During the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of the net.

"Commander Li, I have lost this bet. Do you really not want any reward?"

"His Majesty has already bestowed rewards upon me."

"Is that so? I don't recall ever rewarding Commander Li."

"I am already grateful that I was able to remain here after the palace guards arrived."

After listening, Ying Zheng fell silent, and the library was quiet for a moment.

Ying Zheng initially thought that the person recommended to him by his mother would be a vulgar person who was opportunistic and good at studying.

He might accept such a person out of consideration for his mother, but he wouldn't trust him much, much less give him important responsibilities.

But now, he has changed his mind.

This person made him re-evaluate the Shadow Guards, a force that no one could ignore, capable of silently bypassing numerous palace guards and arriving before him.

If the Shadow Guards could get to him in this way, did that mean others could do the same? Ying Zheng had to think deeply about this.

From a security standpoint alone, he must keep this power firmly in his grasp.

And if he wants to control this power, he can't bypass the person in front of him.

He had seen all the little tricks those six Shadow Guards had made.

He could tell that these people seemed to have an extraordinary sense of awe and fear towards their newly appointed leader.

As far as he knew, this Commander Li had been in office for less than a day, and he was not originally from the Shadow Guard.

Ying Zheng wondered what Commander Li had done to make these people so afraid of him.

"This is the second time I have made a bet with someone. The first time was when I was a hostage in the State of Zhao."

At that time, the one who gambled with me was Prince Dan of Yan, who was also a hostage.

Last time I won, but this time I lost.

Ying Zheng suddenly broke the silence and spoke.

"I was just lucky," Li Ji replied.

"I don't think it was luck, nor do I think I lost because of luck."

The Palace Guards can lose to the Shadow Guards, but they cannot lose in an unclear and unjust manner.

As he spoke, Ying Zheng raised his hand and pointed to the opposite side of the desk, signaling Li Ji to move closer and sit down opposite him.

Li Ji glanced at Ying Zheng, then calmly sat down on the opposite side of the desk, facing Ying Zheng across the desk.

Ordinary people would inevitably feel awe and restraint when facing this young King of Qin.

But Li Ji remained calm and composed when facing the young King of Qin, sitting at the same table with him.

The two exchanged questions and answers, without any pleasantries or flattery, only truthful words.

Ying Zheng asked about everything related to the Shadow Guard, including their methods of operation and personnel composition.

Although Li Ji was newly appointed, he answered questions fluently.

The Shadow Guardian may seem complex, but its essence can be summed up in one word: Shadow.

It is a shadow that follows you everywhere, a shadow that is elusive and unseen, and a shadow of swords and spears.

Understanding this leads to understanding the original intention behind the establishment of Shadow Guard.

In Li Ji's opinion, the shadow that follows you like a shadow should rank first among the Shadow Guards.

The second is the shadow that is invisible and elusive, and the last is the shadow of flashing swords and shadows.

However, many people in the Shadow Guard in the past did not understand this principle.

They only know about the flashing swords, but they don't know who the swords are, or whose swords they are.

Therefore, it is inevitable that the Shadow Guard has been gradually excluded and even marginalized in recent years.

What Li Ji did was simply to let the Shadow Guards know that they were none other than a shadow.

The Shadow Guard does exactly what the Shadow does.

The word "shadow" is what Li Ji is talking about to Ying Zheng now.

Being like a shadow, as if you were personally present, can never be explained in just eight simple words.

The two talked for quite a while.

The maid in the corner stared wide-eyed at the scene, her heart filled with disbelief.

They had rarely seen the young King of Qin treat anyone in such a way, not only sitting across the table from them but also talking for so long.

It should be noted that although this King of Qin was young, he was mature beyond his years and was usually taciturn with everyone.

These palace maids, who had served for so long, sometimes heard the King of Qin say no more than ten sentences in an entire day.

But this does not mean that the King of Qin was weak and easily bullied. On the contrary, he often spoke the coldest words in the most indifferent tone.

Often, if a palace maid accidentally said or did something wrong, she could be dragged away and executed by the palace guards on duty outside the palace the next moment.

However, the fact that the King of Qin had been chatting with someone for so long was quite surprising to them.

Now, they face another problem.

That is, it's almost time for dinner, how should they remind the King of Qin?

The King of Qin and the young commander of the Shadow Guards are having a pleasant conversation right now. If they were to disturb them, it would likely displease the King of Qin.

If one displeases the King of Qin, one will be punished at best, and executed on the spot at worst.

No palace maid dared to take that risk.

However, as time went by, there was little time left before the King of Qin had his dinner.

If the palace maids failed to inform the King of Qin by the appointed time, they would be violating palace rules, which would be a serious crime for them as well.

Several palace maids, pale-faced, pushed each other, none of them willing to take the risk.

But there's no other way; someone has to do this.

Finally, a palace maid with a red mole on the corner of her mouth was pushed forward. Her legs were slightly weak. She took a few steps toward Ying Zheng, but stopped because of fear.

Li Ji had already noticed the commotion from the palace maid's side. He glanced at her, then stood up and said to Ying Zheng opposite him:

"Having had a long and fruitful conversation with Your Majesty, it is time for me to take my leave."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng realized that it was already dark.

Since he ascended the throne, he has become increasingly taciturn.

It's not that he doesn't want to talk, but that there are fewer and fewer people he can talk to.

Ying Zheng stood up and replied, "Indeed, it's getting late. Tomorrow at this time, I will listen to Commander Li explain the character 'shadow' in 'without a trace'."

Li Ji nodded slightly, bowed, and then turned to leave.

The palace maid behind Ying Zheng glanced gratefully at Li Ji, then immediately reminded the King of Qin that it was time to eat.

Ying Zheng glanced at the palace maid indifferently and replied that he would not have his meal in the front hall today, but would send the food to the study.

Ying Zheng then sat down again and began to examine the bamboo slips on the table.