Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 829 The Eve of the Attack on Chu
  Qin State, Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace, inside the study room of King Qin Yingzheng.

Zhang Han bowed slightly and reported to Ying Zheng the contents of his previous conversation with Gu Xun in clear words.

The focus is naturally Gu Xun's suspicion of Changping Lord Xiong Qi.

Although the relationship between the two is much closer now, the king's affairs cannot be left behind, and what should be reported must still be reported meticulously.

Ying Zheng sat behind the desk, reading the memorial and listening to Zhang Han's report without missing a beat.

After Zhang Han finished speaking, Ying Zheng finally put down his work temporarily, looked up at him, and asked:
  "So, the National Preceptor told you that the focus is to find traces, not evidence?"

Zhang Han thought for a moment and thought that this was correct, so he nodded, "This is my personal feeling, it is indeed true."

"The Imperial Master seems to have determined that there is something wrong with Lord Changping, but he has no intention of exposing it."

Although Gu Xun ordered him to keep an eye on Lord Changping around the clock, he never asked Zhang Han to hold on to evidence of Lord Changping's treason.

What he wanted to know was what Xiong Qi, the Lord of Changping, had done.

Ying Zheng received an affirmative reply, the corner of his mouth moved slightly, and his smile disappeared fleetingly.

"In that case, you should follow the instructions of the National Master. The entire staff of the Shadow Guards can be freely mobilized at your discretion."

"General, I obey!" Zhang Han immediately bowed and accepted the order, and then left here.

Ying Zheng glanced at the empty hall, lowered his head again, and concentrated on political affairs, but he couldn't help but murmur to himself:
  Xiong Qi... the farmer... is quite interesting.

In Ying Zheng's view, what Gu Xun ordered Zhang Han did not match his usual style of conduct.

Since Gu Xun has determined that there is something wrong with Xiong Qi, he can turn over the table first and then investigate slowly.

At this point, Ying Zheng, as a feudal monarch, is undoubtedly more aware than Gu Xun.

evidence?

If there is a problem, people are afraid that they will not be able to find the problem after they are arrested.

Even if you don't consider the solution to get things done, it's just as easy to do it in a more relaxed way.

With Gu Xun's strength, Xiong Qi's mansion is equivalent to the back garden of the Imperial Prefect's mansion. It can be said that he can come and go freely and safely.

He was determined to investigate, and it was difficult for Xiong Qi to guarantee that he could hide the other party's information without leaking any flaws.

But Gu Xun chose to find Zhang Han to investigate secretly.

Is there anything Zhang Han is better than him?

Have.

The first point is that if Zhang Han comes to investigate, if he really gains something, he can avoid Gu Xun being criticized.

The Shadow Secret Guards were formed under the personal order of Ying Zheng, and they can be said to be the cronies of the King of Qin. The things they found out would not be considered as malicious false accusations against Xiong Qi by others.

But this obviously doesn't mean much to Gu Xun.

If he was such a fastidious person, Ying Zheng felt that he would not occasionally suffer from headaches because of him.

Then only the second point remains.

It is also relatively simple and unpretentious. Zhang Han has many people under his command.

Looking for Zhang Han to investigate means mobilizing the Shadow Secret Guards to investigate.

In espionage work, especially espionage work directed at clear targets, it often costs more than money.

But if you encounter a situation where you need to cast a wide net, you will naturally have to rely on a large number of manpower.

Gu Xun probably has to find the Shadow Guard to cast a wide net now.

This means that he believes that Xiong Qi has a problem, but he doesn't know what the problem is now, and at the same time he desperately wants to know.

Although he could tell him directly through Zhang Han's mouth that King Qin suspected something was wrong with Lord Changping, yet he repeatedly and Zhang Han insisted that the information he investigated must go through his hands...

He had no intention of hiding it from him, the King of Qin, but he was unwilling to let the court handle the matter...

Ying Zheng soon had a guess in his mind.

It was also because of this speculation that he chose to let it go for the time being and not interfere too much with Gu Xun's actions.

Of course, he must arrange additional manpower to verify this matter.

It is impossible for Gu Xun to say that there is a problem with Mr. Changping, so there is a problem with Mr. Changping.

Although Ying Zheng never completely believed him, but... would the right prime minister of Qin who helped him defeat Lu Buwei really rebel against Qin?
  ………………

Qin State, Chen County, the temporary residence of Changping Lord Xiong Qi.

As the head of hundreds of officials and the Right Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, Xiong Qi naturally could not always govern a small place like Chen County, so he did not build a formal mansion, but just found a place to stay.

In terms of scale, it is simple compared to the official residence in Xianyang, but it is no problem to live there temporarily. He, Xiong Qi, is not a poor and particular person.

However, this seemingly ordinary courtyard has been completely transformed inside. Not only can a large number of sentries be arranged overtly and covertly, but most importantly, there is a must-have for conspirators - secret rooms.

At this time, brothers Xiong Qi and Xiong Dian were talking in the secret room.

Xiong Qi, Lord of Changping, who was always energetic in the eyes of the Qin monarchs and ministers, could not hide the fatigue on his face at this time.

This fatigue is not so much physical as it is psychological.

The closer the plan was to launch, the more pressure he felt inside.

For so many years, the Qin State was like a big mountain, weighing heavily on the heads of the six Shandong countries. Now, the Qin State's sense of oppression was increasing day by day. Even though he was well prepared, he still couldn't help but be afraid.

As the Right Prime Minister of the Qin State, he knew better than anyone how powerful the Qin State still was at this time, even after experiencing several wars to destroy the country.

He rubbed his eye sockets and said in a solemn tone, "I have some bad feelings..."

Xiong Dian looked at Chang Pingjun's tired look and couldn't help but worry and concern, "Brother... you've been working too hard during this period, so it's better to rest more."

"Haha..." Xiong Qi showed a wry smile, "How can I sleep peacefully at this time of year..."

"But..." Xiong Dian wanted to persuade him again, but when Xiong Qi raised his hand and waved it, he had no choice but to give up.

Xiong Qi pondered for a moment, and after much hesitation, he still said, "I always feel uneasy... In the next few days, you can find a way to secretly check the situation in Chen Di to see if there are any... problems."

Xiong Dian couldn't help being surprised when he heard this, "Brother, what do you mean, is there might be spies from the Qin State here?"

"We have to guard against it!" Xiong Qi replied with a gloomy face.

If nothing goes wrong, the intelligence organizations of Qin State should not pay attention to Chen Di, but what if something goes wrong?
  Xiong Dian's face couldn't help but become solemn, and he said solemnly, "If something goes wrong, brother, I'm afraid our plan will..."

It's not that easy to stab Qin in the back. Once someone notices something, the lives of the two brothers are in danger, and all plans will come to nothing.

Xiong Qi calmed down and reassured Xiong Dian, "Don't panic, this is just my conjecture."

"Besides, even if Ying Zheng really has any suspicions, as long as he doesn't take action directly, we still have a chance."

"The choice between Wang Jian and Li Xin is an out-and-out conspiracy. Ying Zheng will definitely choose Li Xin."

After Xiong Dian heard this, his expression could not help but relax a little. Indeed, Wang Jian’s request was too outrageous, and Ying Zheng would not agree to it no matter what.

However, he still made a suggestion, "Brother, this matter is dangerous. In my opinion, it is better to send my sister-in-law, Lian'er and Xin'er away first."

Xiong Qi showed obvious emotion.

He is now as if he is jumping sideways on the edge of a cliff. If he is not careful, he will be shattered to pieces. However, this is his choice and his ambition. There is nothing to be timid and hesitant.

But he couldn't help but care about the safety of his wife and daughter.

But after hesitating for a while, Xiong Qi still sighed and rejected the proposal.

"Forget it, sending them away now would be too conspicuous."

"At this critical juncture, we must not lose our composure."

"Besides, Chendi is a safe enough place for us now. Even if there are changes, trouble may not happen."

"You must also remember that the investigation must be kept in secret and no news should be revealed." Xiong Qi emphasized the importance of concealment again at the end.

Xiong Dianwan didn't think his brother was too verbose. He had to be careful when dealing with life-threatening matters. He nodded seriously and said, "Brother, don't worry."

After the two brothers talked about the plan that had been discussed countless times, Xiong Dian left.

Xiong Qi sat alone in the dark secret room, his eyes gradually blurred, and his thoughts wandered away.

He thought of his nephew, the eldest son of Qin State, Fusu.

He has always had high hopes for Fusu.

As an important minister of the Qin State, he clearly understood the strength of this country of farming and war, so he never had the unrealistic fantasy like Yan Dan that he could strengthen the Chu State and overtake the Qin State.

After realizing Ying Zheng's world-dominating ambition, what he had always hoped for was to delay it as long as possible.

It is hoped that the six countries in Shandong can do their best to resist Qin's move eastward.

Of course, the delay he wanted was not to muddle along like Han Wangan, who was drunk and dreaming.

At that time, the six countries in Shandong had no basis for unity, so he needed time to wait for a turning point...or find ways to create opportunities on his own.

However, this option is only an option, because he also knows that the soil for the six-nation alliance almost no longer exists, and the chance of substantial change is extremely slim.

So what he hopes most for is to kill Ying Zheng and wait for the new king to ascend the throne.

This new king is of course the eldest son Fusu, and he can use his influence on Fusu to reverse Qin's aggressive trend.

He has been making preparations for this, trying to influence Fusu's ideas and make him a monarch completely different from Ying Zheng.

Things started out smoothly, but in the end, a mysterious thing appeared...

What caught him even more off guard was that Ying Zheng's efficiency was too high, or in other words... the kings of the Six Kingdoms of Shandong were too lazy!
  In just a few years, three kingdoms were destroyed, one country fled eastward, Qi State pretended to be dead, and Chu State... continued to fight among itself.

With no other choice, he had to change his original plan and prepare to jump to the bright side.

But in this case, Fusu, who has a close relationship with him, may be implicated.

Even if because of Gu Xun, the exchanges between uncle and nephew over the years have become so rare that they are almost non-existent, this negative impact is inevitable.

However, he also tried his best to rearrange his backup plan according to the existing situation. As for whether it can produce results in the future, he can only do his best and listen to fate.

"Fusu..."

………………

Qindu, Xianyang, in the new prison of Tingwei Mansion.

The Armored Sect members, headed by the Master of the Armored Sect, Dian Qing, were all temporarily imprisoned in this prison.

They were among the prisoners of Wei who were escorted to Xianyang by Wang Ben.

However, in fact, they were not specifically qualified to be sent to Xianyang. The normal process should be to send them directly to work as slaves to contribute to the infrastructure of Qin, such as... building royal tombs, or digging mines.

If someone has some connections and is willing to pay a large enough sum of money, they can also directly buy them as slaves.

Gu Xun just broke away from the relationship and paid for them to buy them over.

Of course, because the relationship was strong enough, only a small amount of money was spent, on average, about... two hundred Qin and a half Liang per person.

That’s a lot of money after all.

But because Gu Xun had not yet freed up his hands to mess with them, he used some connections to put them in jail temporarily.

It is considered a public tool for private use.

In the deepest part of the prison, the tall and burly Dian Qing was firmly locked in the cell by a heavy iron chain as thick as a child's arm. He was beaten around again and couldn't move at all.

However, for a muscular man like him who has almost reached the pinnacle of hard skills, even so many chains are still not safe, so he still needs to eat three meals of Ruanjin San in conjunction with it.

He is indeed worthy of the treatment he received. Even so, he still maintains a certain amount of physical strength. Although he cannot break free of the iron chain, he can at least move his body and wander around for a while.

In the cell opposite him, Mei Sanniang was locked up.

Her treatment was much better. She was not tied up like a mummy, but only four ordinary two-finger-thick iron chains tied her limbs, and she was also matched with a little soft tendon powder. .

The rest of the Armored Sect disciples were even simpler. They didn't have any chains and were only fed Ruanjin Powder.

Don't try to regain your strength by not eating. They are all in a state of barely starving to death. If you try to go without eating for a day... maybe you won't starve to death on the spot, but your physical condition will definitely not be better than taking drugs. .

After Gu Xun finished explaining Zhang Hanchendi, he remembered that he still had a wave of newly purchased slaves to deal with, so he went to the prison and planned to deal with them all today.

Wearing spotless robes, he walked into the deepest part of the prison calmly.

When the Armored Sect disciples along the way saw him, their expressions varied. Some had eyes full of anger, others showed fear, and some didn't know who he was at all.

However, they all remained silent and just watched Gu Xun walk inside.

Because I really don’t have the energy to speak, I can only do some mental activities.

When they reached the deepest part, when Dianqing and Mei Sanniang saw him, they behaved much better than their junior brothers and made a few moves.

But the difference was that after Jianqing opened his eyes and saw it was Gu Xun, he immediately closed them again, making it clear that he did not intend to cooperate.

Mei Sanniang dragged her weak body and shouted with all her strength, "What on earth do you want to do by locking us here!?"

It's a pity that maybe she felt that she was hoarse and full of energy, but in fact the sound she could make only reached the level that Gu Xun could hear clearly.

Gu Xun looked at the bare prison, thought for a moment, waved his hand, and formed an ice chair out of thin air. He didn't mind the cold and sat down calmly. He looked at Mei Sanniang and then at the ceremony. First issued a statement:
  "I must first remind you that according to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, you are now my slaves."

Dianqing still closed his eyes and said nothing, you said your name, I pretended to be dead.

Mei Sanniang still had a fiery personality and cursed:
  "Fuck Xen Niang, even if I die, I won't be a slave to you Qin people. Go ahead and live your dream!"

　After working on the farm for a long time, I was exhausted physically and mentally, and the two became one.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)