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

It's unbelievable that even after being expelled from Qin, Lü Buwei still has the ability to cause trouble.

After a thorough investigation lasting half a month, the "good story" of Zhao Chancellor Lü Buwei and Qi Chancellor Hou Sheng naturally spread throughout the treacherous Three Jin states.

The main point is that it wasn't that we, the three Jin states, really wanted to destroy the Qi state; it was actually the Qi king's uncle, the Qi state's prime minister, who was incredibly capable!

Cheng Jiao scratched his head, "No wonder I was so nervous the whole way here. I thought something was going to happen to us, but I didn't expect..."

He was truly on edge the whole way, and when he encountered a group of over a hundred thieves, he assumed they were elite troops from an enemy country in disguise. It wasn't until Zhang Han led a dozen or so men to wipe out the entire thief group as easily as cutting melons and vegetables that he was truly certain that they really were a group of thieves.

Cao Ze put down the intelligence and wasn't too worried.

Although the Qin state seemed to be suffering setbacks, it was merely losing soldiers and generals, which did not have much impact on the overall situation.

However, the Zheng Guo Canal is different. If the Zheng Guo Canal were to break down, it would be comparable to the Qin state directly losing 100,000 elite troops, shaking the foundation of the state, and in the worst case, it could become the catalyst for the destruction of the state.

Therefore, even though he did not meet Ying Zheng, he knew that Ying Zheng would pay more attention to the Zheng Guo Canal.

Even if it doesn't eliminate Lord Changping, the priority should still be ensuring the integrity of the Zheng Guo Canal.

……

After a light snowfall overnight, Shouchun and Yingdu seemed to have undergone a transformation.

It was as if draped in a layer of snow veil, hazy and indistinct.

The ancient capital of Yingdu was filled with jubilation.

Bugles sounded everywhere, and drums beat frequently.

At the city gate, banners obscured the sky, and crowds surged.

The thin layer of snow on the main street leading to the Chu King's palace had been cleared away, and the road was paved with yellow earth. The Chu soldiers' armor was polished to a shine, and their banners were bright, guarding both sides of the wide street.

The day before Cao Ze and his group entered the city, they informed the State of Chu in the name of the Qin delegation.

The King of Chu, who had known for months that his younger sister was coming, insisted on getting up despite his serious illness when he learned that the Qin envoy had entered the city.

To demonstrate the majesty of the Qin state, Zhang Han led his guards to clear the way and escorted the Empress Dowager Huayang's carriage toward the Chu King's palace.

As Cheng Jiao rode his precious horse, he couldn't help but complain, "This is ridiculous! We're almost in the capital of Chu, and now it's snowing..."

He was afraid of snow all the way, but luckily, apart from the freezing cold, it didn't snow.

Who knew that it would snow in the Chu Kingdom to the south? He was speechless.

Cao Ze remained silent, instead looking towards a certain direction in the east with some confusion.

"This aura seems somewhat familiar..."

Cao Ze muttered to himself.

He initially thought it was Consort Yan who had come to the State of Chu to find Duke Chu Nan, but after careful examination, he realized that it was not Consort Yan's aura.

"Brother Cao, what are you looking at?"

"nothing……"

Just as Cao Ze was about to look away, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a rather familiar woman out of the corner of his eye.

The woman was dressed in red, with an oval face, peach blossom eyes, and a thin veil covering her face.

Judging solely from her demeanor, she possesses a cool and aloof air, much like Jing Ni.

But if you look closely at her face, you will find that she has a beautiful face. Even though she is not smiling and is as cold as ice, her pair of bright and beautiful eyes, like almonds with spring in them, soften her cold temperament and make her naturally charming and flirtatious, just like an ordinary courtesan.

Such a contrast left a deep impression on Cao Ze when he first met Hua Ying.

She's quite different from the Hua Ying he remembered from the original novel—a charming, smiling, and graceful dancer.

“Hehe…” Cheng Jiao followed Cao Ze’s gaze and saw the masked Hua Ying as well. He couldn’t help but laugh loudly, “Brother Cao, I believe you this time. You really have a pair of eyes that are good at discovering beauty. You can see such a beauty in the vast crowd.”

Cao Ze smiled helplessly and withdrew his gaze from examining Hua Ying.

He just saw an acquaintance, his wife, whose folder number was 018.

Hua Ying, with her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, stood on both sides of the street watching the Qin envoy enter the city. Who was that man? Why did he look so familiar? It seemed like I had seen a similar portrait in the Shennong Hall's intelligence.

Hua Ying couldn't remember clearly, so she simply stopped thinking about it and turned to leave.

She had to continue setting up Shennongtang's base in Yingdu; there was no time to waste.

But when Hua Ying thought of her own identity and her subordinate who was a centurion in the Shadow Tiger Legion, she sighed softly.

I hope my younger brother doesn't find out that I didn't lose all my money in business, but rather that I'm working for farmers...

……

Chapter 519 Duanmu Rong, who was completely stunned

Empress Dowager Huayang met King Xiong Yuan of Chu in a simple, classical, quiet and peaceful room.

Looking at her brother, whose face was sallow and who looked withered, she burst into tears and said, "Back then, I shouldn't have helped you leave Qin..."

Xiong Yuan looked at his younger sister, opened his mouth, hesitated for a few moments, and found that he couldn't say anything.

The two remained silent, looking at each other in awkward silence.

……

Inside the Chu King's palace, Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao strolled around, accompanied by palace servants.

Empress Dowager Huayang barely spoke a word to them along the way. Upon arriving at the Chu King's palace, she abandoned them and went to see the Chu King alone.

This infuriated Cheng Jiao, but he couldn't say anything.

"If you ask me, we should just go back to Xianyang."

Cheng Jiao muttered.

If Empress Dowager Huayang were his own grandmother, he would treat her like a grandson without hesitation.

Cao Ze yawned and said, "You're the boss, I'm fine with it."

Cheng Jiao's face fell, and he grumbled, "Then forget it."

If he were to abandon Empress Dowager Huayang in the State of Chu, aside from anything else, his brother, who is currently furious, would most likely skin him alive.

Under the winter sun, the scenery is bleak, with withered branches and fallen lotus leaves.

Cao Ze was not a follower of the pathos of life and could not appreciate the beauty of death. Bored out of his mind, he was about to abandon Cheng Jiao and run away to find some amusement outside the palace when a beautiful woman and a young girl, one tall and one short, came toward them.

The larger one was a voluptuous and beautiful woman, like a sickly beauty.

The younger one was a beautiful little girl with bright eyes, white teeth, and delicate eyebrows.

“…Cao Ze?”

Duanmu Rong looked at Cao Ze with surprise. She never expected to meet him in the Chu King's palace.

Cao Ze certainly saw Duanmu Rong.

However, compared to the ponytail girl of two or three years ago, Duanmu Rong has now grown into a beautiful young woman, even more graceful and elegant, with the air of a stunning beauty.

"Master Nianduan".

Cao Ze first bowed to Nian Duan, then winked at Duanmu Rong, "Long time no see."

Duanmu Rong snorted coldly, curled her lips, turned her head away, and ignored Cao Ze, showing no kindness whatsoever.

This left Cao Ze puzzled. He didn't think he had offended Duanmu Rong, did he?

When we parted ways in Puyang, I had hoped to visit Jinghu Medical Clinic.

Cheng Jiao, who was initially filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Cao Ze's humiliation.

"Ahem..." Nian Duan said calmly, "Rong'er, don't be rude."

Duanmu Rong gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Nian Duan said helplessly, "Please forgive me, sir. Rong'er meant no harm."

She paused, then said, "I haven't yet thanked you for the method of using alcohol that you gave me back then, especially for treating external injuries. Compared to the ancient method of adding wood ash and boiling the knife and cloth in water, it is so much more convenient."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "This method is nothing more than dispensable knowledge in my hands, but in the hands of a master, it can benefit all people. Master, you don't need to thank me."

The medical family may seem small, consisting of only a few cats and dogs at Jinghu Medical Manor, but only those who know them well know that as many as 70% of the world's famous doctors come from this family.

Many of the imperial physicians in the palaces of various countries became imperial physicians after studying medicine at medical schools.

It is a sacred place for physicians throughout the world, and the medical books and classics produced there can be passed on to physicians throughout the world in less than half a year.

With this thought in mind, Cao Ze said, "I will be staying in Yingdu for the next few months. Since I have nothing to do, I would like to compile some of my medical knowledge into a book. I wonder if Master Nian Duan could help me proofread it? This book can be given to physicians."

"A doctor's heart is benevolent," Nian Duan said happily, "I would gladly die for whatever you ask of me!"

"Teacher!" Duanmu Rong said worriedly, "Your health..."

“It’s alright…” Nian Duan said, “My fate has not yet come, and Heaven does not want me to die.”

Nian Duan paused, glanced at Cao Ze, and said to Duanmu Rong, "Rong'er, you accompany Mr. Cao Ze to tour the palace. I will go and treat the King of Chu first."

"Ah, this..."

Duanmu Rong was bewildered by the wind, but by the time she wanted to refuse, Nian Duan had already walked more than ten steps away.

Even if Nian Duan's soul dissipated due to breaking through to the Grandmaster level, he was still a Grandmaster, and he could instantly dart out more than ten meters as if taking a stroll.

Cao Ze knew what Nian Duan meant by this move; it seemed she wanted to give herself and Duanmu Rong some space to ease the conflict that he was unaware of.

All he could say was that Master Nian Duan was truly kind and trusted him implicitly.

Cao Ze gave Cheng Jiao a wink, and Cheng Jiao immediately understood, chuckling and saying, "Brother Cao, I have something to do, I'll be going now."

Duanmu Rong's eyes widened. She wasn't blind; how could she not see that Chang'an Jun Chengjiao had deliberately left under Cao Ze's orders?

Cao Ze waved his hand, signaling the palace servants behind him to keep their distance.

He smiled and said to Duanmu Rong, "Miss Rong, can you tell me now why you dislike me so much?"

"I remember, I didn't offend Miss Rong."

He asked it directly.

Even his master's wife, Master Nian Duan, was on his side, so he didn't need to play any more roundabout tricks.

Duanmu Rong crossed her arms, looking somewhat nervous.