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

Chapter 411, The Dramatic Changes in Xianyang, Xu Qing's Winning Strategies (Seeking monthly votes!!)
"You flatter me, Right Prime Minister. When I became your disciple, I was still in Xinzheng and did not hold the apprenticeship ceremony at Tianzong, so I dared not announce to the public that I was a disciple of Tianzong," Xu Qing replied with a smile.

"I came to Mount Taiyi not only to attend the ceremony, but also because His Majesty instructed me to inform you of the situation in Xianyang before I left."

As Xiong Qi spoke, he stepped forward and lowered his voice.
"Something happened in Xianyang, and the impact is quite serious."

"Let's go inside and talk about it."

A look of seriousness flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he led Xiong Qi into the residence.

Seeing that Xu Qing had something to say to Xiong Qi, the two disciples stood outside the door to wait, preventing others from disturbing Xu Qing.

After closing the door, Xu Qing invited Xiong Qi to sit down and talk slowly.

"What exactly happened in Xianyang? Why would the Right Chancellor have to specifically instruct me?" Xu Qing looked at Xiong Qi and asked in a deep voice.

"The story begins with the court meeting three days after you left Xianyang. The Empress Dowager brought up the candidates for the Commandant of the Guards and others again, and the people she recommended were naturally still Lao Ai's retainers."

"Because you were not in court this time, and Marquis Wenxin Lü Buwei was also on sick leave at home, and the Empress Dowager personally recommended him, no one in the court dared to object, and Your Majesty finally nodded in agreement. Originally, this matter should have ended there, but unexpectedly, it became the beginning of an even bigger storm."

Xiong Qi looked at Xu Qing with a solemn expression and slowly began to speak.

"Could it be that the imperial family has stirred up trouble again?" Xu Qing asked in a deep voice.

Xiong Qi was taken aback, then sighed softly and said...

"The Grand Chancellor is indeed wise. Just as you said, the royal family felt that because you had previously rebuked Lao Ai, they could use their moral high ground to persuade the King to withdraw the appointment and prevent the three positions, including the Commandant of the Guards, from falling into Lao Ai's hands."

"Therefore, Lord Jingyang went to Yongcheng on his own and invited the Marquis of Guannei and the old Zongzheng to Xianyang."

Xu Qing nodded silently. The imperial clan and Lao Ai were already sworn enemies, and he had previously humiliated Lao Ai severely, which naturally made the imperial clan feel that Lao Ai and Zhao Ji were not invincible.

Lao Ai reiterated his nominations for the positions of Commandant of the Guards, Grand Secretary, and Left Attendant, but the imperial clan naturally wouldn't let him succeed so easily.

"These two are not only elders of the Qin royal family, but also made countless contributions to the Qin state. Even when King Zhaoxiang was in power, he trusted them greatly. The late king also respected them greatly and dared not neglect them in the slightest."

"After the two returned to Xianyang, everyone in the court thought that Lao Ai's conspiracy would not succeed, but little did they know that Lao Ai had done something even more heinous."

Xiong Qi looked up at Xu Qing, his face grim, and said...
"The Empress Dowager and Lao Ai plotted to kill the Marquis of Guannei and forcibly placed the old Imperial Clan Minister under house arrest."

"What?! The Marquis of Guannei has been killed? Have Lao Ai and the Empress Dowager gone mad?"

Xu Qing looked surprised, and her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.

He knew that Lao Ai was brainless and arrogant, but the title of Marquis of Guannei was not only a symbol of the Qin royal family, but also a banner in the Qin army, representing the pinnacle of military merit and nobility in Qin.

Killing Guan Nei Hou meant that Lao Ai and Zhao Ji had completely broken ties with the royal family and the Qin army. No matter how stupid they were, they shouldn't have done such a thing.

"All the officials in the court knew that Lao Ai had secretly killed the Marquis of Guannei, but there was no evidence and no way to convict Lao Ai."

"I heard that someone went to find Marquis Wenxin out of anger, wanting him to come forward, but the Empress Dowager followed and found Marquis Wenxin. In the end, the two talked about something, and Marquis Wenxin continued to stay at home."

"After this incident, Lao Ai became even more arrogant, and many ministers in the court sided with him. Your Majesty told me about your plan to incite arrogance, but this matter has really exceeded expectations, so Your Majesty sent me to ask for your opinion."

After Xiong Qi finished speaking, his gaze towards Xu Qing became somewhat complicated.

When Xiong Qi learned of Xu Qing and Ying Zheng's plan to spoil Lao Ai, he was extremely shocked. He had always thought that Ying Zheng turned a blind eye to Lao Ai's various behaviors because of Empress Dowager Zhao Ji.

However, Ying Zheng's purpose was to use Lao Ai to purge the Qin court and lay the foundation for Qin's eastward expansion.

Such a bold plan and far-sighted scheme shocked Xiong Qi, but he was also filled with lingering fear.

If Ying Zheng and Xu Qing's plan succeeds, then Qin will have no more worries about its rear. Previously plagued by internal strife, Qin could no longer withstand the attacks of the six states east of the mountains. Now, with Qin united as one, the destruction of the six states is only a matter of time.

He had the idea of ​​sabotaging the plan at that time, but ultimately gave up because he was unsure how many people knew about it, since Ying Zheng's only confidants were Xu Qing and Gai Nie.

He believed that if the plan went wrong, Ying Zheng would immediately suspect his brother-in-law.

In order to protect himself, he had no choice but to give up, and even had to help Ying Zheng complete this plan.

Xu Qing's expression was solemn, his eyes darting left and right. He hadn't expected Lao Ai to be so bold as to kill Guan Nei Hou.

If Lao Ai is not dealt with now, Ying Zheng's prestige will likely plummet. However, taking action against Lao Ai now would certainly affect the original plan.

Now, those with ulterior motives have begun to approach Lao Ai, and we absolutely must not let this affect our grand plan.

"My opinion is that we should be patient about this matter and absolutely not let it affect our plans to be arrogant," Xu Qing said in a deep voice.

"What should we do, Your Majesty? If you cannot give the people a satisfactory explanation, I'm afraid Your Majesty will completely lose their support," Xiong Qi said worriedly.

"The Right Chancellor need not worry about this matter; I have my own way of handling it. To eliminate the impact of an event, one does not necessarily need a definitive conclusion; one can cover it up with something with a greater impact."

Xu Qing's expression was solemn, and a strange look flashed in his eyes. He had no choice but to go to Nanyang, and the original plan would have to be changed.

Now that he could suppress the news of the Marquis of Guannei's murder, all he could think of was to persuade Bai Yifei to lead Nanyang to surrender to Qin.

Although Ying Xue (a school of thought involving winning) was laughable, it could indeed temporarily numb the crowd and alleviate some of their discontent. "This..."

Xiong Qi frowned, his gaze towards Xu Qing filled with doubt, his mind racing as he searched for something that could suppress the fact that the Marquis of Guannei had been killed.

"I will speak to the King about this matter. Thank you for telling me this, Right Chancellor," Xu Qing said.

Xu Qing dared not tell Xiong Qi, that traitor, about the plan to persuade Nanyang to surrender, otherwise the other party would definitely do everything in his power to sabotage it.

"It's good that the Grand Chancellor has a solution in mind. The envoys from the Hundred Schools and the Six Kingdoms are still in Taiyi Palace. I can't leave for too long, so I'll take my leave now."

Xiong Qi stood up and bowed to Xu Qing.

Since Xu Qing was unwilling to say what it was about, he didn't press further. If he aroused Xu Qing's suspicion, all the years he had spent lurking in Qin would have been for nothing.

"I won't see the Right Chancellor off. Please take care," Xu Qing said, rising to return the greeting.

"Stay."

After glancing at Xu Qing, Xiong Qi calmly walked outside.

After Xiong Qi left, the disciples outside closed the door again and waited silently for Xu Qing to come out after changing his clothes.

After leaving Xu Qing's residence, Xiong Qi walked towards Taiyi Palace, pondering what Xu Qing had mentioned.

"There's certainly nothing within Qin that can suppress this matter, so it can only be the six states east of the mountains."

Xiong Qi suddenly stopped, his expression gradually becoming solemn, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes. Then, he quickened his pace and walked towards Taiyi Palace.

Currently, Qi and Qin maintain good relations, while Yan is sending Ji Dan as a hostage. If Xu Qing really intends to cause trouble among the six states of Shandong, he will definitely choose from Zhao, Chu, Han, and Wei.

Although it was impossible to determine which country Xu Qing intended to target, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance it was the Chu Kingdom, Xiong Qi dared not gamble on it.

"It seems we need to have Tian Guang keep an eye on Xu Qing. Even if it's not Chu, we can't let Xu Qing cause any big trouble in Jin," Xiong Qi thought to himself.

The six states of Shandong were interdependent, like lips and teeth; their rulers did not understand this, but Xiong Qi did. He could not allow Xu Qing to continue strengthening Qin's power.

He must buy enough time for the State of Chu before the State of Qin expands eastward and unifies the world.

Inside the residence on the other side, Xu Qing sat solemnly in his seat, while Yan Lingji came out from the inner room.

Is what you're doing difficult?

Yan Lingji leaned against the pillar, her beautiful legs, encased in gray patterned stockings, raised, her right toes resting on the pillar. Her icy blue eyes looked at Xu Qing, and she gently asked in a soft voice, twirling a small wooden stick burning with flames in her hand.

"It's not that difficult, but it's not that easy either. The key is that I don't know how far things have progressed, or what the most crucial person is thinking."

Xu Qing looked down at the table and said in a heavy voice.

"Who are you going to target? South Korea?"

Yan Lingji tilted her head and looked at Xu Qing, her bright eyes blinking, and the wooden stick she was spinning in her hand stopped involuntarily.

"Yes, to be precise, it's Nanyang," Xu Qing nodded slightly.

"Bai Yifei!? You're going to attack him!?"

Yan Lingji looked at Xu Qing in surprise, her rosy lips slightly parted, but then a look of anticipation appeared on her face as she quickly walked to Xu Qing's side.

"Let me go with you."

Yan Lingji knelt down, gently swaying Xu Qing's arm with her small hands, tilting her head slightly up to look at Xu Qing with a pitiful expression, acting like a little kitten.

Bai Yifei destroyed the Baiyue tribe and later imprisoned her in a water dungeon for many years. Fueled by national hatred and personal grudges, she would always stand up for Bai Yifei no matter who tried to harm her.

"What are you going to do? I'm not going to deal with Bai Yifei this time."

Xu Qing turned to look at Yan Lingji, pinched her pretty little face, and said.

"Just let them go. No matter what you're going to do, you can't show your face, right? I'll go with you and help you find Tianze and the others. It's better for them to do it than for you to do it yourself."

Yan Lingji's face was being pinched by Xu Qing, and she said in a muffled voice.

"Then you can come with me, but you must listen to me and not cause any trouble."

After thinking for a moment, Xu Qing nodded and said.

Tianze is indeed the most suitable candidate, but he poached Yan Lingji and Wushuang Gui from the other party, so he doesn't know if the other party will cooperate with him.

"Okay, I will definitely listen to you."

Yan Lingji nodded obediently and said in a light voice.

(End of this chapter)