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

Chapter 352, Xu Qing: I have a superior plan, Your Majesty, please heed my words (Seeking monthly votes)

Just as Ying Zheng was lost in thought, the eunuch pushed open the palace door, entered, and bowed, saying...
"Your Majesty, Mr. Gai Nie and the Grand Master have arrived and are waiting for an audience outside the palace."

Taking a deep breath, Ying Zheng suppressed his grief, regained his composure, and spoke.

"Please invite the teacher and the master here."

"promise."

After the eunuch turned and left the main hall, Xu Qing and Gai Nie entered one after the other, cupped their hands in greeting to Ying Zheng, and said...
"Meet the king."

“Teacher, sir, there’s no need for such formalities. Let’s go to the inner chamber,” Ying Zheng said, rising from his throne.

"promise."

Ying Zheng led Xu Qing and Gai Nie into the inner chamber. Outside the main hall was where Ying Zheng handled government affairs and received ministers, but inside there was also a bedroom for rest.

"Teacher, sir, let's sit down and talk slowly."

Ying Zheng's voice was somewhat heavy. Although he tried his best to restrain himself, a complex look still appeared in his eyes, and a faint sadness emanated from him.

Seeing this, Xu Qing and Gai Nie understood that the argument between Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji over Lao Ai must have been extremely intense. Zhao Ji must have said or done something drastic to force Ying Zheng to let Lao Ai go, otherwise it would not have led Ying Zheng to this state.

However, the two did not say anything, but sat down opposite Ying Zheng.

"Sir, your teacher should have already told you what happened on the way. What do you think about this matter? How do you think Lao Ai should be dealt with?" Ying Zheng asked Xu Qing in a deep voice.

"Lao Ai injured Lord Weiyang and engaged in a brawl using iron weapons. He should be severely punished both publicly and privately," Xu Qing said firmly.

In a conversation, if you want the other person to accept your ideas quickly, the first thing to do is to acknowledge their ideas and then incorporate your own ideas into them, thereby replacing their ideas with your own.

Xu Qing learned this trick from an ex-girlfriend in his previous life.

"Sir, you also think so. This matter should be handled this way. In public, Lao Ai violated the Qin law, and in private, he beat up a respected elder of the royal family and humiliated the royal family. It would not be too much to behead him and display his head to the public."

"But the Empress Dowager insisted on protecting him, and was unwilling to even carry out a symbolic punishment. No matter how I explained the consequences, the Empress Dowager would not listen to a word."

"I don't know what Lao Ai said to the Empress Dowager that made her so biased. If we really let Lao Ai go, how am I supposed to face the consequences? What will become of the royal family and the reputation of the Qin state?"

Seeing that Xu Qing shared the same attitude as him, Ying Zheng poured out all the pain and confusion he had been suppressing.

For Ying Zheng, Xu Qing was not a subject, but a mentor and friend, a companion. This was different from Gai Nie, who treated Ying Zheng with respect for the king, though there was an element of friendship involved.

Therefore, Xu Qing was someone he could confide in, and Ying Zheng no longer maintained the dignity of the King of Qin; his expression was somewhat agitated and angry.

After venting his anger, Ying Zheng felt better. Some things had to be said, because keeping them bottled up would eventually lead to mental illness.

Seeing that Ying Zheng's expression had calmed down a bit, Xu Qing then answered Ying Zheng's question.

“If the Empress Dowager insists on protecting Lao Ai, and Your Majesty agrees, it will break the trust of the royal family and further alienate the relationship between Your Majesty and the royal family. If Your Majesty severely punishes Lao Ai, there are naturally ways to deal with it,” Xu Qing said.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately asked...
"any solution?"

"Given the pressure, Your Majesty can announce this matter at tomorrow's court assembly and let the ministers express their opinions. Whether it's to uphold Qin law or to maintain the dignity of the royal family, the majority of the ministers, even if some are biased towards Lao Ai, should stand on Your Majesty's side for the sake of using iron to injure Lord Weiyang."

"Moreover, Your Majesty is no longer the same as before. You have the royal family inside and the military outside, so you are not afraid that your ministers will not express their opinions."

Xu Qing looked at Ying Zheng and spoke slowly.

"However, Lao Ai also has connections with Zhongfu. I am worried that the Empress Dowager and Zhongfu will join forces to protect Lao Ai. At that time, even if the ministers know the truth, they will have no choice but to go against their conscience and favor Lao Ai," Ying Zheng said hesitantly.

Lao Ai was recommended to the palace by Lü Buwei. If something happened to Lao Ai, Lü Buwei would also be implicated.

Moreover, Lü Buwei and Zhao Ji had always been united. For the sake of power and status, Ying Zheng worried that Lü Buwei would favor Lao Ai, which would cause the ministers to dare not speak out.

Seeing that he had achieved his other goal, Xu Qing seized the opportunity to bring up Lü Buwei, beginning to lay the groundwork for clearing his name, and said...

"Your Majesty underestimates Marquis Wenxin. Although Marquis Wenxin wields immense power, he is still sensible and considerate of the overall situation. Over the years, despite acting as a powerful minister, he has not affected the court or the Qin state. On the contrary, he has devoted himself to serving the country and Your Majesty."

"For the sake of the King, the royal family, and the reputation of Qin, Marquis Wenxin will certainly not favor Lao Ai."

Ying Zheng and Gai Nie both looked at Xu Qing with some doubt. From Xu Qing's words, they sensed that Xu Qing was biased towards Lü Buwei and was speaking on his behalf.

Although they didn't think Xu Qing would side with Lü Buwei, there must be a reason for Xu Qing's change of attitude, and they were curious about what exactly happened to Xu Qing in the Marquis of Wenxin's residence.

Noticing Ying Zheng and Gai Nie's gazes, Xu Qing didn't try to hide it and continued speaking.
"Your Majesty, do you remember what you instructed me to do yesterday?"

"While you're treating the patient, please probe Zhongfu to see if he has any connection to the matter in Xinzheng," Ying Zheng nodded and said, naturally not having forgotten this matter.

"I tested Marquis Wenxin, and he was indeed involved in the events in Xinzheng, but he did not intend to kill Your Majesty. Hei Bai Xuan Jian has already sided with Lao Ai and is no longer obeying Marquis Wenxin's orders." "As for the events in Wusui, Marquis Wenxin was also aware of them, but it was also Marquis Wenxin who arranged for Meng Tian to become a commander of a thousand men."

Xu Qing answered several questions about Ying Zheng's trip, but he did not explicitly state Lü Buwei's purpose, since Ying Zheng might not believe him if he did.

Only by guessing it himself could Ying Zheng believe that Lü Buwei had no malicious intent.

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Ying Zheng fell into deep thought, his eyes darting back and forth, his heart filled with surprise and astonishment.

Ying Zheng was no fool. He naturally guessed Lü Buwei's purpose from these words. His uncle did not want to harm him, but rather to train him. The most obvious example was the rebellion of King Wu Sui Yi.

He had previously wondered why Wang Yi, who had long harbored rebellious intentions, would leave Meng Tian in the army.

Moreover, Meng Tian should have been at the Lishan camp, so how did he happen to go to Wusui with Wang Yi this time?

If Meng Tian was secretly planted by Lü Buwei, then everything makes sense.

"Father Zhong"

Ying Zheng clenched his fist slightly, looked at Xu Qing with a complicated expression, and opened his mouth as if to speak.

“Marquis Wenxin is a friend, not an enemy. He has his own ideas, and at his age, power is no longer important to him,” Xu Qing said.

Ying Zheng nodded thoughtfully. Although he knew that Lü Buwei had no intention of harming him, he still couldn't completely trust Lü Buwei again.

Trust takes time to build, especially when that trust has been questioned before, it needs time to be proven again.

However, Ying Zheng felt somewhat better. At least he knew that Lü Buwei was still the respectable uncle he had. Although the two might have some differences in their ideologies, it did not affect their relationship.

But Ying Zheng's expression quickly turned somber, his eyes flashing with a cold light, and he said in a cold voice.

"Hei Bai Xuan Jian is under the command of Lao Ai, which means he wants to kill me!"

"Based on the current clues, yes," Xu Qing nodded and said.

Ying Zheng became even more determined to kill Lao Ai. The fact that Lao Ai had secretly tried to kill him meant that he had long harbored treacherous intentions. Rather than keeping such a dangerous person by his side, it was better to get rid of him sooner rather than later.

After a flash of murderous intent, Ying Zheng's expression became complicated once again.

Lao Ai was his mother's favorite minister, and the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) was also given to Lao Ai by his mother. So what role did his mother play in the assassination attempt on him by Hei Bai Xuan Jian?

"Sir, teacher, do you think the Empress Dowager knows what Lao Ai is thinking?" Ying Zheng asked in a deep voice.

Xu Qing and Gai Nie remained silent upon hearing this, as the question was beyond their ability to answer.

"No, Mother shouldn't know. Lao Ai wouldn't dare let Mother know."

Ying Zheng lowered his head, his gaze shifting back and forth across the table, muttering to himself.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs, let alone someone who went through a hellish life with Zhao Ji, where they relied on each other to survive and return to Qin.

Although he and Zhao Ji had grown distant, their blood ties could not be severed. It was true that he and Zhao Ji had conflicts, but he would never have the thought of killing her.

"Sir, since there are no problems with Zhongfu's side, I will bring this matter up for discussion among the court officials tomorrow, so as to severely punish Lao Ai." Ying Zheng came back to his senses and said to Xu Qing and Gai Nie.

Gai Nie glanced at Ying Zheng, hesitated for a moment, and then voiced his concerns.

“Brother Xu’s idea is good, but if we use this to pressure others, the relationship between the King and the Empress Dowager will likely be severely affected. Moreover, this matter is currently in secret. If we handle it publicly but fail to resolve it decisively, it will also damage the reputation of the royal family and the King’s credibility,” Gai Nie said.

"What about the Empress Dowager?" Ying Zheng pursed his lips, falling into silence and inner turmoil.

Given Zhao Ji's attitude towards him today, if he really takes this opportunity to punish Lao Ai, his relationship with Zhao Ji will be irreparable, and she may go directly to Yongcheng, never to have anything to do with him again.

He would also be branded as unfilial, as the King of Qin could not have any moral failings, especially since he was still in a weak position.

If he were to truly bear a bad reputation, it would not only hinder his ability to win over his ministers, but also damage the prestige of the Qin state, making it less likely for Qin to attract scholars and virtuous men from other states to join him.

Ying Zheng was torn between what was more important and what should be chosen.

Seeing Ying Zheng struggling to make a decision, Xu Qing glanced at Gai Nie out of the corner of his eye and thought to himself that having a good teammate was really convenient. Gai Nie pointed out the drawbacks, which saved Xu Qing a lot of trouble.

"Using the ministers to pressure the Empress Dowager has many drawbacks, so it can only be a poor strategy. I have a better strategy, but I wonder if Your Majesty would like to hear it?"

Xu Qing smiled slightly and said slowly.

(End of this chapter)