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

Chapter 405, The News Brought by Zi Nu
In the town at the foot of the mountain, Xu Qing had just entered Hu Meiren's residence when he saw Zi Nu, Nong Yu, and Hu Meiren sitting in the courtyard looking at him.

"You knew I was coming?"

Xu Qing looked at the fruits, pastries, and wine laid out on the table and said with some surprise.

"You've made such a commotion, you'll definitely come down the mountain to find us after this is over, so I've specially prepared a banquet with Meiren and Nongyu to celebrate for you."

Zi Nu gently placed her hands on her lower abdomen, and with a slight effort from her waist and calves, slowly rose to her feet, her charming and pretty face full of smiles.

Xu Qing stared at Zi Nu, somewhat lost in thought.

Zi Nu was still the same Zi Nu, as alluring as ever. Her long purple dress accentuated her perfect curves, and her long legs, clad in black stockings, swayed gracefully, captivating all who beheld her.

Her small feet, encased in black stockings, were wearing a pair of black high heels.

Her long purple hair was coiled up and held back with two slender hairpins. Her face was charming, and her eyes were captivating. The butterfly-like pattern under her left eye added to her allure, yet her demeanor also exuded an elegant and noble air.

"Alright, stop standing, sit down and let's talk slowly."

Zi Nu walked up to Xu Qing, swaying her slender waist, and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her narrow eyes were slightly narrowed as she spoke in a gentle voice.

Smelling the familiar scent, Xu Qing relaxed, walked to the table, sat down, and looked at Nongyu beside him.

His sister-in-law was still so innocent and pure, with clear and bright yellow eyes, and the love in her eyes when she looked at him was undeniable.

"Xu Lang~ We've been so worried about you these past few days. We all saw the strange phenomena earlier. Are you alright?" Hu Meiren asked Xu Qing with concern.

"Not only was I unharmed, but I also successfully attained enlightenment."

Xu Qing chuckled as she explained to the three of them, her anxiety finally subsiding.

Since Hu Meiren dared to call him Xu Lang in front of Zi Nu and Nong Yu, she must have explained everything to them. Xu Qing felt that the fact that the three of them could sit here and talk to him so harmoniously was thanks to Zi Nu, since she was the most opinionated and understanding of him among the three.

"Then congratulations! But you'll be attending the Ceremony of Heaven and Man tomorrow, so don't drink too much," Zi Nu said with a smile, raising her wine cup.

Nongyu and Hu Meiren also raised their wine glasses.

"Okay, let's have a drink to celebrate," Xu Qing said with a smile.

The four men raised their glasses, exchanged smiles, and then drank their wine in one gulp.

"Just now at Taiyi Palace, I saw that the envoy from Han State who came to observe the ceremony was Prime Minister Zhang. Such a grand event as the Covenant between Heaven and Man, why didn't Han Fei and Wei Zhuang come? It's understandable that Han Fei didn't come, but Wei Zhuang is a disciple of Guigu. Gai Nie had something to do and couldn't come. If he didn't come, Guigu would be absent."

After drinking the wine, Xu Qing relaxed and asked in confusion.

Nongyu glanced at Zinu, who chuckled softly, placed a plate of pastries in front of Xu Qing, and slowly said...
“It’s not that Han Fei and Wei Zhuang didn’t want to come; they were also tied up with other things. In your battle with Bai Niao, you killed all of Bai Niao’s elites. Ji Wuye has lost one of his right and left arms, so Liu Sha is thinking of taking action against Ye Mu.”

"However, a series of events occurred in Xinzheng, such as Consort Zhang's pregnancy and Gongyang Ru's assassination attempt on Ji Wuye, which forced the Quicksand to slow down its operations. Some time ago, something happened in Nanyang. Han Fei and Wei Zhuang felt that this was a good opportunity to deal with Nightfall, so the two of them went to Nanyang to investigate, while Zifang stayed behind in Xinzheng."

Upon hearing Zi Nu's words, Xu Qing was taken aback.

If there's a problem in Nanyang, it must be because of drought. Jade Tiger is taking advantage of this to inflate grain prices and aggressively acquire land in Nanyang.

He had been waiting for this. In the original story, Jade Tiger and Han Fei made a bet on grain prices. Jade Tiger went to any lengths to win against Han Fei, even mixing lime into the fertilizer, causing Nanyang to suffer a complete crop failure. Bai Yifei valued Nanyang highly. With a little more effort, he could isolate Bai Yifei and force Nanyang to surrender to Qin ahead of schedule.

"What's wrong? Do you think there's anything wrong with this?" Zi Nu asked, puzzled.

"I just feel that your sudden move against Blood-Clad Marquis Bai Yifei is a bit too aggressive. He is not only a marquis of Han, but also holds military power. Such a person is not easy to deal with," Xu Qing said, shaking his head slightly.

"The target of Quicksand is naturally not Bai Yifei, but Emerald Tiger. It was a godsend. Nightfall was in internal strife because of Tianze. Ji Wuye suspected that Bai Yifei had released Tianze without authorization, so he sent Emerald Tiger to Nanyang to raise grain prices," Zi Nu explained.

Xu Qing nodded slightly. The arrangements he made in South Korea were now showing results one by one.

In the original novel, Emerald Tiger dared to act recklessly in Nanyang, which he certainly wouldn't have dared to do without Ji Wuye's instigation. After all, the four fierce generals of Nightfall all knew who the real person in charge of Nightfall was.

Ji Wuye did this because he was afraid of Bai Yifei and wanted to suppress him.

What he did was to deepen this fear and suspicion, forcing Ji Wuye to drive Bai Yifei to the brink of despair.

"I'm not your brother, I'm sorry. I'm doing this because I have no choice but to lead you to a brighter future," Xu Qing thought to himself.

Zi Nu and Nong Yu looked at Xu Qing. Although they had a lot to say to him, they could only hold back and wait until the matter was over so as not to affect him.

The banquet was a simple celebration and then it ended. After saying goodbye to the three of them, Xu Qing returned to Mount Taiyi without stopping and immediately sent someone to summon Wang Ben.

Upon learning that Xu Qing was looking for him, Wang Ben immediately went to the study to see Xu Qing.

After pushing open the door, Wang Ben saw Xu Qing writing something.

"Your subordinate greets the Grand Master of Ceremonies," Wang Ben said, bowing slightly.

"Wang Ben, I am now giving you a top-secret mission. Take this letter and secretly go down the mountain back to Xianyang. Be sure to deliver the letter to the King alone." Xu Qing said solemnly, holding the bamboo slip in front of Wang Ben.

Seeing Xu Qing's serious expression, Wang Ben understood that the bamboo slips must be of great importance. He then took the bamboo slips, cupped his hands, and said...

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will deliver this item to you in secret without any mishap."

“Alright, this matter concerns our Qin state’s grand plan to expand eastward, so we must be extremely careful and absolutely not let anyone else know about it,” Xu Qing said.

"Yes," Wang Ben said, cupping his hands in greeting.

After Xu Qing gave Wang Ben a few more instructions, Wang Ben left with the bamboo slips.

"Nanyang, since Heaven has given me such a good opportunity, I must seize it."

Xu Qing watched Wang Ben's departing figure, his eyes gleaming. Only after Wang Ben's figure disappeared did Xu Qing come back to his senses.

After calming herself down, Xu Qing began preparing for the celestial rendezvous the next day.

"Xiaoyaozi, let me see just how strong you really are tomorrow!"

Xu Qing closed his eyes, sat cross-legged on the soft couch, and began to regulate his breathing, striving to adjust his body to the best possible condition so that he could go all out to fight Xiaoyaozi.

(End of this chapter)