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

Unlike Li Wu and Yan Ling Ji, whose cultivation levels were not bad, but whose physical strength was much worse than his, he simply could not withstand working all night.

Perhaps this is the tragedy of not being able to cultivate one's body.

Cao Ze thought so.

When Zhao Gao's younger brother, Zhao Cheng, saw Cao Ze approaching, he stepped forward and greeted him, saying, "Mr. Cao Ze, you look quite well."

Then, he gave a knowing smile: "Having a beauty in your arms makes all the difference."

Cao Ze smiled and said matter-of-factly, "That's right. Not only women need nourishment, but men do too."

Men don't talk much in private; it's basically all about power, money, and sex—three words deeply rooted in human history.

Zhao Cheng gave a thumbs up, "Mr. Cao Ze is truly amazing; every beauty he encounters is exceptional."

He could tell that Jing Ni and the others were all formidable experts, and he admired Cao Ze for managing to handle such a situation.

"Once we get to Xianyang, I'll find you a few beautiful women there so you can taste the flavors of Xianyang."

Cao Ze glanced at Zhao Cheng, and smiled slightly when he heard Zhao Cheng's words of flattery, trying to please him and build a good relationship with him.

"Brother Zhao, let's forget it. I have high standards, and the women I like are all extraordinary. I won't trouble you."

Zhao Cheng said dismissively, "It's alright, there's no woman in Xianyang we can't handle. Brother Cao, just tell me which one you fancy, and I guarantee she'll be delivered to your bed that very night."

If I took a fancy to Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, would you dare to give her to me?

Cao Ze muttered to himself that he felt a bit disgusted by Zhao Cheng's mercenary nature.

Just like the Emerald Tiger and Liu Yi I met in Xinzheng.

There are advantages, though. They call each other "brother" and brag about how awesome they are, acting like they'd give their all for their brothers, as if they'd really go through fire and water for you if you just asked.

But the reality is that once you have nothing to gain, or even if you are unlucky, they will be the first to run away, or even kick you when you're down and cut you in the back.

"Hey, Brother Cao, you're here."

Cheng Jiao walked over, fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan. "This awful weather is unbearably hot."

He was in a good mood when he saw Cao Ze.

If it weren't for Cao Ze, he might be dead in some remote corner right now, or even if he wasn't dead, he would be endlessly hunted down by the Net.

What saddened him most was that even after his death, he was still accused of crimes such as treason and collusion with the enemy.

When he saw Wang Yi's tragic suicide yesterday, he couldn't help but think that if he were to die, he might be sitting at the same table as Bai Qi in the afterlife, without having cleared Wang Yi's name.

The reason none of this happened was because Cao Ze found him in the State of Zhao.

Really...

Cao Ze looked at Cheng Jiao's grateful, yet slightly distorted, gaze and gave a forced smile.

"Lord Chang'an..."

Cheng Jiao's radiant face froze, and he said with displeasure, "What are you calling me, Lord Chang'an! Brother Cao, are you trying to annoy me?"

I just want to keep my distance from you now, so that people won't misunderstand that you and I are the second Longyang Jun... Cao Ze coughed lightly and called out, "Brother Chengjiao."

Cheng Jiao laughed again, "That's more like it. Come on, Brother Wang and Brother Meng are in the main tent, let's go together."

Zhao Cheng secretly envied the relationship between Cao Ze, Lord Chang'an Cheng Jiao, and King Ying Zheng of Qin.

If Lü Buwei were to die of old age or beg for his life, he had no doubt that Cao Ze would rise to power and take Lü Buwei's place.

This was almost a common occurrence in the Seven Kingdoms.

Inside the main tent, Ying Zheng was looking at a map, while Meng Tian was constantly handling various military affairs.

Soldiers were constantly coming and going in the tent, and every now and then soldiers would be brought in bound hand and foot and sent to the military prison for guarding.

After Cao Ze and the others entered, Ying Zheng turned around.

"I plan to leave tomorrow. What do you think, Mr. Cao Ze? Is it too hasty?"

Meng Tian paused slightly, and a drop of ink fell onto the bamboo slip, staining it black.

He seemed to have underestimated Ying Zheng's regard for Cao Ze.

Cao Ze pondered, “Now that the king’s identity has been exposed, there are countless spies in the army. It will not be easy to return to Xianyang safely.”

"Therefore, I suggest that we divide our forces into two groups, using feints to deceive the enemy and vice versa."

"Oh? What kind of method is this, the method of deception?" Ying Zheng asked with great interest as he knelt beside the main table.

It wasn't that he had no solution; rather, he wanted to get a better one from Cao Ze.

Cao Ze smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, Lü Buwei has been in power for many years. Whether in the army, the court, the palace, or among the common people, he has henchmen everywhere. It will be no easy task to uproot Lü Buwei overnight."

"Wusui is over a thousand miles from Xianyang. With such a long distance, if Lü Buwei were to continue his assassination attempt, he would face numerous dangers, with assassins like General Wang Yi and the Luo Wang organization constantly appearing. It would be almost impossible to avoid them."

Although he knew that with Lao Ai's divine assistance, it wouldn't be difficult for him to make advance arrangements and use a series of moves to send Lü Buwei away.

However, the fact that others are unaware of the difficulties does not prevent him from pointing them out, so that his contributions can be highlighted later.

Ying Zheng, Li Si, Gai Nie, Meng Tian, ​​Cheng Jiao, and Zhao Cheng all nodded.

The saying "a tree with deep roots" is not just an empty phrase. Lü Buwei had been deeply rooted in the Qin state for many years, and no one knew what methods he used.

Cao Ze continued, "So, let's take this opportunity to lure out some people with ulterior motives, like Wang Yi, so that we can be more vigilant and take action against them in the future."

Ying Zheng pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you mean by 'real' and 'illusion'?"

Cao Ze said, “I chatted with Brother Zhao Cheng. He is skilled in disguise and his stature is similar to that of the King. Why don’t we let Zhao Cheng be the bait, accompanied by Brother Gai Nie? Brother Meng can send three hundred heavily armored soldiers to accompany him under the pretense of escorting the envoy Li Si, thus creating a false impression and luring the snake out of its hole. The King can then travel with me by a side road, traveling light and with few entourage, secretly heading to Xianyang City.”

Li Si frowned slightly, choosing to remain silent.

Danger and opportunity coexist; this is a principle he has always believed in.

Moreover, he was not Zhao Cheng impersonating King Zheng of Qin, nor was he the target of an assassination attempt, so the danger was not as great as imagined.

Zhao Cheng's expression, however, was much more interesting.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to be grateful to Cao Ze or to hate him.

If this matter succeeds, it will be a great achievement, and the Zhao family will surely enjoy great honor and privilege in the future.

But if he were to lose, he would almost certainly die, and his elder brother Zhao Gao would become a eunuch because of practicing the "Heavenly Sunflower Manual," meaning that the Zhao family would truly be wiped out in his generation.

Ying Zheng grunted in acknowledgment and said, "Zhao Cheng."

Zhao Cheng quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng asked, "Did you understand what Mr. Cao Ze said?"

Zhao Cheng swallowed hard. "Understood, Your Majesty knows what to do."

Cao Ze squinted at the anxious Zhao Cheng.

He secretly wondered if Zhao Cheng was the future Yan Ri.

Putting yourself in Zhao Gao's shoes, after Lü Buwei's downfall, he couldn't possibly give up control of the Luowang organization, but he also couldn't leave the center of power just to become the leader of the Luowang organization.

The best option would be to appoint the person you trust most as the leader of the network.

Zhao Cheng was not weak and was also skilled in disguise, making him the best candidate for Zhao Gao to select the leader of the Luo Wang organization.

Gai Nie frowned slightly.

He was genuinely worried about letting him leave Ying Zheng.

But upon closer examination, if Cao Ze truly harbored intentions detrimental to the king, why would he need to go to such lengths?

Cao Ze fixed his gaze on Zhao Cheng, pondered for a moment, and said, "For the sake of realism, I suggest that the Six Sword Slaves accompany Brother Zhao on his journey."

This would prolong the time Zhao Cheng was exposed and also eliminate the hidden danger of the Six Sword Slaves.

Although Zhao Cheng had no ill intentions, it's always better to be cautious when things come to a head.

Ying Zheng immediately agreed, "Yes, everything will be done as you say, sir."

He didn't have much trust in Liu Jiannu and Zhao Cheng.

The net was ultimately Lü Buwei's net; who knew what the Six Sword Slaves and Zhao Cheng were thinking?

Zhao Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and gave Cao Ze a grateful look.

It wasn't that he was cowardly, but rather that he knew the methods of the Luo Wang organization, and even more so, he knew the methods of Lü Buwei.

It would be very difficult for him and Gai Nie alone to reach Xianyang.

The next morning, Zhao Cheng, disguised as Ying Zheng, along with Gai Nie and Li Si, accompanied by three hundred elite heavily armored soldiers, discreetly headed towards Xianyang, following the route taken from Liyang.

Meanwhile, all sorts of carrier pigeons spread their message far and wide through the woods outside the Wusui camp.

Cao Ze and his group left Wusui under cover of night, took a detour, and followed the route Ying Zheng took to enter Han via Hangu and Yique, entering Xianyang from Hangu.

The main theme is a mix of reality and illusion, making things unexpected.

……

Chapter 367 Zhao Ji

At night, a crescent moon hangs in the sky.

The dense forest in the mountains swayed gently in the night breeze, making a sound like the ebb and flow of the tide.

Cao Ze and his entourage traveled light and simply, and their speed was 30% faster than that of Li Si and his group.

In just three days, they crossed the Hangu Pass via the mountain road and arrived outside Wucheng County, less than two hundred li from Xianyang.

Traveling day and night, it can be reached in a single day.

Meanwhile, in Xianyang, at the Prime Minister's residence.

Lü Buwei was deep in thought as he looked at a secret intelligence report.

The intelligence report stated that after Han Fei ascended to the throne, he informed the six states that King Jia of Zhao and King Zeng of Wei had jointly sent envoys to Han to observe the ceremony, seemingly to secretly discuss the restoration of friendly relations between the three states of Jin.

"Is this intelligence report accurate?"

Lü Buwei couldn't help but ask Old Man Zheng a question.

Old Man Zheng was in charge of intelligence for the Luo Wang network, and he had extremely high requirements for the accuracy of the intelligence. He rarely needed to confirm with Old Man Zheng again.

"Prime Minister Lü, it's true. This intelligence was leaked by a spy from the Wei Kingdom at the risk of being exposed."