Chapter 187 Queen Yan Lingji

Zi Lan Xuan was very large, and with Han Fei and Cheng Jiao watching, not many people entered the Zi Lan Xuan to search it, only about twenty people, and they were not allowed to rummage through the cabinets or destroy it violently. It was not until the sky gradually brightened that the Zi Lan Xuan was halfway searched.

Madam Mingzhu had left long ago. When no one was noticing, she glanced at Cheng Jiao with her narrow and long phoenix eyes, like a lover, and slightly parted her red lips, as if she was saying something.

Cheng Jiao didn't understand why.

Women, especially beautiful women, and even more special are women like Madam Mingzhu who are not only beautiful and hold a high position, but also very scheming.

He did not think that his charm was great enough to make Madam Mingzhu fall in love with him. Although Madam Mingzhu's bond value was as high as over 70 points, before it reached 80 points, or even before he was bound to Madam Mingzhu, he dared not say anything to her, or he would be eaten to the bone.

In the early morning, there used to be people from Xinzheng passing by Zilanxuan, but now it is filled with city guards and no one dares to approach.

Except for Han Fei who was a little sleepy and casually found a table on the first floor of Zi Lan Xuan and dozed off without any worries, the others all had cultivation skills and were still energetic after staying up all night.

Ji Wuye and Xueyi Hou were extremely patient. They were betting that there was money from Jubao Pavilion, or related clues about Jubao Pavilion, in Zilanxuan.

Tianze, who had been tied up for a night, slowly opened his eyes and looked around, which was still heavily guarded. He knew that he could not escape this time. However, he would accept the opportunity to give the quicksand a critical hit in the end, so that the night and the quicksand could fight each other!

Cheng Jiao saw that Tianze had woken up, so he walked over to Tianze and squatted down.

"Are you awake?"

Tianze turned his face away, not wanting to see Cheng Jiao's despicable look.

"Oh, you're quite arrogant, aren't you? Well, since you're determined to die, I won't care."

Tianze was stunned when he heard this: "You want to save me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tianze felt a little annoyed. What kind of person is Cheng Jiao? Could he save him? It would be good enough if he didn't cheat him.

Seeing that Tianze was both interested and unconvinced, Cheng Jiao smiled and said, "Look, let me count your former subordinates. Yan Lingji, Wushuang, Bai Du Wang, and Qu Shi Mo have all joined me. Now you are the only one missing. Do you want to give it a try?"

Tianze's face already looked extremely ugly due to excessive blood loss, and Cheng Jiao tore open the scar in his heart again, making his eyes extremely gloomy.

Cheng Jiao was not in a hurry. For him, Tianze was indeed a good entry point to control Baiyue, but it was not the only one.

As the saying goes, a man has to bow his head under the eaves. Tianze looked at Cheng Jiao's smiling face, which looked extremely annoying, and admitted his defeat decisively. As long as you are alive, there is a chance!

"what do you want to do?"

The corner of Cheng Jiao's mouth curled up, he felt quite accomplished in gathering the five-member Baiyue group.

"Listen to Yan Lingji. From now on, you guys should respect Yan Lingji as your master, understand?"

Tianze was confused at first, but then he realized what Cheng Jiao meant.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

If he had to work for Cheng Jiao, he could still accept it, but if he had to serve his former subordinates as his master, that would be more difficult to accept than killing him.

"Impossible?"

Cheng Jiao's face darkened, making Tianze feel extremely conflicted.

“No, it’s not impossible.”

Tianze looked at Cheng Jiao with dangerous eyes. The weakness he felt due to excessive blood loss suddenly made him have an uncontrollable desire to live.

Cheng Jiao's expression eased. "You are sensible. Since you have done so much for me in this Jubao Pavilion operation, I will not mind your previous rudeness to me."

"But I have a request!"

"Okay, everyone knows that it's revenge and restoration of the country, right? I will destroy South Korea, but restoration of the country is impossible. So, revenge means life, restoration of the country means death, it's your choice."

Tianze felt deeply humiliated, but was also a little surprised that Cheng Jiao said so lightly about destroying Korea, as if he knew that Korea would be destroyed.

"I want to live."

Cheng Jiao nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, follow Yan Lingji from now on. She will take you to Baiyue when the time comes. Not only must you serve her as your master, but you must also respect her as your queen. Do you understand?"

"Impossible, Baiyue will never recognize a woman as its king!"

Tianze said firmly.

"Haha, it's not like Baiyue doesn't have women as kings."

Tianze was speechless. There were indeed tribes in Baiyue that worshipped women as kings, but they were very few. Most of them were still dominated by men. Especially in the last few hundred years, the wars and trade between the Central Plains countries and Baiyue had caused many tribes and small countries in Baiyue to begin to imitate the Seven Kingdoms.

"How are you going to save me?"

Tianze decided not to continue discussing this topic. He had no capital to resist or bargain. However, it was impossible for him to willingly assist Yan Lingji in becoming the king of Baiyue. Now it was just a short-term compromise.

Seeing Tianze's reluctant look, Cheng Jiao didn't care. The food was already in the bowl, but he still wanted to run away. Did he think he, Cheng Jiao, was eating free rice?

"You killed the Qin envoy, but Han will not kill you. They will just hand you over to Qin. Coincidentally, I am a prince of the Qin royal family and the brother of the current King of Qin. It is not difficult for me to let you survive."

Tianze thought to himself, as expected, it was just as he had guessed just now.

"Thank you, Changan-kun."

Cheng Jiao said quietly, "You have to call me Master. From now on, Yan Lingji will be your mistress. Do you understand?"

Tianze gritted his teeth: "Yes, Master."

After saying that, Tianze closed his eyes and pretended to be dead, feeling extremely tormented.

Cheng Jiao looked at Tianze lying on the ground, wondering whether it was the poison made by Madam Mingzhu or the variant Xishi poison prepared by Zi Nu. He was a little entangled, forget it, I can't treat Tianze badly, I'd better use both! This guy has high resistance!

Ji Wuye watched Cheng Jiao whispering to Tianze.

"My Lord, what is Cheng Jiao up to now?"

Marquis Xueyi glanced at Cheng Jiao and said, "Liusha used Tianze to seize Jubao Pavilion. Now that Tianze has been captured, what do you think, General?"

Ji Wuye is not stupid: "Are you trying to bribe Tianze?"

The Blood-Clothed Marquis stood upright, holding the glass of red wine brought by his men.

"Cheng Jiao is the Lord of Chang'an of Qin. The king ordered us to capture Tianze, but he must hand him over to Qin."

Ji Wuye said bitterly: "This Cheng Jiao is really good at scheming!"

A bird killer appeared in front of Ji Wuye.

"General, we have received intelligence that a new Qin envoy has arrived in South Korea and will arrive in Xinzheng in two days."

Ji Wuye and Xueyi Hou were both stunned.

"Are you sure?" "Yes, General."

"Keep exploring."

Ji Wuye was a little serious: "It's over a thousand miles from Xianyang, Qin to Han. It takes about ten days with a small group. Two days later, it's only been six days since the Qin envoy was killed. They are so eager, they have bad intentions."

Marquis Xueyi narrowed his eyes. It turned out that Ji Wuye's roughness was just a disguise. With such a mind, it was no wonder that he could sit firmly on the position of general.

"Good or bad, it has nothing to do with us. With Tianze in hand, it doesn't matter if the Qin envoys come early."
-
The handsome young man Li Si sat in the carriage specially made by Gongshujia and rushed to Xinzheng on the official road.

Since Prime Minister Lu received the news that the envoy was assassinated in Qin State, he ordered him to be the new envoy to Han State.

Li Si understood that this was an opportunity given to him by Lu Buwei. If he could make considerable contributions this time, he would surely rise to a high position in the Qin court in the future.

He got the latest intelligence about Xinzheng, South Korea from Lü Buwei. Although it was not very clear, he could see from the clues that Xinzheng was extremely turbulent at this time. The murderer who assassinated the envoy, Tianze, the deposed crown prince of Baiyue, had not been caught yet, which made him realize that this was a good entry point to force South Korea to pay the price to Qin.

This is also the reason why he rushed to Xinzheng day and night despite the fatigue of traveling.

Thinking of this, Li Si couldn't help but chuckle: "Brother, I wonder how you will deal with it."

At the same time, Lu Buwei received the urgent intelligence handed over by Luo Wang. He rubbed his eyebrows. The content of the intelligence gave him a headache.

After Lao Ai died, Yan Ri rebelled.

He didn't expect Yanri to be so alert and decisive.

Yanri betrayed him and defected to Cheng Jiao. Apparently Cheng Jiao had already known that Ying Zheng would go to Xinzheng.

With Yanri and Jingwei around, Ying Zheng is doomed to die.

But Cheng Jiao, under their protection, although he had been in the officialdom for many years, he also understood the meaning of being a top martial arts master. Especially with Yanri, a traitor who knew the secrets well, it was too easy for Cheng Jiao to sneak back to Xianyang.

Thinking of this, Lu Buwei felt a little annoyed. Was he going to make wedding dresses for Cheng Jiao?

What made him even more embarrassed was that his plan had already begun, and it was too late to withdraw now. Whether Ying Zheng was in power or Cheng Jiao succeeded him, it was obvious that his future would not end well.

Lu Buwei felt a little regretful. What a perfect plan it was. Kill Ying Zheng, frame Cheng Jiao, kill Cheng Jiao, replace Zhao Gao, and completely control the evil spirits of Luowang. Together with the Chu clique, they supported Fusu to succeed to the throne.
However, they did not expect that Yanri's betrayal allowed Cheng Jiao to become powerful. As long as Cheng Jiao killed Ying Zheng, he would not even need to cover it up. As long as he returned to Xianyang, that group of stubborn old men would support Cheng Jiao to take the throne, even though Cheng Jiao would be charged with fratricide for killing Ying Zheng.

With this thought in mind, Lu Buwei decided to go find Zhao Gao, the eunuch whom he once looked down upon!
Moreover, this matter is of great importance. Ying Zheng is Zhao Ji's biological son, and Zhao Ji must not be allowed to know about it.

Zhao Gao and Lu Buwei were sitting under the pavilion.

Lu Buwei waved his hand and asked the people who were protecting him to retreat. Zhao Gao also signaled the six sword slaves around him to retreat.

"I am old now and don't have the energy to take care of so many things. I wonder if Lord Zhao is willing to share some of the pressure for me."

Zhao Gao took a sip of tea. Lu Buwei, who had always looked down on him, suddenly came to him today. It seemed that something big had gone wrong.

"Please speak, Prime Minister."

Lü Buwei said solemnly: "I sent Yanri Xuanjian and Lao Ai to assassinate Cheng Jiao, but the mission failed."

Zhao Gao was not moved at all. Yanri had contacted him with secret letters. He knew that Lu Buwei had sent people to Xinzheng, and he guessed that they were going to assassinate Cheng Jiao.

Looking at the calm Zhao Gao, Lu Buwei couldn't help but think that he might really be old.

"Lao Ai is dead, and Yanri has taken refuge with Cheng Jiao. If we allow things to continue like this, I'm afraid you and I will both be retaliated by Cheng Jiao in the future."

Zhao Gao's heart was moved. Could it be that what Yanri said was true? And what did Yanri mean by the fact that Qin would undergo a huge change in the future? Why did he choose to join Cheng Jiao? Was it really just because of Cheng Jiao that Lü Buwei put aside his own face and begged him?
"What does the Prime Minister want Zhao Gao to do?"

"Let's borrow Lord Zhao's six sword slaves to completely eliminate Cheng Jiao and prevent future troubles."

"Zhao Gao is just a servant. Why doesn't the Prime Minister go to the Queen Mother?"

Lü Buwei whispered, "I intend to let Lord Zhao take charge of Luowang."

Zhao Gao was suddenly restless under the pressure. He had long coveted Luowang, but would Lu Buwei be so kind?

"Prime Minister, you are joking. Zhao Gao is just a servant. How can he control Luowang?"

Lü Buwei was suspicious. Did Zhao Gao discover his plan? It was true that he wanted Zhao Gao to assassinate Cheng Jiao, but he also wanted to see if he could get rid of Zhao Gao at the same time.

The assassination of Ying Zheng was a matter of great importance, and he could not send many men to Xinzheng. No matter what, he had to persuade Zhao Gao to dispatch the Six Sword Slaves today to cooperate with Xuan Jian to kill Ying Zheng and Cheng Jiao in Xinzheng and eliminate the trouble once and for all.

"Master Zhao, there is no need to belittle yourself. I think you have the potential to be a marquis. It will be no problem for you to be on equal footing with me in the future."

Zhao Gao was a little unsure about what had happened that made Lü Buwei, who had always been cautious in his words and actions, say such words. If he had just tried to assassinate Cheng Jiao, it would have been a failure. Even if Cheng Jiao was given a fiefdom, for Lü Buwei, it would have been just another political opponent like Changping Jun, which was nothing.

He thought carefully about the secret letter Yanri had given him, and suddenly noticed a point that Yanri had overlooked: Yanri had not mentioned that he went to Xinzheng to assassinate Cheng Jiao. If it was just a small matter like assassinating Cheng Jiao, Yanri would not be so secretive.

Zhao Gao immediately decided: "Thanks to Prime Minister Lu for thinking highly of me, Zhao Gao will accept this matter. How about we set off today?"

Lu Buwei couldn't help but smile. He had promised so much. If Zhao Gao was not tempted at all, he would think that he had misjudged Zhao Gao and that he was not a person who desired power as much as he did.

People like him have no hatred or enemies. As long as there is enough benefit, they will do anything.

Zhao Gao narrowed his eyes and watched Lu Buwei walk out.

The reason why he agreed was not that he really wanted to help Lü Buwei kill Cheng Jiao. He suspected that Cheng Jiao had something to overthrow Lü Buwei, which made Lü Buwei so eager to kill Cheng Jiao.

"Zhao Cheng."

A young man whose figure and appearance were somewhat similar to Zhao Gao appeared.

"Brother, what is Lu Buwei doing here?"

Zhao Gao pondered and said, "You don't need to ask too much about this matter. Take the six sword slaves to Xinzheng immediately. Remember, wait and see what happens, don't act rashly. Wait!"

Zhao Cheng was about to respond: "Brother, do you have any other instructions?"

"You don't have to go. I'll go myself this time."

He vaguely realized that this might be related to a big event, just as Yanri said, it was related to the future pattern of the Qin State.

If there had not been Yanri's secret letter, if Lu Buwei had not come to visit him in person, he would not have taken the risk so easily. But now, realizing that a huge opportunity might be in Xinzheng, it was impossible for him to let it go!

As for what Lu Buwei said about the potential for being granted a title of nobility, if he really believed it, then that would be weird!

When Lu Buwei returned to his mansion, he received a secret letter from Wang Xi.

After watching it, I couldn't help but relax. The Six Sword Slaves and Xuan Jian assassinated Cheng Jiao, and Wang Qi killed Ying Zheng as a backup. This was perfect.

　Thanks to [Book Friend 20190404] [Book Friend 20170617] for their monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)