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

Chapter 349, Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji, Qin needs you, Gongyang Ru.
Noticing the change in the eyes of the members of the royal family, Ying Zheng smiled. With the support of the military, he began to think about how to win over the ministers and use them for his own purposes.

After careful consideration, he decided to first repair his relationship with the imperial clan and gain their support. With the imperial clan fighting for him, his uncle and mother would have to avoid his sharp edge.

He was worried about how to repair relations with the royal family, but unexpectedly, Lao Ai took the initiative to create an opportunity for him.

Lao Ai had made many enemies due to his arrogance and domineering nature. Severely punishing Lao Ai would not only repair his relationship with the imperial clan but also establish his authority and gain the support of the court officials. Moreover, by severely punishing Lao Ai, he would no longer need to painstakingly win over the army.

After all, being granted a marquisate without any merit had already infuriated the military.

Lao Ai was recommended to the palace by his uncle Lü Buwei. Punishing Lao Ai would also weaken Lü Buwei's faction, allowing him to better establish his authority and regain power.

Only a fool wouldn't do something that achieves so many benefits.

"However, Lao Ai is the Empress Dowager's favorite minister, and there's something to worry about with her..." Ying Zheng couldn't help but feel a little worried.

His mother doted on Lao Ai, and if he wanted to take action against Lao Ai, Zhao Ji would definitely not let him off easily. However, Ying Zheng quickly dispelled his concerns.

Ultimately, Lao Ai was in the wrong first, and Zhao Ji was his mother, so no matter what, she should have stood by him.

"Teacher, you personally lead men to the Empress Dowager's palace to capture the person," Ying Zheng said to Gai Nie in a deep voice.

"promise."

Gai Nie cupped his hands in greeting and turned to go and call for someone to arrest Lao Ai.

However, before Gai Nie could even leave the palace, the voice of the eunuch outside rang out.

"The Queen Mother is here!"

Upon hearing that Zhao Ji had arrived, Ying Zheng's eyes gleamed, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He knew without a doubt that Zhao Ji had come because of Lao Ai.

Although he felt that Zhao Ji would favor him, no one knew what his mother would actually do until the very end.

When the members of the royal family, including Lord Jingyang, heard that Zhao Ji had arrived, their anger subsided somewhat. After all, Zhao Ji was the late king's queen and the Queen Dowager of Qin, and their etiquette could not be violated.

After the eunuch's voice fell, Zhao Ji, dressed in a fiery red palace robe, crossed her hands and placed them flat on her lower abdomen. She walked into the main hall with her long, beautiful legs, and Lao Ai, whose face was red and swollen, followed behind her with his head down.

The members of the royal family were immediately enraged upon seeing Lao Ai, glaring at him with fury. If the occasion hadn't been so inappropriate, they would have attacked him.

The Qin state prohibited private fights, but the spirit of the Qin people was not extinguished by this.

"Greetings, Empress Dowager!" The members of the imperial clan said, suppressing their anger.

Ying Zheng also stood up from the throne, a smile on his face, and said...

"I've met my mother."

Zhao Ji looked up at Ying Zheng, her eyes trembling slightly as she gazed at his tall figure on the throne and his imperial aura. At that moment, she saw not Ying Zheng, but several overlapping figures.

Especially Ying Zheng's smiling face, yet his eyes remained calm and indifferent, subtly revealing a hint of coldness, which secretly frightened her.

She was all too familiar with that look in her eyes; however, everyone who had that look had caused her some degree of harm.

Seeing Ying Zheng's familiar face, Zhao Ji snapped out of her reverie, walked up the steps, and said with a smile.

"Zheng'er, is this something you want to discuss with the clan members?"

"Your Majesty, Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, provoked Lord Weiyang, gathered his retainers and gang to beat Lord Weiyang, and even used weapons, seriously injuring Lord Weiyang until he fell into a coma."

"A member of the imperial clan has come to report to me. I had just ordered the arrest and severe punishment of Lao Ai, but I did not expect that the Empress Dowager would send him here on her own initiative."

Ying Zheng stepped forward and pressed Zhao Ji into her seat. He turned to look at the imperial relatives and Gai Nie, his smile vanishing instantly, and continued speaking.
"Guards, seize Lao Ai, strip him of his official robes, and throw him into the Court of Justice prison for interrogation!"

Upon hearing this, the armored soldiers outside the door quickly entered the hall, immediately pinned Lao Ai down, and prepared to carry out Ying Zheng's orders.

Seeing this, Lord Jingyang and his relatives were extremely excited and shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty is wise!"

Despite being pinned down by armored soldiers, Lao Ai felt no fear. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes as he glanced at the Qin royal family out of the corner of his eye.

"You just wait, one day I'll make you all kneel before me and beg for mercy," Lao Ai thought to himself.

Just as the armored warrior was about to remove Lao Ai's hair ornament, Zhao Ji suddenly spoke up.

"Wait!"

The armored soldier stopped what he was doing and looked at Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng and Lord Jingyang, among others, also looked at Zhao Ji, their hearts filled with trepidation as they awaited her next words.

Zhao Ji looked at Ying Zheng, her gaze complicated as she looked at her grown-up son. She took a deep breath and was about to speak when Ying Zheng tightened his grip on her wrist with his right hand.

"Mother." Ying Zheng looked at Zhao Ji with a pleading look in his eyes and whispered a reminder.

Zhao Ji was slightly moved by Ying Zheng's gaze. She glanced at Lao Ai, who was being held down by armored soldiers, and her resolve hardened again, her smile deepening. "Zheng'er," Zhao Ji said, gently patting Ying Zheng's hand. "I have something to say to you. For now, let the imperial relatives leave. As for the matter of Lord Weiyang being beaten, I will certainly not let the culprit off lightly."

A complex look flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. He knew that Zhao Ji was going to protect Lao Ai. Although he was unwilling, he decided to first disperse the clan members and then discuss with Zhao Ji how to deal with Lao Ai, considering Zhao Ji's reputation.

"Lord Jingyang, please take everyone back first. I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."

Ying Zheng looked at Lord Jingyang and his relatives with a resolute gaze and nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Lord Jingyang and the others felt somewhat relieved. They decided to trust Ying Zheng, since beating a senior member of the royal family was a matter of the royal family's and King Qin's dignity. They also believed that Ying Zheng would deal with Lao Ai.

"We take our leave!" Lord Jingyang and the others bowed and walked outside.

"Lord Changxin, Mr. Gai Nie, you two should also leave. I have something to say to Zheng'er," Zhao Ji said, looking at the remaining Gai Nie and Lao Ai.

"Yes." Lao Ai broke free of the armored soldiers and walked outside.

Gai Nie didn't move, but looked at Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng waved his hand, and Gai Nie bowed and led the armored soldiers out of the main hall, where the palace door was closed by the eunuchs.

"Zheng'er, listen to me," Zhao Ji said softly, holding Ying Zheng's hand.

Ying Zheng listened silently to Zhao Ji's words, his expression gradually becoming complicated. Although he had known that Zhao Ji would plead for Lao Ai, he still felt an indescribable mix of emotions when he actually faced the matter.

Gai Nie stood outside the door, staring coldly at Lao Ai, waiting for Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji to finish their discussion before taking action to subdue Lao Ai.

Lao Ai, meanwhile, watched the rising sun with nonchalant indifference, showing no fear whatsoever. He knew that Zhao Ji would do anything to protect him.

Although he has no real talent, his innate ability and skill in charming women make him second to none, not to mention that Zhao Ji, that stupid woman, isn't very bright.

Lao Ai sometimes wondered how Zhao Ji managed to defeat Chang'an Jun Cheng Jiao's mother and become queen.

Just as Gai Nie was waiting for orders, he suddenly heard a fierce argument coming from inside the hall. Gai Nie subconsciously turned around to look.

Looking through the crack in the palace door, one could see Ying Zheng standing beside the throne, glaring angrily at Zhao Ji, his eyes filled with incomprehension and anger, arguing with her about something.

Meanwhile, inside the Marquis Wenxin's residence.

A burst of laughter and chatter rang out. Lü Buwei stroked his beard, his face beaming with a satisfied look as he gazed at Xu Qing.

“No wonder Master Xun considered the Grand Chancellor a close friend. The Grand Chancellor’s views on the importance of both rites and laws are truly profound. But I’ve heard that you are a Confucian scholar of the Gongyang School. Is that true?” Lü Buwei said with a smile.

Xu Qing's expertise in the theory of emphasizing both etiquette and law greatly pleased Lü Buwei.

As the ruler of Qin, he was well aware of the internal problems within the state. The reason he compiled the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought was to leave behind methods for reform and governance for Qin, which would eventually unify the world.

While emphasizing both rites and laws could not completely solve the internal problems of the Qin state, it at least allowed for timely modifications to Qin laws, giving the Qin state the opportunity to change.

Based on this alone, he no longer has many concerns about Xu Qing becoming his successor.

Looking at his father like this, Lü Yi's eyes were full of surprise. He and his brother hadn't seen their father so kind in many years, and they couldn't help but look at Xu Qing with a bit more envy.

Who told him and his younger brother to be so unambitious? In terms of academic knowledge alone, the two brothers combined are not even one-tenth as good as Xu Qing.

"You flatter me, Your Excellency. Master Xun only did so because he thought highly of me."

Xu Qing said modestly, then changed the subject, her voice filled with helplessness.

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the Marquis, but I have no relation to Gongyang Ru. I don't know why Gongyang Ru would acknowledge me as their disciple."

Lu Yi looked at Xu Qing with suspicion. Everyone in the world knew that the Gongyang Confucian disciples had tried to assassinate Ji Wuye for Xu Qing's sake.

The Gongyang School of Confucianism was already declining within the Confucian school, and its doctrines were mainly disseminated in the state of Han. By assassinating Ji Wuye for Xu Qing, Gongyang essentially abandoned the last remaining place where his teachings could be passed on.

If Xu Qing and Gongyang Ru were not related, why would Gongyang Ru risk the extinction of his lineage to assassinate Ji Wuye?

Lü Buwei was also taken aback, but then a playful smile appeared on his face. He rubbed his fingers around the teacup and looked at Xu Qing, saying...

"Da Liangzao is truly blessed. You have something that others would kill for, without even realizing it."

"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you are a Gongyang Confucian or not. Everyone in the world recognizes you as a Gongyang Confucian, and the Qin state also needs you to be a Gongyang Confucian."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly understood what Lü Buwei meant. After pondering for a moment, he asked...
"But why is the Gongyang School targeting me? How dare they entrust the future of their school of thought to me?"

"I estimate that this matter is related to Master Xun. Last year, the Gongyang School of Confucianism had a conflict with other schools of Confucianism. At that time, the Confucianists held a conference at Xiaoshengxianzhuang to discuss this matter together."

"Fu Nian, who had just become the Grand Master of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, was the one in charge. However, in the end, it was Master Xun who resolved the matter. It is said that Master Xun had a long private conversation with Gongyang Di, the leader of the Gongyang School of Confucianism," Lü Buwei said.

(End of this chapter)