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

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

Guo Kai returned the greeting, saying, "Mr. Cao Ze, there's no need to be so polite. From now on, we'll be business partners."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Then... it's a pleasure to cooperate."

He felt that he had found the right strategic partner to Guo Kai, the first general of the Warring States period.

Chapter 96 Infiltrating the Enemy's Base

Cao Ze arrived at Feixue Pavilion near dusk.

As soon as he stepped into Feixue Pavilion, he heard people talking loudly about logical reasoning, and someone else imitating Sun Wukong shouting, "If you can't live forever, you won't learn it!"

Cao Ze immediately left Feixue Pavilion.

Fortunately, Ya Fei and Xue Nu had told him about the back door, so he could use the back door.

To avoid being stared at like Sun Wukong again.

When Guo Kai returned to the Prime Minister's residence, he caught a glimpse of Zhao Qian listening to his lackey talking about monkeys, and shook his head helplessly.

Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall of dung cannot be plastered.

Guo Kai paced back and forth in the study.

After much deliberation, I resolved that I absolutely could not listen to the Queen.

No matter what, Zhao Jia was Zhao Yan's beloved eldest son.

He didn't think he was as good as Zhao Jia in Zhao Yan's eyes.

Killing Zhao Jia in Handan would likely require taking his life to appease Zhao Yan's anger.

It should be noted that the Iron Blood Alliance of Zhao was in the hands of Zhao Yan.

It would be very difficult for me to kill Zhao Jia without anyone noticing.

The safest approach is still to wait for Qin to attack Zhao, and then he can arrange for Zhao Jia to live in Qin for ten or eight years.

Just like when he and Zhao Yan sent Crown Prince Zhao Yi to the Qin state.

Led by his old flame Xue Nu, Cao Ze sneaked up to the Fei Xue Pavilion.

Ya Fei was tending to the flowers and plants in the room.

Seeing Xue Nu bring Cao Ze in, she teased, "Isn't Mr. Cao Ze downstairs discussing scholarship with them? What brings him here?"

Cao Ze smiled faintly and said, "Does Your Highness think I like these very much?"

Ya Fei brought a pot of Cymbidium orchids and placed it on the wooden table.

"Isn't that so? The teacher is lecturing on the Hundred Schools Forum every day, and has even forgotten about Xue'er. He hasn't come to Feixue Pavilion for a long time."

The snow woman whispered, "It won't be many days..."

Ya Fei glared at Xue Nu, "I'm helping you, and you're siding with outsiders."

The snow woman immediately lowered her head, sitting in an extremely obedient posture.

She said to Ya Fei in a coquettish tone, "Sister Ya Fei, Xue'er was wrong."

Ya Fei snorted, "You'll suffer a great loss sooner or later."

After silently affirming "no" in her mind, Xue Nu smiled ingratiatingly and said, "With Sister Ya Fei here, Xue'er will definitely not suffer any losses."

"I'm afraid you'll think that suffering a loss is a blessing."

After Ya Fei and Xue Nu finished speaking, they looked at Cao Ze, a playful glint in their beautiful eyes.

"Mr. Cao Ze, don't you think so?"

"The Snow Maiden is incredibly intelligent..."

Ya Fei interrupted with a light snort, "That line again."

Cao Ze winked at the Snow Woman. Had he said that many times?

The Snow Woman shook her head slightly, as if she hadn't said that.

So……

Consort Ya coughed lightly and said, "Alright, stop flirting in front of me, it's making me want to..."

"Hmm, Mr. Cao Ze didn't come here tonight just for Xue'er, did he?"

Ya Fei concealed her true feelings and changed the subject.

"How did Your Highness, Consort Ya, figure that out?"

Ya Fei chuckled and said, "If you only came to find Xue'er, why did you bring her here?"

Cao Ze praised, "Your Highness, Consort Ya, is exceptionally intelligent."

Consort Ya couldn't help but rub her forehead.

"I am neither ice nor snow."

The Snow Woman covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Besides 'ice and snow clever,' don't you have any other words to describe you?"

Cao Ze coughed lightly and said, "Of course."

"For example, just like this pot of orchids, Princess Ya can be described as having a pure and beautiful heart, and being both beautiful and intelligent."

Consort Ya had always loved orchids, and upon hearing Cao Ze's comparison, she was overjoyed.

"No wonder Mr. Cao Ze was able to compose 'Snow Maiden Song'. If it weren't for Xue'er, I might have been captivated by him."

Ya Fei's heartfelt sentiments.

The Snow Woman's alarm blared.

"Um... Cao Ze, didn't you want to talk to Sister Ya Fei about something?"

Ya snorted softly, "Xue'er, are you afraid I'll steal your man?"

The Snow Woman gave an awkward smile, her eyes darting around.

"Sister Yafei, Teacher Yafei... Xue'er didn't mean that..."

Cao Ze came to Xue Nu's rescue, saying, "It is indeed an important matter. The Queen and Guo Kai intend to take action against the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Ya Fei immediately lost the will to argue with Xue Nu.

"what happened?"

Xue Nu also became worried. If Zhao Qian became the crown prince and then the king of Zhao, even with the protection of Sister Ya Fei, it would be difficult for him to continue. He might have to go to another country.

Cao Ze said, "After I left today to give a lecture, the Queen summoned me to Chunqing Palace, where Guo Kai was also present."

"The Queen has asked Guo Kai to cooperate with me in plotting to get the Crown Prince away from Zhao, or..."

Ya Fei shouted, "She dares!"

"If Zhao Jia dies, she can forget about being queen!"

Ya Fei's anger surged.

The Snow Maiden calmly asked, "Why did the Queen allow you to cooperate with Guo Kai?"

Consort Ya looked at Cao Ze: "Xue'er is right. Why does the Queen trust you so much? Isn't she afraid that this matter will reach your brother, the King?"

Cao Ze said, "Do you still remember the He Shi Bi jade that I was looking for before?"

Ya Fei asked in surprise, "You found it?"

"That's right, thanks to Brother Tuocheng, it's hidden in his house."

Consort Ya suddenly realized, "I had heard that my father once entrusted the He Shi Bi jade to General Lian Po and Prime Minister Lin for safekeeping. I didn't expect it to be true."

The Snow Maiden asked, "Did you give the He Shi Bi to the Queen?"

“That’s right. These days, while I was teaching Zhao Qian at Chunqing Palace, I vaguely sensed that the Queen might be a threat to the Crown Prince, so I used the He Shi Bi to gain her trust.”

After Cao Ze finished speaking, half-truthfully, he said, "It seems the Queen is about to make her move."

He could tell with his ass that the woman wanted to have a legitimate and open relationship with him as soon as possible.

But now, for him, Zhao Jia cannot die, nor can he leave Zhao before he leaves the state of Zhao.

Otherwise, if Zhao Qian had become the crown prince, Empress Dowager Chang would have certainly hastened Zhao Yan's death.

Once Zhao Qian becomes the King of Zhao, given that kid's pettiness and malice, he'll definitely get himself into trouble.

At most, I'll spare his life out of respect for his mother.

But he doesn't have the habit of inviting bad luck.

Zhao Ya frowned. Both General Pang Nuan and General Li Mu had mentioned to her several times, openly and secretly, that the Empress and Guo Kai had colluded to help Zhao Qian plot for the position of Crown Prince.

Xue Nu suddenly laughed and said, "Sister Ya Fei, why are you looking so gloomy? Isn't he here?"

Ya Fei's brows relaxed. "That's true. It's good news that Mr. Cao Ze has infiltrated the enemy."

Cao Ze said with a faint smile, "Guo Kai and the Queen will not make any moves in the short term. I just hope that Consort Ya will be on guard."

"Also, try not to let anything about me get out, so as not to arouse the Queen's suspicion."

Consort Ya nodded. "I understand. It is fine for only the three of us to know about this. I sincerely hope that Mr. Cao Ze will be careful. I am extremely grateful."

As the successor of the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations, she has always been concerned about the future of the Zhao Kingdom, but unfortunately, she is just a woman.

The only option is to create the Feixue Pavilion to attract noblewomen and young ladies from prominent families in Handan.

Firstly, it's a way to pass the time; secondly, it allows them to gather all sorts of gossip and, incidentally, help Zhao Jia win over people's hearts.

After enjoying the solo dance performed by the Snow Maiden, Cao Ze left Feixue Pavilion.

Now that a storm is brewing and he's caught in the vortex of power struggles, he needs to be careful.

Hmm, let's find Jing Ni to train with first.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Thank you to the Molotov cocktail guru for the 6,000 yuan reward!