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

"It is indeed hot, sir. Why don't you quickly help me take off my clothes again?"

Zhao Ji whispered in Cao Ze's ear, bewitching him to commit a crime against her.

Cao Ze could not possibly misunderstand.

He feigned hesitation, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself, and his image as an honest man returned.

Just as Zhao Ji was furious at his lack of self-control, Cao Ze gritted his teeth, reached out his large hand, and roughly tore open Zhao Ji's inner garment.

Zhao Ji was not angry, but pleased.

Yes, that's it. She thought about it day and night, wanting Cao Ze to treat her so roughly, so that she could rediscover the joy of being a woman.

"Your Majesty... I have offended you..."

……

Outside the Prime Minister's residence, Li Si met with Guo Kai.

"Guo Kai, let's put the operation against Cao Ze on hold for now."

Guo Kai was slightly startled and asked, puzzled, "Why? I've already made Cao Ze lower his guard against me. Once I gain his trust, completing Prime Minister Lü's mission should be a piece of cake, right?"

Li Si looked slightly displeased and said, "The situation has changed."

"Prime Minister Lü is not planning to give us time anymore. Perhaps his tolerance for Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao has reached its limit."

This is what he learned from Old Man Zheng.

Even though Old Man Zheng didn't explicitly say he wanted Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao dead, with his sharp eyes, how could he not see the murderous intent in Old Man Zheng's tone?

After a little thought, it became clear that Lü Buwei wasn't giving them a chance to proceed slowly; he wanted to deal with Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao swiftly and decisively.

He had actually anticipated this when he learned that Cheng Jiao and Cao Ze had conspired to scheme against Lü Buwei, causing Lü Buwei to lose nearly 100,000 gold coins for nothing.

There's no other reason than that I've offended too many people too severely, and there's no room for maneuver.

Guo Kai was somewhat unwilling, as his chance to turn his life around depended entirely on this opportunity.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "How does Prime Minister Lü plan to deal with Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao?"

"Whether these two die, it will cause a great uproar and attract the attention of the whole world. If things go wrong, it may even affect Prime Minister Lü himself."

Li Si sneered, "Is this something you need to worry about?"

"How to deal with Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao and still give an explanation to the world? It's nothing more than using some tricks to kill someone with a borrowed knife."

Guo Kai's eyes darkened. Just as he had expected, this young man, Li Si, was not one to be content with his lot.

"So, what does Lord Li Si intend to do?"

Li Si said calmly, "We will do whatever Prime Minister Lü tells us to do; the rest is none of our business."

He wouldn't let Lü Buwei kill Cao Ze, as that would deprive him of the opportunity to use the pretext of killing Cao Ze to investigate evidence detrimental to Lü Buwei.

He never intended to kill Cao Ze.

After weighing the pros and cons, he knew very well that killing Cao Ze would undoubtedly make the King of Qin despise him and cause him to lose the opportunity to become prime minister.

He merely wanted to outmaneuver Cao Ze and use Cao Ze as a stepping stone to his ascension to the position of prime minister.

Guo Kai respectfully replied, "Understood."

He knew that Li Si would not give up so easily and would definitely take action.

If it were him, he would definitely try to tell Cao Ze to make Lü Buwei's plan fail, so that he could continue to be valued and get the credit for killing Cao Ze for himself.

I wonder what this young man will choose; will he choose to leak the secret?

Guo Kai's lips curled slightly, somewhat anticipating Li Si's choice.

Whether he can find a weakness in Li Si, and whether he has the opportunity to become the mantis unaware of the oriole and replace Li Si, depends on Li Si's choice.

He wanted to return to Zhao and reclaim everything that belonged to him, and he could only rely on Qin and Lü Buwei, the most powerful man in Qin.

After parting ways with Guo Kai, Li Si walked on the streets of Xianyang.

He now has two choices: either tell Cao Ze or don't tell Cao Ze.

If Cao Ze were unfortunately killed by assassins sent by Lü Buwei, it would have nothing to do with him, and the King of Qin would not blame him.

but!

Li Si suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Cao Ze cannot die.

We must not die at this time.

The more he understood Lü Buwei, the more he realized how terrifying Lü Buwei was.

The Lü Buwei he faced was ten or even a hundred times stronger than the Korean Nightfall his senior brother faced.

Lü Buwei's rise to become the most powerful person in Qin was not as simple as it appears on the surface.

To bring down Lü Buwei, the evidence he had gathered against him was too weak; he needed allies to help him remove Lü Buwei from the position of prime minister.

Cao Ze was undoubtedly his most ideal ally.

Li Si gazed leisurely at the bustling street, lost in thought.

Senior brother, if you were in the junior brother's position, what would you choose?

He suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh. His senior brother had already made his choice, but he was still asking himself the same question.

Although facing Lü Buwei was extremely stressful, the rewards after success would be many times greater. Reaching the highest position in the court might be difficult, but standing in the imperial court was as easy as turning one's hand.

……

Inside Ganquan Palace, Zhao Ji was completely captivated.

Her rosy, soft cheeks pressed tightly against Cao Ze's chest, her breath hot.

She didn't know how many times she had died and come back to life in that short hour, but she knew that the man beside her now was the most regretless choice she had ever made in her life.

Cao Ze's large hand stroked Zhao Ji's beautiful hair.

The alluring and beautiful Empress Dowager, arguably the most revered woman in the seven kingdoms, nestled in his arms like a little bird; the satisfaction she felt was beyond the comprehension of outsiders.

Zhao Ji suddenly raised her head slightly, gazing at Cao Ze with tender eyes, her brows and eyes filled with spring.

"Sir, from now on you belong to me, do you understand?"

Goodness, is this how they declare sovereignty?

Looking at Zhao Ji, whose skin was as white as snow and whose face as beautiful as a flower, Cao Ze had no intention of being a truly honest person and saying any nonsense or unromantic things.

"Your Majesty, I have always been your man. As long as Your Majesty does not forget me and keeps me in your heart, I will be satisfied."

"It is a pity that I cannot stay with the Empress Dowager forever, it is a pity that I cannot appear in public with the Empress Dowager. Your Majesty... alas!"

When it comes to acting skills, Cao Ze, who has spent some time in various countries, may not be as good as a cunning old fox like Lü Buwei, but making Zhao Ji believe him is a piece of cake for him.

Zhao Ji remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

"It's truly a pity..."

Looking at Cao Ze's gloomy expression, she felt inexplicably resentful.

She gritted her teeth and said, "What does it matter whether I see him or not? If you are heartbroken, I will do you a favor for your child."

Cao Ze was stunned, completely taken aback by Zhao Ji's words.

What did he hear?

Is Zheng Ge's mother going to have his child?

Damn it!

Did we go too far?

Chapter 396 A Chilling Feeling, A Soaring Spirit

If we were to discuss any famous historical anecdotes about Ganquan Palace, it would be difficult to avoid mentioning the rebellion of Empress Dowager Xuan who lured and killed the King of Yiqu and the Lao Ai Rebellion.

If we're talking about what these two stories have in common, we have to mention that both of these powerful empress dowagers coincidentally had a memorable affair and fathered a child.

What's even more amazing is...

The Queen Dowager Xuan had an affair with the King of Yiqu and had a child, which ultimately led to the King's assassination. This allowed the Qin state to conquer the besieged Yiqu state almost effortlessly, giving Qin a geographical advantage in its quest for hegemony.

Zhao Ji's affair with Lao Ai and the birth of their child emboldened Lao Ai, leading him to launch a rebellion. This gave Ying Zheng the opportunity to quell Lao Ai's rebellion, quickly forcing Lü Buwei to resign as prime minister and seizing power, thus accelerating Qin's unification of the seven states.

If one were to write a paper titled "On the Necessity of Women's Adultery," Cao Ze believes that these two events would be perfectly acceptable to include.

You could also add Wu Zetian's rise to power, and title it "Why Extramarital Affairs Are Legal," which would surely be quite sensational.

Inside the room, there was a lacquered canopy bed with openwork patterns carved on the frame, and bright red bedding lying on the floor.

Cao Ze lay on the bed, one hand embracing the warm and soft beauty in his arms, the most noble Queen Dowager of Qin.

Looking at Zhao Ji's guilty and hopeful eyes, his mind went blank for a moment before starting to work frantically.

Zhao Ji held her breath as hard as she could, not daring to breathe too deeply. She looked at Cao Ze quietly, feeling a mix of regret and impulsiveness, but somehow, she also felt a certain longing.

The incense burning on the red altar rose gently, and the lotus chandelier, with its red candles, shone brightly, filling the entire room with its lingering fragrance.

For a moment, the inner room fell silent.

Only the occasional sound of the summer breeze could be heard, as if time had stood still.

Cao Ze really wanted to refuse.

Zhao Ji's idea of ​​having his child was truly insane and absurd.

Is it something that even King Yiqu and King Zhuanlun couldn't handle, that he could do?

But he knew even better that if he refused Zhao Ji at this critical juncture, things might go awry and become something he couldn't control at all.

Cao Ze thought and thought, but couldn't come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides. The only option now was to try to stall for time.

He suddenly felt a pang of anxiety; it seemed like just now…

They didn't even have time to regret not taking necessary precautions when they started playing.

I could only silently remind myself that I must never leave any traces when conducting internal data transmissions in the future.