"No! I don't want you to leave!" Huyan Yan hugged Ying Yuan tightly, her tears soaking his clothes.

Ying Yuan gently patted Hu Yanyan's back and comforted her softly, "Yan'er, don't cry. I promise you, I will try my best to survive. For you, for Daqin, I must survive too."

Hu Yanyan's crying gradually subsided. She raised her head and looked at Ying Yuan with tearful eyes. "Your Majesty, you must promise me that you will take good care of yourself."

Ying Yuan nodded, his eyes full of tenderness. "I promise you."

Just then, there was a sudden noise outside the hall.

"What's going on?" Ying Yuan frowned slightly.

A guard ran in in a panic and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! General Li Xin... General Li Xin..."

"What happened to Li Xin?" Ying Yuan had an ominous premonition in his heart.

"General Li Xin...he was captured by the Zhao people!"

Ying Yuan's face turned pale in an instant. He stood up suddenly and grabbed the guard by the collar: "What did you say?!"

The guard's last words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Ying Yuan's mind. Li Xin was captured? How could this be possible? Li Xin was brave and good at fighting, how could he be easily captured by the Zhao people?
He pushed the guards aside, walked quickly outside the palace, and shouted to the sky: "Li Xin!!!"

The voice was filled with anger, unwillingness and disbelief.

Hu Yanyan chased out and hugged Ying Yuan's arm tightly, her eyes full of worry: "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"

Ying Yuan took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that now was not the time to be sad or angry. With Li Xin captured, Zhao would certainly use this as a threat and put forward various harsh conditions. He had to come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible to rescue Li Xin and stabilize the situation.

"Call the Prime Minister!" Ying Yuan said in a deep voice.

Soon, Prime Minister Li Si hurried over.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Did you know that Li Xin was captured?"

Li Si's face changed drastically when he heard this: "I...I don't know."

"I don't care whether you know it or not. Now, I order you to gather all the ministers immediately to discuss countermeasures!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

Li Si took the order and left, while Ying Yuan returned to the main hall and sat dejectedly on the dragon throne.

Hu Yanyan knelt beside him and gently massaged his temples. "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. General Li Xin is a lucky man, and he will be safe."

Ying Yuan smiled bitterly: "I hope so."

He closed his eyes, and the image of Li Xin emerged in his mind. Li Xin was one of his most trusted generals, brave and loyal. Now that he had fallen into the hands of the enemy, his life or death was uncertain, how could Ying Yuan not be worried?

What worries him even more is that Li Xin's capture will be a huge blow to the morale of the Qin State. Zhao will certainly take this as an opportunity to launch a large-scale attack. The situation of the Qin State will become even more precarious.

"Your Majesty, don't think too much and take a rest first." Huyan Yan said softly.

Ying Yuan shook his head: "I can't sleep. Yan'er, go get me a pot of wine."

Hu Yanyan hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. She knew that Ying Yuan needed alcohol to numb himself at this moment.

Soon, Huyan Yan came back with a pot of wine. Ying Yuan took the pot, tilted his head back and took a sip. The spicy wine flowed down his throat into his stomach, as if a fire was burning.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Ying Yuan started coughing violently.

"Your Majesty, please drink slowly." Huyan Yan patted his back quickly.

Ying Yuan waved his hand, indicating that he was fine. He continued to drink, one glass after another, as if to wash away all his troubles.

Hu Yanyan watched him silently, her eyes full of heartache. She knew that the pain in Ying Yuan's heart was much deeper than what he showed.

After an unknown amount of time, Ying Yuan finally passed out drunk. Hu Yanyan gently helped him to the bed and covered him with a blanket. She sat beside the bed and quietly looked at Ying Yuan's sleeping face. His face was full of fatigue and his brows were furrowed, as if he was also working hard for state affairs in his dreams.

Huyan Yan sighed softly, reached out her hand and stroked Ying Yuan's face.

"Your Majesty, you are very tired. You should take a good rest."

She lowered her head and kissed Ying Yuan lightly on the forehead.

"Yan'er will always be with you."

At this moment, Ying Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes were clear, how could there be any sign of drunkenness?
Huyan Yan was stunned. She didn't expect that Ying Yuan was pretending to be drunk.

"Your Majesty, you..."

Ying Yuan sat up and grabbed Huyan Yan's hand, his eyes gleaming with a gleam.

"Yan'er, I have a plan..."

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He whispered his plan in Huyan Yan's ear. Huyan Yan was stunned. She didn't expect Ying Yuan to come up with such a bold plan.

"Your Majesty, this... this is too dangerous!"

"Wealth and honor are achieved through risk. I don't have any time left, I can only give it a try!" Ying Yuan's eyes were filled with determination.

"But……"

"No buts! I have made up my mind!" Ying Yuan interrupted her, "Yan'er, do you believe me?"

Hu Yanyan looked at Ying Yuan's determined eyes, and her heart was full of contradictions. She knew how risky this plan was, but she also knew that Ying Yuan made this decision for Daqin and for her.

Finally, she nodded. "I believe your majesty."

A smile appeared on Ying Yuan's face and he held Hu Yanyan's hand tightly.

"Okay! Let's get started!"

The next morning, Ying Yuan secretly summoned Wang Jian.

"General Wang Jian, I have an important task for you."

"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

"I want you to... pretend to surrender to Zhao!"

Wang Jian was stunned. He did not expect Ying Yuan to make such an incredible request. "Your Majesty, I do not understand what you mean."

Ying Yuan walked up to Wang Jian, patted his shoulder, and said in a low but firm voice: "I want you to pretend to surrender to Zhao State to paralyze the King of Zhao's vigilance, and then cooperate with the outside to defeat Zhao State in one fell swoop!"

Wang Jian frowned, knowing the danger of this move. "Your Majesty, this plan is too risky. If the King of Zhao sees through it, I will be doomed!"

Ying Yuan's eyes flashed with a cold light: "I know this matter is extremely risky, but now that Li Xin has been captured, our army's morale is low. If we don't take risky measures, the Qin Dynasty will be in danger! Wang Jian, you are a key minister of the Qin Dynasty, I believe you can complete this task!"

Wang Jian was silent for a moment, but finally knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice: "I will obey your command! I will live up to your majesty's high expectations!"

Ying Yuan helped Wang Jian up and patted him on the shoulder: "Okay! I'll wait for your good news!"

After seeing Wang Jian off, Ying Yuan stood alone in front of the window, looking at the rolling hills in the distance, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. He knew that this gamble was not only about the fate of the Qin Dynasty, but also about his own life.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" Hu Yanyan's voice sounded behind him.

Ying Yuan turned around and looked at the gentle and beautiful woman in front of him, and a warm current surged in his heart. "I was thinking, if you win this battle, I will make you the queen." (End of this chapter)