Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Qing put the sword away.

He had no intention of searching Zhao Gao's mansion. Perhaps there were indeed many treasures hidden in Zhao Gao's mansion, but if he lingered there for too long, he would inevitably leave a flaw. Even though Xu Qing was confident in his strength, he was still afraid of the worst-case scenario.

In any case, Zhao Gao is dead, so his main objective has been achieved.

In the next instant, Xu Qing's figure vanished, turning into smoke and disappearing without a trace.

No sooner had Xu Qing left than a loud bang was heard.

The doors to the hall were forcibly broken open.

Several guards rushed in.

They didn't say much, but they all exuded a dignified aura, and their hands were always gripping their weapons, looking very alert.

It can only be said that the quality of the guards at Zhao Gao's residence was indeed higher than that of the guards of the kings who had been killed by Xu Qing.

Those guards only discovered the clues long after their king had died, and thus arrived belatedly.

Zhao Gao's guards discovered the problem in a very short time.

The barrier set up by Xu Qing could indeed block the transmission of sound, preventing Zhao Gao's cries for help and the sounds of fighting from being detected by the outside world.

However, sometimes, being too quiet is itself an anomaly.

If it were someone else, they might not notice.

However, Zhao Gao's guards were all elite members of the Luo Wang organization, handpicked by him, and Zhao Gao himself was someone who cared extremely much about his own safety.

The moment the slightest clue appears, these guards will take immediate action.

Their reaction was indeed very quick.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

No one would have expected that Zhao Gao would only last two moves against Xu Qing.

This is under the condition that Zhao Gao concealed his own skills and that his own strength was extremely remarkable.

"grown ups!"

Upon seeing the corpses on the ground, Zhao Gao's guards were stunned for a moment, then cried out in grief.

……

When I went to the clothes, I learned the name and the name.

Killing Zhao Gao did not take up too much of Xu Qing's time.

In fact, because he hid it so well, apart from Jing Ni, who had spoken with him before and made some guesses afterward, no one else knew that Xu Qing was the one who did it.

However, as the head of the Imperial Carriage Office, Zhao Gao's death still caused some ripples.

First, the Luo Wang organization showed some unusual activity.

Zhao Gao had been in charge of the Luowang organization for many years. Even though Ying Zheng had stripped him of his control, his influence still existed and was not so easy to eliminate.

This is also the source of Zhao Gao's confidence in constantly making underhanded moves.

Many assassins only knew Zhao Gao, but not the King of Qin.

As for Gai Nie, who is currently in charge?

They acknowledged that Gai Nie, as the palace's top guard, might be quite powerful, but since he hadn't shown them any favors, they refused to acknowledge him as the master of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven).

Now, their "master," Zhao Gao, is dead.

Within the Net, many assassins immediately became confused. Some even wanted to avenge Zhao Gao, but the prerequisite was that they had to find the murderer who killed Zhao Gao first. Thus, the entire Net fell into a brief period of chaos.

Gai Nie naturally noticed the turmoil within the Luo Wang organization.

Faced with this kind of thing, the only thing to do is to find a way to suppress it.

Because he had been staying in the palace, Ying Zheng soon learned of this matter.

"It seems that Zhao Gao's influence is much greater than I imagined!"

Ying Zheng's lips curled up slightly, forming a strange smile.

After Zhao Gao's death, no one knows what his state of mind was.

But the unusual activity of the Net made him realize something was amiss.

Logically speaking, Zhao Gao is no longer in charge of the Luo Wang organization, so even if he were dead, he would have nothing to do with it. However, it was precisely after his death that the Luo Wang organization began to stir. What does this mean? Are the assassins of the Luo Wang organization standing up for Zhao Gao?

When did killers who only know how to kill and are indifferent to emotions become so loyal and humane?

"Zhao Gao's influence runs very deep!"

Gai Nie said in a deep voice, "It was my dereliction of duty. I only realized it now."

"So, is Zhao Gao's death a good thing? At least it made me realize that he wasn't as loyal as I thought, and that there were many problems within the Luo Wang organization..."

Ying Zheng's tone was strange.

He thought about many things.

Like the incident with the peasants, or his order for Zhao Gao to lead the assassination attempt on Xiang Yan.

He certainly knew that Zhao Gao was using the net to satisfy his own selfish desires.

But as long as Zhao Gao remained loyal to him, he tacitly approved of these underhanded actions.

If the other party really crosses the line, just give them a little warning.

The previous decision to have Gai Nie take charge of the Net was a warning.

As it turns out, what I thought was the whole story was just the tip of the iceberg; the other party's true intentions were far deeper than I had imagined.

Gai Nie did not answer Ying Zheng's question.

Seeing this, Ying Zheng asked Gai Nie again, "Tell me, who exactly killed Zhao Gao?"

Gai Nie remained silent for a moment before offering his guess, "Perhaps it has something to do with the State of Chu."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng was somewhat surprised, "How do you know?"

The relationship between Gai Nie and Ying Zheng needs no further explanation. Gai Nie stayed by Ying Zheng's side when he was in trouble, and the two went through countless things together. It can be said that Gai Nie was someone Ying Zheng trusted extremely, even more than Zhao Gao.

Ying Zheng knew that Gai Nie was not just a swordsman; he came from the Guigu School, a school of strategists whose military tactics and strategies were unparalleled, in addition to swordsmanship.

Zhang Yi, Su Qin, Sun Bin, and Pang Juan were all heroes of their time.

“If we only look at Zhao Gao’s death, it’s completely baffling,” Gai Nie said, offering his speculation. “Although it seems that Zhao Gao’s actions weren’t entirely clean, simply killing a mere magistrate doesn’t seem to make much sense.”

"But if we connect the death of Zhao Gao with the previous death of King Fu Chu of Chu, we find a common point."

"The murderers left no trace whatsoever, and the guards nearby did not detect any movement whatsoever."

"The death of King Fuchu of Chu has been investigated for quite some time, but no clues have been found so far. Two similar murders have occurred in Xianyang in a short period of time, which is definitely not unrelated..." Gai Nie said solemnly, "I suspect that the murderer may be the same person."

Although there is no evidence, Gai Nie's speculation is indeed quite reasonable.

Ying Zheng believed it.

The reason is that there are only a handful of top experts in the world. One person is enough to kill King Fu Chu of Chu and Zhao Gao silently under the protection of many guards. It is impossible for two people to appear in a short period of time.

And they do have things in common.

This is the Chu state that Gai Nie mentioned.

King Fuchu of Chu was the last king of Chu. As king of Chu, he did not perish with the state of Chu. Instead, after the fall of Chu, he was moved to Xianyang, where he lived a life of luxury.

As for the connection between Zhao Gao and the State of Chu... Ying Zheng pondered for a while and came up with some new guesses, which might be related to the death of Xiang Yan.

The death of Xiang Yan was a turning point in Qin's war against Chu.

Because of Changping Jun's betrayal, he joined forces with Xiang Yan at the front line and once put Wang Jian's army in a difficult situation. Even though Wang Jian did his best, he could only stabilize the situation temporarily and could not truly resolve the predicament. It was not until Xiang Yan was assassinated that the key to breaking the deadlock was achieved.

Ying Zheng knew that Xiang Yan's death was caused by Xu Qing.

But outsiders are unaware of the reason behind it.

Out of concern for Xu Qing's safety, Ying Zheng did not publicize the matter, but secretly recorded Xu Qing's contribution. Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, Xiang Yan's death was the work of the Luo Wang (a secret network of assassins). After all, the Luo Wang of Qin was notorious throughout the world, with many assassins and killers.

Similarly, Ying Zheng did not publicly announce why Zhao Gao was stripped of control of the Luowang organization.

"Is it giving people the wrong impression?"

Ying Zheng pondered to himself.

He stripped Zhao Gao of control over the Luo Wang organization, allowing Gai Nie to temporarily take charge.

To outsiders, this might have been seen as a form of "protection" for Zhao Gao, since he had led the Luo Wang organization and accomplished the mission of assassinating Xiang Yan, thus making a great contribution. Therefore, in order to prevent him from being in the eye of the storm, he was temporarily removed from the Luo Wang organization.

However, those in the shadows believed that Zhao Gao was the mastermind behind the assassination of Xiang Yan, and thus launched a campaign of revenge against him.

Similarly, the death of King Fuchu of Chu was also a form of revenge.

It was to seek revenge against the culprits who caused the downfall of the Chu state.

Subsequently, Ying Zheng and Gai Nie made some guesses and deductions, and finally concluded that this was the work of extremists in the State of Chu.

Ying Zheng also issued an edict.

"Although the State of Chu has been destroyed, its remnants are scattered throughout the land. They dared to sneak into Xianyang and commit a series of serious crimes, causing widespread panic. This is a challenge to my authority." Ying Zheng's voice carried an unquestionable majesty. "Mr. Gai, this matter is entrusted to you to investigate thoroughly. You must find the mastermind behind it all, wipe out these remnants in one fell swoop, and eliminate them at the root, so as to serve as a warning to others."

Xianyang was the capital of the Qin Dynasty, the center of the world, and could not tolerate the slightest disturbance.

The deaths of Zhao Gao and King Fu Chu of Chu have already caused considerable panic in the shadows. If these remnants of the Chu regime are allowed to continue their machinations, it will not only shake the morale of the people, but may also embolden the remaining forces of the other six states, leading to endless troubles.

As for whether this matter has anything to do with the remnants of the Chu state?

Does that mean we don't need to investigate if it's irrelevant?

The investigation will definitely continue.

Ying Zheng issued the decree simply to give Gai Nie a reasonable explanation for his thorough investigation.

On the surface, the Court of Justice is responsible for investigating these cases, but in secret, the Net of Law is not idle either.

Upon hearing this, Gai Nie bowed and accepted the order, his expression remaining calm: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction, then remembered something else and casually said, "Take care of the internal problems of the Luo Wang as well."

"Since Zhao Gao is dead, let him die cleanly."