The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 73: Beauty Guo Kai, Lin Xiangru receives Lao Ai
Guo Kai personally escorted Zhao Di out the door.

Zhao Di clasped his hands together, asking Guo Kai not to send him off any longer, and stared at Guo Kai's face for a few more seconds.

Guo Kai touched his cheek, looking a little nervous.

"Is there something wrong with my face?"

Zhao Dilian said no, and praised from the heart:
"I heard that there was a man named Song Yu in the State of Chu. When he was young, his appearance made the goddesses admire him. I thought that the people of Chu were just bragging. Today, after seeing you, I believe that there are also beautiful men in this world. Song Yu is probably a beauty like you."

Guo Kai pursed his lips and let out a breath, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, and chuckled:

"Song Yu is already fifty years old, how can he be as beautiful as me."

Guo Kai looked at Zhao Di's clear back, and before he could even walk away, his inner joy showed on his face, and he could no longer conceal it.

He skipped back.

The cold moonlight fell, making him look like a jade rabbit running in the Guanghan Palace.

With his mouth open, he held onto the door frame and breathed slightly. With his eyes bright, he stepped over the threshold and dove directly into a box of jewelry, laughing loudly.

He held a golden belt hook up to the candlelight and saw that the glittering golden light was brighter than the light in his eyes. (Note 1)
He put it in his mouth and bit it hard, then took it out and looked at it. He saw blurry teeth marks on the gold belt hook, and he laughed even more happily.

“It’s real gold!”

Pinned on the belt with great pleasure, it looks out of place.

Golden plates, golden cups, brocade silk, white jade carved Chi, black jade carved dragon, colorless transparent glass earrings...

He took them out one by one and couldn't put them down.

Hang things that can be hung on your body, and place things that cannot be hung on your body on the ground where you can easily grab them.

More than an hour later.

He wore gold and jade hairpins in his hair, pearl earrings on his left and right ears, and a red and green belt hung with various belt hooks made of gold, jade, and glass.

At his feet, a black jade tiger rode on a brown tortoise-shell flying dragon, and a red jade Qiongqi lay in a golden cup...

He held a chest full of treasures and put them into a box.

He turned over and lay down in it himself.

Fortunately, the box is quite big and can fit everything in it.

With a loud bang, he closed the lid of the box himself.

Another hour later, King Zhao Dan opened the lid of the box in his bedroom with a smile on his face.

There are no rare objects inside, only one person

Guo Kai was wearing a single piece of clothing, lying on his side with his eyes closed. There was a faint red on one side of his cheek, and he looked like he was sleeping soundly.

He opened his eyes. As a teenager, he didn't need to lower his voice, and his words were high-pitched, sounding like a girl's.

"The beauty has a heart."

Guo Kai calmed down and stroked his chest.

"That's good. I'm most afraid of war."

[It was so easy to get these five boxes of jewels... No, this is just a deposit. Qin will give you more gifts later!]
King Zhao comforted his favorite minister.

"Not afraid, not afraid."

[I hope Qin Yiren is a trustworthy person...]
Zhao Di left Guo Kai's house and did not return to the posthouse.

He traveled light and entered a mansion again.

This mansion is huge and covers a vast area. There is a large tripod in front of the door and a plaque hanging above the door.

There are two words inscribed on the plaque - Wang Zhu.

At the same time, Lin Xiangru, who had never been a prime minister but was known as Lin Xiangru by the people of Zhao State, was receiving a businessman despite his illness.

Lin Xiangru, lying on the couch, was barely breathing. With the help of his children, he drank a bowl of brown-yellow medicinal soup.

He waved his hand, and his son handed the medicine bowl to the servant.

Lin Xiangru looked at his daughter who was supporting his back, and she immediately picked up a pillow and placed it behind him.

The daughter pressed the pillow hard twice to make sure it was stable and would not slip, and that the place it was leaning on was not too stiff, then she helped her father lean down gently.

"I'm sorry for the delay." Lin Xiangru said breathlessly.

"Prime Minister Lin's words are too important. Lao Ai does not deserve them." Lao Ai, who was dressed as a businessman, stood up hastily and said he did not dare.

"Tell Qin Yiren that I will take care of this matter for him." Lin Xiangru said weakly, "Once it is done, immediately bring one of my descendants to Qin. Don't be like his ancestors who broke their promises."

Lao Ai, who was tall and strong, with a spirit that seemed to be beyond his body, nodded heavily and promised:
"My master has already prepared the carriage and horses. If Prime Minister Lin trusts my master, you can let your descendants go to Qin now!
"The prince said that if Prime Minister Lin is willing to join the Qin State, the prince is willing to follow the example of King Huiwen of Zhao who exchanged 57 cities for Tian Dan and exchanged 100 cities for Prime Minister Lin!"

Lin Xiangru smiled and looked very happy.

“I appreciate your kindness, Prince, but it’s hard to leave my homeland.

"Of course I trust Lu Buwei's credit.

"But I am afraid that my offspring will reach Qin first. The prince will not trust me and is afraid that I will not try my best. It is better not to cause trouble."

Lin Xiangru asked his eldest son Lin Yi to send Lao Ai away, and then waved his hand to ask his fourth son Lin Jing to come over.

Lin Jing leaned forward and heard his father say:

"Since Duke Mu, Qin has had more than 20 rulers, and none of them was a strict and clear-minded person. Today, Lao Ai said that Zheng'er has returned to his ancestral home and has become the eldest son of Qin, and Yaotiao has become Qin Yiren's legal wife. I don't believe it.

"Go check and see if what he said is true."

Lin Jing is Ji Yaotiao's biological father.

He had opposed his daughter's marriage at the beginning, and he could never have imagined that a discarded son of Qin could become the crown prince of Qin.

My father has been bedridden for a long time and is about to die.

Lin Jing, who did not serve as an official in the court, wanted to escape from the vortex of Zhao State as soon as possible and run to Qin State.

He lowered his eyelids, not daring to let his father see the look in his eyes.

"Father, I think the prince is a good person. I am willing to exchange a hundred cities for you to go to Qin. Otherwise, we can go and get that merchant named Lao Ai back, and take the carriage of the Lu's Chamber of Commerce tonight and go to Qin."

The room was filled with Lin Xiangru's children. When they heard what their fourth brother or fourth brother said, their expressions changed.

"Stupid!" Lin Xiangru, who noticed this scene, coughed angrily.

With the help of his children, he felt better after coughing up some phlegm.

Although he was exhausted, he forced himself to be strong and glanced at his children with a sharp look.

None of his children dared to look him in the eye.

Lin Xiangru was filled with sorrow and lamented:

"If one of you can be even a little bit like me, you can be my successor.

"Thanks to my connections and influence, I am now a senior minister in the State of Zhao!
"Why should I drag my sick body around and worry about what will happen after my death?

"You only saw that I was going to die soon, and heard that Qin Yiren wanted to take you to Qin. Didn't you think that my body couldn't ride in a carriage and travel such a long distance?!"

…………

【Note 1: Belt hook, a hook used by nobles and officials to fasten their belts during the Warring States Period.】

【Note 2: This plot is not entirely my own creation. I am not trying to discredit King Xiaocheng of Zhao. He was a man of beauty. According to "Strategies of the Warring States: Zhao Ce IV":... The reason why the king serves the king is because of lust... The person mentioned here is Lord Jianxin. It can be seen that Lord Jianxin was either the male favorite of King Xiaocheng of Zhao or the male favorite of King Daoxiang of Zhao. I personally do not think Guo Kai is a second creation. Lord Jianxin's name is not written in history books. According to unearthed cultural relics and historical records, it is known that Lord Jianxin was the prime minister during the reign of King Daoxiang of Zhao. The time when Lord Jianxin served as the prime minister of Zhao State is highly consistent with the time when Guo Kai was in power. The two may be the same person.】

(End of this chapter)