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

Chapter 234, The Secret of the Cold Palace in Korea
News of the gathering of Baiyue refugees outside the Han King's Palace and the outcome of the investigation quickly spread throughout Xinzheng.

Upon hearing the news, the maidservant of the Tide Demon immediately went to the window of the Hundred Fragrance Palace. Listening to the sounds coming from inside, the maidservant took two deep breaths and spoke into the room.
"Madam, there's been a result regarding the Baiyue refugees outside the palace gates."

"Ninth Prince Han Fei persuaded the King to keep these people, but Fourth Prince Han Yu and he were summoned by the King one after the other, and then two pieces of news spread."

"The Fourth Prince Han Yu has been released from confinement, and the King has allowed him to participate in government affairs again. However, the Ninth Prince Han Fei has been ordered to remain in confinement and has been sent to the Cold Palace. Upon learning of this, the General specially arranged for armored soldiers to guard him."

As soon as the maid finished speaking, she turned around immediately, her face slightly flushed and her eyes full of shyness.

Normally, she would just eavesdrop, but today she took the initiative to talk to Xu Qing and his wife, which made her feel quite embarrassed, especially since the two of them didn't take her seriously at all and continued to busy themselves with their own things.

After a long while, the commotion inside the Hundred Fragrances Hall finally subsided.

Inside the Hundred Fragrances Hall, under the dim light, Xu Qing leaned against the soft couch, his eyes slightly closed, entering a state of recuperation.

The trendy enchantress lay half-reclined on the soft couch, her dazed face pressed against the pillow, her narrow eyes filled with a wandering look, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her disheveled hair obscuring her pretty face.

Her long, shapely legs were bent as she knelt on the soft couch. The black stockings that had covered her feet were nowhere to be seen, revealing her cute, distinct toes, which were extremely alluring.

"Puff~"

The succubus lowered her legs and lay on her side on the bed, looking languid, her small mouth opening and closing slightly as she breathed heavily.

It was clear that he had been through a lot and didn't have much strength left.

Looking at the exhausted Chao Nu Yao, Xu Qing felt a pang of sympathy and reached out to pull her into his arms, making her more comfortable.

"Are you alright?" Xu Qing gently stroked the Tide Demoness's jade-like back and asked with concern.

The seductive woman snuggled slightly against Xu Qing's chest, finding a more comfortable position. She opened her sleepy eyes slightly and gave Xu Qing a seductive glance.

"It's alright~ It seems you haven't been spending time with that little vixen these past few days. I'm getting a bit overwhelmed."

For Xu Qing, who was in a state of sagehood, facing such a critical problem was no different from solving the problem of one plus one equals two.

“I’ve been busy with the Imperial Hospital lately, and apart from coming to your Mingzhu Palace, I haven’t been visiting Consort Hu much.”

Xu Qing gently moved his hand, which was around the slender waist of the voluptuous woman, down slightly, and patted her plump, upturned buttocks softly.

"You heard what Xin'er said just now. Han Yu has returned to the court, and you've been targeted by Ji Wuye again. Han Yu will definitely not let this opportunity pass, and he'll probably keep harping on the Imperial Hospital's accounts." Chao Nu Yao said lazily, nestled in Xu Qing's arms.

Xin'er was the name of her maid, and this was the first time Xu Qing had learned her name.

"Are you worried about me?" Xu Qing asked with a smile, looking at the beauty in his arms.

"Yes, of course I'm worried about you, my little man. If something happens to you, who will take care of me like this in the future?"

The succubus turned her head slightly to look at Xu Qing, her narrowed eyes opening slightly, but quickly closing again, her steady breathing hitting Xu Qing's neck.

Exhausted, she had no energy left to flirt with Xu Qing; all she could do was whisper sweet nothings to tease her little man.

"You stinky man~ I'm talking about serious matters. If you can't resolve the accounts issue, I'll use incense to make Han Wang'an put this matter aside for now," Chao Nu Yao asked Xu Qing with concern.

Hearing the words of the Tide Demoness, Xu Qing felt a warmth in his heart; it was still his older sister who cared about him. Of course, his other older sister in the palace, Consort Hu, also cared about him in the same way, saying she would help him find a way to get through this ordeal.

“This matter was initiated by Ji Wuye. If you help me, it will definitely arouse his suspicion and affect you.”

"It's just some accounts, right? Let them investigate boldly. They might not only find out I have problems, but they might even have to apologize to me in the end," Xu Qing said confidently.

Chao Nuyao knew that Xu Qing never made boastful claims. Since the other party had the ability to resolve the accounting issues, she naturally wouldn't interfere, lest she do more harm than good.

"Alright, then I'll wait for them to apologize to you. What are you going to do with Han Fei and Han Yu? Are you still going to help Han Fei?" the Tide Demoness asked.

“I definitely have to help him. I have no other options in South Korea right now, and Han Yu isn’t a problem for me,” Xu Qing said.

Tianze is now free. The other party even dared to kill Crown Prince Han, so killing Han Yu was just a side effect.

It would be perfectly reasonable to have Tianze, the deposed crown prince of Baiyue, kill Han Yu, and no one would suspect him. As for how to get Tianze to obey him and kill Han Yu, he naturally had his own methods.

As he spoke, Xu Qing released Chao Nu Yao, carried her horizontally, and placed her on the bed in the inner room, covering her fair and delicate body with a thin blanket.

Although Chao Nuyao was unclear about Xu Qing's specific thoughts, she knew that this man would not harm her. She always remembered what Xu Qing had told her: he would definitely keep her by his side openly and honestly.

She always remembered and believed in this promise.

The Tide Demoness opened her eyes and looked at Xu Qing, who was getting dressed. She couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to do?"

"Han Fei is locked up in the Cold Palace. It's my turn to be on duty tonight, so I have to go see him," Xu Qing said, turning back to the Tide Demoness.

"Will you come back tonight?" the Tide Fairy asked softly.

"I'll come back if I have time. Go to sleep if you want, no need to wait for me."

After Xu Qing finished dressing, he walked to the bedside, gently kissed Chao Nuyao's forehead, and then walked outside.

After seeing Xu Qing leave, the Tide Demoness closed her eyes and gradually fell asleep.

After leaving Mingzhu Palace, Xu Qing went straight to the Cold Palace in the Han King's Palace.

It was late at night, and there were no more eunuchs or maids moving around in the Han King's palace. The patrolling guards were all patrolling the main road, so there was no one else on the corridors of the side streets except for Xu Qing.

At this time, most of the candles in the palace of the King of Han had been extinguished, and the palace was illuminated only by the bright moonlight. Xu Qing walked silently along the corridor.

Before long, Xu Qing arrived at the Cold Palace of the Han King's Palace. Looking at the dozen or so guards in front of him, Xu Qing used his Wind Control technique and his figure transformed into a gentle breeze as he scaled the wall and entered the Cold Palace.

These imperial guards were all Ji Wuye's men. If Han Fei were to openly walk through the main gate to find him, Ji Wuye would definitely be even more wary of him. Even with the Mo family backing him up, Ji Wuye would still find a way to deal with him using court methods.

Upon entering the Cold Palace, one is greeted by a somewhat dilapidated courtyard and a huge cherry blossom tree in the middle of a lake. The pink cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and a gentle breeze blows, scattering some of the petals.

Looking at the brightly lit palace ahead, Xu Qing used his lightness skill to silently enter the palace.

At this moment, Han Fei was sitting in his seat, with a pot of fine wine on the table in front of him. He was swirling the wine in his cup, enjoying the moonlight.

"Brother Han Fei is quite carefree. Even while imprisoned, he still has such refined tastes, drinking wine under the moon," Xu Qing said softly.

Han Fei looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xu Qing emerge from the shadows. A smile appeared on his face, and he then took out a white jade wine cup from his pocket.

"No, no, I am not drinking wine under the moon and enjoying myself, but waiting for a close friend to arrive."

Han Fei smiled, picked up the wine pot, filled the white jade wine cup, and pushed it to the side of the table.

Xu Qing smiled slightly, walked to the table and sat down, picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and asked...
"How did you know I was coming?"

“Brother Xu, you and I are close friends. I am currently under house arrest and imprisoned. How could you not come to see me?”

Han Fei looked at Xu Qing, who had come empty-handed, and couldn't help but complain.
"I just didn't expect you to come empty-handed. I thought you would at least bring me some food. Ji Wuye only gave me wine, not food."

"Come on, I haven't had dinner yet," Xu Qing said.

In the afternoon, he was summoned away by the Tide Demoness and had not been allowed to rest or eat until now.

Han Fei was about to say something when he suddenly caught a whiff of incense emanating from Xu Qing. A look of suspicion crossed his face, and he asked curiously...
“Brother Xu, the incense you’re wearing is rather unusual; it doesn’t seem to be the kind that the girls at Zilan Pavilion usually use.”

Seeing Han Fei's suspicion, Xu Qing said without changing his expression.

"In the afternoon, I went to Mingzhu Palace to take the pulse of Madam Mingzhu. She is most skilled at making incense, and the incense burners in the palace are often used to burn incense, so they have been slightly tainted by the smell."

"I see. I've long heard that my father's favorite concubine likes incense."

Han Fei suddenly understood and no longer doubted it. He then looked around the somewhat messy and old palace and said...

"Speaking of favored concubines, the Cold Palace we are in now is one of the remaining ruins of the former Zheng Kingdom's palace. Behind this palace, there is an even more dilapidated and abandoned palace."

"It is said that before the state of Zheng was destroyed, this palace was the residence of Duke Xu of Zheng and his favorite concubine. It was here that Duke Xu issued many orders, which brought about a brief period of revival for the declining state of Zheng."

"Unfortunately, the state of Zheng was already doomed and could not resist the military might of the state of Han. Coupled with the rebellion of Ziyang's faction, the state of Zheng was eventually destroyed."

Listening to Han Fei recount the history of the State of Zheng, Xu Qing nodded slightly, then shook his head. He was naturally familiar with Duke Xu of Zheng; if it weren't for him, he wouldn't have been able to obtain the Everlasting Merit.

"The rise and fall of dynasties are predetermined, and the general trend cannot be changed," Xu Qing said with a sigh.

Is the trend irreversible?

Han Fei looked intently at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with seriousness as he spoke.

"Brother Xu, do you remember the power that transcends common sense that I mentioned before? If I said that possessing this power could change the course of history, would you believe me?"

(End of this chapter)