People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Then he had no choice but to risk his life and strike ahead of time, transforming into a powerhouse and using a deliberate, explosive punch!

Even though he posted about his wife, all he got were more cringeworthy comments!

As for how to get out of there, at worst, he can lasso a horse on the grassland and become a breeding stallion.

Maintaining stability is the top priority!

Chapter 5 The Confession Game, Lüshi Chunqiu

Cao Ze returned to his hut, and Jing Ni came over gracefully, taking off his cloak and hanging it on the clothes rack.

"Husband, you left in a hurry early in the morning and did not return until late at night. Did something happen?"

She guessed that Cao Ze would return tonight, so she didn't make any rash moves and went out alone to investigate.

Cao Ze admired Jing Ni's graceful figure, but hesitated in his heart.

However, in order to keep Jing Ni in check, they had no choice but to temporarily sacrifice their own benefits.

By taking the initiative and getting involved, one can initiate a game of honesty.

But before that...

Cao Ze patted Jing Ni's bottom and teased her casually, "We'll talk about it later. Your husband is tired after a long day, give me a hot foot bath first."

Jing Ni was a little stunned at this moment. Cao Ze's sudden move almost made her lose her composure.

Remembering that she was now Cao Ze's wife, she gave Cao Ze a slight reproachful look, then fetched a basin of hot water for him and helped him wash his feet.

Cao Ze looked at Jing Ni, who was squatting down to wash his feet, and sighed. The feeling of her hands just now was really good, and her current hand skills are also amazing.

But after tonight, it will be a bit difficult to pat Jingni's butt again and rightfully use his status as her husband to have her wash his feet and carry out his daily "baby-development" work.

Let's continue collecting some interest first.

While giving Cao Ze a foot massage under his guidance, Jing Ni asked him about what had just happened again.

She needed to know as soon as possible what had happened in the Wolf Clan's royal court in order to plan her next move.

Cao Ze said dismissively, "It's nothing. It's just that the Left Wise King wanted to become the Wolf King and led his troops to attack the royal city, but your husband has already easily dealt with it."

Jingni paused slightly as she massaged Cao Ze's feet, and asked, "What's the situation now? Is it dangerous?"

Cao Ze sighed inwardly. This giant salamander was not easy to fool. Fortunately, he did not intend to use it to appease Jing Ni.

He stretched his legs and began the first step in stabilizing Jing Ni, briefly explaining the situation.

There are no lies, only the truth, except for some "irrelevant" things that have been concealed.

After listening, Jingni seemed to be deep in thought.

According to Cao Ze, the current problems in the royal court are neither too big nor too small. If he gets involved, could he help the Left Wise King breach the royal city?

Even if she was completely ignorant of military affairs, she knew that defending a city was easier than attacking it, especially when the troop strength was roughly equal.

After washing his feet, Cao Ze began to sit cross-legged and meditate, practicing breathing exercises in preparation for the second step of deceiving Jingni.

Jingni was stunned for a moment upon seeing this, not expecting that her nominal husband would know how to cultivate internal energy.

Should we tell Hu Ji about this?

If Hu Ji later discovers that Cao Ze can cultivate, and she fails to report it, she will obviously be punished, and may even be replaced by Cao Ze.

For a moment, Jingni stared at the dim lights, caught in a dilemma.

……

The night was moonless, desolate and bleak.

Xianyang, the capital of the Qin state, the residence of the Prime Minister.

Inside the study, the bronze lamp shone brightly, and the incense burner emitted wisps of smoke.

Old Zheng waved his hand, dismissing Li Wu who had come to deliver the intelligence.

"Prime Minister Lü, Pang Nuan has already arrived in Wei and is currently lobbying the King of Wei. What do you think should be done with Wei Yong?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Buwei, who was now in his fifties, said, "I have already had Yan Ri reach an agreement with him. He is a smart man and knows what he should and shouldn't do."

Old Master Zheng laughed and said, "Master is a prophet; this alliance of states is bound to fail."

Wearing a brocade robe, Lü Buwei strolled to the sandalwood window and gazed at the dim night sky.

"Because of the alliance, His Majesty now intends to bring the royal family, specifically Cheng Jiao, who was granted the title of Lord Chang'an, into the army. If His Majesty grants his wish, he could appoint a mere youth as a general of Qin..."

As soon as Lü Buwei finished speaking, he turned around, looked at the old man who had followed him for thirty years, and said quietly, "This alliance of states cannot fail, nor can it succeed too quickly. I need some time to plan in order to have a greater chance of completely controlling the Qin state, as well as... its military power."

Facing Old Man Zheng, he made no attempt to conceal his growing ambition.

His self-compiled "Lüshi Chunqiu" is nearing completion, and whenever he reads about the division of Jin into three states and the replacement of Qi by the Tian family, it is hard not to relate to the events.

But the Qin state of today is neither the Jin state of the past nor the Qi state of the past, and the Lü clan is no longer a prestigious and powerful family.

He will not cling to outdated methods, nor will he overestimate his abilities.

He needs to find a workable method.

This is another layer of meaning behind his compilation of "Lüshi Chunqiu".

As a businessman at heart, he dared to gamble on the rise of the extraordinary person based on a single idea.

Now, given the chance to see hope, he's willing to gamble on becoming the King of Qin! The Lü family will become royalty!

If he couldn't find it, so be it; he believed that his self-compiled "Lüshi Chunqiu" was enough to make him famous for generations.

If we can find...

The saying goes, "He who steals a hook is punished, but he who steals a country becomes a prince!"

It's not impossible for him to create his own true Lü Family Annals!

Old Master Zheng immediately knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground, and said, "I am willing to die for Prime Minister Lü!"

Back then, he chose to follow the young Lü Buwei in the State of Wei because he was captivated by Lü Buwei's personal charm. Even though he was only a half-step Grandmaster, he was willing to stay by Lü Buwei's side and protect him with his life.

Lü Buwei turned around and helped Old Man Zheng up with both hands. “Old man, there’s no need for this between us. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

If we're really talking about it, Old Man Zheng is his relative, so he's considered his elder.

When he escaped Handan with Ying Yiren, they were caught up by Zhao soldiers.

If it weren't for Old Man Zheng's initiative to stay behind and hold off the enemy, it's hard to say whether he and Ying Yiren would have been able to return to Qin unscathed during the Battle of Changping, given the long-standing enmity between Qin and Zhao.

Old Master Zheng thought for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "Prime Minister Lü, the Luo Wang assassins are currently short-handed, so why send Jing Ni to the Wolf Clan? Those grassland people are hardly a threat. Besides, how could they possibly join the alliance with the other states?"

Lü Buwei chuckled and said, "You're mistaken. I've always told you to read the Lüshi Chunqiu that I compiled whenever you have free time, but you just don't care."

As they were talking, Lü Buwei stopped at a bookshelf, took out a somewhat old book from an exquisite cloth bag, which was covered with ink stains, red annotations, and some knife and pen marks, and placed it in Old Man Zheng's hands.

In the third year of King Shenjing of Zhou and the seventh year of King Huiwen (318 BC), Han, Zhao, Wei, Yan, and Qi led the Wolf Clan to jointly attack Qin. This was the first time that the states had formed an alliance to attack Qin, and it was orchestrated by Guigu Gongsun Yan, who initiated the "Five States Mutual Kingship" movement.

"Pang Nuan, who is promoting the alliance this time, is not only a great military strategist, but also, like Gongsun Yan, a master of diplomacy. Do you think he and Lord Chunshen have any confidence in sending envoys to the Wolf Clan, and whether the Wolf Clan will agree?" (Note: The Wolf Clan in the Qin Dynasty was a collective term for the Hu people, Xiongnu, etc. This excerpt is from "Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of Qin")

Finally, Lü Buwei paused slightly and said, "Even if Pang Nuan and the others are not confident, I must eliminate the Wolf Clan, this outsider force, first."

The commander of the border troops or the general who leads a troop of a region is called a Supreme General.

A general is a commander who leads the domestic army and has the authority to control the border troops.

There are many generals in the Qin state now, but the position of Grand General has remained undecided since the death of Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi, for various reasons. It has been brought up again in the last two years.

The two most formidable competitors for the position of Grand General are Meng Ao of the Meng family and Wang Jian of the Wang family.

Meng Ao has always been close to the royal family, and this year he was transferred to the frontier to guard the border.

If the wolf tribe were to attack, this would be handing Meng Ao a victory.

Meng Ao is a senior general with high merit and strong ability, and it is easy for him to be promoted to the position of Grand General after the war of alliance.

The Wang family's attitude is currently unclear; compared to Meng Ao, they prefer Wang Jian to be the Grand General.

Before long, Old Man Zheng finished reading the letter and exclaimed in realization, "So that's how it is. The State of Zhao has many ties with the various Hu tribes. Ever since King Wuling of Zhao promoted the adoption of Hu clothing and cavalry archery, the Hu culture has become even more prevalent. It's not impossible for the wolf tribe to get involved. We really need to be wary of alliances at all times."

Lü Buwei remained silent, gazing wistfully out the window.

Last time, the alliance of states led by Lord Xinling (Wei Wuji) resulted in the defeat of the Qin state, but fortunately, it did not fundamentally damage the Qin state.

However, in the same year, King Zhuangxiang, Ying Yiren, died prematurely.

From the reign of King Zhaoxiang onwards, within just a few years, three Qin kings died in succession, resulting in regime changes and a state of uncertainty due to the young rulers.

In order to consolidate his position and prevent the Qin state from being taken advantage of, he had no choice but to keep a low profile and accumulate a good reputation. Only in these years did he truly gain control of the Qin court and the country.

However, due to the national conditions and military system of the Qin state, military power was nominally controlled by the King of Qin and was highly centralized.

Even though he enjoyed the deep trust of King Zhuangxiang and King Zheng of Qin, it was still difficult for him to truly hold military power in his own hands.

This makes one admire the wisdom of Lord Shang and the subsequent Kings of Qin.

Many lessons were learned from the Tian family's usurpation of the Qi state and the division of Jin into three states.

He thought about it a lot, but none of the solutions were effective.

For him, the division of Jin into three kingdoms and the replacement of Qi with Tian was a case of the predecessor cutting down trees, and the successor suffering the consequences.

Now, he has established a strong foothold in the Qin state and has a solid foundation.

This alliance of states presented him with an opportunity—a legitimate chance to truly gain control of Qin's military power.

Hopefully, Wang Jian of the Wang family will make a wise choice.

Whether his ideals in the Lüshi Chunqiu can be realized depends on this.

……

P.S.: This is a bit wordy. I've revised it several times, and I don't know how to delete or edit it anymore. Sigh~

The main problem is that I still can't figure out what was wrong with Lü Buwei that he would send Xuan Jian and Wang Yi to assassinate Ying Zheng...

It can only be speculated that, having killed Cheng Jiao first and then Ying Zheng, and holding considerable power, coupled with the fact that the feudal system was not as perfect as that of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and with the precedent of the Tian family usurping the Qi throne, it would be strange if he didn't have designs on the throne...

Chapter 6 I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean.

The north wind swept across the land, and the grassland under the night sky was stirred up by the cold wind into a green wave, but unfortunately no one saw it or appreciated it.