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

Given his arrogance, if he were in Guo Kai's situation, he would rather follow Qu Yuan's example and drown himself to preserve his last shred of dignity.

"Okay, you can go back."

Li Si turned and left.

Guo Kai stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes dark and brooding, and gave a cold smile.

Young people are just young people. Do they really think he got his position as prime minister for nothing? Do they really think he only got it because of Zhao Yan?

You're using me, but haven't I been using you too, Lord Li Si...

……

Ever since Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao ruined Lü Buwei's "a word worth a thousand pieces of gold" sign in the west of the city, the place where the "Lüshi Chunqiu" was displayed in the west of the city has become both lively and deserted.

It was quiet because few people stopped to browse, but lively because there were quite a few people there, and the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

The fact that Master Zheng, a dignified grandmaster, fainted from the heat is enough to be listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Kingdom.

Faced with this situation, annoyed Lü Buwei ordered all the books and scrolls on display to be taken back to the Prime Minister's residence.

This has left Xianyang without a place to make people happy.

Old Master Zheng once again braced himself and entered Lü Buwei's study.

"Prime Minister Lü, Cheng Jiao is here again, insisting on seeing you."

This is the fifth day already, and he hates Cheng Jiao so much that his teeth ache.

Every time Chengjiao arrives, he brings up the matter of "a word worth a thousand pieces of gold," publicly making veiled accusations and exposing his shortcomings.

Lü Buwei said coldly, "You've ruined my plans and now you want me to pay for them? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Even so, he still stood up.

In terms of status, Cheng Jiao was no different from him.

Now that he is in the eye of the storm, he doesn't want anyone to find fault with his etiquette, giving insidious villains like Changping Jun the opportunity to kick him when he's down.

Dealing with a mere Cheng Jiao was a piece of cake for him. Sooner or later, Cheng Jiao would find out that coming to his door every day demanding money would only bring him humiliation.

He had a way of not giving Cheng Jiao money while leaving Cheng Jiao speechless and unassailable by the world.

Cheng Jiao leisurely sipped his tea, then noticed Lü Buwei approaching. He slammed his teacup on the table and exclaimed, "As the saying goes, debts must be repaid; it's only right and proper. Your Excellency, you followed the example of Shang Yang, who moved a log to establish trust, but now you've broken your promise. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?!"

As Lü Buwei stepped over the threshold, he heard Cheng Jiao shouting and cursing, unaware that the curses were directed at him.

He smiled calmly and said, "I wondered who was being so rude; it turns out to be Lord Chang'an."

Cheng Jiao chuckled, "Your Excellency, etiquette is for those who observe it, not for those who do not."

"I don't need to say more about the purpose of my visit today, do I? Your Excellency, give me a straight answer on when the money will be delivered to my residence, so that I can speak well of you in front of the world."

Lu Buwei paced back and forth in the hall. “Lord Chang’an, as I have already said, the money is not that we will not give it, but that we will give it slowly and deliberately, and in a planned manner. More than 70,000 gold coins, Lord Chang’an should know that this is not a small amount. Even I would need some time to raise it.”

Cheng Jiao sneered, "Everyone says that the Prime Minister is richer than a country, worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Why do a mere tens of thousands of gold coins take time to come to me? Prime Minister, stop making excuses, or don't blame me for being impolite."

These were all things he and Brother Cao had discussed; if it were the old him, he probably would have just made a fool of himself.

Lü Buwei's expression also turned cold. "Is Lord Chang'an threatening me?"

Under pressure from Lü Buwei, Cheng Jiao said, "I am only speaking the truth. If the Prime Minister does not want to save face, I will give up the gold coins to help the Prime Minister save face!"

Lu Buwei hadn't expected Cheng Jiao to be so aggressive today. He laughed angrily, "Very well, very well! For so many years, no one has dared to speak to me like this. Today, I'll see how Lord Chang'an will help me save face!"

In the Qin state, Lü Buwei was the most powerful person.

If you anger him, he will kill even the most powerful princes, let alone those who held real power and even threatened Ying Yiren's succession to the throne.

Cheng Jiao feigned fierceness but was actually cowardly, and stormed off.

"Lu Buwei, I will return."

Lü Buwei dismissed Cheng Jiao's barking as mere chatter, and said, "Goodbye and don't bother seeing me off!"

Old Master Zheng had been holding back, but Cheng Jiao's disrespectful words to Prime Minister Lü were even more infuriating than being verbally abused.

"Prime Minister Lü, Cheng Jiao needs to be eliminated as soon as possible, otherwise he may cause great trouble in the future!"

Lu Buwei asked calmly, "What's the situation with Lord Changping and the Meng and Wang families lately?"

Old Zheng cupped his hands and said, "As always, they must be sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight."

"Watching tigers fight..." Lü Buwei said disdainfully, "Cheng Jiao is just a listless, sick cat, what kind of tiger is he?"

"Don't mind him. If he comes again, just kick him out."

"Tell Li Si and Guo Kai that my patience is limited. If I still see Cheng Jiao and Cao Ze causing trouble in front of me before the young King of Qin assumes full power, don't blame me for replacing them with a new group!"

Old Master Zheng sensed the impatience and murderous intent in Lü Buwei's tone and respectfully agreed.

Cheng Jiao left the Prime Minister's residence, and after many twists and turns, arrived at a quiet tavern.

"Hey, Brother Cao, you have no idea what Lu Buwei's face looked like just now. Haha, I'm sure Lu Buwei will be even 'happier' in a few days."

Cao Ze clinked glasses with Cheng Jiao and said with a smile, "Just wait until tomorrow in court to announce that you will donate this deed to the national treasury free of charge, and then hand over the rest to the king and those with different intentions."

Cheng Jiao sighed, "If Brother Cao were to enter officialdom, he would surely gain a place in the court very quickly."

"How about I discuss it with Brother Wang and try to find Brother Cao an official position first?"

Cao Ze toyed with his wine glass and smiled faintly: "No rush, no rush."

At this moment, Lü Buwei's influence in the court is at its peak. For him to easily enter the court would be tantamount to inviting humiliation.

Because Ying Zheng did not assume personal rule, Lü Buwei had plenty of reasons and ways to manipulate the court.

He suddenly realized that the reason why King Jian of Changping and others kept a low profile and remained silent was that they were waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Ying Zheng to take over the reins of government.

After all, for people like them to advance further, they either need to form a faction with Lü Buwei or remove Lü Buwei from their lives.

Cao Ze discussed these ideas with Cheng Jiao.

Cheng Jiao pondered and said, "My brother once mentioned to me that Lord Changping often comes to visit Empress Dowager Huayang and also meets with my brother to talk about everyday matters. Now that I think about it, Lord Changping is expressing his closeness to my brother."

Cao Ze sighed silently. Ying Zheng had not told him about this matter, nor had he even told Cheng Jiao.

As expected of Ying Zheng, he possesses all the necessary shrewdness, breadth of mind, and meticulous attention to detail. He already has the mindset of an emperor, though still somewhat immature. It remains to be seen what kind of person he will become in the future.

Cao Ze left the tavern and said goodbye to Cheng Jiao.

Today is the day he and Yanfei agreed to meet, commonly known as a date.

Coincidentally, Tian Mi, the honey pot, also invited him to visit the farmhouse in Xianyang.

After a brief hesitation, he stood Tian Mi up and walked briskly to Luosheng Hall.

Renew yourself every day; if you can renew yourself one day, then renew yourself again.

The cleaning and renewal of the honey pots can be done in no time.

……

Chapter 385 This is a bit perverted, huh?

The Qin state revered black and dark colors, and preferred to settle in the north.

The Yin-Yang school emphasizes the creation of Yin and Yang, advocating for embracing Yang while facing the mountains and backing onto them.

Therefore, the location of Luoshengtang was specially chosen at the junction of the east and west sides of Xianyang, facing south.

This was Cao Ze's first visit to the Luosheng Hall of the Yin-Yang School.

As far as he knew, Luosheng Hall was both the name of the headquarters of the Yin-Yang School and the name of its forbidden area.

The hall is staffed with five elders and two protectors, all of whom are renowned masters in the martial arts world.

"Please trouble this young man to convey a message to Dongjun Yanfei, saying that Cao Ze wants to see her."

Upon hearing this, a disciple dressed in the robes of the Yin-Yang School gave Cao Ze a strange look.

"So you're Cao Ze."

Cao Ze asked doubtfully, "That's right, it is indeed me, Cao."

The disciple glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, quickly said, "How dare you come here?"

Cao Ze's heart skipped a beat. "Is there a problem?"

Yanfei only told him to meet at the Yin Yang School, and didn't say anything else.

The disciple said with a wry smile, "The hall is almost in chaos because of you."

Cao Ze tentatively asked, "Is it because of Yan Fei and the Moon Goddess?"

"Hey, who said no... Uh, I don't know, you should go now."

This disciple was kind-hearted, disliked fighting and conflict, so he was assigned to guard the gate.

Cao Ze smacked his lips. These past few days he had been busy figuring out how to trick Lü Buwei, dealing with the Empress Dowager, and investigating the whereabouts of Lao Ai. He knew nothing about the Yin Yang School.

What are you all whispering about here?

A young man wearing wooden clogs and a wide-sleeved cloud robe passed by and saw Cao Ze and his disciples talking furtively, so he went up to inquire.

"Ah, disciple Lingfei greets Elder Yunzhongjun."

Xu Fu… Cao Ze recognized him at a glance. Compared to the middle-aged man in the original work, the current Xu Fu looked young and handsome, like a pretty boy, with the air of a gigolo.

Unexpectedly, he has now become the Minister of Jin of the Yin-Yang School. It is likely because Yun Zhongjun was killed by Wei Gongzi Mou of the Yang Zhu School back then, and thus he took over the position.

Of course, that wasn't his main focus when he paid attention to Xu Fu; his main focus was on the guy's extraordinary alchemy skills.

The True Person Pill that Consort Yan gave him was refined by this person, allowing him to save many months of arduous cultivation and enter the first-class realm.

Above the True Person Pill, there is also the Gathering Immortal Pill.

According to Yan Fei, this elixir combines internal and external effects, enabling one to transcend the mundane world.

In short, it is expected to help people break through to the half-step Grandmaster level, and even half-step Grandmasters have a considerable chance of breaking through to the Grandmaster level after taking it.

Unfortunately, this elixir is no longer available to the Yin-Yang school.

The previous Gathering Immortal Pill was bestowed upon Xiangjun Shun by Donghuang Taiyi.

I wonder if this guy has broken through to the Grandmaster level yet.