The thousand-year-old family began with King Wu's conquest of King Zhou.

Chapter 45 Lü Buwei

The gatekeeper had already been notified and, after verifying the tally, bowed and let them pass. Not all five thousand soldiers could enter the city. According to Qin regulations, troops returning to Xianyang had to camp at designated camps outside the city, and only generals were allowed to enter the city with their personal guards to report on their duties. Zhang Ling left Zhao Sineng to command the majority of the troops, while he himself, along with Li Zuogeng, Zhang Sili, and twenty personal guards, escorted the supply wagons slowly through the city gate.

Just as they passed through the gate, a fast horse galloped up from the street corner. The scholar on horseback was dressed in a dark blue robe and wore a tall hat, the attire of an official under the Prime Minister's office.

He dismounted, bowed to Zhang Ling, and presented a scroll of bamboo slips with both hands: "Lord Jingning, the Prime Minister heard that Your Majesty entered the city today and specially ordered his subordinates to wait here. The Prime Minister invites Your Majesty to come to the residence for a chat."

Zhang Ling took the bamboo slip, unfolded it, and glanced at it. The handwriting was neat, the wording was polite, and the signature was clearly stamped with Lü Buwei's seal.

He rolled up the bamboo slips, his face remaining calm, but his mind was racing. Lü Buwei's information network was indeed impressive.

I entered the city today, and before I even stepped through the palace gates, his invitation had already arrived. Was it a genuine invitation, or a test? Or perhaps both?

"Please inform the Prime Minister that Zhang has finished settling the soldiers and will come to the residence to pay his respects after changing his clothes briefly." He handed the bamboo slip to Li Zuogeng beside him and said to the scholar.

The scholar bowed again, mounted his horse, and rode away. Zhang Sili leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, what's wrong with Prime Minister Lü...?"

"Shh." Zhang Ling raised his hand to stop him. There were eyes and ears everywhere in Xianyang City, and some things couldn't be said on the street.

The procession traversed the streets of Xianyang City, heading towards the residence of Lord Jingning.

Zhang Ling remained calm. Lü Buwei, the Wei merchant who once spent all his wealth in Handan to send Zichu back to Xianyang, was now the Prime Minister of Qin, second only to the emperor, with three thousand retainers and immense power.

Why did he summon himself, the Prince of Jingning, who had only been enfeoffed for three years?

"Sili," he whispered, "take a few men back to the manor first, and have them prepare hot water and new robes. Zuo Geng will come with me to the Prime Minister's residence. The rest of you, return to camp and await orders. No one is to leave the camp without my permission."

Zhang Sili responded and went ahead.

Zhang Ling straightened the dust off his armor and, accompanied by Li Zuogeng and two personal guards, headed towards the Prime Minister's residence.

The Prime Minister's residence was located in the southeast of Xianyang Palace City. The gate was wide and the steps were lined with two rows of armored soldiers, each with a Qin sword at his waist and his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Zhang Ling looked up again at the large plaque with gold characters on a black background above the door—the Wenxin Marquis's Residence.

The gatekeeper had already been informed, and upon seeing Zhang Ling, he bowed respectfully and led him through the front courtyard, around the screen wall, and straight into the main hall.

Li Zuo followed behind, his hand on his sword, his eyes scanning warily over the guests sitting or standing in the corridor.

These retainers were dressed in various styles, including Confucian scholars in deep robes, wandering knights in short cloaks, and literati in tall hats. They gathered in twos and threes under the corridor, chatting about everything under the sun. When they saw Zhang Ling, they only glanced at him indifferently and did not get up to greet him.

Zhang Ling didn't mind and calmly followed the gatekeeper inside.

The door to the main hall was open.

Lü Buwei was sitting behind his desk, with a scroll of bamboo slips spread out in front of him, annotating something.

He was dressed in a dark robe with a jade belt around his waist. His beard and hair were neatly trimmed. His face, which had seen the world, showed no emotion. He looked more like a merchant doing accounting than a powerful prime minister.

"Lord Jingning has arrived," the gatekeeper announced from below the steps.

Lü Buwei raised his head, his gaze lingered on Zhang Ling for a moment, then he put down the bamboo slips and stood up to greet him.

He didn't exchange pleasantries like ordinary officials, but simply gestured for him to come in, smiling as he said, "Lord Jingning, you've had a long and arduous journey. I should have let you return to your residence to rest first. However, I have something to ask you, and I must take the liberty of inviting you in. Please forgive me."

Zhang Ling stepped over the threshold, unfastened his sword and placed it below the hall, then sat down in the guest seat with his back straight and his hands on his knees, his posture neither humble nor arrogant.

Li Zuogeng stood outside the door with his hand on his sword, his gaze never leaving the hall.

"You flatter me, Prime Minister," Zhang Ling said calmly. "I dare not refuse your summons."

Lu Buwei didn't rush to get down to business. He first asked a few questions about the military affairs of the Lantian camp, whether the soldiers had enough food and rations, how the newly recruited infantry were being trained, and whether there were any unusual movements on the Han border.

Zhang Ling answered each question concisely, neither flattering nor impolite.

The two were separated by a rosewood table, on which the ink on the rolled-up bamboo slips was still wet, clearly indicating that Lü Buwei had indeed been reviewing documents before he entered, and was not deliberately putting on an act.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lü Buwei picked up the golden cup on the table, took a sip of warm wine, and suddenly changed the subject: "Lord Jingning, besides reporting to the King, do you have any other plans for returning to Xianyang this time?"

Zhang Ling's mind went blank, but he remained outwardly calm: "I need to return to Hanzhong for the year-end ancestral worship ceremony. There's nothing else."

"To pay respects to our ancestors." Lü Buwei put down his golden cup and nodded slightly. "The Zhang family has been loyal and valiant for generations, making invaluable contributions to the expansion of Qin's territory. I, Lü, should personally go to pay my respects to our late Lord Jingning, but I am currently preoccupied with court affairs and am afraid I will not be able to make the trip. I hope that Lord Jingning will offer incense to our late ancestor's spirit on my behalf."

"Thank you for your kindness, Prime Minister," Zhang Ling said, lowering his eyes.

Lu Buwei suddenly chuckled. The chuckle was neither too loud nor too soft, but it carried the knowing look of someone who had been there before when looking at a younger person.

He stood up, walked with his hands behind his back to the huge map of the Nine Provinces hanging in the hall, his back to Zhang Ling, and his voice suddenly became meaningful: "Lord Jingning, I, Lü, have known your father, Duke Congshi, for many years. When Duke Congshi returned from Changping, he closed his doors to guests, and many in the court thought that he had lost the emperor's favor and would never rise again. But what happened later? King Zhao issued an edict, and he still led his army eastward to destroy Zhou, captured the Zhou emperor, and moved the Nine Tripods back to Xianyang for the king."

He turned around, looked into Zhang Ling's eyes, and said in a calm but weighty tone, "I have heard what Lord Shi said to you on his sickbed—'You must not betray the will of your ancestors.'"

Zhang Ling's pupils suddenly contracted. He had only said this at home, and only he and his son were present.

How did Lü Buwei know? His expression remained unchanged, but the fingers resting on his knees clenched tightly.

Lü Buwei took in his reaction but didn't say anything. He simply turned and walked back behind the desk, sat down again, picked up the bamboo scroll, and his tone returned to its previous gentle and calm manner: "Lord Jingning, please don't worry. Before your father passed away, I sent the physician from my household to deliver some medicine. Although it couldn't save his life, it fulfilled the duty of a friend. The physician mentioned it casually when he returned."

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

This both explained the source of the information and subtly reminded Zhang Ling: You owe me a favor.

Zhang Ling sneered inwardly, but solemnly rose and bowed to Lü Buwei, saying, "I will remember the Prime Minister's great kindness."

"No need for formalities." Lü Buwei said without looking up, "Once you return to Xianyang and settle in, you are welcome to visit the Prime Minister's residence more often. Although I do not command the army, I can still offer some assistance in matters of the court."

These words were spoken casually, but in reality, they were a blatant offer of recruitment. How could Zhang Ling not understand them?

He bowed to Lü Buwei, said "I shall take my leave," and turned to walk out of the main hall.

Li Zuo followed closely behind, and the two walked one after the other through the corridors of the Prime Minister's residence. Once they had completely left the Lü residence and returned to the Jingning Prince's residence, Zhang Sili asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, what did that man surnamed Lü say?"

Zhang Ling did not answer; his gaze was fixed on the old locust tree in the garden, his face ashen.

Lü Buwei even knew his father's dying words; this man had far more informants in Xianyang than he had imagined.

Lu Buwei's words today, though seemingly gentle and mild, were actually loaded with hidden meaning: I know what your father wants you to do, and I also know the ambitions of your Zhang family. But I won't expose them now, and I'm even willing to give you benefits, but you can weigh the conditions yourself.

Zhang Ling felt a heavy weight in his heart. He knew this person was much more difficult to deal with than Fan Ju.

Fan Ju's jealousy was written all over his face, while Lü Buwei's scheming was hidden in his smile—this is what is meant by a smile hiding a dagger.

Fan Ju only wanted to oust Bai Qi and become prime minister himself, but Lü Buwei wanted the future of the entire Qin state, including the underage Crown Prince Zheng, every general in the court who could fight, and even Zhang Shi.

Looking at the old locust tree rustling in the wind, Zhang Ling suddenly thought of Du You Pavilion.

It was at this very spot that Bai Qi received a sword. He didn't want to accept any sword, whether it was handed to him by Lü Buwei or anyone else.