Chapter 180: Ambition and the Capping Ceremony!

Seeing Ying Zheng was busy with the capping ceremony.

Lu Buwei and Lao Ai were not idle either; they each had their own intentions.

Also having intentions was... Zhao Gao.

Zhao Gao was the Empress Dowager's confidant, and before pledging loyalty to the Empress Dowager, his previous superior was none other than Lao Ai.

Since the death of King Zhuangxiang, Lu Buwei and Zhao Ji had rekindled their old romance, frequently entering and leaving the palace.

But because of his old age and frail health, Lu Buwei's physical condition was not as good as before, and he gradually could not keep up with Zhao Ji, who was in the prime of her life. Thus, he found someone with extraordinary natural talent from Luo Wang.

This person was Lao Ai.

Lao Ai, recommended by him, became a guest of the Empress Dowager and gained the deep favor and trust of Empress Dowager Zhao Ji.

At first, Lu Buwei used Lao Ai to gain the Empress Dowager's favor.

But gradually, Lao Ai broke free from Lu Buwei's control. Even Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, because of Lao Ai, gradually grew distant from Lu Buwei. Later, Lao Ai utilized Zhao Ji's favor to step by step transform from a fake eunuch into the Marquis of Changxin.

Because he was not a true eunuch, at times, for convenience, he still needed some trustworthy eunuchs to serve him.

Zhao Gao was discovered by Lao Ai under such circumstances, and subsequently recommended to Zhao Ji, becoming a shared confidant of both.

However, even Lao Ai would not have thought that Zhao Gao had more ambition than he imagined.

To be precise, it was because Zhao Gao watched Lao Ai become the Marquis of Changxin under the name of a eunuch that he also developed a craving for power.

Since a person like Lao Ai could rely on the Empress Dowager's favor to become the Marquis of Changxin, could he not also be enfeoffed as a Marquis one day?

However, he also knew clearly that compared to Lao Ai, he lacked the other party's "strengths."

He was a true eunuch.

Therefore, it was impossible to gain the Empress Dowager's favor through his own "strengths."

Continuing to rely on Lao Ai, while he was valued by Lao Ai, Lao Ai—because he came from Luo Wang—was cold-blooded and heartless. Although he was currently used by him, it was only because he still had value. If he lost his value, Lao Ai would sacrifice him without hesitation.

Therefore, he had to find another way out.

Until he learned of Lao Ai's intention to rebel.

Actually, it could not be considered "learning," because Lao Ai did not hide it from him. Perhaps it was because over the years, he had never violated the orders of Lao Ai and the Empress Dowager, and had done everything they entrusted to him very well.

When Lao Ai developed the heart of rebellion, he first informed Zhao Gao of this matter.

After all, rebellion was not something one person could do; there had to be accomplices.

Zhao Gao verbally agreed to everything Lao Ai entrusted to him.

But in secret, this matter allowed him to see an opportunity.

Since there was no path to advancement on Lao Ai and the Empress Dowager's side, could he change his thinking and look for a breakthrough from the King of Qin's side?

He decisively chose to betray Lao Ai to seek glory.

"Lao Ai, rest assured, after you die, I will take over everything of yours."

Zhao Gao's voice was low as he whispered to himself.

Lu Buwei had found Lao Ai from Luo Wang and entrusted him with heavy responsibilities, not knowing that after Lao Ai gained power, he had quietly influenced Luo Wang through his familiarity with it.

The Luo Wang organization appeared to be controlled by Lu Buwei, but in reality, a large portion of its power was already used by Lao Ai. Lao Ai often issued missions under the guise of Lu Buwei's orders.

And within Luo Wang, Lao Ai had another identity—"Yanyan" (Covering the Sun)!

If one were to understand "Covering the Sun" from another perspective—covering up that "thing"—it was precisely the mark of a fake eunuch.

A capping ceremony caused various factions to have different intentions.

There were those seeking to break the situation, those plotting mischief, and also opportunists.

Amidst the chaos, Su Xuan actually became idle.

This was mainly because, through his understanding of history, he was very clear about the general direction of the capping ceremony.

Every day, he cultivated in his residence, and in his occasional leisure time, he would play chess with Yan Lingji or go out for a stroll.

After all, having come to Xianyang, it would be unreasonable not to go out and look around.

Back when he was in the Han State, he spent most of his time in the palace and rarely went out. Later, when he became a wanted criminal of the Han State, it was difficult to go out even if he wanted to.

Time drifted by.

In the blink of an eye, it was already April.

The day of Seeing Ying Zheng's capping ceremony was drawing closer and closer.

As Marquis of Changxin Lao Ai sent word back to Xianyang, stating that the preparations for the capping ceremony were all ready.

Seeing Ying Zheng also officially left the capital city of Xianyang, arrived at Yongcheng, and stayed at Qinian Palace.

Yongcheng was the former capital of the Qin Guo. One hundred and twelve years ago, the Qin Guo moved its capital to Xianyang, but the Ying clan's ancestral temple remained in Yongcheng. The capping ceremony had to be held in the ancestral temple to report to the ancestors. For Seeing Ying Zheng to hold the capping ceremony, he had to come to Yongcheng.

From the Western Zhou to the current Qin Guo, many ancient rituals had ceased to exist, but the capping ceremony, as one of the ancestral systems of the Qin Guo, had been passed down.

The capping ceremony is the beginning of ritual and the most important of auspicious events. Therefore, the sage kings of old valued the capping ceremony.

A wedding might happen more than once, but growing up only happens once, and the capping ceremony only happens once, so it naturally needed to be treated with caution. The capping ceremony had strict regulations regarding details. The location had to be within one's own ancestral temple. The time also had strict requirements; divination was performed beforehand, and after a complex and rigorous procedure, the inevitable and unique solution was found, and finally, an auspicious day was chosen. This matter was undoubtedly done by the Yin-Yang School.

At the capping ceremony, besides the person being capped, there was another important role—the "Guest," that is, the host and witness of the ceremony. This person could not be found casually; they also needed to be determined through divination.

Nine years, nearly ten years, had passed since Seeing Ying Zheng's succession ceremony, and the Qin Guo finally welcomed another large-scale grand ceremony. For someone of Seeing Ying Zheng's level, the cost and expense of a capping ceremony would naturally not be small. How could Seeing Ying Zheng begrudge the money! This capping ceremony represented his image and the image of the Qin Guo; naturally, the more glorious and grand, the better.

However, not everyone could participate in the viewing ceremony of this capping ceremony. Only a few hundred people were truly qualified to participate; these people were all powerful figures of the Qin Guo and the pivot of the imperial court.

Without these people, the Qin Guo might not necessarily be destroyed, but it would certainly fall into turmoil.

This was also the reason why Lao Ai believed he could succeed in his rebellion.

The capping ceremony was held in Yongcheng. As long as he started an army in Yongcheng, killed Seeing Ying Zheng, and captured these people, while on the other side, another large army marched into Xianyang to occupy the empty temple, then the majority of the entire Qin Guo would be under his control.

Afterward, utilizing the Empress Dowager's decree to make the Qin Guo his own would be an easy matter.

When Seeing Ying Zheng arrived at Qinian Palace in Yongcheng, Su Xuan and Yan Lingji also quietly arrived in Yongcheng, the ancestral land of the Qin Guo.

"Compared to Xianyang, this place is really small!"

After looking around, Yan Lingji evaluated Yongcheng, which was inferior to Xianyang in both prosperity and scale. ===== CHAPTER 182 =====