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

For some reason, she felt a little uneasy.

She suddenly realized that she should consider Cao Ze's joke about "having a second child" back then.

It's good for Xiaoyan to have a companion.

Compared to Jing Ni, who had a good mindset, Zi Nu was completely flustered and almost lost her composure in the wind.

What does that mean? Did Cao Ze leave his seed in Handan back then?

What has she become? What will happen to her in the future?

Zi Nu felt like crying but had no tears left. Why was Cao Ze acting like a stud? Didn't he know to be more considerate?

Compared to Zi Nu and Jing Ni's strange thoughts.

The expressions on the faces of the nameless Wei Zhuang and the others were quite interesting.

Gongsun Long slapped his thigh. "Good lad, you've got some tricks up your sleeve! How many dolls do you have?"

Cao Ze's eye twitched.

He just remembered a book he had seen in the library of Longhu Mountain, which mentioned that the lower one's cultivation level and the weaker one's strength, the easier it is to conceive; conversely, the stronger one's strength, the less likely one is to conceive.

That's why he thought Jingni's pregnancy was really good.

Suddenly, a look of horror appeared in his eyes.

It seems, it appears...

What the hell!

I wonder if Hu Ji, Manyu, the Empress, Madam Hu, Madam Mingzhu... are pregnant yet?

I only remember being very careful, but who knows if any slipped through the net.

After all, it always involves hundreds of millions of heavenly soldiers and generals.

Thinking of this, Cao Ze's face almost turned green.

Back then, my strength was still weak. If only my fertility were as good as that of the Snow Maiden, Li Ji…

Goodness gracious...

The more Cao Ze thought about it, the more frightened he felt. He quickly suppressed these distracting thoughts. He had never been very lucky, so how could he be so lucky in this situation?

After a moment, Cao Ze asked somewhat awkwardly, "Um, is the baby a boy or a girl? Have you decided on a name yet?"

Ya Fei calmly said, "Xue gave birth to a boy, and Li Ji gave birth to a girl. They haven't been named yet, only given nicknames. They don't know that you chose Qin. They are still waiting for you to return."

Cao Ze was hit hard again.

He gave a bitter laugh, "Fate is cruel..."

He didn't say anything pointless like bringing Xue Nu Li Ji to Qin to be taken care of by him.

Even if Xue Nu and Li Ji were willing, Ya Fei would never release them.

The only good thing is that with Ya Fei's care, they, mother and child, are safe and sound.

Ya Fei took a light breath, her voice softening.

"Come back, we're all waiting for you."

Cao Ze admitted that he was moved at that moment.

He wasn't born from a stone; his heart is made of stone. How could he be heartless in the face of Ya Fei's deep concern?

At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was very strange.

A bunch of grandmasters, and even a prime minister like Lü Buwei and a dead eunuch like Zhao Gao, were all watching a melodramatic soap opera unfold.

Among them, Lü Buwei was the most worried.

He had no doubt that if Cao Ze agreed to Ya Fei's request, Ya Fei would not hesitate to plunge a sword into his throat.

At this moment, the Six Sword Slaves and Xuan Jian, who were trapped in the secret passage, emerged, briefly breaking the strange atmosphere in the room.

Cao Ze glanced at them and subconsciously calculated the strength comparison between the two sides.

His side has Grandmaster-level combat power including Jing Ni, Xuan Jian, Zhao Gao, and the Six Sword Slaves.

On Consort Ya's side are Wuming, Gongsun, and Longyang Jun.

But Wuming is a Grandmaster, and even without killing anyone, he is enough to erase the difference in numbers.

After a long while, Cao Ze let out a breath of stale air that had been trapped in his stomach.

"You go."

Ya Fei's sincerity and Xue Nu Li Ji's child made it impossible for him to convince himself to take action.

Ya Fei's eyebrows shot up. "You're telling us to leave?!"

"You refused?!"

Her tone became even colder than before, much like the ice-attribute cultivation technique she practiced.

She felt a strong sense of frustration.

She stared at Cao Ze resentfully, saying each word clearly, "Cao Ze, you will regret this, I guarantee you will!"

When Lü Buwei heard Cao Ze's refusal, he was not as relieved as he had imagined. Instead, he looked at Cao Ze with a serious expression.

If he were in Cao Ze's position, he would have been able to wear the seals of the prime minister of three kingdoms at a young age. In his youth, he would have found it difficult to refuse as Cao Ze did.

This young man is no ordinary person; without lofty ambitions, how could he be as steady as a mountain?

If they are enemies, they should be killed as soon as possible to prevent future troubles!

Cao Ze looked at Ya Fei speechlessly. Was it really necessary to be so hysterical?

He doesn't seem to have caused any trouble for Ya Fei, does he?

Cao Ze sighed, turned around and said, "Let's go, everyone go."

It sounded like it was being addressed to Jing Ni, but it also sounded like it was being addressed to Ya Fei and Zi Nu.

Under the cool moonlight, everything seemed so ordinary.

Ya Fei stared blankly at Cao Ze's departing figure. Gone?

She gripped the sword tightly in her hand, a sudden, inexplicable pain shooting through her heart.

But her long-standing resilience allowed her to endure it.

"Get on the ship! Leave Qin!"

This was a plan they had made long ago.

The Wei River is a tributary of the Yellow River. With the help of Lü Buwei's three-zhang-high boat, one can enter the main channel of the Yellow River, follow the main channel into the territory of the State of Han, and then turn towards the State of Zhao.

South Korea lacked the ability to protect Lü Buwei, but Zhao did.

Wuming and the others boarded the ship.

Before long, the boat sailed from the narrow river channel into the wide expanse of the Wei River.

The view suddenly opened up, with the river flowing slowly in the night, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Lü Buwei leaned weakly against the ship's deck, gazing sadly at the shimmering moon reflected on the water.

"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the high-flying bird is gone, the good bow is put away... The King of Qin has betrayed me, the State of Qin has betrayed me..."

He murmured to himself, mocking himself, and smiling bitterly. The bittersweet memories in his heart, his past humility, his rise to prominence, his coveted position, and his rise to the highest ranks of officialdom... all flashed before his eyes.

He never imagined that he would leave the Qin state one day, let alone that he would become the prime minister of the Zhao state, the Qin state's sworn enemy and its greatest rival in the struggle for supremacy.

This was ironic for him.

The irony is that his years of scheming have finally come back to haunt him.

"Too clever by half, and you'll end up losing your life..." For no reason, Lü Buwei thought of this line from Cao Ze's "Dream of the Red Chamber".

For him, this was a true reflection of himself.

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Qin state, assisting the late king in granting amnesty to the people, comforting meritorious officials, destroying the Eastern Zhou, attracting talents from the six states to serve Qin, and vigorously developing water conservancy, laying the foundation for Qin's conquest of the six states...

One thing after another, it all came to a truly absurd conclusion.

"The mighty river roars, washing away all its grandeur. Who holds the jade tablet? It flows eastward, never to return."

History fades like smoke, heroes become puppets…

Lü Buwei, with his hair disheveled, tapped the side of the boat and sang.

The mournful sound was like a lament, like weeping and pleading, its lingering notes faint and persistent.

This prompted Gongsun Long and Lord Longyang to sigh with emotion.

In terms of status, Lü Buwei had already reached the pinnacle of the Seven Kingdoms, and even the kings and nobles of those kingdoms could not underestimate him.

But life is unpredictable; in the blink of an eye, families are destroyed and people are gone, leaving one with no control over one's own destiny.

……

Cao Ze returned to Xianyang City and did not concern himself with the chaotic affairs within the city.

He was in a bad mood and said to Zhao Gao with a somewhat unfriendly expression, "Brother Zhao, you don't need to tell the Empress Dowager about tonight's events. I still remember what happened last time."

Zhao Gao flattered, "Don't worry, sir, I won't say anything out of line this time. Just tell the Empress Dowager."

He could tell that Cao Ze was unhappy.

Even knowing that Cao Ze had two illegitimate children in Handan and was having an affair with Consort Ya, he dared not say a word.

It was only because Zhao Ji doted on Cao Ze that he had no room to resist.

Zhao Gao secretly thought, "If the Empress Dowager accidentally gets pregnant, that would be interesting."

Let Cao Ze know that he shouldn't make things difficult for an honest man in our family!

After Cao Ze dismissed Zhao Gao, he returned to his residence and found Gai Nie waiting for him.

"Brother Gai Nie."

Gai Nie clasped his hands and said, "His Majesty is waiting for you, sir."

Cao Ze nodded slightly.