Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

A new era is about to begin.

In this new era, what national policies will the Qin state implement?

Should we implement a system of enfeoffment like the Zhou Dynasty eight hundred years ago? Or...?

Zhao Gao was unaware of these things. He only knew that after the unification of the world, the Qin state would need many talented people to rule such a magnificent country and its vast territory.

And that was his chance.

He only needs to identify who are talented individuals and then seize their weaknesses to plant spies in this new country. That way, even if he encounters a crisis in the future, he can use this power to protect himself.

This is also Zhao Gao's own experience over the past few days.

Ultimately, you have to rely on yourself!

In the past, he thought he had guessed the emperor's intentions and understood Ying Zheng's thoughts.

But in reality, the so-called imperial favor is limited.

One wrong move and you could lose that divine favor, and then lose everything.

Therefore, we cannot place all our hopes on Ying Zheng.

Zhao Gao couldn't help but think of Lao Ai from years ago. He had served Empress Dowager Zhao Ji and had witnessed how Lao Ai rose to power. It was because of Lao Ai's influence that he decided to keep Luo Wang firmly in his grasp.

It was also Lao Ai's inspiration that made him realize he needed to have his own power.

Lao Ai's rebellion was due to his ability to seize military power and cultivate his own influence with the help of Empress Dowager Zhao Ji.

Although his rebellion ultimately failed.

But that's one possible approach.

Now, after experiencing so much, Zhao Gao is no longer as loyal to Ying Zheng.

Or rather, he is now only loyal to himself.

In addition, he also set his sights on the next generation.

Although Ying Zheng reigned during the Spring and Autumn Period, he still had to choose a successor.

If one can make a move regarding the successor, then one can ensure a worry-free future.

In the past, Guo Kai of the State of Zhao and Li Yuan of the State of Chu both rose to high positions through this method.

Even earlier, Lü Buwei rose from a merchant to become the Prime Minister of Qin through betting.

Currently, the eldest son, Fusu, is the most popular candidate to become the crown prince.

However, Zhao Gao knew that Fusu had a major flaw: his maternal uncle was Lord Changping, Xiong Qi.

The betrayal of Xiong Qi, the Lord of Changping, was a thorn in Ying Zheng's side.

As long as this thorn in Ying Zheng's side is frequently mentioned, and Xiong Qi is used as a pretext, the naturally suspicious Ying Zheng will not choose Fusu as his successor.

As for Ying Zheng's other sons...

Zhao Gao chose the youngest son, Hu Hai.

As the youngest child, they are naturally the most likely to be favored, and because of their young age, they are easier to control.

However, at present, it is just a preliminary plan.

Zhao Gao was a very patient man; he didn't mind lying low and waiting.

But unlike his patience, some people are born straightforward and have little patience; otherwise, they wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles just to assassinate the king.

"almost!"

On this day, Xu Qing rested for another day and felt that his energy and spirit had been adjusted to their peak, and the killing intent in his heart had also been nurtured to its extreme.

Night fell, and tonight, the sky was overcast with dark clouds; there were no stars or moon.

Because of the curfew, the streets of Xianyang were deathly silent at night.

Xu Qing walked along the street like a night breeze, and no one noticed him. Soon, the breeze reached the outskirts of Zhao Gao's mansion. After glancing at the mansion ahead, Xu Qing's figure flashed again, and he easily entered it.

Chapter 366 The Death of Zhao Gao

Upon entering the mansion, everything inside came into Xu Qing's view. The entire mansion was quiet and silent, with only the occasional sound of footsteps from the night patrol guards, which were as light as cat paws landing. It was clear that Zhao Gao had specifically instructed them not to disturb him. However, in Xu Qing's eyes, these people's actions were more like... assassins.

If we trace their origins, we inevitably have to mention the infamous assassin organization "Luo Wang".

Without a doubt, these people all came from Luo Wang.

Zhao Gao had been in charge of the Luo Wang organization for many years, so he naturally wouldn't mind using it to train a group of guards for himself.

Xu Qing's toes touched the blue bricks, and his figure moved like a ghost through the shadows of the corridor. He concealed his aura to the extreme. Even though the guards holding spears were close at hand, they treated him as if the night wind was passing by the lanterns under the corridor, and did not even lift their eyelids.

As they crept into the heart of the mansion, the surrounding tranquility was somewhat disrupted.

Unlike the pitch-black silence outside after curfew, this place, though not brightly lit, has dozens of palace lanterns hanging under the eaves. The warm yellow light shines through the lampshades onto the bluestone slabs, illuminating the courtyard as if it were daytime.

Even more striking were the two rows of beautiful maids dressed in plain gauze robes standing under the corridor. Each of them was slender and graceful, with gentle eyes and brows. They held teacups or incense burners in their hands, stood with their heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

Xu Qingyin sat in the dense shade of an old tree, his gaze sweeping over the maids, a barely perceptible sneer playing on his lips, his heart filled with utter speechlessness.

Zhao Gao was a disabled eunuch, yet he was so particular about appearances that he gathered many beautiful maids to serve him.

What does he want to do?

He clearly doesn't have that ability anymore, so what's the point of having so many pretty but useless women?

A eunuch is ultimately just an incomplete man.

However, perhaps it is precisely because of this incompleteness that Zhao Gao tried to present himself as a complete person in his residence, thus resorting to self-deception.

Xu Qing then thought of some things related to Zhao Gao.

It seems the other party has also adopted a daughter.

According to official history, the future spouse also had a son-in-law, whose name seemed to be Yan Le.

Xu Qing gathered his thoughts, focused his mind, and peered through the window lattice. In an instant, he perceived the situation inside the main hall.

In the hall, Zhao Gao was reclining on a couch covered with brocade cushions, wearing a magnificent brocade robe with intricate cloud patterns embroidered on the collar. He was completely different from his usual cautious and submissive demeanor in front of Ying Zheng.

Clearly, he was a night owl; even though it was late at night, he wasn't asleep.

The maids on either side took turns coming forward to serve him tea or brush the dust off his clothes. Their movements were extremely gentle, but Zhao Gao's gaze never lingered on them for a moment. His eyes held only deep-seated scheming and ambition.

He probably knew that these maids were ultimately just decorations and could not truly fill the void in his heart, but beautiful maids were still indispensable, because only in this way could he feel that he was a complete man and only in this way could he calm down and think about the problem more deeply.

Only in the dead of night, in his own mansion, could he have the opportunity to reveal his ambition.

During this period, he stayed up very late every night.

A new era was about to begin, and the State of Qi could be destroyed at any moment. He had too many things to plan, so he had no mind to sleep.

Xu Qing hadn't expected that Zhao Gao wouldn't rest. He had originally planned to take advantage of the quiet of the night, when Zhao Gao was asleep, to give him a quick death.

But this does not mean that he will retreat because of this.

He's not some kind of assassin.

An assassin's motto is to miss the first strike and then flee a great distance.

Every assassination requires meticulous planning and finding the right opportunity.

Xu Qing, on the other hand, is different. He is strong enough that he can easily kill Xu Qing.

He used the same method when he assassinated those kings before.

After observing for a while, Xu Qing was about to make a move when Zhao Gao seemed to "sense" that Xu Qing was about to act. In order to prevent unnecessary trouble caused by too many people watching, he took the initiative to dismiss the maids in the hall.

With the maid gone, Zhao Gao was left alone in the large hall.

This is also his personal habit. Every night before going to sleep, he likes to spend some time alone to sort out and summarize his thoughts before preparing for the new day.

Not long after the maids left, a series of soft footsteps suddenly echoed in the hall.

"Who?"

Zhao Gao was annoyed that the footsteps had interrupted his thoughts, and his voice became somewhat shrill.

He assumed someone was breaking the rules and had barged into his place at this time.

"I!"

A calm voice rang out and reached Zhao Gao's ears.

Upon hearing this somewhat unfamiliar voice, Zhao Gao abruptly looked up, his pupils instantly contracting.

"It's you!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhao Gao instinctively clenched his fists, veins bulging out.

The reason was that his hatred for this person had reached a point where it was impossible to suppress.

When Xu Qing first arrived in Xianyang, Zhao Gao discovered his whereabouts and intended to recruit him. Even though Xu Qing defeated the top-ranking generals, Zhao Gao didn't think much of it because at that time, he believed he could control everything. He thought that no matter how strong Xu Qing was, when the net of power covered him, Xu Qing would have nowhere to escape and could only obediently become his servant.

However, Xu Qing soon escaped his "control." For some reason, the other party came into contact with the King of Qin. The King of Qin issued an edict, which forced him to temporarily give up recruiting Xu Qing.

Of course, secretly, he still had Luo Wang keep an eye on Xu Qing.

But what Xu Qing did went far beyond that.

In the battle against the peasants, Xu Qing inflicted heavy losses on the Luo Wang organization. However, due to the endorsement of the King of Qin, Zhao Gao could only suppress his hatred and had to negotiate with Xu Qing, paying an extremely heavy price to get back the prisoners and the lost famous sword.

He was still able to tolerate it that time.

Until the assassination of Xiang Yan.

The assassination attempt on Xiang Yan by Luo Wang ended in failure, and Zhao Gao also lost a member of the top rank, which made him somewhat upset.

What's even more upsetting is that Ying Zheng showed no appreciation for his hard work. Instead, he reprimanded him for the successful assassination of Xiang Yan and stripped him of his control over the Luo Wang organization.

The person who successfully assassinated Xiang Yan was a secret to some, but Zhao Gao, after figuring out the reasons, naturally knew who it was.

It was Xu Qing.

If Xu Qing's past actions only aroused his resentment, he could still tolerate them.

After this, I could no longer tolerate it.

The fact that Xu Qing immediately took action and completed the mission right after the King of Qin gave Luo Wang the task of assassinating Xiang Yan, creating a stark contrast, is definitely not a coincidence.