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

Therefore, his current status is equal to Tian Guang's, or even slightly higher.

If he weren't a junior, Tian Guang would have had to take the initiative to greet him and respectfully address him as "Your Excellency, the Imperial Censor."

Tian Guang chuckled and said, "Yes, it's because Your Majesty... hehe, now I should call you Prime Minister, that you've come at the invitation. I didn't expect Imperial Censor Cao to be here as well."

Cao Ze didn't believe Tian Guang didn't know he was here. Just look at Tian Mi's hungry and lusting look at him; she probably had been fantasizing about him before she even came.

Well, there's one downside to becoming the Imperial Censor: every woman wants to throw herself into his arms, snuggle into his bed, and...

Boys must protect themselves when they're out and about, and not fall for the tricks of bad women... well, but they shouldn't waste their time either.

"Humph!"

A cold snort rang out from behind Tian Guang.

The girl's displeased snort was extremely jarring in the hall.

Cao Ze turned his head and saw a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life standing gracefully at the entrance of the hall.

Judging from her delicate face, her expression seemed rather unpleasant, as if she were somewhat displeased...

The girl's eyes seemed to be fixed on him, or more accurately, on Tian Mi, who was clinging to him.

Cao Ze recognized Mi Lian; not long ago, Lord Changping had brought her to his residence to deliver a letter.

Tian Guang turned around and saw that it was Changping Jun's eldest daughter. He smiled and said, "It's Lian'er. Where is your father?"

Mi Lian was at an age where her emotions were easily read on her face, and she was extremely displeased with Tian Mi's flirting with Mr. Cao Ze, which also made her look bad towards Tian Guang.

"Uncle Tian, ​​my father asked me to tell you and Mr. Cao Ze that he needs to personally deliver some things to the palace. My second uncle will be here in a little while."

After delivering the message, Mi Lian left, seething with anger.

Since it was a private banquet, and Mi Lian was just a young girl, neither Cao Ze nor Tian Guang paid any attention to it.

Tian Mimei smiled and said, "Sir, you are truly charming. That young girl looked at me as if she wanted to devour me."

Although she was smiling, a warning bell was ringing in her heart.

Mi Lian had a crush on Cao Ze, which was almost obvious to them.

If Cao Ze happens to want to marry Mi Lian, Lord Changping seems to have no reason to refuse a suitable match who can solidify his power and is currently the most outstanding young talent among the seven kingdoms.

If that's the case, wouldn't she have no chance?

She also wanted to use Cao Ze's power to become the head of the Farmer's Clan, or even the leader of the Farmer's Clan, and then marry Cao Ze as his wife, becoming a prominent figure in the Seven Kingdoms.

Cao Ze casually said, "She's just a little blonde girl who hasn't even grown all her hair yet."

He has now made it a habit to praise one woman in front of another.

Even if he only treated Tian Mi as a honey pot, as a dog that was somewhat useful and occasionally used to change things up, he still instinctively abided by the truth.

The only reason why truth is truth is that it has not faded over thousands of years.

There have been too many powerful figures in history who have fallen from grace because of a young woman, and he doesn't think he's the only one who's special.

Tian Guang knelt in his seat, watching Tian Mi and Cao Ze's ambiguous relationship with a sly smile, like an old fox.

Young people are full of vigor, let alone a man like Cao Ze who rose to fame overnight and was known for his womanizing ways.

In his and Changping Jun's view, it was only the cost of one Tian Mi, and even if they couldn't successfully seduce Cao Ze to their camp, it wouldn't be a loss.

She's just a woman with a foxy appearance; there are plenty of her among the 100,000 disciples of the Farmer's School, and countless more within the Seven Kingdoms.

Even if you only give Cao Ze one to play with every day, it would be enough for him to play with it until he dies of old age and gets sick of it.

Cao Ze and Tian Mi agreed to find a nice place later and have sex as a greeting.

At this moment, a handsome man who bore a resemblance to Changping Jun walked in.

Compared to his elder brother, Lord Changping, who was refined and composed, his younger brother, Lord Changwen, appeared elegant, but in reality, he was like a sword, possessing an unyielding spirit.

This aura... it's somewhat familiar... Cao Ze looked over and sized up Chang Wenjun.

That night, when Xuan Jian and Old Man Zheng raided his residence, there were more than a dozen powerful figures in the city, one of whom was almost identical to Chang Wenjun.

It seems that Chang Wenjun was also present that night.

Cao Ze was unsure of Chang Wenjun's strength.

Information about Changwenjun is scarce. It is only known that he has been studying in seclusion at his elder brother's residence and rarely attends court meetings, except for the occasional visit to the palace with his brother to see Empress Dowager Huayang.

However, it is known that the brothers Changping Jun and Changwen Jun had a very good relationship.

According to intelligence reports, the wife whom Changping Jun married through proper channels was a member of the Qin royal family. It is said that she was dissatisfied with Changwen Jun's long stay in the mansion and often made sarcastic remarks towards him.

Upon hearing this, Lord Changping immediately wanted to divorce his wife. His wife pleaded with him many times, and even asked the King of Qin to send someone to mediate, but to no avail. It was only when the Queen Dowager Huayang intervened that Lord Changping was finally able to stop his wife from divorcing him.

Because of this incident, a rift developed between Changwenjun and his sister-in-law, and they became somewhat at odds.

This incident caused a great deal of discussion in Xianyang at the time, and generated many rumors.

The matter was not resolved until after Mi Lian was born, when Changwen Jun, through the earnest plea of ​​his elder brother Changping Jun, forgave his sister-in-law.

Cao Ze recalled the secret recorded in the intelligence report and inexplicably thought of Wu Dalang and Wu Erlang.

Could this be another case of a sister-in-law failing to seduce her brother... cough cough...

Cao Ze thought to himself how despicable he was, wondering when he had become so dark and twisted...

Chang Wenjun cupped his hands and said, "Please forgive me, my elder brother has something to attend to and will come later. I will accompany you to drink and enjoy the lake in the meantime."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "It's alright, Your Majesty, please take a seat."

Chang Wenjun nodded slightly, his manner as decisive and efficient as that of a江湖人 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world). Without much small talk or pleasantries, he immediately took his seat.

He clapped his hands and said, "My brother has arranged for singers and dancers; please enjoy them first."

He was not good with words and followed his elder brother's arrangements.

Cao Ze looked at Chang Wenjun's solemn and dignified face and knew that he was an extremely ambitious, opinionated, and well-mannered person.

He had only seen it in Fu Nian, the acting leader of the Confucian school.

In the words of the I Ching, it is like "A gentleman is cautious even when alone, and does not deceive himself in the dark" and "A gentleman is constantly diligent and vigilant, and is always cautious and apprehensive, and thus avoids blame."

Interesting... I never expected Changping-kun to be this kind of person.

A soft tinkling of jade pendants rang out as a dozen or so young women entered the hall one after another.

They were dressed in bright and cheerful clothes. Each of them was not only beautiful with bright eyes and white teeth, but also had radiant skin. They possessed the best youthful beauty of their age, making them dazzling to behold.

Cao Ze sighed softly, for he could see the whole picture from a single glimpse.

It should be noted that Lord Changping, as a high-ranking nobleman, was considered one of the less extravagant and wasteful among nobles.

This makes the corruption of those great nobles all the more shocking.

The number of concubines he kept alone was said to be in the hundreds, used either to entertain guests or for lavish banquets.

These noble families may appear inconspicuous in the court, and there may not even be many high-ranking officials or dignitaries in their clans, but they actually have a real influence on all aspects of the country.

This is also why the reforms of the Seven Kingdoms were mostly unsustainable.

The most representative of these were the three families of Qu, Jing, and Zhao in the State of Chu.

It is unknown how many reforms the State of Chu attempted, but were nipped in the bud by the three families.

It's no wonder that Chu Nan Gong said, "Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin."

In his view, this statement was more like a footnote to the reason why the State of Chu perished.

Cao Ze paid little attention to the dancers, secretly pondering how to guide the Qin state onto the path he envisioned.

The path he chose was undoubtedly digging up the graves and roots of the Qin nobility.

He did not believe that all nobles were fools; there were many intelligent people like Zhang Liang.

When he proposes reforms, even those that benefit these nobles, they may very well be met with resistance.

The most crucial factor was actually Ying Zheng's attitude, or rather, the attitude of the great nobles that Ying Zheng represented.

As the saying goes, in feudal dynasties, the emperor was the biggest landowner.

If Ying Zheng opposes it, he can do nothing in the Qin state.

Cao Ze felt increasingly troubled as he thought about it.

No wonder there have been so few people in history who remained untainted by the mud and refused to compromise their integrity.

Only when you're in that position do you realize how difficult it is to do something well.

Not to mention that he didn't just want to do a little better, but to take one step, two steps, even three or four steps, and run into...

"Ok?"

Cao Ze suddenly felt like he was being pricked by a thorn in his side.

He suddenly raised his head and saw Chang Wenjun's eyes flash like lightning, and a trace of sword intent emanated from his body.

He's at least a half-step Grandmaster... Cao Ze judged instantly.

However, when he followed Chang Wenjun's gaze, he was stunned.

Among the dancers appeared a familiar, charming young girl—Mi Lian.

……

Chapter 447 Little Scoundrel

A clear and melodious zither sound arose, its music gentle and graceful, calm and elegant, soothing and ethereal.

The delicate and beautiful Qin Ji sat on the side of the hall, her hands gently caressing the zither.

Cao Ze recognized the music as Taoist chanting, and the piece was likely "White Crane Flying".

With bright eyes and white teeth, and exquisite features, Mi Lian wore a white dance costume, looking like a fairy descended to earth, as radiant as the bright moon.

She was slightly nervous, her delicate face flushed.

She didn't know what she was thinking, but when she bumped into the singers and dancers who were going to perform and dance, she had the idea of ​​showing off in the hall.

Chang Wenjun's furrowed brows remained furrowed.

This niece is becoming increasingly unruly. On such an occasion, it would be one thing if she didn't sit in the seat of honor to entertain guests, but instead she's acting like a dancer.