Chapter 10 Another Play

Chang Hongquan pondered conditions Ye Tao shouldn't refuse and drafted a list. Chang Huaiyin handed it to Dai Qiuyan at a gathering, who then passed it on to Ye Tao. Ye Tao merely shrugged after reading the list and replied through Sun Jin. This back-and-forth went unnoticed by anyone observing Chang Hongquan and Ye Tao's movements. In this "formal" meeting, however, the two were at odds, not yielding an inch. Ye Tao accused Chang Hongquan of leaking information, attempting to trap him, and even blamed him for the attack on the Seven Seas Trading Company. Chang Hongquan, naturally, cooperated and argued with Ye Tao, accusing him of flaunting his power in Yu Hang and disregarding diplomatic relations. He even brought up Ye Tao's generous rewards to Huo Dong and Zhao Yan and their subordinates after arriving in Yu Hang... Seeing the intense and awkward atmosphere, the eunuch from the Chun Nan royal palace was extremely embarrassed, trying to mediate between the two. Although Ye Tao and Chang Hongquan both left looking angry, without reaching any clear agreement, the eunuch felt relieved: at least Ye Tao and Chang Hongquan weren't colluding to plot something.

After the two left, Sun Jin and Feng Zi, while apologizing and smoothing things over, took the dry-mouthed eunuch to a nearby restaurant and privately reached a memorandum of understanding that looked good on the surface but was actually not very feasible.

Ye Tao and Chang Hongquan's performance was so convincing that the eunuch reported to the Chun Nan ruler in a very cheerful tone. For something like the Cang Long Box, it would be normal to have conflicts, even to the point of shaking the country's political situation, causing infighting among factions, and turning brothers against each other. The Chun Nan ruler believed it. And from eavesdropping on the two arguing, the eunuch learned that even if the Chen family's Cang Long Box was opened, it was not certain that anything would be found. Whether it was treasure or crucial documents, they were now within the borders of Xi Ling. Moreover, they were certainly in the heavily guarded central area of Xi Ling.

Ye Tao and Chang Hongquan's performance once again earned Liu Yong's silent praise. Through this incident, he understood that Tan Xiao Pei's assessment of Ye Tao was very accurate. Tan Xiao Pei had once told him that Ye Tao preferred simple and straightforward methods, but he wasn't ignorant of complex issues. He didn't like political schemes or power itself, but that didn't mean he didn't understand them or couldn't use power well. Anyone who wielded great power couldn't be too much of a gentleman. Ye Tao, although appearing righteous, wasn't necessarily morally opposed to those methods; it was just that nothing had yet required him to cross his own moral boundaries. Now, Ye Tao was not only using schemes, but he was using them quite well. He was comparable to cunning old foxes like Chang Hongquan.

Liu Yong didn't reject these methods and wouldn't become wary or have any other negative emotions because of the methods and thoughts Ye Tao displayed. He and his junior colleague had worked for the Tan family for decades, and they knew very well that for someone like Ye Tao, understanding political schemes was not only a skill but also a necessity. Ye Tao could play the gentleman, but others wouldn't hide their tricks when dealing with him; they would be even more unscrupulous. Because they would forget that Ye Tao was capable of retaliation.

Liu Yong also had a worry. It was true that Ye Tao was now in a high position of power, in a fairly strong position. But that only offset many low-level conspiracies, not making him completely immune to them. One of the reasons why conspiracies were so fascinating, why people couldn't help but conceive, plan, and execute them, was that they could overcome the strong with the weak, and turn the impossible into the possible. No one could say that similar things wouldn't happen to Ye Tao. Ye Tao's enemies weren't countless, but there were quite a few. Both inside and outside the court, and now, Consort Lian Chang Ling would certainly hate Ye Tao even more. Chang Ling was currently just a less favored consort, but the situation had improved considerably in the past two years. Queen Zhuo Xiu was in poor health and lacked energy, so even though Tan Xiao Pei wasn't a foolish ruler, he would inevitably "visit" Golden Valley often. Moreover, although Tan Xiao Pei had two good sons and two good daughters, as he got older, he would also long for a young child to play at his knee. That was the opportunity for the current young prince, Tan Wei Zai, and also for Consort Lian Chang Ling. Perhaps these problems wouldn't erupt in the next few years, but what about ten years from now? Twenty years from now?

Liu Yong's loyalty to the East Ping royal family was unquestionable, but he wasn't so kind to those who might affect the internal unity of the royal family. Liu Yong knew that his experience and ability in this area could help Ye Tao, Tan Wei Xin, and the entire East Ping royal family to fill in gaps and make up for deficiencies. The simplest thing was not to let some people think that Ye Tao's threat was just talk.

Not long after Ye Tao returned to his lodging, Liu Yong left. He and Zhou Rui quietly arrived outside a property of the Xia family. The Xia family, specializing in the mass entertainment industry, had six casinos in Yu Hang alone. And this Hong Yun Gambling House was the largest of them. In fact, Hong Yun Gambling House was far more than just a casino; it was a combination of a casino, inn, brothel, and hotel. Basically, anything you could think of, they could provide here, and there was even a bathhouse. And the luxury of this bathhouse far exceeded the Da Lang Tao Sha in Dan Yang. Although Chun Nan's maritime trade had shrunk somewhat in recent years, that was only in terms of market dominance; various items from foreign lands hadn't decreased in the slightest. The bathhouse in Hong Yun Gambling House used all Middle Eastern beige stone, and the cost alone was staggering.

Liu Yong and Zhou Rui were certainly not here to indulge in any of the establishments inside, but to kill someone. Not only to kill, but to kill skillfully. The person was the storekeeper of the Yu Hang Port Supervision Bureau. This person, protected by the Xia family, had close ties with the Black Hawk Gang. The Black Hawk Gang would use him to fence stolen goods in Yu Hang. This small official lived a very comfortable life. At least, the life of soaking in the bathhouse in Hong Yun Gambling House every few days, then gambling, and then soaking again, wasn't something everyone could enjoy.

This regular customer of Hong Yun Gambling House should now be feeling comfortable from the warm steam, humming softly. This bathhouse in Hong Yun Gambling House hadn't officially opened for business yet, but regular customers were always given some preferential treatment, so a small private room was opened for him. In the bathhouse, there were far more attendants going back and forth preparing than there were customers, so sneaking in unnoticed was a bit difficult. However, for Zhou Rui, this was just a little more trouble. He impolitely said, "Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?" and rushed in ahead of Liu Yong, approaching the private room by a winding path, leaving Liu Yong waiting at the street corner. Liu Yong didn't mind, a faint smile on his face. Later, he simply sat down at a wonton stall and got something to eat.

Zhou Rui was really quick, and soon came out again, sitting down naturally next to Liu Yong, beckoning the owner to bring him the same thing.

"Finished?" Liu Yong asked quietly, slurping the delicious wontons.

"There wasn't just one person inside; there was another guy, who looked like he was meeting him. I killed them together. There was a locked box next to them; I brought it out with me," Zhou Rui said with a smile, then lifted his lapel, revealing a corner of the rosewood box.

Liu Yong chuckled. He hadn't expected Zhou Rui to have this ability, tucking the not-small box into his belt, leaving his hands free and acting as if nothing was wrong, not seeming to affect his movement much. "Alright, we'll wait a bit. We'll leave after they discover us."

"Yes," Zhou Rui replied, burying his head.

Sure enough, not long after, after a scream, the entire bathhouse area began to fall into chaos and panic. Soon after, the entire Hong Yun Gambling House began to be a bit chaotic, until several high-level managers of Hong Yun Gambling House came out to calm the situation. But the news that someone had died in the bathhouse still spread from Hong Yun Gambling House to the streets outside.

You have to know, this was the effect Zhou Rui wanted. He had put in a lot of effort. He had bled them dry, making the entire private room a bloody red. He also hung them on the wall very close to the steam furnace. In addition to the blood all over the floor, the entire bathhouse should now be able to smell the aroma of roasted meat…

Liu Yong and Zhou Rui mingled in the crowd, showing appropriate curiosity and fear on their faces, no different from the surrounding Yu Hang people. But their attention was focused on the front and back doors of Hong Yun Gambling House. An entertainment center centered around a casino was better in this regard. They didn't let people in or out casually. Now that something had happened, and they had started to investigate bit by bit, it was even more so.

Some people with status in Hong Yun Gambling House were quickly and respectfully sent out, hurriedly getting into their carriages and leaving this place of trouble. Whether these people were suspects was irrelevant. Even if they were the ones who did it, it was estimated that not many people would dare to investigate.

And in the crowd, Liu Yong saw a long-lost, very familiar face. That sharp, contained gaze made Liu Yong's heart tremble.