The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 302: Love in Chang'an, New Qin Plan. Zhao Ji's concubine Lu, Ying Zheng's son Lu
Zhangtai Street is the main street leading out of the central royal palace. Usually, apart from officials walking around and people from other places visiting relatives and friends, there are few ordinary people strolling here for no reason.

The last time the people of Xianyang came here in large numbers, they came to the Prime Minister's Mansion to receive a huge sum of gold.

Many dignitaries gather here, so the security is top-notch.

But if there is an important matter, the guards stationed at the palace gate under the Central Palace can arrive in an instant.

In fact, the people in charge of the garrison of Xianyang were the guards under the jurisdiction of the Internal Secretary and the Grand Marshal.

However, because the Neishi Mansion and the Taiwei Mansion were the only two government offices in Xianyang that enjoyed military power, they were not located on the same government street. This was for the sake of the safety of the royal palace.

A group of guards gathered at the gate of the Central Palace every day, ready to attack the palace at any time. The King of Qin was at ease, but the Internal Secretary and the Grand Marshal were also worried.

Treason is a crime. Having the possibility and ability to rebel at any time is also a crime.

The smooth bluestone slabs vibrated slightly and the dust jumped.

Sima Wang Yan, who was guarding the main gate of the Central Palace, led two groups of palace gate guards and ran to the scene of the incident. His face was as gloomy as water and his eyes were filled with anxiety.

There have been too many things happening in Zhangtai Street recently. When did a government street become so chaotic?

First, someone brought two cranes here, like gods.

Then the Queen Mother Zhao shot two arrows at the historian, one of which frightened him and the other killed him.

Now another assassin is trying to kill Chang'an Jun in the street.

The events that followed one after another made Wang Yan smell the scent of storm and feel that chaos was about to come.

He knew it was not an illusion.

His eldest grandfather, Wang He, was one of the veteran generals who had never understood or taken care of state affairs. Recently, he had been reminding him not to be careless on duty.

When he was almost close, about twenty steps away from the assassin who was lying on the ground and was obviously not dead, Wang Yan's pupils suddenly shrank and he opened his mouth to shout.

Before he could even shout, the white-clad swordsman in his sight slashed the assassin's throat with a weapon that was flashing green light and should be a dagger.

Blood surged upward like boiling water. The red color instantly overwhelmed the green color and became the only color in Wang Yan's eyes.

There was anger in him.

The assassin has no power to fight back, why kill him?

But on second thought, his anger subsided.

The reason for his anger was that the white swordsman killed the assassin in front of him, but if the assassin died, wouldn't he have a lot less trouble?

He is in charge of the security of the middle gate, not in charge of arresting and investigating cases.

When an incident happened in Zhangtai Street, he was close by and led his troops to collect the body of an assassin. He was doing his duty and being considerate, and no one could accuse him of anything wrong.

But if we catch him alive... this assassin dared to assassinate Chang'an Jun, who knows who is behind him.

Although he was of extraordinary wealth and his grandfather was one of the three highest officials in the military, he did not want to be involved in this turmoil.

The Three Dukes were originally Four Dukes. Didn’t the most powerful Duke Bie also die when he was involved?

Counting further back...Wu'an Jun.

With this thought in mind, Wang Yan slowed down his running, led his men to stop in front of Ying Chengjiao, and bowed:

"Greetings to Lord Chang'an, may I ask..."

Wang Yan was about to say something but stopped himself, his eyes constantly glancing at the white-robed swordsman who was walking towards him.

The white-robed swordsman would never dare to kill anyone without the permission of Lord Chang'an, as this is the Qin State with strict laws.

Ying Chengjiao, who was in a bad mood, looked up at Rui Shi and still sensed that Rui Shi was thinking that less trouble is worse than more, it was too obvious.

When faced with an assassination attempt, instead of stepping forward to control the assassin, he came to ask the victim for instructions first, which clearly showed that he did not want to cause any more trouble.

Gongzi Chengjiao said "hmm" and waved his hand impatiently:

“He stabbed me and I killed him.

"You guys handle the rest on your own, don't bother me."

After saying this, the boy got into the car.

Wang Yan answered loudly with "Yes", sent Zhao Di's body to the Supreme Court and went back to continue guarding the gate. He wrote a bamboo slip similar to an attendance report and submitted it to his immediate superior, Sima Ling. The matter came to an end with Wang Yan, and no one could find fault with it.

The Supreme Court asked him to cooperate with the investigation, and Wang Yan just narrated everything he saw.

Wang Yan was certain that this matter must involve a deep-seated struggle among the three great families, Wang, Xiang, Meng Xibai, Queen Mother Zhao, Queen Mother Huayang, Zong Zheng and other important people.

He pretended not to know, pretending to see only the surface.

The identity of Wang He's grandson is enough to ensure that he will not die in obscurity.

He is not like the brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi, who grew up practicing martial arts with the king and are deeply bound to him.

He didn't want to think about these petty intrigues, he just wanted to go into battle, kill the enemy, expand the territory, and gain fiefdom and title.

The death of Zhao Di was harsher than the winter wind, making everyone in the originally leisurely Zhangtai Street feel insecure.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

Not to mention that the important officials of the court, such as the Nine Ministers and the Thousand Officials, had an inexplicable sense of crisis, even the minor clerks in the various government offices who were not officials had become more cautious in their actions.

Before the earthquake, tigers and leopards roared out of the mountains and forests, and ants wandered around without returning to their nests.

Inside the Xiangbang Mansion, the originally tense atmosphere was relieved a lot.

For some reason, Lü Buwei's injury, which had been cured, relapsed. He coughed violently several times, covered his mouth with a white silk handkerchief and said:

"Dun Ruo, you have the ability to speak eloquently, and you are the best at quoting from classics and making extensive references.

"But you just said the truth without any hesitation, straight to the point, like an arrow shot from a bow, leaving no room for maneuver.

"I know that you think there is no need to elaborate on this matter. Anyone with eyes can see that we have only one way to go.

"Now, do you still think so?"

He was weak and silent.

The other eight people remained silent.

Although Lu Xiang's words seemed to be directed to Dun Ruo, wasn't he actually speaking to them?
They saw with their own eyes that Chang'an Jun walked between his lord and the king, and was biased towards the king and never shyed away from it.

The lord was rude to the king, but was always very respectful to Chang'an Jun, which made later guests such as Dun Ruo and Yao Jia feel dissatisfied.

When Lao Ai died, dissatisfaction broke out.

Although Lao Ai and his people were not good, they were the same as them in the eyes of outsiders. They were collectively called the Twelve Lords.

If Chang'an Jun can kill Lao Ai, he can kill them all.

They can sacrifice themselves for their lord.

It can be vigorous or silent.

As long as it helps their master, they are willing to do it.

Did Lao Ai's death at the hands of Chang'an Jun help the lord in any way?

Lao Ai entered the palace to be close to Queen Dowager Zhao on the orders of his master. Lao Ai's death meant the failure of his master's plan.

You, Ying Chengjiao, can destroy the master's plan.

But if you want to destroy it, just destroy it. Why do you have to kill Lao Ai?

You knew that Lao Ai was the master's man, why didn't you let him live and let him come back? You don't care about our friendship at all!

The lord treated Chang'an with sincerity, and Chang'an repaid the lord with murder.

This was something that Dun Ruo, Yao Jia and other outstanding people who followed Lu Buwei could not tolerate.

If you can’t bear it, then don’t bear it, go to Chang’an!

However, the lord endured it.

This made it even more unacceptable for them.

How can I endure this?
When the letter was hung on the city gate, the lord did not throw Pengfei, who caused trouble among the Twelve Lords, to take the blame.

Why could the lord tolerate the death of Lao Ai?
Is this still the lord they are willing to die for?
We repay our lord with our lives because he treats us as national heroes!

If the master treats us like grass, then we will not serve him!

Nine princes came together to ask for an explanation.

They originally wanted to leave Gan Luo alone, just like they had left Zhao Di alone, but Gan Luo was the chief secretary of the prime minister and had always been serving Lu Buwei, so they could not avoid him.

The reason they didn't bring Zhao Di was not because he had not yet recovered from his injuries as Yao Jia said.

It was because all seven of them followed Lu Buwei after he became prime minister and admired his reputation. Zhao Di was the first to follow Lu Buwei, and Gan Luo was almost the same, and they were Lu Buwei's confidants.

Where there are people, there is power.

The twelve kings also have different levels of closeness and distance.

The air seemed to still be filled with the bloody smell of Zhangtai Street, that was Zhao Di's blood.

The people of Zhao had not yet arrived, so they attended the parliament with blood.

"I have not thought enough. Please punish me, my lord!" Dun Ruo bowed deeply.

As Dun Ruo bowed down, the remaining eight gentlemen either knelt on the ground or bowed, all admitting that they had not thought things through and asking for punishment from their lord.

They already knew everything that had just happened in Zhangtai Street.

Zhao Di stabbed Chang'an Jun with his own body, and Chang'an Jun killed Zhao Di before the officials arrived.

The situation is extremely clear, and the connotation is also clear.

When Lao Ai died, they were angry.

Zhao Di died, and they were sad.

Dissipate anger in melancholy, understand the master, and identify with the master.

Chang'an Jun could have made use of Zhao Di's identity to drag the twelve princes and the master into the water.

The labels on Zhao Di are too heavy to be removed.

Chang'an Jun did not do so, but chose to kill Zhao Di. He also did not give others the opportunity to do so, and chose to protect his master.

The struggle between the prime minister and the king was so fierce that Zhao Di's assassination could allow the royal faction to advance a large step forward, so Chang'an Jun gave up.

The lord gave a peach, and Chang'an gave him a plum in return.

Jiujun let go, and his originally scattered hearts came together again.

Such a Chang'an Jun is worthy of his lord's doing so.

But...it was reasonable for Chang'an Jun to kill Zhao Di, but why did he kill Lao Ai as well?

"I am to blame for Lao Ai's death." Lu Buwei asked the nine princes to stand up.

He stood up, bowed slightly, and paid homage to the Nine Lords.

"Absolutely not!"

"You are embarrassing us!"

“I have never heard of the Lord visiting guests!”

"..."

The nine princes hurriedly helped their master onto the chair. No matter if they were pretending or sincerely, they all looked terrified.

Surrounded by the crowd, Lü Buwei, who was getting older, had tears welling up in his eyes as he said:

"The young master told me in advance that I should recall Lao Ai, or I would kill him.

"I thought you were just talking, and I didn't take it seriously, let alone remind Lao Ai.

"I felt guilty and selfish, so I didn't tell you and harmed Zhao Di again.

"The one who killed Lao Ai, the one who killed Zhao Di.

"It's not Chang'an, it's me, Lu Buwei!"

It turns out that Chang'an Jun had said it in advance, so it's okay... The nine kings have different strengths, but they are all smart and can keep up with the master's thinking.

Yao Jia was holding a kettle and making tea, and he said:
"My Lord and Lord Chang'an are close friends, so it is understandable that you did not believe what Lord Chang'an said. If it were Jia, he would not have recalled Lao Ai."

Pengfei squatted in front of Lu Buwei's knees, his eyes reddened:

"If the Lord had not cared for us, Pengfei would have died a long time ago, and Li Si would not even be alive today.

"The master didn't tell us the truth because he was afraid that we would become alienated from him and that we would fail him.

“Brother Zhao…no one could have expected that he would take the action of assassinating Lord Chang’an.

"My Lord, don't blame him for causing such a disaster, and don't blame yourself for not noticing it in advance."

Everyone was relieved.

Lu Buwei wiped away his tears, took a sip of hot tea, and his mood calmed down a lot.

"Lao Ai is dead, my lord." The first twenty-one Zhangtai scholars of the Zhangtai Academy gave a weak advice: "Before the Queen Mother Zhao is trapped by Lao Ai, spread the Queen Mother Zhao's words in advance, and build momentum as early as possible."

Dun Ruo took the lead, and the rest followed suit.

"Yes, my lord, the effect is a little worse, but not too much."

"Madam Ji's remarks won't make a splash, but Queen Mother Zhao will, since she is promiscuous."

"There are many people in the government and among the people who are dissatisfied with him. With this foundation, everyone is willing to step on him. If they can't step on him, then stepping on him twice with their mouths is also what the people want."

"Use the queen mother's lewd reputation to justify the master's reputation!"

"Chang'an Jun treats the master well, but the master cannot back down because of Chang'an Jun. If so, it is better to return the power to Qin Wang Zheng immediately, so that he can still save his life."

"The old Qin should die, and the new Qin should be established!"

"..."

After everyone finished their persuasion, Lu Buwei closed his eyes for a moment and nodded slowly:
“Since that’s what you said, let’s do it.

"Skip Lao Ai and carry out the next step of the New Qin Plan."

The Nine Lords responded loudly, "Yes," and four of them hurried out of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

They are the executors of the next step of the New Qin plan.

The sun was setting in the west, falling downward, and hovering in mid-air.

In less than a day, rumors about Queen Mother Zhao's life experience began to spread all over Xianyang... and also about the life experience of the current king.

Tao Zhu Chamber of Commerce is one of the six major chambers of commerce in the private sector, and the best of them is the restaurant.

Tao Zhu Restaurants were opened in major cities throughout the country, just like the Lu's Chamber of Commerce had Lu's Jewelry stores in major cities before it was annexed by the Qin State.

Red paint and yellow tiles, with upturned eaves and brackets.

Looking up from outside the building, the smoke looked like a wolf's smoke.

The restaurant has three floors.

The first floor is for individual guests, the second floor is for private rooms, and the third floor is the aristocratic area that cannot be entered even if you have money but no status.

The diners, who were born equals, stayed in the areas divided by the day after tomorrow. Most of them talked about women or politics, and some talked about both.

On the first floor of Tao Zhu, a guest got drunk and shouted loudly:
"It's only natural that the Queen Mother Zhao is promiscuous! Isn't that the state of Zhao? We have beaten all the men to death, what should the women do if they don't find more men to bear children? There's nothing we can do, hahaha!"

The other diners all laughed, and even the bartender who was serving the dishes and drinks had a more lively smile on his face, with a meaning that all men can understand.

In the corner of the first floor of the restaurant, at a somewhat ordinary table, two handsome men and women sat opposite each other.

The woman had an extremely beautiful appearance, especially her pair of phoenix eyes.

The wife of King Zhuangxiang of Qin, Ji Yaoyao.

The man's face is slightly larger than the woman's, and at first glance he looks unremarkable and ordinary.

When it is time to move away, I will feel reluctant and can't help but want to take a few more looks at it.

Although he is ordinary, he can be spotted in the crowd at a glance. His extraordinary and elegant aura can purify the mundane world.

Prince of Korea, Han Fei.

Han Fei, who came to Qin at the request of Ji Yaoyao in the name of King Zheng of Qin, moved his eyes to the crazy diner, looked him up and down, and then moved his eyes back to his cousin's face.

Han Fei, who has a stutter, spoke each word with emphasis:
"This is the show that my sister wants me to watch."

"Yaoyao will show you a good show tonight." Ji Yaoyao looked at the drunk man with interest, his eyebrows curved: "This may be another good show."

The drunk man looked around and saw that many people were paying attention to him. He seemed a little dizzy.

He burped and said complacently:

"The promiscuity of Zhao women is not a big deal. Let me tell you something serious! I have a friend who went to Zhao State for business. He heard that the Queen Mother of Zhao was originally the concubine of Prime Minister Lu, and the current king is the son of Prime Minister Lu..."

(End of this chapter)