Chapter 245: Talk to Zhao Ji

Cheng Jiao glanced at the majestic Zhangtai Palace from afar, and followed Zhang Han to Yong Palace, Zheng Ge’s "office".

Zhang Han led the way while reporting what happened last night.

"Last night, my subordinates investigated and read the files all night, but they couldn't find any clues to the identities of these people. It's very mysterious. There was also an arm at the scene. According to analysis, it should be an old man with strong skills. Judging from his fascia, bones and flesh, he is at least a master."

Cheng Jiao corrected himself.

"He's not a Grandmaster, he's a Great Grandmaster. Also, you don't need to investigate this matter in depth, just record it in the case file. I will report it to Brother Wang."

Zhang Han was startled. He didn't expect that he would be a top master. Together with the old woman with the wooden stick, they made two top masters.

Thinking about how two top masters and four first-rate masters ambushed Cheng Jiao late at night, and were easily killed by Cheng Jiao, the strength of Chang'an Jun was too terrifying.

No wonder the King of Qin acted rashly and competed with Lu Buwei in the court.

If he had a younger brother who was formidable, talented, thoughtful, and understood human nature, he would also be proud.

"My subordinate understands!"

"You haven't slept all night, have you? How do you feel?"

Cheng Jiao asked casually with concern.

Zhang Han said briskly: "I am on duty at the palace late at night and often stay up all night. It's okay."

Cheng Jiao saw that they had arrived at Yong Palace and nodded: "That's good, come in with me."

He could sense Zhang Han's strength. Although it was not as good as the one-man battle he later had, he had second-rate strength. He only needed to meditate and regulate his breathing to feel refreshed.

Zhang Han hesitated and said, "The king has not summoned me, which is against the rules."

Cheng Jiao was just about to say something else when Gai Nie appeared on the steps.

"Master Cheng Jiao, the king is already waiting."

Cheng Jiao said with a smile: "Commander Zhang Han, do you really have to talk to my brother before you go in?"

Zhang Han stopped hesitating and said, "I obey your command."

Then, under Cheng Jiao's gaze, he handed the sword to Gai Nie.

Gai Nie held a sword and did not stop Cheng Jiao from bringing Zhang Han in.

First, Cheng Jiao had a lot of face, and second, Zhang Han was the person he selected for Ying Zheng, so he naturally knew his character.

Zhang Han didn't know that the reason why he caught Ying Zheng's attention was because of Gai Nie. He thought it was the result of Cheng Jiao's good words to Ying Zheng after that court meeting. Ying Zheng also mentioned to him that Cheng Jiao had a high opinion of him.

After respectfully handing the sword to Gai Nie, he stood behind Cheng Jiao and followed Cheng Jiao in.

Cheng Jiao walked into Zheng Ge's office study and saw that Zheng Ge was still dealing with government affairs. He did not disturb him and just found a place to sit down.

Holding the tea brewed by Uncle Gai Nie himself, he sipped it carefully. It was the flavor of aged Snow-Top Silver Shuttle. It was not new tea, but his favorite old tea.

Glancing at the bamboo slips on the big golden scale where one quarter had disappeared, he wondered how long it took Zheng Ge to finish his work.

But I'm sure I didn't get up as early as him, he didn't sleep~
After Gai Nie took the bamboo slips that Ying Zheng had dealt with from the table and placed them on the large golden scale, Cheng Jiao muttered, "One third of it is left."

Ying Zheng put down his pen and said, "Cheng Jiao, you were attacked last night, but it was Lu Buwei who did it."

Zhang Han had already reported what happened last night when he got up this morning. He knew Cheng Jiao's strength, so he was not surprised by what Zhang Han said about Cheng Jiao's counterattack and killing the bandits.

"Yes and no."

Ying Zheng found Cheng Jiao's slow response somewhat amusing.

"What is it? What is not? If you can't tell me, you will help me handle government affairs in the future."

Cheng Jiao was immediately excited. Helping Brother Zheng with government affairs? It would be better to deal with him directly. He was still thinking about having sex in the car with Mrs. Hu later.

"Brother Wang, do you know the latest rumors in the martial arts world?"

Ying Zheng thought for a moment, "Is it the Blue Dragon and the Seven Stars that Mr. Gai Nie mentioned? Is there anyone who still believes in that?"

Cheng Jiao smiled and said, "Someone will always believe something that has been passed down for thousands of years. I suspect that this incident must have been caused by Lü Buwei's 'merit'."

Ying Zheng said with contempt: "Lü Buwei is really old, and he still uses these despicable schemes."

Cheng Jiao smiled but said nothing. Everyone has a different style. Lao Lu has been in business all his life and is good at calculating. He can solve problems with some small tricks and will never spend a big price.

Ying Zheng became the King of Qin at a young age, so naturally he developed a style different from that of Lu Buwei.

"Do you know who ambushed you last night?"

Cheng Jiao looked into Zheng Ge's eyes, which were cold and fierce.

"It is said to be the Yin family. I don't know much about it."

Ying Zheng frowned and said, "The Yin family? Is there such a family among the hundreds of schools of thought?"

When Gai Nie saw Ying Zheng looking at him, he immediately demonstrated his ability as an encyclopedia uncle.

I briefly explained to Ying Zheng about this sect organization hidden among the seven countries.

"A bunch of losers whose country has been destroyed and whose families have been ruined dare to cause trouble. Han Fei is right. The knights violated the law with force and dared to ambush and kill members of the royal family in the capital. They deserve to die!"

After Ying Zheng found out, he realized how difficult the Yin family was.

If it was just a martial arts sect, it would be fine, but when I think about the fact that they have people in the courts of the seven countries, it is a little unbelievable. On second thought, maybe it is an exaggeration. In the court, how many of those who hold high positions and power have unknown origins?

Cheng Jiao found Gai Nie's narration to be more detailed than Meng Niang's.

I guess wars in the Warring States period were as frequent as quarrels, so it is possible that the Yin family was involved.

With these people instigating various countries, it would be strange if war did not break out.

Or maybe at the beginning it was just some people within the Yin family who simply wanted to avenge their own country, but in the end they found out that this enemy was the State of Chu, and that enemy was the State of Qin. After all these operations, the enemies of the Yin family actually added up to seven countries.

Cheng Jiao thought of the man in black in the original novel, who said something about serving the war and provoking war. Could he be a member of the Yin family?
Like, it's so similar.

"Cheng Jiao, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Cheng Jiao remained silent, Ying Zheng couldn't help but ask.

Cheng Jiao came back to his senses and said with a serious expression: "Brother Wang, do you know the details of the officials in the Qin court now?"

Ying Zheng frowned and said, "Of course I know. There are records in the palace's storage room. I often read them to understand which ones are useful."

"My king, you have misunderstood. What I am talking about is which of these people are from Lu Buwei, which are from the Yin family, which are from Lord Changping and Queen Mother Huayang, and who are loyal to my king."

Ying Zheng glanced at Zhang Han, who was kneeling with his head down, and wondered why Cheng Jiao brought him here and said these words.

If it were just him, Cheng Jiao and Gai Nie, there would be nothing wrong in discussing these things.

Could it be that Cheng Jiao was planning to ask Zhang Han to help him sort this out?
He had the idea of ​​establishing a secret organization, but it was not very mature, mainly because he was undecided about the leader.

I originally wanted to let Gai Nie give it a try, but he was rejected outright and told that he was not suitable.

Zhang Han placed his hands on his thighs and exerted great force.

He vaguely realized that his chance to rise to fame was about to come.

It also comes with the risk of falling into the abyss in one step.

Ying Zheng pondered for a while and said, "I know everything that happened on the surface."

Cheng Jiao smiled, meaning that he didn't know what was going on in secret.

"Commander Zhang Han, do you have any plan?"

Zhang Han had been thinking about this matter after Cheng Jiao raised the question. When he heard Cheng Jiao calling him, he took a deep breath.

"Have!"

Ying Zheng took the tea offered by Gai Nie and said, "Speak."

Zhang Han organized his words a little. "The things that are in the open are obvious and can be seen at a glance. The things that are in the dark, if no one is watching, no one will know. Therefore, I dare to suggest that Your Majesty set up an organization specifically to investigate this matter, to serve as the eyes and ears of the king."

Cheng Jiao nodded slightly. It was impressive that he could come up with an effective strategy in such a short time.

He only understood a little bit by relying on his knowledge, which was dozens of versions ahead of the Qin Dynasty, and by reading some popular science books on history.

Ying Zheng showed admiration in his eyes, which coincided with his opinion. He thought she was more suitable than Gai Nie.

"Are you capable of this?"

Zhang Han stood up and knelt on one knee.

"I am a humble servant, but I am willing to help the king solve his problems!"

Ying Zheng laughed and said, "Very good, I have a good general. How can the evil spirits and the servile people be so rampant?"

After laughing, Ying Zheng continued, "This organization is called 'Shadow Secret Guard'. It is like a maggot attached to the bone, like a shadow following the body, and like the Emperor himself! You, Zhang Han, will be its first leader!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I will do my best!"

Zhang Han's expression was serious and resolute, and his voice was sonorous and powerful.

Cheng Jiao added: "It is best to select and train the best people for the Shadow Secret Guard from the imperial guards. Commander Zhang Han is from the imperial guards, so we just need to do a good job of screening him."

Zhang Han nodded and said, "What Chang'an Jun said makes sense. Most of the imperial guards are from good families with clean identities. They are indeed suitable to be shadow guards."

Ying Zheng suppressed his rising emotions and said, "In that case, Zhang Han, you can go down and present a set of regulations tomorrow."

"Subordinates take orders!"

After Zhang Han finished speaking, he took his leave and was led out by Gai Nie.

Ying Zheng remembered something and said with a smile: "Cheng Jiao, how did you persuade my mother? Now my mother is reading books in the storage room all day long, almost forgetting to eat and sleep, which makes me sad."

Although he said that he felt heartbroken, Ying Zheng couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Compared to my mother who spends her days wandering around, reading is such a positive thing.

As long as you persist, it will definitely be a story of a prodigal son returning home.

It can also make people all over the world shut up and stop spreading dirty things.

Although no one told him these things in person, he knew them very well in his heart. How could he, as the son who depended on his mother for everything, not know what kind of person she was?

Cheng Jiao grinned. He couldn’t tell Ying Zheng that it was your mother who deserved a beating.

"I don't know either. Maybe the Queen Mother has suddenly realized it."

Ying Zheng did not ask any further questions. He also did not believe that Cheng Jiao had such a powerful tongue-talk skill to make his mother right.

Maybe my mother really repented.

but……

"Cheng Jiao, my mother has been studying late into the night these days. I'm worried that she will be in bad health if she continues like this. Do you have any suggestions? Or why don't you go and talk to her?"

Ying Zheng thought about how he had visited his mother every day over the past three days and tried to persuade her in a lot of ways, but it was all in vain.

So I wanted Cheng Jiao to try it again, just in case it worked.

Cheng Jiao was scratching his head. He hadn't thought too much about it when he recharged Zhao Ji's one-year reading membership in the Shouzangshi.

Forget it, let’s talk to Zhao Ji and give her a few days off to give Zheng Ge some face.

"also may……"

Cheng Jiao agreed, after all it was just a matter of walking a few more steps.

Before leaving, he mentioned to Brother Zheng that Changping Jun wanted to cooperate with him.

Unexpectedly, Brother Zheng just threw the task to him.

He sighed helplessly. He had come to the palace originally to hand this matter over to Brother Zheng, so he didn't want to join in the fun.

Unfortunately, even Zheng, a workaholic, sometimes wants to be lazy, which is unscientific.

But it seems reasonable...

Since he had never been to the storage room, Cheng Jiao asked Gai Nie, who sent him out, where the storage room was.

After leaving Yong Palace, he walked to find Zhao Ji.

He is an expert at making Zhao Ji obedient. If that doesn't work, he can just slap her a few more times.

Regarding the stork rooms, all countries followed the Zhou royal family's example and most of them were set up within the royal palace. These were important places and not many people could enter and exit freely.

Not only are there letters of advice on government affairs stored here, but also archives such as Qin's maps, covenants, genealogies, oaths, contracts, and vouchers.

Of course, the largest collection is of various classics.

For example, at this time Zhao Ji was holding a volume of customs reading written by a novelist in her hand, reading it with relish, and did not notice Cheng Jiao coming in at all.

Zhao Gao and the four sword slaves noticed Cheng Jiao the moment he appeared, but they just took a quick glance and then lowered their heads to read again.

Zhao Ji said that they must also read the books she had read, and there would be assessments.

The old keeper of the treasury sighed behind Cheng Jiao. He was a member of the royal family and belonged to the group of people who had always had a grudge against Zhao Ji.

At first, Zhao Ji came here in a hurry to read, and people thought it was a performance.

But after several days of neglecting sleep and eating, reading by lamplight at night, he even felt a little ashamed, even though he claimed to be a book lover. He was old and could not withstand such high-intensity reading.

After bringing Cheng Jiao here, he left.

Cheng Jiao did not pay much attention to Zhao Ji. Instead, he watched Zhao Gao and Jian Nu reading seriously with great interest.

Just like when we were studying, the teacher would quietly come in and inspect the class.

Cheng Jiao strolled over to Zhao Gao.

"Oh, Lao Zhao is also studying?"

Since Zhao Gao and Jian Nu were studying far away from Zhao Ji, Zhao Ji was so absorbed in the story written by the novelist that she did not hear Cheng Jiao teasing Zhao Gao.

Among the sword slaves, Zhen Gang looked at Cheng Jiao with a sidelong glance. It was said that Zhao Ji came here to study because of Cheng Jiao.

So, that is to say, they are not using swords to kill people here, but reading books. The culprit is Cheng Jiao!
Zhao Gao put the book down, took a look at the scrolls piled up like a tower on the desk, and couldn't help but sigh. There were still hundreds of kilograms of them, and that was just today's quantity.

"Lord Chang'an, the Queen Mother is in poor health. If this continues, something bad will happen."

It wasn't that he was concerned about Zhao Ji's health. It was just that Zhao Ji looked after her for one day, and they also looked after her for one day. This had been going on for three days in a row, and even with his strength as a grandmaster, he could hardly bear it.

The only good news is that, starting from yesterday, most of the letters are stories written by novelists and customs and experiences of various countries, rather than things like "Confucius said, Confucius said, Laozi said, Laozi said, Mozi said."

Zhao Gao, who was known as a professional brainwasher, was almost brainwashed.

But to be honest, the bottleneck of his realm that had been difficult to shake for a long time showed signs of loosening.

But this is not the reason, besides eating, drinking, defecating and sleeping, the only other reason is to read!
Cheng Jiao found it funny after hearing this.

"Well, read more, read good books, and read well. Old Zhao, reading is good for the body and mind, and it can broaden your horizons. Look, the murderous aura on the sword slave has faded a lot. If you persist, you will definitely be able to improve your strength."

I casually used what I had just heard from the keeper of the archives. It was said that these were the words of Zhao Ji. At first I thought that Zhao Ji was possessed by a time traveler, but after observing her just now, I found that I was overthinking.

Who else could have had that lazy and enchanting posture except Zhao Ji?
Zhao Gao was too lazy to say anything. If he could swear, he would definitely let Cheng Jiao get out of here.

Even if he didn't swear, he really wanted to say, this guy is not a human being!
However, he was a little confused in his heart about what Cheng Jiao had done to Zhao Ji that day.

Not only did she listen like a maid, but she also seemed like a different person, only caring about reading.

If he had not paid close attention and discovered that many of Zhao Ji's little habits remained the same, he would have thought that she had been under some kind of mind-control spell or some other kind of witchcraft.

(End of this chapter)