Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

There, lay an incomparably magnificent sword.

Xu Qing also noticed Zhao Qian's gaze and followed it to look at the sword, a hint of surprise showing on his face behind the mask.

This sword was forged by him years ago for Guo Kai, and it was the "Magnificent Sword" he had created. The sword itself could only be considered a second-tier sword, but it used a lot of gold and jade materials, so the whole sword looked flamboyant and noble, which was completely different from the style of most swords in this era.

Xu Qing himself had almost forgotten about this.

I never expected to see this sword here today, in this kind of setting.

It seems that Zhao Qian really liked this sword.

Xu Qing remembered that when he forged this sword, Zhao Qian was still the crown prince of the Zhao state.

Now that Zhao Qian is on the verge of becoming a deposed ruler, this sword remains by his side.

Isn't this a sign of loving someone to the core?

Just because Zhao Qian liked the swords he had forged so much, Xu Qing was determined to help Zhao Qian.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I am here to tell you something."

Xu Qing didn't notice Zhao Qian secretly glancing at the sword.

There was no way Zhao Qian would have a chance to escape or get the sword in front of him.

He continued, answering Zhao Qian's earlier question.

"W-What's wrong?"

Although Zhao Qian wanted to rush to the side, draw his sword, and fight the person in front of him to the death, in the end, he did not have the courage.

The fact that this person could arrive silently beside him, and that all the guards were completely unaware as if they were dead, and didn't even hear his calls, showed that the person in front of him was an exceptionally terrifying existence.

Zhao Qian was not entirely a fool; at least when it came to his own safety, he dared not take risks.

Rather than risk a fight to the death, it's better to feign compliance and quietly listen to what the person in front of you wants to say and what they need.

"Guo Kai has already made arrangements with the Qin people. He will voluntarily open the city gates and surrender when the time comes!"

"What?" Zhao Qian's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

"Don't even think about trying to sow discord between me and the Prime Minister!"

Immediately afterward, Zhao Qian calmed down and concluded that the person in front of him harbored ulterior motives.

He won't believe it so easily.

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you; I'm just telling you these things."

Xu Qing continued calmly.

"So now, your time is running out. During this time, Guo Kai has already contacted many of the city's garrison commanders. Once the Qin army is at the city gates, Handan will fall and the Zhao state will perish..."

"By then, no matter how unwilling you are, or how much you want to save the Zhao state, you will be powerless in the face of the overwhelming tide..."

Xu Qing spoke calmly and recounted to Zhao Qian everything that Guo Kai had been doing recently.

At first, Zhao Qian tried to offer some explanation.

His relationship with Guo Kai was as strong as gold; when he was very young, Prime Minister Guo Kai was the person he trusted most.

How could he possibly believe the utter nonsense of this mysterious man before him?

However, deep down, Zhao Qian didn't realize that he had actually begun to have some doubts.

This was because the prime minister had approached him beforehand and proposed surrendering the city.

It's unreasonable that the prime minister would make such a suggestion when Handan hadn't even fallen yet.

"No way!"

"No way!"

"The Prime Minister would never do this to me..."

The seeds of doubt were sown in Zhao Qian's heart. Even though he continued to defend Guo Kai verbally, his voice gradually grew softer and weaker.

It was at this moment that Xu Qing felt the time was about right.

He raised his hand again, and a burst of blue flame appeared on his palm.

Looking at the blue flame, Zhao Qian's gaze became confused, and at the same time, the seeds of doubt began to grow in his heart.

……

The next day.

Guo Kai was preparing to continue recruiting generals in preparation for the surrender of Kaicheng.

Just then, someone from the palace suddenly arrived.

The King of Zhao wanted to summon him.

This made Guo Kai suspicious.

Could it be that during this time Zhao Qian learned that Qin was constantly advancing towards Handan, and that Zhao's fate was sealed, and had changed his mind?

Regardless, I still have to go and see them.

In any case, the other person is someone I've watched grow up, so they can be considered my student.

If the other party is willing to accept your suggestion, that would be even better.

Conversely, if it really comes to the end, he will have no choice but to abandon this student in order to save himself.

With this thought in mind, Guo Kai stepped into the palace once again.

Unexpectedly, this time Zhao Qian summoned him not to the palace where he usually handled government affairs, but to his sleeping quarters.

When Guo Kai stepped inside, he found the environment to be extremely dark.

The curtains covered the windows, and inside there were only one or two oil lamps, which seemed particularly dim in the vast bedroom.

"His Majesty!"

Guo Kai greeted Zhao Qian and looked at the figure at the deepest part of the palace.

After not seeing each other for a few days, the other person looked exceptionally haggard and forlorn, especially in this dimly lit environment, which made them even more pitiful.

Guo Kai could understand. After all, the Zhao state was about to perish. Anyone would feel terrible thinking about becoming the ruler of a fallen kingdom and about their ancestors' state being destroyed in their hands.

"Prime Minister, you've arrived!"

Zhao Qian spoke, his voice hoarse and cold, which made Guo Kai raise an eyebrow again. He instinctively sensed something unusual, but said nothing. After all, he had "tamed" Zhao Qian too well in the past, and his heart was filled with contempt and disdain for Zhao Qian, so he did not think that Zhao Qian could pose any threat to him.

"Your Majesty has summoned this old minister in such a hurry, what is the matter?"

Guo Kai gathered his thoughts, looked at Zhao Qian in the shadows, and asked in a deep voice.

"Prime Minister, I have heard some things these past few days..." Zhao Qian's voice rang out again. He did not directly state what it was, but instead kept it a secret for a moment.

The more this was the case, the more vigilant Guo Kai became.

A strange glint flashed in his eyes, but he feigned nonchalance, asking, "What has Your Majesty heard?"

"Prime Minister, you seem to be getting quite close to the Qin state!"

Zhao Qian uttered another casual remark, causing Guo Kai's pupils to contract slightly.

"His Majesty……"

Zhao Qian ignored Guo Kai and continued, "Over the years, Prime Minister, you have received many benefits from Qin. Qin has probably promised you many high-ranking positions and titles. If I didn't know that you are the Prime Minister of Zhao, I would almost have thought you were a Qin citizen."

"No, based on what you've done, how are you any different from the people of Qin?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister does not know what you have heard, but I want to say that these are all slanders and framing against me. This old minister is loyal to Your Majesty, as clear as day!" Guo Kai interrupted Zhao Qian's words and tried to defend himself.

He couldn't let Zhao Qian continue.

What if things get really heated during the conversation?

Now is a critical moment.

With the Qin army about to besiege the city, he was just waiting for the final opportunity to open the gates and surrender, thus making many things a fait accompli.

But the key issue is that it was still a few days before the Qin army reached Handan.

If things go wrong in these few days, such as his plan being exposed, he is confident that he can quell the unrest, but it will inevitably cause unnecessary trouble.

Especially Zhao Qian. Although he had always listened to Zhao Qian, Zhao Qian was, after all, the king of Zhao. If a royal edict were to be issued, it would still pose an obstacle to him.

Therefore, he had to keep it a secret from Zhao Qian.

Regardless of what Zhao Qian actually knew, at this moment, everything Zhao Qian said was a frame-up and a slander against him.

"Prime Minister, it's come to this, stop acting!"

Zhao Qian sighed helplessly.

“I know very well who you are.”

"Putting myself in your shoes, I can understand you. After all, everyone has to think about themselves. You have always been greedy. When the people of Qin brought you wealth, you naturally wouldn't refuse. Similarly, since you received their benefits, you naturally had to help them in return."

Then, Zhao Qian's tone changed again, filled with resentment, "But what you shouldn't have done, what you shouldn't have done, was betray the interests of my Zhao state!"

"They even dared to try and make me a sacrifice too!"

"Guo Kai!"

"You truly deserve to die!"

Zhao Qian no longer addressed Guo Kai as "Prime Minister" but instead called him by his given name. This indicated that Zhao Qian's tolerance for Guo Kai had reached its limit, and he could no longer bear it, thus developing a murderous intent towards Guo Kai.

Although Guo Kai was greedy and despicable, he was definitely not a fool who was able to wield power in the Zhao state for many years.

Or rather, a fool could never have risen to such a high position.

“Your Majesty, although I don’t know who has misled you, I think you need to wake up.” Zhao Qian also abandoned his humble posture as a subject and stood up straight, his eyes full of mockery.

Even at this point, he still didn't take Zhao Qian seriously.

Zhao Qian was very skilled at eating, drinking, and having fun.

As for the rest, Zhao Qian was a complete mess.

Even if Zhao Qian knew the truth, he would never have the courage to attack him.

Previously, he had tried to explain to Zhao Qian because he was worried that Zhao Qian would get really angry, which would cause changes to his plans.