manynovel Chapter 27: Shen Zhong Falls into the Trap
Chapter 27: Shen Zhong Falls into the Trap
"Lord Shen, you're about to face a terrible disaster, and you're still unaware of it?"
Hearing Ye Chengfeng say that, Shen Zhong really wanted to curse.
Given his current situation, Ye Chengfeng has the least right to say these things.
Shen Zhong wasn't stupid; he had already seen through some clues. If there was anything he was facing now, it must be related to the young city lord of Dongyi City.
Everything is too much of a coincidence!
"Young City Lord Ye, what benefit does this scheme against me, Shen, bring to your Dongyi City?"
Shen Zhong suppressed his anger, his face ashen, and questioned him.
And look at Ye Chengfeng? He acts as if this Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) office is his own home.
He actually found a seat and sat down on his own.
"Hehe, Lord Shen, you're mistaken. Without me, your fate would have been even worse. Besides, I'm doing this to help Northern Qi and protect a talent like you."
Shen Zhong scoffed, saying that he was helping their Great Qi and protecting his talent.
Do they really think Shen Zhong is a three-year-old child?
"Then I, Shen, should thank Young City Lord Ye?"
When he said this, Shen Zhong's tone became noticeably colder, and there was even a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
But Shen Zhong knew that killing Ye Chengfeng was very simple; right here in the Jinyiwei's yamen, he could do it easily.
But the consequences of killing Ye Chengfeng are something that the already precarious Qi state cannot bear, much less something that Shen Zhong himself can bear.
If it were just a matter of exchanging his own life for Ye Chengfeng's, Shen Zhong wouldn't hesitate for a second.
"Lord Shen, haven't you realized you've overlooked something?"
Ye Chengfeng's words made Shen Zhong frown even more deeply.
This means the other party wasn't there to make fun of him, and he couldn't see Ye Chengfeng's true purpose at all.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Lord Shen might want to think carefully: every time you clash with the young emperor, especially when you have the upper hand, isn't it always the Empress Dowager who intervenes at the crucial moment?"
How clever Shen Zhong was!
Moreover, Ye Chengfeng's words have already made things very clear.
"That's impossible. The Empress Dowager and His Majesty are at odds. Can't the entire court of Great Qi see that?"
Ye Chengfeng could understand Shen Zhong's thoughts.
Although he was loyal to the Great Qi, he was even more loyal to the Empress Dowager of the Northern Qi.
But Shen Zhong was also a power-hungry man.
Previously, the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard was dominated by Shen Zhong's absolute authority.
Even his actions did not need to be reported to the Empress Dowager.
In the original novel, Fan Xian used this to create a rift between the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi and Shen Zhong.
"Hehe, Lord Shen, why deceive yourself? You already believe what I said, don't you?"
Ye Chengfeng's lips curled up slightly, knowing that Shen Zhong already believed his words.
Actually, this result was not difficult for Shen Zhong to calculate.
Considering his past experiences and this incident, and applying Ye Chengfeng's explanation, everything makes sense.
At this moment, Shen Zhong seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he slumped into the chair.
"Why is this so? My heart is set on the Great Qi, why must there be such mutual disdain between ruler and subject?"
"Come on, even without me, your Empress Dowager wouldn't tolerate you. Your actions have already crossed the line with the royal family."
Didn't he know how heavy these burdens were?
He knew, of course, that not many people, both inside and outside the palace, including in the Northern Qi court, liked someone like Shen Zhong.
Not to mention Northern Qi, even if it were Southern Qing, the situation would be the same.
Shen Zhong is indeed intelligent, but he is too arrogant.
"Lord Shen, at this time, what you should do most is to surrender to your little emperor."
"Will His Majesty spare me if I do this?"
Shen Zhong was somewhat skeptical. Things had come to this point; it wasn't something he could get away with simply backing down.
"I can give you a bargaining chip. I believe that with this chip, the young emperor will not only stop targeting you, but will also give you important responsibilities."
"You'd be so kind? And what do you gain from doing so?"
No one helps others for no reason; if someone does, they must have a deeper motive.
This was the instinctive thought of someone in charge of secret agents.
"Of course I benefit from it; in fact, it is a huge benefit to my Dongyi City."
Shen Zhong still looked at Ye Chengfeng with suspicion.
"Actually, my plan is not as complicated as you think. Resolving the power struggles in your Northern Qi court is to better enable Northern Qi to restrain Southern Qing."
"In this way, my Dongyi City can sit firmly on the high ground, watch the tigers fight from the mountain, and in the end, neither of you can determine the winner."
Upon hearing Ye Chengfeng's words, Shen Zhong immediately understood.
Indeed, this is the case; the Northern Qi is clearly at a disadvantage in its struggle against the Southern Qing.
If it weren't for Grandmaster Ku He, Northern Qi would probably have been destroyed by Southern Qing long ago.
Even with Ku He present, in this battle between Nanqing and Beiqi, Beiqi still lost a province.
"Aren't you afraid that His Majesty of Great Qi will not act according to your wishes?"
The weight of the question made Ye Chengfeng chuckle.
"Do you even have a choice?"
If Li Yunrui hadn't betrayed Yan Bingyun, leading to Yan Bingyun's capture, the losses for Northern Qi would have been even greater during the negotiations after the battle.
Emperor Qing did not stop Li Yunrui because he wanted to test Ku He.
This was also to encourage Fan Xian to go on a mission to Northern Qi and extract the secret from Xiao En.
In the original novel, Lin Ruofu told Fan Xian that Emperor Qing was not particularly outstanding in scheming.
However, Emperor Qing was very good at going with the flow, making it difficult for people to guess his true purpose.
"So, do you want the chips I'm offering?"
As he spoke, Ye Chengfeng took out another letter from his pocket.
Looking at the letter in Ye Chengfeng's hand, Shen Zhong didn't know its contents, nor what the consequences would be if he accepted it.
Simply put, Shen Zhong was in a dilemma at this moment.
But considering my current situation, whether I accept it or not seems to make no difference.
Besides Shen Zhong, does he have any other chance to turn things around?
Ye Chengfeng smiled and tossed the letter onto the table.
"The letter is left here. If Lord Shen doesn't want it, just burn it."
After saying that, he got up and left the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The letter contained very simple information, explaining Yan Bingyun's background.
As for what Shen Zhong will do after learning the contents of this letter,
That's not important. All Ye Chengfeng needs to know is that Shen Zhong will definitely make a move.
Walking on the streets of the capital, Ye Chengfeng was filled with emotion.
"Sigh, if the old man hadn't insisted I go to Nanqing, why would I have to go through all this trouble?"
Looking at the present, Ye Chengfeng no longer has time to "practice swordsmanship".
"My role is temporarily over. Now I can just wait and see what happens. My basic swordsmanship level is about to reach level 200 after the first job advancement. I wonder what the reward will be this time?"
Ye Chengfeng was very clear about what was most important in this world dominated by power struggles and martial arts.
At this time, Haitang Duoduo summoned many imperial physicians to the palace.
Haitang Duoduo wanted to concoct a drug that could knock out an eighth-rank martial artist without anyone noticing.
This terrified the group of imperial physicians; they were imperial physicians after all!
It was fortunate that Ye Chengfeng was only an eighth-rank official; if he were a ninth-rank official, these imperial physicians would not have been able to develop such a powerful drug.
Aphrodisiacs are ultimately a type of poison, and for a ninth-rank martial artist, poison is still ineffective.
As time passed, an eerie calm descended upon the entire capital city.
Until news of the Northern Qi Empress Dowager's birthday arrived from the palace.