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

Chapter 553, A Traitor Among Us! (Bonus Chapter 2, Requesting Monthly Tickets!!)

As undercurrents surged among various factions in the Qin court, Ying Zheng's first grand court assembly after his coming-of-age ceremony ensued.

Zhangtai Palace, outside the Chaoyi Hall.

The towering palace exuded majesty and solemnity, while the tense atmosphere outside the palace gates foreshadowed a turbulent court meeting. The faint smell of blood in the air further intensified the already hostile factions' confrontation.

The officials who arrived early were clearly divided into four factions: the Chu foreign relatives, the royal family, the scholars of the six states, and the military generals of Qin. In addition to these four major factions, there were also many scattered neutral factions standing on the periphery.

Xiong Qi, Lord Weiyang, and Meng Ao stood at the core of their respective factions, while the scholar faction, lacking Lü Buwei as its leader, was somewhat scattered, with Yao Jia, the Minister of Agriculture, the Grand Counselor, and the Imperial Censor each leading a group of people.

The military generals, led by Meng Ao, couldn't help but whisper and chuckle as they watched the royal family, the Chu state's foreign relatives, and the scholar-official faction locked in a fierce battle.

Although the infighting among Qin's civil and military officials was not as intense as in Zhao, it still existed. After all, the military merit system made it too easy for military officers and soldiers to advance, which caused great resentment among the civil officials.

This led to civil officials taking every opportunity to sabotage military officers in order to express their dissatisfaction.

With the civil officials fighting so fiercely, the military generals naturally had to mock them. The civil officials, seeing this, could only snort and turn away, trying to avoid seeing or being bothered.

Just as the atmosphere outside the Hall of State Affairs was becoming increasingly tense, a series of footsteps came from below the high steps.

Xu Qing, who arrived late, walked slowly up the steps and gradually came into everyone's view.

Upon Xu Qing's arrival, the officials from the Chu state's powerful relatives all changed their demeanor, their gazes towards him becoming less friendly. The members of the imperial clan and the scholar-official faction fared somewhat better; although their eyes were also somewhat cold, they weren't as unfriendly as the Chu state's powerful relatives.

There were many matters to discuss in court today, but the most important one was the selection of a candidate for the position of Chancellor. Xu Qing was a clear candidate, but he was not recognized by the civil officials, so they naturally wouldn't give him a friendly look.

Seeing this, Xu Qing wasn't too surprised; he had already anticipated this.

When he first arrived in Qin, these people held the same view of him, but as he distinguished himself, their opinions gradually changed. Later, the court needed someone to resist Lao Ai, so he suddenly became a role model for the ministers in their eyes.

Now that their own interests are involved, they have all distanced themselves from him.

This is the imperial court, a court that devours people without spitting out their bones, a court that prioritizes self-interest.

Good morning, everyone.

Xu Qing greeted everyone with a smile. These people were ignoring him now, but he would make sure they couldn't afford to offend him later.

He had previously let these people change his mind, but today in court he was determined to subdue them.

"Lord Zhaoming".

Although reluctant, Xu Qing took the initiative to greet them, and everyone could only return the greeting respectfully.

"Haha, kid, come here quickly, your spot is right here."

Meng Ao's hearty laughter suddenly rang out, and he waved to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing turned to Meng Ao, a man dressed in a black and red robe, holding a scepter, and with a full head of white hair, and bowed to him, saying...

"Greetings, General Meng."

"No need to stand on ceremony with me. I'm a rough man and can't stand your fussy manners."

As Meng Ao spoke, he glanced at the civil officials out of the corner of his eye, his expression one of extreme smugness.

"Lord Zhaoming!" The other military officers also bowed respectfully to Xu Qing, their eyes filled with admiration. They had naturally heard the same news as the civil officials.

Although they had not discussed it beforehand, they had reached a tacit consensus that Xu Qing must be promoted to the position of prime minister.

This was not only because they were loyal to Ying Zheng and would support his ideas, and because they had a great fondness for Xu Qing, the top general of the Qin King's faction. It was also because the military would be the most advantageous party for them after Xu Qing became Chancellor.

A monarch with lofty ambitions paired with a prime minister who is equally talented and has the same ambition to unify the world means that they will have constant battles, military achievements, and rewards in the future.

Xu Qing glanced helplessly at the generals' reactions and regretted not explaining his plan to Meng Ao beforehand. Judging from the scene, people might think he was secretly colluding with the military and preparing to stage a coup at any moment.

After glancing at the civil officials' reactions, Xu Qing walked straight to Meng Ao's side.

"General, what have I done to offend you? Why are you trying to harm me?" Xu Qing looked at Meng Ao and said softly.

Meng Ao gave Xu Qing a helpless look and lowered his voice to say...

"Young man, you've misunderstood me. This wasn't my idea. Besides, I don't have the ability to unite these arrogant soldiers."

"The commotion you and the King have caused is so great, how could they not know? You also know your relationship with the generals. They rarely encounter a prime minister who suits their tastes so well, so naturally they will do their best to help you."

"Hehehe~ They're not helping me by doing this, they're just trying to make me live too long. General, the court meeting is about to begin, you must help me keep these military officers quiet, whatever you do, don't let them speak." Xu Qing said softly.

Meng Ao glanced at the military officers, then at Xu Qing, and said with a worried expression.
"Are you sure you don't need to? If you don't allow others to speak, I or the recently returned Marquis of Didao should be able to put in a good word for you, right?"

“None of you should say anything. When it’s time for you to speak, the King will give you a hint,” Xu Qing said.

"Alright, I'll keep the others in check."

Meng Ao believed that Xu Qing wouldn't fight a battle he wasn't sure of winning, so he stopped asking.

The civil officials looked at Xu Qing, who was whispering with Meng Ao, and the smug-looking military officers around him, and their expressions became even more unpleasant. Their gazes toward Xu Qing grew increasingly hostile.

Damn it, there's a traitor among their civil officials!
Seeing that Xu Qing had such a close relationship with the military, the civil officials no longer cared about factional differences and turned their attention to people from other factions. They recognized each other's ideas!
Today, anyone can become the prime minister, but Xu Qing is the only exception!

We absolutely cannot allow a traitor from among the civil officials to become prime minister!

Xu Qing naturally noticed the increasingly hostile gazes from the civil officials, but he didn't pay much attention and continued to whisper something to Meng Ao.

Xiong Qi looked at Xu Qing, who was colluding with Meng Ao, and his expression became slightly serious, with a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly realized that today's court meeting might not be as simple as he thought. Recalling the various unusual behaviors of Ying Zheng and Xu Qing since they returned from Yongcheng, he vaguely guessed that today's court meeting might be a trap.

But he couldn't understand what Xu Qing and Ying Zheng's purpose was. Why did they set up this scheme?

"Regardless of what the King and Xu Qing's purpose is, with members of the royal family leading the charge, if things don't go well, we should resolutely not get involved. If possible, then we should compete for the position of Prime Minister."

Xiong Qi looked at Xu Qing and thought to himself.

Just as Xiong Qi was about to give his instructions to the rest of the Chu state's relatives, a deep bell rang out, and the officials stopped talking and lined up to prepare for the court meeting.

"Boom~"

As the second bell rang and the doors of the Imperial Council Hall were opened, the first court assembly after Ying Zheng's coming-of-age ceremony officially began!
(End of this chapter)