People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 145, Bean Paste Meat Pie, Liu Yi, who was tricked and became lame.

"Madam, did you receive the letter I sent back to you?"

Liu Yi looked at Madam Hu nervously; whether he could keep his position as Right Sima depended entirely on her.

He knew that he had offended Ji Wuye by becoming Right Sima through Xu Qing, and although Ji Wuye did not reprimand him during today's court meeting.

But having followed him for so many years, he knew Ji Wuye's character very well.

Ji Wuye didn't let him go out of kindness, but rather because she was worried that pushing him too hard would cause him to side with Han Yu or Zhang Kaidi.

Although he was not as powerful as Ji Wuye, he was still one of the top figures in the military. Moreover, he had evidence of Ji Wuye's embezzlement of military funds over the years, so Ji Wuye did not dare to take action against him easily.

But Ji Wuye would never let him off easily. If he wanted to protect himself and his position as Right Sima, he could only rely on Lady Hu to help him contact Consort Hu in the palace.

Let Consort Hu whisper sweet nothings in King Han's ear and grant him more power, so that he will be able to form an alliance with Han Yu or Zhang Kaidi to fight against Ji Wuye and protect himself.

"I have received it and have also visited my sister," Madam Hu said calmly.

"What was the result? Would Miss Hu be willing to help me?" Liu Yi asked, both nervous and expectant.

Madam Hu gave Liu Yi a deep look, then shook her head slightly and said...
"My sister said she was powerless to help, that the king was very angry about your defeat, and that it concerned the balance of power in the court, so she could not do anything about it."

The expectation in Liu Yi's eyes visibly vanished, eventually turning into deep disappointment and helplessness, causing him to collapse to the ground.

"Madam, could you please ask Consort Hu again?" Liu Yi asked with a dejected expression.

"My sister has done her best," Madam Hu said in a deep voice.

She had always been unwilling to get involved in court affairs, and even less willing to drag her younger sister, Consort Hu, into it. However, this time, Liu Yi repeatedly mentioned the kindness he had shown her over the years in his letter.

She was willing to give it a try because she was grateful for the kindness shown to her when the other party rescued her from the war.

Her sister had already said she couldn't help, so she naturally wouldn't bother her again and cause her unnecessary trouble.

Hearing the words that were full of rejection, Liu Yi's expression darkened even more.

He had thought that having the relationship with Madam Hu and Lady Hu would give him a significant advantage, but reality dealt him a heavy blow.

"How...how could this be? Before the expedition, the Imperial Physician..." Liu Yi suddenly looked up; how could he have forgotten Xu Qing?

It was Xu Qing who strongly urged him to lead the troops into battle, and it was he who told him about the relationship between Madam Hu and Consort Hu.

Now the situation has changed, and Hu Meiren also said that it concerns the balance of the court, so perhaps he can get some information from Xu Qing.

"How could I forget the Imperial Physician? He's the only one who can help me now." Liu Yi suddenly sat up from the ground and walked outside, intending to go find Xu Qing.

When Madam Hu heard that Liu Yi wanted to go find Xu Qing, she assumed that Liu Yi wanted to trouble her sister again through Xu Qing, so she called out...
"My lord, the king has ordered you to stay at home. It is not appropriate for you to go out at this time."

Liu Yi stopped and turned to look at Madam Hu. Madam Hu felt a little nervous under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me, Madam. How could I have forgotten about this? The Imperial Physician is still at work at this time. I will change my clothes and go when it gets a little later."

Liu Yi slapped his forehead, looking at Madam Hu with lingering fear.

Noticing Madam Hu's nervousness, Liu Yi didn't think much of it, assuming she was just showing concern and reminding him.

Because of Madam Hu's change in attitude towards him, he had to keep his position as Right Sima.

Mrs. Hu's thin lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something several times, but in the end she swallowed them back.

Liu Yi paid no attention to Madam Hu's unusual behavior. He was preoccupied with keeping his position as Right Sima and immediately went to prepare a gift to bribe Xu Qing.

As dusk fell, Xu Qing leisurely returned home. After dinner, he prepared to practice the Eight Swords of Noble Void.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

A knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate, causing Xu Qing to stop what she was doing.

Who could it be so late?

Xu Qing became wary and quickly put away the Lingxu Sword and bamboo slips. He then used his internal energy to activate the crossbow and headed out of the room.

After opening the courtyard gate, Xu Qing saw a person dressed in a black robe standing at the door.

"I am the Imperial Physician." Liu Yi slightly lifted his black robe, revealing his face.

"Right Sima!? What brings you here? Come in quickly."

Xu Qing opened the courtyard gate and let Liu Yi in.

"I apologize for this unannounced visit, and I hope the Imperial Physician will not be offended," Liu Yi said to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing gave Liu Yi a meaningful look; Liu Yi coming to find him was within his expectations.

But I didn't expect the other party to be so impatient. He was just ordered to suspend his duties and reflect on his actions today, and he dared to risk coming to see me tonight.

However, this also proves the other party's sense of urgency and crisis, which makes it easier for him to take advantage of them.

Xu Qing immediately looked nervous and whispered to Liu Yi...
"Right Sima, you are far too audacious. You were just ordered by the King to suspend your duties and reflect on your actions today, and now you come to see me. Don't you know how to be discreet?"

"If I hadn't been forced to, I wouldn't have risked coming to you," Liu Yi said helplessly.

Knowing the risks of coming to find Xu Qing, he had disguised himself and hired a carriage from outside. "Never mind, come inside with me first, so as not to be seen."

"it is good."

Xu Qing led Liu Yi to the guest room, where candles were lit, their light dispelling the darkness and illuminating the two of them.

Liu Yi took off his cloak and said somewhat nervously.
"Imperial Physician, I have come to disturb you tonight with important matters to inquire about. What is the King's attitude towards my defeat and return from battle?"

“Right Sima, it’s just the two of us here, so there’s no need for further probing. Lady Hu should have already informed your wife about these matters, right?” Xu Qing said bluntly.

Seeing that Liu Yi's thoughts had been exposed, he could only give an awkward smile, but then he felt a little relieved.

Although Xu Qing's words were straightforward, they also showed that the other party regarded him as one of their own because of the relationship between Hu Meiren and Madam Hu.

"My lady said that Consort Hu failed to persuade the king. As you know, my lady has never paid attention to court affairs, and her response to Consort Hu was vague. That's why I came to ask you for advice."

"When I went to the front lines to fight the Qin army, I accidentally discovered a local delicacy, meat pies filled with lentils. You might want to try them."

As Liu Yi spoke, he placed the small box he was carrying on the table and pushed it in front of Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's face instantly turned cold, and she looked at Liu Yi with hostility, saying...
“Right Sima, is that what you think of me? Our friendship is like that of gentlemen, it should be pure and simple, how can you taint it with such things?”

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Liu Yi immediately became nervous and was about to explain when Xu Qing interrupted him.

"However, I've never had this kind of meat pie with lentil filling before, so I'll just leave it at that this time."

Xu Qing reached out and pressed down on the box, pulling it to her side and slightly opening it a crack, through which soft light shone out.

Inside the box were six identical pearls, each about the size of a thumb.

Liu Yi smiled again and said with a smile.
"You're right, this meat pie with lentil filling is not common, so we should definitely try it."

"Let's get back to the main point. It's not that the beauty was unwilling to help you, but that the king didn't give her a chance to plead for him."

Xu Qing steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Liu Yi was taken aback upon hearing this, and became even more nervous.

Consort Hu was the favorite concubine of King Han, and she was most capable of pleasing him.

This time, the other party didn't even have a chance to plead for mercy, which made him even more uneasy.

"Please enlighten me, Imperial Physician," Liu Yi said, bowing.

“Right Sima has been leading troops in the field recently and may not be aware of the recent changes in the court. However, the King’s anger towards you this time is not due to the defeat in battle, but rather to the changes in the court,” Xu Qing said.

"What do you mean?" Liu Yi asked curiously.

He led his troops away for nearly two months, and was almost cut off from news of Xinzheng. He only learned from a few friends that the situation in Xinzheng was not optimistic.

“A month and a half ago, the day after you returned with news of your defeat, Fourth Young Master Han Yu suddenly fell seriously ill and became lame,” Xu Qing said.

"What!? Is that so?" Liu Yi stood up in shock.

Seeing Liu Yi's shocked expression, Xu Qing felt a sense of doubt.

Even if the other party is leading troops in the field, they should still have friends in the court. It's as if they didn't even know such an important piece of news as Han Yu's leg being lame.

However, upon further reflection, it's not hard to understand. Liu Yi is Ji Wuye's confidant, and those who can be his friends are basically Ji Wuye's people.

Liu Yi's actions were, to some extent, a betrayal of Ji Wuye, who had expressed his dissatisfaction with Liu Yi on more than one occasion. How could his friends possibly reveal information about the court to him?

Poor Liu Yi! He ended up like this because of his position as Right Sima. Xu Qing felt a pang of pity and decided to put more pressure on Liu Yi.

"You, Right Sima, don't know about such a big matter? I thought you did. Didn't your friends in the court inform you?" Xu Qing asked, feigning doubt.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yi's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and he clenched his fists.

He was genuinely unaware of Han Yu's limp and immediately concluded that Ji Wuye had prevented him from being informed in order to avoid him making contact with Han Yu prematurely.

In his anger, Liu Yi couldn't help but feel afraid. If Ji Wuye really did this on purpose, then it would prove that his previous thinking was correct.

Ji Wuye has already begun to make his move against him; once he is properly prepared, he will take his life.

Liu Yi's hands trembled with fear, and then she looked at Xu Qing in a panic, as if grasping at a straw.

"Imperial Physician, I really don't know what's been going on in the court lately. Since you say that the King suspended me from my post because of the court, then you must have a way to resolve my predicament," Liu Yi said in a panic.

Seeing that the tense atmosphere he had created had shattered Liu Yi's last glimmer of hope for Ji Wuye, Xu Qing realized that he had completely fooled the other party.

In fact, Ji Wuye did not intend to harm Liu Yi; he only wanted to teach him a lesson and make him behave.

After all, Ji Wuye and Han Yu are currently locked in a fierce battle, and Liu Yi, whether as the Right Sima or the Left Sima, is the best choice to help them control the military.

Ji Wuye's attitude was told to him by Chao Nuyao. If Liu Yi dared to go to Ji Wuye to apologize, he would naturally know everything.

Unfortunately, Liu Yi had a guilty conscience and was afraid of Ji Wuye's methods, so he dared not go.

(End of this chapter)