He came from the Taoist community. Could Zhang Liang be a Taoist?

In Lu Li's memory, historical records stated that Zhang Liang was well-versed in the Huang-Lao philosophy and had no interest in power or position. In his later years, he traveled the world with Chisongzi.

From this perspective, he really is half a Taoist.

"Oh? Why do you think the Qin state is playing a grand game?" Lu Li asked with a smile.

To Lu Li, Zhang Liang was the greatest strategist of all time, but now he was just a child of about ten years old.

Zhang Liang first cupped his hands in greeting, then replied, "As you all know, the Qin people are barbaric, especially the Ying clan. Even if the Qin state is in decline now, it is impossible for it to be without brave and courageous people."

"Lao Ai was just a male concubine; even Lü Buwei wouldn't dare to be so arrogant and domineering."

"Therefore, the younger generation guesses that there must be a reason for the Qin state's actions."

After hearing Zhang Liang's words, many members of the Hundred Schools of Thought nodded in agreement.

Zhang Liang is right. The Qin people are renowned for their bravery and fighting spirit; otherwise, they wouldn't be called a fierce and powerful army.

"Do you know what caused Lao Ai to be able to run rampant in the Qin state?" Yun Qingshu couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Liang smiled confidently and replied, "The Qin state is controlled by Lü Buwei, and the King of Qin has no real power. If he wants to rule in his own right, he can only cultivate another person who can oppose Lü Buwei."

This analysis makes a lot of sense. To be able to analyze so much without knowing anything about Qin's internal affairs is quite terrifying.

After all, he's only about ten years old!

"Haha, Zifang guessed half right," Yun Qingshu laughed.

This time it was Zhang Liang's turn to be puzzled, and he quickly asked, "Why did you guess only half right? Isn't it because the King of Qin wants to seize power and rule in his own right?"

Yun Qingshu looked at Lu Li and then said, "Brother Lu, don't you want to explain?"

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Lu Li, seeking an answer.

Although Qin is currently in a state of internal chaos, it still appears to be the most powerful state in terms of military strength. There is not a single state that can rival it on its own.

Therefore, people don't really believe that the Qin state lacked courageous and brave men, allowing Lao Ai to wreak havoc on the Qin state.

Furthermore, given Lü Buwei's immense power and influence, how could he possibly tolerate it?

Lu Li cursed inwardly. Yun Qingshu always managed to draw attention to him, but Lu Li wasn't one to be trifled with.

He then said to Zhang Liang, "Zifang, if you were the King of Qin, would you have allowed Lao Ai to oppose Lü Buwei?"

Lu Li's question immediately surprised Zhang Liang.

Although his analysis made a lot of sense, he overlooked one problem.

That is, Lao Ai was Zhao Ji's lover, and for Ying Zheng, it was absolutely impossible to let Lao Ai oppose Lü Buwei.

Zhang Liang immediately realized what was happening!

"I understand! If the King of Qin wants to seize power and rule in his own right, he must use Lao Ai! Because Lao Ai was introduced to the Queen Dowager of Qin by Lü Buwei!"

"If Lao Ai commits a crime, Lü Buwei will surely be implicated!"

Even Lu Li was a little unsettled. As expected of Zhang Liang, he guessed the essence of the matter so quickly!

Everyone present gasped, because they hadn't expected this at all; this ten-year-old child had actually guessed it!

"The younger generation is truly formidable! The younger generation is indeed formidable!"

Guiguzi was so excited that he rubbed his hands together, looking at Zhang Liang as if he were a treasure.

Judging from the clothes he was wearing, they were not the same as those worn by the Taoists, so he was probably not a direct disciple of the Taoists!

Guiguzi's gaze swept over the Taoist's area, causing the Taoist elder to feel a sudden tightness in his anus!

"That old rascal, could he have his eye on Zifang? No, I have to get Zifang out of here right after the Hundred Schools Conference!" the Taoist elder muttered to himself.

Yun Qingshu was also taken aback. He had only been able to guess the gist of it because he had intelligence to back him up.

The fact that this child could guess the answer based solely on Lu Li's reminder is truly terrifying.

"But... but there's something I don't understand." Young Zhang Liang frowned, as if he had encountered a difficult problem.

"Oh? Tell me about it?" Lu Li asked.

"As is well known, the Qin state was controlled by Lü Buwei, and many generals had even received favors from him."

"With no one by his side, how could the King of Qin seize power?"

He truly deserves to be called the greatest strategist of all time; he actually thought of this.

But none of the people present seemed to be able to give him an answer, because they didn't know how the King of Qin could turn the tide.

After all, Zhang Liang was stating an objective fact: the military and political affairs of Qin were controlled by Lü Buwei, making it extremely difficult for Ying Zheng to seize power.

Lao Ai, who had no power base, could be killed easily, but what about Lü Buwei, the most crucial figure?

At this moment, the Confucianists laughed and said to Zhang Liang, "This is the crux of the problem."

"Despite the King of Qin's meticulous planning, he has no military power and may not even be able to deal with Lao Ai, so how can he possibly contend with Lü Buwei?"

"Therefore, the Qin state, which had enjoyed decades of glory, is now truly on the verge of decline."

In their view, the Qin state's predicament was simply unsolvable. If Ying Zheng wanted to seize power, the first thing he would have to face was Zhao Ji and Lü Buwei.

"Think about Ying Ji back then, when Wei Ran and Empress Dowager Xuan controlled the government for many years. It's quite similar to today."

"Yes, back then, Ying Ji had Bai Qi, but who does Ying Zheng have now?"

People from all schools of thought began to discuss this, saying that a military genius like Bai Qi was a once-in-a-century talent, and they did not believe that the Qin state would produce a second Bai Qi.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!