Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

This move revealed his considerable skill.

In the past, he might have kept his distance, but at this moment, with two top-tier assassins and several killers missing, he had lost all patience and had no intention of holding back.

Where are Yanri and Zhengang?

After getting close to Xu Qing, Zhao Gao asked in a cold voice.

Xu Qing picked up the wine glass in front of him and asked Zhao Gao, "Would you like a drink?"

That's a bit of an off-topic answer.

Zhao Gao did not answer Xu Qing's question, but continued to look at Xu Qing with a sharp gaze.

"Alright, looks like you're not in the mood for drinking either!"

Xu Qing said calmly, finally answering Zhao Gao's question, "Don't worry, Yan Ri and Zhengang are not dead. If they were dead, I wouldn't have given you that sword as a gift."

"Of course, the Luo Wang did lose quite a few people in the battle of Daze Mountain, but their deaths were entirely their own fault..."

As he spoke, Xu Qing suddenly shouted at Zhao Gao, "Zhao Gao, how dare you!"

"The King trusts you and has entrusted you with the management of the Net. Yet, you have allowed the Net to collude with rebels. Do you know that some people among the peasants intend to rebel against Qin? And your Net is actually helping those people. Are you plotting a rebellion?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao was stunned. He never expected that one day he would be reprimanded in this way.

Admittedly, he did have some ulterior motives, but how could he possibly rebel against the Qin Dynasty?

However, it was clear that he would not tell Xu Qing about his plans, and he simply said coldly, "I have my own purpose in acting with Luo Wang, and it is none of your business!"

"What a fine 'it's none of my business'!" Xu Qing said indifferently. "Then, I wonder if you care about those two top-tier students?"

Zhao Gao certainly cared, otherwise he wouldn't have come here.

Chapter 306 People can't withstand scrutiny!

"Humph!"

Faced with this difficult question, Zhao Gao snorted coldly as a response, which also revealed his dissatisfaction.

In his view, since he had come here in person, the person in front of him should obediently hand over Yan Ri and the others.

As a result, this person deliberately mentioned the Hidden Sun Sword in front of me and even had someone deliver it to me. What does this mean?

Are you trying to threaten me?

In the past, only the net has ever threatened others; when has anyone ever threatened the net?

He didn't hold this person accountable last time because he respected the king. But that doesn't mean he was truly merciful. This person shouldn't push his luck.

"It seems that Lord Zhao does not want to answer my question directly."

Xu Qing sighed.

He added, "However, even if you don't want to answer, I urge Lord Zhao to carefully consider your current situation!"

“You previously said that the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) acts for a purpose. I am not a member of the Luo Wang, so perhaps I am not qualified to know. But Your Majesty is different. As the King of Qin, he rules over everything and should be qualified to know everything. And the current situation is that Your Majesty already knows that the Luo Wang is helping those anti-Qin rebels among the peasants…”

After a pause, Xu Qing's gaze fell on Zhao Gao again. "I wonder what you have to say about this, Lord Zhao?"

Xu Qing brought up the matter again, clearly not intending to let Zhao Gao get away with it so easily.

"Nonsense! Everything the Luo Wang has done is for the sake of Qin. How can it be said that they are colluding with rebels?" Zhao Gao immediately retorted.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know in your heart, and the King knows in his heart too." Xu Qing looked at Zhao Gao, his tone suddenly sharp. "The Farmer's School's pro-Qin faction could have surrendered peacefully, so why did it have to escalate into internal strife and bloodshed? If it weren't for the Luo Net stirring things up behind the scenes, inciting the anti-Qin faction to rebel, would things have come to this? Do you really think that debt can be wiped clean for those Farmer's School disciples who died and for the chivalrous leader Tian Guang who was jointly killed?"

"More importantly..." Xu Qing changed the subject, "People can't withstand scrutiny. Lord Zhao has been cultivating his influence in the court for many years, and the reach of the Luo Net is far-reaching. If a thorough investigation were to be conducted, do you think you could be completely clean? The King tolerates you today because you are still useful; but if he feels that you are too ambitious, or even dare to secretly defy his wishes, do you think you can still hold onto your position as the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office?"

This statement is a veiled attack on the heart.

People can't withstand scrutiny.

Zhao Gao naturally understood this principle as well. In the past, Luo Wang had been hiding in the shadows and had uncovered a lot of dirt on others. He used this information to threaten others and force them to become pawns of Luo Wang. In fact, many of Luo Wang's assassins joined the organization because Luo Wang had caught them red-handed.

Even if Zhao Gao was unwilling to accept it, he had to admit that Xu Qing's words had struck at his weak point.

He had served Ying Zheng for many years and often tried to figure out Ying Zheng's thoughts. He naturally knew that Ying Zheng was suspicious. If he really became suspicious of Luo Wang, not to mention controlling the Farmer's School, it was unknown whether he could even keep his own life.

Yan Ri and Zhengang were his most capable subordinates, and the foundation of the Luo Wang organization could not be damaged; moreover, Ying Zheng's trust was the basis for his survival.

He cannot do without either of these.

After a long silence, Zhao Gao took a deep breath, suppressing all his resentment and unwillingness, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What exactly do you want?"

He knew that since Xu Qing dared to send the Sun-Covering Sword and say those words, he must have something on his mind.

Right now, we're at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board. Even if he's seething with hatred, he has no choice but to bow his head for the time being.

This is exactly what Xu Qing was waiting for.

Since Zhao Gao brought up compensation, Xu Qing naturally didn't mind asking for an exorbitant amount.

"The Luo Wang (Net of Law) plotted against the peasants, causing them heavy casualties. First, you must compensate them..." Xu Qing said calmly, stating his demands. "From now on, the Luo Wang shall not interfere in any peasant affairs, nor shall it make things difficult for peasant youths who have submitted to Qin. I know you may be dissatisfied, but now that the peasants have pledged allegiance to the King, how to deal with them is up to the King, and it is not up to your Luo Wang to decide."

"Secondly, I need the water conservancy maps and agricultural classics collected by your Net from all over the world."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao was about to refuse.

Xu Qing preemptively interrupted him, saying, "Don't even think about refusing. I know that your Luo Wang has definitely collected such things in secret. These things are of no use to you, so you might as well give them to someone more suitable."

“Your Majesty is different from me. Your vision is too narrow. You only value the large number of disciples of the Farmer School. Your Majesty, on the other hand, values ​​the many talents of the Farmer School. They are proficient in water conservancy, farming, and astronomy and calendar. If these people can be placed in the right positions, they will definitely be of great use.”

This can actually be considered a threat.

The hidden meaning is to tell Zhao Gao that it doesn't matter if you disagree, the king will make you agree later.

But by then, the king will no longer be so polite.

"I can agree to this!"

Zhao Gao was not stupid; he gritted his teeth and agreed to Xu Qing's request.

It's so frustrating, so incredibly frustrating.

He never imagined that his scheme against the farmers would backfire, and he would end up losing something in the process.

"very good!"

Xu Qing clapped his hands in satisfaction, "A wise man knows when to yield, Lord Zhao, you are indeed a very pragmatic person."

Then he added, "Now that I've finished talking about the compensation for the farmers, it's time to talk about myself!"

"What else do you want?" Zhao Gao's voice suddenly became sharp. Once was fine, but the person in front of him kept pushing his luck. Did he really think he was easy to bully?

In the end, he was just someone who had recently pledged allegiance to the King of Qin and had not rendered any service to the Qin state. Even though the King of Qin now valued him highly, that was not a reason for him to act so arrogantly.

"I've put in a lot of effort to quell the peasant unrest. Your people have caused me a lot of trouble and mental distress, so you have to give me compensation for my mental distress!" Xu Qing said, using a new term that Zhao Gao had never heard before.

"You know I am a swordsmith, and what I need are sword-making materials!"

"Therefore, I need a batch of ore for forging swords!"

He bluntly stated his demands to Zhao Gao, "This time, the requirements are not as small as last time; my appetite is much larger."

Last time, in an attempt to win over Xu Qing, Zhao Gao also sent Xu Qing a batch of materials for forging swords, but the quantity was actually not large.

At this moment, Zhao Gao understands that if he wants to get those assassins back and redeem the famous sword, he must bleed a lot of money.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhao Gao finally accepted the offer.

However, the problem remains: his things are not so easy to take.

Xu Qing has gone too far. Don't blame him for seizing Xu Qing's weaknesses and delivering a fatal blow in the future.

After their conversation at the inn, Zhao Gao sent his men from the Luo Wang organization to deliver many gifts to Xu Qing the following day.

After seeing Zhao Gao's sincerity, Xu Qing reciprocated by returning the "True Steel Sword" to Zhao Gao.

He had thoroughly studied both the Sun-Covering Sword and the True Steel Sword during his time with the farmer.

He even secretly reforged it. However, because Xu Qing's sword-forging skills were too profound, the reforged sword was exactly the same as the original sword. Even Zhao Gao could not see the slightest difference.

Therefore, these two swords were of no use to Xu Qing.

As for Zhen Gang, Yan Ri, and others, Xu Qing also gave Zhao Gao a precise deadline.

Five days later, someone will return those assassins from the Luo Wang organization.

Naturally, Xu Qing would not let the tiger return to the mountain.

Since he had secretly reforged and modified the sword, he naturally left his backup plan on these assassins from the Luo Wang organization.

Back in the Qi Kingdom, he used powerful illusion magic to manipulate the assassins of the Luo Wang organization like puppets, making them obedient to him. It wasn't until Xuan Jian arrived that things changed. However, even though Xuan Jian knew some of the truth, he didn't expose it and instead chose to cooperate with Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's skill level has improved significantly since his time in Qi, or rather, he is constantly improving.

The assassins from the Luo Wang organization that he released had already had seeds planted in their minds before that.

When necessary, he can awaken the seed, let it take root and sprout, and then transform these killers into things he can control.

Therefore, it was not a case of releasing a tiger back into the mountains; it was clearly Xu Qing planting spies within the net.

He even hoped that Zhao Gao would target him afterward and send more assassins from the Luo Wang organization to deal with him, so that he could legitimately hollow out the Luo Wang organization.

……

Time flies, and another half month has passed.

The people from Luo Wang had already been returned to Zhao Gao ten days ago. Whether those people would be held accountable by Zhao Gao after returning to Luo Wang was neither Xu Qing's concern nor his concern.

These days, he hasn't thought about anything, but is instead immersed in a leisurely life.

When I have nothing to do, I sometimes try to practice the twenty-four earthly divination methods of the farmer.

He also gained a lot from his battle with the six elders of the Farmer Clan.

He even considered whether to forge a set of swords to give to the six elders of the Farmer's Clan, since these six old fellows had indeed created quite a few things while working behind closed doors.

A few more days passed before his leisurely life came to an end.

Because the Zhu family and Big Iron Hammer and their group came to Xianyang.

When Situ Wanli returned to the farmhouse and relayed the King of Qin's message to them, they naturally had to go to the Qin Kingdom to make a statement. It is worth mentioning that during these days, in order to stabilize the three halls of Lieshan, Chiyou, and Gonggong, Zhu Jia and others selected three temporary hall masters to temporarily take charge of the affairs of these three halls.

Naturally, these three temporary hall masters were not from the Tian family.

This also officially marks the end of the Tian family's rule over farming households.