Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"I didn't notice it before, but I left men behind. If there are any spies, we will definitely be able to capture them, but..."

Li was speechless, and his words came to an abrupt end.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy and tense.

Clearly, if someone as cunning and ruthless as Song Yun didn't send back a message, it was likely being treated as bad news, and they were preparing to unleash their full power.

Fusu keenly sensed the tension in the air and couldn't hide his astonishment.

He then realized that his thinking was still too shallow, and that it was completely different from the ideas of the adults!

So, Song Yun wasn't planning to kill officials and civilians to cover up his crimes, nor was he simply going to break out with his troops and escape—was he actually planning to attack the delegation?!

He remained silent for a moment, still finding it hard to believe such a crazy scheme, and couldn't help but speak:

"Sir, is Song Yun really willing to take such a risk? Isn't he afraid of my father's wrath and the extermination of his entire family?"

Zhou Wenqing sighed softly, raised his hand and gently pressed his shoulder, his tone calm yet chillingly clear:

"Fusu, never underestimate the greed and arrogance of people. He has spent half his life in Chenjun, wielding great power. To make him abandon everything and flee to the ends of the earth would be more unbearable than death."

"Since it's a dead end no matter what, we might as well go all in and gamble on a slim chance."

The confusion in Fusu's eyes had not yet disappeared.

I didn't understand...

Being young and always upright, even though he had witnessed the turmoil in the court, he would not willingly get involved in conspiracies and schemes. He only knew that, given his status, if something really happened here, Chen Jun would have to take responsibility!

Didn't you see how blood flowed like rivers in Xianyang last time?

Zhou Wenqing saw through his thoughts, his fingertips lightly touching the two characters "bandits" repeatedly marked on the silk scroll, his voice utterly cold:

"They only need to repeat their old tricks, fake the traces of banditry, surround and kill us, then erase all traces of the delegation's entry into Chen County, and finally abandon our bodies in the wilderness of Yangdi, burying all clues."

"As long as he does it cleanly enough, others can only find out that it was a bandit uprising. With the governor of Yangdi taking the blame, he can clean himself up and get away with it."

"This is possible?!" Fusu suddenly looked up, both shocked and furious. A cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. He asked urgently, "Then, sir, now that things have come to this, what should we do?"

"Sir..." Li Yi interjected at the right moment, his expression solemn, "When we came from the south of the city, we found a group of well-equipped private soldiers around the post station. They were sneaking around in the dark. Judging from their armor and weapons, they were definitely not ordinary county soldiers. They were probably the private soldiers of the prefect who kept the death squad."

"I have already left people to keep watch in secret. They will report back as soon as they make the slightest move."

"Traitor, beast!"

Han Fei couldn't help but curse under his breath. Luckily, they didn't stay at the post station, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

This also means that they don't have much time left.

"Let's leave first, get out of here!" Zhou Wenqing's eyes darkened, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately made a stern decision.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die. If that beast gets the news and we're surrounded from all sides, we'll be in danger. Let's leave first. The longer we can delay, the safer we'll be."

He turned to look at Li Yi: "Does this pharmacy have a back door?"

Li Yi quickly replied, "Yes, but the back gate road is extremely narrow. It might take some time for our large group to pass through, but it won't be too long, at most..."

"Then forget it." Zhou Wenqing interrupted directly, time was of the essence at that moment: "Let's go through the main gate, take care of those two pawns at the entrance, and finish this quickly. Let's leave now!"

Upon receiving the order, Li Yi was about to act. With a flick of his wrist, the short blade slid into his palm, his body slightly arched, ready to strike—

"etc."

A hand reached out from the side and firmly pressed down on Li Yi's arm.

It is Han Fei.

He had stood up at some point, his gaze calm and serene, reflecting a deep, dim light in the candlelight.

Han Fei glanced at Li Yi, then turned to Zhou Wenqing, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and said in a deep voice:

"Zicheng, let's split up."

He spoke much faster than usual, revealing an barely suppressed urgency: "You take the main force and leave through the back door. I'll stay here with a few men. If Song Yun really raises an army to surround us, knowing there are people inside, he won't chase after us. I can buy you some time."

Seeing Zhou Wenqing frown, clearly about to object, he quickly added reassuringly, "As for me, you don't need to worry, I have a plan to get out of this."

"Are you crazy?!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yao Jia's expression changed drastically, and he stepped forward, sternly rebuking him:

"Han Fei! Once that beast raises his army to surround us, there will be no way out. They know the terrain here much better than you do. If you stay here, it will be tantamount to throwing yourself to your death. How can you escape? This is absolutely not an option!"

"I already said, I have my own way!" Han Fei's tone was slightly deep, with a hint of deliberate stubbornness.

"What foolproof method do you have? Speak plainly!" Yao Jia stood firm, staring intently at him.

Han Fei was caught off guard by his questioning, and his throat tightened slightly.

He slowly lowered his eyes, concealing the desperate and resolute look in them. When he raised his head again, a wry and self-deprecating smile played on his lips, as if he had been forced into revealing his escape route:

"I'll defect to the enemy, is that not enough?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Jia's anger and urgency froze instantly, and he stared at him in astonishment.

It's hard to imagine that the words "defect to the enemy" came from Han Fei's mouth.

Han Fei, looking both helpless and annoyed, glared fiercely at Yao Jia:

"Why are you so relentless in your questioning, refusing to spare me even the slightest bit of face? Would you be satisfied if I told you my escape plan was a feigned surrender?!"

"I am neither the eldest son of the Great Qin, nor a high-ranking official in the mission. In Song Yun's eyes, I am probably just a follower of that so-called retainer Zhao Zhen, an insignificant person. What integrity or moral character do I have to talk about? In a life-or-death situation, it would be only natural for me to defect to the enemy."

He took a deep breath and continued, "At that time, I will pretend to be someone you abandoned and forced to stay behind to die. I will be obsequious and subservient to him, feigning surrender and claiming that I can guide him and reveal the whereabouts of the delegation. I can save my life by doing this for one night. The reinforcements from Xianyang will surely arrive by noon tomorrow, and I will be able to escape. What's the big deal?"

"lie!"

Zhou Wenqing's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a blunt knife, abruptly cutting off Han Fei's words.

"The entire Chen County is under Song Hui's surveillance. Why would he need you to lead the way? On the contrary, you humiliated him today. How could such a despicable person not hold a grudge? You... have no chance of escaping unscathed."

If one is caught, one might not even die a pleasant death.

Han Fei clearly weighed the pros and cons in an instant, deliberately embellishing and concealing the danger, determined to use himself as bait to hold back Song Yun's pursuers and create a chance for everyone to break through.

My heart suddenly tightened, and a sharp, aching pain surged up in waves.

Zhou Wenqing clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms, using the slight pain to suppress his surging emotions, steady his disordered breathing, and try his best to make his voice steady and powerful, with an undeniable certainty:

"Han Fei, listen to me. We don't necessarily need someone to sacrifice themselves. Head to the North Gate immediately."

"The commander of the northern gate has just been executed, and the garrison on the city wall is leaderless. Song Yunxin's orders must not have spread throughout the city defenses yet. If we take this opportunity to force our way out of the city, the guards at the northern gate will not dare to stop us."

"As soon as we step out of Chenjun city gates, Song Yun's geographical advantage will be reduced by 10%. We will move towards the direction of the reinforcements, and the situation will immediately reverse, giving us the advantage."

After saying that, he didn't waste any more time and gave Li Yi a look.

Li Yi flashed out, a cold glint in his eyes, and with a single, swift stroke, sealed the throat with his sword.