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

In summer, cicadas chirp incessantly, their sharp calls particularly jarring at night.

A moment later, a figure appeared beside the artificial hill, walking towards Cao Ze in a slightly disheveled manner.

Cao Ze looked at Li Si, who was covered in mud, and chuckled, "Brother Li, I never expected you to have dug a secret passage here."

Li Si lightly patted his clothes. "I didn't dig it up."

He then said, "When I first came to Xianyang, I had almost no money left, so I had no choice but to stay here. I accidentally discovered a secret passage leading out of the mansion, and I remembered it."

This place is near the royal palace, and beggars and vagrants rarely come here. However, as a disciple of Master Xun, his status is high enough that he has this advantage and doesn't have to worry about being robbed in the middle of the night.

Cao Ze didn't care whether Li Si dug the secret passage or not; he just exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Brother Li, you met with me secretly late at night, is there something you wanted to discuss?"

Li Si's expression turned solemn. "Brother Cao, someone wants to kill you."

Cao Ze remained completely calm, and instead asked with interest, "Is it Lü Buwei? Are you in a hurry?"

Previously, he had Li Si and Guo Kai kill him, but now he suddenly wants him dead. This clearly shows that the recent grand court assembly has enraged Lü Buwei.

Li Si said, "That's right, it was Lü Buwei's idea."

“These past few days, I learned from Old Man Zheng, who was by his side, that Xuan Jian, who had previously fled from Xinzheng, has been captured by the Net again. He intends to perish together with Brother Cao.”

This was his deduction based on his repeated attempts to get information out of Old Man Zheng.

Cao Ze was taken aback at first, then remained silent.

Is Xuan Jian having really bad luck? He ran away twice and was caught by the Net both times.

That said, we must mention the intelligence capabilities of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), which are truly formidable.

They captured Xuan Jian, a master-level warrior, in such a short time.

"Brother Li, you've come to see me at such a risk, surely it's not just for this matter?"

Cao Ze looked at Li Si quietly.

After agreeing to this, the two would generally not meet in private to avoid giving themselves away.

Compared to himself, Li Si, being in the Prime Minister's residence, would be even less likely to take risks, otherwise he would surely die.

Lü Buwei was not the kind of person who would let a traitor go just because he valued talent.

Li Si said calmly, "That's right. I've come here tonight for another matter, and I'd like to reach a cooperation agreement with Brother Cao."

Cao Ze casually sat on a stone bench, admiring the night view and moonlight.

"Brother Li, please tell me."

He knew that Li Si had great ambitions and was very likely to want to replace Lü Buwei as prime minister, just like him.

However, compared to his desire to become prime minister merely for self-preservation, Li Si clearly had a deeper obsession with the position of prime minister, probably the kind of desire in ancient times to be second only to the emperor.

Li Si paced back and forth in the abandoned courtyard for a few moments and said, "I have been in the Prime Minister's residence for nearly two years, and this year I became a clerk in the Prime Minister's residence, handling document affairs."

Cao Ze hummed in agreement and casually asked, "Many truths are hidden in the details of the text. Did you discover something?"

Li Si paused slightly and said, "Not bad."

"From the thousands of documents I handled, I discovered that Lü Buwei frequently corresponded with many important officials in the court."

Cao Ze couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Li, isn't it normal for Lü Buwei, as the prime minister who established his own government, to exchange letters with court officials?"

In this era, if a prime minister had the authority to establish his own government, it was practically equivalent to having a small imperial court.

Li Si shook his head. "No, if that were the case, I wouldn't have suspected anything. It's just that these court officials' documents mention one person's name from time to time—Ying Lao."

“I did some research in private, and this person is the current king’s uncle. His father was the son of the late King Zhaoxiang, and was initially made crown prince, but unfortunately he died young. In the end, the position of crown prince fell to Prince Anguo.”

"In other words, if his father had not died, then the one who would have succeeded to the throne of Qin would not have been King Xiaowen. This Ying Lao could be considered the crown prince and the best candidate to become the next King of Qin."

Cao Ze was unaware that Ying Lao was actually Yan Ri, who had killed him in the state of Zhao before he entered the palace under the alias Lao Ai.

He asked, "Brother Li, are you suggesting that Lü Buwei might be planning to support a new king?"

“It’s not surprising that he was able to hoard rare commodities and support the late King Zhuangxiang to the throne. Moreover…” Li Si said somewhat gravely, “The Qin royal family rarely interacted with Lü Buwei, and had almost no contact with him. Their relationship was not good.”

Cao Ze suddenly asked, "Who are the court officials who mentioned Ying Lao?"

“Wei Wei Jie, Nei Shi Si, Zuo Yi Jie, Zhong Da Fu Ling Qi... there were about twenty people.”

Li Si laid it all out like reciting a menu; he dared not try anything funny at this moment.

"The Grand Secretary Si, the Commandant of the Guards Jie, the Assistant Commandant Jie, the Grand Master of the Palace Ling Qi... these are all important officials in Xianyang and the royal palace..."

Cao Ze muttered to himself softly.

He thought of more than Li Si did.

If I remember correctly, the "Lao Ai Rebellion" is also known in historical records as the "Qinian Palace Incident," and these are some of the names mentioned in the beheadings.

Cao Ze suddenly had a guess: could this Ying Lao be Lao Ai who hadn't yet entered the palace?

If Lao Ai is Ying Lao, a prince of the Qin royal family, then it can explain why Lao Ai, a commoner, dared to launch a palace coup and even gain the support of a host of ministers equivalent to the mayor of the capital region, the head of the royal guards, the head of the armory, and the commander of the city guards.

After all, few people who rise to high positions are fools; they wouldn't risk their entire family's recklessness by following a male concubine like Lao Ai.

No wonder he couldn't find anyone named Lao Ai; what normal person would have such a despicable name?

Li Si said, "That's right, they are all very important figures in the court. If they were to unite, they would definitely be a force that cannot be ignored."

"The reason why King Wuling of Zhao starved to death in Shaqiu was because a group of ministers forced King Huiwen of Zhao to make that choice."

Cao Ze asked, "Where is this Young Master Ying Lao now?"

Li Si said, "I have already found some clues, and I believe I will be able to find out the truth soon."

Cao Ze had no doubt about Li Si's abilities. After all, he was a famous prime minister who would be remembered for all time. Although he had a bad reputation in his later years, his abilities were undeniable, even though he was still young.

"Then, Brother Li, what kind of cooperation do you wish to have with me?"

Li Si glanced around. Although he didn't detect any trace of anyone, based on his understanding of Cao Ze, he wouldn't easily meet him in a remote place.

"If I may ask, has Miss Jingni arrived yet?"

Cao Ze didn't hide it, "I'm here."

Li Si took a deep breath and said seriously, "I need your help to get the secret documents from the Prime Minister's residence. I can't get them by myself."

Cao Ze said calmly, "Brother Li, you should know the situation of the Prime Minister's residence better than I do. Do you think a Grandmaster could infiltrate it to help you?"

Li Si shook his head and said, "The Prime Minister's mansion is full of intricate mechanisms, has many powerful retainers, and even a master like Old Master Zheng."

"However, with me in the Prime Minister's residence, we can work together from the inside and outside, so there is still a chance."

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and asked, "What are those secret scrolls?"

Li Si told the truth: "I have never seen them. These secret scrolls were all handed over by Lü Buwei to Old Man Zheng to be sent to the underground vault. I only vaguely knew of their existence after handling the documents."

Cao Ze sorted out his thoughts again.

If Lao Ai is Ying Lao, and if these court officials have close ties with Lü Buwei, then is Lü Buwei involved in the "Qinian Palace Incident" recorded in history, or is it a collaboration between Lü Buwei and Ying Lao?

If Ying Zheng hadn't foreseen this and cooperated with Lord Changping, Wang Jian, and others, Lü Buwei might have actually succeeded.

However, he thought that if Ying Lao were to rebel again, the historical records would not record it as the "Qinian Palace Incident" but as the "Xuanwu Gate Incident".

Upon realizing this, Cao Ze said slowly, "Alright, I agree to this cooperation."

With Lao Ai gone, the only way to bring down Lü Buwei is to try Li Si first and see if they can find a way in.

Li Si was somewhat surprised by Cao Ze's straightforwardness. He had thought that Cao Ze would make some demands in order to gain the credit for defeating Lü Buwei, but it seemed that he was a villain.

"Li Si waits quietly for Brother Cao."

……

Chapter 398 Ehuang and Nüying

The bright moon shines on the river, and the clouds disperse and the rain stops.

A pair of smooth, soft jade-like arms encircled Cao Ze's neck.

"You've finally quieted down..."

Li Wu said in a coquettish voice, as if she were scolding someone.

Cao Ze gently stroked Li Wu's smooth, white skin. After not using her for a few days, Li Wu's body seemed to have become fuller. Her waist was slender and soft, and with a gentle twist, she exuded a seductive charm. Just now, he really couldn't resist.

"Hey, tell me if it was good or not."

Li Wu's beautiful, watery eyes were full of allure, and her red lips were fresh and moist. She said in a delicate, melodious voice, "How vulgar."

Cao Ze half-embraced Li Wu's soft body, and thinking of the hypocrites he had recently encountered, he sighed, "What does it matter if they're vulgar or refined? They're all just beasts in human clothing, all show and no substance."

Li Wu chuckled lightly: "No wonder you're so learned. You can still have so many feelings after sleeping with a weak woman like me."

This is called the Sage Mode, you know... Cao Ze found it somewhat amusing.

Is he the kind of person who can be having sex with a girl while still thinking about writing?

False accusation! Utterly false accusation!

"What's wrong with Jingni lately? She's been acting a bit mysterious," Cao Ze asked casually.

After Jingni went out with him, she returned to her room.

His plan to spend a wonderful night with his giant salamander was thwarted, so he had no choice but to come to Li Wu's place to play a game.

Li Wu's eyes flickered slightly, revealing a sly look. "She's feeling it again."

Hearing Li Wu's slightly teasing tone, Cao Ze suddenly realized, "Pregnant with a second child?"

"No, she may have had some insights recently. Even Xiao Yan'er is being taken care of by me and Yan Lingji in turns."

So that's how it is. No wonder Jingni was acting a bit strange tonight, ignoring everything else... Cao Ze thought to himself.

Li Wu scoffed, "You don't seem too keen on Jing Ni getting pregnant with a second child."

Damn! A woman's intuition is terrifying!

Cao Ze didn't want Jing Ni to have a second child; for him, having as many children as he wanted was fine.

However, we are now at a critical juncture. We know that Xuan Jian has been captured and controlled by the Luo Wang, and they want to take him down with them. If Jing Ni is pregnant, he will have to think of another way.