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

Chapter 188, Leaving a Contingency Plan (Update is late, but it's here)
Because of a random remark by Han Fei, the conversation between him and Xu Qing was effectively ended.

Han Fei did not speak until the two arrived at the wine shop.

"Brother Xu, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. If the day comes that the state of Korea perishes, do you think you can remain unscathed? If you can, can those around you remain unscathed?"

"I hope you can think about this carefully. I really hope you can help me."

After Han Fei finished speaking, he bowed to Xu Qing, turned his horse around, and headed towards Xinzheng, leaving Xu Qing alone in the same place.

Only after Han Fei's figure disappeared did Xu Qing come back to his senses. He rode his horse toward Xinzheng without saying a word, but his mind was filled with thoughts of Han Fei's words.

After returning to the city, Xu Qing went straight back to Zilan Pavilion. Zilan Pavilion was already preparing for its evening business, and the maids were busy with their work. When they saw Xu Qing, they simply greeted him.

Xu Qing didn't disturb the sisters-in-law while they were doing their work, and went directly to the backyard to find Zi Nu.

When Zi Nu saw Xu Qing return, she stood up from in front of the bronze mirror and gave Xu Qing a sweet smile.

"How did your chat with Ninth Prince Han Fei go?" Zi Nu asked softly.

"Not very good. Han Fei said a lot of strange things to me."

Xu Qing reached out and hooked his arm around Zi Nu's waist, pulling her into his embrace and resting his head on her shoulder.

The plump, soft ball nestled in his arms, his nostrils filled with the pleasant fragrance of Zi Nu's hair.

"We've only been apart for half a day, how come we're already so lovey-dovey?"

Zi Nu's lips curled into a slight expression of disdain, but she gently patted Xu Qing's head with her right hand, her eyes full of smiles.

That's how women are during the honeymoon phase; they might say they dislike you, but deep down they secretly hope you'll show them how much you can't live without them.

"Half a day apart feels like three autumns. If I could, I would not want to leave you for even a moment, until the mountains have no peaks, the seas dry up, and the rivers run dry."

Xu Qing tightened his arms around Zi Nu and pressed his hand against her slightly warm face.

"You smooth talker~ How many women have you said that to?"

Zi Nu pushed Xu Qing's head off her shoulder, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, and asked with a questioning look.

While women are emotional in love, this doesn't mean they become completely love-obsessed, especially rational and calm mature women like Zi Nu.

The sweeter the words, the more likely a woman is to ask, "Why would you say something like that? Did you say it to other women before? Otherwise, how could you be so sweet-talking?" This is practically a woman's nature.

How can you possibly count them all? But as one great master once said, once midnight strikes, the first kiss is refreshed on time. By then, he's already in another world, so refreshing his record doesn't seem like a problem.

"In this world, I've only ever spoken to you."

Xu Qing gazed into Zi Nu's eyes, a slight smile on his face, his expression sincere and devout.

"Tch~ I feel like you're lying to me. How could you have only told me that?"

Zi Nu gently tapped Xu Qing's forehead, her tone somewhat helpless, but she was secretly delighted.

"If I were to lie to you, I would lie to you for the rest of your life. Today, going out of the city with Han Fei was exhausting. He wants to recruit me to change Korea together."

Xu Qing changed the subject at the right time. Although escaping is shameful, it is undeniable that escaping is very useful.

Seeing that they were getting down to business, Zi Nu also became serious, regaining her calm and composed demeanor as a mature woman, her charming eyes looking at Xu Qing with a hint of concern.

"So, did you agree to his proposal? Given your current status, it's not advisable for you to have too much contact with him," Zi Nu said softly.

"No, how could I possibly agree to that? But we made a deal."

Xu Qing slowly recounted what had happened when she left the city with Han Fei.

Zi Nu nodded slightly upon hearing this, exhaled softly, and asked curiously.

"You previously said you were unwilling to join forces with Han Fei to change the state of Han, but why did you agree to this condition? Aren't you worried that Ji Wuye and Han Yu will be wary of you because of this? Are you just going to remain an outsider this time when the ghost soldiers robbed the supplies?"

Zi Nu was utterly baffled by Xu Qing's inconsistent behavior. Moreover, this robbery of supplies by the ghost soldiers had affected various factions in Xinzheng, some seeking profit and others trying to protect themselves, but Xu Qing alone was determined to remain uninvolved.

"The reason I refused Han Fei's offer is that South Korea has no hope. No one, whether inside or outside South Korea, wants South Korea to change. Joining Han Fei to save this corrupt country will only lead to death."

"My agreement to cooperate with Han Fei was not only to obtain the Cheng Ying Sword, but also to leave myself a way out. It's impossible to keep Han Fei and I leaving the city a secret; Ji Wuye and Han Yu will find out sooner or later."

“If they are truly wary of me and are preparing to take action against me, I must also have a banner that can be compared with Prince Han and Han Yu to unite people’s hearts.”

Xu Qing slowly explained his plans. He had thought a lot on his way back today. At present, his situation seemed safe, but in reality, it was fraught with danger, so he had to prepare for the worst.

Zi Nu looked at Xu Qing leaning on her shoulder, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

“Your idea is good, but getting close to Han Fei is ultimately dangerous for you. Cooperating with him is fine, but you should also keep a certain distance,” Zi Nu said softly.

Xu Qing didn't notice the change in Zi Shen's expression, only assuming that she was worried that he would attract the hostility of Ji Wuye and the others.

But matters in the imperial court are not as simple as a dinner party; once that day comes, it becomes a life-or-death struggle. Therefore, Han Fei needed to have this backup plan.

To avoid worrying Zi Nu, Xu Qing nodded and continued, "As for the matter of the ghost soldiers robbing the supplies, what I'm after isn't in Xinzheng, but at the border."

"It's Liu Yi!" A hint of surprise flashed in Zi Nu's beautiful eyes.

Xu Qing had previously told him that he wanted to deal with Liu Yi and avenge Nongyu's family, but he did not tell her the specific plan.

If we combine Liu Yi's actions with the ghost soldiers' robbery of military pay, then dealing with Liu Yi would be very easy. Without the military pay, the army would mutini, and Liu Yi would die tragically—everything would seem quite reasonable.

“That’s right, I need to use the ghost soldiers’ robbery of the supplies to kill Liu Yi.”

Xu Qing mentally completed the second half of her sentence, while also pressuring Han Yu further and making Han Wang'an disappointed in Han Yu once again.

Zi Nu nodded thoughtfully, a hint of coldness suddenly flashing in her beautiful eyes as she looked at Xu Qing with amusement and said...
"You're so good to Hu Meiren, you're actually willing to take such a big risk to help her get revenge."

Hearing the dangerous undertone in Zi Nu's words, Xu Qing abruptly withdrew his hand, which was about to climb, and looked up at the jealous Zi Nu.

“I’m helping Nongyu. Nongyu is your sister, and you’ve raised her like your own daughter. So she’s my sister-in-law. This is a family matter, and of course I’m going to take it seriously in helping my family avenge their deaths.”

Xu Qing held Zi Nu's hand and said softly.

Hu Meiren is Nongyu's aunt, and Nongyu is Zi Nu's sister, so Hu Meiren can also be considered Zi Nu's aunt. Zi Nu also raised Nongyu as her daughter, so she and Hu Meiren can also be considered sisters.

According to him, Hu Meiren and Zi Nu are indeed sisters, and also aunt and niece.

With the double argument, there is nothing wrong with his statement. He just omitted a few steps of the argument. Of course, the process is not important. What is important is that we are all family and he is dealing with family matters.

"Hmph, it would be more like it if it were for Nongyu." Zi Nu snorted.

She had heard rumors about Xu Qing's relationship with the two favored concubines in the harem, and although it was just a rumor, she still couldn't help but feel jealous.

After all, who would want their beloved man to be cheating on them with two married women?

Having escaped a calamity, Xu Qing breathed a slight sigh of relief. He dared not let Zi Nu know about his misdeeds in the Han Palace, or he would truly be devastated.

“I did all this for our family,” Xu Qing added.

"I know you've had a tough time, so I've asked someone to save some food for you. You should get some rest first. I'll go check on how their preparations are going."

Zi Nu touched Xu Qing's face gently, as if she were coaxing a child, and lightly bit Xu Qing's lip.

"You think you can just run away after kissing someone? It's not that simple."

Xu Qing pulled Zi Nu's hand, drew her into his arms, and bit her pink lips.

Zi Nu gently closed her alluring eyes, wrapping her arms around Xu Qing's neck in response. After a long while, Zi Nu gradually lost her strength, letting out a few seductive moans.
. . . . . . .

The two rolled onto the ground, and Zi Nu grabbed Xu Qing's restless hands and released him.

"Stop fooling around, I need to go to the front, tonight~"

Zi Nu took small breaths, her beautiful eyes somewhat unfocused, but reason still made her interrupt Xu Qing's idea of ​​taking things further.

"Okay, come back soon tonight."

Xu Qing wasn't angry about being interrupted. He took the initiative to let go of Zi Nu. There was still plenty of time, and he wasn't in a hurry.

"it is good."

Zi Nu straightened her skirt, bit her lower lip, slowly stood up, smiled slightly at Xu Qing, and then swayed her slender waist as she left the room.

Xu Qing lay on the floor with her hands behind her head, looking at the sky outside the window with a smile in her eyes, thoroughly enjoying this pleasant moment.

Before long, two maids brought some food into the room and covered their mouths to chuckle as they looked at Xu Qing lying on the floor.

"Imperial Physician, Sister Zi Nu sent us to bring you your meal," the maid said with a smile.

"Yes, thank you. You can call me brother-in-law from now on. It's too formal to call me Imperial Physician." Xu Qing sat up and said to the two girls.

Two maids placed the food on the table and, suppressing a smile, said to Xu Qing...

"Okay, brother-in-law, please eat quickly, otherwise Sister Zi Nu will be unhappy tonight."

"You don't need to worry about that. I'll take good care of your sister tonight," Xu Qing said easily.

He was still very confident in himself and didn't feel anything about the teasing. After all, lies don't break people's defenses, but the truth is the sharpest weapon.

"it is good."

The two girls didn't linger; they chatted and laughed with Xu Qing for a bit before leaving.

Xu Qing sat down at the table and quickly finished his meal. He lay down leisurely, thinking about what to do next in the long night.
Suddenly, the sound of a zither came from outside the window. Xu Qing's eyes lit up and he sat up from the bed.

"How could I forget that I also need to help Nongyu appreciate the music? It just so happens that Zi Nu won't be back for a while, so I'm going to go flirt with my sister-in-law... oops, I mean, I'm going to tune her zither."

(End of this chapter)