He thought to himself, "Zhao really went all out." But he didn't show it on his face, and said lightly, "If we destroy your Zhao, these mountains and mines will naturally belong to my Great Qin. Why should we wait for you to hand them over?"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Qi's heart skipped a beat. He had expected his wicked husband to say such a thing, but he never expected him to be so blunt.

But he could not back down, and forced a smile, saying, "This is the sincere wish of my king. He would rather share the benefits of the mines with Qin than have the two countries go to war. If the two countries go to war, both will suffer heavy losses. It is better to achieve a win-win situation."

"Oh? A win-win situation?" The wicked man glanced at Gongsun Qi as if he had heard a joke. "With all your remaining breath, what can my Great Qin possibly win?"

“At least… the Grand Commandant need not mobilize troops and waste money and resources to attack Zhao. Zhao will take the initiative to pay tribute to Qin and pay taxes every year, and will never dare to cause trouble.” Gongsun Qi said without changing his expression, “My king has already understood that Zhao is powerless to fight Qin and is willing to follow Qin’s lead.”

The wicked man listened quietly, then suddenly raised his eyes and sneered: "What a fine example of blindly following orders! Taxes... how much tax can you possibly pay? Nothing beats the satisfaction of unifying the country!"

Gongsun Qi's heart pounded wildly, but he could only suppress his trembling and cup his hands, saying, "Everything will be done according to the orders of Qin. My Zhao state is willing to exert all its strength to do its best to... meet the tax requirements."

“Fine.” The wicked man shrugged indifferently. “In that case, I will present these picture books to the King and ask him to make a decision. As for whether you will be able to see the King, that depends on his mood.”

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Qi hurriedly stepped forward: "May I ask, Grand Commandant, when will you go to report to His Majesty?"

The wicked man pretended to ponder for a moment, then slowly said, "You will wait in the guesthouse for a few days. I will inform you if there is any news. If the king is too lazy to see you, then we will have to talk about it again later."

Seeing that the wicked man refused to budge, Gongsun Qi was extremely anxious, but he dared not press too hard. He could only bow again and say, "Then I will have to trouble the Grand Commandant."

"Hmm." The wicked man nodded indifferently and gestured to the guard beside him, "Take them to the guesthouse and settle them in."

Gongsun Qi and the others had no choice but to leave with the guards. Once outside the Grand Commandant's residence, they were filled with unease. Judging from this, Qin wasn't in a hurry at all—in other words, they didn't consider Zhao's "tribute" an urgent necessity.

If Ying Zheng truly wanted to strike swiftly, he could do so at any moment; if he wanted to seize the mines first and then gradually expand his territory, that too is uncertain. No one can predict which outcome will ultimately prevail.

...

After watching Zhao's envoy leave, the wicked man put the topographical maps into a sandalwood box, thinking to himself: This gift is neither too big nor too small.

While conquering Zhao in one battle would certainly be satisfying, Zhao still has Li Mu in command, and Qin would inevitably suffer losses in a war. This is something that needs careful consideration.

He carefully rolled up the map, summoned his attendant, and ordered, "Prepare a carriage for me. We need to go to the palace to present this matter to the King in person."

The attendant responded and quickly left. The wicked man straightened his clothes and slowly left the Grand Commandant's residence.

The ancient city of Xianyang was still bustling with people and carriages, and the tall city walls of Zhangtai Palace in the distance gleamed in the sunlight.

"The State of Zhao..." He boarded the carriage, a slight sneer in his heart. "Poor King Yan of Zhao, did he really think that mineral veins and tribute could save his country from destruction?"

The sound of the carriage wheels gradually faded into the distance as it passed through the bustling streets and headed towards Zhangtai Palace.

After entering the palace, the wicked man followed the eunuch's guidance and went straight to the inner palace. The rule that officials from outside the palace were not allowed to enter the inner palace was meaningless to him.

"Oh, brother, you and the princess seem to be enjoying yourselves so much?"

From a distance, the wicked man started teasing Ying Zheng and Mi Ji inside the pavilion.

Ying Zheng and Mi Ji were sitting in the pavilion, with dried fruit and a teapot on a small table beside them. Sunlight streamed through the eaves, casting a warm glow over the imperial garden.

Hearing his husband's teasing voice, Ying Zheng looked up and saw him striding towards him. He couldn't help but smile and say, "You little rascal, instead of going to the front hall to find me, you've come straight to the inner palace. Do you think this is your own backyard?"

Mi Ji tilted her head slightly and chuckled, "Grand Commandant, what brings you here today? If there's nothing urgent, I'd like to chat with Your Majesty for a bit."

She and her wicked husband had a bond forged through thick and thin, and knowing that he was both Ying Zheng's good brother and a pillar of the court, she did not shy away from suspicion.

The wicked man cupped his hands in greeting and walked to the pavilion with a grin: "There is indeed something important today. Those people from Zhao have sent a 'gift' that is neither too big nor too small. I have come to report to the King—and by the way, I also want to take a look at your leisurely days of appreciating flowers and the moon. It is truly enviable."

Ying Zheng said "Oh," put down his teacup, and frowned slightly: "Has the Zhao envoy arrived?"

“Exactly.” The wicked man nodded and took out a small sandalwood box from his sleeve. “Inside is a map of the mountains and rivers presented by the State of Zhao, with several mineral veins highlighted. It is said that these are 'fertile lands' that they have carefully selected and are willing to hand over to our Great Qin.”

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng frowned slightly: "The State of Zhao has always been stubborn. It seems too incongruous that they are willing to offer mines and land this time. Could there be some other conspiracy or scheme?"

“Indeed,” the wicked man sneered. “Given their current situation, what trouble can they possibly cause? No matter how ‘stubborn’ they are, they can’t withstand the fierce army of Qin.”

Ying Zheng leaned slowly against the pavilion pillar, reached out and took the wooden box offered by his wicked husband. He opened it, glanced at it, and his eyes flashed: "These mines are all in the wilderness. Zhao Yan is quite the schemer!"

The wicked man closed the box, his tone light: "It doesn't matter. Mining is inevitable now and in the future. It's not like we're doing all the work for someone else. So it doesn't matter."

Ying Zheng pondered for a while, then suddenly said to Mi Ji, "You should go back to the palace and rest. I have some important military and state matters to discuss with the Grand Commandant."

Knowing that such military secrets were none of her concern, Mi Ji rose and gave a slight bow, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave." As she walked out of the pavilion, she carried a faint fragrance with her. She turned back to glance at Ying Zheng and her wicked husband before leaving, accompanied by palace maids.

After Mi Ji's figure disappeared at the end of the flower bushes, Ying Zheng looked at his wicked husband. His eyes were no longer as leisurely as before, but were filled with solemnity and depth: "In your opinion, how should we deal with Zhao's 'surrender'? You and I both know that Li Mu is still in Handan. If we really want to take action, we will have to pay a price."

The wicked man rested his chin on his hand, a half-smile on his face: "If it were a year ago, I would have advised you to finish this quickly—at that time, we had just destroyed Qi and Yan, and our morale was high. We could have used that momentum to take Handan and intimidate the world."

"However, now that Your Majesty has already set out the plan of 'expanding northward to the grasslands and strengthening the army and stockpiling grain,' if you rush to launch a large-scale war against the Zhao Kingdom, it will inevitably divert the court's resources. Moreover, the Privy Council is still in the process of being integrated, and the new military equipment is at a critical moment of being perfected."

He paused for a moment, then gave a meaningful smile: "So, why not accept their gift first, let Zhao close its doors in Handan and wait to die? We can also take the opportunity to set up military camps and build roads on the borders of those offered mines, and then come and close the net when everything is ready."