Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Han Yu felt a surge of anger rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He abruptly swept the bronze wine cup on the table to the ground, the dull thud echoing immediately.

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me!" His voice trembled, his eyes filled with malice. "The state of Han is not yet destroyed! And yet someone dares to touch my things!"

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The treasures in those treasuries included not only relics left by the late king, but also the wealth he had accumulated over the years.

Now that the Qin army is pressing in, he had hoped to use these treasures to build relationships and find a way out, but now they are all gone!

"Could it be... something like the ghost soldiers robbing the pay?" The attendant beside him whispered a reminder, his voice tinged with fear. The case of the ghost soldiers robbing the pay back then had caused quite a stir, and there had even been incidents of ghost soldiers seeking revenge since then.

Even though the military pay was later recovered.

But ordinary people don't know the truth of the matter, and the story of the ghost soldiers is still being told among the people.

Upon hearing the phrase "ghost soldiers robbing the pay," Han Yu's anger intensified: "Where did these ghost soldiers come from! It's clearly someone stealing from the payroom!"

He was no ordinary person, but he knew very well the truth about the Ghost Soldier case and that it was related to Ji Wuye.

Thinking of this, he kicked the table in front of him, sending it flying and crashing to the ground, splintering wood. "Those people wanted to take advantage of the chaos to make a quick buck, I don't care! But they shouldn't have touched my treasury!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a voice as cold as ice: "Issue my order: seal off the palace, no, seal off the entire Xinzheng! Detain anyone carrying treasures out of the city!"

"At the same time, under the pretext of searching for Qin spies, conduct a thorough investigation of the entire city!"

Today, those people dare to empty his treasury in the palace.

They might come here tomorrow and kill him.

Han Yu felt that the entire city of Xinzheng was no longer safe.

He has to do something.

Chapter 191 Rumors Abound, a Muddy Water

Due to the sudden incident at the royal palace, the entire city of Xinzheng was quickly placed under full martial law.

At this moment, the state of Korea was in dire straits. External threats were not yet resolved, and the Qin cavalry continued their relentless attacks, encroaching on Korean territory like a tidal wave, steadily approaching the capital, Xinzheng. However, at this critical juncture, instead of uniting to resist the enemy, the Korean court and its people were thrown into disarray, their own ranks crumbling and internal strife exacerbated.

The theft of the royal palace was not completely concealed, and the news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the entire city. However, the bizarre nature of the theft was hard to believe.

The loss of just a few treasures would be commonplace. But rumors say that the entire palace, all its open and hidden treasuries, had been emptied of their treasures overnight. Even more unbelievable is that none of the palace guards noticed the theft until it was discovered during the subsequent inventory.

This is truly unbelievable. Are the royal guards all incompetent idiots?

If the King of Han was merely conducting a secret search within the palace, it would be understandable.

However, he chose to seal off the entire city of Xinzheng, ostensibly to "search for Qin spies," and conducted extensive searches throughout the city. This move inevitably aroused suspicion.

Many secretly speculated that the King of Han's so-called search for stolen treasures was merely a pretext; his true purpose was to eliminate dissidents and even seize the private property of his subjects. After all, whether a treasure came from the royal treasury was simply a matter of the King of Han's word.

Why did King Han Yu act in this way? Soon, rumors spread among the people.

Some say that Han Yu had no will to resist the overwhelming Qin army, as evidenced by his delayed organization of an effective counterattack and his failure to propose any strategy to save the country. This King of Han had already paved the way for his own escape.

It is said that he bribed a high-ranking official in Qin with a large sum of money, and the official spoke highly of him to the King of Qin. Even if the state of Han were to fall, he would still retain his wealth and glory, only losing his throne. The price Han Yu paid was a large amount of gold and silver.

The treasures of the royal palace treasury were not stolen, but rather secretly transferred by Han Yu. Only he, the King of Han, could have managed to deceive everyone so completely. Not content with this, fearing future hardship in Qin, he set his sights on court officials and wealthy merchants, intending to plunder Han before its demise.

The rumors, so detailed and seemingly plausible, completely distorted the truth. Despite Han Yu's previously plausible explanations, as the rumors spread, no one was willing to believe this "King Han" anymore.

When the Imperial Guards sealed off the entire city and checked every household, many people began to harbor rebellious intentions.

"You dare not fight the Qin army, and only dare to let the Imperial Guards bully your own people... Han Yu, you are unworthy to be a ruler!" someone cursed angrily from the shadows.

It wasn't that they were particularly patriotic; it was simply that Han Yu's actions infringed upon their vital interests. With the state of Han on the verge of collapse, they had actively offered advice in court, and Han Yu had also feigned concern for the nation and its people. Who would have thought that behind the scenes, the King of Han had shown no regard for the survival of his state and had already secretly colluded with the enemy!

What's even more infuriating is that Han Yu actually wanted to take all the important task of finding a way out for himself!

"Since you are so heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless!" After the angry outburst, some chose to endure, while others had already begun to take action.

Since you, Han Yu, are running rampant in the city under the guise of "hunting down Qin spies," then I will truly become a Qin spy.

If I betray South Korea quickly enough, I will be a meritorious official of Qin before South Korea is destroyed.

What does the fate of South Korea have to do with me then?

"The more perilous the times, the more true people's hearts are revealed." Xu Qing, hiding in the palace, had taken in the turmoil in Xinzheng City through Lady Mingzhu. "This Xinzheng City is getting more and more lively."

He never expected that his quiet emptying of the royal palace treasury would trigger such a series of changes.

Enraged, Han Yu sealed off the entire city in an attempt to retrieve the treasure. In peaceful times, this might not have been surprising. But times had changed. With the Qin army pressing in, Xinzheng, the capital of Han, was already gripped by fear.

Some wanted to flee Xinzheng and go to other countries; others held onto a glimmer of hope, believing that Qin only wanted to seize territory and plunder people and would not completely destroy Han. As long as the state existed, their position would not be shaken... With all these thoughts intertwined, Xinzheng had long become a powder keg ready to ignite at any moment.

If Han Yu had come up with a practical strategy to save the country at this juncture, he might have been able to rally the people and temporarily alleviate the national crisis. However, he chose to do the opposite. This demonstrates that although Han Yu ascended the throne through political maneuvering, he was by no means a wise ruler—aside from political maneuvering, he was mediocre in everything else.

Faced with the powder keg of Xinzheng, Han Yu not only failed to stabilize public sentiment, but also personally lit the fuse due to the theft of the treasury and the humiliation of the royal palace. He believed that after eliminating powerful ministers such as Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei, he would be the true ruler of Han.

However, he overlooked a fatal fact: when a nation is on the verge of collapse and order is in disarray, royal power is far less secure than one might imagine.

When Han Yu infringed upon the interests of the court officials, how could those officials, who had colluded with Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei and were not entirely innocent to begin with, sit idly by and await their doom? Moreover, did Han Yu truly believe that the Imperial Guards would completely obey him? It should be noted that military power had long been in the hands of Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei. Although the two were dead and military power had returned to Han Yu, their former subordinates still held considerable influence within the Imperial Guards.

As a result, the Imperial Guards sealed off the entire city, but not only did they find nothing, they also discovered that several ministers, along with their servants and relatives, had vanished from the heavily guarded city of Xinzheng when Han Yu went to court the next day.

The entire city was under lockdown, but it was ineffective.

Naturally, this incident further enraged Han Yu.

But his anger was of no use.

When the citywide lockdown proved ineffective, and when the rebellious spirit of the people was awakened, it meant that Han Yu had lost control of South Korea.

"Let the night, under Han Yu's name, go and collect treasures!"

Xu Qing then gave another order to the Tide Demoness.

In the past, the controllers of the night were Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei, both of whom came from military backgrounds.

There's no reason why their old subordinates could influence the Imperial Guard, something the Nightfall Queen, the controller of the Nightfall, couldn't do.

Since the Imperial Guards have already shown their disloyalty to Han Yu, there's no harm in them going against him again.

In a short period of time, the Imperial Guards committed several more atrocities.

Some wealthy businessmen and officials in South Korea have suffered as a result.

Their mansions were razed to the ground by the Imperial Guards, and all their treasures were looted.

The royal guards claimed that these treasures belonged to the royal palace and had been stolen by these people.

Frame-ups are something Nightfall excels at.

But for the person who was framed, it is hard to accept.

This move undoubtedly confirmed the previous rumors, making many people even more dissatisfied with Han Yu.

Han Yu soon learned of these things and immediately concluded that the Imperial Guards were also unreliable.

It would have been fine if these looted riches had fallen into his hands, but the problem is that the Imperial Guards didn't deliver them to him.

Han Yu was already furious that the royal palace treasury had been looted, as it contained all his money and treasures.

Although deep down he didn't want the state of Korea to perish and didn't want to bear the name of a king who lost his country, Han Yu sometimes didn't consider the consequences.

It's clearly impossible for him to share the nation's desolation; he couldn't possibly do that.

The best outcome would be for them to open the gates and surrender when the Qin army reached the gates of Xinzheng.

Xinzheng was not a fortified city like Daliang. Han Yu did not believe that Xinzheng alone could withstand the Qin army's conquest. Therefore, if it came to that, surrendering would preserve his dignity.

No matter what, he was, after all, the king of Korea.

Since the Qin state has already destroyed the Han state, it probably won't kill him!

If Qin were to kill him, it would likely face fierce resistance if it wanted to conquer the other states, because the kings of those states had already seen his fate. Since surrendering meant certain death, there was absolutely no way they would surrender.

Perhaps the Qin state could still use its powerful national strength to destroy other states, but it itself would certainly not fare well.

Therefore, if the Qin state had foreseen this outcome, it would not have killed the King of Han when he surrendered. Instead, it would have treated him well. Only in this way could it have given hope to those wavering in other states, letting them know that surrender was not a dead end, but that there was still a way to survive.

It can only be said that Han Yu may not be good at governing the country, but he is definitely qualified in terms of political maneuvering and understanding people's hearts. Otherwise, he would not have been able to earn the reputation of a wise young master when the crown prince of Han was still alive.

The royal treasury was the wealth that Han Yu had reserved for himself.

As a result, all of their wealth was stolen.

He thought that by sealing off the entire city with the Imperial Guard, he could reclaim his wealth.

But now it seems that even the Imperial Guards can't be relied upon.

Despite the city being under lockdown, some ministers still managed to escape and disappear.

Under the guise of searching for treasure, the Imperial Guards ransacked homes throughout the city, but none of the confiscated valuables ended up in their own hands.

"This is outrageous!"

"These people have all rebelled!"

Inside the palace, after Han Yu was shocked to discover these things, he could only sulk alone.

Knowing full well that the Imperial Guards were problematic, he dared not do anything at this crucial moment.

Han Yu was not a strong person to begin with. If he were, he would not have tolerated Ji Wuye's existence after taking power, allowing Ji Wuye's power to expand, and even helping Ji Wuye suppress Zhang Kaidi.

Doesn't he know about the balance of power?

Of course I know.

But he cannot do it the way he did during his father's reign.

Simply because he obtained his position illegitimately.

Many things happened in South Korea before he ascended to the throne.

It was because of those events that he, who was not originally qualified to directly succeed to the throne and become the King of Han, ascended to the throne.

Han Yu was worried that those things would be exposed.

That's why he had no choice but to conspire with Ji Wuye, Bai Yifei, and others.

Even though it might lead to a dangerous situation, at least it would ensure the stability of his throne.

It wasn't until both of them died in an accident that Han Yu finally felt triumphant.

But his nature did not change.