Qin Dynasty: Starting with clinging to Zhao Ji's thigh

Outside the Zhao King's Palace.

Ying Jing and Guo Kai walked side by side, with Gan Luo following behind.

At this moment, Ying Jing was still holding a silk document that he had just received from the King of Zhao.

This bears the seal and signature of the King of Zhao.

The importance of this document goes without saying; it represents the great achievement made by Lord Changxin during his mission to the State of Zhao.

With just this document, the Qin state could directly take over the dozen or so cities on the border of the Zhao state.

"Congratulations, Lord Changxin! You have accomplished such a great feat. After returning to Qin, you will be able to govern a fiefdom on your own."

Guo Kai was very patient. Even after leaving the Zhao King's palace, he continued to follow Lord Changxin and tried to get closer to him from time to time.

It wasn't that Guo Kai wanted to curry favor with Lord Changxin; given his position in Zhao, there was no need for that.

But news has arrived from the Qin state...

The papermaking and printing techniques, which were being tested in the Hanoi region, have been widely disseminated.

Although it has only been tested in the Hanoi region and the Qin court so far, its many benefits have already been spread by those who are interested in such things.

Some merchants even took huge risks to take the paper and printed books they obtained from Hanoi to other countries for sale.

In South Korea, a blank sheet of paper can sell for ten gold coins!

One printed copy of the book was even fought over by Fei Cuihu, a wealthy merchant under the command of General Ji Wuye of Korea, and Prince Gyeongryun of the Korean royal family.

Ultimately, it was acquired by Jinglun Jun for a fortune.

As a result, a considerable disagreement arose between Jade Tiger and Lord Jinglun.

Guo Kai, who has always been fond of money, naturally saw the huge profits involved after receiving all this news.

He couldn't control other countries, but Guo Kai was confident that he would get a share of the benefits in Zhao.

In Guo Kai's eyes, Jing Dashan is now a great benefactor!

Of course we have to serve them well!

"Please rest assured, Prime Minister Guo. We are friends despite our age difference, and I will certainly not forget you about such a good thing."

Instead of being angry at Guo Kai's undisguised greed along the way, Ying Jing was actually quite pleased.

Guo, the great philanthropist, is just as good a person as Jing, the great philanthropist.

The same commitment to keeping promises!

Once Guo the philanthropist takes the money, he's guaranteed to do something, and he'll do it perfectly!

A little money is nothing more than material possessions.

If Ying Jing can afford it, then there is absolutely no reason to refuse.

With the Net in place, Jing Dashan was actually quite well aware of the news from Qin.

Selling paper and printed books to various countries to make a fortune was also part of his plan.

His initial plan was even to cooperate with local powers in various countries.

Guo Kai was naturally an extremely suitable partner for the State of Zhao.

Anyway, we can get it back in the end!

Even if we're close friends, we won't be polite when we raid your property!

Having received Lord Changxin's explicit promise, Guo Kai beamed with joy.

"Oh right, this is what the Queen asked me to give to Lord Changxin. Look at my brain, I'm really getting old and useless, I almost forgot."

Guo Kai took out another piece of silk from his wide sleeves.

This was one of the terms of the deal between Ying Jing and the Queen: a royal decree issued by the King of Zhao, ordering Lian Po to serve Lord Changxin from then on.

Although Lian Po was very capable, he was already old and might have passed away by now.

So King Zhao readily gave the royal decree, and Queen Chang agreed after just a few words in her ear.

Ying Jing's face was now rather dark.

If Guo Kai hadn't gotten a satisfactory answer, he probably wouldn't have even thought about Wang Ling at all.

I, a virtuous man, have mistakenly considered you a confidant!

Having received a satisfactory answer, Guo Kai quickly left.

Of course, before leaving, Ying Jing had already mentioned the matter of taking care of Fei Xue Pavilion to him.

For Guo Kai, this was no big deal at all, so he readily agreed.

Only when Guo Kai was far away did Gan Luo finally unable to hold back any longer: "Your Majesty, this Guo Kai is truly insatiable in his greed. Why is Your Majesty so tolerant of him?"

Lord Changxin smiled calmly: "Gan Luo, have you ever seen common people raising chickens and ducks?"

"This... I have seen it before. My family fell into poverty, and I saw my mother raise me when I was young."

In the past, King Wu of Qin died while lifting a heavy tripod. Gan Luo's grandfather, Gan Mao, also lost power and was ostracized by his political enemies, forcing him to flee to another country. He eventually died in the state of Wei, and the Gan family declined from then on.

Otherwise, Gan Luo wouldn't have needed to become Lü Buwei's retainer.

"Since you've seen it, you should know that the chickens and ducks raised by ordinary people should be as fat as possible before slaughter."

How could a good person like Guo Dashan accept benefits from others for no reason?

He will surely repay you many times over in the end!

No need to be so calculating!

Gan Luo suddenly realized: "Your Majesty is far-sighted, while I, Gan Luo, am short-sighted."

Before they knew it, the two had returned to the inn.

"We've arrived. Take this document and go outside the city to find those three hundred elite Qin soldiers. Return to Qin first and report back to your brother, the king."

The document was handed to Gan Luo.

Needless to say, Gan Luo will return to Qin first; the decision was made yesterday.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Gan Luo will not fail in his mission."

Gan Luo left, and Zhengang had already prepared the carriage, while Li Wu had also packed the necessary luggage.

"Your Majesty, shall we not bid farewell to Lady Xue Ji?"

Ying Jing paused slightly as he got into the car, but ultimately did not stop.

"All good things must come to an end. Today's parting is for a better reunion in the future. What needs to be said has already been said yesterday."

"There's no need to add to the sadness, let's go."

The spacious and magnificent carriage, its wheels turning, finally drove into the distance.

It was autumn and winter, and the cold wind was like a knife, howling incessantly.

Between heaven and earth, goose feather snowflakes fluttered down, like willow catkins rising in the wind, and the city of Handan was covered in a silver-white blanket.

A figure dressed in a snow-white cloak stood still in the heavy snow, his gaze fixed on the direction the carriage had gone.

Yuki-hime stood there for a long time, blending into the surrounding white snow.

In her hand, she held a rather thick book.

This was given to her by Lord Changxin last night; it contains some poems that Ying Jing had memorized when he was young.

Although there are no works in this format in this era, it is still meaningful to keep them as a memento.

"Sister Yukihime, the big bad guy is gone, and he didn't even say goodbye to me."

Beside Yukihime, the little snow maiden was a little angry. She puffed out her delicate nose and decided not to dance for this big bad guy!

Ignoring the childish temper of the little snow maiden beside her, Yukihime silently looked at the last page of the book in her hand.

Spring grasses turn green year after year, but will the prince ever return?

Although it was Qin script, Feixue Pavilion had merchants from various countries coming and going, so she also knew some Qin characters.

Her fair, delicate hands gently caressed the pages of the book, and Xue Ji's eyes were slightly red.

Her gaze was unfocused, as if it had traveled through this icy world and landed on that receding figure.

Her bright red lips trembled slightly, and her voice was choked with emotion.

"Winter snow is white every year."

"When will the prince return?"

Little Snow Maiden suddenly raised her head: "Sister, who is the prince?"