Chapter 107: Various Intentions

The night was hazy.

Zhao Gao left the Zhangtai Palace.

Ying Zheng stood within the Zhangtai Palace, his face dark enough to drip water.

There was no other reason; the matters Zhao Gao had reported were simply too shocking.

Lao Ai was actually a man who had not been truly castrated!

And his mother, in recent years, had often been ailing and frequently traveled between Yongcheng and Xianyang—not because she was truly unwell, but because she and Lao Ai had an illicit affair, which led to a secret pregnancy, and she had already secretly given birth to two sons for Lao Ai.

If that were all, it might have been manageable.

In private, Lao Ai even called himself his "fake father." Recently, upon learning that he was about to go to Yongcheng for the capping ceremony, Lao Ai had secretly gathered troops and horses, intending to... rebel and support those two bastard children as the new King of Qin.

Whether it was the defilement of the palace or the intent to rebel, this deeply stimulated Ying Zheng, throwing him into a towering rage.

But all of this was merely Zhao Gao's one-sided story; Ying Zheng still held a skeptical attitude as to whether it was true.

Furthermore, Zhao Gao was the Empress Dowager's confidant; that he would choose to report Lao Ai and expose the affair between him and the Empress Dowager also surprised Ying Zheng.

But Ying Zheng ultimately made up his mind.

As he had not yet undergone the capping ceremony to take personal control of the government, all major state affairs were decided by the Chancellor, Lu Lu Buwei. However, Ying Zheng still had people he could rely on.

That was the power of the Chu State maternal relatives.

Qin and Chu had intermarried for generations, and the Chu maternal relatives possessed a great deal of power in the Qin State.

The former Empress Dowager Huayang was from the Chu State.

Ying Zheng's father, King Zhuangxiang, was able to succeed to the throne precisely because of the efforts of Empress Dowager Huayang.

"It seems I must pay a visit to my grandmother!"

Utilizing the power of the Chu maternal relatives was a decision Ying Zheng had made, though this was not his only contingency.

On this day, Ganie quietly left Xianyang; he prepared to send a letter to Wang Yi.

When King Zhuangxiang passed away, Wang Yi, Biao Gong, and Meng Ao were the three Generals who jointly managed major military affairs. Now, Meng Ao was dead, Biao Gong was critically ill, and the only one still sound was Wang Yi.

In the beginning, Ying Zheng had not considered Wang Yi as his contingency.

This was mainly because the old General Wang did not think much of him.

But after the meeting at the Wusui border, Ying Zheng had an unexpected gain.

At present, although he still had not undergone the capping ceremony to take personal control, he was not as powerless as one might imagine.

While Ying Zheng was actively preparing for the capping ceremony.

Inside the mansion of the Marquis of Wenxin, Lu Lu Buwei.

Lu Lu Buwei finally made up his mind.

He handed a letter to the person before him: "Send this letter to Yongcheng and give it to the Marquis of Changxin; he should know what to do!"

"Yes!"

The man took the letter and retreated.

Lu Lu Buwei looked at the lamp before him, his eyes flickering, and finally, they revealed nothing but coldness.

Power is a poison; once consumed, it is difficult to stop.

Although he had agreed to the capping ceremony for the King of Qin due to public pressure, whether the capping could be successfully completed depended on the King of Qin's fate.

If his fate was poor, he could not blame others.

Although his relationship with Lao Ai was not very good, Lao Ai had once been under his command, originating from the Net organization he controlled. Even after leaving the Net, Lao Ai had developed some inappropriate ambitions.

But because of their past relationship, he did not mind using Lao Ai as a blade once more to carry out a murder by borrowing a knife.

As for whether Lao Ai would agree to do as requested in his letter?

Lu Lu Buwei believed the other party would agree.

The relationship between Lao Ai and Empress Dowager Zhao Ji appeared secret, but he controlled the Net; there were very few things in this world that could be hidden from him.

"A mere lowly slave, daring to call himself the King of Qin's fake father—it is truly laughable!"

"However, you are also to blame for being too bold and reckless. Since you have done this, do not blame me for using it to coerce you!"

Illicitly sleeping with Empress Dowager Zhao Ji to bear children and calling himself the King of Qin's fake father—no matter which one it was, it was a heaven-defying crime. If Lao Ai did not want these charges to be made public, he would have to obey his request and quietly eliminate the King of Qin in Yongcheng.

In the letter, Lu Lu Buwei promised Lao Ai that as long as he helped eliminate the King of Qin, he would help him conceal the matter and grant him wealth and status.

Of course, that was what he said; whether he would actually do so after the deed was done was clearly impossible.

After all, for the regicide, there had to be a scapegoat.

Since Lao Ai had developed ambitions and intended to break free from his control, he did not mind eliminating him.

This letter, sent via Lu Lu Buwei's hand, was soon delivered to Yongcheng.

The main reason was that Yongcheng was not truly far from Xianyang.

It was only a little over a hundred miles; with a fast horse and a whip, one could arrive in half a day.

That the Marquis of Wenxin, Lu Lu Buwei, who was at odds with him, would send him a letter surprised Lao Ai. When he opened the letter and saw the contents clearly, his expression changed drastically.

"Lu Lu Buwei!!"

He had never expected that his greatest secret would be discovered by Lu Lu Buwei.

The other party was even using this to coerce him.

"You have a nice plan, don't you? You want to use me as a blade?"

Lao Ai pondered for a moment and understood Lu Lu Buwei's intention.

"Earlier, when we finally caught an excellent opportunity, it failed repeatedly, so you have finally lost your patience, haven't you?" Lao Ai knew very well why Lu Lu Buwei had sent this letter.

It was nothing more than the fact that Lu Lu Buwei had previously sent Xuan Xuan Jian to assassinate Ying Zheng, which failed, and he had hinted for Wang Yi to make a move on Ying Zheng, both of which ended in failure.

Ying Zheng successfully returned to Xianyang, and he could no longer find such a good opportunity.

Facing Ying Zheng's upcoming capping ceremony, he did not want to return power to Ying Zheng, so he could only kill Ying Zheng before the capping ceremony.

As for why Lao Ai knew so clearly about the assassination attempts, it was because he was one of the participants. To be precise, the third attempt, stemming from the assassination by Duan Shui, was directed by him, all to frame Lu Lu Buwei.

If it could have succeeded, it would naturally have been for the best; that way, Lu Lu Buwei would have been the one to take the blame. Unfortunately, it failed.

"After the deed is done, help me hide the secret and promise me glory and wealth—it sounds nice, but I already have glory and wealth, and I don't need your charity..."

"However, since you have already sent this letter, I will fulfill your wish and kill Ying Zheng! Once Ying Zheng is dead, the next one will be you!"