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

Outside the gate of Zilan Pavilion,

A luxurious carriage stopped at the entrance of Zilan Pavilion.

Zhang Liang, dressed in a blue robe, and his grandfather Zhang Kai got off the carriage.

Zhang Kai heard the lively music coming from inside and shook his head.

"It's truly indecent; how could they choose such a place?"

Zhang Liang straightened his clothes and said helplessly:

“Grandfather, that person has clues about the Ghost Soldiers’ calamity. We can only be led by the nose. Now we can only wait and see what that person’s plans are.”

Wrapped in a purple fur coat, Zi Nu, the head of Zi Lan Xuan, had somehow leaned against a large, lacquered red pillar of Zi Lan Xuan, arms crossed, looking at the old man and the young man, and chuckled softly.

"Welcome to Zilan Pavilion, Your Excellency. My master has been waiting here for quite some time."

Zhang Kai waved his sleeves and walked straight ahead, ignoring Zi Nu.

Zhang Liang, standing to the side, gave Zi Nu a kind smile, but inwardly he was surprised.

Unexpectedly, the head of this vast Zilan Pavilion is someone else's subordinate.

Among the seven kingdoms, there aren't many forces that can control such an organization. Judging from Zi Nu's approach, she doesn't seem to belong to any of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Could she be from one of the other six kingdoms?

Zhang Liang kept his doubts to himself and silently followed behind Zi Nu.

The three of them walked to the top floor of Zilan Pavilion. Originally, there was nothing there, but at Ying Ziqing's request, an open-air pavilion was built with a wide view. From this position, one could overlook most of Xinzheng City.

Meanwhile, Ying Ziqing, dressed in the armor of a notorious general, sat facing Xinzheng, pouring wine alone.

A chessboard, not yet cleaned, lay on the table, with a few black pieces scattered on it.

Next to it was a pot of premium orchid wine from Zilanxuan, aged for a long time.

Wei Zhuang stood quietly to Ying Ziqing's left and right, holding the Netherworld Sword. His sword intent soared from the sky, sharp as a thorn.

His eyes seemed to be fixed only on Ying Ziqing and the Netherworld Sword in his arms.

Zi Nu led Zhang Kaidi and Zhang Liang to the top floor.

Looking at Ying Ziqing wearing a scarlet mask, Zhang Kai couldn't help but speak up:

"Now that I'm here, why are you being so secretive? Don't you have any sincerity at all?"

Ying Ziqing looked at the old face that was open, wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth under the mask.

His hoarse, deep voice carried a hint of flippancy.

"You are not worthy to make me remove my mask."

This time, Zhang Kaidi, who had been rebuked, didn't retaliate. Instead, he suppressed his temper and sat sullenly in the seat opposite Ying Ziqing. Zhang Liang, on the other hand, stood quietly behind Zhang Kaidi, secretly observing the unruly commander who had spoken disrespectfully to his grandfather out of the corner of his eye. He felt that Zhang Kaidi's aura was as deep as an abyss, unfathomable.

Zi Nu stepped forward and filled their wine cups with fine wine.

Ying Ziqing picked up the wine cup and swirled it slightly in his hand, then said:

"I am the leader of the Bad People, the Bad People Commander Tian Anxing. Of course, you can also call me the Great Commander."

Zhang Liang's mind raced. The Bad People? He racked his brains, but he had never heard of the Bad People before. Perhaps he hadn't had enough contact with them.

Zhang Kaidi had similar thoughts. The composed and mature man didn't touch the wine cup on the table, but instead stared seriously at Ying Ziqing, saying earnestly:

"Bad Commander, let's get straight to the point. What do I have to give in order to get clues about the Ghost Soldier's Roar from you?"

"Hey, no rush. Why don't you drink this glass of wine first? I might just give you this clue for free."

Ying Ziqing's eyes revealed a sense of indifference and detachment, as if the clues concerning Zhang Kaidi's future in officialdom were of no use to him.

Although this is indeed the case.

Zhang Kaidi paused for a moment upon hearing this, but his years of cultivating the ability to keep his emotions hidden allowed him to remain calm.

He turned and glanced at Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang understood immediately, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"The commander-in-chief may make any requests he may have, and the Zhang family will do its best to fulfill them. Moreover, the Bad People will gain the friendship of the Zhang family."

Ying Ziqing stroked the lower edge of the mask and said calmly:

"I don't care about the meager friendship of the Zhang family, but I do find your friendship, Zhang Zifang, quite interesting."

Zhang Liang was taken aback. This Bad Commander could actually disregard the Zhang family, which was considered a top-tier family in Korea, which showed that the power behind him was not to be underestimated. Zhang Liang subconsciously straightened his back.

But if he disdains the Zhang family's friendship, why does he only look at me?

Zhang Liang knew he possessed some intelligence, but he didn't believe that this alone would make someone like the Bad Commander so favored. There must be other reasons.

However, what Zhang Liang didn't know was that Ying Ziqing simply admired his talent as a potential advisor to a king.

In his view, Zhang Zifang was worth more than the entire Zhang family.

Ying Ziqing looked at the silent grandfather and grandson opposite her and poured the wine from the wine cup onto the bluestone floor tiles.

He said calmly, "That's enough small talk. Open your mouth, and I can give you all the clues about the Ghost Soldiers' Calamity, but I have three conditions:"

First, the person who recommended me should be appointed as the Minister of Justice.

Ying Ziqing glanced at Wei Zhuang beside him.

continued:

"Second, keep Zhang Liang in Zilan Pavilion until my men become Minister of Justice."

Third, appoint Han Fei as the presiding judge in this case.

After hearing Ying Ziqing's three requests, Zhang Kai was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that the Bad Commander would make exorbitant demands, but unexpectedly, these were the only requests. Although some were quite unusual, they did not affect the interests of his Zhang family.

As for recommending the Minister of Justice, it was a trivial matter. As long as he could solve the case of the ghost soldiers robbing the sound, he would regain the trust of the King of Han, and the matter of recommendation would not be a problem.

Although Zhang Kai was secretly delighted, his expression remained calm and composed.

"I can agree to all three of these requests, but your clues must be able to help me solve this case."

Ying Ziqing chuckled and casually tossed a brocade pouch to Zhang Kaidi.

Zhang Kai opened the brocade pouch, looked at the contents of the cloth strip, his expression changed drastically, and then looked at Ying Ziqing in shock, his astonishment mixed with a hint of fear.

He seemed to want to say something but hesitated, carefully put the cloth strip back into the brocade pouch, cupped his hands in greeting to Ying Ziqing, and then hurriedly left after instructing Zhang Liang to stay by the side of the Bad Commander.

Zhang Liang stared in astonishment at his grandfather's departing figure, standing there somewhat bewildered.

Zhang Kaidi's actions were exactly as Ying Ziqing had expected, because he had written all the questions about water dissolving gold, ghost soldiers' illusions, and the problems of Kunquan Jun and Anping Jun on the brocade pouch.

With his secret plan, Zhang Kai could proceed according to Ying Ziqing's plan. However, no one knew what Ying Ziqing was actually plotting...

(I don't know either……)

P.S.: My new book's sales haven't been great lately, which is a bit disheartening. At times like these, I really need the support of my handsome and charming readers. Five-star reviews and free gifts are all great ways to support this book, and I'll definitely update more chapters after seeing them!