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

Chapter 547, A wise man submits to circumstances.
"It's good that the Chief Justice recognizes me as a fellow townsman. I heard from Marquis Wenxin a long time ago that among his many retainers, only five are capable of shouldering great responsibilities and are outstanding in their respective fields, and you are one of them."

"However, Marquis Wenxin said you have a strategy of diplomatic alliances, so why are you serving as the Assistant Minister of Justice?"

Seeing that Yao Jia had lowered his guard considerably, Xu Qing continued walking forward while chatting with Yao Jia.

"It was quite a coincidence. I originally wanted to take a position at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, but because of my outstanding legal skills, I was transferred to the Bureau of Justice."

Yao Jia sighed helplessly and began to explain the reasons to Xu Qing.

The most basic assessment of Qin officials was based on Qin law. When Yao Jia first came to Qin, he focused on studying Qin law, but he overdid it, which made him stand out in the exam. This led him to become the Minister of Justice by chance.

Thanks to his own abilities and Lü Buwei's recommendation, he was appointed as the Assistant Minister of Justice.

"I see, I've heard that."

After learning the reason, Xu Qing changed the subject and continued to try to get closer to Yao Jia.

Before coming to the Court of Justice, Xu Qing and Ying Zheng had discussed it in the Zhangtai Palace. They planned to publicly execute Lao Ai the next day, and at the same time, to behead all of Lao Ai's followers at the execution ground on the banks of the Wei River. He would be the one to supervise the execution.

Of course, none of that matters. What matters is that Lao Ai is dead, the treason has been settled, and the imperial family and relatives of the emperor from various states will surely impeach Lü Buwei.

When the time comes, Lü Buwei will take the opportunity to step down and hand the position to him. After he becomes the prime minister, how can he not have his own team? Although Lü Buwei is willing to hand over his retainers to him, these people are ultimately trained by Lü Buwei, and whether they will sincerely assist him is another matter.

Lu Buwei's retainers and scholars from the six states were also wary of him, in order to ensure that he could hold his position as prime minister for a period of time and successfully transition through the new administration.

He had to resolve the misunderstanding between himself and the scholars of the six states, and get them to form a new group with the scholars he had recruited from Taoism and other schools of thought.

Yao Jia was the beginning of his efforts to curry favor with the scholars of the six states.

Yao Jia steadily responded to the topics that Xu Qing kept bringing up, showing a very enthusiastic attitude.

Although he didn't know what Xu Qing was up to, he could tell that Xu Qing was trying to curry favor. Given the current uncertain situation in the court, it was necessary for him to accept the overtures from such an important figure as Xu Qing.

For a moment, the two seemed like true fellow villagers, and disregarding the setting of the Imperial Prison, they began to chat.

As the two chatted back and forth, they soon arrived at the place where Lao Ai was being held.

“Lord Zhaoming, the prison is divided into five levels. Those who commit heinous crimes such as treason are imprisoned on the fourth level. To ensure the safety of these prisoners and to prevent them from escaping, a large door has been specially set up on the fourth level, which can only be opened from the inside.”

After explaining to Xu Qing, Yao Jia walked to the bronze door at the end of the road, inserted a token into the door, and then the sound of gears turning rang out.

"Kakaka~"

The bronze gears inside the wall began to turn, and the previously tightly closed door slowly opened from the middle.

"Is this the Gongshu family's domineering mechanical art?"

Xu Qing looked at the open door and asked thoughtfully.

"Lord Zhaoming has a good eye. This is indeed the domineering mechanical art of the Gongshu family. Not only that, the entire Tingwei prison is the work of the Gongshu family. It is not only sturdy, but also full of mechanisms from the second level onwards to prevent anyone from breaking in."

"The door is open, Lord Zhaoming, please follow me."

"it is good."

Xu Qing followed Yao Jia into the fourth level of the prison.

Compared to the noise of the first three floors, the fourth floor was completely silent. The disheveled prisoners sat peacefully behind the bars, silently watching Xu Qing and Yao Jia walk past them.

Those imprisoned on the fourth level of the prison are all heinous criminals. They know they have no way out; they will either be beheaded or spend the rest of their lives trapped in prison. Therefore, they have long since given up any thought of survival.

Naturally, they wouldn't follow the people in the prison ahead. Upon seeing the richly dressed Xu Qing, they reached out to beg for mercy and cried out that they were innocent.

“Lord Zhaoming, this is the prison where Lao Ai is being held,” Yao Jia said.

Xu nodded slightly, then walked to the prison door and looked at Lao Ai inside.

At this moment, Lao Ai was no longer the arrogant and domineering man he once was in the court. He was wearing a dirty prison uniform stained with blood, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were staring blankly at the top of the cell. He was filled with a deathly aura.

The dramatic shift from Marquis of Changxin to prisoner in a single day is something most people would find unacceptable.

Seeing that Lao Ai was lost in thought, Xu Qing nodded to Yao Jia, who then turned and left, waiting in a distant spot.

"哐哐~"

Xu Qing patted the cell door, and the noise woke Lao Ai from his reverie.

"Xu Qing? It's you!?"

Lao Ai snapped out of his daze and looked at Xu Qing, a look of surprise on his face. But then a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. Leaning against the withered grass in the prison cell, his legs spread out like a winnowing basket, he continued...
"Hehehe~ I never expected you to be the first person to come see me. I suppose you've come to see me because Ying Zheng is already itching to kill me. Tell me, how does Ying Zheng plan to deal with me? Beheading or cutting me in half at the waist?"

Xu Qing paid no attention to Lao Ai's provocation. He had never considered Lao Ai a rival when Lao Ai was in power, let alone now that Lao Ai was about to die.

"How to execute you is the king's business. I've come to you today only to ask you something," Xu Qing said calmly, looking at Lao Ai. "Ask me? Speak your question directly. Anyway, I'm going to die soon. It's worth it to see a model subject like you come to me, a treacherous minister, for advice before I die," Lao Ai said with a sneer.

Seeing Lao Ai in this state, Xu Qing mobilized his inner energy to unleash the Autumn Water of Ten Thousand Rivers technique, and an invisible inner energy transformed into a thread that wrapped around Lao Ai's wrist.

"Besides arranging for Zhao Xie to capture the Queen, did you arrange for anyone else?" Xu Qing asked.

"Others? I never ask others for anything. I never expected that Zhao Xie, with the Imperial Guards, couldn't even capture Queen Mi. He's utterly useless. It's a waste that I promoted him to Commandant of the Guards."

"I thought that even if I failed, Ying Zheng would not have an easy time either, but unfortunately, Heaven did not protect me, Lao Ai."

Lao Ai's face was filled with disappointment. He spat lightly and said...

Xu Qing examined Lao Ai's pulse through his internal energy and, after confirming that the other party was not lying, dispersed Wan Chuan Qiu Shui.

“You’re quite frank about this. I thought you would deliberately say something ambiguous,” Xu Qing said, looking at Lao Ai.

Upon hearing this, Lao Ai's face darkened, and his fists, which were bound by handcuffs, clenched tightly. Of course, he had thought of saying something vague and ambiguous to Xu Qing, so that even if he died, he could still tease Xu Qing and Ying Zheng before he died.

But considering that his words of veiled criticism in Yongcheng had not elicited the slightest emotional response from Ying Zheng, he abandoned his previous idea.

His rebellion was already a joke, and he didn't want to be treated as one before he died. He was about to die, and it was enough to leave himself with a little dignity before he died.

"Heh~ Is it necessary? Is it even necessary?" Lao Ai sneered.

"The king will order your execution tomorrow. You have some time today to reflect on your life. Consider this a reward for telling the truth."

Xu Qing glanced at Lao Ai, who was somewhat stunned, and said nothing more. He then turned and walked towards Yao Jia.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, he naturally wouldn't waste any more words arguing with Lao Ai.

The sudden appearance of the Iron Eagle Warriors was a thorn in his side; he would feel uneasy until he found out who had sent them.

Now that Lao Ai has been cleared of suspicion, Xiong Qi remains a suspect, but this suspicion is strange and makes it impossible to be certain.

"It seems I should take that Iron Eagle Warrior's sword to the Gongshu family and Qin Mo; perhaps I can get some clues from them," Xu Qing thought to himself.

As Xu Qing walked, he nodded to Yao Jia and then returned the way he came.

As Lao Ai watched Xu Qing's departing figure, he suddenly burst into laughter, his face filled with madness, and tears streamed down his face.

"Lord Zhaoming, this Lao Ai..."

Yao Jia glanced at Xu Qing and spoke.

"Send someone to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't commit suicide."

After saying a few words lightly, Xu Qing continued walking out of the prison.

"promise."

After giving a few instructions to the guards on the fourth floor, Yao Jia followed Xu Qing out of the prison.

After leaving the Imperial Prison, the bright sunshine dispelled the chill emanating from Xu Qing.

"Thank you for leading the way today, Chief Justice. Before I leave, I have something to tell you. I wonder if you would be interested in hearing it?" Xu Qing turned to Yao Jia and said slowly.

"I humbly request Your Excellency's guidance," Yao Jia said, bowing respectfully.

The Zuo Zhuan, in the eleventh year of Duke Ai, states: "Birds choose trees, but trees cannot choose birds. As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to perch on, but the Qin state, like a tree, has always had only one trunk."

"Some branches can provide shelter for birds that have fallen, but the branches are not meant to overshadow the main trunk; rather, they are meant to attract birds and butterflies."

"I hope you can think carefully about what I'm saying."

After speaking, Xu Qing brushed the dust off Yao Jia's shoulder, then turned and left without saying anything more.

Yao Jia looked at his shoulder, then at the departing Xu Qing, and stood there stunned, pondering Xu Qing's words.

He initially thought Xu Qing meant for him to betray Lü Buwei and join the other side, but the latter half of Xu Qing's statement was quite thought-provoking.

"The main trunk and branches of the Qin state? That includes Marquis Wenxin and the King."

Yao Jia's pupils suddenly dilated. Recalling Xu Qing's overtures to him today and Lü Buwei's actions over the past few days, an idea gradually formed in his mind that even he himself could not believe.

"The trunk won't cut off its own arm; that would only affect the tree's growth. But branches and leaves will eventually grow old, and new branches and leaves will grow to provide new shelter for birds that have fallen."

"Is this what you really wanted to say, Lord Zhaoming?"

Yao Jia stared blankly at Xu Qing's gradually disappearing figure, muttering to himself.

(End of this chapter)