as my junior brother sees it, he can find me.”

Ying Zheng stood before the dilapidated window, gazing up at the bright moon that illuminated the earth. He sighed deeply, "The world is full of hardships, and people's hearts are filled with wickedness. Finding a good talent is difficult enough, but to find someone with the talent to govern the country like Cao Ze and Han Fei is even more difficult..."

He shook his head, a hint of sadness and melancholy in his eyes.

Gai Nie solemnly said, "Young Master Shang, Mr. Cao Ze once said, 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' As long as you focus your mind and keep your will unchanged, there is nothing you cannot accomplish."

"Concentrate your mind on one point..." Ying Zheng murmured to himself, "You can take away the commander of an army, but you cannot take away the will of a common man."

He said, "In the Battle of Changping, Lian Po held firm and did not come out. My grandfather sent someone to sow discord between King Zhao and Lian Po. King Zhao fell for the trap and sent Zhao Kuo to replace Lian Po, which led to a great defeat."

"From this perspective, the commander of an army can be captured."

"However, Goujian endured hardship and humiliation, and eventually restored his country and avenged his defeat. This shows that his will remained unchanged. Even King Fuchai of Wu could not overcome the ambition of a commoner."

Gai Nie expressed his deep agreement, nodding repeatedly.

"I am tired, let me rest."

Ying Zheng looked slightly tired.

Since entering Korean territory, Gai Nie realized he was being followed. He was exhausted from the journey, changed direction, and hadn't had much rest.

"it is good."

Gai Nie had practiced martial arts for many years, and his physique was far superior to Ying Zheng's. He showed no signs of fatigue and was full of energy as he kept watch alone at night.

Inside the Han King's palace, Han Fei and Wei Zhuang were having a secret talk.

"How is the search going inside the palace?"

Wei Zhuang said calmly, "We've found out a portion of it, and as you requested, we've sent it out of the palace."

Han Fei breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's common for these palace maids and eunuchs to act as spies. Xinzheng has just suffered bloodshed, so we should avoid further bloodshed if possible. Stability is the top priority."

Wei Zhuang remained noncommittal. In his opinion, it would be difficult to eradicate the chaos without thoroughly massacring the royal palace.

"Many of the Imperial Guards in the palace are people secretly placed by Ji Wuye. What do you plan to do about it?"

Han Fei pondered for a moment and said, "The border between Qin and Han is tense right now, and Ji Wuye is still useful. We don't need to worry about him for now. Let's investigate him secretly first and deal with him when the time comes."

For him, the most important thing now is to put aside the matter of the Qin envoy's murder in Qin and have time to deal with trivial matters.

As long as Ji Wuye doesn't take the initiative to rebel, he will proceed slowly and methodically.

His family business in South Korea was too small, so he dared not make any reckless moves.

Wei Zhuang grunted in agreement and said, "I have already sent a trusted person with the token you gave me to secretly meet with the King of Zhao."

Han Fei's expression brightened, and he said with a smile, "King Jia of Zhao has the will to resist Qin, and he will definitely provide us with some assistance in secret."

"Now we are just waiting for Prince Dan of Yan to take the throne after the New Year. At that time, the four families of Yan, Zhao, Han and Wei will form an alliance. For at least ten years, Qin will not be able to act as recklessly as before."

Wei Zhuang nodded slightly. He was quite surprised when he learned from Han Fei that Han Fei had taken advantage of his trip to Zhao to attend a ceremony to facilitate a secret alliance between Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei.

He only had this idea after Han Fei ascended the throne, but unexpectedly Han Fei had already done it quietly.

After careful consideration, he realized that since King Jia of Zhao ascended the throne, Prince Dan of Yan had been trying to emulate him, and with the cooperation of Lord Xinling and Lord Longyang, the landscape of the seven kingdoms had been changed quietly.

"After the alliance next year, who will be the leader of the alliance?"

Han Fei smiled helplessly, "Besides myself, the King of Han, who else could it be?"

Of the four countries, South Korea is the weakest, and it is highly likely that it will fall into a position where it has to put in a lot of effort for little reward.

Wei Zhuang also knew in his heart that "this might not be a bad opportunity for South Korea."

Han Fei agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "That's right. Han is located at the gateway to Qin's eastward expansion. If Han is a long-standing state in the alliance, it is natural that I need to coordinate it. This is what is meant by having a legitimate reason for war."

Wei Zhuang said, "These are not important matters. Once the alliance is established, we must first use swift and decisive measures to destroy the State of Qi and eliminate any concerns about the consequences, so as to prevent the State of Qin from resorting to the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones again."

Han Fei's expression turned serious. "This is the strategy to destroy Qin."

Wei Zhuang's eyes flashed coldly, "If Qin is not destroyed, what is the point of the alliance?"

He not only wanted to beat his senior, but to win completely and thoroughly, so that his senior would be convinced of his superiority.

Han Fei's expression relaxed, and he smiled, "It's too early to talk about that now. Have you found out the purpose of those secret agents from the Luowang organization in the city?"

Wei Zhuang said, "Tang Qi, with the help of the Seven Absolutes Hall, paid the price of several lives to find some clues. Those Luo Wang spies are looking for someone who seems to be very important to Luo Wang."

Han Fei couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that they're looking for Cao Ze?"

He knew that Cao Ze had been hunted down by the Luo Wang organization.