In the Great Qin Dynasty, I, the Unruly Commander, begin by dual-cultivating with Yan Ling Ji.

As night deepened, the ministers who had discussed the matter of enthroneing a new king returned home with mixed feelings.

Li Bo returned to his residence. Although he felt that the plan discussed this time was quite thorough, he still felt a vague unease in his heart.

He paced back and forth in his study, the candlelight casting long shadows of him.

"Sir, would you like some more hot tea?"

The old servant asked softly.

Li Bo waved his hand, "No need, you should go and rest. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight."

After the servants left, Li Bo sat down at his desk, spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, and wanted to write a secret letter to his old friend who was leading troops in the field, hoping that he could secretly support the action of establishing a new king.

However, just as I put down my pen, I heard a faint sound coming from outside the window.

He suddenly stood up and walked towards the window when a pungent fumes drifted in through the crack in the window.

He covered his mouth and nose, trying to shout, but felt a sharp pain in his throat and collapsed limply to the ground.

Just then, the study door was gently pushed open, and the Black and White Impermanence walked in like ghosts.

Bai Wuchang walked to Li Bo's side, squatted down, and gently patted his face. "Oh, old fox, who are you thinking of writing a letter to?"

Black Impermanence searched around the study and soon found the unfinished secret letter.

He glanced at the contents and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Hmph, trying to contact foreign generals, they do have some tricks up their sleeves."

Bai Wuchang stood up. "Brother, what do we do now? Kill him?"

Black Impermanence shook his head. "Keeping him alive is still useful. Knock him unconscious and take him away. We'll wait for instructions from the young master."

Then, the two wrapped Li Bo in a black cloth and quietly left the mansion through the window.

Meanwhile, Zhao Kuo returned to his residence.

He lay in bed, his mind racing.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. He drew his sword alertly and asked in a low voice:

"Who is it?" "General, it's me, a guard from the manor."

A familiar voice came from outside the door. Zhao Kuo opened the door, and the guard said in a flustered manner:

"General, there were a few strangers loitering suspiciously outside the mansion just now. I'm afraid they have ill intentions."

Zhao Kuo frowned. He knew that their actions were extremely dangerous at this moment, and the slightest mistake could lead to total defeat.

He put on his outer garment, took a few trusted guards, and prepared to go out to see what was going on.

As soon as I stepped out of the mansion gate, I saw several dark figures flash by in the distance.

He shouted, "Who goes there!" The dark figures didn't stop; instead, they quickened their pace and fled. Zhao Kuo and his guards gave chase, but the men knew the streets and alleys very well and disappeared in a few turns.

"General, could it be someone from the King of Zhao's faction?"

A guard asked. Zhao Kuo pondered for a moment,

"It's hard to say. These days, all sides are watching us. No matter who it is, we need to be more cautious."

Upon returning to his residence, Zhao Kuo immediately arranged for stronger defenses and also sent people to gather information about the other ministers.

Meanwhile, in the Qin state's camp, Ying Ziqing was leisurely sipping wine.

The Black and White Impermanence brought Li Bo back to report. "General, this old bastard is trying to contact foreign generals to install a new king."

Black Impermanence presented the secret letter. Ying Ziqing glanced at it, a smug smile spreading across her face.

"Interesting. I didn't expect this Zhao minister to have some courage."

Bai Wuchang laughed and said, "General, shouldn't we take this opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop? Let's throw the Zhao court into complete chaos."

Ying Ziqing shook his head. "No, let's keep them for now. Li Bo is a veteran minister of Zhao and has considerable influence in the court. We'll use him to create chaos among the ministers and make them suspicious of each other."

Black Impermanence asked, somewhat puzzled, "Young Master, what should we do?"

Ying Ziqing put down his wine cup. "We'll spread the word that Li Bo has already defected to our Qin state. He's instigating a rebellion among the ministers. Then we'll arrange for some people to subtly probe the Zhao court, causing those people to panic first."

"Once their internal strife has subsided, we can send troops, and Zhao will collapse without a fight."

……

Meanwhile, in the Zhao court, rumors circulated the next morning that Li Bo had not returned home overnight, suggesting he had betrayed the country and defected to the enemy.

The ministers were immediately thrown into turmoil, exchanging suspicious glances.

Zhao Kuo stood in the court, both shocked and furious. He knew that someone was definitely behind this, but he couldn't clear Li Bo's name immediately.

"Your Majesty, Li Bo's disappearance must indicate treacherous intentions. His plan to install a new king was probably premeditated."

One of King Zhao's trusted ministers stepped forward and spoke.

King Zhao was already incompetent, and upon hearing this, he immediately flew into a rage.

"Investigate this matter. If it's true, execute their entire family!"

Zhao Kuo couldn't help but stand up and refute.

"Your Majesty, this matter is still unclear. It is possible that someone is deliberately framing Lord Li."

The trusted minister sneered:

"General Zhao, could it be that you were also involved in this rebellion? Is that why you are so eager to defend him?"

Chaos erupted in the court as ministers split into two factions, arguing incessantly.

Zhao Kuo was extremely anxious. He knew that if things continued this way, not only would his plan be exposed, but these loyal and righteous men would also suffer persecution. He decided to take advantage of the darkness to secretly contact the ministers who supported the new king again, hoping to find out the truth and resolve this crisis.

At night, the ministers gathered in an even more secluded place.

“Now that Lord Li has disappeared and is rumored to have betrayed the country, this must be a conspiracy by the Qin state,” Zhao Kuo said.

However, at this point, the ministers began to waver.

"What if Li Bo really defectes to Qin? Wouldn't we just be throwing our lives away for nothing?"

“We were already taking a risk, and now that the situation is so dangerous, we might as well stop here and each find a way to survive.”

Looking at these ministers who had begun to back down, Zhao Kuo felt both disappointed and angry.

"My lords, the State of Zhao is now in imminent danger. If we abandon it now, Zhao will surely fall into the hands of Qin. How will we face our ancestors then?"

Just as everyone was arguing, several dark figures suddenly rushed into the room, their swords gleaming with a cold, sharp light!

P.S.: Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity! You guys look even more handsome than before (doge emoji)

I heard that Bad Guys will be updating at the end of March, but I don't know if it will be available.