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墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Cheng had already documented the matter in a memorial, though it was not comprehensive, it contained all the information available at the moment. Hearing that King Qin wanted the truth, he no longer hesitated and presented the Bamboo Slip. It was what it was; he would wait for the Holy Judgment. He felt his hands lighten as he stepped back a few paces, kneeling again without saying more.
This king had only gone out to handle minor affairs, yet chaos erupted within the country!? Was it true, as rumors suggested, that the king was gravely ill? Was Great Qin not just like the Zhou Dynasty!? Truly infuriating! King Zhao of Qin flipped through the memorial, growing angrier with each page, but he did not let it show. He tossed the Bamboo Slip onto the desk and asked, "The memorial mentions that the Crown Prince conspired with various lords to assassinate Luzi. Is there any evidence?"
Although Zhang Cheng was known as a Messenger, he was undoubtedly one of King Qin's trusted aides. He was upright and had a slight air of a chivalrous figure who despised evil. The reason he had been so compliant and discreet all this time was that he served closely beside the nation's ruler. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to witnessing changes in power; if he did not learn to conceal his strength and bide his time, he would have long been eliminated. Among all the civil and military officials in court, he naturally knew who was good and who was bad. Learning that it was the Crown Prince's intention to seize power made him uneasy, especially since it involved colluding with various lords to plot against Luzi. It was simply intolerable!
This time, with King Qin mysteriously missing, he had no idea what was happening as a close attendant. However, it seemed that Fan Ju, who went by the alias Zhang Lu, knew something about it; this was not a good sign. If Fan Ju had ulterior motives, this could escalate significantly. But these doubts could only remain hidden in his heart; after all, they involved matters concerning the Royal Family. As for how to decide on this issue, that would naturally be up to the head of the family. Regarding Fan Ju's identity, it seemed there might be an opportunity to discuss it with Luzi later. Just thinking about this senior brother brought tears to his eyes. If only he could survive; if he truly fell into someone else's schemes... sigh!
Just as Zhang Cheng wiped away his tears with his sleeve, he heard King Qin's question. He hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty! When I sent someone to the Crown Prince's Residence, I happened to see one of His Highness's aides trying to bury something in the back garden. After seizing it, I found it to be a wooden box containing a severely decayed head." After speaking, he took out a small Bamboo Slip from his sleeve. "This letter was found on that aide; although it does not mention whose head it is, it refers to a bandit leader. Through interrogation, we learned that this bandit leader is referred to as Luzi. Since His Highness was out of town and did not see this letter, that aide dared not burn the evidence."
King Zhao of Qin nodded and asked, "Have you traced the source of the letter?"
Such professional inquiries were no challenge for an expert like Zhang Cheng; without hesitation, he reported directly: "Your Majesty! I instructed craftsmen to conduct repeated comparisons; both the processing techniques and materials originated from Wei Kingdom. According to reports from those sent to search for Luzi in Chu Region, over a hundred arrows engraved with 'Wu Ji' were discovered along the way." After speaking, he presented one of the arrows without its tip with both hands. "Your Majesty! This is one of many arrows found. My subordinates informed me that this arrow also came from craftsmen in Wei Kingdom."
King Zhao of Qin examined the arrow closely. "Wei Wujie! Wei Kingdom! This unpredictable scoundrel!"
If it were about national military actions or diplomatic strategies of distant alliances and nearby attacks, Zhang Cheng would naturally refrain from speaking too much; however, reporting truthfully was part of his duty. Seeing King Qin break the arrow shaft with one hand made him quickly say: "Your Majesty! After thorough investigation from multiple sources, Wei Wujie is not behind this scheme. Wei Wang An has already issued strict orders preventing this person from meeting anyone or going out due to rumors circulating."
King Zhao of Qin rubbed his forehead and let out a heavy sigh. Faced with unseen private dealings left him feeling powerless. This wasn't like commanding thousands of troops in battle! Scoundrels! They were all scoundrels! If I cannot defeat you in open combat, then I will concede defeat. Engaging in these underhanded dealings behind closed doors is truly contemptible!
At this moment, recalling commanding thousands of troops brought back memories of meeting envoys from Qi State in Zhao territory. They even insisted that I should understand etiquette!? What I am fighting against is precisely your etiquette! Hmm! It seems merely gritting my teeth won't suffice; how to enhance my military strength is what truly matters! This is not something that can be resolved overnight; careful planning is required moving forward. King Zhao of Qin silently resolved himself and gestured for Zhang Cheng to withdraw. What he needed most now was to go to the training grounds and chop at things; harboring anger would only harm him!
Before Zhang Cheng could wait for King Qin's command to speak again, he reached into his clothing and pulled out a Bamboo Slip saying: "Your Majesty! There is good news. Wang Jian has returned; he brought back envoys from that legendary family along with advanced weapon manufacturing craftsmen."
This is truly a case of thinking something and it happening! It seems that the matter of sending troops to attack Wei will be discussed later; for now, let's see just how advanced these so-called advanced weapons really are! "Is Wang Jian at Capital Xianyang?"
Zhang Cheng immediately reported to the Sovereign that Wang Jian was currently waiting outside the hall for orders.
King Zhao of Qin nodded in satisfaction. "Announce!"
The progress of events was just as Luzi had anticipated; regardless of whether Wang Jian agreed or not, he was going to handle logistics. He was appointed as the acting Artificer under Chancellor Fan Ju. Subsequently, the nation began to purchase large quantities of metals such as Bronze and actively surveyed and mined Copper Mines, marking the dawn of a new era of metal smelting. Wang Jian was transferred as an envoy of Qin State to the Wilderness to marry a woman from a legendary family to solidify their foundation. As the Qin Army soldiers replaced their short swords with long swords, thirty thousand rigorously selected archers also completed their equipment upgrades.
At this time, it was the forty-third year of King Zhao of Qin, which corresponds to 264 BC.
There is one more thing to add, which will take just a moment. Under pressure from Qin State, Zhang Lu, who is Fan Ju's great enemy, got his revenge. Various states feared the power of Qin State, and due to the former Prime Minister of Wei, Wei Qi's overly sycophantic nature, there were hardly any who resembled the Plain King of Zhao. As a result, even those who fled to several states found no one willing to take them in. With nowhere else to turn, he decided to return to Wei Kingdom to seek help from Wei Wujie.
Wei Qi thought of Wei Wujie out of desperation mainly because he had recently heard that at this time, only Wei Wujie dared to confront Qin State and had previously achieved victory over Qin Army in a small-scale conflict. For a time, he was revered by the common people across various states as a divine figure, and young men aspiring to resist Qin flocked to him, taking pride in becoming Xingling Jun Retainers. Thus, he decided to take the risk and return home in hopes that Wei Wujie could help him escape to Chu Kingdom for refuge.
However, due to Wei Wujie being warned by Wei Wang An not to meet with guests and hesitating for a moment, Wei Qi ultimately took his own life. One can only feel pity for this person; having offended someone equally narrow-minded led to his tragic fate today. This aligns with what Plain King Zhao Sheng once said: one should primarily act with kindness in daily life. If one becomes too selfish and loses sight of their basic humanity, they will inevitably suffer great losses sooner or later!
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