Chapter 216: Renamed Li Wu and exchanging fifteen cities in Nanyang
During this era, Luolan had not yet been buried by yellow sand.
Though deep in the desert,
It was an oasis in the midst of the desert.
Hidden deep within the desert,
An endless, boundless expanse.
Without guidance, ordinary people couldn’t find it.
Thus, Luolan became synonymous with mystery.
No one knew what secrets lay in that land of yellow sand.
“Do you still remember how to get back there?”
After a brief moment of surprise, Fei Yan looked at Li and asked.
Li tried to recall, then awkwardly shook his head.
Even knowing they came from the northwest, finding the exact starting point where Bai Xianwu was in the desert again would be extremely difficult.
Without coordinates in the endless sea of sand, apart from using the blazing sun to distinguish directions, they had no idea where they were.
Bai Xianwu walked for seven days and seven nights; this didn’t mean that walking for another seven days and nights in the desert would lead them back.
Even the slightest change in angle could lead to a deviation in direction.
After walking for seven days and nights, the deviation could be hundreds of miles!
Finding that desert oasis was not as simple as imagined.
The harsh weather in the desert makes it easy to get lost.
Sending someone in rashly would result in no return.
Jing Ni looked silently at Li Mo, implying for him to make a decision.
Should they send someone in to search?
Li Mo pondered for a while and then shook his head, “No need.”
Loulan is sandwiched between Central Plains and Western Regions.
For so many years, it hasn’t been discovered by people.
If it were so easy to find, it would have been exposed to the world already.
The matter came to a temporary stop here.
Now the priority isn’t to find the elusive Loulan, but to first deal with the matters of Han.
“Rest for a few days first. Soon, the Emperor of Han will likely seek peace with Qin, and you will need to return to Han then.”
Li responded without hesitation, “At the master’s command.”
Li Mo thought for a bit, then said, “You have been given a new life now. You are no longer the killer from Luo Network or Bai Xianwu of Han.”
“In that case, I’ll give you a new name.”
Li was slightly stunned, then joyfully said, “Please grant me a name, Master.”
Being given a new name truly marked belonging to the master. This was also a form of trust.
Li Mo pondered briefly. “Li Wu.”
…
The urgency of the Emperor of Han was even greater than Li Mo had imagined.
Just three days later, news came from the border that the Emperor of Han was willing to exchange seven cities with Qin for Bai Xianwu and Princess Hongliang.
On the same day, Lord Changping personally came to the manor to inform Li Mo of the news.
He also carried the intentions of Emperor Qin and the Empress Dowager, to seek Li Mo’s opinion.
Li Mo sneered. Dream on!
He thought a mere seven cities could trade for both the general and the princess, calculating even slyer than Sister Zi.
Not to mention trading for both, even one of them couldn’t be traded for seven cities alone.
Thirty cities, not one less.
The Emperor of Han personally mentioned exchanging for Hongliang, which was fundamentally different from proactively using Hongliang as a bargaining chip.
The message was sent back to Lisi.
Lisi was ordered to continue negotiating with Han.
Holding the upper hand, Qin’s stance made the Emperor of Han finally concede.
Fifteen cities were to be traded for Bai Xianwu.
This implied abandoning Hongliang altogether!
When Lord Changping delivered the message to Li Mo, Hongliang happened to overhear it.
That night, the manor was filled with Honglian’s heart-wrenching cries until late at night!
Eventually, Han exchanged fifteen cities in Nanyang for Li Wu, the great general.
Li Wu left Xiangyang city, escorted by three thousand Qin soldiers to Hangu Pass.
At Hangu Pass, the armies of Qin and Han conducted the exchange.
With Bai Xianwu’s return, Li Si’s task was finally completed.
His performance this time gained significant recognition in the court.
Previously an obscure official, he began to enter the public eye.
At the frontier, 400,000 troops were deployed, with 200,000 stationed in the fifteen cities of Nanyang.
The remaining 200,000 were stationed at Wusui military camp.
Seven days later, Lisi finally returned from the border.
He went to visit Li Mo immediately.
But at the manor, he met someone unexpected.
“Han Fei?”
Lisi was led into the main hall by a maid.
He instantly saw Han Fei sitting in the hall.
“Greetings, senior brother,” Han Fei said with a warm smile, clasping his hands in greeting.
Both disciples of Xun Fuzi, they were legitimate senior and junior brothers.
Lisi quickly regained his composure.
Li Mo’s previous trip to Han to ask Emperor Han for Han Fei was no secret.
He had been on this mission in Han for quite some time and had heard about it.
“Long time no see, junior brother, I hope you are well.”
Without much hesitation, Li Si raised his hand in return salute.
As clever as he was, how could he not see that Han Fei and Li Mo had a deep relationship?
He owed his rise to prominence to Li Mo’s support.
He had even received news as soon as he arrived in Xianyang.
Lord Changping intended to bring him into the cabinet.
Entering the cabinet meant accessing the core of Qin State’s power.
Li Si was clearer than anyone why Lord Changping was able to become the chief minister.
And why he would want him in the cabinet.
The merit from this mission to Han alone was far from enough.
So someone must have spoken to him on his behalf.
Even the opportunity to be appointed by the Emperor of Qin as an envoy to Han was the same.
The Emperor of Qin probably hadn’t even heard of him.
Why would he send him just like that?
Someone who could speak with such weight to both the Emperor of Qin and Lord Changping, and who spoke for him, other than this national scholar, Li Si couldn’t think of anyone else.
So upon his return, he came over to pay his respects first thing.
He was very clear who had given him everything he had now.
Han Fei and the national scholar had a deep relationship, disrespecting him would be disrespecting the national scholar.
Even with multiple guts, he wouldn’t dare.
“Li Si pays his respects to the national scholar.”
He didn’t communicate much with Han Fei beyond a greeting.
Now was not the time for small talk with Han Fei.
His purpose here was to thank Li Mo.
Li Si’s wide sleeves were heavy.
These were gifts he had prepared meticulously for a long time.
Last time he came for a visit, the gifts prepared were insufficient.
Originally, he thought there were only two ladies in the national scholar’s residence, so he had only prepared two gifts.
But it so happened that Jing Ni came back that day.
So one gift was missing.
Sending none would be better than sending incomplete gifts.
Thus, he chose not to present the gifts last time.
This time he was fully prepared.
Three gifts, just one for each.
The national scholar certainly wouldn’t care for these small gifts, but as a person.
Whether others value your gift is one thing, whether you give it is another.
After recounting his experience in Han to Li Mo, Li Si seized the moment to reach into his sleeve.
“Master Scholar, I have three humble…”
Before he could finish, a crisp voice interrupted.
“Brother Wang, Sister Sister Zi and I are going into the city, you stay here and have fun.”
Gong Lian stood at the entrance of the hall, waving to Han Fei inside.
Li Si looked over at the sound and was instantly dumbfounded!
A group of women stood not far outside the hall.
A rough count showed no fewer than seven or eight!
It was none other than Jing Ni and her group preparing to enter the city.
Jing Ni and Sister Zi were going to the city for official business.
Gong Lian and Yan Lingji were just joining for fun.
The only one missing in the group was Fei Yan.
After handling Bai Xian Wu’s matter, Fei Yan had returned to the Yin-Yang School.
Instead of waiting for Dong Huang Taiyi to send someone, she chose to go back herself.
The women passing by the hall were all stunningly beautiful and exceptionally elegant.
They were clearly not mere maids of the residence!
The identity of any woman living here was evident.
Li Si’s scalp tingled and he was dazzled.
His hand in his sleeve felt like it was filled with lead, unable to come out.
He had miscalculated!
Three gifts…were far from enough!
“Minister Li, what were you saying about three…?”
Li Mo picked up his teacup and used the lid to stir the floating tea leaves.
Li Si broke into a fine sweat on his forehead, too embarrassed to speak.
“Three, three. Three parts effort, seven parts thanks to the master’s support.”
“Rest assured, master, I will surely exhaust all my efforts for Qin State and never betray your expectations.”
Li Si withdrew his hand from his sleeve.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead.
No wonder the scholar had no desire for power.
With so many beauties around daily, where would he find the mind to think of anything else?
He hadn’t even counted how many just passed by in a flash.
It seems that sending gifts to the National Advisor’s wives to curry favor with him is not going to work.
Another way has to be found to express sincerity.
After a long time, Li Si left with a feeling of melancholy.
As he just walked out the door, Han Fei chased after him from behind.
“Senior brother, senior brother.”
Li Si stopped and turned around.
With a smile on his face, Han Fei said, “I happen to be heading into the city too, perhaps senior brother could give me a ride?”
Li Si nodded.
“No need to be so courteous, let’s go.”
Han Fei and Li Mo’s relationship was much closer than with him, so how could he refuse.
On the carriage, Li Si was the first to speak: “Junior brother doesn’t live at the National Advisor’s place?”
Han Fei casually laughed and said, “You just saw it, senior brother, there are many women at the National Advisor’s residence, it would be inconvenient for me to live there.”
“The National Advisor has arranged a house for me in Xianyang, I’m staying there.”
“Oh right, I haven’t congratulated you on joining the cabinet yet. If our teacher knew, he would surely be happy for you.”
Originally, he had planned to bring Hongliang with him.
But no matter what he said, she refused to go with him.
Never mind, at least he found some peace and quiet.
Li Si nodded in agreement after hearing this.
Indeed, there were many women.
“Junior brother overestimates me, my position in the cabinet is nothing compared to you as a guest minister.”
“What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to stay in Qin permanently?”
Han Fei gave a bitter smile.
“My experiences in Han, senior brother must have heard about them.”
“If it weren’t for our mentor, I might still be facing who knows what kind of situation.”
“If not staying in Qin, where else could I go.”
Li Si listened thoughtfully.
After Han Fei finished, he continued: “Indeed, thanks to the National Advisor. If it weren’t for him, when Lu Buwei fell, I might have been implicated.”
… ……….
“Losing an official position is a minor issue, survival is key!”
The two senior brothers suddenly burst into laughter.
Thinking about it, if it weren’t for Li Mo, they would probably have met in the netherworld.
Not long after they entered Xianyang city, Han Fei got off at an intersection.
“Senior brother, let’s part here for now, we will meet again in court tomorrow.”
Li Si lifted the carriage curtain and glanced around.
Then he was taken aback.
Looking at the familiar street, he asked, “Do you live here?”
Han Fei pointed behind him.
“Just three hundred steps ahead, senior brother should come by when you’re free.”
Li Si laughed heartily and pointed in the other direction: “I live just at the other end.”
One street running north-south.
Li Si lived to the south, Han Fei to the north.
They were only a few hundred meters apart.
Both of them understood at that moment, this was likely intentionally arranged by Li Mo.
The purpose was to make sure they interacted frequently.
The implication was quite clear.
He didn’t want to see the two at odds with each other.
This served as a reminder for them.
In a villa outside the city.
After Li Si and Han Fei left, the villa became quiet.
In a large villa, besides the maids, only Li Mo remained.
Fei Yan had returned to her family home.
Jing Ni took Lady Mingzhu to deal with matters related to the web.
Sister Zi and Nong Yu went together to the shops in the city.
Yan Lingji and Hongliang joined in for fun.
Li Mo wasn’t idle either.
Over in Han, Li Wu was dispatched and posed no more threat.
In his plan, once the wheel of history started rolling, it couldn’t be stopped.
Before it began, there was one important matter to resolve.
…
In Xianyang Palace.
It was noon.
A row of palace maids holding trays walked into a hall.
After setting the trays on the table, the head maid bowed slightly towards the curtains and said, “Empress Dowager, it’s time to eat.”
After a long pause, a lazy voice responded.
“Got it.”
Immediately, two maids lifted the curtains from both sides.
Dressed in a luxurious phoenix robe, Zhao Ji slowly walked out.
For some reason, looking at the table full of gourmet dishes, she felt uninterested.
Despite feeling hungry, she had no appetite at all.
Zhao Ji sat by the table for a long time, finally throwing down the chopsticks in her hand.
Annoyed, she waved her hand and said, “Take it away, I don’t want to eat.”
The palace maids serving her quickly carried away the dishes without a word of comfort.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to comfort her, but they didn’t dare.
Lately, the Empress Dowager’s temper had been very unstable, often flaring up over trivial matters.
So the palace maids had learned to be obedient.
They did exactly as she said without question.
If they said one wrong word and upset her, they would be punished.
They couldn’t afford to provoke her.
Though the maids said nothing, Zhao Ji’s face still showed anger.
For no other reason than that a certain person hadn’t visited her for many days!
If he hadn’t entered the palace at all, it would be understandable.
But he had clearly entered the palace several times and even visited Ying Zheng a few times.
Yet, he never once came to see her!
This treacherous rebel, does he not respect her as the Empress Dowager?
She wanted to send someone to bring him in for questioning, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Wouldn’t that be openly telling him that she wanted him to come?
If he doesn’t come, so be it. She didn’t need him anyway!
“Hmph!”
The more Zhao Ji thought about it, the angrier she got. She snorted coldly and stood up.
With a sullen face, she walked towards the bed.
But before she could sit down, the maids who had taken away the dishes returned one by one.
Zhao Ji instantly became furious.
She coldly shouted, “Who told you to bring them back? Didn’t I say to take them away? Do you not understand?”
The dozen palace maids holding trays looked innocent.
They didn’t know whether to stay or go.
“I told them to bring them back.
“The food hasn’t been touched, why would I let them take it away?”
Just as Zhao Ji was about to lose her temper, a figure walked in.
Seeing who it was, Zhao Ji’s eyes lit up for a moment.
But then she put on a stern face.
She said coldly, “Do I need to explain my actions to you?”
Li Mo did not get angry at her attitude and smiled warmly, saying, “Of course not.”
Zhao Ji raised her eyebrows. “Then that’s settled. I don’t want to eat, take everything away!”
The palace maids looked at each other.
They glanced at each other and prepared to take the trays out again.
“Come back, put the dishes on the table.”
The dozen maids stopped immediately.
They looked back at Li Mo, then at Zhao Ji behind the curtain.
“I said take them away!”
Zhao Ji instantly became enraged.
The maids’ faces turned even paler.
Why did these gods fight, making things difficult for us lowly maids!
Li Mo shook his head helplessly.
He took two trays from the hands of two maids.
Then he motioned with his head for them to leave.
Feeling as if they were being granted amnesty, the maids hurried out.
They didn’t forget to close the door on their way out.
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