Chapter 211: Chapter 210: Defeating Jing and Destroying Ting
"Among us, there are those who love to indulge in pleasures and are honored guests at Xiangxue Sea and Red Jade Sea; there are those who are obsessed with power struggles, fighting with brothers, fighting with fathers, and are constantly entangled in aristocratic feuds."
Outside No. 88A, in the car under the shade of a tree, sitting in the back seat, Qin Le Yin watched as the luxury cars drove away and said, "But there are also those who aspire to make achievements, looking to the future with grand ambitions."
"Birds of a feather flock together; you were exiled from the Jing Family before reaching adulthood and never truly joined us, so naturally, you don’t know how small this circle is, so small that..."
"Jing Zhengwu and Ting Wanjian are close friends, you could say it’s the will of fate."
Le Yu asked, "But why have I never heard such news before?"
"Because it’s not worth mentioning."
Qin Le Yin said:
"That was all before Ting Wanjian joined the Heyang Army, and as you know, the reason Ting Wanjian joined was because he offended his father, Ting Gu. At that time, everyone said Ting Gu would rather have raised a piece of char siu than such a son. Ting Gu’s thunderous fury was just what everyone expected."
"You have to know, back then, the combination of Ting Wanjian and Jing Zhengwu was seen as the dawn of a Ting-Jing alliance."
"Why do you think Quan Xin and Luo Zhen, two heirs with vastly different orientations, got so close? Their compatibility was abysmal, but back then, the Luo Family and the Quan Family sensed a threat from the Ting and Jing Families, so they urged their next generation to befriend more—though they never planned to truly unite, just to make a show of it."
"After Ting Wanjian was exiled, he no longer influenced the situation in Xuanzhu County, and this ’dawn’ naturally faded away. Some even think Ting Gu, driven by his disgust for his son, likely harbored a grudge against Jing Zhengwu for being close to Ting Wanjian."
"However, Jing Zhengwu later made my sister infatuated, and ’Ting-Jing’ became ’Jing-Qin’. So when people spoke of Jing Zhengwu, they naturally only thought of my Qin Family, forgetting about Ting Wanjian who had been gone for a few years."
Le Yu was a bit surprised: "Really, Ting Wanjian left for a few years, and yet he still values his friendship with Jing Zhengwu so much? So loyal and righteous? He really single-handedly raises the moral standards of your circle..."
"He may have left for years, but that doesn’t mean he broke ties with Jing Zhengwu." Qin Le Yin shook his head, "Now we know, Ting Wanjian was not exiled, but tasked with starting new business for the Heyang Army."
"As his only confidant and friend, Jing Zhengwu likely knew of this. Emotionally and logically, Jing Zhengwu could not abandon this friendship; they most likely corresponded by letter, sharing their ideals."
"If only Ting Wanjian could return sooner..."
Le Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
In a confrontation with Jing Zhengwu, he surely had a significant advantage, but if the Ting Family was willing to fully support Jing Zhengwu, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Compared to the declining Jing Qingfu, the flourishing Ting Family is enough to make the entire Jing Family turn and support Jing Zhengwu.
Under the absolute power, the achievements Le Yu made were insignificant.
Qin Le Yin paused briefly and then realized, "No wonder he holds such grudges against you."
"He probably thinks that if he could have returned earlier, he could have saved a friend’s life, maybe even formed a Ting-Jing-Qin business alliance, completing the initial blueprint of their ideals..."
"And your appearance ruined everything."
Le Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed:
"It’s strange, those I consider great villains, Lan Yan, Jing Zhengwu, even Jing Qingfu, all have loyal subordinates or steadfast friends, making me look like a lone wolf."
"That’s normal," Qin Le Yin said, "Everyone says he’s bad, but as long as he’s good to you, you have to acknowledge his kindness."
"If bad people are universally despised and good people universally loved..." Qin Le Yin paused, smiling: "Isn’t that just like reality."
"It’s just that ’good’ is divided into many kinds, being good to oneself, to family, to friends, to everyone... Everyone feels they are right, so we have words like ’justice’ and ’evil’, creating distinctions between right and wrong, and leading to wars."
"However, Young Master Jing, with what you said, do you consider yourself a good person?"
Le Yu glanced at him: "What do you think?"
"There are two kinds of good people." Qin Le Yin held up two fingers, "One stands by the majority, the other by the minority."
"But Young Master Jing, you seem to be neither; where do you plan to stand?"
"You’re wrong." Le Yu thought of something and smiled: "I’ll answer you with Lan Yan’s words—"
"A good person stands on the side of the victor, stands on the side of history."
Qin Le Yin laughed: "An interesting theory, when others say it, it sounds arrogant, but when someone like you or Lan Yan says it, it’s rather persuasive."
As they talked, Qin Le Yin took out an aluminum bottle, unscrewed it and took a sip.
Le Yu wiggled his nose, caught a sweet and sour scent, and curiously asked: "Tomato juice?"
Qin Le Yin wiped the reddish liquid from his lips and nodded: "Just like Young Master Jing, you like drinking Five-Flower Tea with goji berries. It’s normal for me to drink some tomato juice, right?"
"But shouldn’t the Silver Blood nobility prefer to drink fine wine?" Le Yu asked, "You just mentioned birds of a feather, and you used to be Jing Zhengwu’s brother-in-law, didn’t you know Ting Wanjian well?"
"Those years, I was studying in Yanjing." Qin Le Yin looked at the sunset sky outside, as if reminiscing about his youth.
"I see..."
Le Yu nodded: "I have no more questions, okay, you can get out now."
"Hmm?" Qin Le Yin was surprised: "Aren’t you at least going to give me a ride back? Or have dinner together at Celestial Court restaurant tonight..."
Le Yu: "It’s not on my way, and accompanying you to dinner is even more impossible. I have to pick up Qing Lan from work now."
"Hey, hey, hey, you’d rather engage in romantic escapades with a woman than discuss countermeasures with the Patriarch of the Qin Family?"
"Ha? What makes you think you’re more fun than a woman? Qing Lan even plays cards with me."
"I can play too."
"But you never lose! Qing Lan might also crush me, but at least I can win a round or two, and you are simply over the top!"
"Young Master Jing, I think you should consider if the problem is with yourself... and being infatuated with beauty is the bane of a successful person."
"Don’t worry, I’m only obsessed with playing cards, not with beauty; that’s the honest truth."
After getting out of the car, Qin Le Yin suddenly poked his head back in and asked, "Young Master Jing, you don’t seem to care about today’s meeting results."
Le Yu blinked: "What does it matter if I care or not? I can’t change the decision of the Silver Blood Association."
"So, what method do you plan to use to impose your will over the Silver Blood Association?"
"If my will truly prevails over the Silver Blood Association, it would be because the Silver Blood Association would actively invite me up."
Qin Le Yin raised an eyebrow:
"What are you waiting for?"
Le Yu smiled:
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Watching Le Yu’s car disappear around the street corner, Qin Le Yin showed a pensive expression, took a sip from his bottle of red juice, and went back to his car, where two guards were waiting for him.
After all, Jing Zhengwei rarely gave people rides.
Besides his women and subordinates, the only outsider he had ever given a lift to was Jing Suke.
Jing Suke’s grave grass was nearly a meter tall now.
At this time, a servant knocked on the car window, handing over a piece of paper: "Patriarch Hongle, some friends are waiting for you at this place."
"I understand."
Qin Le Yin took the paper, which had the address of an inner-city restaurant, and drove over.
As soon as he got out of the car, someone was there to greet him at the door.
This was a small but exquisite restaurant with a great atmosphere and plenty of privacy. It may not have outstanding food, but it was ideal for secret meetings.
Qin Le Yin walked to the innermost room and pushed the door open.
Seeing the people inside, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.
Luo Zhen.
Quan Xin.
Lan Jianbo.
Patriarchs from various wealthy families.
A dozen or so cornerstones of the Silver Blood Association gathered together.
Qin Le Yin sat down: "What business do you have for summoning Hongle here?"
Luo Zhen: "First, eliminate Jing."
Lan Jianbo: "Then take down Ting."