Chapter 218: How can you have such a big son if you’re still a virgin? Zhao Ji was so angry that she cursed!
Zhao Ji was struck by lightning.
She was instantly petrified.
Her pupils dilated involuntarily as if she had heard something extremely terrifying.
Leaving her temporarily breathless.
The bedchamber suddenly fell into dead silence.
It was so silent that Zhao Ji could even hear her own heartbeat.
Fierce and rapid!
“What… what did you say?”
Zhao Ji’s face turned pale, and after a long time, she could only ask this.
Li Mo finished tidying up her clothes.
“Some things you know better than I do, so why ask?”
By comparison, his expression remained calm.
If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t have brought it up.
He was just probing her stance.
But Zhao Ji’s attitude was exceptionally firm.
As if everything could be discussed, except for this.
Not even room for negotiation.
But Li Mo knew very well what kind of person Ying Zheng was.
If Zhao Ji didn’t relinquish power when he ascended to the throne, their relationship would only get worse, potentially ending in mutual hostility.
“If you don’t understand, if Emperor Qin sent you as an emissary, you can leave now.”
Zhao Ji quickly calmed down, speaking decisively.
But the hidden panic in her eyes didn’t escape Li Mo’s notice.
Li Mo naturally wouldn’t leave so easily.
With a slight movement, he grabbed her cold jade-like hand.
Zhao Ji, who had let him get close just a moment ago, began to struggle fiercely.
But it was all in vain.
She had to shout coldly, “Let go!”
Instead of letting go, Li Mo tightened his grip.
“Let me give you a piece of advice, alright?”
“You’ve already seen Emperor Qin’s capabilities with your own eyes. Why not return power to him and let him act freely? This will lead Qin towards a new pinnacle.”
“You’re in the harem, Lu Buwei has also been eliminated, so why do you still hold onto power so tightly?”
Given Zhao Ji’s status, no one in the world can touch her anymore.
But if she continues like this, it will only bring her greater trouble.
Li Mo doesn’t want to see the day when they turn against each other.
Zhao Ji looked at him coldly and stopped struggling.
Li Mo continued, “Now I’m trying to reason with you nicely. If Emperor Qin finds out you’re not the true Empress Dowager, have you considered the consequences?”
“Shameless!”
This statement seemed to hit Zhao Ji’s sore spot, causing her to become agitated, “I am Emperor Qin’s birth mother, I am the true Empress Dowager!”
“Is that so?”
Li Mo said calmly.
“Then can the Empress Dowager explain why, despite being born as a dancer, you cannot even dance?”
“Why would a dancer get injured merely by doing a split?”
“And why does a mother who has given birth to children have no stretch marks on her abdomen?”
If it were someone like Jing Ni and Fei Yan, who excel in martial arts.
Or even like Sister Zi and Nongyu, who possess some level of martial skill.
Li Mo wouldn’t be so certain.
But Zhao Ji is just an ordinary person with no martial arts skills whatsoever.
Even if she keeps herself well-maintained, there’s no way she’d have no traces of stretch marks.
These questions caused Zhao Ji’s face to change dramatically.
Her heart was in chaos.
Only now did she realize that Li Mo had suspected her for a long time.
“You…you’re talking nonsense?”
“Who said I can’t dance, and I don’t have marks because I maintain myself well, is that not possible?”
Seeing that she was still unwilling to give up, Li Mo said, “Then can the Empress Dowager explain why a woman who has given birth still possesses the body of a virgin?”
Zhao Ji’s breath caught, her face turned deadly pale.
“You… on what basis are you saying that I… I’m still…”
Li Mo could clearly feel the coldness in her hands.
Whether she admitted it or not was no longer important; this was the best answer in itself.
“The Yin-Yang School is skilled in divination, and as it happens, I have a lady who is the Oriental Empress of the Yin-Yang School. Do you need me to bring her here to confirm it?”
This statement was purely to persuade her.
The people of Yin-Yang and Daoism could indeed discern whether a person’s energy is pure Yin or Yang.
But Fei Yan is not even in the Qin Empire right now.
She went back to her maternal home, and it’s uncertain when she will return.
Zhao Ji was instantly swayed.
She stared at him intently, “When did you find out?”
Li Mo pursed his lips.
“I started suspecting when you first injured your leg.”
Zhao Ji’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
“Just because of my leg injury, you started doubting my identity as Empress Dowager?”
She knew Li Mo was meticulous.
But to suspect her Empress Dowager status just because of this, wasn’t that too hasty?
Li Mo nodded, “That’s right.”
“Unusual events are bound to have something fishy.”
“Bold speculations, careful verification. Teachers question to learn, friends question to solve doubts.”
“Although I can’t see, it doesn’t mean my mind is in darkness.”
Zhao Ji stared at him unblinkingly.
“So you’re trying to use this to threaten me, right?”
“How have I treated you? Be honest with yourself.”
“Princess Hongliang protected you out of kindness and willingly became your hostage; you pleaded for her in front of me.”
“When I heard you were in trouble, I sent an army of four hundred thousand to rescue you without regard for the consequences. Is this how you repay me?”
“I tolerated your impudence and allowed your insolence, doesn’t this outweigh Emperor Qin’s few words of praise?”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.
There was endless grievance in her heart.
Even after I’ve allowed you such liberties, you still threaten me instead of being close to me?
How are you different from that heartless and fickle man?
“Of course, I’m not threatening you. If I say it is for your own good, would you believe me?”
Li Mo didn’t know how to comfort her for a moment, so he said this.
“I don’t believe it!”
Li Mo sighed helplessly.
“Can’t you see what kind of person Emperor Qin is?”
“If you keep hoarding power, once he fully develops his wings, a reckoning is inevitable.”
“Besides, even without real power in your hands, you are still the Queen Dowager of Qin.”
“Above all others, respected by all.”
“Before I came to Qin, I promised him to help craft a sword for the emperor.”
“Now the sword embryo is ready, it just lacks forging.”
Zhao Ji detected a hint of what was going on from his words.
Upon thinking carefully, she slowly understood.
“What are you… planning?”
Li Mo admitted: “To sweep through the six states and unify the world.”
Zhao Ji was aghast.
“Are you guys crazy?”
“We are very clear-headed.”
Zhao Ji looked at him incredulously: “The past kings of Qin, across several generations, have had such ambitions, but they all ended in failure.”
“Once the six states unite against Qin, Qin will surely be defeated.”
“Where does your confidence come from to sweep through the six states?”
The ambition of Qin to unify had not started with Ying Zheng’s reign.
As early as the period of Duke Xiao of Qin, Qin was preparing for this.
Qin’s geographical location was in the northwest.
Whether going west or north, there was no room for development.
Over time, Qin would gradually detach from contact with the powerful states of the east, and the people of Qin would be viewed as barbarians by the six eastern states.
To the south were the states of Ba and Shu.
Surrounded by mountains, Ba and Shu eventually fell into internal chaos, and the Emperor of Ba requested military assistance from Qin.
With inside help and guidance, Qin successfully annexed Ba and Shu, establishing Ba Commandery and Shu Commandery.
Therefore, the only way left for Qin to develop was to advance eastward.
During Emperor Huiwen of Qin’s reign, Qin waged war against Wei.
This was to prepare for Qin’s grand unification enterprise.
Later, Emperor Wu of Qin, Emperor Zhaoxiang of Qin, Emperor Xiaowen of Qin, and Emperor Zhuangxiang of Qin all made efforts towards this goal.
Li Mo spoke slowly: “Qin has been preparing for this day for over 103 years, all for this moment.”
“For Qin to move eastward, we must first break through Hangu Pass.”
“Without this natural barrier, the strategy of the united front will be difficult to implement.”
“As long as we capture Han before the six states react, Qin’s eastward advance will be unstoppable.”
Zhao Ji was shocked, “So you traded the fifteen cities of Nanyang with the Grand General of Han to besiege Han?”
She thought she had figured out Li Mo’s plan.
But Li Mo shook his head: “To take over Han, we no longer need to waste a single soldier.”
“I want the fifteen cities of Nanyang for future plans.”
You think I’m at the second level?
Actually, I’m at the third level!
Zhao Ji thought it over and finally understood: “Zhao State?”
Li Mo nodded, you’re not entirely clueless.
The 200,000 garrison troops in the fifteen cities of Nanyang were not prepared to besiege Han.
They were for defending against Zhao State.
Zhao Ji looked at him with a complex expression, “Although Han is weak in national power, with Hangu Pass, it won’t be easy to take it.”
“What makes you so confident?”
Li Mo smiled.
“Because the key to Hangu Pass is in my hands.”
Zhao Ji asked in puzzlement, “What do you mean?”
Li Mo raised his eyebrows, “Exactly what it sounds like, you can just take it literally.”
“So, the Queen Dowager might consider, once you return the power, Emperor Qin can take over the reins early, and by then, with the people’s unity, the unification of the six states will be imminent.”
“Then you can transform from the Queen Dowager of Qin to the Queen Dowager of the entire world.”
“From the most noble woman in Qin to the most noble woman in the entire world.”
“How about it, feeling tempted?”
Zhao Ji glared at him fiercely, seeing his smug expression, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.
Grinding her silver teeth, she had a thousand words to say.
But in the end, they all condensed into one sentence.
“I’m tempted, my ass!”
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