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

Cao Ze looked around and said, "Let's find a place to have a good talk."

He's quite curious now about why Zi Nu came to Xianyang.

Could they be gathering intelligence?

He remembered that at the end of The Legend of Qin, his brother-in-law Han Fei and Wei Zhuang discussed sending the Quicksand gang to Xianyang to develop their business, which meant gathering intelligence.

If that's the case, then Zi Nu's appearance in Xianyang is quite reasonable.

……

A bustling crowd moved through the streets and alleys of Xianyang.

Although Xianyang was not as prosperous as Handan, it was still a very lively city.

The streets were lined with all kinds of shops, and taverns and teahouses of all sizes were scattered everywhere, crowded with the people of Xianyang and merchants from afar.

The weather in June was quite hot, and the two of them didn't want to travel, so they casually found a relatively quiet and elegant teahouse.

Cao Ze sat on the second floor and ordered a pot of morning tea made from this year's harvest.

Because of the summer heat, he asked for an ice chest and had the servant put it into the green tea.

A simple pot of iced green tea is ready.

However, it was quite expensive, costing a full gold coin. The ice chests used in the summer were not cheap and could only be afforded by nobles and wealthy people.

Zi Nu took a sip of her iced green tea, her purple eyes narrowing slightly.

In June, being able to enjoy a cold drink is indeed a pleasant thing.

She couldn't help but think of the delicious ice cream that Ya Fei made herself, which even gave her the idea of ​​cultivating ice-attribute techniques.

Cao Ze had done a lot of work with Zhao Ji and was already thirsty, so he drank a large cup of wine.

"call!"

"Refreshingly cool, my heart soars!"

Cao Ze put down his teacup with a sigh of relief.

It made him yearn for the good life of iced cola and iced Sprite.

Zi Nu stared intently at Cao Ze with her beautiful eyes, and said with a smile, "Since I came to Xianyang, I've heard about you. You really can't stay still anywhere."

Cao Ze's expression turned serious, and he said, "I've always been a low-key person. It's not that I'm unwilling to keep quiet, but that someone is incapable of making me quiet."

Zi Nu said softly, "It must be Lü Buwei."

Cao Ze said, "Who else could it be but him? He's so old, and he doesn't even know how to give way to the younger generation."

Upon hearing Cao Ze's complaint, Zi Nu chuckled and said, "It seems you really need help."

Cao Ze didn't try to hide anything and nodded: "That's right."

He really needs someone like Zi Nu, who specializes in intelligence gathering.

Regardless of the era, intelligence will always rank among the top three most important things for an organization.

This is why Lü Buwei didn't care about the Six Sword Slaves, these assassins, but kept the "Demons and Monsters" intelligence agents firmly under his control.

Simply put, the more you know, the more things you can do.

Just as he knew that Lao Ai could trap Lü Buwei, if Lao Ai hadn't mysteriously disappeared, he could have easily used Lao Ai's scheme to completely ruin Lü Buwei.

Unfortunately, it now seems that this path is no longer viable.

We need to think of another way.

He simply refused to believe that Lü Buwei was so invincible!

Chapter 397 Exchange

Outside the teahouse window, the sky was a clear blue, a warm breeze was blowing, and everything in the world seemed bright and clear.

"Let me help you."

By the window, Zi Nu was chatting as if they were having a casual conversation.

Cao Ze was somewhat surprised by Zi Nu's casualness.

He had recently entered Qin from Xinzheng, and even though Zi Nu didn't say anything, he could sense the disappointment and dissatisfaction in her eyes and tone.

Because Zi Nu is a mature woman who knows how to hide her emotions, it appears that nothing happened.

He asked cautiously, "Did you come to Xianyang alone?"

Zi Nu lowered her head slightly, her eyes filled with gentle waves, and her delicate eyebrows were exquisitely painted.

"What do you think?"

Cao Ze couldn't help but laugh: "I think it's impossible. Is it Brother Wei Zhuang who's here, or Mo Ya and Bai Feng?"

Zi Nu gently tossed a strand of purple hair behind her ear, exuding a charming and alluring aura.

"I don't want to tell you what you said: each serves their own master."

Cao Ze expressed his understanding, and then asked, "How do you plan to help me?"

Zi Nu smiled and said, "Don't you want to ask me why I came to Xianyang, and why I helped you?"

Zi Nu had an excellent voice; her speech was melodious and gentle, which was pleasing to the ear.

Cao Ze said calmly, "It's nothing more than gathering intelligence or letting the quicksand into Xianyang. These things can be discussed, and I don't mind."

Lao Ai's sudden disappearance has had a significant impact on his future plans.

In his view, the state of Han, which borders Qin, is not a concern. What can the quicksand do no matter how much it jumps around?

He is now more inclined to unite all forces that can be united and to bring down Lü Buwei first.

Zi Nu nodded slightly, her purple eyes half-closed, looking at Cao Ze with a mysterious smile.

"I'm glad you said that. As a token of my sincerity, I can help you gather information about Lü Buwei."

Cao Ze sighed with emotion, realizing that everything in the world is a matter of give and take, and that fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

Lao Ai vanished into thin air, but Gongsun Long and Zi Nu came to his aid; his luck was quite good.

"Why don't you come stay at my place? It'll make it easier to communicate."

Cao Ze took the initiative to invite him.

Zi Nu smiled and politely declined, "No, I'm afraid the women in your household wouldn't welcome me. I'll come to you myself, there's no need for this."

Cao Ze pondered for a moment, then said nothing more, only saying, "If you need any help, just come to me."

Xianyang is teeming with spies and secret agents; whatever he wants to do is easily noticed.

Therefore, he desperately needs an intelligence talent like Zi Nu to help him break through the current situation.

Zi Nu didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "I need manpower, preferably people who know about the underground organizations in Xianyang. I'll come to you if I need anything else."

Cao Ze nodded: "Okay. I'll arrange for Li Wu to help you."

Li Wu was previously in charge of intelligence gathering at Luo Wang, but now he is being watched by Luo Wang and it is inconvenient for him to move around in Xianyang. Otherwise, he would not have asked Zi Nu to do this.

In short, he needed trustworthy people who were not under surveillance by the Luowang (a secret police organization) to act as his eyes and ears in Xianyang.

Li Wu… Zi Nu murmured to herself, thinking of the girl in Handan who played the flute. She was quite strong, possessing first-rate skills, and should be stronger than Zi Nu, who had just broken through.

……

Cao Ze and Zi Nu parted ways at the teahouse.

To avoid being detected by the Net, the two agreed to meet secretly at a random location unless the situation was urgent.

Inside the Mo family's inn, Zi Nu, Ya Fei, and others gathered.

"Cao Ze wanted me to help him find out information about Lü Buwei, and I agreed."

Zi Nu said in a calm tone.

Ya Fei smiled gently: "It seems he trusts you a lot."

Wei Zhuang snorted softly. Even though he was slow to notice, he could tell that there was something between Zi Nu and Cao Ze that made him sneer.

Zi Nu didn't take it to heart and said, "He knows I won't harm him, so he naturally trusts me. Besides, we have a common goal."

Gongsun Long stroked his white beard, thinking of the alliance of the three Jin states and the defection of Lü Buwei, and said with emotion, "The world is changing."

Lord Longyang burned incense and drank tea, then put down the cloth in his hand and said, "Lord Xinling wrote to me, asking an old friend to come and help us."

"An old friend?" Consort Ya chuckled. "Lord Xinling had three thousand retainers back then, which was more powerful than Lü Buwei's today. He also had hundreds of old friends. I wonder which one could be entrusted to Lord Xinling?"

Lord Xinling did not specify, but only said that he was a trustworthy person, a very strong person, and a... good person.

After Longyang Jun finished speaking, he shook his head slightly.

"A good person?" Wei Zhuang sneered, remaining silent, but his tone carried a hint of disdain.

In this era, being a good person means being used, exploited, and having a sword pointed at your throat.

Consort Ya didn't take it to heart, but instead said with interest, "To be called a good person by Lord Xinling and to still be alive today, it seems that one's strength is extraordinary."

Zi Nu echoed, "What Consort Ya said is correct."

She had heard Cao Ze say that a person who is recognized as a good person, if he is also capable and rational, can easily gather a group of people who trust him and achieve great things.

She remembered that Cao Ze had told her that trust is a priceless and scarce thing, regardless of the era or social status.

She wholeheartedly agreed.

As for what Cao Ze said later about consensus and morality, she could understand it, but didn't quite grasp it.

……

The night sky was clear and blue, and the moonlight was like water.

A few wisps of light clouds floated under the dim twilight, creating a sense of emptiness and loneliness.

Cao Ze disguised himself, put on black clothes and a robe, and together with Jing Ni, went alone to a dilapidated mansion not far from his own residence.

Li Si's sudden use of the secret code he had specially agreed upon for communication suggests that something important has come of it.

Jing Ni did not appear, and Cao Ze waited alone in the courtyard of the mansion.