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

Cao Ze listened patiently and then asked, "What did you find in the fire pit?"

Just as modern methods use shredders, incinerators, and other means to destroy confidential documents, ancient times naturally had their own.

Li Si shook his head and said, "I didn't find anything useful in the fire pit."

“Although those files cannot be completely burned, because they are made of dried bamboo, they will carbonize with a little burning, making the text difficult to decipher. Moreover, every once in a while, these fire pits are buried and a new fire pit is dug, making it even harder to find the old things.”

He had considered digging for something in the fire pit, but considering that this was the Prime Minister's residence and he was a scholar who knew nothing about martial arts, he had to give up.

"and then?"

Cao Ze really wanted to give Li Si a good beating. Why did these bookworms like to write such long-winded essays?

Li Si took a deep breath. "So I chose to stake out the location, observe the patterns, and identify the people who burned the files."

"Then I discovered Old Man Zheng, who would personally bring the files that needed to be destroyed to the fire pit every three days."

“I knew very well that this old man Zheng was Lü Buwei’s confidant who handled all sorts of private intelligence, so I used this as a breakthrough point and finally found the place where old man Zheng took out the confidential files that needed to be destroyed.”

Cao Ze asked, "You went in?"

"How could that be? The Prime Minister's residence is already heavily guarded, even more so than the royal palace, let alone a place where such confidential matters are stored. From my observation, there are at least a number of experts guarding it in secret."

Cao Ze narrowed his eyes slightly, "Brother Li, after all these twists and turns, just tell me the truth. What exactly did you discover that makes you so sure that the place where the files are stored contains something that could ruin Lü Buwei's reputation and tear him apart with five horses?"

Li Si paused for a moment, then said slowly, "Seeing that it was difficult to approach him, I set my sights on Old Man Zheng. I deliberately bumped into him at the fire pit and offered to help him destroy it. After a while, Old Man Zheng lowered his guard."

"Then, when I was helping him destroy the files, I deliberately switched the order of the files I was going to destroy with the files he was going to destroy. The files I brought were destroyed first, not the files that Old Man Zheng brought."

"Therefore, I was able to see the secrets in the files that Old Man Zheng wanted to destroy."

Cao Ze's interest was piqued. "What secret?"

Li Si said in a deep voice, "The one who hides the sun in the net is none other than Ying Lao, the former royal prince!"

Cao Ze paused for a moment, then said, "That's it?"

Although he was somewhat surprised that Yan Ri was actually the former royal prince Ying Lao, he didn't take it to heart.

He killed him, so what?

If Ying Lao were an important figure in the royal family, Lü Buwei would have taken the opportunity to cause him trouble long ago; it would have been impossible for him to remain completely out of the loop.

Li Si sighed, "If that's the case, I wouldn't have secretly arranged to meet you here."

"Are you aware of the rumors circulating in the Seven Kingdoms that Lü Buwei committed adultery in the palace?"

Cao Ze's expression was a little strange. "Could it be that you discovered this?"

Even if this is discovered, it's impossible to release it.

Otherwise, Li Si would not only be killed by Lü Buwei, but also silenced by Ying Zheng.

As for him... he doesn't care, he'll just treat it as entertainment.

Li Si coughed lightly and said calmly, "Of course not."

He's not stupid; even if he discovered evidence, he wouldn't dare to speak out, much less present it.

Cao Ze frowned slightly: "Brother Li, stop keeping me in suspense."

With this free time, she could go back and chat with Li Wuyan Lingji or the Black and White Sisters, or even teach Jingni some bedroom tricks; that would be much better than this.

Li Si's expression turned serious. He said, "The records in that dossier are incomplete. I can deduce from those few words that Lü Buwei may have sent a fake eunuch into Ganquan Palace at some point in the past, and even gave this eunuch an alias, Lao Ai."

Cao Ze's spirits lifted. "Who is this person? Who is using the alias Lao Ai? Could it be Ying Lao?"

Li Si paused slightly, then nodded: "That's right, it is Ying Lao."

Cao Ze muttered to himself, "That makes sense."

His initial assumption was indeed correct.

Historically, the fact that such important officials as the Inner Historian Si, the Commandant of the Guards Jie, the Assistant Yi Jie, and the Grand Master of the Palace Ling Qi could lead a rebellion with a male favorite already shows that Lao Ai's background was not as lowly as it appeared.

If Lü Buwei wanted to replace the Qin king with a new one, it would be easy to explain why he sought out Lao Ai—no, the former royal prince Ying Lao.

Damn it!

Cao Ze suddenly remembered that Li Si had just said that Yan Ri was Ying Lao.

No wonder he circled around Ganquan Palace dozens of times, exhausted himself, and still couldn't find Lao Ai; it turns out the blame was on himself.

If he had known this would happen, he would have...

Yes, we still have to kill them.

Li Si asked, puzzled, "What makes sense?"

Cao Ze coughed lightly, "It's nothing."

"If what you say is true, then there must be an even bigger secret in that place where the files are stored."

Li Si said, "That's right, that's what I think too."

Cao Ze said, "So you secretly met with me because you wanted my help?"

Li Si's eyes flickered slightly. "Yes, cooperation benefits both sides."

"If we could find crucial evidence somewhere..."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Then your contribution is immense, and your future is just around the corner."

Li Si remained noncommittal, "Then, Brother Cao, would you be willing to help?"

"Of course, I'm not that petty."

Cao Ze readily agreed.

Whether using a borrowed knife to kill can actually kill Lü Buwei is anyone's guess.

Moreover, this move carries many hidden dangers. If he hadn't wanted to get rid of Lü Buwei in a short time, he wouldn't have chosen this option.

It would be far better to have Lü Buwei drink the poisoned wine in front of all the court officials and the entire Qin state.

If we could obtain evidence proving that Lü Buwei harbored ulterior motives, was spying on the palace, or intended to rebel, that would be ideal.

Lü Buwei's power was immense, deeply entrenched in the Qin state, but that didn't mean he could truly do whatever he wanted there.

At least the Changping Jun lineage and the Wang Meng family were enough to make Lü Buwei have many concerns.

Li Si looked delighted and bowed, saying, "Brother Cao, you are truly a man of integrity and upright character. I admire you greatly."

Cao Ze waved his hand. "I'm leaving. I'll let you know when everything is ready."

It seems that Zi Nu has already persuaded the Nameless Sword Saint to help him. This is a good opportunity to have the Nameless Sword Saint and Gongsun Long go together, so as to distance herself from the situation.

……

The next day, Cao Ze got up from the soft-bed sleeping chair.

If he hadn't broken through to the half-step Grandmaster level, he almost wouldn't have been able to turn the tables and suppress those two unruly female demons.

Cao Ze arrived at an ordinary-looking inn.

"Are you here for a meal or to stay the night, sir?"

The waiter, with a towel draped over his shoulder, walked up to Cao Ze with a smile, rubbing his hands together.

Cao Ze glanced at the gait of the person who had come from, a hint of surprise in his heart.

This waiter is no ordinary person; he at least knows martial arts.

"Find someone."

The waiter called out, "Fatty Ding, someone's looking for you!"

"What are you yelling about? Is it lunchtime yet?"

A chubby-looking man walked out, cursing, "Always so impulsive, if you call again I'll send you back!"

Cao Ze asked in surprise, "Fatty Ding?"

The butcher exclaimed, "Oh dear! It's Mr. Cao Ze! Little Zhi, hurry up and get ready, our distinguished guest from the Mo family has arrived!"

Cao Ze looked at the young man before him, "This is... Dao Zhi?"

He really couldn't reconcile the image of the unconventional blond guy with the innocent-looking boy in front of him.

"Yes, the orphan brought back by the Grand Master," Butcher Ding said with a smile, clasping his plump hands together. "You came to see me, sir?"

"Hehe, do you want to eat my cooking?"

"Let me make it clear first, the food is all-you-can-eat, but sir, you must give me some pointers. That improved donkey meat sandwich from back then, wow, it's now known throughout the seven kingdoms, and everyone who's tried it says it's delicious."

Cao Ze waved his hand and said, "I'm not looking for you. Someone asked me to meet them here."

He wondered to himself, "Does the Mo family really like opening shops?"

He knew of at least ten such establishments, including restaurants, inns, and eateries...

If it were him, he would have already formed the Mohist Merchant Guild, opened a chain of hotels spanning seven countries, and tricked all the schools of thought into joining...

Fatty Ding was a little unwilling. "My cooking skills have improved, don't you want some?"

He had been craving the delicious food that Cao Ze had described in Niushou Village for a long time.

If he hadn't always had the chance, he would have stayed at Cao Ze's house and never left.

Cao Ze coughed lightly, "I'll go upstairs now if I have time."

He was just drunk at the time, and he used jokes to recite the names of the dishes, while also talking about some restaurant reviews he had watched on Bilibili.

Who knew that Fatty Ding overheard this and grabbed his leg, preventing him from leaving Niushou Village.

This forced him to offer Ding Pangzi a modern version of donkey meat sandwiches as a way to appease him.

Dao Zhi said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Oh ho, Fatty Ding, you actually have to ask for help now?"

Paoding watched Cao Ze go upstairs, looking sullen.

"Go away, go away, go somewhere cool and stay there."

Dao Zhi made a face and stuck his tongue out at Pao Ding.

But she became curious about Cao Ze.

He wanted to try the food cooked by Fatty Ding, but he had to choose the time and couldn't just eat whatever he wanted.