Chapter 278 Chapter 12 Returning to Xianyang

After Xiang Shaolong touched the ground, he immediately clung to the dark corner of the wall, listening to Cao Qiudao's footsteps going away, he knew that he was furious and wanted to run down the stone steps to chase and kill him. With a glance, he saw the scabbard of the Bai Zhan Dao not far from his feet, he hurriedly picked it up, hung the saber on his back, made a vigorous leap, and climbed back to the platform along the rope. Of course, Cao Qiudao was not seen on the stage. Xiang Shaolong walked stealthily, looked down secretly, and saw Cao Qiudao galloping past below, and at the same time saw the branches and leaves swaying on the left and right, obviously there were enemies lying in the dark.He was at a loss because he couldn't figure out where he was hiding.

He secretly called out for danger, if he escaped hastily, he might fall into the hands of ambush soldiers.This strategy of returning to the observatory is indeed a brilliant move. It can not only observe the enemy's situation, but also take the opportunity to rest for a while and bandage the wound. After a while, he slid down from the southeast corner of the observatory. After retrieving the hook rope, he reached under the south wall of Jixia Palace under the cover of the forest leaves. He already had a deep understanding of the situation near Jixiaguan, and he knew that there were dense bushes outside the wall, which would be extremely beneficial for escape.

He regained less than half of his strength, although he will suffer a loss if he strikes, he is still more than capable of escaping. After climbing over the high wall, he shook his hands and shot the rocket that Li Yuan gave him, and then ran at full speed in the direction where Xiao Yuetan placed his skis. This suspicious strategy is to lure the enemy to the place where the rockets are fired. It is best to think that he cannot escape due to injuries and has to call in reinforcements to rescue him. After running more than ten feet in one breath, Xiang Shaolong's knees went limp and he fell to the ground.It turned out that there was still a foot of snow on the ground, and it was very difficult to walk.Although Xiang Shaolong's physique was better than ordinary people, but after a hard fight, he was injured and lost blood, he couldn't turn around in one breath, staring at him immediately, he almost lost his strength and passed out.

The ice and snow against his face woke him up, and he saw a vast darkness all around him.Fortunately, the lights of the observatory far behind, like the lighthouse of a lost man, pointed him in the right direction. Xiang Shaolong managed to get up, staggered on the snow and moved to a nearby bush, got in, sat down to rest. The starry night is still so beautiful, but his heart is anxious and disordered, his body is exhausted and he has no leisure time to appreciate it. He closed his eyes, endured the urge to faint due to lack of oxygen, and clenched his teeth to persevere.It took a long time to breathe before he calmed down, and when he opened his eyes, he immediately screamed.

Under the light of the stars and the moon, the footprints he left on the snow when he staggered forward extended shockingly all the way, clearly telling the enemy his correct position. At this time, he could only reluctantly support himself to prevent himself from passing out, and it was really unnecessary to mention standing up. Although it was still deep winter, he was sweating all over. The footsteps are from far to near. More than a dozen figures appeared in the dense forest several feet away, stepping up and stepping down the snow. They followed the tracks and approached his hiding place in a straight line.

Xiang Shaolong secretly told me that my life was over, seeing the enemy getting closer and closer, but there was nothing he could do.Originally, it was only more than 30 feet away. After diving through another sparse forest, he could reach the hill where the skateboard was placed. How worthless it is to fall short. At this time, even if he barely moves, he cannot match the strength of the enemy's feet, so he might as well let the enemy who found him first come in with white knives in and red knives out, so as to vent his grievances.Then he pulled out the two flying knives tied to his legs and hid them in his hands.

If the enemy did not dare to raise fire, he should be seen at this time. The sound of hooves suddenly sounded.All the enemies were stunned at the same time. A horse galloped out and shouted: "Who are you waiting for?" Xiang Shaolong recognized Cao Qiudao's voice, put away the throwing knife, and got up overjoyed. With the sound of "Chi Chi", the group of people fired their crossbows and arrows at Cao Qiudao. Cao Qiudao yelled angrily, and danced a sword light, and the crossbow arrows were thrown down one after another, but he couldn't help it. At this moment Xiang Shaolong tried his best to stand up and ran towards his target.

There were repeated screams from behind, obviously Cao Qiudao, who was in a rage, went on a killing spree. Xiang Shaolong didn't know where the divine power came from, he got into the sparse forest in a blink of an eye, and fell again. The sound of footsteps and hooves sounded back and forth, showing that the "enemy" was running in all directions. Xiang Shaolong felt at ease, thinking that the enemy's escape made footprints everywhere, and it was no longer just his own "virgin mark", Xiang Shaolong fell down for a long time, then got up, and walked forward slowly.The sound of hooves sounded, and they rushed from behind.

Xiang Shaolong was terrified and squatted behind a tree. The inside of the sparse forest is dark and not as open as the outside, so the other party may not be able to see the footprints. It seems that Cao Qiudao didn't bring any kindling with him in a hurry, otherwise he should take out a torch or a branch for lighting at this time. He didn't dare to breathe out, because Cao Qiudao was riding his horse to the other side of the big tree where he was hiding, and was breathing heavily. If this sword master didn't know how to find a horse to travel, he would also fall on the other side of Xiang Shaolong at this time.

"Wipe!" Xiang Shaolong secretly cried out that something was wrong, knowing that he had guessed that he had failed, and this was exactly the terrifying sound of lighting a fire. Xiang Shaolong didn't dare to hesitate, he pulled out the throwing knife, raised his body and threw it at the neck of Cao Qiudao's horse. The horse neighed wildly and jumped, immediately turned Cao Qiudao off the horse, Huo Zhezi flew away from his hand, and fell into the distance, the forest returned to darkness. Xiang Shaolong laughed loudly and said, "You've been tricked, look at the knife!" When the sound of rolling came, Cao Qiudao didn't know where to hide in a hurry.

Xiang Shaolong saw that the plan was taught, he mustered up all his strength, and quietly crawled towards the target hill.Speaking of stealth, none of the ten Cao Qiudaos are his hands and feet. His strength gradually recovered, he left the sparse forest, and climbed up the slope to the east of the small hill. When he was almost at the top of the slope, Cao Qiudao's angry shout came from behind. Xiang Shaolong's anger rose violently, he found a stone weighing about tens of catties, and threw it at Cao Qiudao who was chasing him.The stone crossed the space of about five feet, then fell powerlessly on the slope and rolled down. Cao Daoqiu dodged to the side, the snowy slope was wet and slippery, although he avoided the stones, his footing was unstable, he lost his balance, and rolled straight to the bottom of the slope, in extreme embarrassment. Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that you should also taste the feeling of humiliation, and hurriedly climbed to the top of the hill.Just arrived at the top of the hill, a pair of delicate skis and ski poles were quietly lying next to a neatly wrapped bag. Xiang Shaolong thanked Xiao Yuetan and God at the same time in his heart, ran over with all his strength, and quickly put his feet into Xiao Yuetan's anklets woven with thick rope, tightening them like boots. When carrying the burden, Cao Qiudao appeared behind and shouted, "Let's see where you can go today?" Xiang Shaolong stood up and said with a big laugh: "Of course we are going back to Xianyang, little old man Qiu Dao and we will see each other forever!" Cao Qiudao was less than ten feet away from him at this time, Xiang Shaolong bowed his body and braced his snow pole, slid down the hilltop, and rushed down the slope like a gust of wind. When he looked back, Cao Qiudao's majestic figure was frozen like a log on the top of the slope, completely Lost the intention to catch up. Xiang Shaolong couldn't stop moving his stick, and the wind gave birth to his ear.In an instant, Cao Qiudao was thrown into the darkness in the distance. He was full of joy, although he was still in pain all over, but he was singing a tune that he didn't know whether it was composed by Xie Ziyuan or Feng Fei. At this time, he only thought of Xianyang, and other people and things had nothing to do with him. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ In the twilight of the morning, Xiang Shaolong leaned over the brook, drank the water for a few days, felt a little more comfortable, and then sat on a big rock by the stream, opened the bag that Xiao Yuetan had prepared for him, and wanted to take out food to heal his empty stomach . The entrance is a silk map, which shows the route to Zhongmu, and there is enough Panchuan, and the rest is food, clothes, medicine for knife wounds, fire, etc., which are very thoughtfully arranged. When the map was spread out, a silk letter was rolled up inside, full of words but not signed, and said: "When Shaolong saw this letter, he should have left Linzi safely and defeated Cao Qiudao. My brother has something to do." I can only tell you at this moment that the agreement between Shaolong and Cao Qiudao with ten strokes was just a bluff, and the letter was not sent to Cao Qiudao. If not, Shaolong would not dare to fight at all. If not Fleeing from battle will do more damage to your reputation than dying at the hands of Cao Qiudao. Shaolong also lost the confidence that was his greatest strength in the struggle against Lu Buwei, and he is no longer the hero who would rather die than surrender in the hearts of the prince. If Shaolong sees Of course you won’t blame me for this letter. If you don’t see this letter, then you don’t need to mention anything. My brother would rather see you die under the sword of Cao Qiudao, and don’t want you to be ridiculed as a scholar and a coward. There will be a later date .” Xiang Shaolong felt his scalp go numb, both surprised and amused.In fact, there are clues to this matter, otherwise Xiao Yuetan would not have to remind himself to be careful of Cao Qiudao breaking the appointment and acting weird every time he mentioned the ten-stroke agreement. Although Xiao Yuetan gambled with his life, luckily he won the bet.Although he did not win, he did not lose either.At least Cao Qiudao has to admit that he has the ability to hurt both of them. After filling his stomach, he took a nap and slid along the river to the southwest. At dusk, find a small cave to light a fire to keep warm and have a good sleep.After waking up and continuing the journey, after five days like this, Xiang Shaolong entered the Wei realm and headed towards Zhongmou Qian. When he reached the north bank of the Yellow River, the river had melted and thawed.I thought that as long as I saw the river, I could take a boat along Hebei and reach Zhongmu in a day at most. The only thing he is worried about now is that Teng Yi and others have withdrawn from Zhongmou, so he will have to work hard to go to Xianyang, and there may be problems with food. In this snow melting season, the atmosphere is so cold that no matter how many clothes you wear, you will feel unbearable. People with poorer physiques will soon get cold and sick. When I was worried, two big ships sailed downstream under the sunset.Xiang Shaolong's heart skipped a beat, and he leaned behind a big rock and gazed into the distance.After seeing the incoming ship's flag clearly, Xiang Shaolong rushed out overjoyed, stood on the most protruding boulder, lit a fire, and sent the usual signal of the Qin army to the incoming ship.The Qin people on the boat were startled immediately, people kept crowding onto the deck and yelling at him. The three boats slowly approached the flat mud mound on the shore. Xiang Shaolong was ecstatic, like a prodigal son who has been away from home all his life seeing his closest family members, throwing off his skis and sticks, he ran wildly along the bank to meet him. The huge boat in the front docked first, and more than a dozen long poles passed over to support the shore to avoid collisions. A sonorous voice came from afar and said: "Shaolong, Shaolong, it's us!" Xiang Shaolong was shocked and fell to the ground, he recognized Teng Yi's kind voice.It was even more difficult for him to believe that he heard Ji Yanran, Zhao Zhi's screams and cries, and Changping Jun's call. Xiang Shaolong buried his face in the soil weakly, and he finally returned home. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ The giant boat turned around and went upstream, and in the hall of the cabin, Xiang Shaolong put on new clothes, surrounded by everyone like stars and moon in the middle. Both Ji Yanran and Zhao Zhi lost weight because of missing him, and they are still crying and laughing at this moment, with mixed feelings of sadness and joy. Xiang Shaolong drank the hot tea served by the two girls, and said to Teng Yi and Changping Jun: "Now I understand what it means to be like a lifetime away. I thought I would never see you again." Zhao Zhi fell into his arms and wept again, he was so frightened that he quickly comforted him with words. Ji Yanran's self-control is much better than Zhao Zhi's, she regained her composure, and said quietly: "We thought about committing suicide and martyrdom, but luckily we received the news. Knowing that you arrived in Linzi, everyone went crazy with joy. Yanran and Sister Qing desperately went to see the Crown Prince , ask him to send someone to Qi to pick you up..." Changping Jun interjected excitedly: "Chu Jun is more nervous than anyone else, and immediately asked my younger brother to leave everything behind and rush to Linzi, only to regret that the river is frozen. But fortunately, otherwise, we might miss each other, and we will go together in vain. trip." Teng Yi said: "Although someone from Jingjia Village came to report the news, but we didn't see the third brother coming back, so we thought something happened to the third brother." Xiang Shaolong asked, "How are the others?" Lord Changping said: "We reached a peace agreement with the Zhao people, and we retreated from Zhongmou. Now Jing Jun and Huan Yu are still in the camp. Shaolong's battle not only quelled the Puji rebellion, but also greatly defeated the enthusiasm of the Zhao people. His achievements are unrivaled." Xiang Shaolong sighed: "If the merits are truly unrivaled, Zhou Liang and so many brothers will not have to die in a foreign land." Teng Yi said in a deep voice: "This is how wars are. Whether you win or lose, there will inevitably be casualties. Third Brother, don't blame yourself. Sigh, Li Mu is really a powerful person." Lord Changping said, "Didn't Lu Buwei arrive in Linzi? Of course he doesn't know where you are." Xiang Shaolong smiled wryly: "On the contrary, not only did I drink with him, but he personally sent me to a decisive battle with Cao Qiudao." Everyone lost their voices: "What?" Xiang Shaolong narrated the story of Linzi, which made everyone startled and dumbfounded.Regarding Xiaopan's identity crisis, of course he still kept it secret. Zhao Zhi was aroused and forgot to cry. Ben was still entangled in his arms and refused to leave until he heard that Shan Rou had become a married woman, so he sat up and said coquettishly: "How could Sister Rou give herself up like this without being told by others?" our?" Xiang Shaolong hastily explained that Xie Ziyuan is an ideal husband.Shan Rou made a good choice, but Zhao Zhi always couldn't let go. Ji Yanran wondered, "Didn't you see your godfather? Could it be..." Xiang Shaolong continued to tell his story with twists and turns, and at the end, he stretched himself and said, "Now I just want to sleep well, and I even hope that I will be in Xianyang when I wake up." ◇◇◇◇◇◇ Xiang Shaolong changed into military uniform, Zhuo stood on the bow of the boat, beside Changping Jun, Teng Yi, and Jing Jun who was leading the army to join him on the way.Nearly a hundred warships formed a spectacular formation on the river. Xianyang is within an hour's boat ride. The snow-covered landscape has been replaced by the beauty of early spring.The white clouds are rising, the river is surging, surrounded by green willows on both sides, and the green trees are deep. Xiang Shaolong stared at a long-tailed bluebird on the bank that was startled by the fleet passing by, and recalled the escape career of the past few months. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel as excited as the horses, letting me toss and roll. The only question on his mind is Xiao Pan's unknown identity crisis. Xiang Shaolong asked casually, "What major event happened recently?" Lord Changping said: "King Han has just passed away. Prince An will succeed him and send envoys to ask us for peace. The Crown Prince wrote that King Han sent Han Fei to Qin. I wonder if King Han would agree?" Xiang Shaolong nodded and said: "The Crown Prince has always admired Brother Han Fei's theory of governing the country. It should be a good thing if Brother Han Fei can show his ambition in Qin Yi." Ji Yanran sighed, but did not speak. When Xiang Shaolong wanted to ask her why, Lord Changping lowered his voice and said, "Lao Ai is even more favored by the Empress Dowager. After becoming Marquis of Changxin, her salary is the same as that of Lu Buwei, and her arrogance is unbearable." Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that this year is the time for Xiao Pan to hold the coronation ceremony, and the time for Lai Ai and Lu Buwei is also coming, but they don't know it yet. Thinking about it calmly, the closer relationship between Zhu Ji and Lao Ai may be due to two reasons. Firstly, Zhu Ji began to suspect that Xiao Panfei was his son, and secondly, she thought she was dead.Zhu Ji needed a man to rely on, both psychologically and physically. Jing Jun smiled and said, "Third Brother came back unharmed today. Some people must be very disappointed." Zhao Zhi said excitedly: "Husband has been away from home for almost two years, you would never have imagined that Bao'er is so tall." Ji Yanran said happily: "If it wasn't for Bao'er, Wumei would definitely have walked with us, and Xiaozhen and Xiaofeng were too tired to come, they cried for several days because of this." Xiang Shaolong asked Wang Jian again. Lord Changping said in a low voice: "Let's talk about this matter after meeting Prince Chu!" Xiang Shaolong looked at Mr. Changping in astonishment, and the latter gave him a wink, so Xiang Shaolong could only keep his doubts in his heart. Xianyang City appeared ahead.Xiang Shaolong said leisurely and fascinated: "Finally home!" ◇◇◇◇◇◇ Xiao Pan got the news early and went out of the city to meet him in person. The future Qin Shihuang finally grew up, with a short mustache, a thick chest and back, and the power of an emperor looking down on the world in every gesture. At first glance, Xiang Shaolong felt as if he was looking at someone he didn't know. Chang Wenjun, Li Si, Guan Zhongxie, Wu Tingfang, Qin Qing and many ministers and ministers came in full force, it was lively and grand, but Lai Ai was nowhere to be seen. In the midst of drums, music and firecrackers, Xiang Shaolong, surrounded by everyone, abandoned the boat and landed. Xiao Pan led the crowd out, helped Xiang Shaolong who was kneeling to salute, examined his emaciated face carefully, and sighed: "The general has worked hard!" Xiang Shaolong had a strange feeling in his heart, as if the two of them no longer had the kind relationship they used to have. This is not only because Xiao Pan is not as excited as expected, but also because there is a certain expression in Xiao Pan's eyes that he can't figure out. Others came up to congratulate. Wu Tingfang threw herself into his arms recklessly, of course Qin Qing couldn't do this in public, but the fire of love shot out from her eyes melted Xiang Shaolong's heart. Xiaopan and Xiang Shaolong rode into the city side by side, accepted the cheers of the welcome people, and said with a smile: "After the news of the general's disappearance came back, every household prayed for the general and made a wish for the general, hoping that the general will return safely as soon as possible. They're looking forward to it." Xiang Shaolong really wanted to tell him about Lu Buwei's conspiracy, but he knew that it was not appropriate to talk about such a big secret at this time and this place, so he could only hold back his words and said, "Has Lu Buwei not come back yet?" Xiao Pan sneered and said, "Of course he has to come back before the General. The General's battle in Linzi was truly brilliant and won the greatest glory for us. After you left, Cao Qiudao personally apologized to the King of Qi and admitted his incompetence. Leave you behind. Does the general know that the king of Qi fell ill that day after hearing about it?" Xiang Shaolong was surprised and said: "Lu Buwei is back, so... well, let's talk about it in the palace!" An inscrutable smile escaped from the corner of Xiao Pan's mouth, and while waving to the crowd, he said calmly: "Everything is under the control of the widow, so let's talk about it when we go back!" Xiang Shaolong felt the strange feeling from before again.After two years of absence, Xiaopan's dignity has greatly increased, and the city has grown deeper. He is no longer the child who would say "Master save me" in the past. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ After the military parade ceremony was held on the main square of the palace, Xiang Shaolong and Xiao Pan hid in the study to have a secret conversation. When he told about the Zhang couple in Handan, Xiao Panlong said coldly: "How courageous, this traitor dared to leak this matter to outsiders, and death is not enough to absolve himself of the blame." Xiang Shaolong was very surprised and said: "The prince seems to have known this would happen a long time ago." Xiao Pan smiled and said: "Don't forget that the widow placed Mao Jiao's chess piece at Lao Thief's place. How could Lao Thief's every move be hidden from me." Xiang Shaolong let go of the big stone in his heart, and said: "The prince should have already had a countermeasure." Xiao Pan proudly said: "If you send people to Handan after you know about it, you will be too late. Fortunately, the widow thought of this many years ago and resolved this matter." Xiang Shaolong felt a chill from the bottom of his heart, and asked in a deep voice: "Why didn't Chu Jun tell me?" Xiao Pan avoided his gaze, and said calmly: "The general was on an expedition to other places, so I forgot about it for a while." Xiang Shaolong chased after him and said, "How will Chu Jun deal with them?" Xiao Pan said impatiently: "Of course we should pay them enough, and then put them somewhere else so that people can't find them." Xiang Shaolong instinctively felt that Xiao Pan was lying, but if he kept asking, everyone would be very unhappy, so he kept silent. There was an awkward silence between the two. After a while, Xiao Pan broke the deadlock, sighed and said, "Is Master not happy?" This "long-lost" "Master" made Xiang Shaolong's heart soften, and said with emotion: "You have changed a lot." Xiao Pan looked at him with fierce and powerful eyes, looked at him for a while, nodded and said: "I can't change, if I want to sit firmly in this seat, I can't change, but for the general, I'm still the same." That kid." After a pause, he said with a little embarrassment: "Except for the general, who else knows about the widow?" Xiang Shaolong knew that he had always wanted to ask this question.But it was only at this moment that he took the opportunity to ask. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Except for Ting Fang, there is no third person who knows about this matter." He naturally refused to tell Teng Yi about it. Xiao Pan exhaled, leaned against the throne, looked up at the beams and pillars above, and said softly: "Good things don't go out, and bad things spread thousands of miles. Now there must be rumors flying outside. If I let the widow know that anyone mentioned this If you don’t care about whoever it is, you will be killed without pardon, and you will also raid your family and exterminate your family, just to see who dares to speak too much. Hmph, Lu Buwei, Lai Ai!" Xiang Shaolong was shocked, although this sentence was not aimed at him, but it was like Xiao Panzuo's hint, warning himself not to tell the third person, he felt very uncomfortable immediately. Xiao Pan didn't explain any more, leaned forward and said in a low voice: "The widow has secretly transferred Wang Jian back, and he will return to Xianyang within two months." Xiang Shaolong frowned and said, "Did Chu Jun not ask the Queen Mother for instructions?" Xiao Pan's eyes shone coldly, and he said disdainfully: "She doesn't regard me as a son, why should I still behave according to her face. She lived in Yongdu even more unscrupulously, and the matter with Lai Ai was well known in the streets and alleys. , Who in the world would not take this as a laughing stock and shame my Daqin." Knowing that he hated Zhu Ji for leaking about the Zhangs and his wife, Xiang Shaolong sighed and said, "The prince should remember what he promised me." He was referring to Xiao Pan not to hurt Zhu Ji under any circumstances. Xiao Pan looked at him angrily, and said angrily, "Is the general still going to protect her?" Xiang Shaolong stared at him coldly and said: "Yes! She has always loved and supported you wholeheartedly, and you have regarded her as your biological mother. If you are willing to put yourself in her shoes, you should know that she is It's not beneficial to her, and it's only human nature for her to do it anyway." Xiao Pan didn't know if he was still a little afraid of him, so he looked away, looked at the piles of files on the case, and said, "Most of the reports here are more or less related to Zheng Guoqu. Recently, I have received news that Zheng Guo may It is someone sent by the king of Han, what does the general think about this?" Xiang Shaolong saw that Xiao Pan deliberately distracted himself from other matters, and refused to continue talking about Zhu Ji's matter, so he suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "I'm very tired, I want to go home and rest." Xiao Pan sighed, and said with a wry smile: "Teacher is angry. There are many things I don't want to do, but I don't know that doing so is impossible. The Tutor should also put himself in the shoes of the widow and think about it." He called Xiang Shaolong by another official title, and immediately brought the distance between them closer again. Xiang Shaolong calmed down a bit, and said with a serious face: "The crown prince was officially crowned as the king in July this year. At that time, the power is concentrated in one person. What influence does the empress dowager have on the prince?" Xiao Pan lowered his face, and slowly said word by word: "Does the general know that the bitch handed over the seal to Lai Ai to use at will, making it difficult for the widow to sleep every night?" Small caps have really changed.The relationship with Zhu Ji has also reached a bad point that cannot be mended.Otherwise, why would he call him a "slut", Xiang Shaolong was speechless. "Bang!" Xiao Pan slapped his generous palm on the table, gritted his teeth and said, "This bitch gave birth to two bitches for Lai Ai, one is called Lai Zheng and the other is called Lai Long, what does the general mean by this? If it wasn't for the bandit Lao colluding with Lu Buwei, the entanglement would be too great, and the widow would have to tear him to pieces in less than seven months." After a pause, Xiao Pan's anger faded away, and he said with a dumb smile: "The general knows that Lai Ai regards herself as a 'false father', and also said that my 'false son' time is short, and he will be crowned by his false father in the future. Ha, this idiot can dream with his eyes wide open, and I will see how he ends up." He said these words with a smile, which chilled Xiang Shaolong even more than gnashing his teeth. Suddenly he really felt very tired, dealing with Xiao Pan was even more strenuous and difficult than dealing with Lu Buwei, how could this be what he could have imagined when he brought Xiao Pan to Xianyang?