Chapter 297 Patriarch Bai dared not speak, and Master Chengjiao was released from prison
Killing people is not enough. Bai Jia has lived to such an old age that his body has degenerated to the point where he can’t even eat or move his legs.

This old man, who is now half buried in the ground, is still kept alive by his family and pride.

And in winter, there is a sip of iced sour plum soup.

He bit his loose old teeth so hard that his gums bled and his mouth was filled with a fishy smell.

He wished that he could lie in his room that was as hot as a stove, and his beloved grandson Bai Ma would bring him a bowl of iced sour plum soup and feed it to him:

“The food of the Great Cold is good for the mouth but bad for the body. Grandfather, you can only drink one cup.”

[This crazy woman! This crazy woman!] Bai Jia swallowed the bloody saliva vigorously, his Adam’s apple rolling, as if he was swallowing burning coals.

“The Queen Mother is right.” The old man smiled with his yellow teeth showing red threads: “I admit it.”

He nodded heavily to emphasize his attitude, and in front of Ms. Zhao, who was about the same age as his grandson, he personally admitted that his most beloved grandson deserved to die.

Zhao Ji’s smile gradually faded, and a chill rose in her heart, floating up like smoke.

Yesterday she witnessed the temperament of the old Qin nobleman, and today she witnessed the forbearance of the old Qin nobleman.

Two sides of the same coin, completely opposite.

She had thought that Bai Jia would argue that his grandson Bai Ma had not made a false accusation and that Chang’an Jun was indeed planning a rebellion – when the second son went to the Bai family for a banquet and expressed his rebellious intentions, there were quite a few people present.

Queen Mother Zhao was fully prepared to use this incident to drag the Bai family into the water and completely eliminate the troubles for her two sons – she would have no chance in the future.

When Master Chengjiao killed the white horse, it was now just a matter between Master Chengjiao and the white horse. The Bai family’s long-standing caution came in handy.

Once Bai Jia personally reveals that Prince Chengjiao is plotting a rebellion, it will then be a matter between Prince Chengjiao and the Bai family.

If someone accuses someone of treason, at least one of the accuser and the accused will die.

Queen Mother Zhao anticipated that Bai Jia might suffocate and die here, but she never thought that Bai Jia would be able to endure it.

Can the Bai family, one of the three oldest Qin families in the Qin State, endure such humiliation?
She looked deeply at Bai Jia, expecting the old patriarch of the Bai family to suddenly attack her, even if it was just running up to the platform with a chair and smashing it down on her face.

No, nothing.

Bai Jia sat back in his seat. For the sake of his family, he gave up on investigating Bai Ma’s death, regardless of the loss of face for the Bai family.

The old man lowered his head and slumped in his chair.

Like a rotting corpse or a decayed tree root.

The victorious Queen Mother Zhao stood proudly on the high platform, but only she knew that she was not happy.

And…it’s not over yet.

No matter how many reasons her son had, he could not deny the fact that he killed the white horse with his own hands.

Death is the greatest thing.

Those who survive must pay the price.

Under the gaze of all the civil and military officials in the court, Queen Mother Zhao said with a look of nostalgia:
“I have been dreaming about the late king these days…”

Three days later.

Xianyang Prison, second underground floor.

The long-extinguished torches were re-lit, and the bright flames burned away the ashes.

Lu Buwei pushed open the door that was exactly the same as Bai Qi’s mansion, with undisguised amazement on his face.

It was the first time for this powerful minister to know that the Xianyang Prison had an underground floor and a second floor.

Amid the creaking sound, Lu Buwei swept his eyes across the courtyard, his expression of amazement becoming even stronger.

The Qin people actually built a one-to-one replica of the Wu’an Jun Palace about ten feet underground. How did they do it?
Apart from anything else, just how to draw enough air from the ground for eight large fires to keep the long-burning air down is an incredible task.

Lu Buwei couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of the workshop. He coughed twice, and the sound echoed.

“It turned out to be Prime Minister Lu.” Ying Chengjiao walked out of the lobby and leaned against a pillar outside the house: “This really surprises me. Prime Minister Lu and my brother have reconciled?”

Since Bai Qi was released from the second underground level of Xianyang Prison, it is no longer a secret that must be kept.

But there were only four people who knew about this matter: Qin Zichu, Bai Wuxia, Bai Qi, and Ying Chengjiao.

Ying Chengjiao knew that he had never told anyone about this, and his father Qin Zichu had never told anyone about it when he was alive. Would Bai Qi and Bai Wuxia tell anyone about it casually?
The only way for his teacher to get here was through two people who had just learned of this not-so-secret secret – King Zheng of Qin and Zhao Gao.

Zhao Gao, Ying Chengjiao didn’t have the courage to do that.

That leaves only his elder brother, King Zheng of Qin.

Lü Buwei approached and stopped seven steps away from Prince Chengjiao, sighing:

“It’s really not easy to meet the young master in advance.

“I promised to withdraw from the Supreme Court, and the king allowed Zhao Gao to bring me to see the prince.

“This place is indeed much better than Zongzhengfu.”

Ying Chengjiao blew a breath upwards, and his hair fluttered like the black feathers of a black bird:
“My Lord Prime Minister has finally managed to sideline the old court judge, but you’re giving it all up just to see me?

“Master Xiangbang never does business at a loss, so something must have happened outside.

“Either the Prime Minister is sacrificing the rook to save the king, or the Prime Minister is just taking advantage of the situation.

“In short, whether you see me or not, the Prime Minister cannot stay in the Court of Justice.”

Lu Buwei put his fist to his mouth and coughed softly:
“Guessing these is nothing. Can you guess what happened specifically?”

“I’m a kid? I’m just guessing.” Ying Chengjiao rolled his eyes and pretended to be impatient: “If you have the ability, don’t tell me.”

Lu Buwei laughed and said:

“I have gone to so much trouble to see you, sir, but I cannot just see you once.”

After briefly explaining how the Queen Mother of Zhao had found evidence against Zhao and how the government had replaced her with Li Si, Prime Minister Lu concluded with a helpless look on his face:
“She can really make a fuss.”

Ying Chengjiao sneered:
“What you said, Lord Xiangbang, is irrational. You are allowed to sideline the old court judge, but Queen Mother Zhao is not allowed to seize power?
“In business, there are gains and losses. It’s impossible for the Prime Minister to make all the profits in the world alone, right?”

Lu Buwei’s mouth curled up:
“So far, I haven’t gained any advantage at all, but you, the young master, have gained a great advantage.

“After you killed the white horse, have you ever thought about your own fate?”

“You are talking nonsense again.” Ying Chengjiao was annoyed and said bluntly: “Isn’t all this part of the plan of the Prime Minister? Hasn’t the Prime Minister been waiting for me to kill someone, and calculated that I would definitely kill Bai Ma? Can’t the Prime Minister predict my fate?”

“I really didn’t expect this.” Lü Buwei said bluntly, with mixed emotions of surprise and relief on his face: “I just said that I would come to see you in advance. In four days, you can go out. You can go out openly and appear anywhere in Xianyang City. You will still live in Chengjiao Palace, still be the Lord of Chang’an, and still have the fiefdom of Chang’an.”

Ying Chengjiao stood up straight with a serious expression and said in a deep voice:

“Why is this happening? Are you planning to take action against those nobles in advance?

“The people from the Imperial College are more than enough to replace the Bai family, but definitely not enough to replace all the old Qin nobles.

“Killing these nobles will leave a huge hole in the ranks of officials, a hole we cannot fill!

“The words Bai Ma shouted before his death helped me a little, and gave me a solid reason for my action. My brother won’t accuse me of treason, and my master won’t accuse me of treason, so I won’t die.

“It’s just staying in the second underground level of Xianyang Prison for ten days or half a month. This can’t be considered as suffering.

“When the rumors die down, I can return to the palace secretly. Although I can’t show it openly to others, I don’t think you will keep me waiting too long, right?
“Our current goal is to swallow up the Bai family, sir, please don’t go crazy.

“You must know that human greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant.”

Lu Buwei observed his disciples’ expressions for a long time and sighed:
“It seems that this really wasn’t planned by the young master, which is even more shocking.

“The white horse is dead, and you have good reasons, but you must also pay a price. I thought that unless the late king came back to life and used his prestige to shut up the ministers, this knot could not be untied.

“I didn’t expect that Queen Mother Zhao gave me a completely new solution. She took the price of the prince.

“She said in front of all the ministers in the court that she had been dreaming about the late king in recent days and she was sick from missing him. She would go to Yongcheng in seven days to mourn for the late king for a year.

“Young Master, you can actually make the King’s biological mother sacrifice so much. I am becoming more and more confident about you and the future.”

Ying Chengjiao’s pupils suddenly shrank.

Ji Yaotiao really touched him that day.

But after three days of thinking, there is not much emotion left.

The young man did not believe what Zhao Ji said. He thought that Zhao Ji must have other demands, but he just couldn’t think of them. He was neither Zhao Ji’s biological son nor Zhao Ji’s adopted son. How could such a deep mother-son relationship come from him? Isn’t this a joke?
He has been staying alone underground for three days. Why didn’t Zhao’s mother come to accompany him?

Everyone can say nice things, but doing them is different.

The young man was very dissatisfied with himself for being moved by Zhao Ji’s words some time ago, and felt that he was extremely childish.

In the whole world, there is only one person who can do what Zhao Ji said in the young man’s heart – his biological mother Ji Yaoyao.

Seeing that his disciples were silent, Lu Buwei said softly:
“Chang’an Jun, who was falsely accused of treason and in danger of his life, killed the heir of the Bai family in a rage in order to prove his innocence.

“The Queen Mother Zhao drew her bow and shot an arrow at the face of the head of the Meng family.

“It is obvious which one is more dangerous and uncontrollable.

“The Queen Mother Zhao is willing to lose her power in exchange for Prince Zhou Quan. This is something that everyone is happy to see.”

“Although I know that the commander is still plotting against me, I still thank you for telling me.” Ying Chengjiao bowed to express his gratitude.

After spreading the rumor about Ji Yaoyao that day, Lü Buwei finally heard the word “teacher” from Prince Chengjiao again, and he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion:
“I don’t call you ‘master’ because of my mother, and I call you ‘master’ because of my mother.

“My Lord, you are really not fit to be king, you are too emotional.

“It would be wonderful if you and the king could become one.”

Ying Chengjiao had no expression on his face:
“Then the first person to die must be the commander.”

Lu Buwei laughed loudly:
“Bu Wei will definitely die with a smile!”

The master and disciple looked at each other in silence.

Grabbing a handful of hair, Ying Chengjiao suddenly said:

“I heard that the commander has twelve people under his command, who are his most valued retainers, collectively known as the Twelve Lords.

“Among the twelve princes there was a man named Lao Ai, who was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and had corrupt personal ethics. He had more than a hundred children in Handan.

“May I ask what you like about him, Master? Is it the Wheel of Time?”

“Loyal.” Lu Buwei responded quickly: “He is more loyal to me than to the king. If Li Si had half the loyalty of Lao Ai, I would not have lost my position as the Minister of Justice, and the Twelve Kings would not have become eleven.”

“If you don’t want to become one of the Ten Lords, keep Lao Ai away from Queen Mother Zhao.”

“Queen Mother Zhao is too noisy, we need to take care of her.”

“She has already gone to Yongcheng.”

“That’s fine. What if she can’t stand the loneliness and comes back after staying for three or five days? From what I know about you, you shouldn’t care about this. Don’t you always respect personal choices? The art of turning the wheel is useless to me, but it is very useful to Queen Dowager Zhao. Lao Ai is the man Queen Dowager Zhao has always dreamed of.”

“She went to Yongcheng because of me.”

“That was Queen Mother Zhao’s own wish.”

Ying Chengjiao stamped the ground with his toes:
“That dead horse reinforced my belief that I am not noble.

“It’s really too stressful to say that I serve the country and the people. I have always done what I want to do, that’s all.

“Now, I want Lao Ai to get out of here.”

Lü Buwei’s face moved slightly, and it was unclear whether he was happy or sad:

“Sir, you have changed.”

Ying Chengjiao didn’t know what he was thinking of, and laughed:

“Have you become cold and heartless and no longer love you?”

Lü Buwei was stunned and suspected that he had heard it wrongly:

“……what?”

“Nothing, just a minor bout of madness.” Ying Chengjiao looked at Lu Buwei’s expression and laughed wildly, holding his stomach.

Lu Buwei was in a trance.

It seemed as if I saw King Zhuangxiang of Qin, who rushed into the Xianyang Palace in armor and armed with sharp weapons, and killed all his brothers and sisters before his death.

It seemed as if he saw King Xiaowen of Qin, who earnestly asked him to bring the prince here and was sitting in the Xianyang Palace waiting to die.

It was as if I saw King Zhaoxiang of Qin, who had endured for decades, but suddenly the situation changed, and he imprisoned his mother, the Queen Dowager Xuan, until her death, and was called the Western Emperor and imprisoned the King of Chu.

Oh yes, there is also the current king, King Zheng of Qin, who calls him Zhongfu!
That poor woman named Afang probably dreamed of becoming a queen until her death.

Before Afang died, King Zheng of Qin deceived everyone, including Lu Buwei!
At that time, he really thought that King Zheng of Qin loved Afang to death.

There was only one word between his thoughts and the truth – Qin Shi Huang loved Afang so much.

The Qin royal family, especially the king, are all crazy…

“It’s too late, sir.” Lu Buwei took a deep breath and was about to continue speaking.

“It’s not too late.” Ying Chengjiao smiled and continued, “Wait for Zhao Gao to come down and deliver the meal, and then I will go out with the commander.”

Zhao Gao, who was delivering the meal, refused to come down, and neither of them could leave.

When the second underground floor of Xianyang Prison was first built, there was no consideration of allowing the prisoners to contact the outside world.

More than an hour later.

A graceful figure pushed the door open carrying a food box.

“Wuxia?” The young man who had been waiting for the person to come was surprised and looked behind him: “Why are you here? Where is Zhao Gao?”

“I’m worried.” Bai Wuxia put down the food box: “I’m afraid you’ll die.”

“Are you worried about me or Zhao Gao?”

“What’s the difference?”

“That’s true… Then you will be the one delivering meals from now on?”

“No, it was Zhao Gao who sent it.”

“Huh? What about you?”

“I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you.”

“…”

“Eat, it will get cold soon.”

“Let’s go out and eat. Go tell my brother that I’m going out.”

“…”

“what happened?”

“Get out of here!” The girl shuddered, “Get out of here, why are you asking so many nonsense questions? Go!”

“what?”

“The king said that he will take you out whenever you want to go out.” Bai Wuxia slapped him again, feeling a little relieved, and looked at Lu Buwei who was watching the show on the side: “Does the Prime Minister want to go out?”

[Is there any need to ask this? Who wants to stay in prison?] Lu Buwei nodded helplessly.

After a while, Zhao Gao, who was waiting outside, led the three men out of Xianyang Prison with a humble demeanor.

Prince Chengjiao entered the palace in a carriage drawn by four horses.

Ying Chengjiao, who was eager to find Queen Mother Zhao, did not notice that Zhao Gao, who was supposed to return to the palace with him, followed his teacher…

The bedroom of Queen Dowager Zhao.

The palace, which used to be bustling with music and joy, has been very quiet in recent days.

Ying Chengjiao was outside reporting, and was very polite.

Queen Mother Zhao went out to greet him personally, and took her second son’s hand into the palace, with a look of joy on her face that did not seem fake:
“That villain Lu Buwei is still useful. He can get my son out of prison early.”

“Cheng Jiao was just about to ask the Queen Mother.” Ying Cheng Jiao raised his head and said, “Didn’t the Queen Mother say that she would accompany Cheng Jiao? Why didn’t she come so late?”

(End of this chapter)