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

Chapter 519, Astrology, Women Dress Up for Their Lovers
The heavy snow that fell for a day and a night covered the solemn city of Xianyang in white, making it appear less solemn and more peaceful.

The carriage slowly drove along the main road of Xianyang City, the snow creaking softly under the wheels, and the breeze swirling the snowflakes.

Xu Qing sat in the carriage, casually lifted the curtain, and glanced at the street outside.

People come and go on the street.

Many children wearing padded jackets wandered among them, some building snowmen, others throwing snowballs at each other, which made their families and passersby laugh, seemingly happy for these children's carefree childhood.

Seeing this scene, Xu Qing felt a little dazed, as if she were recalling a scene from her childhood, and a smile appeared on her face.

"How wonderful, such peaceful and happy times are far more intoxicating than the strongest wine," Xu Qing murmured.

On the other side of the carriage, Li Si was still wearing that magnificent cloak, his hands stroking it involuntarily. This cloak was a gift from Ying Zheng, so Li Si cherished and loved it dearly and was reluctant to take it off.

“You’re right, but such peaceful and happy moments should be the most ordinary of times, yet they seem exceptionally rare in this chaotic world,” Li Si said softly, a look of emotion on his face.

"So our goal is to help the Qin state unify the world, end this chaotic period that has lasted for hundreds of years, and make this rare moment peaceful and ordinary again." Xu Qing said with a determined look in his eyes and a serious tone.

"That day will definitely come, and the people are very content."

Li Si looked at the scene outside and nodded.

He is no longer the Li Si who wanted to be a hamster. After being guided by Xu Qing, he has been working with Ying Zheng to handle government affairs. Power and status are only a matter of time, so he has gradually set new goals in life.

The pursuit of power and profit is but a fleeting achievement; one should strive for a legacy that endures for generations and leaves a lasting mark on history.

"Yes, that's enough for the people as long as they can survive. It's just a pity that some people are always greedy," Xu Qing said calmly.

For ordinary people, having enough to eat and wear, being free from the ravages of war, and having healthy children and grandchildren is the greatest happiness in the world.

Ambitious people who crave power are few and far between. These people often use the banner of serving the people to seek personal gain and start war after war. This is why Taoism advocates tranquility and non-action, small countries with few people, simplicity and unadorned nature, and few selfish desires.

It's true that the Qin state was warlike, but most people didn't like war. However, everyone understood that the only way to avoid being attacked was to become strong and attack others, and sacrifice was inevitable.

What they have to do is use the deaths and injuries of one generation to create a peaceful society without war for generations to come.

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Li Si couldn't help but think of the news circulating in and around Xianyang: Empress Dowager Zhao Ji was going to take Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, back to Yongcheng ahead of schedule to plan the King's coming-of-age ceremony a month later.

These words sound nice, but those with a keen sense of smell detected something unusual in them; it seemed that Lao Ai was about to make a big move.

"You must have heard that the Empress Dowager is taking Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, back to Yongcheng, right? The reason His Majesty asked me to invite you to the palace this time is for this matter," Li Si said, looking at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing closed the window, sat up straight, looked at Li Si who looked somewhat doubtful, and said slowly.
"Are you worried that Lao Ai's return to Yongcheng, ostensibly to serve the Empress Dowager and prepare for the King's coming-of-age ceremony, is actually a pretext for something sinister, a scheme to secretly plot something?"

"I am indeed a little worried, but His Majesty has already given his permission, and I didn't have time to offer any advice," Li Si said with a hint of helplessness.

"You don't need to worry. Lao Ai can't cause any trouble. Just focus on assisting the King in handling state affairs," Xu Qing reassured him.

Li Si became Ying Zheng's confidant too late, which meant that the latter was completely unaware of Xu Qing's arrogant plan. Every time Li Si saw Ying Zheng willingly fall into Lao Ai's trap, he was extremely anxious. He owed his current position entirely to Ying Zheng, and if something happened to Ying Zheng, he would have no future.

Seeing Xu Qing's indifference, Li Si wanted to say something, but as if he suddenly thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

"Could it be that the King and Lord Zhaoming deliberately sent Lao Ai back to Yongcheng?" Li Si wondered to himself.

Li Si looked at Xu Qing, trying to discern something from the other's calm face, but ultimately couldn't see anything.

Seeing that Li Si had realized something, Xu Qing didn't explain anything, but changed the subject.

"Since His Majesty has already decided to send the Empress Dowager to Yongcheng ahead of me, why summon me to the palace?"

"This is it~"

Li Si's expression became somewhat complicated. He looked at Xu Qing with some hesitation, unsure of what to say.

"Hmm? Is there anything else?" Xu Qing asked, puzzled.

"I don't know how to tell you about this. Basically, the King seems to be worried about the Empress Dowager and Marquis Changxin leaving, so he thought of asking Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School to use his astrological skills to predict the future."

"I think His Majesty wants to test the abilities of the Yin-Yang School and to see if the expensive Star Gazing Tower is worth the money spent."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Si still told what he knew.

In this era, belief in ghosts and gods was very popular, especially in the states of Chu and Qin. Although the Duke of Zhou replaced the Shang culture with the Zhou rites, the sacrificial divination practices of the Shang culture were preserved. Although they were no longer as bloody as those of the Shang, they were on a much larger scale.

In matters of state, such as sacrifices and warfare, when faced with major events or uncertainties, the monarch would have the chief priest perform divination at the ancestral temple.

However, now that Qin has more professional Yin-Yang masters, the task of divination has fallen to Dongjun Feiyan.

"If that's the case, I thought it was something serious," Xu Qing said nonchalantly.

"Don't you care? When you were teaching the Gongyang Confucian scholars, didn't you criticize them for focusing too much on auspicious omens and supernatural phenomena?" Li Si asked doubtfully.

Confucius also said, "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits," but that doesn't mean he didn't believe in them. My Daoist school only opposes attributing natural phenomena to ghosts and spirits, believing that we should follow the laws of nature through inner cultivation rather than being superstitious about ghosts and spirits, but that doesn't mean we completely deny ghosts and spirits.

Xu Qing shrugged and said nonchalantly.

He opposes the belief in ghosts and gods, but this world is abnormal. Anyway, gods probably still exist, they've just disappeared from the human world.

Moreover, due to cognitive barriers, people always need something to rely on for the unknown so as not to live in fear. However, if someone wants to engage in any wicked or evil rituals, then don't blame them for changing from advocating the rule of law to upholding the rule of rites.

“The Book of Rites, Quli Xia, records: ‘To offer sacrifices to those who are not properly or properly officiated is called immoral worship. Immoral worship brings no blessings.’ It seems you still advocate rule by rites.” Li Si understood Xu Qing’s thoughts and teased him.

“Those who understand me are those who are knowledgeable about the past,” Xu Qing joked with a smile. “Actually, I’ve suffered greatly from matters of sacrifice myself. It happened when I was a minor official in the warehouses of Chu.”

Li Si reminisced about his days as a minor official in the State of Chu. Xu Qing listened patiently to Li Si's story, occasionally interjecting with his own thoughts.

As the two chatted, the carriage soon arrived outside Zhangtai Palace.

"Lord Zhaoming, Minister Li, we have arrived at Zhangtai Palace."

The coachman's voice interrupted Xu Qing and Li Si's conversation.

"That's enough for today. If Tonggu has any other ideas in the future, you can come and talk to me again," Xu Qing said with a smile.

"All right."

Li Si was still immersed in what Xu Qing had just said about the relationship between the rule of law and sacrifice. Although it was ostensibly about the system of rites, Li Si, as the second most important figure in the Legalist school after Han Fei, naturally understood the underlying principle of the rule of law beneath the system of rites.

Although Xu Qing's words were not particularly profound and mostly just scratched the surface, his viewpoints and opinions were exceptionally novel, giving Li Si a sense of having his eyes opened and making him unconsciously immerse himself in them.

"Let's go, the king is still waiting for us."

"it is good."

After Xu Qing and Li Si got off the carriage, they were checked by the guards at the gate, and then headed towards the Doctor's Palace.

After passing through several passageways, the two arrived at the Star Gazing Tower inside the Doctor's Palace, where Zhao Gao was respectfully waiting for Xu Qing at the entrance.

"Lord Zhaoming, Minister Li, the King is inside the palace. Please come in as soon as possible."

Zhao Gao bowed respectfully to Xu Qing, his eyes filled with awe.

Xu Qing glanced at Zhao Gao, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. It had only been a few days since they last met, and Zhao Gao was already qualified to follow Ying Zheng. This surprised Xu Qing somewhat.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Xu Qing didn't say much. He simply nodded slightly and walked into the Star Gazing Tower.

Upon entering the hall, Xu Qing saw a dozen maids arranging some things. Ying Zheng and Gai Nie stood silently to the side, while the dignified and graceful Fei Yan, dressed in a crimson gown, held a golden mask with a three-legged golden crow pattern in her hand and stood calmly on the other side of Ying Zheng.

The crimson gown was luxurious and long, adorned with gold thread patterns and unidentified characters. Its long train trailed on the ground, resembling the tail of a mermaid.

Although the dress was somewhat loose, concealing Fei Yan's graceful figure, it added a touch of mystery to Fei Yan's already elegant and noble demeanor, making her seem like a fairy descended from the heavens—noble, aloof, and mysterious, captivating all who looked at her.

Her unadorned face was lightly made up, with bright and beautiful red eyeshadow, adding a touch of vibrancy to her cool demeanor.

Seeing Fei Yan like this made Xu Qing's heart itch; he wished he could go up to Fei Yan and have a good heart-to-heart talk with her.

Upon seeing Xu Qing arrive, Fei Yan's calm expression softened, and a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.

"This guy really came too. It seems the King can't do without him wherever he goes."

Fei Yan's lips curled up slightly, a hint of smugness and confidence rising in her heart.

Today, Ying Zheng suddenly said he wanted to come and watch her perform astrology. She immediately thought that Xu Qing would definitely come too, so she put on the sacrificial robes that the Yin Yang School only wore during their once-every-five-years ceremony, and even applied a light layer of makeup, all so that Xu Qing could see her beauty.

A woman dresses up for the man she loves. If a woman has feelings for you and has developed a liking for you, she will dress up beautifully every time she sees you, without you having to say anything.

Perhaps it was the overly sweet and affectionate gaze between Xu Qing and Fei Yan that caught the attention of Gai Nie, Ying Zheng, and Li Si, who were standing nearby.

Looking at Fei Yan's slightly upturned lips and the way she and Xu Qing exchanged glances.

"Something's wrong, there's definitely something wrong with these two!"

The three exchanged glances and immediately confirmed their thoughts, feeling a sense of admiration for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing and Fei Yan had only known each other for a short time, yet Xu Qing had already captured the heart of Dong Jun, the second-in-command of the Yin Yang School. Such skillful flirting techniques made Ying Zheng and Li Si envious.

As for Gai Nie, he only has eyes for his sword. Women? They would only slow down his sword-drawing speed.

"Ahem, the gentleman has arrived."

Ying Zheng coughed twice, interrupting Xu Qing and Fei Yan, who were exchanging glances.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. I was delayed on the journey, please forgive me."

Xu Qing snapped out of his daze, looked at Ying Zheng, smiled, took two steps forward, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's good that you've arrived, sir. The astrological arrangements will be completed soon. You've come at just the right time," Ying Zheng said with a smile, not minding the situation.

"I have met Lord Zhaoming."

Because Ying Zheng was present, Fei Yan could only respectfully nod and bow to Xu Qing, her voice soft, melodious, and extremely pleasant to hear.

"It doesn't have to be this way."

Xu Qing took Fei Yan's hand and helped her up, speaking gently.

"Thank you, Lord Zhaoming."

Feiyan hurriedly withdrew her hand and glanced at Xu Qing somewhat awkwardly. When there were outsiders present, she was ultimately a little reserved and liked to put on airs, which was inexplicably interesting.

(End of this chapter)