Qin Dynasty: Ying Zheng is my brother, I am the Bad Commander

"You suspect the Qin state?"

Ying Chen spoke these words casually, as if he had just asked an insignificant question at the dinner table.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire private room changed dramatically in an instant.

Yan Fei and Jing Ni, who were sitting languidly and serenely beside Ying Chen, turned their gazes to Han Fei, who was sitting opposite them, almost at the same moment Ying Chen finished speaking.

Those two gazes, without the slightest concealment or affectation, pierced straight and sharply.

Being simultaneously locked onto by the gazes of these two unparalleled masters of the era, Han Fei, who had no cultivation and whose physique was even weaker than that of an ordinary general, instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave or was in a sea of ​​fire.

"Buzz—"

Han Fei felt a roar in his brain and a buzzing in his ears.

An unprecedented feeling of suffocation gripped his throat, making even breathing incredibly difficult.

He could even clearly feel that every hair on his body stood on end at that moment, and his heart was pounding violently as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, as if it would burst out of his chest at any moment.

Cold sweat soaked through Han Fei's silk undergarment almost instantly.

A bead of sweat, the size of a bean, slowly slid down his smooth forehead, flowed down his slightly stiff cheek, and finally dripped onto the rosewood table in front of him, making an extremely faint "drip" sound.

In this private room where you could hear a pin drop, this soft sound was as deafening as a thunderclap.

Han Fei inwardly cried out, "Oh no!"

He had calculated every possible reaction Ying Chen might take to his probing. He thought Ying Chen would evade the question, feign ignorance, or even turn the tables and interrogate him. But he never expected that this young master of Qin would act completely unpredictably!

Who chats like that?

This was practically throwing their hand on the table, pointing their finger at the other person and asking, "Do you think I did it?"

Ying Chen's bluntness, bordering on recklessness, struck Han Fei squarely at his weak point, completely disrupting his carefully planned probing rhythm. It left Han Fei feeling frustrated, as if he had punched cotton and been pricked by a steel needle hidden inside.

"Ying Chen's style of doing things is so direct, completely unlike those politicians who are full of ulterior motives... Is he just genuine, or is he extremely cunning?" Han Fei quickly calculated in his mind, forcibly suppressing the throbbing in his heart.

However, Han Fei was Han Fei after all; his quick wit was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Although Ying Chen's words caught him off guard, and the aura of the two top experts made him feel the threat of death, after this brief shock, his brain started working at an extremely terrifying speed.

After thinking for less than a breath, a sheepish smile returned to Han Fei's face, which had been slightly pale from nervousness.

Under the suffocating gazes of Yan Fei and Jing Ni, he swallowed hard, forced himself to remain calm, shook the folding fan in his hand, looked at Ying Chen, and said with a wry smile:

"Brother Ying, you...you're making Han Fei feel incredibly awkward. What makes you say that? Even if Han Fei had the greatest courage in the world, how could he dare to suspect the Qin state?"

Han Fei paused, seemingly to make his next words more convincing. He sat up slightly, meeting Ying Chen's ambiguous gaze, and continued:

"Furthermore, Brother Ying, it's not that I'm boasting, nor that I'm underestimating Qin's strength. It's just that Xinzheng is, after all, the capital of Han. Nightfall has been operating here for over a decade, its influence is deep-rooted, and its eyes and ears are everywhere. One hundred thousand taels of gold—that's a small mountain! To try and steal such a huge sum of military funds right under Ji Wuye's nose, without anyone noticing, and hide it without leaving a trace..."

Han Fei shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of certainty: "Although Qin is powerful, its spies and forces within Han are ultimately limited. To accomplish something that can be described as a 'miracle,' I'm afraid... they are simply not up to the task. This is by no means something that can be done overnight, or by a few dozen experts. It requires an extremely vast intelligence network, tight organization, and a thorough understanding of the defenses of Xinzheng. Therefore, Brother Ying, you can rest assured that Han Fei would never suspect Qin."

Han Fei's words were watertight and perfectly reasonable.

He not only cleverly used the excuse that "Qin's power in Han is insufficient" to lightly brush aside the fatal topic that Ying Chen had just raised, but also subtly praised Nightfall's power in Han, thus concealing his true thoughts.

In fact, Han Fei only said half of what he had just said.

Qin's spies in Han could not do it openly, but what if it was a terrifying force hidden in the shadows, unknown to anyone?

However, at this point, he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to delve into the issue.

Just as Han Fei finished speaking, and while the atmosphere in the private room was still somewhat heavy, a faint fragrance of orchids quietly drifted out.

Zi Nu's captivating eyes swept between Han Fei and Ying Chen, instantly discerning Han Fei's predicament and Ying Chen's understated yet powerful presence.

Her gentle smile, like a spring breeze, instantly broke the tense and murderous atmosphere in the private room.

"Oh dear, Ninth Young Master, Young Master Ying, what are you two doing here? You came to my Purple Orchid Pavilion today to enjoy yourself, drink wine, and admire flowers. How come you've suddenly started talking about fighting and national affairs?"

As Zi Nu spoke, she stretched out her fair, jade-like, delicate hand and gently picked up the white jade wine pot on the table.

She tilted the pot slightly, and the clear, fragrant orchid wine, like an amber stream, fell precisely into the wine glass in front of Ying Chen.

"Young Master Ying, the Ninth Young Master is just a bookworm. His mind is full of things like solving cases and laws. When he drinks too much, he likes to talk nonsense. Please don't take him seriously."

Zi Nu's voice was soft and charming, with a touch of coquettishness that was just right.

She held the full wine glass with both hands, leaning slightly forward. A breathtaking glimpse of snow-white skin was faintly visible beneath her purple dress. She gently presented the glass to Ying Chen, smiling sweetly as she said:

"Come, Young Master Ying, let me offer you a toast as an apology on behalf of Young Master Jiu. This is a top-quality orchid wine that my Zilan Pavilion has been aging for ten years. Would you like to try it and see if it suits your taste?"