Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

He was naturally aware of the many changes that had occurred in the Yan Kingdom.

Yan Dan died suddenly, and the Mohists withdrew at a crucial moment, causing a blunder in the plan.

Lord Changping had already decided to abandon the plan to assassinate the King of Qin, but at this moment, Tian Guang said that he had other plans.

In the end, Changping Jun chose to believe Tian Guang.

Now, the plan has reached this final step.

Are the people Tian Guang has chosen capable of fulfilling this important task?

Changping-kun couldn't help but think to himself.

On the high platform, Ying Zheng ordered one of the envoys, "Open the box!"

So the envoy opened the wooden box.

The moment it was opened, a faint smell of blood mixed with the scent of preservative herbs filled the air. Ying Zheng looked down and saw that Fan Yuqi's eyes were wide open and the veins on his forehead were bulging, indicating that he had struggled violently before his death. The cut on his neck was clean and neat, showing that the executioner was ruthless.

His gaze lingered on that familiar face for a long time, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Back then, Fan Yuqi was highly respected in the army and exceptionally brave. Otherwise, he would have been executed during the Chengjiao Rebellion, and he would not have been given the opportunity to redeem himself through meritorious service because of Lord Changping's pleas.

Unfortunately, Fan Yuqi was not grateful for his kindness. Instead, he made a grave mistake in another attack on Zhao, causing heavy casualties among Qin soldiers. In order to save his own life, he chose to defect.

A cold glint appeared in Ying Zheng's eyes as he slowly spoke, "Traitors and villains deserve to die."

After saying that, he looked up at another envoy and said, "Unfold the map."

Upon hearing this, the other envoy's body trembled slightly.

Ying Zheng noticed this small detail, his brows furrowing slightly, but he still insisted on asking the other party: "Unfold the map for me!"

Therefore, the envoy had no choice but to comply.

He placed the map on the table in front of Ying Zheng, and then slowly unfolded it. The mountains, rivers, cities, and fields of the Dukang region were clearly presented on the plain silk. The territory outlined in ink lines was full and fertile, and the granaries and post stations marked were scattered like stars. It was obviously a meticulously drawn detailed map.

Below, many ministers naturally could not see the contents of the map.

But he was able to notice the other party's movements, and at this moment, Changping-kun's breathing almost stopped.

It'll be soon!

It'll be soon!

It's just one last step away.

At that moment, it's unclear whether the Yan envoy was nervous or made a mistake.

As the map unfolds further, a dagger accidentally slips out of the scroll.

A crisp clang echoed.

In an instant, the expressions of many ministers changed drastically.

Changping Jun's expression also changed.

He never expected that at this crucial moment, the Yan envoy would be so careless and make such a mistake.

However, even so, there is still a chance.

The two envoys had come within three feet of Ying Zheng.

Even if the dagger falls to the ground, as long as they attack at the same time, it is still possible to kill Ying Zheng.

That is indeed the case.

The envoy on the other side, seemingly realizing that he and his entourage had been exposed after the dagger fell to the ground, immediately let out a sharp shout.

"Ying Zheng, die!"

He lunged at Ying Zheng, but his movements were neither swift nor fierce; on the contrary, they were extremely clumsy.

Even though Ying Zheng was slightly stunned by the sudden fall of the dagger, the clumsy movements of the person who shouted gave Ying Zheng a chance to react.

The Longevity Sword, which Xu Qing forged and then handed over to Ying Zheng, has been carried by Ying Zheng with him every day for the past few days.

Upon realizing that the two Yan envoys were assassins, Ying Zheng instinctively drew his sword.

Suddenly, a strong wind arose, causing the lights in the main hall to sway slightly. Ripples spread across the pool below the platform, and at the same time, a powerful and intimidating force emerged.

Everyone felt a heavy pressure descend upon them.

"Your Majesty!"

Even so, some people still cried out in alarm when the king's safety was at stake.

In the next instant, they saw the Yan envoy who had rushed towards the king splatter blood everywhere. His throat had been slashed by Ying Zheng's sword, and his body fell from the high platform. Then, the blood splashed into the clear pool water, turning it red.

Meanwhile, another envoy finally managed to retrieve the dagger from the ground.

But his movements were even slower.

When Ying Zheng encountered danger, another person who had been staying in the main hall to protect his safety also took action.

Gai Nie made his move; his sword was incredibly swift. Before the man could even make a move with his dagger, his blade had already pierced his body, taking his life.

A brief silence fell over the main hall.

After a long while, someone suddenly exclaimed.

"There are assassins!"

"Protect the Emperor!"

The ministers in the hall finally realized what was happening.

……

The court assembly welcoming the envoys of the Yan Kingdom thus came to an end.

When the court assembly began, Ying Zheng was naturally overjoyed to learn that the State of Yan had ceded the Dukang region and sent the head of Fan Yuqi, a traitorous general from the State of Qin.

However, his joy did not last long.

No one expected that these two envoys from the Yan Kingdom harbored malicious intentions.

They actually intended to assassinate him.

At this point, no one really cared about the details of the assassination, such as how clumsy the two envoys were, even accidentally dropping their hidden daggers, and how slow their movements were, giving Ying Zheng time to react.

Many Qin ministers were simply relieved that the King of Qin was unharmed and that the two assassins had failed.

They were both relieved and furious.

An assassin, carrying a murder weapon, brazenly appeared in the "Hall of Unity of the Four Seas." This matter must be thoroughly investigated.

So what exactly were the people checking things at the palace gates for?

Isn't this going to be thoroughly investigated?

In addition, the Yan state must not be let go either.

The two assassins were ostensibly envoys of the Yan state, and there was no doubt that this was the work of the Yan state.

Within a short period of time, the entire city of Xianyang became filled with a climate of fear and unease.

First, the city gates were tightly closed, and the imperial guards patrolled the streets, their armor clanging day and night. Inside the government offices, the lights were on, and the officials of the Court of Justice interrogated the palace gate guards one by one to find out the reason for their perfunctory inspection.

Inside the Changping Lord's residence, his face was somber. Although he had cut off all the clues the moment the plan failed, and the palace guards would not implicate him, what he truly could not accept was the failure of the assassination attempt on Qin.

He originally wanted the Yan state to lead the assassination of Qin, believing that if Ying Zheng died, Qin's pace of conquering the six states would slow down.

When Fusu ascended the throne, he, as the Prime Minister of Qin and Fusu's maternal uncle, would follow the example of Lü Buwei in governing Qin. At that time, he would surely be able to eliminate Qin's determination to destroy Chu, thus preserving both Chu and Qin.

This is a win-win solution.

But now, they've failed.

Who can Lord Changping blame? Can he blame the State of Yan? The State of Yan was already risking everything and disregarding the consequences by launching an assassination attempt on the King of Qin.

Or is it Hikaru's fault? Was the assassin he chose ineffective?

"We must sever ties as soon as possible..." Lord Changping muttered to himself, a resolute glint in his eyes. "Only by taking advantage of Qin's anger and directing the spearhead completely at Yan can we protect ourselves."

Although he had eliminated all traces, oversights were inevitable. At this point, he could only divert Qin's attention and launch a countermeasure.

Fortunately, when he persuaded Tian Guang to encourage King Xi of Yan to assassinate the King of Qin, he had already considered the possibility of failure.

The next morning, the court assembly was held again, and the atmosphere inside the main hall was oppressive.

Ying Zheng sat upright on the high platform, his face ashen. The shock and anger from before had not completely subsided, and the oppressive aura emanating from him made the ministers dare not look him in the eye.

As the Prime Minister, Lord Changping stepped forward first, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, the envoy from Yan harbored malicious intentions and dared to attempt an assassination in Xianyang Palace. This is a blatant provocation against the might of Great Qin! King Xi of Yan's offering of the land of Dukang and the head of Fan Yuqi was merely a smokescreen; his wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious. Now, our Great Qin soldiers are ready for battle. We can use this assassination attempt as an opportunity to march north, crush Yan, and serve as a warning to others!"

Chapter 281 The Peril of the Yan State, the Upheaval of the Peasant School

As soon as Lord Changping finished speaking, the ministers in the hall echoed his words.

"What Lord Changping said is absolutely right! The State of Yan has gone too far in bullying our Great Qin. If we do not punish them severely, the other states will surely think that our Great Qin is easy to bully!"

"Immediately conscript troops and gather provisions to attack Ji City, capture Prince Yan Xi alive, and avenge the King!"

Ying Zheng listened to the discussions below, his gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled officials before finally settling on Lord Changping. A hint of scrutiny flashed in the depths of his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "What Lord Changping says is exactly what I think. The Yan state has broken its promise and its crime is unforgivable! By my order, Wang Jian is appointed commander-in-chief, and Meng Tian is appointed deputy commander-in-chief, leading an army of 200,000 men to immediately set out to attack Yan!"

After destroying the Zhao state, the Qin army did not withdraw.

Because the Zhao state was not actually completely destroyed.

When Handan fell, Zhao Jia, the deposed crown prince of Zhao, with the support of some Zhao ministers who had fled there, declared himself king in Dai.

In name, he was also the King of Zhao.

Of course, the Qin state did not acknowledge this, and under the Qin state's title, it was the King of Dai.

For this reason, the Qin army has always been stationed within the territory of Zhao, wanting to completely destroy the remaining forces of Zhao once and for all, and even once pushed towards the northern Yan region. Now, Wang Jian's army is stationed next to the Yi River.

After Ying Zheng issued the edict, all the ministers accepted the order in unison.

Lord Changping breathed a sigh of relief, but maintained an indignant expression on his face, as if he was angry about the Yan state's assassination attempt on Ying Zheng.

After discussing the handling of the Yan state, Ying Zheng turned to Li Si, the Minister of Justice, and asked, "How is the investigation into the dereliction of duty by the palace gate guards progressing?"

It must be said that Li Si and Han Fei, who were from the same school, were strikingly similar. As members of the Legalist school, the official positions they desired were those of criminal officials in charge of the judiciary.

Han Fei once served as the Minister of Justice in the state of Han.