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

Chapter 196, Scheming Against Wei Zhuang

"You know we're keeping a ghost in our house!?"

Xu Qing's words resounded like thunder in Wei Zhuang and Zi Nu's ears.

"A ghost? You mean Zilan Pavilion has been infiltrated?" Zi Nu looked at Xu Qing with some surprise.

It can be said that every person in Zilanxuan was personally selected by Zinu, and most of them had tragic fates or lived in poverty.

Zi Nu treated these people like family, and now that she's told that some of them are spies for others, she's starting to accept it.

"who!?"

Wei Zhuang gave Xu Qing a deep look. He felt that the other party had come prepared and was specifically targeting him.

"The girl named Green Ivy who came about two weeks ago, she's one of the Fourth Young Master Han Yu's people," Xu Qing said.

"Green ivy!?"

Zi Nu had some impression of this new maid; she had run away from home because she could no longer endure her husband's beatings and her mother-in-law's hostility.

"Han Yu's people? She only came to Zilan Pavilion because of you, right?"

Wei Zhuang grasped the key point from Xu Qing's words and wanted to turn the tables on him.

But who is Xu Qing? Even Guiguzi might not be able to out-argue him with his silver tongue, let alone Wei Zhuang, who is not good with words.

"That's right, but so what? Since I started cooperating with Zilan Pavilion, isn't it normal for others to place spies within Zilan Pavilion?"

“Zi Nu is busy with various affairs of Zi Lan Xuan every day, so it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t understand people well for a while.”

"But what about you? You sit around idly every day, enjoying the fruits of others' labor, and you don't even know you're living in a house full of ghosts. Aren't you just eating and living there for free?"

Xu Qing spoke calmly but sharply, as if she wanted to condemn Wei Zhuang to the shame of being a kept man.

Wei Zhuang's indifferent expression turned slightly solemn, as if he had broken down a bit, and he stared coldly at Xu Qing.

Zi Nu's gaze shifted back and forth between Wei Zhuang and Xu Qing, a sudden realization flashing in her eyes. She seemed to understand what was going on; Xu Qing was setting a trap for Wei Zhuang.

"What is your purpose in using this provocation tactic?" Wei Zhuang asked coldly.

If a disciple of Guigu cannot even discern such a minor trick, he should forget about entering the Korean court and just go back to Guigu Valley to commit suicide.

"It seems you do have some skills. Before asking me about my purpose, shouldn't you have searched Green Ivy's room first?" Xu Qing chuckled.

So what if Wei Zhuang saw through the provocation? The other party knew it was a trap he had set, but out of pride and dignity as a member of the Ghost Valley School, they would still willingly walk into it.

Ultimately, it's because Wei Zhuang is too thin-skinned. If the other party had even a tenth of Xu Qing's shamelessness, how could they have fallen for his trap?

Wei Zhuang remained silent, got up and walked towards the door. Just as Xu Qing had thought, even though he knew it was Xu Qing's trap, as the pride of the Ghost Valley School, he had to take the initiative to go in.

"Clang~"

The door was closed again.

Xu Qing couldn't hold back any longer and chuckled softly, thinking to herself that the saying "it's better to discipline a child early" was indeed true.

In other words, Wei Zhuang is young now, so he has the opportunity to criticize Wei Zhuang, and Wei Zhuang will have to obey him.

Wei Zhuang, one of the masters of the Guigu School, was beaten like a son by him, which is probably the biggest black mark on Wei Zhuang's life.

Zi Nu looked at Xu Qing, who was laughing so hard he was doubled over, and gently slapped him.

"What exactly are you planning? Have you been eyeing him for a while now?" Zi Nu asked suspiciously.

Given Xu Qing's relentless pressure on Wei Zhuang today, it's hard not to suspect that it was premeditated.

However, Xu Qing did not know Wei Zhuang's true identity, so Zi Nu did not understand why Xu Qing wanted to scheme against Wei Zhuang.

Even though she had been intimate with Xu Qing and thought she knew him well enough, upon closer inspection, she found that this man was still as mysterious as ever, making her want to explore the secrets in his heart.

"It's nothing. The case of the ghost soldiers robbing the funds has now fallen into Zhang Kaidi's hands, so I need to start my plan. However, it's inconvenient for me to carry it out myself, so I need someone with brains and good skills to do it."

Xu Qing reached out and took Zi Nu's small hand. Zi Nu leaned against Xu Qing's shoulder, looking at him with a hint of surprise.

"You know his true identity?" Zi Nu asked, somewhat surprised.

"This is the horizontal sword from the Guigu School. Don't forget I'm a member of the Taoist school. A while ago, a hundred schools gathered in Xinzheng, and my Taoist Tianzong sent people among them," Xu Qing said with a smile.

When faced with indecision, people would blame it on the Heavenly Sect. After all, in the eyes of the world, the Heavenly Sect was synonymous with mystery, and all inexplicable things became easy to accept when they came to the Taoist Heavenly Sect.

"So you knew his identity all along, it must have been premeditated. How could you be so wicked?"

Zi Nu's words carried a hint of complaint, but more like a coquettish tone.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Originally, I wanted someone from the Mo family to do it, but I'm not familiar with the situation at the border. If something unexpected happens, Boss Han and the others might not be able to handle it, so I turned my attention to Wei Zhuang," Xu Qing explained. Han Yu, in order to save himself, would definitely try every means to rescue Liu Yi. Therefore, in order to kill Liu Yi, it was necessary to arrange for someone to go to the border to keep an eye on him.

However, while Han and his gang are good at taking action, they lack the brains to do things properly and are prone to making mistakes. But he doesn't have any other suitable people around him.

He was originally troubled about what to do, and had even prepared to personally lead people to the border. But who would have thought that Wei Zhuang would take the initiative to contact him, which immediately gave him a more suitable candidate.

Although Wei Zhuang likes to show off, it is undeniable that he is excellent in both mind and strength. If he is sent to the border, he can not only perfectly carry out his mission, but also handle any unexpected situations.

Therefore, he decided on a whim to use a provocation tactic against Wei Zhuang, taking advantage of his arrogant personality, and outsmarted him with a calculated scheme.

“It concerns Nongyu. Even if you don’t scheme against him, he will still help you,” Zi Nu said softly.

“Which of the Guigu disciples throughout history is willing to suffer a loss? Provoking him is just a waste of breath. If I were to ask him for help, I would probably have to pay a much higher price,” Xu Qing said.

He had no interest in getting too involved with Wei Zhuang and Han Fei. His biggest goal in Korea was to accumulate wealth through embezzlement and bribery. After all, what business could make money as fast as embezzlement and bribery?
Moreover, he lived during the Warring States period. Although merchants held the highest status in the more than two thousand years of feudal dynasties that followed, they were still no different from stray dogs on the roadside in the face of power.

Only a brain-dead idiot like Jing Lun Jun would choose to gamble with a merchant like Fei Cui Hu, ultimately losing his life in the process.

If it were him, he would use his status as a member of the imperial family to escalate the matter, turning the conflict between the two into a class conflict between scholars and nobles and merchants.

At that time, even Ji Wuye would have to take the initiative to hand over the Jade Tiger to quell the anger of the Korean gentry and nobles.

If he really wanted to choose a country to serve, he would have already gone to Qin through the Heavenly Sect's connections and his own prestige. Why would he waste time in Han? It's just that Qin is currently facing greater internal troubles than Han.

Zi Nu looked at Xu Qing, a complex expression flashing in her beautiful eyes.

From Xu Qing's words, she could sense that Xu Qing was unwilling to get involved in Wei Zhuang's plan to cooperate with Han Fei, but she was already involved and could not back out.

If they encounter danger, Xu Qing will definitely lend a helping hand, thus being forced to get involved, which makes her feel somewhat guilty, helpless, and a little scared.

Xu Qing noticed the change in Zi Nu's expression, reached out and pinched her cheek, and said...
"What's wrong? Why do you suddenly look so gloomy?"

Zi Nu snapped out of her daze and resumed her previous mature and sophisticated demeanor, a charming smile on her face.

"It's nothing, I'm just worried that cooperating with Wei Zhuang might drag you into unnecessary trouble," Zi Nu said.

"Ever since Han Fei and I left the city together, we've been involved. You don't need to worry about such a small matter; I'll handle it."

Xu Qing gently ruffled Zi Nu's hair, revealing a gentle and confident smile.

After he ate Zi Nu, he was destined not to stand idly by; he couldn't bring himself to take advantage of her and then wash his hands of her without taking responsibility.

Moreover, although that old man Han Wang An didn't say it explicitly, one thing is certain: he wanted him to help Han Fei resist Ji Wuye and maintain the balance of the court.

As long as he is still in South Korea, he is destined to be involved in these matters. Therefore, Xu Qing has always insisted on not getting too involved in Han Fei and Wei Zhuang's affairs, so as not to get himself into bigger trouble.

"I'm sorry~" Zi Nu buried her head in Xu Qing's arms and said guiltily.

She knew that Xu Qing just wanted to live her own peaceful life, but now she was being forced into the impending power struggle because of her, which made her feel very guilty.

"Give an inch and you'll take a mile" has always been Xu Qing's motto. And since Zi Nu took the initiative to feel guilty, how could he possibly let go of this good opportunity?

"Actually, if you really feel bad, you can actually talk to me tonight," Xu Qing whispered in Zi Nu's ear.

A look of surprise flashed across Zi Nu's eyes, which was then replaced by shyness. A deep blush rose to her cheeks, and her breathing became rapid.

"Why are you being so indecent?"

Zi Nu didn't dare to look up at Xu Qing. She hadn't expected Xu Qing to make such a request; it was truly shameful.

The woman didn't object, which meant she agreed, Xu Qing said with a wicked smile.

"Don't you know whether I'm upright or not?"

"Yes, yes, my little man is the most serious. My Imperial Physician, you are a world-renowned divine physician."

Zi Nu got up from Xu Qing's embrace and placed her hands on Xu Qing's chest as she spoke.

"Then would you like the Imperial Physician's acupuncture?"

"Get lost, you're getting more and more inappropriate."

Amidst laughter and banter, the somber atmosphere was broken, and Zi Nu and Xu Qing began to playfully tease each other.

Just as the two were playfully fighting, the door opened again, and Wei Zhuang appeared in the doorway holding a bamboo scroll, looking at the two of them coldly.

Xu Qing and Zi Nu stopped their playful fight. Zi Nu was about to sit up straight again, but Xu Qing pulled her into his arms.

Since Wei Zhuang had already seen it, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Zi Nu leaned against Xu Qing's chest, looking at Wei Zhuang with him.

(End of this chapter)