Chapter 583 The Conflict Between Chu and Zhao
The King of Qin was displeased, so he chose to reveal the matter to the people of Chu.
"absurd!"
Changping slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted with anger.
As the maternal family of the eldest son, they haven't even said anything yet, so what right does Empress Dowager Zhao have? What right do the people of Zhao have?
"Send a message! Send a message immediately!"
Therefore, Lord Changping chose to reveal the matter to Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie.
Huang Xie served as the prime minister of the State of Chu. He was deeply trusted because he facilitated the return of the King of Chu to the throne. He was also skilled in flood control, had outstanding political achievements, and was deeply loved by the people.
Therefore, even after surrendering, his treatment in Qin was second only to the former King of Chu and the former Marquis of Chu.
Compared to Xiong Yuan, the Duke of Chu, who was no longer able to hold power, Huang Xie was old but still ambitious. He no longer had to worry about the Duke of Chu's offspring, and instead had quite a bit of ambition to make a big splash.
Therefore, he was determined to win this nationwide competition, not only for the Chu faction's power struggle but also for his own. Putting everything else aside, he needed some of those health-enhancing pills, and he also needed to learn Prince Fusu's "immortality" exercises.
Just as he was feeling quite confident, he suddenly received a message from Lord Changping, and Huang Xie was completely devastated.
"The people of Zhao are treacherous!"
As a result, Li Yuan, who happened to come to the door looking for a way out, was humiliated and scolded.
There's nothing we can do; he's from Zhao.
Li Yuan: "..."
In his early years, Li Yuan, through Lord Chunshen, presented his younger sister Li Yanyan to the King of Chu. Li Yanyan gave birth to a son, Xiong Han, which brought Li Yuan prominence. However, because Li Yanyan was originally Lord Chunshen's concubine, Xiong Han's parentage was questionable. Therefore, for his own future glory, Li Yuan plotted to kill Huang Xie.
Someone had warned Huang Xie about this, but Huang Xie believed that Li Yuan was weak and unprepared; on the other hand, although the King of Chu was old, he was still in power, so Li Yuan dared not make a move.
The two sides got along relatively peacefully.
Then came the unexpected turn of events. With Qin unified, all of Li Yuan's schemes came to naught. Why bother vying for a position for his nephew? Although it was primarily for his own benefit, his nephew was irrelevant now; what mattered was recommending himself!
If only I hadn't gone to Chu back then, I would have gone to Qin instead!
But it was too late to say anything now. Li Yuan had no choice but to adjust his strategy, shifting from intending to assassinate Huang Xie to trying to curry favor with him. After all, it was clear to everyone that within the entire Chu faction, Qin only had its eye on this old codger, Huang Xie!
But no one expected Zhao Ren to suddenly pull this stunt, which led to Li Yuan not only being severely scolded by Huang Xie, but also being suspected of having ulterior motives.
"Now there is no longer a distinction between the states of Chu and Zhao. The people of Zhao are treacherous; how can they know your intentions?"
Li Yuan hurriedly bowed and explained, "Lord Chunshen, you are wise! I am utterly loyal to Chu, and I am deeply grateful to you! If it weren't for your recommendation back then, how could I, a nobody, have established myself in Yingdu? Besides, I have been in Chu for ten years and am already no different from any other Chu person!"
Huang Xie looked at him suspiciously. It was hard not to overthink things when it involved his own interests: "Back then, Zhu Ying said you had ulterior motives, and I thought he was just exaggerating..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuan suddenly knelt down, kowtowing heavily until his forehead turned red and purple: "I have absolutely no knowledge of what the Zhao people have done! Please give me three days, my lord, and I will make sure those Zhao people with ulterior motives know that the eldest son is not someone for outsiders to criticize!"
Huang Xie stared at him for a long time before finally relenting: "You should understand that with the world now under Qin's control, the lives of us former subjects of the six states are entirely dependent on the King of Qin's whims. The King of Qin is merciful and willing to give us a chance to display our talents; no one is to jeopardize this opportunity!"
"I see."
Li Yuan nodded repeatedly.
“No, you don’t understand,” Huang Xie stared intently at him. “The State of Chu is a thing of the past, and no one has any support! The eldest son’s background is our only reliance in Chu, and we need him! We are cautious and dare not make any contact with him easily, so the people of Zhao should not come out and disrupt this situation.”
"The eldest son has never needed us, and this news was delivered to me by Lord Changping, do you understand?"
Li Yuan's lips trembled slightly. Meeting Huang Xie's meaningful gaze, his heart sank. He finally understood that Lord Changping could only be a messenger for the King of Qin.
Therefore, this is a test from the King of Qin for them; if they don't handle it well...
Li Yuan kowtowed deeply: "No one can become an obstacle to the eldest son." Neither the people of Zhao nor the useless people of Chu.
Huang Xie nodded, watching Li Yuan leave in a disheveled state.
To be honest, now that he's in this situation, he understands Zhu Ying's advice all too well. But Chu has no one left to rely on, and they've already gained the advantage of the eldest son's maternal family bloodline. So, the most important thing is how to leverage this advantage and actually get to the eldest son!
Therefore, he could tolerate Li Yuan's offense and believed that he was a clever person who could bend and stretch.
This was an opportunity he was giving Li Yuan, hoping he could seize it; of course, the Zhao people had offended their eldest son, and it wouldn't be so easy to let it go. Li Yuan was secretly involved, but on the surface, he and the Marquis of Chu were still alive!
As a result, Zhao Yan, the Marquis of Zhao, who was living a life of debauchery, was beaten up by Xiong Yuan, the Marquis of Chu, and left with a bruised and swollen face on the streets of Xianyang. When Zhao Yan was not satisfied, Xiong Yuan beat him up again, claiming it was a friendly sparring match.
Anyway, according to bystanders, the Marquis of Chu didn't give the Marquis of Zhao a chance to speak at all. He beat him every time he saw him, and the Marquis of Zhao was so badly beaten that he was laughing. Later on, he didn't dare to go out and hid in his mansion pretending to be dead.
Then the enthusiastic Marquis of Chu came to his door, and they continued their exchange of skills.
Guo Kai and others who usually relied on the Marquis of Zhao were truly incompetent. Therefore, after surrendering, they were not valued by the Qin state at all. Going from sycophants to retainers of the Marquis of Zhao can be seen as another form of unwavering loyalty.
Relying on their flattering tongues, Guo Kai and his ilk, who were content with a life of ease and idleness, were easily sent to the Qin prison when they encountered the truly eloquent Huang Xie.
In just a few days, most of the civil officials of the former Zhao state were imprisoned.
The other people in Zhao felt both guilty and ashamed. They couldn't understand how these people had the audacity to commit so many crimes after entering Qin. What happened to keeping a low profile?
Mistakenly believing that the King of Qin was dissatisfied with the current environment in Xianyang, the former officials of various states were on high alert, even selectively sending their subordinates who had indeed made mistakes to prison. By sheer accident, the legal system in Xianyang was suddenly restored.
Only the people of Zhao knew that the Marquis of Chu was attacking them like a madman.
The Marquis of Chu and Lord Chunshen played their cards openly, targeting the Marquis of Zhao and the people of Zhao who had erred; while behind the scenes, Li Yuan was treacherous, silently ruining the reputation of the people of Zhao. By the time they realized what was happening, the people of Zhao had already been ostracized by the former states and the people of Qin.
Otherwise, people would not have remained indifferent to the successive imprisonment of Zhao people. No one thought that the King of Qin was targeting former members of the six states; they only thought that the Zhao people were truly heinous criminals!
"Bang!"
Li Mu slammed his fist on the table, his face darkening, and growled, "Have you found out? Who is it?"
They weren't fools. They knew that the Chu people were relentlessly pursuing them, so they were definitely investigating. Once they investigated, they discovered that it was the Dowager Queen of Zhao who was making things difficult for the eldest son, demanding that he give the Zhao people preferential treatment in the upcoming competition.
Upon seeing this, Li Mu was stunned. Which brilliant strategist pulled strings? How could they make things difficult for the eldest son?
Marquis Zhao neglects state affairs, and now there are none left for him to attend to. He's even more obsessed with wine and women, completely oblivious to worldly matters; seeking his help is pointless. As for the civil officials… those with any reputation rose to power through empty boasting; they lack real ability, or rather, they excel at flattering superiors and being jealous of the virtuous and capable.
It's no use looking for them, mainly because there's no point in looking for them; they're all already in jail.
Only the military generals led by Li Mu and Pang Nuan remained. They were so focused on finding the truth that by the time they realized what was happening, the reputation of the Zhao people had been ruined.
Li Mu was furious, and so was Pang Nuan. He was even more desperate. He touched his face and said with difficulty, "We found out. No one... to be precise, no officials from the Zhao faction, no one from our group who came to Qin later, is looking for Empress Dowager Zhao."
"What is that?"
Li Mu frowned, unable to help but wonder, could it be a spy from some country?
Pang Nuan took a deep breath: "It's Zhao Ji!"
He stopped calling her Empress Dowager and added through gritted teeth, "Zhao Ji acted on her own initiative in order to consolidate her power."
"..." Li Mu doubted his ears. To consolidate power and speak for the people of Zhao? No, didn't she know who she was relying on? Was Zhao Ji, who could give birth to the King of Qin and the eldest prince, really that stupid?
Seeing his expression, Pang Nuan nodded helplessly. Yes, he was that stupid, that delusional, and that self-righteous.
Li Mu took a deep breath. How was he supposed to handle this? It was even more difficult than fighting the Xiongnu! He couldn't very well kill Zhao Ji, could he?
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