The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 299 God or Ghost

The palace guards pressed forward with guns in hand, pointing their spears at Lao Ai, with basically the same pace, constantly narrowing the encirclement.

This is the simplest encirclement formation. The biggest difference between soldiers and martial artists is that soldiers can form a battle formation.

Soldiers are used to fighting in coordination, while people in the martial arts world are used to being alone.

Being a half-man of the underworld, Lao Ai still felt it was unreal until the eunuchs took three steps forward with a "thump thump" sound. He did not believe that Chang'an Jun really wanted to kill him.

[My lord said that the young master is the most virtuous and has never killed anyone unjustly. This move must be to scare me.] Lao Ai made up his mind and crushed the budding panic with one foot.

He knelt on the ground with a plop and kowtowed towards Queen Dowager Zhao.

When he was on the verge of death, he did not ask Queen Mother Zhao to save him, but expressed his loyalty:
"Lao Ai can no longer be loyal to Queen Mother Zhao..."

Queen Mother Zhao came to her senses as soon as she heard the word "loyalty". The order given by Prince Chengjiao was so abrupt and decisive that she was dazed for a moment.

The reputation of Prince Chengjiao's virtue was much more popular in the palace than outside it. Ji Ruxue was always telling Queen Mother Zhao that someone had said for the seventh time that he wanted to be transferred to Chengjiao's palace.

Not hearing from others, but only from her own observation, the Queen Mother Zhao truly believed that the title of Junzi given to her second son was well-deserved.

It is a miracle that no one has escaped from Chengjiao Palace so far.

When Queen Dowager Zhao heard that her second son had issued an order to kill Lao Ai, she suspected that she had heard it wrong, because no one had ever died in Cheng Jiao Palace.

Lao Ai's cries of loyalty awakened the Queen Mother Zhao.

Queen Mother Zhao did not hear what Lao Ai said next because her attention was on her second son who had a calm face.

"Stop it, all of you!" Queen Mother Zhao gave the order fiercely. Her pressure was like an invisible shock wave that spread out, sweeping across the officials who were surrounding and killing Lao Ai.

The Empress Dowager's pressure, which could silence the ministers in the court, was unnoticed by the eunuchs.

As long as Master Chengjiao was around, they would only obey his orders.

Which palace group dared to hang a big wooden sign saying "Prince, Queen, and Dogs Are Not Allowed to Enter"? Chengjiao Palace dared.

Which palace official dared to march out of the palace and smash the prime minister's residence? Cheng Jiao Palace dared.

Which palace official dared to surround the Bashu Chamber of Commerce and kill the heir of the Bai family, the representative family of the old Qin nobles? Cheng Jiao dared.

This palace complex named after Prince Chengjiao had nothing they dared not do under Prince Chengjiao's orders.

With the young master around, they dared not listen to Queen Mother Zhao's orders. They grabbed their spears and continued to move forward steadily to kill the eunuch who was protected by Queen Mother Zhao!
The gun picks a line.

Puff puff puff puff puff puff puff puff~!
Ten spears stabbed down almost at the same time, pierced into Lao Ai's body and then were quickly pulled out.

The white spear tip was stained with blood and turned into a red spear tip. Because the officials pulled out the spears too quickly, the red dot on the red spear tip became a red line.

Ten spears, ten red lines.

Tie it in again and pull it out again.

The red line shuttles back and forth, and talismans are drawn in the air.

The eunuchs had not expected that killing the eunuch named Lao Ai would be so easy. They even replaced their axes with spears and formed a formation before marching forward, all in vain.

He looked strong and had a long breath, but he was a fool. He didn't even resist when his death was imminent. (Note 1)

Lao Ai, who was not yet dead, no longer had the strength to resist.

Even the most extraordinary master would have his bravery greatly reduced if he had thirty or forty bloody holes on his body, and he would hardly be able to maintain even one of his full strength.

Lao Ai, a master who was far from being peerless, was kneeling on the ground and didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"Why?" He looked at the holes in his body that were bleeding and fell to the ground on his side.

"Why?" He twitched like a dying fish on the shore.

"Why?" He moved his head with difficulty, trying to see the young master Cheng Jiao, who was called the reincarnated saint by his master, over the officials around him.

Can a saint kill people?
The plain robe he was wearing was stained red with blood. This garment, worn by the lowest-ranking eunuch, was full of holes, and blood was still flowing out of the holes.

"Why, why, why, why..." He kept repeating these three words.

He really couldn't understand why he died. He thought it might just be a nightmare. The intense pain in his body was just a dream and it would go away when he woke up.

He closed his eyes, muttered "why", and fell asleep.

"Sir." A palace official who had stabbed Lao Ai to death ran to Ying Chengjiao and reported with a bow, "Lao Ai is dead."

Ying Chengjiao took a step forward.

The officials made way for them, holding blood-stained spears in their hands. Blood flowed from the tips of the spears, sliding onto the wooden poles and into the hands of the officials.

"Here." Gongzi Chengjiao, who was walking on the road, pointed to the connection between the spear tip and the spear shaft: "Add a red tassel, and the blood will not flow down. Letting the blood flow down like this will affect your strength, right?"

The officials looked at each other, feeling a little overwhelmed by Master Chengjiao's sudden concern.

Soon, they looked at the tip of the gun and watched the blood flowing along the gun shaft into their hands...it seemed that this was the case.

The tassels absorb blood, and it seems that the blood cannot flow out when they are added.

"If you have no objection, then let's try it first." Ying Chengjiao made a conclusion: "Let Yin Gong do it."

"Yes." The officials felt warm in their hearts and looked happy, and they answered at the same time.

Only Master Cheng Jiao of their Cheng Jiao Palace would care about them, the lowest-ranking officials who had climbed up from the bottom.

Ying Chengjiao said "hmm" and continued walking, stepping over the bluestone slabs, stepping over the bluestone slabs covered with a layer of blood.

Arrived.

He stood beside Lao Ai, looking at him who was curled up like a shrimp.

"Why... I want to ask why..." The young man whispered, and was blown away by the wind: "I have already told you that if you don't leave, I will kill you, why don't you leave?"

He had heard Lao Ai's question a long time ago, but he pretended not to hear it.

Villains die from talking too much.

When killing Bai Ma, if he hadn't been fishing and waiting for the Bai family to come for support, he would have killed Bai Ma long ago.

He prefers talking to the dead rather than answering questions for the living.

The soul of a person who has just died can still hear it, right?

“Didn’t the teacher tell you that I killed someone when I was seven years old?” The young man raised his hands in front of him, clenched his fists, and stretched them to both sides.

He gritted his teeth, his face was grim, his arms were shaking, and he was using so much force that it seemed as if there was really an invisible rope between his hands.

"I was seven years old, and I strangled someone to death like this!" The young man growled at Lao Ai's corpse, at the invisible soul of the damned horse, and at his past life self.

"Ah!" Queen Dowager Zhao screamed, her face turned pale, and she collapsed.

Ji Ruxue rushed forward, opened her tiny and weak arms and hugged her aunt, crying with a pale face:
"The Queen Mother has fainted! Someone come quickly!"

She was frightened by Master Cheng Jiao.

The big man who was still alive beside her just now turned into a corpse in the blink of an eye. The red blood made Ji Ruxue dizzy and terrified.

This girl was not a direct descendant of the Lin family, but was born with a good appearance. She was born from a side branch and was too sensible and learned to read people's expressions. This was the first time she saw a living person die tragically in front of her. She thought she had seen the cruelest thing in the world, but she didn't know that this was just the beginning.

Less than a moment later.

Li Yigong, the rear chamber.

On the big bed that could accommodate five Ying Chengjiaos, Queen Mother Zhao woke up slowly and made a noise when she stood up.

Ying Chengjiao stood beside the golden nanmu table, stirring the orange juice in the cup with a red dragon pattern with a silver spoon in his hand.

Amid the clang-clang sound, Ying Chengjiao's ears twitched slightly:

"Is the Queen Mother awake?"

Queen Mother Zhao sat up without saying a word. Her jet-black, smooth hair fell down like a black waterfall, half covering her charming face.

Placing the silver spoon on the table, Ying Chengjiao grabbed the red dragon on the porcelain cup and walked towards Queen Mother Zhao, handing it over with one hand:
"Have a glass of juice with honey. If the Queen Mother loves me, my taste should also be to her taste."

Queen Mother Zhao stared at the still swirling orange juice and slowly raised her head.

As she moved, the black stockings moved to the sides, revealing a beautiful face that was both charming and alluring.

"I don't drink juice." She said, waving her hands violently.

The strong wind blew on Ying Chengjiao's face, and Queen Mother Zhao's palm stopped five inches away from Ying Chengjiao's left cheek.

Ying Chengjiao tilted his head to look at his palm, hesitated for a moment, and then put his face close to it to touch it.

Ice cold.

"Can I drink it now?" The young man raised his hands.

Queen Mother Zhao laughed angrily and slapped her hand downwards.

The red dragon fell, and it broke into pieces with a clear wail, with orange-yellow blood flowing all over the ground.

"You brat! You've caused such a disaster! Do you think you can get away with it by acting coquettishly and cutely? Ah!" Queen Mother Zhao was furious.

"Killing a fake eunuch named Lao Ai is just a big deal." The young man tilted his head and said, "How did the queen know the word 'acting cute'? Did you learn it from my mother?"

"Get out of here!" Queen Dowager Zhao pushed the boy away, not in the mood to play with the child.

The boy did not resist and fell.

The Queen Mother Zhao didn't want to intervene, he deserved to be thrown to death!

Suddenly he realized that the ground where the boy was about to fall was covered with red dragon fragments. He pulled the boy hard and threw him next to him.

The boy bounced on the soft big bed and cried out in pain.

"Shut up!" Queen Dowager Zhao became angrier and angrier, and slapped Ying Chengjiao hard on the butt.

The screams of pain stopped for a moment, then became louder.

Crying is a child’s privilege.

Men's contract expires and becomes invalid, while women's contract expires and becomes renewable.

Queen Mother Zhao stepped on the red dragon in a state of annoyance, pacing back and forth with a "crackling" sound:

"You bastard! You bastard! I really want to kill you with one sword! You have no idea how much trouble you have caused!"

Howling is sound without tears.

The howling stopped.

After crying for a long time without shedding a single tear, Young Master Cheng Jiao turned over and sat on the edge of the bed:
"I know."

Queen Mother Zhao sneered and said, "Pooh":
"You know shit!"

"Rather than saying I caused a disaster, it's better to say I ruined my mother's plan." The young man looked at Queen Dowager Zhao, who had stopped walking, and said, "When I get crazy, there are usually signs to follow. Most of the time I'm just pretending. But you, my mother, really have a crazy illness."

"Oh?" Queen Mother Zhao snorted fiercely, holding two big sins in her arms as she walked towards Ying Chengjiao, "My little husband knows about this again? You took all my hair accessories, right? Why didn't you take them out together? Your father doesn't like it, and you don't like it either? Don't you want to do it yourself? My little husband, lie down, I will put it in your mouth."

"Mother!" The young man rolled to the ground, his movements somewhat awkward, and panic was evident in his heart.

He took two steps back and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Queen Mother Zhao sitting back on the bed with a gloomy face and not going crazy for the time being.

With a crisp "pa" sound, the young man continued to slap Queen Mother Zhao and left five finger marks on his own right cheek.

The young man made a solemn vow that if he continued to pretend to be provocative towards the abstract professional player, he would be a dog!
"My mother wants to take Lao Ai to Yongcheng and give birth to two children for him there." The young man spoke fluently.

"Bullshit!" Before she could finish her words, Queen Mother Zhao grabbed the pillow and smashed it at him.

It is fast and powerful.

Ying Chengjiao turned his head subconsciously.

First I felt a strong wind in my ears, and then I heard a heavy muffled sound.

He looked back at the pillow and saw buckwheat husks scattered on the ground, and his heart felt a little cold.

With such a strong force, it would be like a big sandbag hitting your head, right?
The fragrance hit him and the young man turned his head stiffly, only to see the Queen Mother Zhao with an angry look on her face.

Queen Mother Zhao brushed her hair on the right side, revealing half of her face. She leaned over and half-knelt in front of her second son, saying with a fake smile:
"Young husband, is this what you mean by knowing?"

"It was just a joke with my mother." Ying Chengjiao forced himself to remain calm.

Seeing the flames in Queen Mother Zhao's eyes ignited again, the young man sped up his attack:
"Although Lü Buwei is powerful now, he is a member of the Jiang clan, not the Ying clan. He has been in power for less than a year, and he lacks the foundation and the people's support. He is far from ready to carry out Tian Chen's plan to usurp Qi.

"As time goes by, his foundation becomes stronger and stronger, and his wings become more powerful. By the time he actually launches a mutiny, my brother may be in great trouble.

"My mother absolutely did not want to see this scene, and she was determined to completely eliminate Lu Buwei for my brother.

"But Lü Buwei's contributions were too great. If we kill him for no reason, the people of Xianyang will be divided, just like the generals of our country were in danger and the army was in chaos after the death of Wu'an Jun.

"We must find a serious and unforgivable crime for Lü Buwei - treason, and force him to rebel as soon as possible.

"With Lü Buwei's methods, it is almost impossible to force him to rebel as soon as possible. However, Lü Buwei is not alone.

"Lao Ai was one of the Twelve Lords, who were Lü Buwei's most valued retainers. In the eyes of outsiders, each of them could represent Lü Buwei.

"Among the twelve princes, Lao Ai was the most useless. He was favored by Lü Buwei only because of his loyalty. He was nicknamed the Wheel-Turning Man and the Waist-Wrapped Bird. He was greedy and lustful, and could not resist any woman.

"My mother took him to Yongcheng. Yongcheng did not have as many spies as Xianyang, and there were not many people who could hinder my mother. My mother wanted to use herself as bait and the official title as a benefit to foster Lao Ai's ambition and induce him to rebel.

"He is plotting a rebellion, so even if Lü Buwei is not plotting a rebellion, he will be implicated. My brother can then take advantage of the situation to get rid of Lü Buwei. Even if he cannot be killed, at least he can be dismissed from office and his power taken away, so that Lü Buwei will lose power completely..."

Queen Dowager Zhao half-knelt and listened to the whole thing. Her eyes changed from rage to surprise, and then to disbelief and panic, as if she had seen a monster.

[Inhuman!] The three words that flashed through Queen Mother Zhao’s mind did not have any derogatory meaning.

Queen Mother Zhao, who could squat in horse stance for half an hour, trembled with legs and forced a laugh:
"Is my little husband a god or a ghost?"

…………

【Note 1: After Su Qin was assassinated, the King of Qi hung Su Qin's head on the city gate in order to catch the assassin. He also posted a notice saying that Su Qin was a traitor and offered a reward of taels of gold to the righteous man who killed him. Four people came to claim the reward, all claiming that they had killed Su Qin. The King of Qi said that it was not allowed to claim the reward without authorization. The four people said that they had killed Su Qin. The taels of gold were divided equally among the four people, and each person should receive taels of gold. The King of Qi killed the four people, and from then on, erbaiwu became a synonym for a fool. This is the earliest saying of erbaiwu, which is not found in history books, so I adopted it.】

(End of this chapter)