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

For a man like him who has tasted all sorts of exquisite delicacies, it's natural that he looks down on them.

It would be better to conserve energy and prepare for the battle against the giant salamander and Duanmu Rongnian and her master.

Before Cao Ze could even speak, he was embraced by Qianrong and Wanyu on either side, who said sweetly and affectionately, "My lord, let's go inside."

They were bought by the Qu family at a very young age and raised from childhood.

Nominally a concubine, but in reality, she was just a tool to accompany distinguished guests for meals, drinks, and sleep.

Cao Ze looked at Qu Chen, who gave him a knowing smile, turned around and left, clearly already quite adept at handling this situation.

Good grief, should I go for it or not?

Inside the room, Cao Ze looked at his two very proactive concubines and was still somewhat unaccustomed to the fashion of this era.

It should be noted that, nominally, these two concubines could be considered Qu Chen's nominal mistresses.

In other words, this is...

Cao Ze watched helplessly as Qu Chen's two concubines undressed half-naked, watched as Qu Chen's two young wives chatted and laughed as they carried him to the bed, and watched as two alluring young beauties began to grope him...

Since things have come to this, let's eat first.

As Cao Zexuan began to eat, whispers rang out from a room in the Qu family mansion, frequently mentioning words such as "Cao Ze," "Qin State," "Qin, Chu, and Jin," and "Jing and Zhao Clan."

The sounds were somewhat chaotic, indicating that there were quite a few people.

Right outside the house, a mysterious figure dressed in black was eavesdropping, holding her breath. Judging from her shapely figure, she was definitely a woman.

"...I agree to form an alliance between Qin and Chu. The Jing and Zhao clans have already secretly communicated with the Three Jin states. Our Qu clan has no choice but to make a decision."

“The clan chief is right! The Jing and Zhao clans have always resented the Qu clan for receiving the king’s favor. If the King of Chu dies, they will surely make a comeback and cause trouble for us.”

"I agree!"

"I agree……"

Qu Chen glanced around at his retainers and clansmen in the room and said slowly, "In that case, we should continue to cultivate good relations with this Qin State Imperial Censor."

The reason why the King of Qin did not choose Cheng Jiao, the Lord of Chang'an, was not because Cheng Jiao's maternal clan was from Han, but also because Cheng Jiao did not visit them in person like Cao Ze. It was clear that the King of Qin had sent Cao Ze to visit them in the Chu capital.

"Clan leader, I heard that this Imperial Censor Cao Ze is interested in the proprietress of Zui Meng Lou, the dancer Hua Ying from today. Why don't we send someone to tie Hua Ying up and hand her over to Cao Ze?"

The woman outside the house narrowed her eyes and almost lost her composure.

“No! Ji Bu, Hua Ying’s younger brother, has just taken over as commander of the Shadow Tiger Legion. Doing this would easily offend Xiang Yan.”

"That's easy. Our clan leader is the 'Great Mo Xiao' of Chu. We can just find a charge to put Ji Bu in jail. Why would Xiang Yan offend our Qu clan because of a mere centurion!"

"That makes sense! I'll send in assassins tomorrow!"

As a high-ranking nobleman in the State of Chu, he was adept at using framing and slander against those with some influence, and his methods were almost guaranteed to succeed.

Oh no… Hua Ying thought to herself, thankful that she had chosen to gather intelligence tonight, otherwise her little brother would have been in grave danger!

Lost in thought, she tried to contact her younger brother to seek safety as soon as possible. Inadvertently, she made a small noise, which was particularly noticeable in the quiet night.

"Who goes there!"

"Guards, catch the thief!"

……

A series of startled shouts erupted, instantly plunging the entire mansion into chaos.

Cao Ze had just finished his work when he saw smoke and noise suddenly erupting in the Qu family mansion, and he instantly recalled the scenes from movies and anime he had watched in the past.

Damn it!

Could it be that Qu killed him?

"Boom, boom, boom..."

A rapid knocking sounded at the door.

A strong, resonant voice said, "Imperial Censor Cao, a thief has broken into the mansion. I am truly sorry."

Cao Ze said from inside the house, "It's alright, just don't let the thief get away."

The Qu clan members outside paused for a moment, then said, "Good!"

The clan chief guessed that the thief might be Cao Ze, since Cao Ze was the only outsider in the mansion tonight, so he immediately sent someone to confirm whether Cao Ze was inside the house.

Cao Ze was too lazy to bother with such details. He didn't care what kind of thief she was; if she dared to disturb him, he would teach her a lesson in no time.

So Cao Ze took his two still-terrified concubines to rest, while keeping some of his attention elsewhere to avoid any mishaps.

"Quick! Over there! Grab her!"

Hua Ying's breathing became rapid, and she felt anxious.

Although the Qu family mansion has no grandmasters, or even half-step grandmasters, it has many retainers and guests, and many of them have skills like hers.

If she hadn't been skilled in hiding, she would probably have been dragged out and beaten to death long ago.

No, we'll definitely get caught if this continues!

Hua Ying's gaze turned cold, and she uttered a low shout: "Seeing flowers through the mist, shifting forms and changing shadows!"

In an instant, a faint floral fragrance and pinkish-purple mist emanated from the area around the flower shadow.

The guards who were chasing after them included a capable person who blew away the fog. Seeing "Flower Shadow" leap over the wall, they all continued their pursuit.

Hua Ying's true form was hidden in a corner of the wall, skillfully opening a window and climbing into the house.

Inside the room, the two little girls were fast asleep.

Cao Ze had tormented him quite a bit, and even though there was a lot of noise outside, he still showed no sign of waking up.

Hua Ying glanced at the two concubines on the couch, chuckled, and then wondered why there were only two concubines sleeping like pigs.

Where are the men?

Did they go out to catch a thief?

"I never expected that the thief tonight would be Miss Huaying. This truly surprises me."

Cao Ze, who wasn't even wearing underwear, spoke up from behind Hua Ying.

Hua Ying felt numb and trembling all over, and a chill ran straight to the top of her head.

This is actually Cao Cao's house!

Just as she was about to try to resist, Cao Ze's voice came to her ears again.

"I advise you to behave yourself, otherwise I won't be able to protect you."

Hua Ying knew that her illusion would soon be exposed, and she didn't have much time left to escape.

"...What do you want?"

She didn't overestimate her abilities and take action. The intelligence report from the farmers had mentioned that Cao Ze was a half-step Grandmaster. For her, a second-rate expert, to make a move would be truly overestimating her abilities.

Cao Ze walked up to Hua Ying without trying to hide anything; a gentleman is open and honest, after all.

When Hua Ying saw Cao Ze naked, she pursed her delicate lips and resisted the urge to kick him in the groin.

Cao Ze thoughtfully applied pressure points to his two concubines to put them to sleep, then chuckled at Hua Ying, "Relax, there are no outsiders here."

Seeing that Hua Ying remained silent, he said, "It seems I guessed right, you are indeed from a farming family."

Hua Ying scoffed, "Are you so sure? What if I'm from the Xiang, Jing, or Zhao clans, or even the royal family?"

Cao Ze said leisurely, "I was unsure before, but now that you've said it, I'm certain."

Hua Ying was secretly puzzled, wondering how she had exposed her identity as a farmer.

Did Cao Ze witness his own contact with the farmers?

Just as Hua Ying was about to probe Cao Ze's background, a noisy and hurried sound rang out again.

"There are footprints here! The same as the thief's!"

"It's this way! It's Imperial Censor Cao's room!"

"Oh no! Quickly go in and protect Imperial Censor Cao!"

"boom!"

Cao Ze's door was kicked down.

"Imperial Censor Cao!"

A member of the Qu clan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Cao Ze sitting on the couch with his chest exposed.

If Cao Ze were to die in his residence, the Qu family's plan to establish friendly relations with the Qin state would be doomed to fail.

Cao Ze, without changing his expression, said, "What do you mean by this?! Are you trying to murder me?!"

He thought to himself, "Luckily I slept with two concubines beforehand, otherwise I would have really messed up."

Either offend the Qu family or hand over Hua Ying.

The Qu clan members quickly replied, "We wouldn't dare."

He shouted at the guards behind him, "What are you looking at? Can't you see the window over there is open?! Go after them!"

After saying this, the Qu clan member smiled apologetically at Cao Ze and said, "We've disturbed you, sir. Farewell, farewell."

Before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the door.

Seeing that there was no movement outside, Cao Ze gently patted a little head inside the blanket.

"Don't hold it in, come out and get some fresh air."

Hua Ying: "..."

Chapter 525 Sleeping Together

Hua Ying peeked out from under the covers.

She tilted her head back, her charming peach blossom eyes looking reproachfully at Cao Ze, who was laughing and joking.

Cao Zeming asked knowingly, "Why is there a red mark on your face?"

He knew perfectly well why; the chill in the blankets couldn't be hidden.