Chapter 1 A Secluded Place

Yingdu,

Yinzhu Pavilion,

A property under the Prince Cheng's Estate,

A secluded restaurant, hidden in plain sight.

The Marquis of Pingxi didn't have property in Yingdu, and staying at the post station would seem a bit shabby, so this place was chosen as his temporary residence.

Clearing the venue was a must; during this period, the Marquis of Pingxi was the only guest allowed here.

In fact,

If you were to consider human relations,

This was truly a bit unkind.

They invited you,

They provided you with lodging,

And you responded by slapping them across the face, then offering the other cheek for another slap.

However,

Politics is politics, and human relations are human relations. In any case, after Marquis Zheng moved in, he didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Thinking about it from another perspective,

Aren't the properties under the Prince Cheng's Estate all built on the blood and sweat of the people? Now that he had come to Yingdu and stabilized the situation, allowing the people to live and work in peace, it was only right that they contribute some taxes to treat him, wasn't it?

However,

The most famous silk and bamboo music and dance of this Yinzhu Pavilion were now absent.

Firstly, the Marquis of Pingxi didn't particularly like that sort of thing, and secondly, this wasn't the Marquis's mansion after all, and it had just experienced an assassination attempt. How could outsiders be allowed to enter and exit on a large scale?

Therefore,

Inside the warm room,

It remained quiet and serene,

With only sparks occasionally flying out from the charcoal brazier.

Marquis Zheng was still sprawled out, napping.

Below,

Gou Moli sat behind a small table, with a large pile of dossiers in front of him.

Great Swordsman Chen was squatting by the brazier, roasting potatoes. He was quite fond of them.

Sword Saint had long since leaned against the corner, covered with a blanket, his breathing even, clearly asleep.

A moment later,

He Chunlai walked in,

And softly asked:

"My Lord, would you like some midnight snack?"

Zheng Fan kept his eyes closed and shook his head slightly.

He Chunlai then looked at Gou Moli, who smiled and pointed at the potatoes being roasted by Great Swordsman Chen.

If Marquis Zheng would eat the most exquisite food possible whenever conditions allowed, then the Wild Man King truly had no requirements when it came to eating and drinking.

He Chunlai understood and was about to turn and leave, but the Wild Man King waved him to stop again.

"Take a look too. Master Bei said you're learning to handle matters with him."

As he spoke, Gou Moli pushed the dossiers towards He Chunlai's side.

He Chunlai was indeed learning to handle matters with the Blind Man in his spare time after cooking. He used to think he was quite capable, having been a mid-level leader in a righteous organization.

But after learning from the Blind Man, he realized that he wasn't even a makeshift team before, and he finally saw what it meant to be one of many, to be a drop in the ocean.

He Chunlai had actually seen the dossiers on the way.

"Make a list, draw a line, and see if there are any differences among these poisoned people, such as the masters or backers behind each family."

He Chunlai immediately understood and asked, "Do you think the assassin's target wasn't the Fifth Prince, but these people who were actually poisoned to death?"

Gou Moli shook his head and said, "You are Master Bei's student."

He Chunlai was a little excited when he heard this.

"So, I can teach you. Most things in this world aren't like a table, divided into top and bottom, but are often like chopsticks, two of them, taken together."

He Chunlai nodded and said, "I understand."

"So, in my opinion, the assassination of the Fifth Prince and the poisoning aren't contradictory, and there's a gap between them because the Fifth Prince had offered sacrifices to the heavens for the disaster victims, bathed, burned incense, and fasted. He couldn't possibly drink alcohol in public, so the poisoned wine wasn't prepared for the Fifth Prince.

But the subsequent assassination was for him.

Two things that happened together should be for two purposes, and these two purposes will ultimately benefit one person."

"Suddenly, I feel like my mind is clear," He Chunlai said.

Gou Moli pointed at the dossiers and said, "You first look for them, and then carefully divide them. So many people died, some must have died in vain. After excluding these people, look for clues from those who had to die."

At this moment,

Marquis Zheng, lying on the couch, opened his mouth with his eyes closed:

"Sometimes, the reason why so many people die is actually to conceal the true target they want to kill."

Gou Moli immediately responded, "My Lord is wise and hits the nail on the head."

Then,

Gou Moli said to He Chunlai, "Go and do your work."

"Okay."

He Chunlai held the dossiers and walked to the other corner of the wall, sat down, and began to analyze by the candlelight.

He had been active in Yingdu and as a hidden underground existence, he could see the intricate relationships on the surface more clearly.

After explaining the matter, Gou Moli walked to Great Swordsman Chen's side, reached out, and took a roasted potato.

It was very hot, so he could only keep tossing it from his left hand to his right. In the process, he began to slowly circle the brazier.

Great Swordsman Chen, squatting by the brazier, said unhappily:

"Knowing it's hot, why not wait for it to cool down before taking it?"

Gou Moli suddenly stopped,

Looked at Great Swordsman Chen,

Great Swordsman Chen blinked.

"That's right."

Gou Moli exclaimed,

Immediately walked quickly to the couch,

Said:

"My Lord, I've figured something out."

Marquis Zheng, still closing his eyes, raised his hand,

Said:

"Speak."

"Did the person behind the assassin foresee the upcoming reactions?"

"For example."

"For example, the dignitaries of Yingdu would invite you to Yingdu to preside over the overall situation and stabilize the situation."

"Again, for example."

"Again, for example, the person behind the assassin can even guess what you will do after you come."

Speaking of this,

Gou Moli suddenly knelt down,

Put the roasted potato aside,

Kowtowed respectfully,

Said:

"No, to be precise, that person should have guessed what I would advise you to do.

But you, my lord, have keen insight and have long seen through everything, so you deliberately didn't act according to my advice, just to reverse the intentions of those behind the scenes.

My Lord, you are far-sighted,

I,

Admire you!"

Marquis Zheng opened his eyes,

Turned his head,

Looked at Gou Moli kneeling under the couch,

Opened his mouth:

"Huh?"

"Yes, my Lord, killing the Fifth Prince is a fuse;

Because, no matter how many dignitaries die in Yingdu, it won't alarm you. You are a Marquis of military merit. You won't leave your territory unless something major happens, but the Fifth Prince is after all, a member of the Ji family. Once something happens to his safety, it will inevitably cause shock from all parties.

When it became clear that Jingnan King couldn't be invited from Li Tian City, only you could come to this former capital to stabilize the situation.

The assassination of the Fifth Prince was actually to get you to come, in anticipation of your next move.

That move,

Is my advice to you,

To untie the hands of Prince Cheng's Estate."

Marquis Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry,

Said:

"Bull..."

"Tear away the fog, tear away self-righteousness, and things can indeed be seen clearly." Gou Moli pointed to his face, "It's my mistake. I was too presumptuous, thinking that I could take this opportunity to do something and lay the foundation for the Marquis's Estate if it wanted to advance westward in the future.

But I didn't realize this at first. This fuse was actually deliberately left by that person, and we followed the fuse. In fact, everything was in that person's plan.

That person's purpose is to untie the hands of Prince Cheng's Estate.

In this world,

Only three people can do this,

One person, represents the imperial court;

One is Jingnan King,

The other,

Is the closest to his Yingdu, our, Marquis of Pingxi's Estate.

After all,

The face of the officialdom must be preserved, the show must be put on for the world to see, so it is impossible to treat the Situ family badly;

But in private, how to dismember it, how to suppress it, we must not let the Situ family restore their former glory.

This is the general trend, this is an inevitability, and only these three are truly qualified to go against the tide.

But the only one who will take action and can take action is our Marquis's Estate.

So,

The poisoning at the banquet may be a new rotation. Once those big shopkeepers, those big families, those dignitaries, the leader dies, the people below will inevitably fight for power, divide power, and new people will take over.

The mastermind behind the scenes wants to free up positions so that his own people can take over or divide up the industries.

This method,

Is too violent and too direct, If it were normal, it would definitely not be used like this, because it would cause a great backlash.

Looking at the other party's arrangement from start to finish, it can be said to be very decisive and meticulous, so I think they are able to forcibly centralize power by means of poisoning because they also have a reliance.

This reliance,

Is likely to come from our Marquis's Estate. After you arrive, my lord, according to his idea, you will untie the hands of the Prince's Estate.

At that time, the Prince's Estate can openly absorb this vacant power vacuum and various industries."

"Everyone in the world knows that this Marquis wants to..."

"My Lord is right, the world is chaotic, how can they see so clearly? In their eyes, you are the new generation of military god in Great Yan, the pillar of Great Yan;

But some things can be hidden from the masses, but are destined to be hidden from some people.

They can know what we are doing in Shengle City, what we are doing in Xuehai Pass, and what we are doing in Fengxin City from many sources of information.

Reassuring the people, establishing trust, doing business, marking households, etc., and even the simplicity in your Marquis's Estate,

Are actually proving to those who are interested,

That you have great ambitions."

Throughout history, some smart people, such as generals, would deliberately be extravagant and deliberately ask the emperor for land and houses before going on expeditions. Did he really lack those?

Really not lacking;

But it was to defile himself, to reassure the superiors.

If you don't seek enjoyment, and are still conscientious, and you win over the hearts of the people and the hearts of the army, what do you want to do?

"My Lord, it is indeed because Jingnan King is in front, so he has blocked too many storms for us. The fact is that back then, the Qian Kingdom's Prime Minister with Tattooed Face was because he was incorruptible, and his official reputation was too good as a military man, so...

Therefore,

In fact, we are not hiding well.

The foundation of our Marquis's Estate,

One is in Jingnan King. Jingnan King is in front, Jingnan King does not fall, Jingnan King does not...

We can always stand.

The second is His Majesty the Emperor of Yan Kingdom, He is ambitious and talented, He can let the two Marquises grow stronger, and control the two most capable field armies of Great Yan, and can issue an order not to allow the rear to hold back the front line.

The pattern of Emperor Yan is there, he may, really not care;

Even, in the eyes of Emperor Yan, people without ambition may also mean incompetence, and he disdains to use them.

Third,

It is because our rhythm has always been very good, like the Chu song, every step is on the beat. In Xuehai Pass, we were not so conspicuous, although you were a Count, but your wings were not yet full.

This time, the conferment of Marquis in Fengxin City is actually exactly on that node. Jingnan King strongly supports, military merits are stacked, and the internal part of Great Yan is empty, so a strong man must be stationed in Jindong to stabilize the situation.

This is why you, my lord, came to power. It is the general trend gathered by all kinds of coincidences, so that you, my lord, can establish your own government!

But,

People who don't care don't care,

It doesn't mean that no one can really see the clues from what we do.

Therefore,

He used this clue to let us enter Yingdu out of our own instinct and untie the hands of Prince Cheng's Estate."

Zheng Fan felt that it made sense, but he also felt that it was too smooth,

He had to say:

"It may not be..."

How about this.

"My Lord is right, the real mastermind may not be Prince Cheng's Estate itself, but Prince Cheng's Estate, probably, participated in it."

"What I mean is, it may not be..."

"My Lord is right, it may not be Situ Yu. Although he has improved a little, it is clear that it is not his turn to support the situation. The Da Situ family has been established for a hundred years and once established a country. The Great Yan army, in order to fight, appeased the Situ family and did not carry out large-scale reforms in Yingdu. Therefore, there must be many old and young people left behind.

Like He Chunlai, a rebel from Jin, many of them are thinking about killing into Yingdu in the future and taking Prince Cheng's Estate as a sign to call on the people of Jin to follow.

So,

I have been thinking about one thing,

The last time we were in Yingdu, Sun Youdao's eldest son was causing trouble, but in fact, Sun Youdao had already retired. I confirmed that the old man was really tired and didn't want to cause trouble anymore. He just wanted his family to be able to pass on.

Therefore,

I am very curious,

Those people outside are dreaming, dreaming of pulling Prince Cheng out to use one day,

What about the people who are already inside?

Do they really,

Have no ideas at all?

No,

Impossible,

They were once the real superiors in the Da Cheng Kingdom, and they enjoyed the addiction brought by power;

How could they willingly watch the officials from Yan step on their heads year after year to show off their power?

The reason why they have been so well-behaved is because they are cautious and have been waiting for an opportunity.

They know that their shots will be more effective, more useful, and more direct,

So,

They can't afford to lose.

But this does not mean that they are all a group of docile lambs.

I was confused earlier, plus I was too confident. Fortunately, Great Swordsman Chen just gave me some pointers."

Zheng Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.

When the topic came to this point,

Great Swordsman Chen, who was roasting potatoes, was stunned,

He couldn't even believe it,

All of this came from his sentence?

Am I,

So smart?

On the side, He Chunlai also opened his mouth slightly. On the booklet, according to this idea, he had already circled several names. The families behind these names had all strongly supported Situ Lei when he made a desperate attempt to fight against the Wild Man and the rebels before he died. It can be said that they have a loyal foundation.

Even the Sword Saint who had been asleep for a long time,

Opened his eyes at this moment,

He looked at Gou Moli,

He didn't think about whether Zheng Fan had "everything under control" long ago, but he was sure of one thing, that Gou Moli himself had connected the things together.

The wisdom of the Wild Man King.

So,

Should I just find a chance to kill him?

Zheng Fan smiled,

Said:

"No evidence..."

Gou Moli immediately shouted:

"My Lord is wise, My Lord is right, where does my Marquis of Pingxi's Estate need evidence to act!!!"

"..." Zheng Fan.

Finally,

Zheng Fan sighed,

Didn't say anything,

Just waved his hand,

Said:

"Go down, I'm tired."

Marquis Zheng wanted to be alone and quiet.

"Yes, don't worry, my Lord, I will go down and arrange preparations."

Gou Moli retreated, and He Chunlai also retreated.

Great Swordsman Chen sat there and continued peeling potato skins, and the Sword Saint still leaned in the corner and fell asleep again. They wouldn't retreat, otherwise, Zheng Fan wouldn't be able to sleep.

………

After leaving the door,

He Chunlai followed closely behind Gou Moli.

Before setting off, the Blind Man had reminded him to learn from Gou Moli.

An ordinary wild man from the snowy plain, not of noble origin, spent half his life traveling north and south, learning and thinking, and finally almost achieved great things. This kind of person can no longer be described as a mere "hero."

"According to what you just said, I have already drawn some out," He Chunlai said.

Gou Moli nodded.

He Chunlai hesitated.

"Say what you have to say, don't hesitate, the Lord doesn't like people who are not straightforward."

"I think what you just said seemed a bit too much..."

"A bit too much what?" Gou Moli turned to look at He Chunlai.

"Since the Lord had already foreseen it in advance and avoided the other party's intentions, your analysis just now gave people the impression of being too ostentatious.

Oh, I understand, you were actually not talking to the Lord, but explaining to us, right?"

Gou Moli shook his head.

"Not?"

"Of course not, to tell you the truth, I don't know how the Lord changed his mind in advance and didn't fall into the other party's trap, but I feel that the Lord should not know the whole picture of the matter.

Just now, it was not the Lord who opened his mouth to give me some pointers, but I deliberately interrupted and pretended that the Lord was insightful and pointing me."

"This..."

"You will also be in charge of things in the future, and you will also be in charge of people. Remember, when your subordinates start to say in your name that they have understood your meaning, have received your advice, and start to analyze things in a well-organized manner;

It's not that you are farsighted, it's not that: oh, I originally thought so, and you actually said it.

In fact, it is your subordinates who are taking care of your face and flattering you in a more advanced way. Anyone who is not stupid knows that there can't be such a coincidence in this world, and how can there be such subordinates who understand your mind?"

"This, are you fooling the Lord..."

"Do you think the Lord is you? The Lord knows it very well."

"So, what are you doing this for?"

Gou Moli beckoned,

He Chunlai squatted down a little,

Gou Moli imitated the way Zheng Fan liked the most,

Patted He Chunlai on the shoulder,

And said earnestly:

"To do things, first be a good person."