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

Chapter 503, Lao Ai's Fantasy, Han Fei's Desperate Gamble

Meanwhile, inside the Changxin Marquis's residence.

Lao Ai looked at the white jade axe in his hand, his face full of satisfied joy. He carefully stroked it with both hands, afraid of bumping or damaging it in the slightest.

"With Han, Zhao, Wei, and now Yan, the chances of success have increased even further, hehe~"

Lao Ai gripped the axe tightly, stood up and swung it lightly. Then he opened his arms, and a surge of heroic spirit, as if he were the only one worthy of respect, filled his heart.

At this moment, Lao Ai was completely immersed in the symbolic meaning of the axe and halberd, as if he had already eliminated Ying Zheng, Xu Qing, and others. Moreover, the place where he was standing was not the Changxin Marquis's residence, but in front of the Qin King's throne in Zhangtai Palace.

"I am the new King of Qin!" Lao Ai said in a deep voice.

Just as Lao Ai was still fantasizing, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Ling Qi walked into the room.

"My lord, what's wrong?"

Ling Qi looked at Lao Ai standing on the seat with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lao Ai did not answer Ling Qi's question, but instead asked a different question.

"Did you send the Crown Prince of Yan back?"

"I have safely escorted him back to the hostage residence. The Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) has also sent people to the hostage residence to ensure the safety of the Crown Prince of Yan," Ling Qi said, bowing.

Lao Ai opened his eyes, lovingly stroking the axe in his hand, and said with a smile.
“This Crown Prince Yan is a man who knows how to seize the moment. If everyone could be like him, I, the Marquis, would be much less troubled. This axe is just what I want.”

"Ling Qi, you have made a great contribution this time, and I, the Marquis, will certainly reward you handsomely."

"As a retainer of the Marquis, it is only right for me to do these things. I am serving the Marquis and I do not seek any reward from you, my lord," Ling Qi said with a smile.

"No, this time I will definitely reward you," Lao Ai said resolutely.

Ling Qi introduced him to Ji Dan, but the most important thing was not the axe that Ji Dan gave him, but that the Yan state, which Ji Dan represented, was willing to support him in becoming the new King of Qin.

Of the three states of Han, Zhao, and Wei, only Zhao gave him a clear reply, saying that it was willing to help him achieve great things.

As for the states of Han and Wei, which remain silent, Lao Ai was initially quite anxious. However, with the addition of the state of Yan, he was confident that he could persuade Han and Wei to support him. When the four-state coalition attacked Hangu Pass, he would coordinate an attack from within and without, and the state of Qin would fall into his hands in an instant.

Lao Ai carefully placed the axe in his hand into the box, picked up the brush on the table, and began to write on the cloth.

"This is my reward to you."

Lao Ai handed the cloth to Ling Qi, his face full of arrogance and pride.

Ling Qi looked curiously at the contents of the cloth, his pupils widening instantly, his face filled with excitement and joy.

This piece of cloth is an imperial edict of investiture, and its contents are quite simple: it bestows upon him the title of Prime Minister of the Qin State.

"Your subject Ling Qi is very grateful for the reward from Your Majesty. From now on, I will serve Your Majesty like a dog or a horse, and am willing to be your henchman."

Ling Qi immediately knelt down, held up the cloth with both hands, and said excitedly.

Seeing Ling Qi's expression of loyalty, Lao Ai burst into laughter, his effeminate face full of smugness.

"Once this great undertaking is accomplished, I will write you a true letter. You are my strategist, and as long as I ascend the throne, you will be my eternal prime minister," Lao Ai said.

"From now on, I will serve you to the death," Ling Qi said loudly.

"Get up. There are no outsiders here. What do you think we should do next?"

The smile on Lao Ai's face disappeared, and as if he had thought of something, he asked with some concern.

Ling Qi stood up and looked at the worried Lao Ai. He understood what the other was worried about. It was nothing more than Xu Qing's return to Xianyang, which touched the shadow in Lao Ai's heart and made him fearful.

"What the Marquis is worried about is nothing more than Lord Zhaoming, Xu Qing. Although he is currently enjoying the King's favor and has been granted the title of Lord Zhaoming, making him incredibly popular for the time being, in the end he is just a favorite minister who relies on the King and has limited actual power."

"Without the king's support or permission, no matter how arrogant he is, he will be restrained and unable to do anything."

"Therefore, there is no need to worry about His Majesty before he assumes full power, and with the Empress Dowager around, he would not dare to openly do anything to the Marquis. I believe that His Majesty's coming-of-age ceremony is drawing ever closer, and it is really not advisable to create any unforeseen complications."

Ling Qi cleared his throat and spoke slowly.

"Avoid causing unnecessary trouble? Are you suggesting I submit to Xu Qing?"

Lao Ai's face darkened. He glanced down at his lower body, a flash of anger in his eyes, and said coldly.

Seeing that Lao Ai was showing signs of anger, Qi's heart tightened, and he quickly explained...

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean for you to back down, but rather to let Xu Qing go for now. We can deal with him when the big plan is successful." "As the saying goes, a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Besides, compared to a mere Xu Qing, your great plan is the most important thing, my lord."

"Never let a minor person distract you from important matters."

Hearing Ling Qi's explanation, Lao Ai's expression softened considerably, and he said in a deep voice...

“Indeed, we cannot let Xu Qing delay important matters. Please continue.”

Ling Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since Lao Ai was crippled by Xu Qing, he had become increasingly unpredictable, and even his trusted confidants had to deal with him with extreme caution.

"Now that the states of Zhao and Yan have chosen to support you, my lord, the states of Han and Wei have yet to make a move. The most urgent task is to persuade the states of Han and Wei, and at the same time, to transfer the military generals who support Your Majesty, such as Meng Ao, Meng Wu, and Wang Jian, away from Xianyang as much as possible."

"As long as Your Majesty does not have military power, when you hold the Imperial Guard and mobilize the Lishan Camp with the Empress Dowager's decree, even if Xu Qing and Gai Nie are both martial arts masters, they will not be able to cause any trouble in the face of tens of thousands of troops."

"Moreover, you still have the Net that the Empress Dowager gave you, with Hei Bai Xuan Jian and Yan Ri, which is enough to deal with Xu Qing and Gai Nie."

Upon hearing Ling Qi's words, Lao Ai looked thoughtful. He understood what Ling Qi meant: he wanted him to keep a low profile for the time being and focus on preparing for the rebellion on the day of Ying Zheng's coming-of-age ceremony in the first month of the lunar calendar.

“My lord, temporarily holding back is not an admission of weakness, but rather a consideration for the greater good,” Ling Qi said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Lao Ai glanced at the axe in his hand, then at Ling Qi, and nodded slightly.
“Alright, then let’s do as you say. During this period, everyone should keep a low profile and not provoke Xu Qing and Ying Zheng’s people. We’ll settle accounts with them when the big event is successful.”

"Your Excellency is wise," Ling Qi quickly added.

Just as Lao Ai decided to keep a low profile for the time being and devote himself to preparing for his rebellion, Han Fei, Wei Zhuang, and Zhang Liang, who were far away in Xinzheng, gathered at Zhang Kaidi's residence.

"Zifang, why did you suddenly summon me and Brother Weizhuang?"

Looking somewhat tired, Han Fei looked at Zhang Liang and asked in confusion.

After Bai Yifei led Nanyang to surrender to Qin, the state of Han urgently needed someone to step forward and take the blame. As the person in charge of disaster relief in Nanyang, Han Fei became the obvious scapegoat.

Although he obtained the assets and money left by Emerald Tiger, allowing Quicksand to expand further, Han Fei was also somewhat exhausted from dealing with the attacks from Ji Wuye during this period.

"This is a letter sent to my grandfather by Li Mu, the general of Zhao. It says that Lao Ai, the Marquis of Changxin of Qin, has treacherous intentions and is preparing to launch a rebellion in Qin. He hopes to unite with the states of Han, Zhao, and Wei to attack Qin. He will then work with the allied forces from within and without to take down Qin."

"The King of Zhao has agreed and ordered General Li Mu to begin preparations for sending troops."

Zhang Liang looked at Han Fei and Wei Zhuang, took out a letter from his pocket, and began to speak.

Upon hearing this, Han Fei was taken aback at first, then perked up, and stroked his chin thoughtfully as he spoke.
"This is actually true? I always thought that the story of Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, plotting a rebellion was just a rumor deliberately spread by someone."

"Hmm? Brother Han, you already knew about this?" Zhang Liang asked in confusion.

Han Fei glanced at Zhang Liang and nodded, saying...
"Bai Feng sent a message earlier, saying that Lao Ai, the Marquis of Changxin of Qin, sent an envoy to contact Ji Wuye, saying that he wanted Han to send troops to attack Qin."

"At the time, I thought it was a bit absurd, so I didn't take it too seriously. I just asked Brother Wei Zhuang to send someone to investigate."

As they spoke, Han Fei and Zhang Liang looked at Wei Zhuang, who coldly spoke from the intelligence he had gathered from the quicksand hidden in his robes.
"The intelligence from the quicksand investigation has just arrived. With Xu Qing's help, the King of Qin is gradually regaining his power. Lao Ai not only had an affair with the Queen Dowager Zhao Ji, but also offended the Qin royal family."

“Once the King of Qin comes of age and assumes full power, he will certainly not let him go. Moreover, according to the intelligence gathered by Liusha, Lao Ai has been winning over the ministers and planting his own people throughout Qin for the past month, especially in the Xianyang Imperial Guard and the Lishan Camp.”

After receiving a definite answer, Zhang Liang became excited and looked at Han Fei expectantly.
"Brother Han, this is a great opportunity!"

Han Fei naturally understood Zhang Liang's meaning: after losing Nanyang, the State of Han was essentially defunct and had no hope of becoming strong again.

If the allied forces of the three kingdoms and Lao Ai had worked together to overthrow the Qin state, then the Han state could not only have reclaimed Nanyang, but could have even recovered all the land it had lost over the past century.

“It’s a good opportunity, but I have some concerns,” Han Fei said in a deep voice.

"Are you worried about Xu Qing?" Wei Zhuang asked coldly.

“That’s right. Neither Brother Xu nor the King of Qin are mediocre people. If Liu Sha was able to investigate and find out that Lao Ai was plotting a rebellion, I don’t believe that Brother Xu and the King of Qin didn’t know,” Han Fei said thoughtfully.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang's excitement subsided. After pondering for a moment, he looked at Han Fei and said...

"Brother Han, should we give up this opportunity?"

Wei Zhuang also looked at Han Fei, his expression still indifferent, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.

Han Fei looked at the intelligence report in his hand, then looked up at Zhang Liang and Wei Zhuang, and said with a firm expression.

"For South Korea, joining in is indeed very risky, but for South Korea now, there is nothing left to lose. Rather than slowly waiting to die, it is better to fight to the death and maybe even create a brand new future."

(End of this chapter)