Chapter 28: The Road of Qin Wang

  Handan, Hu Feng wine shop, Lü Buwei's lodging place.

  Lü Buwei knelt on a low table, in front of him was a small table full of delicious food, fragrant and emitting an enticing aroma.

  A green-clad maid floated in like a butterfly among flowers, and poured him fine wine. The liquor was clear as amber, and at one glance he knew it was a superior treasure.

  Another green-clad maid with fingers as slender as jade was massaging Lü Buwei's shoulders, her technique agile and extremely skilled. Lü Buwei let out a comfortable sigh.

  "Master." Just then, Old Man Xi Men hurried in.

  "Anything?" Lü Buwei raised his head.

  Ximen Lao's eyes swept over the two green-clad maidservants.

  "Get down." Lv Buwei waved his hand, and the two maidservants apologized, curtsied, and quickly retreated.

  "It's Qin Yiren's business." Ximen Lao reported.

  "Ah!" Lü Buwei's spirits lifted, a smile spread across his face, layer upon layer, his entire face filled with joy and excitement. "He actually sent someone to deliver a message? He's surrendering! Hmph, last time I went to see him, he made me wait in the cold wind for ages. I'll make him wait too, let him freeze to death before I speak!"

  As for the last encounter, Lü Buwei was resentful. He thought that with the name of the Lü clan's business, Qin Yi would be favored, but unexpectedly, Qin Yi made him drink northwest wind for an hour, and whenever he thought about it, he hated it so much that his teeth ached.

  "Isn't..." Xi Men Lao Die's answer made Lv Bu Wei greatly surprised.

  "What's going on?" Lü Buwei was somewhat puzzled.

  "Report to the master, Qin Yiren has retrieved his goods and Zhao State will no longer detain him." Ximen's face showed some displeasure, complaining about King Zhao Xiao of Zhao: "This king is truly incompetent."

  "It's impossible! Impossible!" Lü Buwei shook his head violently, with a look of disdain on his face. "What right does Qin Yiren have to get back the goods? What right does he have to make King Zhao release him? Don't even mention that this poor, penniless abandoned son, even if it were me, the Lü clan's merchant company, we would have to spend a huge amount of money to grease all the wheels."

  If Qin's stranger bowed his head, Lü Buwei would certainly help him solve the problem of survival and strive to lift the soft ban. Lü Buwei had carefully calculated that even with his ability, it was impossible to achieve this without a huge sum of money to bribe the upper and lower levels of Zhao State.

  It's really hard for him to believe that Qin Yi Ren, a Qin country abandoned son with no background or status, could achieve this. It's not much easier than ascending to heaven.

  "It's true!" Old Master Ximen affirmed and then told him what he had found out.

  "This......" Despite Lü Buwei being a brilliant and cunning individual, he was shocked beyond words and stood there petrified.

  He patted his heart and asked himself, if he were in Qin Yiren's position, he wouldn't be able to do it either.

  "Sir, judging from Qin Yiren's words and actions, he is not an easy person to deal with. In my humble opinion, it's better to let this matter drop." Ximen Laojie was somewhat intimidated by Qin Yiren's cleverness and retreated.

  "No! Absolutely not!" Lü Buwei firmly refused, his eyes flashing with sharp light, coldly smiling: "I don't believe it, a mere Qin stranger can escape from my palm? The more he does so, the more I gain!" His words were filled with great self-confidence.

  "But..." Old Man Xi Men was about to persuade him a few more times.

  Lü Buwei waved his hand to stop him from continuing, saying: "I, Lü Buwei, in just over twenty years, turned the Lü family business, which was worth less than one hundred gold, into a major merchant house second only to the top five merchant houses in the world. This is all thanks to the four words 'rare goods are precious'. Qin Yiren is such a rare treasure, rarely seen in the world and throughout history. If I miss this opportunity, I, Lü Buwei, will regret it for the rest of my life."

  "Treasures can be found in unexpected places" was Lü Buwei's secret to getting rich. Every time he discovered a rare treasure, he would stop at nothing to get his hands on it and then sell it for a high price.

  A rare talent like Qin Yi, in thousands of years of Chinese history, there is only one. According to his temperament, he will absolutely not miss it.

  "What's to be done?" Xi Men Lao knew that Lv Buwei's mind was made up, as firm as a rock, and it was impossible to change his decision.

  "As far as I know, during his imprisonment, Qin Yiren had borrowed a lot of debt to make ends meet. I roughly calculated that there are over a thousand taels of gold. You can go and tell his creditors: Qin Yiren has gold now." Lü Buwei's eyes rolled around, and he immediately came up with a plan, a pleased smile spreading across his face.

  However you look at it, it's sinister.

  XXXXXXXXXX

  In the northwest of Handan, there is a vast poplar forest.

  Golden withered leaves hang on branches, thousands of trees, extremely magnificent, a rare sight.

  This was originally a scenic spot in Handan, where scholars gathered to engage in debates. However, with the Qin army approaching, there were few people around. If it were an ordinary day, it would be bustling and lively, and one could hear the sounds of scholars debating in groups from afar.

  Today, they welcomed six people, and these six people were Qin Yiren's party.

  Qin Yiren wore a clean jade crown on his head, a brand new golden brocade robe with gold and jade decorations at his waist, exuding an air of freshness from head to toe. At first glance, he looked like a groom, completely different from the Qin Yiren who used to wear tattered clothes that barely covered his body.

  Buddha wants a golden body, people want clothes, new clothes on the body, Qin's face is radiant and refreshed, like a completely different person. If there was still an aura of superiority, no one would dare to look up at him.

  The superior needs to cultivate his aura, as the saying goes "the body moves, the aura moves". In Qin Yi's current situation, he hasn't had the opportunity to cultivate the aura of a superior yet.

  Meng Zhao, Ma Gai, Fan Tong, Hei Bo and Miao Er, the five of them were also dressed in new clothes, wearing new boots, looking refreshed.

  Among the goods sent by Qin Guo, there were quite a few clothes, and they were all new. After Qin Yi brought them back, it was natural to change into them. Not only did he want to change into them, but also Meng Zhao and others were no exception.

  After changing into new clothes, everyone looks completely different.

  Especially Miao Er's change is even greater, fresh and beautiful, making Qin Yiren look straight-eyed, didn't expect this little girl to be so pretty. It's just too thin, like a bundle of firewood, given time, let her recover, she will definitely become a great beauty.

  "Master, it's here, right here!" Meng'er was in an extremely good mood, as if she were a butterfly fluttering about, and bursts of silvery laughter echoed through the air. She pointed to a vacant spot ahead: "This is Master's favorite place. He once hosted a banquet for scholars here, what a grand sight it was."

  Before the outbreak of the Changping War, Qin Yi Ren lived a very comfortable life in Handan. As the prince of the first great warring state, Zhao Guo not only did not dare to offend him but also treated him like a god, trying their best to provide convenience for him.

  At that time, Qin Yi people went wherever they were surrounded by front and back, and Qin Yi people were generous, often calling friends to come to the poplar forest for a drink. When drinking to excitement, Qin Yi people played Qin zither, leading to bursts of applause, and scholars patted his horse's buttocks.

  Thinking of those happy times, it was a heavenly life.

  The Changping War broke out, and everything changed. Qin Yi was put under house arrest, and those so-called friends disappeared without a trace. Not one person came to visit Qin Yi.

  "What a pity for Master Qin's zither." Hei Bo sighed.

  Qin Yiren's Qin zither was a special product, top-grade and excellent. In order to survive, he had no choice but to sell it with a heavy heart.

  "Let's all go and have some fun." Qin Yiren waved his hand, tilted his head back, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and felt invigorated.

  They came out today just to enjoy the freedom. Three years of house arrest, once free, what they want to do most is not to have a big meal, but to enjoy the freedom and let go of their minds. For three years in a small courtyard, both body and mind are limited, who can't yearn for freedom?

  "Hurray!" Meng Zhao, Ma Gai, Fan Tong, Hei Bo and Miao Er let out a burst of cheers, jumping up and down non-stop, chirping away like magpies.

  Qin Yiren reminisced about the past for a while, leaning against a poplar tree, and thought to himself: "Now that I've regained my freedom, it's time for me to plan my return to Qin State."

  The first thing to do when arriving in the Warring States period is to struggle for a warm and full life; secondly, it is to struggle for freedom. After hard work, these two things have been solved, and it's time to consider ascending to the throne of Qin Wang.

  "I, Zhao, am the conspiracy of Huayang lady, this lowly woman! I won't let you off!" Qin Yiren has memories of his predecessor and deeply knows the cause and effect of his accusation: "If I don't make a name for myself now, I absolutely can't return to Qin. To be able to return to Qin, I must have sufficient status, otherwise everything is in vain. To have not low status, one is to become famous, two is to establish merit!"