Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 136

"Hehe~" Chu Nan Gong raised his hand to stroke his beard and chuckled like an old child: "Teaching you some small tricks is not difficult, after all, Lu boy has always been very respectful to this old man, right?"

Lu Wei remained respectfully smiling and silent, guessing that there would be a 'but' coming next.

“But…” Chu Nan Gong uttered that word as expected, and turned to slowly walk into the crowd. The crowd’s eyes were still focused on the center of the shamanic dance area lit by torches, but they all spontaneously made way for the old man:

"Old man, I lost my old walking stick a few days ago on Qiguang Street. Sigh, it was my old companion of thirty years. Since losing it, I haven't been able to eat or drink..."

"Young man Lu, after 1-3 AM these next few days, why don't you look for me on Qiguang Street? This old man is getting old and can't stay up late at night anymore."

As the last word faded, Chu Nan swayed as he walked out of the crowd, the path he had created immediately filled by passersby...

'Crutch, Qiguang Street, 1-3 AM...'

After Chu Nan Gong left, Lu Wei's presence naturally returned to the normal world, startling the passersby: Why did a young man suddenly appear in front of them?

The sect leader ignored this and pondered as he squeezed out of the shamanic dance crowd.

When I left Xiang Bo's residence, it was 7 PM. It was not yet 9 PM, and there were still two hours until 1 AM, which would be the middle of the night.

The thing they were looking for for Chu Nan Gong late at night certainly wasn't some walking stick that had been with him for thirty years. The fact that they were "looking for" it during that time period definitely meant they were looking for some shady character!

Qiguang Street is also a very interesting location.

It is probably taken from the line "蹇将憺兮寿宫，与日月兮齐光" in the poem "Nine Songs: Lord of the Clouds".

There was only one building there, which was General Xiang Yan's mansion.

Chu Nan Gong hoped to discover the identity of the 'crutch' who frequented the General's Mansion late at night and was someone who couldn't be seen by outsiders. Based on this analysis, even without going to the site, he could deduce from the secrets he knew that the target was most likely someone from Changping Jun's faction!

Deducing the target is not the main point. The main point is that Chu Nan Gong asked him to discover the connection between Changping Jun and Xiang Yan. How does he expect him to react?

"This wise man from Chu never directly expressed his attitude towards the current situation, but judging from his later actions, the Chu Nan Guild stood on the side of the anti-Qin alliance..."

Lost in thought, Lu Wei, head held high, found a karaoke bar to listen to music. As midnight approached, he left the Yunmeng Market and headed straight for Qiguang Street.

Chu Nan Gong's intentions were roughly clear in advance, so let's go through his task according to the procedure first, collect more information and see the results.

Who knows, we might get some unexpected surprises!

------

Crown Prince Dan of Yan murdered his king in public. Afterwards, instead of following the usual procedures of sealing off the palace, controlling the officials, and ascending the throne, he foolishly walked out of the palace and returned to his own residence, which gave the powerful and influential an opportunity to cause trouble.

Under the command of the remnants of the former Yan Chunjun, the royal guards surrounded the Crown Prince's residence in the dead of night, determined to capture Crown Prince Dan and execute the treacherous regicide.

Regardless of whether there was any familial affection involved, the death of King Xi of Yan was definitely a good thing for King Dan of Yan, as he could rightfully seize power in the country.

But if Yan King Xi were assassinated by him personally, that would be a completely different story: Yan Dan would not only lose his legitimacy to succeed to the throne, but the current urgent situation of allying with Zhao to attack Qin would also be ruined due to the internal strife in Yan!

The anti-Qin plan will also be shattered into nothingness...

Although the vanguard at the front was wiped out, the main force of the Yan state was not damaged, and it was not afraid to maintain a stalemate with the Qin state.

The remnants of Zhao's army in Daidi are gathering soldiers and recruiting new soldiers. With a little more preparation, they can rejoin the battlefield.

The defensive line organized by Zhao Yi, the "Little Lord of Pingyuan," at Handan City was quite solid, and the Qin army had no way to break through it in the short term. Moreover, with the Yan army watching from behind, even if Wang Jian had the advantage, he dared not launch a full-scale attack on the city.

The longer the conflict drags on, the greater the chance of a change in the political landscape. The states of Qi, Wei, and Chu, seeing that the Qin army has been unable to defeat Yan and Zhao for so long, will inevitably begin to harbor ambitions of rebellion.

The anti-Qin side sent people to persuade Qin in many ways, because if any state made a move, it would affect the whole Qin state!

They should have had a chance to defeat the Qin army!

With his mind on the front lines, Prince Dan had no time to grieve for his deceased father when faced with the palace guards surrounding his residence. He was only thinking about how to resolve the immediate crisis.

“Feiyan acted hastily, so there must be flaws. I have stayed in the manor all night, and the guards and maids inside can all be witnesses, but those people outside will not listen to my explanation.”

Yan Dan knew very well that whether he had done it or not was irrelevant now. The forces opposing him only needed a reason, and Dongjun of the Yin Yang School had provided one for them. Even if there were flaws at the crime scene, they would thoughtfully cover them up.

"I ultimately neglected to establish a network of spies within the palace..."

The biggest lack of preparation that led to the current situation was receiving the news too late.

"Your Highness, the palace guards outside..."

The head guard, who had sent men to guard the gate, rushed to report the situation to His Highness the Crown Prince, but was stopped in his tracks by the latter raising his hand:

“I know they are rebels, we don’t need to pay attention to what they say.” Yan Dan, with his right hand behind his back, quickly made a decision: “Give weapons to the maids as well, and do everything you can to defend the mansion. Grand Tutor Ju will soon bring troops to the rescue.”

There was no time or opportunity to explain things clearly. He had to stabilize the situation in Jicheng tonight and seize the opportunity to become the King of Yan. Only in this way could he ensure that the anti-Qin plan could proceed normally, investigate the true cause of his father's death, and avenge his father!

"Feiyan, if you hate me, why don't you kill me instead of hurting other innocent people!"

Watching the head guard resolutely set up the defenses, Yan Dan's gaze sharpened, and she gripped the ink-black eyebrow tightly.

Six-Fingered Black Knight, Yan Yi, and Prince Xi of Yan.

Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School has killed three people important to him, and his past relationship with her is completely severed!

Yan Dan's trusted confidants and several Mohist leaders were mostly sent to the front lines of the Yan army. However, in order to ensure his control over Ji City, he left a thousand-man force and a mechanical white tiger belonging to Master Ban of the Mohist School outside the city, which were then handed over to his teacher Ju Wu's trusted confidants.

News from the royal palace could not be kept from Ju Wu. As long as the army sent to quell the rebellion outside the city entered, they could easily defeat the royal guards, who were mostly sons of nobles.

The crisis cannot wait until dawn; we must seize complete control of Jicheng before sunrise!

The bustling scene at the Crown Prince's residence was observed by Consort Yan, who stood high on the rooftop. She smiled as she watched the crisis facing Yan Dan, knowing that he would likely be alright tonight, but this was only the beginning.

"You killed your own father, and this country will naturally be destroyed by Qin because of your foolish actions."

"Then Ju Wu and the Mo family will be destroyed one by one because of you." Yin Yang School's Dongjun turned and disappeared into the darkness. She was very happy today!

"The Moon Goddess hasn't returned to Ji City. Has something happened in Xianyang...?"

...

The night in Shouchun City, on Qiguang Street, is far less lively than at Yunmeng Market.

This is the headquarters of the Xiang clan, known as the 'strongest,' and also the headquarters of the Chu military.

Armored soldiers patrolled continuously outside for twelve hours a day. Compared to the Wu'an Jun Mansion that I had visited in Handan City, this place was like a heavily fortified fortress.

But even in such a heavily fortified fortress, there was a small time gap in the patrol routes of its soldiers:

The beginning and end of these three periods, from Chou Shi (1-3 AM) to Mao Shi (5-7 AM), would expose patrol loopholes for about half an incense stick's time, allowing those with ulterior motives to cross the western wall of the General's Mansion into the mansion.

This data is the result of Lu Wei's observation over two nights.

On the third night, under his knowing gaze, a man in black indeed skillfully climbed into the General's mansion at the end of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

"The cane has been found!"

The lord did not follow the man in black into the mansion, because there were other guards behind the leaky wall, and if it was not a regular person going in and out, they would definitely be attacked.

All he needs to do now is wait for the man in black to come out again, note the time he comes out, and then he can go to find Chu Nan Gong to collect his 'Hidden in the City'!

Chapter 157 Another incident occurred

As Changping Jun's schemes expanded in scope, they began to reveal subtle flaws. From the Moon Goddess to the current Duke of Chu Nan, they all, for various reasons, noticed the ulterior motives of the Right Chancellor of Qin.

Especially Chu Nan Gong, this little old man, who looks kind and gentle, has no connection with the courts of various countries, and has no power of his own, yet he has already clearly grasped the timing of Changping Jun's contact with Xiang Yan.

Even if the liaisons sent by Lord Changping were all assassins, difficult to capture alive through normal means, or even if captured alive, it would be impossible to learn the mastermind from them, his target was the most powerful nation in the Central Plains, possessing far too many unorthodox methods...

The risks taken by Lord Changping were considerable, yet the confidence he has in doing all this now stems precisely from King Zheng of Qin's trust in him, his "brother-in-law."

Fusu, the eldest son of the current King of Qin, is, in terms of ethics, the nephew of Lord Changping.

They are a family; the deeper the trust they have now, the more devastating the betrayal will be in the future.

"Master Nan, I couldn't find your walking stick, so I made one myself. Would you like to try it out and see if it fits your hand?"

The man in black stayed inside the general's mansion for two hours before coming out.

This man was very cautious. He first changed into a set of coarse linen clothes in a house in Shouchun, and then left the city through the east gate at dawn. He walked about a hundred miles in the direction of Qi, and then mounted his horse in a country inn and headed straight for Qin.

Theoretically, to accurately ascertain this guy's identity, one could follow him for a few more days, but Lu Wei already had the answer in mind, and the evidence was sufficient for the time being.

Moreover, when he was hanging far behind this man in the morning, he saw Chu Nan Gong playing chess with someone at the East Gate without making a sound.

From that moment on, he knew he had found Master Nan's 'crutch'.

After nightfall, Lu Weihao found Chu Nangong again in the Yunmeng Market. He shoved a white jade cane into the short old man's hand with an air of righteous indignation, shamelessly claiming that the obviously precious treasure was made by his own hands.

Upon hearing this performance, Chu Nan Gong chuckled without batting an eye, gesturing to the feel of his white jade cane: "My old cane has a history of thirty-one years. It's made entirely of Qin black kingwood, and a Chu Qiming gemstone is inlaid three inches below the handle—a truly rare treasure!"

"It's a shame to lose it, but every cloud has a silver lining. Your jade cane is not bad."

"Yes, it's quite good."

Nan Gong casually tossed the walking stick he had brought with him into Lu Wei's arms: "This temporary wooden stick is for you. I'll use this jade staff from now on."

The two met today on an ordinary street; watching the shrine maiden dance every day was rather uninteresting.

An old man and a young boy walked slowly along the road of Yunmeng Market. After walking about a hundred steps, Nan Gong's aged voice sounded again, tinged with doubt:

"Is there anything else, young man Lu?"

"Nothing much, just accompanying Master Nan for a walk."

Lu Wei tucked the wooden cane that Nan Gong had tossed to him into the side of the Devouring Sea Sword, and after Chu Nan Gong spoke, he became quite interested:

"But since you've asked, Master Nan, I do recall some things."

Without waiting for the old man to react, he quickened his pace:

"I'll be going to Mount Shu in a few days. Does Master Nan have any teachings for me?"

The Moon Goddess had previously spread the news that Lord Yunzhong had gone to Sanghai in the hope of diverting Lord Lu's attention and causing him to abandon his trip to Mount Shu.

However, Lu Wei did not change his itinerary.

What is the value of Yun Zhongjun? Yun Zhongjun's value lies in the fact that his elixirs are highly trusted by the King of Qin.

This is something worth considering and utilizing, but it's very difficult for Yun Zhongjun himself to exert control over it.

This man was also ambitious. His Mirage Project was not intended to help the King of Qin achieve immortality, nor was it intended to help the Yin-Yang School. He was only pursuing his own ambitions.

This is understandable. The problem is that Yun Zhongjun's personality means he is not subject to external constraints, while other methods such as poison pill control and mind control are risky.

Yun Zhongjun himself is a master alchemist, and he neutralized the risk of the poison pill himself. As for mind control, the Yin-Yang School specializes in this skill, and the unfathomable Eastern Emperor Lu Wei doesn't want to confront him yet.

Compared to the risk of prematurely revealing his intentions, Lu Wei has a safer way to carry out his plan.

Ultimately, what he wanted to change were the elixirs offered to the King of Qin. Why control the alchemists when he could simply control the properties of the elixirs?

Controlling the pills is not difficult; one can simply start with the raw materials.