Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 315

Today, the butcher was quite reserved, a stark contrast to his cheerful demeanor when he was invited by Fusu and greeted the palace chefs with smiles. No one found this strange, after all, he was to be tested tonight.

As the temporary head chef, if Paoding performs well today, he will be rewarded by Fusu. However, if something goes wrong, his fate will be hard to predict... It would be thanks to His Majesty's mercy that he survives.

It was true that the butcher was flustered, but it wasn't because the emperor was coming: it was just that he never got nervous as long as he held a cleaver in his hand when cooking. He was quite confident in this skill, even when the diner was Ying Zheng, the greatest enemy of the Mohists!

What truly unsettled him was that when he left his residence that morning, a passing eunuch slipped a packet of suspicious powder into his hand.

From the moment Fusu decided to use Paoding, Paoding was cut off from all contact with the outside world, and all his belongings were confiscated and replaced before he was placed in the imperial kitchen. No outsiders or objects were allowed to interfere with his work.

He initially didn't know whether this was a blessing or a curse. As a cook, gathering intelligence for the Mohists was all he could do. Now, suddenly caught in this situation, the cook lacked the wisdom to create additional variables that aligned with the Mohists' interests.

Therefore, the chef's original plan was simply to prepare the dinner properly and not to worry about anything else.

But when the sleeping powder inscribed with the Mohist cryptic code was delivered to him, along with the detailed instructions written on the package, the butcher's plans changed...

'The level of the secret message is the Giant's Token. Was it someone Xiao Gao arranged to contact me...?'

'How could our Mohist school have the ability to plant an accomplice among the heavily guarded imperial kitchens of Qin?'

The butcher did not doubt the possibility that the secret message was bait, not because the secret message was highly confidential, but because the enemy had no reason to do so.

The enemy of the Mohists was the Qin state, but if the Qin state knew the true identity of the butcher, they could simply imprison him. Why bother to manipulate and instruct him to poison the banquet in preparation for Ying Zheng's arrival? Moreover, even if it was a trap, the butcher would never want to miss the opportunity.

He was unable to participate in the assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang due to insufficient strength, but now another assassination attempt was placed before him, and the method was still the simple act of cooking...

Butcher Ding was determined to follow the instructions on the paper package: it said that it would take him out of danger as soon as the banquet started and prevent him from being captured by the Qin army, but that didn't matter. Whether he could leave after the action or not, he had to do it!

...

His Majesty the Emperor's palace is not located within the city of Sanghai, but rather on a martial law-controlled seaside outside the city, where a grand palace complex exists.

Sanghai City is not small, but it is ultimately not large enough to accommodate the ruler of the world.

Therefore, the emperor would only hold banquets at Sanghai, but would not linger there afterward.

Therefore, if someone wanted to assassinate Ying Zheng in this area, the best opportunity would be during the distance he traveled back to the palace after the banquet.

However, the distance was too short, and there were not many places to ambush. Qin had naturally taken this into account, and all places along the route where ambushes could be set up were leveled and troops were stationed there in advance.

Assassination during the journey was impossible, and the chances of assassinating someone within Sanghai City or the imperial palace were even slimmer...

Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin was already the limit that ordinary people could achieve, while Qinglong's assassination attempt on the King of Qin relied on the power of mechanical beasts.

The former had no chance to come again, and the latter, even if it still had a blue dragon, could not hide it in the city or the palace in advance.

"But if the assassins themselves came from within the Qin army, and the imperial chefs had the opportunity to poison the food, then the assassination would have succeeded."

At the highest point of the back mountain of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, Lu Wei and Zhang Liang set up a banquet, following the example of the Qianjilou group last time, and drank and made merry here.

As the head of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, Fu Nian is an indispensable and important figure in Sanghai City, and it is only natural that he should accompany Fu Su to welcome His Majesty the Emperor.

Although martial law was imposed in Sanghai City early in the morning, it did not prevent Lu Wei from already being at Xiaoshengxianzhuang before the martial law was imposed.

"Brother Lu deserves immense credit for the smooth operation of the Luo Wang." Zhang Liang first poured wine for the leader of the Farmer's Clan before serving himself: "Brother Lu eliminated all possible obstacles for Luo Wang beforehand and actively contacted Manager Ding for them. Such an assassination... even if the target really was Ying Zheng, would have a success rate of no less than 30%."

"Unfortunately, Luo Wang was unwilling; their primary target remained Fusu."

At this point, Zhang Liang shook his head with a hint of regret.

"By using Fusu to distract Ying Zheng, we can prevent him from immediately noticing what we are doing on the mirage. So, although Luo Wang seems to have a slight advantage in this deal, it is still essential for us and cannot be viewed as a simple division of benefits."

"Sip the warm wine slowly," Lu Wei said nonchalantly.

“Indeed, if the Luo Wang hadn’t intervened, Fu Su and Li Si’s reports would likely have been seen by Ying Zheng before the Qinglong assassination.” Zhang Liang said seriously, “The Luo Wang’s collusion with the Farmer School has actually managed to deceive even the supreme emperor of this empire. Even with the facts right in front of us, I find it hard to believe.”

"Ying Zheng's abilities are indeed outstanding among monarchs, but he has had too many things to do since the beginning of the year."

"Imperial affairs, preparations for the eastern tour, the wolf tribe in the north, the Baiyue in the south, the death of Zhang Han, the departure of the mirage, the assassination attempt by the Azure Dragon, the infighting among his sons... Each of these issues would consume Ying Zheng's energy for a long time. He could not concentrate on resolving any old issues immediately, and new problems would quickly emerge, which severely numbed his reaction ability."

Lu Wei broadened his vision: "Ultimately, the emergence of these problems has demonstrated that the empire's rule is beginning to falter, and we need to add fuel to the fire on this basis."

Zhang Liang agreed with Lu Wei's assessment, but also had some concerns: "Fusu has considerable support in the Qin court and among the people. Tonight's assassination attempt, which implicates Fusu, will definitely cause some turmoil in Xianyang... However, as long as Ying Zheng is still alive, these disturbances will not be too great."

"So, if Ying Zheng were to suddenly and mysteriously die, Zifang, what do you think would happen to this country next?"

“If Ying Zheng dies... if Luo Wang wants to support Hu Hai to secure that position, they will definitely carry out a massacre in the court... Brother Lu, will you join forces with Luo Wang to kill Ying Zheng again?” Zhang Liang paused in his wine-scooping motion. He believed that his general prediction was very likely, but there were still many questions about the details.

Since the assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang by Qinglong, Ying Zheng has continued to use Zhao Gao and Luo Wang, but he has developed suspicions about the organization, and these suspicions will only grow stronger after tonight.

The Luo Wang organization will definitely want to kill Ying Zheng tonight, but firstly, they won't be in such a hurry; secondly, they may not have the opportunity to make a move; and thirdly, even if they do make a move, Zhao Gao will try his best to make it flawless.

After all, if His Majesty the First Emperor had been assassinated, the explanation would not have been easy. If the peasants were even slightly suspected of involvement, the Luo Wang (a powerful organization) would immediately shift all the blame onto them. This way, even if Zhao Gao wanted to purge the court, he would first use the peasants as a tool to win over the hearts of the Qin people.

There were too many variables surrounding Ying Zheng's assassination. The only reason why the struggle was concentrated within the Qin state was that he died of natural causes, or at least appeared to die of natural causes, and because the incident was sudden and few people knew about it.

"Why would I hand over my weakness to a destined enemy?" Lu Wei chuckled, dismissing Zhang Liang's guess. "Perhaps such a wonderful thing will be 'helped by heaven'."

Chapter 387 Exonerating Lord Changping

Fusu, along with Li Si, the officials of Sanghai, Fu Nian, and the Moon Goddess disguised as the Eastern Emperor, knelt down to welcome the Emperor's carriage.

Countless Qin soldiers and elite Shadow Guards and Nets were stationed around the city, their faces solemn. The entire city of Sanghai was silent. When Ying Zheng, dressed in a black dragon robe, stepped out of the carriage, a tsunami of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" resounded through the heavens and the earth. Even Lu Wei and Zhang Liang, who were on the back mountain of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, could hear the faint echoes.

A little further back, Zhao Gao squinted as he watched the Emperor, who had just begun his first question and whose sword manual was tied to his waist, stand tall and proud under the watchful eyes of the crowd. He raised his hand to signal the crowd to rise, and the dark mass of people undulated like waves with the Emperor's gesture, which stirred something within him as well.

'Unfortunately, the script for tonight has already been arranged, and this is all the time you have left.'

Staring directly at Fusu at the front of the crowd, Zhao Yaning, suppressing his desire for power, habitually curled a 'everything is under control' smile at the corner of his mouth before turning away into the darkness.

The Six Sword Slaves made way for Zhao Gao, who was not of a high enough rank to attend the banquet. Moreover, although Ying Zheng had lifted the investigation and imprisonment of Luo Wang after Meng Yi's report, the obvious sense of alienation made Zhao Gao feel that time was running out.

Tonight, his task is simply to keep watch around with the Six Sword Slaves, which is fine. In this predetermined ending, far from the center of the drama, Luo Wang can be the best audience.

'Lu Wei's current actions are blatantly strengthening the Luo Wang organization. Admittedly, this involves an exchange in which I cover for the Yin Yang School's affairs, but regardless, the Luo Wang organization has gained more and will ultimately seize the initiative...'

At this moment, Zhao Gao thought of that peasant chivalrous leader again, and his face couldn't help but show full of fear:

'This isn't like him. What other tricks does that person have up his sleeve...?'

'I'm plotting to seize this empire, but what is his ultimate goal...?'

'Regardless, the cooperation must continue tonight.'

With no solution to his problem, Zhao Gao expressionlessly raised his hand and made a gesture to the Six Sword Slaves. Zhen Gang and Duan Shui, two of the Six Sword Slaves, immediately disappeared.

Since its formation, the six-in-one combination has rarely been broken up. Now, undercurrents are surging in Sanghai City. The individual strength of the six sword slaves is far from enough to make a decisive move when they are separated. However, there are no other subordinates who are trustworthy enough, so he has no choice but to use the six people separately.

Compared to tonight's reward, this risk will be well worth it.

Zhengang and Duanshui circled around the corner of the banquet venue to the kitchen, trying their best to stay within the territory of the Luowang network and not reveal their whereabouts in the slightest.

In the bustling imperial kitchen, seizing the moment when there were few people, they silently launched hidden weapons to strike the two cooks' pressure points. The assistant was suddenly attacked, which startled the cook. Before he could react, the two swordsmen of the Luowang appeared in front of him.

The butcher recognized the assassin's attire at a glance. His cleaver instinctively moved, as if he were about to unleash a powerful, slicing attack. Then, to his shock, he heard Zhen Gang coldly say:

"The elaborate decorations are ordained to teach the simple and ignorant masses!"

The blade stopped abruptly, and Paoding's eyes nearly popped out: he never expected that the person who came to rescue him would be one of the Six Sword Slaves from the Luo Net!

The sentence that Zhengang said was the secret code on the packet of medicine powder earlier, which came from the book "Mozi"... Hearing the assassin from Luowang read it aloud shocked Paoding, and he also felt that it was very strange.

"Ying Zheng will arrive soon. After you're done with this, find an opportunity to go to the back room, and we'll take you away."

Duan Shui kept watch at the door, while Zhengang patiently explained the next steps to Paoding. Then, a few breaths before someone entered the kitchen, the two of them unsealed the chef's acupoints and vanished.

"His Majesty the Emperor is almost at the central courtyard, why are you still dawdling here? Hurry up!"

The newly arrived chef, seeing that the butcher and his two assistants, who were scratching their heads in a daze, were both standing there in a daze, couldn't help but raise his voice to urge them on. The butcher suppressed the complicated feelings in his heart, smiled and agreed, while patting his assistants' heads hard: "You can even be distracted while chopping a side dish. If His Majesty the Emperor gets angry because the dishes are late, you know the consequences!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll speed things up right away." The two assistants, no longer bothered by their sudden mental blank, quickly shook their heads to clear their minds and picked up the kitchen knife from the table again...

Seeing no surprise, Zhen Gang and Duan Shui secretly sheathed their swords and retreated from the shadows.

Releasing the butcher afterward was part of the plan agreed upon by the peasant hero and the magistrate of the Imperial Carriage Office. Neither side wanted the butcher to be captured alive, even though the butcher himself was confident he could withstand the Qin army's interrogation.

Only by making him disappear could Zhao Gao avoid future troubles and pin all the blame on Fusu. Normally, according to the conventions of the Luo Wang organization, killing someone to silence them would be the safest and most thorough way to do so. However, since this was a collaboration between the two sides, Zhao Gao had to consider the attitude of the peasant faction. In the end, he chose to let the man go.

Cook Ding was just a cook; once he was released, that was that. There was no need for Luo Wang to create further conflict with the farmers over such a person at this time.

In comparison, these two clueless assistants were just ordinary imperial chefs, and they would still die after the master chef left!

...

In the resplendent hall where the banquet was held, Ying Zheng sat high on the main seat, his expression solemn and his demeanor extraordinary.

The crystal-clear glass goblets hanging in the main hall complement the bright pearls, while the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments captivate the senses.

Below the emperor were two rows of officials of various ranks, with Li Si leading one side and Prince Fusu and Huhai, the first and second sons, leading the other side.

Fu Nian was also among the seated passengers, and his position was relatively close to the front. He didn't know the details of what would happen tonight, but he knew that something was bound to happen tonight.

Remembering Lu Wei's instructions, Fu Nian understood that he only needed to attend the banquet as usual and didn't need to worry about anything else.

The Moon Goddess, disguised as the Eastern Emperor, did not appear at the banquet. After initially participating in the welcoming ceremony, she immediately requested to leave, which was approved by Ying Zheng. The Yin-Yang School has always been like this over the years. They cooperate with the Qin State, but resolutely do not participate in the court. Their status as the Grand Preceptor is more of an honorary title. Ying Zheng was quite satisfied with their performance.

Besides Fu Nian, the only other person at the banquet who knew what was about to happen was Hu Hai. His heterochromatic eyes were filled with eagerness, and his gaze toward his 'elder brother' was filled with a different kind of emotion.

These minor details did not escape the eyes of the First Emperor at the top: the eldest son waited humbly and politely for the banquet to begin, while the eighteenth son lurked behind the scenes, eager to seize his brother's position. He did not like the behavior of either of them.

Moreover, although Ying Zheng was unaware of the schemes of the Luo Wang and the Farmer's School, his intuition told him that this banquet would not be simple.

The reason is simple: tonight's banquet was arranged by Fusu himself. It is said that he even personally found a chef from the common people to cook for the banquet, and Li Si did not inquire about the contents of the banquet at all. This is unusual enough.

Of course, this alone doesn't prove anything, because there's no clear evidence pointing to anything. However, some information gathered in advance by the Shadow Guards and the Net confirmed Ying Zheng's intuition:

Rumors circulate among the people of Sanghai: The eldest son of the emperor, Fusu, harbors ambitions of rebellion!

This news was definitely not released out of nowhere. Given Li Si's abilities, he most likely heard the rumors beforehand and intentionally avoided contact with Fusu. As for Fusu himself, he obviously did not have enough sources to let him hear this rumor.

This is a major drawback...

After the exquisite dishes were served one by one by the neatly dressed maids, the banquet officially began. As the eldest son, Fusu first led the court officials to toast His Majesty the Emperor. Just as this set of actions was completed, a strange noise was suddenly heard outside the hall.

The courtiers were astonished, but Ying Zheng's gaze turned to Fusu's actions, and he saw that Fusu was also quite taken aback.

Just as the commotion outside the hall drew people's attention, the magistrate of Sanghai County, who was seated at the back, suddenly jumped out. He slid a short dagger from his sleeve and rushed towards Ying Zheng, who was sitting on the high seat.

At the same time, he shouted:

"To rid the people of tyranny and to clear the name of Lord Changping!"

Chapter 388 After the Assassination

The fact that the magistrate of Sanghai County could be considered a traitor was already a scandal, but the name he shouted on top of that made Ying Zheng even more furious.