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

Just as Cao Ze was about to find a breakthrough by talking to the little girl, the door to the room was opened.

Hua Ying still wore a white veil, but compared to her previous charm, her current temperament was as cold as ice, though her brows still carried a hint of innate flirtatiousness.

"Qingruo, come out."

Hua Ying's voice was cold, but she smiled at Cao Ze and said, "I apologize for being so abrupt, sir. I will punish this girl when we get back."

She was mindful of Cao Ze's identity, so she didn't go far. She turned back halfway, but as soon as she got close, she heard Qing Ruo foolishly "betray" her.

She secretly rejoiced that she had come back to take a look; otherwise, given Cao Ze's abilities as she knew them, he could have made Qing Ru spill everything in no time, exposing her secrets.

Qingruo was puzzled as to why Sister Huaying was reacting so strongly. She had reacted the same way before, but she had never seen Sister Huaying react like this.

But she still obediently left.

Cao Ze grinned; Hua Ying was quite wary.

However, he also realized that Hua Ying was just a woman who was good at social niceties.

The fawning smiles and sweet words just now were purely for the sake of money.

In reality, they weren't upset at all.

Essentially, she's no different from the fairy-like girl of later generations who entertains the anime and manga community with role-playing while secretly practicing martial arts.

One is business, the other is life; they keep them very separate.

……

Cao Ze left Zuimenglou. He didn't have the habit of fawning over someone who wouldn't listen, nor did he have the habit of throwing money around.

He still has important things to do.

As for the flower shadows, there's plenty of time.

He already had some guesses in his mind; Huaying was very likely already connected with the farmers.

The grass beads that Qingruo wore on her wrist just now looked almost exactly like the grass beads from the farmhouse.

He probably wouldn't believe it was a coincidence.

……

After Cao Ze left, the little girl Qingruo chased after Huaying and asked her questions.

"Sister Huaying, didn't you say he was very important? Are you just going to let him go like that?"

"Play hard to get, be cold before you're hot, men are all the same, give him the cold shoulder for a few days!"

Hua Ying's eyes, which held a touch of flirtatious charm, gleamed with wisdom.

She believed that Cao Ze had seen her on the street and was attracted to her.

That's why they rushed over to inquire as soon as they arrived in the capital of Chu.

She just felt it was too low.

Moreover, after Cao Ze expressed his need for her with money, she had already given him a low score in her mind. No matter how high Cao Ze's position and how talented he was, he still needed women and was after her beauty. He had no attraction at all.

However, Qingruo did not have this thought. After listening to Sister Huaying's story about Mr. Cao Ze, she felt that she was "out of reach" of Cao Ze and that Cao Ze's charm was overwhelming.

I don't understand Sister Huaying's mentality at all.

"Then... what if you don't come to Drunken Dream Pavilion anymore, sir?"

Qingruo keenly realized that everything Sister Huaying said was based on the premise that Cao Ze really wanted Sister Huaying's body.

Hua Ying was taken aback, then immediately began to speak eloquently.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Everything proves that Cao Ze has designs on her. How could a man like Cao Ze be willing to give up such a talented and beautiful woman because of a little setback!

Absolutely impossible!

……

Chapter 522 Dual Cultivation with Nian Duan

That night.

Inside the Chu Du Hotel, the candlelight flickered red.

Duanmu Rong gripped the thick, hard pen tightly, gritting her teeth and frowning.

Nian Duan stood to the side, watching his disciple's lifeless expression, yet also his desire to devour the thing in front of him whole, and smiled helplessly.

"Rong'er, if it's really not possible, don't force yourself. You can do it another day. The master isn't in a hurry."

"No way!" Duanmu Rong retorted loudly, almost instinctively.

After realizing what was happening, Duanmu Rong muttered softly, "It concerns Master's life; I can't not write it..."

After she finished speaking, she took a deep breath and wrote the words "To be opened by Ehuang" on the envelope.

Then he began writing on the letter paper, asking Ehuang to make a trip and bring over the more than one hundred letters she had hidden in the room.

Ehuang was a woman she had picked up not long ago while gathering herbs in Taihu Lake. She was very beautiful and seemed to be very powerful.

Unfortunately, she lost her memory, and her internal energy was in a state of chaos. Apart from remembering that her name was Ehuang, she remembered nothing else.

So she had no choice but to take Ehuang back to Jinghu Medical Clinic to prevent her from dying outside.

As for how he knew that Ehuang was very strong, it was his master who said that Ehuang's internal strength far exceeded his. As for the specific strength, even his master couldn't explain it. So he had to place her in Mirror Lake Medical Manor to recuperate and slowly sort out the chaotic internal strength in her body, which was like a battlefield.

After Duanmu Rong finished writing, she let out a long breath, and before she knew it, her fair and smooth forehead was covered in fragrant sweat.

Even though it's the dead of winter, I'm sweating with nervousness.

This made Nian Duan feel a surge of pity, and she took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her silly disciple.

"Okay, go to sleep."

Duanmu Rong put the letter away and chuckled, "That guy has nothing to say now. If he doesn't cure Master, I'll have Ehuang beat him up!"

She was very confident in Ehuang's strength; even her master had said that she was no match for her.

Nian Duan couldn't help but smile, as if he remembered something, and instructed his good disciple, "Don't let Ehuang act recklessly."

She felt that Ehuang must have a very important background, and her inner strength, which was comparable to a vast ocean, truly shocked her.

At least a grandmaster, or perhaps even a legendary celestial being.

Therefore, she had the idea of ​​forming a good relationship, just like the traditional way of life for doctors in the past—to make many good connections.

However, one question lingered in her mind.

Ehuang's body seems somewhat different from that of ordinary people; it's unclear whether this is a characteristic of someone with a high level of cultivation and great strength.

……

One night passed.

Cao Ze sent someone to deliver a visiting card to the Qu family's residence, indicating that he would visit them in three days.

Unlike later generations, in this era, nobles could not easily visit each other if they did not know each other. They had to send a visiting card or invitation through a third party to show their sincerity.

If the host agrees, he will reply with his consent and welcome the guest with the courtesy due to a guest, saying, "The deer cry 'youyou,' eating the wild apples. I have a guest, playing the zither and blowing the sheng."

Not long after Cao Ze's visiting card was delivered to the Qu family, Huang Xie, who was in the Ling Yin's residence, received the news.

Since Empress Dowager Huayang and Lord Chang'an Chengjiao entered the Chu capital yesterday, everyone from the Qin state has been placed under Chu's surveillance.

As the third person on this mission, Cao Ze naturally received extra attention.

Even when Huaying went to Zuimenglou to listen to music yesterday, she was questioned.

"Cao Ze has just arrived in the capital and has already sent a visiting card and name card to the Qu family. What does Lord Li think of this?"

Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie, who had served as the Prime Minister of Chu for more than 20 years, had gray hair and half-closed his eyes, as if he were dozing off.

Li Yuan was in his prime. His status rose as his sister Li Huan became queen. Although his rank was not high, he was very powerful because he was deeply trusted by the King of Chu.

Even the Prime Minister Huang Xie could not ignore Li Yuan, and had always tolerated Li Yuan's arrogance and disrespect in court.

Of course, there are some old stories involved.

Once it is revealed that Xiong Han, who has now been made crown prince, is not the biological son of the King of Chu, not only will Li Yuan and Li Huan, the siblings, die without a burial place, but Lord Chunshen Huang Xie, as the apparent mastermind, will also be torn apart by five horses.

The Jing and Qu families have been keeping an eye on them.

Therefore, Huang Xie and Li Yuan are now in the same boat.

However, Li Yuan, who was arrogant by nature and obsequious at first but humble later, was a true villain. He distrusted Huang Xie extremely and was always thinking about how to get rid of Huang Xie without anyone knowing so as to silence him.

He originally planned to use the infamous assassins of Qin's Luo Wang to find an opportunity to kill Huang Xie, but for some reason, Lü Buwei fled to Zhao in the middle of the year, causing a major upheaval within Luo Wang. His original plans came to an abrupt end, directly extinguishing his idea of ​​using Luo Wang assassins to kill Huang Xie.

They had no choice but to secretly recruit desperate criminals and martial arts masters.

When Li Yuan heard Huang Xie ask him for his opinion on Cao Ze, Li Yuan urged, "Lord Magistrate, this boy is definitely up to no good and has ulterior motives. Why not find an opportunity to arrest him and torture him severely to make him confess whether he is colluding with the Qu family to plot a rebellion!"

Huang Xie shook his head and said, "No, no, Cao Ze is visiting openly. How can we arrest him so easily? Now that the King of Chu is seriously ill and the situation is bleak, we must not allow the Qu, Jing, Zhao and their families to get involved in the affairs of the capital."

Li Yuan was not discouraged. If Huang Xie had been easily outmaneuvered by him, he wouldn't have had such a headache about how to get rid of Huang Xie.

"So, according to the Prime Minister's opinion?"

Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie, said, "Just observe quietly."

He thought of something else. During this period, the King of Chu had secretly summoned Grand Minister of Works Xiang Yan several times. He vaguely felt that this matter was not simple. It did not seem like the actions of a king before his death. It seemed more like there was a special arrangement, or even a hint of entrusting his son to someone else.

Then the problem is coming.

If one were to entrust their child to another, who would be more suitable than oneself?

It should be noted that even Li Yuan, due to his status as a relative of the emperor, would not be entrusted with the care of the young king by the King of Chu.

Huang Xie opened his sleepy old eyes.

I'm getting old; I can't think deeply and thoroughly for long periods anymore.

After leaving the magistrate's residence, Li Yuan paused for a moment before heading towards the royal palace.

The King of Chu is seriously ill and may not live past this winter. Some things should be prepared.

For example, when the King of Chu was dying, Huang Xie was summoned to the palace and hacked to death.