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

Chapter 347, The Cunning and Scheming Lü Buwei

Xianyang, inside the residence of Marquis Wenxin.

"Because of what?"

Lu Buwei looked at Lu Yi, frowned slightly, and asked.

Xu Qing looked at Lü Buwei and Lü Yi, who were whispering to each other, with suspicion. He vaguely heard something about Lao Ai, but judging from Lü Buwei's frowning expression, he figured it probably wasn't anything good.

Nine times out of ten, anything related to that treacherous man, Lao Ai, is not a good thing.

“My lord, if you have other matters to attend to, then I shall take my leave now and visit you again another day,” Xu Qing said.

"No need. The Grand Chancellor should know about this matter. There's nothing to worry about. The Grand Chancellor is not an outsider."

Lu Buwei answered without hesitation, already considering Xu Qing as one of his own.

Although the two had only met twice, Lü Buwei found himself to be exceptionally compatible with Xu Qing. This was not only because Xu Qing had helped him resolve his inner turmoil, but also because Xu Qing seemed pleasing to the eye, and because Xu Qing's style of doing things was very similar to his own.

"The story begins yesterday. Lao Ai, along with some ministers, reported the three officials, Wei Wei, Zuo Yi, and Neishi, to the Court of Justice. Upon learning of this, the Court of Justice sent men to arrest the three."

"The position of Grand Historian was held by Prince Pingyang, a member of the royal family and also the nephew of Prince Weiyang. Prince Weiyang learned that Prince Pingyang had been framed and imprisoned by Lao Ai, so he wanted to go to the Court of Justice to inquire about it today, but on the way he encountered Lao Ai's carriage."

"Lao Ai demanded that Lord Weiyang make way, but Lord Weiyang refused. According to Lord Weiyang's attendants, Lao Ai first drew his sword and slashed at Lord Weiyang's carriage. After saying something, the two sides eventually started fighting."

"When Lord Weiyang was injured by Lao Ai, he was sent back to his residence by his servants. When the royal family and ministers learned of this, they gathered at Zhangtai Palace, saying that they wanted the king to uphold justice."

Lu Yi slowly recounted the general course of events, and after finishing, he glanced at Xu Qing and Lu Buwei before whispering...
"According to Lord Weiyang's attendants, it seems that Lao Ai said something that provoked Lord Weiyang, but the attendants were all flustered and unwilling to mention what the words were."

"So that's it."

A hint of seriousness flashed in Lü Buwei's eyes. Although Lao Ai's actions had caused a great disaster, with Zhao Ji around, she would certainly not let Lao Ai be punished by the royal family.

However, this doesn't seem to be a bad thing for him. Now that there is room for maneuver between him and Ying Zheng, he doesn't have to choose such an extreme method.

"The Commandant of the Guards, Zuo Yi, and the Inner Historian were framed and imprisoned by Lao Ai?" Xu Qing asked in surprise.

“Yes, but Lao Ai and the three of them have never had any dealings. I don’t know why he would frame them,” Lu Yi said, shaking his head.

These three official positions are all of paramount importance and can only be held by high-ranking officials. Lao Ai's sudden attack on the three of them is truly baffling.

Lu Yi didn't understand why Lao Ai would frame the three people, but Xu Qing did know, because besides his retainers, the people who followed Lao Ai in launching the Qinian Palace Incident were the Commandant of the Guards, Zuo Yi, the eunuch, and a Grand Master of the Palace.

Lao Ai's sudden attack on the three must be because the military's explicit support for Ying Zheng yesterday made him uneasy, so he began to make arrangements in advance.

“My lord, this matter is of great importance. I think we should go to Zhangtai Palace together to take a look,” Xu Qing said to Lü Buwei.

"Grand Chancellor, you said earlier that His Majesty is now strong and healthy. In that case, let's see how His Majesty handles this matter," Lü Buwei said, stroking his beard. Xu Qing glanced at Lü Buwei with a puzzled look, then understood his thoughts.

Lü Buwei's intentions were not merely to test whether Ying Zheng had matured, but more importantly, to use Lao Ai to divert hatred and make Lao Ai the biggest obstacle to Ying Zheng's rule, while he could remain perfectly hidden.

Then, by gradually delegating power, he could gradually salvage his image in Ying Zheng's eyes.

In response, Xu Qing could only say that Lao Ai was indeed a cunning old fox; he had just courted death when Lü Buwei targeted him and made him a scapegoat.

"My lord, while this method is not bad, we must also be wary of Lao Ai. His framing of three ministers may be an attempt to promote his own people. He himself is very ambitious, and it is inevitable that this will affect the internal stability of the Qin Dynasty," Xu Qing subtly reminded him.

"With me here, he can't turn the world upside down. Moreover, Qin needs another purge. With unity of purpose, even Mount Tai can be moved. Without unity of purpose, how can we achieve our great cause of conquering the east?" Lü Buwei said calmly.

Xu Qing glanced hesitantly at Lü Buwei. According to historical development, Lü Buwei had basically disappeared during the period before Ying Zheng took power, watching Lao Ai court his doom.

Ultimately, this led to Lao Ai launching the Qinian Palace Incident, but in the end, Ying Zheng proved to be more cunning, eliminating Lao Ai and successfully becoming emperor.

Taking advantage of Lao Ai's rebellion, Ying Zheng purged many people and implicated Lü Buwei, thus seizing back all power in one fell swoop.

Xu Qing didn't believe that an old fox like Lü Buwei hadn't seen through Ying Zheng's thoughts. He guessed that this method was the extreme approach Lü Buwei had previously chosen, sacrificing himself to benefit Ying Zheng and the Qin state.

However, because of his intervention, there was room for maneuver in the relationship between Lü Buwei and Ying Zheng. If Lao Ai had been allowed to continue his self-destructive behavior according to historical developments, even if he had launched another rebellion in the end, with Lü Buwei's help, it would not have caused as many terrible consequences as in history.

“In that case, let’s continue our previous topic,” Xu Qing said, nodding slightly.

With Lü Buwei backing him up, no matter how much Lao Ai recklessly acted, it wouldn't affect the overall situation in the end; in fact, he could even take the opportunity to reap considerable benefits.

Why not do something that achieves multiple benefits? It's just going to give Ying Zheng a headache for a while.

Seeing that Xu Qing understood his thoughts, Lü Buwei's eyes flashed with satisfaction. He was already old, and after Ying Zheng took over the reins of government, he would have to retire and live out his days. But eventually, someone had to take over his position to protect Ying Zheng and the Qin state.

As it stands, Xu Qing is the most suitable candidate to succeed him. As for why, he can't explain it, it's just a gut feeling.

However, if Xu Qing wants to convince everyone and become his successor, he must have merits. The merit of the medical book alone is not enough; he must also kill Lao Ai.

Lao Ai needs to be dealt with, but there's no rush. The best time to act is when he has caused widespread anger and resentment. At that point, even Zhao Ji won't be able to protect him.

"I've heard that you were close friends with the Confucian scholar Xunzi, so I suppose you're familiar with his teachings? What are your thoughts on this?" Lü Buwei looked at Xu Qing and launched a new round of questioning.

Xu Qing knew that Lü Buwei was testing his true abilities. After recalling his correspondence with Xunzi, he slowly began to express his views.

While Xu Qing and Lü Buwei were having a pleasant conversation, Lao Ai hurriedly fled back to the Empress Dowager's palace.

(End of this chapter)