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

Xuan Jian told a lame joke, which made Cao Ze chuckle.

"Assassinating the King of Qin is not your job; that's another friend of mine's business."

"Enough said. Do you remember the terms I discussed with you that day?"

Xuan Jian coldly replied, "Who is the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the King of Qin, Lü Buwei?"

"Yes, that's right, it's your turn to shine today."

As Cao Ze walked, he said to Xuan Jian, "Don't be nervous. I've already spoken to the King of Qin. You won't die. At most, you'll stay in prison for a few days."

“Nervous? I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.” Xuan Jian said calmly, “Even with my testimony, my words alone, without any evidence, cannot do anything to Lü Buwei.”

"It's okay, these things aren't important."

As soon as Cao Ze stepped out, he saw a troop of royal knights in full armor galloping towards him.

“Mr. Cao Ze, the King has summoned you to the palace.”

The visitor was Zhang Han, whom Cao Ze had met briefly not long ago.

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Zhang."

Zhang Han dismounted and personally led a horse for Cao Ze, whispering, "It is said that in the court..."

Cao Ze raised his hand to stop Zhang Han from continuing.

"I am aware of the matter. Thank you for your kindness, Brother Zhang. Please provide this brother with a horse."

Zhang Han looked at Xuan Jian, whose face was cold and hard. He didn't know that Xuan Jian was once a top-ranking assassin of the Luo Wang, but he could sense a dangerous aura about him.

"Men, prepare a horse!"

Cao Ze followed Zhang Han toward the palace.

As he expected, there were almost no people from the Luowang organization watching him along the way.

Meanwhile, Wuming and Gongsun Long were circling around the vast city of Xianyang with a group of skilled trackers behind them.

"Damn it!" Gongsun Long cursed, "I've never been so humiliated before."

"After this, we must capture that brat Cao Ze and bring him back to Handan to marry my granddaughter Linglong. Only then will it not have been in vain that I was chased like a dog!"

Wuming remained silent, but his eyes revealed that he did not believe those three words.

Gongsun Long snorted coldly, "So what if my granddaughter is a little chubby? That's a sign of wealth and nobility! Cao Ze already said that in that Tang Kingdom, plumpness is considered beautiful!"

This time, Wuming didn't refute, but instead nodded in agreement.

Unofficial history of Journey to the West... After Cao Ze finished telling the story of Journey to the West in Handan, the story he made up on the spot was recorded.

Records include the Xuanwu Incident, the Empress Dowager and her daughter-in-law, and Consort Yang with lychees...

While he was at Lord Xinling's residence, he heard many of Lord Xinling's retainers seriously discussing the authenticity of the story.

The conclusion is that the Xuanwu Gate Incident was real, and the story of Yang Guifei (Litchi and Consort Yang) may also be true.

But the story of Empress Wu Zetian, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, is probably a fabrication by Cao Ze.

Even disregarding Wu Zetian's scandalous history, her power originated from the Li family, making her regency legitimate and unchallenged.

But if she directly declares herself empress, wouldn't that give people a pretext to rebel against her?

Therefore, it's impossible, absolutely impossible!

This is absolutely a filthy and depraved story by Cao Ze, a desecration of Journey to the West, a falsification of Tang Dynasty history, and an insult to human intelligence!

"Nameless, what are you thinking about?"

Gongsun Long and Wuming hid in a brothel, watching as seven or eight people dressed in spiderweb clothes left into the distance.

Wuming naturally wouldn't tell Gongsun Long that he was thinking about the gossip about Cao Ze that he had heard from Lord Xinling's residence.

"Let's meet up with Princess Yafei first and see what to do next."

"it is good."

……

Meanwhile, Cheng Jiao rode swiftly to Ganquan Palace and went straight to Zhao Gao.

"Brother Cao said you should take Li Si to Zhangtai Palace now."

Zhao Gao's heart skipped a beat. "Lord Chang'an, did something happen at the court meeting?"

Cheng Jiao briefly explained the situation.

Zhao Gao's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated.

This was clearly Cao Ze's way of openly confronting Lü Buwei, as he was well aware of how terrifying this prime minister was.

If those factions were to unite, it would be entirely possible for them to claim that the Qin state belonged to the Lü clan.

Cheng Jiao said impatiently, "Hurry up, or if you delay things, I'll make sure my brother Wang kills you."

Zhao Gao smiled bitterly, as if he had no other choice.

"Please wait a moment, Lord Chang'an. I will take Li Si to Zhangtai Palace now."

Zhao Gao claimed he was going to find Li Si, but in reality, he first consulted with the Six Sword Slaves and whispered for a while before going to a side hall of Ganquan Palace to bring Li Si, who was disguised as a lowly eunuch, before Cheng Jiao.

When Cheng Jiao saw Li Si dressed as a eunuch, he exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Li, did you undergo castration to enter the palace?"

"An accident, an accident..."

Li Si looked somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected Cao Ze to be so treacherous, directly having Zhao Gao arrange for him to disguise himself as a eunuch and do odd jobs at Ganquan Palace.

Although they escaped the secret investigation of the Luo Wang organization, this was still too disgraceful.

Cheng Jiao waved his hand repeatedly, "Forget it, I'll protect you in the palace from now on and try my best to make you a chief eunuch."

"Let's not talk about this now. Come with me to Zhangtai Palace."

Li Si almost lost his composure, but seeing Cheng Jiao and Zhao Gao looking on seriously, he realized that something might have happened.

"Brother Chengjiao, this is..."

Cheng Jiao said directly, "We'll talk about it on the way."

Li Si was forced into this situation and rode a horse to follow Zhao Gao and Cheng Jiao to the Zhangtai Palace.

When he finally found out what had happened, he was completely stunned.

I really want to ask, can I become a eunuch first?

In his view, Cao Ze's confrontation with Lü Buwei at this time was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Even if they could smear Lü Buwei, with Lü Buwei's methods, he would be able to kill Cao Ze before the King of Qin was crowned, even if Cao Ze had skilled men by his side.

If he had known that Cao Ze would break ties with Lü Buwei so soon, he would never have agreed to Cao Ze's conditions that night.

Unfortunately, he now has nowhere to retreat. He has already offended Lü Buwei, and if he offends Cao Ze as well, he can bid farewell to his official career in Qin and wander the world.

Following a hint from his leader Zhao Gao, Liu Jiannu went to Zhao Ji's palace and asked a palace maid to go in and report.

Before long, Zhao Ji walked out with a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Explain yourself to me clearly!"

Zhen Gang said respectfully, "Lord Zhao Gao heard from Lord Chang'an that the Prime Minister challenged Mr. Cao Ze in court, but he did not have time to inform the Empress Dowager. I hope the Empress Dowager will forgive him."

"Damn it! That old bastard is getting more and more outrageous!"

Zhao Ji said, "Let's go to Zhangtai Palace. I will be ruling from behind the curtain today!"

The Six Sword Slaves personally escorted the Phoenix Emperor to Zhangtai Palace.

The main hall of Zhangtai Palace.

Cao Ze walked in with a calm and composed gait.

He remained calm and composed in the face of the gazes cast upon him by civil and military officials.

Through his crown, Ying Zheng looked directly at Cao Ze and asked him bluntly, "Mr. Cao Ze, the Prime Minister said that you are colluding with outsiders. Is this true?"

Cao Ze opened his mouth and said, "How could I collude with outsiders? What benefit would I gain from colluding with outsiders?"

Ying Zheng said, "Mr. Cao Ze did not collude with outsiders. Did Your Excellency hear that clearly?"

Lu Buwei calmly said, "The night before last, Cao Ze colluded with outsiders to attack my residence."

"And just the night before, Princess Yafei of Zhao and Lord Longyang of Wei broke into my residence and stole the Black Dragon Scroll."

"Therefore, I am certain that Cao Zeding has an extraordinary relationship with Princess Yafei of Zhao and others."

An uproar erupted in the court, and even Ying Zheng had to take the matter seriously.

The Black Dragon Scroll was a scroll specifically used to record the core secrets of the Qin state, and even the late king's will was recorded on the Black Dragon Scroll.

If this secret were to fall into the hands of another country, it could be a matter of great importance to the Qin state, potentially even influencing the outcome of a war.

Cao Ze was also stunned.

Consort Ya? Lord Longyang?

Cao Ze instantly realized that the mysterious person who fought Jing Ni that night must be Ya Fei.

Ya Fei also cultivates the Cold Ice Internal Force.

But why would this woman travel all the way to Xianyang when she wasn't in Zhao?

To steal the Black Dragon Scroll?

The Three Jin states are so impoverished that they have no one left to use, so they send their lord and princess here to play a spy game?

Sanjin?

Cao Ze's mind raced with thoughts.

So, what about Zi Nu and Wei Zhuang...?

Cao Ze frowned inwardly. The high-ranking officials from various states and factions in the Three Jin states had come to Xianyang. Were they here for sightseeing? Surely they couldn't be here to kidnap him and make him their groom, could they?

Something's fishy, ​​definitely fishy. What's their purpose...?

Ying Zheng took a deep breath. "Quiet!"

The noise and commotion in the main hall gradually subsided, and everyone's eyes fell on Cao Ze alone.