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

Chapter 534, Lü Buwei's Intimidation

Meng Wu and Wang Ben looked at Li Xin, who was acting somewhat recklessly, feeling both speechless and envious.

Zhao Ji was still the Empress Dowager, and her edicts still held power. Moreover, they bore the seal of the King of Qin. Even if she didn't acknowledge it, she couldn't be as disrespectful as Li Xin.

If this is exploited by someone with ulterior motives and used as an excuse to attack them, it's fine now that Ying Zheng trusts them, but if he loses his trust in the future, this matter will become a death sentence.

However, Li Xin is different. Who can blame him for having a good family? He is a native Qin military meritorious nobleman, his grandfather is a duke, his father is a marquis, his ancestor is Laozi, and now he has an uncle named Xu Qing.

Under these circumstances, as long as Li Xin doesn't rebel, no one can do anything about him.

"Do as Li Xin says," Meng Wu said, waving his hand.

"promise."

Only after Meng Wu gave the order did these fierce soldiers escort Ling Qi and his guards away.

"Wang Ben and Li Xin, you two must immediately lead your troops to Xianyang to quell Zhao Xie's rebellion," Meng Wu said in a deep voice.

"promise."

After receiving the military order, Wang Ben and Li Xin quickly left their tents and returned to their own camp. They then led their already prepared soldiers towards Xianyang to quell the rebellion.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, in Xianyang.

Zhao Xie, along with the military merits and nobles who had followed Lao Ai in his rebellion and the imperial guards, also launched a rebellion. With the help of the imperial guards, they quickly took control of the entire Xianyang and placed the ministers under house arrest in their residences. What they needed to do now was to capture Zhangtai Palace and the residence of Marquis Wenxin.

They captured Queen Mi and Lü Buwei, and then completely took control of Xianyang.

“I will lead men to surround the Marquis of Wenxin’s residence. Gan Fei, you take men to Zhangtai Palace to find the Queen,” Zhao Xie said.

"Yes," Gan Fei said, cupping his hands in greeting.

The army immediately split into two halves, rushing in two directions. Zhao Xie led several hundred imperial guards and siege equipment toward Marquis Wenxin.

At this moment, inside the Wenxin Marquis's residence, Lü Buwei's retainers and servants, armed with bows and crossbows, climbed the wall and intently watched the commotion outside.

Lu Buwei sat calmly in the courtyard, with a small stove for warmth beside him.

"Father, Zhao Xie has arrived with his men, and Gan Fei is leading some imperial guards toward Zhangtai Palace."

Lü Yi quickly walked up to Lü Buwei and told him everything that had happened outside.

"Have they arrived? Arrange for people to protect the Queen and Prince Zhaoming's family."

After Lü Buwei finished speaking, he walked outside.

"Yes."

After arranging for his men to protect Queen Mi, Lü Yi followed Lü Buwei outside.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xie, leading hundreds of imperial guards, was heading towards the Marquis of Wenxin's residence without stopping.

Looking at the Wenxin Marquis's residence, which was only one street away, Zhao Xie's expression became serious, and he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

Next, he would face Lü Buwei, the powerful minister Wenxinhou who had held power in Qin for over a decade. Even with hundreds of imperial guards behind him, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Empress Dowager decrees: Execute the treacherous minister Lü Buwei. Whoever enters the Marquis of Wenxin's residence first will be rewarded with a thousand households; whoever kills Lü Buwei will be rewarded with a five thousand households; and whoever captures Lü Buwei alive will be rewarded with a ten thousand households!"

Zhao Xie shouted in a deep voice, trying to boost morale and suppress his tension.

Upon hearing Zhao Xie's words, the retainers behind him and the meritorious nobles who had become officers of the Imperial Guard all gleamed with cunning, raised their weapons, and shouted loudly.

"Break through the Marquis of Wenxin's residence and capture Lü Buwei alive!"

"Come on!"

Zhao Xie roared angrily and charged toward the Marquis of Wenxin's residence, brandishing his weapon.

Just as Zhao Xie led the way and stepped over the street archway, before his right foot even touched the blue bricks of the street, a flash of sword light suddenly appeared.

"rush"

Zhao Xie looked at the Wenxin Marquis's residence, which was so close at hand, and wanted to take a step forward, but for some reason he found that his body suddenly became uncontrollable. Just as he was about to look down, his head fell off his neck.

In an instant, blood spurted from Zhao Xie's neck, and his bewildered face crashed to the ground, rolling to the feet of a nearby soldier.

The sudden change brought the excited guards to an abrupt halt. They stared at Zhao Xie's headless corpse for a moment, then their expressions turned to horror.

"who!?"

"what happened!?"

The group of retainers and officers immediately felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, looking around in panic with fear in their eyes.

Just as the rebels were at a loss, the gates of the Marquis of Wenxin's mansion suddenly opened, and Lü Buwei slowly walked out with Lü Yi.

"mob."

Lu Buwei glanced indifferently at the terrified retainers and officers of Lao Ai in the distance, his eyes showing disdain. He had originally thought that Lao Ai had someone to rely on in his rebellion.

After all, Lao Ai had followed his example in every way since gaining power, including extensively cultivating retainers. Lü Buwei had originally thought that Lao Ai would find some decent talent, but these worthless individuals were so unappealing that he found them disgusting even before they reached the threshold of the Marquis of Wenxin's residence. After making a complaint, Lü Buwei walked towards the rebel army on his own, with dozens of retainers emerging from the mansion behind him to protect him.

Lao Ai's retainers and a group of officers naturally saw Lü Buwei walking towards them. All of them looked nervous and helpless, glancing at the others. The sudden beheading of Zhao Xie, their leader, had already terrified them.

Now, facing Lü Buwei, who has held immense power in Qin for over a decade and suppressed all factions within Qin to the point of not daring to act recklessly, they were filled with even greater fear and could only retreat further and further away.

"He's just Lü Buwei, isn't he? Kill him."

As Lü Buwei drew ever closer, one of his retainers suddenly became furious and shouted angrily.

However, before he could finish speaking, another flash of sword light appeared, and the retainer's head flew off instantly, only to fall to the ground in front of the rebels.

Before the others could react, several more sword lights flashed. The retainers and officers only saw a flash of light before the heads of those around them flew into the air, falling to the ground mixed with blood.
Lu Buwei continued walking towards the rebel army, displaying all the prestige he had gained from years of holding a high position. His powerful aura pressed down on the rebels like a mountain, crushing their morale.

"Sorcery! It's sorcery!"

"Lü Buwei knows sorcery!!"

In an instant, the officers who had been so eager to capture Lü Buwei alive were terrified. They retreated in fear, looking utterly horrified, afraid that they would be the next ones to die without knowing why.

The officers' fear gradually spread. The army was originally held together by layers of officers, and now this fear was being passed down from top to bottom, quickly spreading throughout the entire rebel army.

"Lao Ai's rebellion has been quelled. Lay down your weapons now, and I promise to forgive and forget!" Lü Buwei shouted in a deep voice.

"Lao Ai has been executed. Lay down your weapons now! We will forgive and forget!"

Dozens of retainers also shouted in unison.

As Lü Buwei drew closer, the rebel soldiers nervously swallowed hard, their bodies unconsciously retreating.

A person's name carries the weight of a tree's shadow. Even if they had never met Lü Buwei, they knew his name and what this somewhat gray-haired old man represented. If he promised to forgive and forget, he truly meant he would let them go.

"Bang bang~"

One timid guard dropped his weapon on the ground, which triggered a chain reaction; in the blink of an eye, the other guards followed suit, dropping their weapons as well.

They rebelled because of the leadership of Zhao Xie, the Commandant of the Guards, and other officers of various ranks. Now that Zhao Xie is dead, most of the officers are dead, and the rest are terrified. Even the ordinary soldiers can't afford to play a few rounds anymore.

As the imperial guards began to lay down their weapons, only Lao Ai's retainers, knowing that surrendering would also mean certain death, prepared to fight to the death.

Just as these people were about to make their move, several quick-thinking officers and soldiers rushed out. The other soldiers saw what these people were doing and quickly followed up, instantly knocking down the retainer who was trying to resist.

The guards hurriedly tied up the retainer.

"Lord Wenxin, spare our lives! We were also misled and deceived by Zhao Xie, and believed the Empress Dowager's edict in his possession, which is why we disturbed Xianyang."

"Lord Wenxin, spare my life!"

Cries for mercy filled the air, and the surviving officers all knelt down and begged for their lives.

"Tie them up and keep them under guard."

Lu Buwei glanced at these people, his face still showing disdain, and calmly issued the order, as if he was not stopping a rebellion, but simply dealing with a few servants.

"promise."

A dozen or so retainers stepped forward and surrounded all the officers.
"What is the situation at Zhangtai Palace?" Lü Buwei looked in the direction of Zhangtai Palace and asked softly.

"I don't know, but there shouldn't be any problem," Lü Yi said.

Lu Buwei nodded slightly. Queen Mi was in his residence, protected by three top-tier assassins and Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School. There was no need to worry about Zhangtai Palace. Once the reinforcements from the Lishan camp arrived, the remaining rebels would be easily dealt with.

Just as Lü Buwei was about to send someone to take over the city gate, he suddenly saw two figures fighting above Zhangtai Palace.

One of them was dressed in a white robe and held an unidentified sword, while the other was dressed in black, wore a bronze mask, and also held a sword.

"Is that Mr. Gongyang?"

Lu Buwei, bewildered by the fight between Gongyang Di and the unknown assassin, said with some surprise.

Gongyang Di was more than twenty years older than him, yet he was still able to fight someone on the roof of Zhangtai Palace, and it seemed that he was still in a superior position.

"He's almost ninety years old, yet he's as spry as a man and holds his own against the assassin. Is it too early for me to call him old?" Lü Buwei thought to himself.

. . . . . . . . .

Zhangtai Palace, outside a palace.

Zhao Gao was dressed in blood-stained clothes, with a faint scar on his sinister face and bloodstains all over his face. He held a blood-stained sword in his hand, and several eunuchs in the same condition stood behind him.

"Is this the opportunity Your Majesty spoke of? Whether we become tigers or worms depends on fate this time."

Zhao Gao looked at the dozen or so rebel soldiers before him, remembering the opportunity Xu Qing had mentioned earlier. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and he roared angrily.

"Rebels are causing chaos! Those guarding the palace, kill them!"

After saying this, Zhao Gao picked up his long sword and charged towards the rebel soldiers in front of him, with the eunuchs behind him following in his footsteps.

(End of this chapter)