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

But before he could go to see Li Si, Li Si had already mysteriously disappeared.

He ordered Old Man Zheng to search the entire city of Xianyang, but they found no trace of him. Needless to say, Li Si was undoubtedly a traitor.

Hmph, so what if Cao Ze turns Li Si against him? He is still the Prime Minister of Qin, and he is the one who holds the reins of power in Qin!

Li Si went to court under immense pressure, his steps were unsteady, and his legs were trembling and weak.

Given his temperament, he wouldn't easily turn against Lü Buwei without being certain of victory, as that would put him on the brink of disaster, which is not the act of a wise man.

But who knew that Cao Ze wouldn't give him a choice at all? He's inhuman!

Ying Zheng said, "Li Si, what do you have to report?"

Li Si composed himself and said, "Your Majesty, when I was in Xinzheng, I not only encountered Xuan Jian, but also the Six Sword Slaves."

"The Six Sword Slaves found me and ordered me to help them. I asked them who they were obeying, and they said they were obeying Lord Zhao Gao."

Ying Zheng said, "Where is Zhao Gao? Summon Zhao Gao."

A palace attendant nearby shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Summon Zhao Gao to an audience."

Lü Buwei suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishment, confusion, and bewilderment...

When did Cao Ze bribe Zhao Gao, a close attendant of Zhao Ji?

How dare he? And how did he do it?!

Lu Buwei's heart sank slightly as he gradually realized that things were unlikely to end well today.

Zhao Gao took a deep breath and told himself that this was both a crisis and an opportunity.

Li Si was right; opportunities to climb up the social ladder can only be found in times of crisis.

At least because of the urgency of the matter, his younger brother Cheng Di didn't have to risk showing up.

"This servant, Zhao Gao, greets Your Majesty."

As a palace eunuch, Zhao Gao was a royal servant. In formal occasions, he had to refer to himself as a slave when facing the King of Qin.

This is also one of the things he is unwilling to accept.

No one would willingly become a slave unless forced to. He longed to control his own destiny, to live with dignity, like Mr. Cao Ze.

Ying Zheng said, "Zhao Gao, let me ask you, do the Six Sword Slaves obey your orders?"

Zhao Gao respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, it is this servant who is in charge of those sword-wielding servants protecting the Empress Dowager."

Ying Zheng coldly asked, "Then why did the Six Sword Slaves appear there when I entered Xinzheng, and even have Li Si cooperate with them?"

Zhao Gao betrayed Lü Buwei without hesitation.

“Your Majesty, the Net is under the control of Prime Minister Lü. Prime Minister Lü sent Old Man Zheng, who is by his side, to the palace to inform me and request the Six Sword Slaves to carry out the mission. So I sent the Six Sword Slaves to cooperate.”

He didn't mention that it was because Old Man Zheng had promised him to get involved in the Luo Wang organization; he didn't believe Lü Buwei would expose him on the spot.

"Old man, you're in danger!" Lu Buwei's heart skipped a beat.

He might be able to stay out of it, but the old man...

Cao Ze smiled faintly.

If Lü Buwei wanted to take advantage of the situation to surround and kill Wuming and Gongsun in Xianyang, he shouldn't blame Lü Buwei for turning the tables and killing his right-hand men first.

Ying Zheng, knowing the answer already, asked, "Who is Old Man Zheng? Where is he?"

All the civil and military officials looked at Lü Buwei, wondering whether he would sacrifice the pawn to save the king, or stubbornly protect Old Master Zheng.

Lord Changping was secretly alarmed; he had underestimated Cao Ze.

Not only did he avert the danger of being framed by Lü Buwei, but he also put Lü Buwei in a dilemma in a short period of time.

This child is terrifying!

Perhaps I should seriously consider what Tian Guangxia Kui said.

Lu Buwei stepped forward with a stiff upper lip and said, "Your Majesty, Old Man Zheng was injured the night before last while protecting me, and he is still recovering."

Ying Zheng said calmly, "Gai Nie, go there yourself and invite that old man Zheng to the palace."

Lü Buwei sighed inwardly, realizing that the old man could no longer appear in public.

Gai Nie moved extremely fast, clearly having received instructions from Ying Zheng to find Old Man Zheng as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, Old Man Zheng was originally in charge of the intelligence network on behalf of Lü Buwei. When Gai Nie arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, he left a message saying that he was leaving Xianyang to retire and return to his hometown to recuperate.

Gai Nie rushed back and headed straight for the main hall.

"Your Majesty, Old Man Zheng left a message saying he was going back to his hometown to recuperate, and he has already left."

Lu Buwei breathed a slight sigh of relief; the old man had finally learned to assess the situation.

Ying Zheng snorted coldly, "What do you mean by returning home to recuperate? I think it's just fleeing to escape punishment."

Just then, a loud voice rang out: "The Empress Dowager has arrived..."

A beautiful noblewoman dressed in luxurious clothes walked in with grace and elegance.

"I have listened for a long time. I will personally investigate this matter. Anyone who harms my son shall be killed without mercy!"

Zhao Ji's voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with coldness.

Xuan Jian felt a little uneasy, hoping that Cao Ze could be relied upon and wouldn't accidentally kill friendly forces.

Ying Zheng rose from his throne, descended the steps, and strode quickly to Zhao Ji.

"Mother, you've arrived."

Zhao Ji sneered, "If I don't come to rule from behind the curtain, won't the Qin Dynasty fall into chaos?"

"I'm determined to handle this matter."

She turned to Cao Ze and said, "Since you discovered this, then please help me handle this matter."

Her cold, beautiful face carried a faint air of smugness and pride, as if she were showing off her achievements.

Cao Ze, seeing Zhao Ji's almost drooling gaze, instantly understood.

Afterwards, we'll have sex; consider it a sacrifice for the cause.

……

Chapter 430 Empress Dowager, Is She Alright?

Zhao Ji sat high on one side of the throne, wearing a jade and beaded phoenix crown, and listened to the government from behind a curtain.

The matter of Lü Buwei and Cao Ze attacking each other came to an abrupt end.

The court fell silent again, leaving Zhao Ji feeling utterly bored. She could only occasionally glance longingly at Cao Ze, the prince, to console herself in her loneliness.

Lord Changping reported to Ying Zheng in a serious tone: "Your Majesty, the drought in Guanzhong has been contained, the people and laborers are at peace, and the Zheng Guo Canal is under construction as usual. However, according to my investigation, the reason why the drought in Guanzhong affected the people and the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal was not only due to natural disaster, but also due to man-made disasters."

Ying Zheng straightened his back and said coldly, "Who did this?"

Lord Changping said, “I sent people to investigate, but every time they reached a crucial point, the clues went cold. I suspect there is a mole inside. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow me to personally go to Zheng Guoqu to oversee this matter.”

Li Erlang, the water management official in charge of overseeing the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal, frowned slightly.

This drought is quite severe, and it's normal that it affected the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal. There was no internal sabotage involved.

Li Erlang pondered for a moment, then remained silent.

He was just the Director of Water Conservancy, only responsible for water conservancy; perhaps there were things he hadn't seen.

After all, whenever there is a natural disaster or war, there will always be some unscrupulous merchants who want to hoard goods and make huge profits.

Without much thought, Ying Zheng said directly, "I approve. You will be in charge of this matter!"

Lord Changping respectfully said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Cao Ze dodged Zhao Ji's subtle flirtatious glances and paid a little attention to Changping Jun's report.

If he didn't know that Lord Changping was wholeheartedly loyal to Chu, he would really think that Lord Changping was a loyal subject of Qin.

Could it be that Lord Changping, who had been keeping a low profile, took the initiative to intervene in the Zheng Guo Canal project in order to control Qin's water conservancy, persuade Ying Zheng to dig the Ling Canal, and thus weaken Qin?

Cao Ze couldn't help but think of a certain major power that was dragged down by an arms race and lost its qualification to compete for global hegemony.

Sometimes, destroying a country doesn't only require swords. You can lead it astray, instigate internal conflicts, or even cause it to die out and have no descendants... all of these can easily destroy a country.

After the court session ended, Cao Ze climbed into Zhao Ji's carriage and was forced to begin his business.

Aside from the twin sisters who were driving the chariot, Zhao Gao and the other sword slaves were scattered around, either keeping their eyes down or looking around, all worried that some fool might crash into them.

Inside the spacious carriage, a pair of fair and beautiful legs were draped over Cao Ze's chest.

Cao Ze gently kneaded Zhao Ji's jade-like legs and feet, appearing extremely focused.

The curvaceous Zhao Ji leaned lazily against the cushions inside the carriage.

Once inside the carriage, she removed her phoenix robe and crown, revealing a large expanse of her fair and smooth skin beneath only a bright red tassel bodice covering her voluptuous upper body. Her lower body was clad in a red skirt with a slender, supple waist that seemed to glow.

Zhao Ji slightly parted her luscious red lips and gently yawned.

"Sir, what are your plans for dealing with that old man?"

Zhao Ji's charming voice was like a seductive melody, both melodious and captivating.

Cao Ze gently stroked Zhao Ji's fair legs, their lines graceful and beautiful, yet full and rounded.

These legs feel really nice to touch...

"Does Your Majesty have any good ideas?"

Zhao Ji squinted her beautiful eyes, revealing a look of enjoyment as Cao Ze gently stroked her.

"With me backing you up, as long as you can find evidence that that old man tried to assassinate Zheng'er, you can send him to meet the King of Hell."

Cao Ze paused slightly while holding Zhao Ji's hand.

"Given Lü Buwei's cautious nature, this evidence may be difficult to find."

It wasn't that he lacked confidence, but putting himself in Lu Buwei's shoes, and considering Lu Buwei's past behavior, the possibility of him leaving evidence was almost zero. Moreover, the secret building that Li Si had told him about had been burned down. How could he find any evidence? It would be better to just let Wei Zhuang stab Lu Buwei to death.

Zhao Ji snorted, "Does it matter whether it's easy to find or not? If we can't kill him, you can still mess with him as you please, consider it compensation for you."

Cao Ze immediately understood; this meant he was free to torment Lü Buwei as much as he wanted.