Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 169

"Oh~" Lu Wei then spoke up with a light laugh: "I think both of these are just illusions."

"Compared to mindless research with boxes in hand, building a large ship to search for overseas fairy islands at least superficially proves that they have accomplished something." The Moon Goddess smiled slightly, her mind now changed, and she also mocked the Mirage Project: "The Yin-Yang School is based on the upper class and the powerful, which is the consistent ideology of those born into the Zhou royal family. The Eastern Emperor claims to know everything, but he cannot escape this limitation."

"When the upper echelons no longer welcomed the reappearance of the Zhou emperor, it was only natural for them to turn their hopes to seek immortality and enlightenment."

"Yue'er is also a member of the Ji clan, yet she is so understanding. The throne of the Eastern Emperor is indeed rightfully hers to succeed her." Lu Wei praised the Moon Goddess, then turned the topic back to the Mirage Project: "So before the Mirage sets sail, the Zhou royal family's ancestral temples and national treasury will be secretly moved into the Mirage, and I can take this opportunity to intercept them halfway with the Farmers?"

“That’s right, but…” Moon Goddess paused, then took the Hall Master’s hand in return: “The value of the Mirage itself is equally important to you.”

"The overseas fairy islands are not entirely illusory. Even if we cannot find them, we cannot let others search for them." Using the word "we" to further clarify her stance, the Moon Goddess finally revealed her thoughts: "Instead of intercepting the River God and Mountain Spirit halfway, we should wait until they transport the items to the mirage, and then seize control of the entire mirage!"

"In this way, everything above is yours."

The woman in his arms spoke very seductively, and the Moon Goddess had even lit some floral fragrance for him today, which was unusual for her, making the present temptation even more appealing than any distant plan.

Upon discovering such a massive plan, Lu Wei's first reaction was to hold his breath and calmly consider the potential pitfalls. Therefore, after a faint smile, he calmly probed, "Yue'er is also a member of the Ji Zhou royal family. If you don't place your hopes on seeking immortality, then what are your expectations for the restoration of the Great Zhou?"

“I am but a woman, and I have already given myself to you. Why should I revive the Zhou dynasty?” The Moon Goddess looked down at the sleeping face of Qian’er in her arms, got up and put him back in the crib, then turned around and bent down to hug Lu Wei’s neck, just like when they first met: “The Zhou dynasty can never be restored. The Yin-Yang School should not continue to be bound by the shackles of ‘restoring the Zhou’.”

"Is this the answer you wanted?"

A gentle breeze wafted over, and the Hall Master bit into two peach petals that instantly bloomed. He then gently touched his forehead with the Moon Goddess: "Indeed, regarding the Mirage, I will help you obtain the Yin-Yang School."

After making their promises, the two skillfully lay down on the bed, and the plain gauze curtains automatically slid open...

"Regarding Xinghun, his..."

“At a time like this, you shouldn’t bring up other people.” His warm breath carried a sharp, unyielding intensity: “Since you know I’m a dangerous woman, you should only be focusing on me right now.”

Compared to the soft and cuddly Yuki-onna, this Right Protector of the Yin-Yang School truly brings a different flavor...

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Xinghun was forced to join the Yin-Yang School after Donghuang personally divined and interpreted astrological laws, and then Da Siming arranged and designed him to leave him with no other choice.

After joining, he was quickly promoted to the position of Left Protector of the Yin-Yang School, becoming a nominal rival to the Moon Goddess's power. Therefore, the Moon Goddess conducted an in-depth investigation into Xinghun's past.

After learning the whole story, based on Xinghun's past and current observations, it's clear that this Yin-Yang School genius's resentment towards Qin, Luo Wang, and even the Yin-Yang School itself was not well concealed in the early stages.

If the Moon Goddess could see this, the Eastern Emperor must have seen it too.

However, even though he practiced the art of puppetry, he still couldn't escape the fate of being a puppet himself. Whether the puppet had its own thoughts was unimportant to Donghuang: as long as the puppet strings of the Yin-Yang School were strong enough.

Without anyone's help, Xinghun would forever be manipulated by the Yin-Yang School's puppet strings, pretending to be happy while playing with the pitiful 'puppets' of even lower ranks in his hands.

It's like a puppet gesturing with a wooden knife in its hand to please the audience.

It's ridiculous and laughable.

By trying to win over Xinghun to rebel against Donghuang, Yue Shen knew very well that Xinghun had no choice from the start. Even though he knew that this Right Protector of the Yin-Yang School had ill intentions, he desperately needed external help to break free from the puppet strings binding him.

"So, Xinghun also harbors resentment towards the Qin state and that King Zheng of Qin?"

After the passion subsided, Lu Wei continued to lie flat, listening to the Moon Goddess recount the secrets of the Star Soul. A sudden thought struck him, and he asked a question.

“His hatred for Qin was the purest.” The Moon Goddess stood by the bed, putting on her clothes one by one. “After all, that country was once his infinite hope, but that hope pushed him into the abyss with his own hands.”

"The hatred born of love is far more terrifying than ordinary hatred."

"He can be your ally in the fight against Qin."

Regaining her dignified and solemn demeanor, the Moon Goddess applied a Yin-Yang spell to Lu Qian's brow, who was still unaware of being disturbed, before putting her eye veil back on.

"I came to Qi today to inquire about the preparations for the Mirage from Lord Yunzhong of Sanghai City. Elder Jin is not worth killing right now."

“I understand this matter.” Lu Wei turned to the side and nodded. “Besides the mirage, I also have other uses for it. This Lord of the Clouds really cannot die yet.”

"Finding another alchemy master trusted by the King of Qin is extremely difficult."

"I know how to reply to Xinghun."

"I trust your judgment." Knowing that Master Lu was always reliable in his actions, the Moon Goddess did not ask for further details and left Daze Mountain under the cover of night.

Just as the moon goddess said when she came: she cannot stay for long.

Chapter 189 concludes the story of Jicheng.

If the harsh laws and punishments of the Qin state were not modified with leniency and the people were allowed to rest and recuperate, its demise would have been inevitable.

Killing King Zheng of Qin prematurely could have hastened the dynasty's demise and collapse.

However, the key point is to choose the right time to accelerate the process.

This timing must ensure that the Qin state is heading in an even worse direction after Ying Zheng's death, and that the peasants are already prepared to rise up in rebellion, so as not to let others steal the fruits of their labor.

Secondly, Lu Wei only needs to manage the situation steadily. As for the first point, there is no doubt that the best time to do so is when Hu Hai and Luo Wang have a slight advantage in the power struggle among the Qin heirs.

Thus, with the death of the King of Qin, in order to smoothly succeed to the throne and ensure no hidden dangers remain, Hu Hai and Zhao Gao pushed the already crumbling empire further into the abyss.

Before that, it's best for farmers not to easily reveal their strength, although revealing a little bit won't cause much of a problem.

In the eyes of the world, the peasants were ultimately just a group of peasants in power, and people believed that even if they rebelled against Qin, they would at most have to rely on the old, weak, sick, and disabled, and only a few hundred thousand peasants who would be unable to succeed them.

While it wouldn't be an easy task for the Qin army's elite forces to wipe out this number of enemies, it wouldn't be particularly difficult either.

Superficial strength can be revealed appropriately, but deeper strength, such as armor and dangerous weapons, must be kept completely hidden. Furthermore, figures like Li Mu, who are considered highly wanted criminals by Qin, and especially the daughter of Lord Changping, who represents Chu and will be subdued later, must not be exposed in the slightest.

It's impossible to guarantee that the interior of Dazeshan is completely clean, but it's still an achievable goal to ensure that the core area of ​​Gonggongtang is inhabited by our own people.

With the Yin-Yang School providing intelligence and acting opportunistically in the Qin court, and Zhou Wen using his connections and tactics to delay the inevitable, the peasantry would not be seen as an enemy that could threaten the Qin's rule.

...

"Let Yun Zhongjun go?" After finishing his conversation with Lu Wei yesterday, Xinghun briefly toured Hanlu Town and the slightly deeper Daze Mountain. He felt more and more that although the Farmer's Clan was nominally composed of farmers, its operations in Daze Mountain were in no way inferior to those of towns outside.

If the entire Daze Mountain Range were considered as a town, it would undoubtedly be a well-ordered metropolis of 100,000 people!

The leader of the peasant gang and the six hall masters are the rulers of this city.

Having already guessed what was going on, when he met Hall Master Lu again the next day, the first thing Hall Master said made Xinghun raise an eyebrow: "Have you regretted it? Or are you hesitating about something?"

The two met at the same small tavern, and it was still just the two of them meeting alone.

Lu Wei smiled and poured Xinghun a cup of tea, pushing it in front of him: "It's not hesitation, but a desire to be more aggressive."

"Lord Xinghun, would you be willing to find the name of the one who was killed?"

Xinghun expressed his dislike for the title 'Gan Envoy' yesterday. After being informed by Yueshen, he now realizes that he probably disliked the meaning of 'envoy' implying that Qin envoy was involved. Therefore, Hall Master Lu changed the title today.

"What does this have to do with our cooperation?"

Instead of directly answering whether he was willing or not, Xinghun chose to answer the question he was about to face with another question.

He keenly sensed that Lu Wei's gaze towards him today was filled with a confidence that he hadn't shown yesterday, which Xinghun should be extra careful about.

"This will make our cooperation more substantial." Having learned from the Moon Goddess that Xinghun had no choice but to rebel against Donghuang, the Hall Master seized the opportunity to force him to clarify his intention to oppose Qin: "The Yin Yang School is backed by the Qin State, how about we directly oppose Qin?"

"..." Xinghun's face instantly shifted unpredictably, staring intently at the smile on Lu Wei's lips. After thinking for a moment, he said sharply, "You're in cahoots with the Moon Goddess!"

After all, he was a child prodigy who was appointed as an envoy of Qin at the age of twelve, and he could immediately guess the truth from the slightest clues.

After Lu Wei boldly and recklessly revealed his secret of opposing Qin, Xinghun immediately realized that everything he had done and reacted since the Yin Yang School headquarters was like returning to the situation before he became the character 'Xinghun': every step had been arranged by someone!

Most importantly, the two key figures from the Yin-Yang School and the Agricultural School, the Moon Goddess and Lu Wei, did indeed have interactions.

As for the number of times they interacted, he knew they had only openly met once. However, the Moon Goddess had been leaving the Yin-Yang School headquarters frequently in recent years, so it was hard to guarantee that these two wouldn't continue to collude in secret!

Xinghun knew that while the Moon Goddess was ostensibly instructing him on Yin-Yang techniques at headquarters, she was actually driving him to rebel against Donghuang.

He originally thought that the Moon Goddess's purpose in doing this was nothing more than to rebel against her superiors, pursue progress, and replace the Eastern Emperor as the leader of the Yin-Yang School. For this reason, this woman had probably already pulled the Eastern Lord into the action. With his cooperation, no matter how powerful the Eastern Emperor's Yin-Yang skills were, how could he possibly fight against three people alone?

Besides, this 'three' represents the youthful vigor of the sun, moon, and stars!

But as soon as Lu Wei uttered the words "anti-Qin", Xinghun connected several clues and suddenly thought of another, even more outrageous possibility: the Moon Goddess had joined the anti-Qin forces among the Hundred Schools of Thought!

This woman wants to lead the entire Yin-Yang School in a rebellion against the Qin Dynasty!

"Together? I know her quite well, so it's fair to say we're in cahoots," the hall master said meaningfully. "But aren't we both currently discussing becoming a team?"

"Master Lu's words...make a lot of sense!"

Xinghun's previously expressionless face, contorted by unpleasant memories, suddenly broke into a bright smile: "The Yin-Yang School's foundation is the Qin State! Of course, we can directly overthrow Qin in one fell swoop!"

After being shocked by the Moon Goddess's potentially insane choice, the child prodigy quickly realized that he had probably been manipulated once again, but the task at hand was to overthrow the Qin Dynasty and the Yin-Yang School, and incidentally, also to take down the Luo Net...

Putting aside the fact that he was being used, isn't this behavior precisely his way of getting revenge?

So Xinghun immediately stopped dwelling on the relationship between Yue Shen and Lu Wei, and instead enthusiastically returned to the topic of opposing Qin: "How do you plan to use Yun Zhongjun to oppose Qin?"

"Yun Zhongjun is the King of Qin's most trusted royal alchemist, so we should start from there," the hall master said gently.

"To become the King of Qin's most trusted alchemist, Yun Zhongjun relied on two things: his superb alchemy skills and the flawless quality of his pills." Xinghun tilted his head back to drink the tea that Lu Wei had poured for him before the conversation began, moistening his throat as he spoke:

"To become the world's foremost alchemist, Yun Zhongjun was extremely meticulous when refining pills, and he was also meticulous in checking the pills after refining them. Usually, he would conduct two inspections, one when the pills were completed and the other when they were delivered."

"Moreover, each time three pills are sent to the Qin King's palace, the physicians and other alchemists in the palace will repeatedly check and confirm that there are no errors before they can be presented to the Qin King."

"The King of Qin will decide for himself which pill to take, while the other two will be tested by the eunuchs serving him... Even if Lord Yunzhong cooperates with us, it will be almost impossible to get the poison pill into Ying Zheng's mouth."

Xinghun did not directly comment on Lu Wei's suggestion, but only pointed out the difficulties of the suggestion. However, the meaning in his words was very clear: it would be no less difficult than carrying a sword and breaking into the palace from outside Xianyang.

Judging from his clear understanding of the process of the King of Qin taking the elixir, Xinghun must have considered the idea of ​​using Yun Zhongjun's elixir for a long time, but ultimately chose to give it up.

"Unless we start with some extremely rare pills that can only be produced in single batches." Xinghun seemed to have more to say, and after a pause, he couldn't help but continue speaking:

"Moreover, the King of Qin would place great importance on this elixir and hastily swallow it without a thorough examination. For example, if he were on the verge of death and encountered the elixir of immortality, he would still die without it."

Finally, Xinghun concluded: "Perhaps organizing another assassination attempt on the King of Qin by Jing Ke would be even more effective."

Lu Wei lifted the teapot and filled Xinghun's empty teacup. Lu Wei's relaxed expression did not offend Xinghun. On the contrary, he was full of anticipation: "Even with such a strict inspection, you still have a way to send out the poison pill?"

Although he has always been proud, he would not mind losing face for Xinghun if he could achieve revenge.

"Of course, since I have put forward this idea, I have a solution."

Lu Wei took out a small, sealed medicine bottle from his pocket and tossed it to Xinghun. The latter caught it steadily, then looked at the precious emerald-green jade bottle with suspicion and asked, "Just this?"

"Whether you dissolve the powder in water or sprinkle it in directly, as long as it is mixed into the medicinal materials used by Lord Yunzhong, it will not be detected by any means after the pill is made."

"It's that simple?"

"Of course." Lu Wei nodded matter-of-factly. He already had a cheat code, why should he have to go through all that complicated torture?

"What are the effects of the stuff inside?" Xinghun carefully opened the medicine bottle. The odorless and colorless transparent powder itself was quite magical.

"It's a mild drug that increases with dosage. It's non-toxic in small amounts, but as it accumulates in the body, it will suddenly take effect once the dosage reaches a certain limit." Lu Wei didn't hide the drug's effects. While Xinghun was still doubtful, he added, "This bottle is for you to test. You can use this bottle to control the accuracy of the medication."