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

Chapter 318, Leaving Korea, Leaving Korea (Seeking monthly votes!)
The carriage soon arrived at Qianlong Hall. The disciples outside the hall became more vigilant when they saw a strange woman driving a carriage.

"It's me. Where is Hall Master Situ?"

Xu Qing lifted the carriage curtain, stepped down from the carriage, and said.

Upon seeing that it was Xu Qing, the disciples of the Hidden Dragon Hall who were about to step forward all stopped in their tracks, cupped their hands in greeting, and said...

"Imperial Physician, the head of the hall is currently with distinguished guests. Should I go and inform him?"

"Please inform them that the person inside the carriage and this man are my friends, so there's no need to worry," Xu Qing said, looking at the still vigilant Qianlong Hall disciples.

The disciple from the Hidden Dragon Hall glanced at Xu Qing, then at Jing Ni with her iron-faced expression on the carriage, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
"Please come with me first, I'll go inform the hall master."

"it is good."

Xu Qing said nothing, turned around and walked towards the carriage, helping Hu Meiren out. Jing Ni and Ruo Tao followed behind the two into the Qianlong Hall.

Consort Hu had lived in the palace for most of the year, and even when she left the palace, she only stayed in Xinzheng City. She was both curious and nervous about the unfamiliar place, Qianlong Hall, and clung to Xu Qing's clothes like a little girl.

"Don't worry, Situ Wanli, the leader of the Hidden Dragon Hall, is a good friend of mine. He has the support of the Farmer Clan, so Ji Wuye and the others wouldn't dare to cause trouble here," Xu Qing said calmly, patting Hu Meiren's hand.

"Ah."

Hu Meiren nodded slightly, but still held onto Xu Qing's clothes.

After entering the backyard of Qianlong Hall, Situ Wanli came out to greet him. He immediately saw Hu Meiren beside Xu Qing and his eyes flashed with surprise. Then he looked at Xu Qing with a mixture of envy, admiration and shock.

He initially thought that Ji Wuye had framed Xu Qing and Hu Meiren for having an affair, but after observing their behavior, Situ Wanli felt that Ji Wuye might actually be the one who had been framed.

Meeting Situ Wanli's gaze, Xu Qing smiled helplessly and said...

"Brother Situ, I don't need to introduce who this is, right? Please arrange a place for them to rest."

“Alright, No. 5 Courtyard is still vacant, so please make do for now,” Situ Wanli said to Hu Meiren.

Having seen many grand occasions, Hu Meiren was no longer nervous in front of Situ Wanli. Instead, she returned the greeting with grace and poise.

"Thank you, please lead the way."

“Let my deputy take you there.”

As soon as Situ Wanli finished speaking, the steward stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"You go first, I'll arrange for you to go to Mount Taiyi later," Xu Qing said, holding Hu Meiren's hand.

"Okay, Mr. Xu, don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

Hu Meiren smiled slightly, her charming and pretty face blooming like a flower, her beauty stunning and reassuring.

After Hu Meiren and Ruotao left, Situ Wanli looked at Jing Ni behind Xu Qing, who had an iron-faced mask. He was stunned again by her attire, the mask on her face, and the sword in her hand.

The disciples of Qianlong Hall were too blind to recognize Jing Ni's identity, but Situ Wanli, who was in charge of Qianlong Hall, an intelligence trading place, recognized her identity by her attire.

Jing Ni, a top-tier assassin from the Luo Wang organization.

Although Consort Hu was a favorite concubine of the King of Han, it was not uncommon for favorite concubines to have affairs or keep male lovers. While this was surprising, it was still within the acceptable range.

But Xu Qing even managed to take down a top-tier assassin from the Luo Wang organization, which is truly astonishing.

Situ Wanli leaned closer to Xu Qing, winked and gave her a thumbs up, communicating with her through his eyes.

"Brother, you're really something! I've really seen something new today."

"Don't misunderstand, I brought her to see Young Master Shang. She's on our side, and Jing Ni will definitely be there to assist us on the way," Xu Qing said, stepping back to stand next to Jing Ni.

Jing Ni glanced at Xu Qing out of the corner of her eye, removed the mask from her face, and planted the sword in her hand into the ground to show that she had no intention of harming Ying Zheng.

"So that's how it is. Young Master Shang is inside. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. I'm going all in on this bet," Situ Wanli said with a smile.

He had just protected Ying Zheng. After their conversation, Situ Wanli finally understood why Xu Qing had chosen to support Ying Zheng and resolutely entered Qin.

Even though Ying Zheng is just a puppet now, his words and actions are full of imperial demeanor, and Ying Zheng has also made many promises to him, which makes him determined to follow Xu Qing and Ying Zheng to the end.

"Looks like you've been won over, bro," Xu Qing joked.

"Brother, stop joking with me. Let's hurry up and see Young Master Shang," Situ Wanli said.

Xu Qing nodded slightly and led the unarmed Jing Ni into the courtyard. Gai Nie and Ying Zheng were standing under the eaves waiting for Xu Qing.

Upon seeing Jing Ni, Gai Nie became vigilant, ready to act at any moment. Even though Xu Qing had said that Jing Ni was one of their own, who knew if she was feigning allegiance and secretly seeking an opportunity to assassinate him? Even with only a one in ten thousand chance, Gai Nie dared not be careless in the slightest.

“Young Master Shang, this is Jing Ni, a top-tier assassin from the Luo Wang organization. Although she is an assassin from Luo Wang, she is now loyal to you and the Great Qin.” Xu Qing said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Young Master Shang!" Jing Ni bowed to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng glanced at Jing Ni and nodded slightly.
"The master has already told me about your situation. Today you have done a good job in restraining the assassins of the Luo Wang. When I am crowned and take over the government, I will give you your freedom."

"You can go wherever you want then, or even stay here. It's all up to you."

Upon hearing this, Jingni's beautiful eyes were slightly moved. However, she was not very happy to hear Ying Zheng's promise. Instead, she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart, as if she was feeling lost after finally letting go of something.

But Jing Ni didn't show it, and said in a cold voice

"Thank you, Young Master Shang."

Ying Zheng looked at Xu Qing again, and seeing the small wounds on Xu Qing's arms bound with bandages and his face, his heart sank slightly.

"Sir, I was able to escape danger thanks to you this time. However, you were falsely accused of having an affair with the King of Han's favorite concubine. Although you were able to leave Han, you also bore a stain on your reputation. I am ashamed of your trust and support," Ying Zheng said in a deep voice.

Life and death are minor matters; reputation is paramount. People of this era, especially scholars, valued their reputation more than life and death.

Now Xu Qing has been burdened with such a terrible stigma, and it was all for his safety that Ying Zheng felt extremely guilty.

“Young Master Shang, there’s no need to worry. I don’t care about these things anyway. Besides, we don’t know what the final outcome will be yet. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better after we leave Korea,” Xu Qing said with a light laugh.

Xu Qing is now 80% certain that the assassination attempt by Luo Wang in Xinzheng was orchestrated by Lü Buwei, all for the purpose of getting Xu Qing into Qin.

Lao Ai was the one who wanted to kill Ying Zheng, but Lao Ai was probably just a pawn in Lü Buwei's game, unaware that he was being used.

"Oh? Sir, do you have any further plans?" Ying Zheng asked, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

“No, but Han Fei will definitely help me clear my name, since this is a good opportunity for him to attack Ji Wuye,” Xu Qing said.

Even if the truth is different from what he guessed, and Lü Buwei doesn't help him clear his name, Xu Qing isn't worried about being exposed for having an affair with Hu Meiren.

Firstly, this matter concerns the reputation of King Han and the Korean royal family, so they certainly won't make it public, but will instead use other reasons to issue an arrest warrant for him.

Secondly, Han Fei was there to protect him. Ninety percent of the ministers around Han Fei were his former protégés. If Han Fei, the one who had promoted him, was vilified, they would also be implicated.

There are also the Korean people. These people don't care whether he had an affair with Hu Meiren or not. They only know that from now on, Xu Qing, the divine doctor, will no longer be able to treat their illnesses. In addition, he has always had a good reputation among the people. With just a little guidance, they will all support him.

In order to win over these people and establish his prestige in the state of Han, Han Fei would manipulate public opinion and portray the facts as a slander by Ji Wuye, even if he knew that Ji Wuye had actually done it.

After all, this wasn't helping him, but Han Fei helping himself.

As for King An of Han's opinion? Now that King An of Han only has Han Fei as his son, even if Han Fei opposes him, in order to save face, ensure the succession of the throne, and quell the anger of officials and the people, he can only endure it in the end.

Prestige, status, and connections—these are the foundation of Xu Qing's confidence, and the reason he dared to leave Han for Qin without worrying about infamy.

Because Xu Qing is never alone; behind him is a large ship of interests composed of many people. Once he, the helmsman, is in trouble, everyone on the ship will die.

Looking at the confident Xu Qing, Ying Zheng felt relieved. He knew Xu Qing never did anything without a certainty, so he said...

"It's good that you're confident, sir. Li Si will have to stay behind to continue his mission. Now that you have nothing else to do, let's get going."

"Alright, I'll go and get my companions. Young Master Shang and Brother Gai Nie, please wait for me a moment."

Xu Qing cupped his hands in greeting.

Ying Zheng nodded slightly. He naturally knew that Xu Qing was going to pick up Yan Lingji, and he didn't say anything more.

Xu Qing led Jing Ni away from the courtyard and soon arrived at Yan Ling Ji's courtyard.

Yan Lingji was still wearing a fiery red battle robe with black patterns on her fair skin. When she saw Xu Qing, a smile flashed in her icy blue eyes, but it vanished immediately when she saw Jing Ni behind Xu Qing.

"What? You've only been gone a short while, and you've already attracted another beauty?"

Yan Lingji walked to Xu Qing's side, gently hooking her small hand around Xu Qing's collar, and said in a charming voice.

She looked at Jingni beside her with her beautiful eyes, indicating that she had the right to possess her.

"Don't get me wrong, it was just a transaction between us."

Jingni looked at Yan Lingji, who was consumed by jealousy, said something coldly, and then turned and walked outside.
"It's getting late, let's leave as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)