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

Chapter 351, The Warring States Period Doesn't Believe in Tears (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
Looking at the two fortune slips in his mind, Xu Qing made a decision and turned to look at Lü Buwei.

"Sigh, it seems I have no choice at all. Gongyang Ru and his gang of lunatics have their eyes on me, and they won't give up until they get what they want," Xu Qing said with a helpless smile.

Everyone has set up the stage and is just waiting for him, the lead actor, to take the stage. It would be really inconsiderate of him to suddenly refuse to perform.

Moreover, by acknowledging Gongyang Ru's identity, he brought him so many benefits in easing relations between the Qin state and Confucianism that it could completely offset the potential impact of being hated by petty people.

Seeing Xu Qing agree, Lü Buwei was not happy, but asked with some concern.

"How do you explain this to Tianzong? Although anyone with eyes can see the purpose behind this, on the surface it does seem that you have switched your allegiance to Gongyang Ru, which damages the reputation of Master He Guanzi and Tianzong."

“My lord, there’s no need to worry. It’s common knowledge that I was educated in Confucianism. I mentioned it to my teacher before I became his disciple, and neither my teacher nor the Heavenly Sect will mind,” Xu Qing said, shaking his head.

Upon hearing this, Lü Buwei nodded in relief. After testing Xu Qing, he brought up the matter of improving relations with Ying Zheng again.

"Judging by the time, Lord Jingyang and other members of the royal family should have already met with the King. What do you think the outcome of this matter will be?" Lü Buwei asked.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Qing shook his head again and said...

"Lao Ai will be fine. The Qin King's seal is still in the Empress Dowager's hands. No matter how much the royal family and the King demand that Lao Ai be severely punished, if the Empress Dowager does not agree, unless the Marquis personally orders Lao Ai to be killed, the Empress Dowager will definitely protect Lao Ai."

Xu Qing was truly speechless when it came to Queen Dowager Zhao Ji. In his previous life, he would say that Zhao Ji was love-struck, her mind filled with nothing but romance and love.

Although Empress Dowager Xuan, also had an affair with the King of Yiqu and kept male lovers, she always thought of benefiting the Qin state and was loyal to King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

On the other hand, Zhao Ji was eventually tricked by Lao Ai into wanting to kill Ying Zheng, and even tacitly approved of it.

"Then what do you think I should do next? Help the King kill Lao Ai, or remain silent?" Lü Buwei asked with a light laugh.

Xu Qing glanced at Lü Buwei and couldn't help but think to himself that the old fox was cunning.

He had been completely honest with him, yet that old fox Lü Buwei was still testing him, trying to see if he was truly sincere in helping him. But he could understand; after all, without this caution, Lü Buwei wouldn't be where he is today.

“Lord Marquis should already have a plan in mind. I will fully cooperate and will also share some of your thoughts. As for whether His Majesty will believe me, that depends on your actions,” Xu Qing said in a deep voice.

Hearing Xu Qing's promise, Lü Buwei was completely relieved.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Xu Qing, but this matter concerned his life, and even more so, the Qin state and Ying Zheng, so he dared not be careless.

"Then I will trouble you, Your Majesty. In the days to come, I will continue to feign illness and gradually delegate power to Your Majesty in the court," Lü Buwei said, rising and bowing.

The conflict between him and Ying Zheng was too sharp to be changed overnight. Only by gradually letting Ying Zheng see his attitude and thoughts could he salvage the relationship between the two.

"Lord Marquis, you have made outstanding contributions to the Great Qin. If it weren't for you all these years, the Great Qin would probably have fallen into internal strife long ago. I was just doing what I should have done."

Xu Qing also stood up and returned the greeting to Lü Buwei.

After the two sat down again, Lü Yi, who had left earlier, quickly returned and said to Xu Qing and Lü Buwei...
“Father, Grand Chancellor. The King has sent Mr. Gai to invite you to the palace. It seems to be very urgent.”

Xu Qing and Lü Buwei exchanged a smile. The game they had set up together had begun. All that remained was for Lao Ai to willingly enter the game and become the first stepping stone for Ying Zheng to secure his throne.

"Since Your Majesty has summoned me, I shall take my leave now. I will make a copy of the medical book once it is completed," Xu Qing said.

"Please take care, Grand Master. I am seriously ill and do not wish to see you off," Lü Buwei said, stroking his beard.

Xu Qing got up and walked outside. After Lü Yi nodded to Lü Buwei, he led Xu Qing away.

Only Lü Buwei remained in the small courtyard.

A gentle breeze blew, making the strings hanging from the bamboo slips rustle. The sound of the bamboo slips colliding sounded like a beautiful melody to Lü Buwei, and the scent of ink in the air captivated him.

"Not bad, little guy. If you were ten or more years younger, I would definitely give you another try."

Lu Buwei squinted slightly and gently stroked his already mottled beard as he spoke.

If Xu Qing hadn't been honest with him, he certainly wouldn't have opened up to her like this.

As people get older, they become more open-minded about everything. Especially after Xu Qing resolved his inner conflict, the last bit of life he had left dissipated, and the youthful ambition he once had vanished. All that remained was an old man's longing for a peaceful old age, enjoying the leisure of playing with his grandchildren.

"I'm getting old after all," Lü Buwei said with deep emotion.

He has devoted most of his life to the Qin state and can finally rest. He can now leave the rest to the younger generation.

Led by Lü Yi, Xu Qing left the Wenxin Marquis's residence and saw Gai Nie leaning against a carriage.

Gai Nie's expression remained indifferent, but there was a hint of restrained anger in his eyes. Xu Qing thanked Lü Yi and then walked towards Gai Nie.

"Brother Xu, the King has summoned you to the palace for a meal," Gai Nie said, bowing slightly to Xu Qing.

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Gai Nie. Let's go together, so as not to keep the King waiting," Xu Qing said with a smile. After the two of them got into the carriage, the driver drove the carriage towards Zhangtai Palace, and the armored soldiers following closely behind also hurried after them.

Inside the carriage, Xu Qing and Gai Nie sat facing each other.

Gai Nie glanced at Xu Qing and then lowered his voice to say...

"Brother Xu, while you were treating Marquis Wenxin, a major event occurred outside: Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, injured Lord Weiyang."

Gai Nie was interrupted by Xu Qing before he could finish speaking.

"Brother Gai Nie, I heard about this matter at the Marquis of Wenxin's residence. What was the King's decision regarding Lao Ai?" Xu Qing asked, looking at Gai Nie.

Gai Nie frowned slightly and glanced at Xu Qing with surprise.

What happened in Xianyang City could not possibly escape Lü Buwei's notice, especially such a major event as the injury of Lord Weiyang. However, Gai Nie was somewhat surprised that Lü Buwei would inform Xu Qing about this.

"We'll discuss the matter of Marquis Wenxin later when we meet the King. First, tell me about the outcome of the incident where Lord Weiyang was injured," Xu Qing said, noticing Gai Nie's confusion.

Gai Nie put aside his doubts and continued in a low voice.
"The King had already promised the royal family to severely punish Lao Ai, but the Queen Mother brought Lao Ai to see the King. After that, the King and the Queen Mother privately discussed how to deal with Lao Ai, but they disagreed on how to deal with him and had a big argument about it."

"When the Queen Dowager left, she looked unwell, and the King's anger was palpable. The King told me that Lao Ai had been protected by the Queen Dowager, but the King had already promised the royal family, so he was unwilling to let Lao Ai go. Therefore, he asked me to invite you to the palace to discuss countermeasures."

When asked about the outcome of the incident, Gai Nie believed that he was good at maintaining his composure and had a good state of mind. He usually couldn't get angry, but Zhao Ji's actions really made him lose his temper.

She completely disregarded the dignity of the Qin state, the royal family, and Ying Zheng. Even in the struggle for power, she could not forget her responsibilities as the Queen Mother and her mother.

Hearing that the outcome was largely in line with his and Lü Buwei's guesses, Xu Qing nodded slightly and said in a low voice.

"I understand. This matter is indeed difficult to handle. In fact, Your Majesty taking a step back is not out of the question."

"The relationship between the King and the royal family is not good to begin with. This time there is an opportunity to improve the relationship. If the King breaks his promise to the royal family, the royal family will likely turn against him."

Gai Nie looked at Xu Qing with a puzzled expression.

"I know, but let's discuss the specifics when we meet His Majesty. This matter presents an opportunity for His Majesty," Xu Qing said mysteriously.

If it weren't for Lü Buwei, he would definitely have suggested that Ying Zheng kill Lao Ai directly. After all, with military power in hand and the help of the royal family, Zhao Ji and Lao Ai wouldn't have much ability to resist.

However, in order to eliminate those with ulterior motives in the Qin court in one fell swoop, the best approach is to play the long game and catch the big fish.

Seeing this, Gai Nie didn't ask any more questions. He wasn't a very curious person, and he would know everything once he met Ying Zheng.

Silence fell once again inside the carriage, with the sound of wheels turning constantly ringing out. Before long, the carriage arrived at Zhangtai Palace.

After getting off the carriage, Xu Qing and Gai Nie went straight into Zhangtai Palace to find Ying Zheng without any delay.

Zhangtai Palace was the hall where Ying Zheng handled state affairs.

Ying Zheng sat on the throne with a complicated expression, his hands tightly clenched and his head bowed. Since he ascended the throne, he had experienced many things, but he had never felt so powerless and sad as he did today.

He had already made the pros and cons clear to Zhao Ji. Whether it was to ensure that he did not break his promise to the royal family, or for the sake of the reputation of Qin and the royal family, Zhao Ji, as his mother and the Queen Dowager, should support him in severely punishing Lao Ai.

But Zhao Ji's attitude and actions were unbelievable to him. No matter what he said, Zhao Ji was determined to protect Lao Ai to the death and was unwilling to give him even the slightest punishment.

As the King of Qin, Ying Zheng would certainly not agree to this.

But in order to force him to submit, Zhao Ji not only threatened him with the Qin King's seal, but also used their mother-son relationship to blackmail him.

If he did not let Lao Ai go, Zhao Ji said resolutely that she would immediately take her people back to Yongcheng and never return to Xianyang to see him again in this life.

When Ying Zheng heard those words, he couldn't understand his own emotions at the time—shock, anger, and a profound sense of powerlessness.

Out of consideration for the bond between mother and son, he could only bow his head in the end, saying that he needed to consider how to respond to the royal family before issuing a decision.

"Mother, why are you doing this? You'd rather abandon your own child for a eunuch. Has our relationship truly come to this?"

"Why is this happening? Why is this going on?!"

Ying Zheng felt a pang of grief, his eyes reddened slightly, and his hands gripped the armrests tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Countless questions and sorrow filled Ying Zheng's heart, but he still tried his best to restrain himself, maintaining his demeanor and expression. Sitting on the throne, he was the King of Qin, and no matter how sad he was, he could not show it.

The King of Qin has no need for tears or weakness.

(End of this chapter)