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

Chapter 384, Ji Wuye's defenses are breached, and the waves rise again.
"After Xu Qing angrily rebuked Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, in court, his reputation for loyalty spread throughout Qin, especially among scholars, who regarded him as a model of loyalty and integrity, inspiring many to emulate him."

Looking at the shocked Ji Wuye, Mo Ya slowly recounted how Xu Qing had angrily rebuked Lao Ai.

After hearing Mo Ya's account, Ji Wudang was both shocked and furious. He slammed his wine cup on the table and shouted angrily.
"Impossible! How could he possibly be a model of a good minister? Everyone knows about the shady things he did in Korea!"

Ji Wuye simply couldn't believe that Xu Qing would become a recognized loyal subject and a model of virtue, after all, Xu Qing had committed numerous crimes in Xinzheng, including having affairs with the imperial harem, colluding with the Baiyue people, embezzling and accepting bribes, having secret cliques, and being greedy and lustful.

Thinking back to how Xu Qing was forced to leave Korea because of his indiscretion and affair with Consort Hu, he did what a subject should do and reported the two to King Han An.

But what happened? The public opinion suddenly changed, and it became that he was narrow-minded, jealous of talent, and couldn't stand seeing a capable minister like Xu Qing in power, so he framed him.

Xu Qing did the things that Mingming had done, and he did the things that Mingming dared not do.

Why is he universally despised and infamous as a powerful and treacherous minister, while Xu Qing is able to transform into a model of a loyal minister in the eyes of scholars and be admired by everyone?
"Why?! What right does he have?!" Ji Wuye shouted angrily.

Seeing Ji Wuye's furious, unrestrained anger, resembling that of a jealous and petty person, both Emerald Tiger and Ink Crow lowered their heads in silence. They knew that Ji Wuye had broken down.

However, it's not surprising that Ji Wuye felt uncomfortable. After all, they were also somewhat uncomfortable. They all knew Xu Qing's true nature, so when Xu Qing suddenly became a loyal minister who would be remembered in history, they felt not only disbelief but also speechless and angry.

“This matter is already common knowledge in Qin, and not only in Han, but also in Zhao and Wei, the story of Xu Qing has spread. There should be no mistake about this matter,” Mo Ya said in a deep voice.

After his anger subsided, Ji Wuye's pupils dilated, his fists clenched tightly, and a look of worry appeared in his eyes.

"Tiger, what do you suggest we do next?" Ji Wuye asked in a deep voice.

Luo Wang and Bai Niao joined forces to assassinate Xu Qing and Ying Zheng. He didn't know if Ying Zheng would hold a grudge against him, but as Bai Niao was the one who directly assassinated Xu Qing, he would definitely be hated by Xu Qing.

Knowing Xu Qing's petty nature, Ji Wuye was certain that the other party would never let him go.

Now that Xu Qing has become a role model for scholars, it further confirms that Xu Qing was forced to leave Han. If Xu Qing becomes a loyal minister remembered in history, then he will definitely become a notorious power-hungry minister in history books.

Ji Wuye naturally didn't care about his reputation; what he cared about was that this move might cause officials loyal to him to side with Zhang Kaidi and Han Fei.

These officials followed him not because they were unafraid of public condemnation, but because such condemnation didn't affect them. But now things are different. He has been branded a villain with a lasting infamy, and if these people don't want social death, they will definitely try to side with Zhang Kaidi and Han Fei.

Furthermore, the Gongyang Confucian scholars previously claimed that they assassinated Xu Qing under the guise of avenging him. Since even the Gongyang Confucian scholars who were Xu Qing's mentors had assassinated him, would the Mohists, who had a close relationship with Xu Qing, let him go?

The Mohists' delay in taking action can be seen as their unwillingness to assassinate the Han general and thus break with the state. But now that the Mohists are going to kill him, it would only be to kill a notorious and powerful minister, which is entirely in line with the Mohist philosophy, and even the Han state would have no grounds for objection.

"This general...and me too."

Emerald Tiger stammered, at a loss for what to do. He could offer advice to Ji Wuye on other matters, but he was truly helpless in this situation.

Ji Wuye slammed his fist on the table in anger, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Damn Xu Qing, can't he just be a decent human being?! Does he have to drive this general to the brink of despair?!"

"Perhaps we can contact people within Qin, after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Emerald Tiger muttered to himself.

Ji Wuye was taken aback upon hearing this, then abruptly turned to look at the Emerald Tiger and said in a deep voice.
"Tiger, what did you say?!"

Emerald Tiger was startled by Ji Wuye's angry gaze, and a fawning smile appeared on his face as he spoke.

"General, I say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We can try to contact Marquis Wenxin of Qin, Lü Buwei, and Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai."

"Xu Qing became a model subject by stepping on Lao Ai's head, and he also supported King Ying Zheng of Qin. There were rumors that as King Ying Zheng of Qin was getting closer to his coming-of-age ceremony, Marquis Wenxin Lü Buwei was unwilling to relinquish power, so the relationship between the two was very bad."

"Xu Qing and the other two are enemies. Perhaps we can cooperate with them to see if there is a way to get rid of Xu Qing."

Upon hearing this, Ji Wuye fell into deep thought, tapping his fingers on the table. A subtle glint flashed in his eyes before he spoke.

"I can understand cooperating with Lü Buwei, but Lao Ai, a guy who relies on women, does he have the ability to deal with Xu Qing?"

"Hehehe, General, you may not know this, but according to the merchants from Qin, Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, is becoming increasingly powerful. He not only has Taiyuan County in Hedong as his fiefdom, but also has thousands of retainers and servants under his command. Moreover, he even attacked Lord Weiyang of Qin some time ago."

“Lord Weiyang is a virtuous elder of the Qin royal family, the uncle of the King of Qin, and the face of the Ying family.”

"Thus, not only did Lao Ai escape unscathed, but he also wanted to... Moreover, recently Lü Buwei has been ill and staying at home, and many people in the Qin court are inclined to side with Lao Ai."

Jade Tiger recounted everything he had heard, including the events leading up to Xu Qing's angry rebuke of Lao Ai, and then lowered his voice to say...

"According to information gathered by my caravan, Lao Ai is smuggling with some military nobles among the Qin people, and he is even secretly and actively contacting powerful figures in Zhao and Wei."

Upon hearing this, Ji Wuye looked astonished, clearly not expecting Lao Ai's power to have reached such a level.

His impression of Lao Ai was still that of a good-for-nothing who obtained his title by pleasing the Queen Dowager Zhao Ji of Qin. He never expected that this good-for-nothing would rise to such a high position. "He has contacted two of the three Jin states, so he certainly won't let the Han state off the hook either. How come I haven't heard any news about this?" Ji Wuye said, stroking his chin.

"I don't know about that. Perhaps he considered that when Nightfall and Net cooperated, it was Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, who was in charge, so he was worried that the General wasn't one of his own," Emerald Tiger said uncertainly.

Ji Wuye fell into deep thought as he listened to Emerald Tiger's words. The reason why Nightfall cooperated with Luo Wang was that he wanted to get in touch with Lü Buwei.

The Qin state was powerful, and ever since the last five-state alliance was defeated by Lü Buwei, the six states east of the mountains had no ability to resist Qin. It was precisely because Ji Wuye saw this that he knew the Han state would be destroyed sooner or later.

As the general of South Korea, the only way for him to save his life was to sell South Korea for a good price.

Therefore, he hoped to get in touch with Lü Buwei and find a way out for himself.

After learning about the recent situation in Qin from the Jade Tiger, Ji Wuye couldn't help but wonder if Lü Buwei was getting old. Now that the power in Qin was shifting towards Lao Ai, he should rethink his way out.

"Tiger, do you think I should find someone else to work with?" Ji Wuye said thoughtfully.

"General, you are the master of the night, so naturally we will obey your orders," Emerald Tiger said obsequiously.

Ji Wuye values ​​power extremely, so he dared not make decisions for Ji Wuye, lest he arouse unnecessary suspicion from the other party.

“Since Lü Buwei is old, let’s change our cooperation target. Lao Ai is a snare, and Lü Buwei is also a snare. Bai Niao can cooperate with either snare,” Ji Wuye said in a deep voice.

Ji Wuye was unsure whether Lü Buwei would actually target Xu Qing if he chose to cooperate with Lao Ai.

Compared to Lao Ai, Ji Wuye felt that Lü Buwei valued his reputation and honor. He might not necessarily take action against Xu Qing for the sake of his legacy, and even if he did, he would have Bai Niao do it first.

But Lao Ai is different. Xu Qing rose to power by stepping on Lao Ai, and the two are locked in a life-or-death struggle. Therefore, Lao Ai is the best partner for Xu Qing to deal with.

"I will obey the General's orders," said Emerald Tiger.

"Mo Ya, go and contact the Straw-Cloaked Man, and have him contact Lao Ai through Qin's channels. Tell him that I, the general, am interested in cooperating with him. Tiger, have your caravan collect some money, jewels, and beauties, and send them to Lao Ai's fiefdom as a gesture of goodwill."

Ji Wuye nodded and said.

Jade Tiger nodded, indicating that he was fine.
"promise."

After bowing respectfully, Mo Ya turned and walked out of the hall.

After Mo Ya left, Ji Wuye looked at Emerald Tiger again, stroked his chin, and said...
"Tiger, you should stockpile some grain recently. My spies say that there may be a drought in Nanyang, which will affect grain production. After you have collected the grain, send it directly to the border."

"General, what do you mean?"

Emerald Tiger was taken aback by these words and asked in a deep voice.

If Ji Wuye was collecting provisions for Nanyang, he should have told Bai Yifei, not him. Furthermore, the fact that he sent the collected provisions to the border instead of leaving them in Nanyang is quite thought-provoking.

"Some people need to be taught a lesson, otherwise they might forget who made them who they are today. As long as you don't cause any major trouble in Nanyang, you can handle the rest yourself," Ji Wuye said with a cold smile.

"I understand, General."

The jade tiger's eyes darted around, and it nodded as it spoke.

Ever since Tianze inexplicably slipped out of control, Emerald Tiger had noticed that Ji Wuye was becoming increasingly wary of Bai Yifei. The drought in Nanyang, now that he was being asked to gather provisions, was a way of sending a message to Bai Yifei. However, Ji Wuye couldn't act directly, so he had to send him instead.

Although he was unwilling to offend Bai Yifei, Ji Wuye had entrusted him with the task, so he had no choice but to do it.

With Ji Wuye protecting him, Bai Yifei didn't dare to do anything to him. Since ancient times, natural disasters and man-made calamities have been what merchants like him love to see most. By hoarding goods and grains, he can not only make a fortune but also buy large amounts of land.

This is a sure-fire deal.

"Just wait for my good news," Emerald Tiger said with a smile.

"I hope you will not disappoint this general."

Ji Wuye revealed a cold smile, picked up the wine cup, and drank the wine in one gulp.

He was waiting for Bai Yifei to bow down to him, imagining that scene would make him very happy.

(End of this chapter)