People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 152, Sending the Net to Kill Xu Qing
Just as Xu Qing had expected, Han Yu, Ji Wuye, and Zhang Kaidi began a debate over the position of Junior Minister.

In the end, King Han An handed over the position to Nangong Cuo, a subordinate of Zhang Kaidi. Although Ji Wuye and Han Yu were unwilling, they could only give it up.

The morning assembly passed quickly amidst the incessant debate.

King Han looked at Ji Wuye and Han Yu, who were facing off against each other. Although he hoped that the two would fight, he did not want them to fight too fiercely, which would cause the court to lose its balance.

To keep the two of them calm, they decided to give them a warning.

"Recently, the Ninth Prince sent a letter back saying that he has completed his studies at Xiaoshengxianzhuang and will be back soon. The Minister of the Imperial Household Department, please remember to arrange for the Ninth Prince's residence to be repaired."

After finishing his speech, King Han glanced at Xu Qing, and before anyone else could speak, he turned and left the throne.

"Dismiss the dynasty!"

"Farewell, Your Majesty!"

"Damn it, what was that old man thinking? I've been so cooperative with you all day, and you still tricked me."

Xu Qing watched Han Wang'an's departing figure and couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Before Xu Qing could even look at the other people's expressions, he noticed several different looks directed at him. He knew without a doubt that Zhang Kaidi, Han Yu, and Ji Wuye were scrutinizing him.

It is common knowledge that King Han An has never liked the Ninth Prince Han Fei. However, he suddenly brought up the matter of Han Fei's return to the country and even arranged for the Minister of the Imperial Household to repair his residence. The deeper meaning behind this is self-evident.

The power struggle in the Korean court was caused by Han Yu's lameness. A healthy young man who was not favored but was extremely intelligent was suddenly shown concern by King Han An, which was clearly a warning to Han Yu and Ji Wuye.

Xu Qing, a figure cultivated by King Han An, is now making a big splash in the court. It's hard not to think that Xu Qing was prepared by King Han An for Han Fei, in order to rebalance the court.

Xu Qing turned to look at the three people who had opened their eyes, gave a slight bow, and then turned and left.

The officials below also left in twos and threes. Ji Wuye glanced at Han Yu and a gloating smile appeared on his face.

"Congratulations, Fourth Young Master. Ninth Young Master Han Fei is about to return to the country. You brothers have been separated for many years and are finally reunited," Ji Wuye said.

Ji Wuye didn't care about Han Fei's return to the country. Han Fei was a young master with no foundation, and his return would not have any impact on him.

As for Xu Qing, he was his mole, so he wasn't worried at all that Xu Qing would team up with Han Fei.

But it was different for Han Yu; Han Fei's return to China had the biggest impact on Han Yu.

Han Yu naturally understood the sarcasm in Ji Wuye's words, but maintained a faint smile and said...

"Thank you for your concern, General. I have been studying under Master Xun at Xiaoshengxianzhuang for many years. I am sure that I will be able to change my past dissolute ways upon returning to the country, live up to my father's expectations, and share his burdens."

Ji Wuye understood the implication in Han Yu's words. Han Fei studied at Xiaoshengxianzhuang and was, after all, a Confucian disciple, so he was naturally close to Zhang Kai.

If Zhang Kaidi chooses to support Han Fei, then his life will not be easy either.

Although Han Fei was not favored, he was far superior to the useless Crown Prince Han.

"Haha, that's wonderful! I'm really looking forward to seeing how Young Master Jiu changes."

"I look forward to it too."

Han Yu and Ji Wuye both saw the coldness flashing in each other's eyes. They said nothing more and turned to leave with their men.

The Royal Palace of the King of Han, the Imperial Medical Academy.

After returning from the court, Xu Qing went straight back to the Imperial Hospital and locked himself in his room.

"In the next few days, Han Yu and Ji Wuye will temporarily stop fighting and turn their attention to me out of fear."

Sitting at the table, Xu Qing's expression was extremely solemn. Han Wang'an's last words had put him on the hot seat.

Han Fei returned to the country ahead of schedule, and King An of Han deliberately announced the news in court, thus implicating him and Han Fei once again.

Both Han Yu and Ji Wuye will definitely feel wary and start to be on guard against him, especially Han Yu.

After Han Yu became lame, he should have been eliminated from the struggle for the throne, but in order to maintain the balance of the court, King Han An left him with the words, "You should encourage him to recover."

Now that Han Fei is back, as long as he doesn't act as dissolutely as he did in the original story, even if Han Wang'an dislikes him, he will still give him important positions and gradually let him replace Han Yu.

Han Yu will certainly not be willing to be replaced, and Ji Wuye does not want another Han Yu to appear. Faced with a new enemy, the two are likely to join forces.

"If Ji Wuye becomes wary, the Chao Nv Yao side won't be able to offer much help. Hu Meiren will need to deal with Han Yu."

"The Mohist school is also entangled with the Yin-Yang school. Zhang Kai will probably remain neutral until the situation becomes clear."

Xu Qing rubbed his aching temples. When it came to court intrigues, he still had too few people he could openly use.

Xu Qing felt very uncomfortable being a pawn. If he didn't want to be so passive in the future, he either had to leave South Korea or strengthen his own power and become a player instead of a pawn.

"It seems we must get our hands on Luo Jing's network of connections as soon as possible. Let's go to Zi Lan Xuan today to see how much information Zi Nu has gathered. As long as we can confirm that Luo Jing is alright, we can move on to further cooperation."

After making up his mind, Xu Qing opened his door again and took his medicine box to examine the pulses of Chao Nu Yao and Hu Meiren.

Meanwhile, at the Fourth Young Master's residence.

Looking at Han Yu's gloomy expression, Han Qiancheng understood that something bad must have happened at today's court session; otherwise, Han Yu wouldn't be in this state. "Fourth Master, did something major happen at the court session?" Han Qiancheng asked.

"Feng Yu has been dismissed, and Lao Jiu is coming back too."

Han Yu briefly recounted what had happened in the court that day, and Han Qiancheng's expression gradually became serious.

“If the Ninth Prince is not returning to the country at this time because the King ordered him to do so, then he must have ulterior motives,” Han Qiancheng said in a deep voice.

Compared to the news of Han Fei's return to China, the matter of Liu Yi and Feng Yu seemed insignificant.

"That's what I think too. Father listened to Xu Qing's advice on two important decisions today, which makes people think that he is paving the way for Ninth Prince and preparing someone to assist him," Han Yu said in a deep voice.

Xu Qing has a good reputation both in the court and among the common people, and he has six trusted confidants scattered in important positions in the court, which makes Han Yu have to be cautious.

"Fourth Master, what should we do?" Han Qiancheng asked.

Han Yu glanced at his right leg, a murderous glint flashing across his face, and said in a deep voice...
“I didn’t want things to come to this, but Xu Qing absolutely cannot live any longer.”

He already had a grudge against Xu Qing, and he planned to bypass Xu Qing and form an alliance with Hu Meiren through Liu Yi, which would have completely offended Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was likely part of the team his father had prepared for Han Fei, so he couldn't keep Xu Qing around, otherwise Han Fei would replace him sooner or later.

Today, Xu Qing helped Ji Wuye cripple Feng Yu. All sorts of grudges and crises have led Han Yu to prepare to take action against Xu Qing and eliminate this major threat.

"What about Consort Hu? Liu Yi also said that Consort Hu regards him as a trusted minister. If we get rid of Xu Qing, Consort Hu may not choose to cooperate with us," Han Qiancheng said worriedly.

After pondering for a moment, Han Yu did not directly answer Han Qiancheng's question, but instead asked...
"What's the progress on the investigation I asked you to do about Madam Hu?"

"The investigation has been completed. Although Liu Yi tried his best to cover up Madam Hu's identity, I learned some secrets from the veterans who fought against Baiyue back then."

"Madam Hu is not from the State of Chu, but from Huoyu Mountain Villa in Baiyue."

Han Qiancheng recounted all the information he had gathered. Upon hearing this, Han Yu's eyes gleamed, and a smile appeared on his lips.

“If the information is correct, then Lady Hu must also be the youngest daughter of Lord Huoyu back then,” Han Yu said.

“That’s right,” Han Qiancheng said.

"It seems that heaven is on my side, so I am no longer worried that Hu Meiren will not cooperate."

"The reason why Consort Hu favors Xu Qing is simply because of his previous kindness in curing her illness. If she wants to replace Lady Mingzhu in the harem and become the most favored concubine, she will certainly need an ally."

"With her identity as leverage, and given the relationship between Madam Hu and Liu Yi, even if we eliminate Xu Qing, Madam Hu will not only not say anything, but will also cooperate with us."

Han Yu's face was full of smiles; this was the first time he had felt so at ease since he became lame.

When the State of Han crossed the State of Chu to quell the rebellion of the Baiyue, outsiders might not know the hidden story behind it, but Han Yu knew it, and he also knew that the words "Baiyue" were a taboo subject that his father could never mention.

Now that he knows Hu Meiren's true identity, he essentially has leverage over her.

In his view, the reason why Hu Meiren regarded Xu Qing as her confidant was simply to better win favor. As long as Xu Qing was eliminated, and with the leverage he had, Hu Meiren would definitely choose to cooperate with him.

Han Qiancheng smiled and stood up, saying...
"Fourth Master, I'll go arrange for someone right away."

“No, we can’t use people from Xinzheng to transfer people from Yangdi,” Han Yu said.

"Yang Di? You mean to frame the Feng family?" Han Qiancheng asked doubtfully.

Before becoming the Junior Minister of Works, Feng Yu was the magistrate of Yangdi County, and the Feng clan's ancestral home was also in Yangdi.

"Of course not. The Feng family wouldn't dare assassinate a rising star in the imperial court, but the infamous assassin group Luo Wang in the martial arts world certainly would," Han Yu said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Han Qiancheng's pupils dilated, and his gaze toward Han Yu was filled with admiration.

"Fourth Master is indeed resourceful. He transferred people from Yangdi and framed the Luo Wang. No matter how much they investigate afterward, they won't be able to trace it back to us," Han Qiancheng said in surprise.

Han Yu smiled and nodded. The reason why Luo Wang was infamous was because they only cared about money and didn't care who their target was.

It wasn't that he didn't want to hire Luo Wang to kill people directly, but that he had to use his own people for this kind of thing. If Luo Wang leaked the information afterward, he would suffer a greater loss.

"I'll get ready right now."

Han Qiancheng bowed slightly, then turned and left.

After Han Qiancheng left, Han Yu looked down at his right leg with a complicated expression.

"Old Ninth, Old Ninth, why did you have to come back now of all times? Xu Qing is just a gift I gave you when we first met."

"If you continue to be as dissolute as before, I can let you live a little longer. But if you really have inappropriate thoughts, then don't blame Fourth Brother."

"The struggle for the crown prince position has always been like this!"

A cold glint flashed in Han Yu's eyes. He knew that the only way for him to become the Crown Prince and then the King of Han was to ensure that King Han An had only him as his son.

(End of this chapter)