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

In other words, it was a private banquet. If it were a large banquet, Mi Lian's abrupt actions would have made her brother lose face, and if not handled properly, it would be a stain on his future marriage.

Tian Guang showed no expression, only glancing at Tian Mi, who was kneeling right next to Cao Ze.

Tian Mi gritted her teeth, cursing Mi Lian in her heart for being such a slut at such a young age, knowing how to seduce men, destined to be a prostitute in a brothel!

After a brief moment of surprise, Cao Ze stopped thinking about the future. Whatever he wanted to do in the future, his first priority was to clear away the obstacles in front of him.

Instead of thinking about all that nonsense, let's first turn this huge bombshell of Changping Jun into a dud.

With this in mind, Cao Ze was at ease to enjoy the dance.

Mi Lian overcame her initial tension to the soothing music, then put her sleeves in front of her face, straightened her body, and assumed a dancing posture.

At this moment, she stood tall and graceful, with an elegant and charming figure.

As the music played, she slowly parted her plain white sleeves, revealing her delicate face.

Then she raised her hand, and her long sleeves rose into the air like white ribbons, resembling a white crane about to take flight.

Tian Mi grew angrier the more she looked. This little girl was so pure-looking, and her dancing was so holy, making Tian Mi, who was clinging to Cao Ze, look like a country bumpkin.

If someone so young can have such malicious intentions, what will they be like in the future?!

Whatever you do, don't let her get her hands on, or she'll turn that little slut into a whore!

Cao Ze was unaware that Tian Mi, who was beside him, was so jealous of Mi Lian that she was about to burst.

He watched Mi Lian dance with great interest.

Compared to the Snow Maiden, Mi Lian's dance moves were awkward yet unique.

Mi Lian spun around, her snow-white sleeves fluttering around her body, her slender waist, so delicate it seemed impossible to grasp, swayed like a willow in the spring breeze.

Mi Lian's dance was elegant and captivating, a pure yet youthful beauty that was absolutely stunning.

Suddenly, she lifted her dancing sleeve, revealing a flawless face and sparkling eyes, secretly glancing at Cao Ze with gentle, affectionate eyes.

Cao Ze's senses were incredibly sharp. Even though Mi Lian only caught a glimpse of him, he still noticed her and naturally exchanged a glance with her.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Even Changwenjun, who had reached the level of a grandmaster, did not expect that his niece would make such an ambiguous move with Cao Ze on the spot.

Tian Mi seemed to sense something was amiss, because Mi Lian blushed.

Everything happened too fast. She only had a slight suspicion before Mi Lian had already avoided Cao Ze's gaze. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and gracefully moved backward. In an instant, she threw her sleeves forward. The dancing sleeves, like a white dragon rolling in the waves, immediately obscured Cao Ze and Tian Mi's view and perfectly showcased Mi Lian's slender and graceful figure.

"color!"

Cao Ze clapped his hands and gave a light shout, and Mi Lian spun around even more nimbly.

Tian Mi was extremely jealous and subconsciously touched the hidden weapon pipe tucked into her waistband, then her whole body froze.

She's just a second-rate expert; if she were to use tricks to embarrass Mi Lian in this situation, she'd probably be the first to suffer.

Tian Mi felt indignant. "You, Mi Lian, have a father who is a marquis and a prime minister. You are a noble lady, yet you still try to steal my man. You are shameless!"

Why should you get all the benefits?!

Tian Mi became even more determined to win over Cao Ze.

After the dance ended, Mi Lian glanced at Cao Ze and reluctantly left the stage.

She has already pushed herself to the limit with her audacity to this extent.

She was terrified that her stern second uncle would lose his temper on the spot.

Cao Ze sat upright, not daring to meet Mi Lian's gaze.

He felt a faint pressure; the way Chang Wenjun was looking at him was really...

Chang Wenjun calmed himself down and said, "Let the music continue, let the dance continue."

His elder brother has not yet returned, so he needs to take charge.

In Zhangtai Palace, Lord Changping, the rightful ruler, was in Ying Zheng's study.

"Your Majesty, this is all the evidence and clues I have been able to find these past few days."

"The relevant individuals have been taken into custody and are being held in prison."

The more Ying Zheng read the documents presented by Lord Changping, the deeper his brows furrowed.

"How dare those nobles in Jingyang, Guanzhong, act like this?! They are gnawing away at the very foundation of the Qin state!"

Changping-jun's eyes were lowered.

He didn't expect to find these things while investigating the disaster situation.

All the grain and fodder intended for disaster relief by the imperial court were taken by the Qian family, a powerful noble family in Jingyang, and resold at high prices.

After draining the people of Jingyang of their hard-earned money, they would present various contracts and have the people of Jingyang sign them to settle their debts in exchange for money and grain.

Almost the entire Jingyang area has become the private property of the Qian family.

If he hadn't personally handled this matter, he probably would have been kept in the dark as well.

However, for him, this was not a bad thing.

After reading the document, Ying Zheng could no longer contain his anger. With a wave of his sleeve, he swept all the bamboo slips on the table to the ground.

"Ten days ago, the garrison of Jingyang reported that they had quelled three rebel forces and submitted a memorial requesting credit. These rebel forces were those disaster victims, right?"

After Ying Zheng finished speaking, his breathing became rapid.

He was quite adept at deceiving his superiors and subordinates, and at the time he was very pleased, personally writing an imperial edict to reward the garrison of Jingyang.

This is practically slapping him in the face!

Lord Changping bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty. According to their confession, the disaster victims could not bear the torment and rushed into the granary of the Qian family mansion. They were then surrounded and killed by the Jingyang garrison for the crime of robbing innocent civilians."

"A law-abiding citizen? Hah, what a great law-abiding citizen!"

Ying Zheng laughed in fury, "Immediately, the Qian family of Jingyang shall be beheaded in the marketplace, and their entire clan shall be exterminated, as a warning to others!"

Lord Changping did not expect that Ying Zheng would be so ruthless, exterminating three generations of his family instead of simply confiscating their property and exterminating the clan.

"Your Majesty, isn't this going too far? The court is in a state of panic due to the purge of Lü Buwei's remaining followers. Such a large-scale military operation at this time may invite criticism."

"In my opinion, it would be better to confiscate the Qian family's property, arrest the head of the family and other masterminds, and dump their bodies in the marketplace."

He wasn't sympathizing with the Qian family, but as a fellow noble, he didn't think the Qian family had done anything too outrageous. They had only embezzled some things, taking some land and people. Their crime didn't warrant the death of the whole family, let alone the extermination of their entire clan.

Ying Zheng sneered, "The entire Qian family has benefited, yet only the head of the family and the mastermind were killed, while their 'orphans and widows' continue to enjoy their good fortune and oppress the people of Jingyang?"

He wasn't unfamiliar with life at the bottom; back in Handan, he witnessed firsthand how arrogant the sons of the wealthy and powerful families were.

Even a servant dares to forcibly abduct women in the street and arbitrarily decide the life or death of an ordinary person.

Not to mention the sons of these great noble families?

They simply ate cleanly and elegantly, leaving the dirty work to the servants.

But that doesn't hide the fact that they are the biggest culprits.

Perhaps some of them were wronged, but that did not shake his resolve to exterminate their entire clan.

Lord Changping remained silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is right."

Ying Zheng rested his arm on the table. "Does the Prime Minister have anything else to discuss?"

He was in a bad mood and wanted to be alone.

Lord Changping understood Ying Zheng's intention to see him out, but his whirlwind trip to the palace today was not to ask Ying Zheng how to deal with the Qian family.

"Your Majesty, there is another matter that I find very difficult to resolve, and I do not know how to decide on it."

"Speak," Ying Zheng said calmly, his tone suppressing his anger.

Changping Jun said, "According to my investigation, Zheng Guo, the main contractor of Zheng Guo Canal, had many dealings with the Qian family during this period. At that time, Zheng Guo Canal was also in a period of labor turmoil. I dare not draw any conclusions lightly."

Zheng Guo is both very important and very unimportant to the Qin state now.

The important thing is that Zheng Guo Canal was planned and overseen by him personally, and it has been under construction for nearly eight years.

At such a critical juncture, if it were revealed that Zheng was harboring a secret plot, it would be enough to destabilize the Qin state.

The Qin state had already poured countless amounts of money, grain, and labor into the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal, so it was a case of "success is the only option, failure is not an option."

Upon hearing Changping Jun's words, Ying Zheng immediately asked, "Why do you come and go? What is the purpose of your visits?"

Zheng Guo, who was sent by the state of Han, was able to stay in Qin and oversee the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal, a project that required a lot of manpower and resources. This was all due to the national policy decided by Lü Buwei, the prime minister at the time, who overruled the objections of others.

He was in a sensitive period of eliminating Lü Buwei's cronies, so he couldn't help but think about it.

Lord Changping said, “Because of the special nature of the State of Zheng, I did not easily control or interrogate him. I could only rely on some clues to find that this disaster may be related to him.”

How could Ying Zheng not sense that Lord Changping was biased towards the corrupt state of Zheng?

He pondered for a moment and said, "The construction of the Zheng Guo Canal is a major national undertaking and cannot be easily stopped."

"Does Li Erlang, the Waterway Manager, have any explanation?"

Li Erlang was a descendant of Li Bing, the prefect who built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. He was later transferred to the imperial court to serve as the Director of Water Conservancy, and was responsible for supervising Zheng Guo during the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal.

Lord Changping cupped his hands and said, "I have already inquired, and Li Erlang was unaware of the situation. At the time of the disaster, he was organizing manpower for disaster relief and comforting the laborers."

Ying Zheng hesitated for a moment, then, remembering how the Qian family of Jingyang had deceived him, he said, "Cao Ze has just been appointed Imperial Censor and is responsible for supervising all officials, so let him go to Jingyang."

"Now that there are trivial matters in Xianyang, I implore Your Excellency to take good care of them."

Lord Changping paused slightly, then said, "Your subject obeys."

Unexpectedly, Ying Zheng, at such a young age, already knew the art of balance.

Under normal circumstances, he should have gone to investigate the State of Zheng, while Cao Ze stayed in Xianyang to eliminate Lü Buwei's cronies.

However, Ying Zheng did the opposite, leaving Cao Ze in Xianyang and sending him to Jingyang County, a hundred miles away.

It is clear that Ying Zheng did not trust either him or Cao Ze.

Lord Changping walked out of the Qin Palace and sighed softly.

One can't help but marvel at the good fortune of the Qin state, which produced an emperor like Ying Zheng, who seemed almost born to rule.

Half an incense stick later, Lord Changping returned to his residence and happened to run into Mi Lian, who was walking out with the dancers after the dance.

"Lian'er".

Mi Lian was lost in thought when she suddenly saw her father, and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest in fright.