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

Chapter 371, Lü Buwei: So that's how it is.

"That's just how the teacher is, but since he agreed to this for me, I can only do my best."

Xu Qing sighed, looking down with a helpless expression. What could he do to have such a teacher?
"If that's the case, I will arrange for someone else to attend the ceremony. As for you, sir, when do you plan to leave? I will arrange for someone to take your place in advance."

Ying Zheng also understood the importance of the covenant between heaven and man to Xu Qing. Although it was a good thing for him to have Xu Qing by his side, as the King of Qin, he could not rely on Xu Qing for the rest of his life, and he had to face many things on his own.

Especially matters concerning his mother, Empress Zhao Ji.

"After the court meeting tomorrow, I will head to Mount Taiyi. As for the military doctors, I will leave some books for them to study for now, and I will provide further training when I return," Xu Qing said.

"Alright, sir, please prepare for the covenant between heaven and man with peace of mind. There's no need to worry about matters of the court," Ying Zheng nodded and said.

Seeing that Ying Zheng had granted him a holiday, Xu Qing did not continue the topic. After chatting with Ying Zheng for a few minutes, Xu Qing received the holiday and left Zhangtai Palace ahead of time to return home and continue practicing martial arts.

However, shortly after Xu Qing returned home, Ying Zheng issued an order to convene a court meeting the next day.

Generally speaking, court meetings were not held every day. If the monarch was particularly diligent, a meeting every three or five days was considered very diligent. So when Ying Zheng suddenly ordered a court meeting, it naturally caused unease among the ministers.

Xianyang, inside the residence of Marquis Wenxin.

The four officials also arrived at the Marquis of Wenxin's residence together and met Lü Buwei lying on the bed.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis," the four men said, bowing.

"No need for formalities. Why have you come to visit me instead of working in the residence?"

Lu Buwei looked at the four people in front of him, rubbed his lower back, and asked in a deep voice.

Seeing Lü Buwei's actions, a look of worry flashed in the eyes of the four men. They were all officials promoted by Lü Buwei and the backbone of the scholar faction of the six states.

It was common knowledge that Lü Buwei suffered from a back ailment. Initially, the four of them didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just an old injury flaring up again. However, after several days, Lü Buwei showed no signs of recovery and was now bedridden, which made them worry.

"Your Excellency, we have come to visit you, and also to discuss the court meeting to be convened by the King tomorrow," one of the middle-aged men said, bowing.

"My illness is nothing to worry about. As for what happened in court?"

Lu Buwei's gaze was calm and unwavering as he looked at the four people below and spoke slowly and deliberately.

The four men hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"My lord, according to the information I have received, the reason why His Majesty suddenly convened a court meeting is because the positions of Commandant of the Guards, Grand Secretary, and Left Attendant are vacant, and the people His Majesty intends to appoint are three retainers of Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai."

"The conflict between Marquis Changxin and Lord Weiyang is already well-known. If Your Majesty promotes three more people at this time, we are worried that it will destabilize the court."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, the other three also looked up at Lü Buwei, anxiously awaiting his reply.

Their visit to Lü Buwei today is a test.

Lü Buwei feigned illness and refused to attend court meetings or the Prime Minister's office. Ying Zheng took the opportunity to reclaim power, taking the memorials that were traditionally handled by the Prime Minister's office to the Zhangtai Palace for review.

Not only Ying Zheng, but also Lao Ai's arrogant behavior in recent days, as well as the favoritism of the King and the Queen Dowager, have made the scholar factions of the six states, which are now without Lü Buwei as their leader, feel insecure. They have also realized that the situation in the court is heading in a bad direction.

In order to dispel their sense of crisis and to maintain stability within the faction, they came to see Lü Buwei.

“Your Majesty knows what is important and what is not, so there is no need for you to say anything more,” Lü Buwei said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lü Buwei beckoned to the maids beside him. The two maids carefully helped Lü Buwei up from his lying position, and a look of pain appeared on Lü Buwei's face.

Lu Buwei, a seasoned veteran of the court, was a master of acting. His expression immediately deepened the four men's worries and confirmed their suspicions about Lu Buwei's condition.

"However, the Commandant of the Guards, the Grand Historian, and the Left Attendant hold high positions and wield great power, and their positions are of great importance. It would be too hasty to entrust them all to the Marquis of Changxin's men!"

The middle-aged man looked puzzled and asked Lü Buwei.

The other three remained expressionless, but their concerns deepened. Zuo Yi was originally under the control of their faction. However, the previous Zuo Yi had always been diligent and conscientious, never daring to be careless in the slightest.

The day before yesterday, they were falsely accused and imprisoned by Lao Ai, and now they are about to be replaced by Lao Ai's men. If they do not react or fight back, the morale of the people will probably collapse.

If morale is low, how can this team be led in the future?
"It is the king's prerogative to appoint officials. The king is no longer a young child; he is now an adult. It is not your place to interfere in how he acts. You must be mindful of your words and actions."

Lü Buwei frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied, and his tone became a bit heavier.

The four men's expressions changed upon hearing this. The middle-aged man hesitated, as this was precisely why they had come.

The King of Qin has come of age, and his coming-of-age ceremony is imminent. Now that he has consolidated his power with the military, this coming-of-age ceremony will certainly not be postponed like it was two years ago.

That is precisely why they feel a sense of crisis.

The King of Qin will eventually assume personal rule, and how will Lü Buwei, who wields immense power, cope with that situation? Will he relinquish power or something else?

With the support of the army, could Lü Buwei really refuse to relinquish power to Ying Zheng?

When that time comes, how will they conduct themselves? Will Ying Zheng purge these powerful ministers and their subordinates? With the transition between old and new power, as subordinates of powerful ministers, they naturally know the answer in their hearts.

In addition, Lao Ai has recently been frantically consolidating his power and placing his own people in various important positions, which has made them even more anxious, and they have to think about their future.

The attitude of Lü Buwei as the leader is therefore of paramount importance. However, Lü Buwei has been claiming illness and staying away from worldly affairs. Whether he is rebelling or voluntarily relinquishing power remains a mystery to them.

"We understand."

The four spoke in unison. Lü Buwei's words gave them some assurance and reassured them somewhat.

"If there's nothing else, go back to your office."

"promise."

Apart from the middle-aged man, the other three turned and left.

"Do you have anything else to do?"

Lu Buwei looked at the middle-aged man who remained, then waved to the two maids, signaling them to leave.

After the maid left, seeing that only he and Lü Buwei remained in the room, the middle-aged man looked nervous and said with concern.
“My lord, I have recently uncovered a smuggling case, and this case involves some nobles and Marquis Changxin.”

Who are they?

A glint of light flashed in Lü Buwei's eyes, and a solemn expression appeared on his face. He asked in a deep voice.

"It is involved in this."

The middle-aged man revealed the results of his investigation, and Lü Buwei's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression becoming even more solemn. The names the middle-aged man mentioned were not simply military merit titles, but military merit titles from within the Qin state.

Lao Ai was always arrogant and domineering, and he was granted a title without any merit. The people of Qin were also ambitious and had high aspirations. How could they possibly associate with him? This matter is truly unusual.

"Are you sure? Are these people really smuggling with Lao Ai?"

Lu Buwei looked at the middle-aged man with a solemn expression and spoke in a slightly cold voice.

"I am certain that this smuggling route goes through Taiyuan County, which is the fiefdom of Marquis Changxin. Without Marquis Changxin's permission, they could not have taken this route openly."

Despite Lü Buwei's intimidating presence, the middle-aged man recounted the results of his investigation in detail.

"Go back for now, don't make a fuss about this, and recall all your men."

Lu Buwei's expression returned to normal, his gaze became calm, and he spoke in a serious tone.

"promise."

Although the middle-aged man wanted to ask why, he dared not ask when he saw the intimidating Lu Buwei, and could only say yes.

"Remember what you said today, keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone else," Lü Buwei said in a deep voice.

"promise."

After bowing to Lü Buwei, the middle-aged man turned and left.

After leaving the room, the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief, a look of lingering fear on his face. He vaguely felt as if he had unwittingly entered into some huge conspiracy.

Lu Buwei sat on the soft couch, his face covered with frost, his eyes slightly narrowed, and a chilling light gleaming in them.

"No wonder Xu Qing was so determined to purge the court; I never expected it to turn out like this."

Lu Buwei got up from the soft couch, walked to the bookshelf next to him, picked up an exquisite scroll, slowly unrolled it, and scanned the confidential information inside with a serious look, his brows furrowing slightly.

Lü Buwei closed the scroll again, walked to the table and sat down. After thinking for a moment, he tapped the table.

In the blink of an eye, a masked man with cold and sharp eyes, exuding murderous intent, knelt on one knee in front of Lü Buwei, respectfully bowing his head.

“Zhen Gang, go investigate Zhao Xie, who is close to Lao Ai,” Lü Buwei said in a deep voice.

"Yes."

Without pausing after receiving the order, the man disappeared from the house and began investigating Zhao Xie's identity.

At the residence of Lord Weiyang, more than a dozen members of the royal family glared angrily at Lord Weiyang, who sat at the head of the table.

"Uncle, you need not say more. Lao Ai has gone too far; this is an insult to the King. Tomorrow at court, even if we are to shed blood in the court, we will stop his conspiracy from succeeding!"

A member of the royal family spoke in a deep voice, his eyes blazing with fury that seemed to be bursting forth in a tangible form.

The other members of the royal family were also indignant. Although Ying Zheng had betrayed them in the matter of Lord Weiyang, he was, after all, the King of Qin, and they dared not speak out against him.

The culprit, Lao Ai, showed no restraint and sought to seize even more power, which they could no longer tolerate, and they had to stop him.

Otherwise, who will take the King of Qin and the royal family seriously in the future?

"you."

Lord Weiyang looked at everyone anxiously, his heart filled with hesitation and anxiety.

In the past, he would have led the charge and fought Lao Ai to the bitter end without his brothers and nephews needing to intervene. But after joining Xu Qing's fishing plan, he worried that tomorrow's court meeting was a deliberate act of arrogance by Ying Zheng, and if the imperial clan intervened, it might ruin the plan.

If he didn't show up, Lao Ai would become suspicious, putting him in a dilemma.

"We agreed to be allies, so why couldn't you give me a heads-up?" Lord Weiyang thought to himself.

"Uncle, please stay home and recover from your injuries. The Qin royal family is not a family that can be bullied by just anyone."

Seeing the hesitant Lord Weiyang, the members of the royal family assumed that he was afraid of the Empress Dowager behind Lao Ai. After leaving a message, they bowed and departed.

Watching the departing figures of everyone, Lord Weiyang paced back and forth in a state of turmoil. He wanted to send someone to contact Xu Qing, but he was afraid that Lao Ai would find out.

"Hopefully they won't cause any trouble."

Lord Weiyang sighed helplessly, hoping that in the end it wouldn't end in mutual destruction.

The fact that four officials visited Lü Buwei and that members of the royal family gathered at the residence of Lord Weiyang naturally did not escape the attention of the officials in Xianyang. However, no one made a fuss about it and waited for the court meeting the next day.

Tomorrow's court meeting will be a crucial turning point for the Qin court, and they are also waiting for a signal.

The question was whether Lü Buwei, who held immense power in the court, would take action to curb Lao Ai's influence.

If Lao Ai were to obtain the positions of Commandant of the Guards, Grand Secretary, and Left Attendant, it would mean that Lü Buwei might truly be getting old, and it would be self-evident who would hold the reins of power in the court in the future.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the court meeting was held as scheduled the following day.

Xu Qing, dressed in official robes and with the Lingxu Sword at his waist, walked up the steps of Zhangtai Palace, standing out from the groups of officials around him.

These officials were also mostly carrying swords at their waists. Because the court meeting was convened suddenly, everyone chose the grand court meeting protocol to show their importance, and brought their swords and shoes into the hall.

The other officials also occasionally stole glances at Xu Qing and whispered a few words, seemingly discussing something.

Xu Qing naturally sensed these prying eyes, but he didn't care. After all, Lao Ai had released information about the content of the court meeting yesterday to stir up discussion among the officials and pave the way for his own power grab.

As Ying Zheng's confidant, he would certainly become the focus of everyone's attention at this time.

As soon as Xu Qing stepped onto the steps, he was stared at by more than a dozen pairs of eyes. These gazes naturally came from Meng Ao and other military officers. Before Xu Qing could greet them, Meng Ao walked up to him.

"Boy, tell me, what is the King really thinking?" Meng Ao asked in a deep voice, his expression solemn.

It wasn't that he doubted Ying Zheng's courage, but rather that the royal family had just been humiliated, and for Ying Zheng to convene a court meeting to hand over the Commandant of the Guards, the Inner Historian, and the Left Attendant to Lao Ai's men seemed too weak and incompetent.

If the King of Qin were like this, then the military would probably have to reconsider whether to support Ying Zheng, and the court would be thrown into chaos.

"General, there's no need to worry. I'm here to handle things in the court."

Xu Qing naturally understood Meng Ao's concerns. His expression remained unchanged as he looked ahead and spoke in a low voice.

"You? Can you stop the Empress Dowager? Should I bring men?"

Meng Ao looked worried and gave Xu Qing a subtle wink; he was genuinely concerned about the outcome of the court meeting.

(End of this chapter)