"My lord is mistaken. It is precisely because he is in dire straits now that he can only fight to the death. If my lord merely shows a sliver of intention, and if he is smart enough, he won't need my lord to say anything more. He will come to us on his own!"
Seeing Wang Fu's troubled expression, Qin Hui spoke again.
"This is not a question of whether he will come to us, but whether he truly has the ability now?"
Wang Fu was deeply skeptical about whether Lin Ling Su still possessed such capability.
"My lord, please don't forget that Lin Ling Su has also contributed significantly to Prince Yun's current influence! A charlatan like him might not be able to succeed, but he can certainly cause trouble. He may not have the ability to destroy Prince Yun, but he can certainly make the Emperor hesitate. Besides, even if he fails, it will have no impact on my lord!"
After listening to Qin Hui, Wang Fu fell silent once more.
Upon careful consideration, it seemed Qin Hui was indeed correct. The current Emperor was unlike any of his predecessors.
In the past, the Emperors of the Great Song Dynasty, with the exception of the founding Emperors Taizu and Taizong, generally listened to their ministers' opinions on all matters.
But this was different now. How many times had the unreliable Emperor Zhao Ji made decisions on a whim?
When deciding the selection of a prime minister, the Emperor's hesitation often determined many things.
"Then I will leave this matter to you! If he can help me accomplish this, I will help him drive those monks out of Bianliang City!"
After taking a deep breath, Wang Fu finally made up his mind.
Although Lin Ling Su was an annoying person, in the end, they had no real conflict of interest.
What Lin Ling Su desired was nothing more than wealth and absolute dominance in the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism, which was of no consequence to Wang Fu.
"Yes!"
Hearing Wang Fu's words, Qin Hui's heart rejoiced.
"If you can accomplish this for me this time, you can come with me to the Ministry of Personnel. With your talent, it shouldn't be a problem to be appointed as a Supervising Secretary!"
Just as Qin Hui was about to turn and leave, Wang Fu slowly dangled another grand prospect.
"Sir, you've only been here for a few days, why are you leaving so soon?"
Although their time together had been less than seven days, Zhong Yan Chong held a very favorable impression of Yuan Xing Chi.
Especially since Yuan Xing Chi was a subordinate of Han Mo, which made Zhong Yan Chong trust him even more.
"The matters in Hebei are concluded, and the affairs in Bianliang City must continue to be handled!"
Yuan Xing Chi also smiled and raised a cup of wine.
"Sometimes I truly envy Brother Han. We are of similar age, yet his talent makes me feel like I am looking up at a towering mountain!"
Looking at the refined Yuan Xing Chi, Zhong Yan Chong raised his own cup and said with self-deprecation.
"Junior Official Zhong is already in a high position at such a young age. There is no need to be so self-deprecating!"
"Hahahaha, what high position is this? I'm merely a handyman under my lord!"
"By the way, this is a letter that my son-in-law sent by carrier pigeon last night. Please read it and forward it to my lord!"
As Yuan Xing Chi spoke, he took out a pigeon letter from his sleeve.
"Oh?"
Hearing his words, Zhong Yan Chong quickly reached out and took it.
"What does Brother Han mean by this?"
After reading the contents of the pigeon letter, Zhong Yan Chong's brows furrowed directly.
"My lord means that he is not optimistic about Commander Tong's current action, and..."
Having spoken halfway, Yuan Xing Chi did not continue. After all, the following words were rather inauspicious.
"He is worried that Tong Guan will suffer a devastating defeat, and then turn defeat into victory?"
He dared not speak, but Zhong Yan Chong had no such reservations.
"Who can say for sure about such a thing?"
Yuan Xing Chi smiled, but said no more.
"I understand! No wonder he wants my lord to offend Li Bangyan at all costs!"
After taking a deep breath, Zhong Yan Chong spoke again.
"Junior Official Zhong, you should keep this matter to yourself. Outwardly, pretend that you know nothing!"
After a moment of silence, Yuan Xing Chi added.
"I understand. Please convey to Brother Han that my lord and I remember his kindness."
Despite the hundreds of thousands of troops ahead, Han Mo was now reminding them to quickly remove the parasites Li Bangyan had placed and to swiftly rectify defenses and guard against the Liao army's southward advance.
If Han Mo did not truly consider him one of his own, given Han Mo's cautious nature, he would never have said so much.
Although it seemed like a superfluous act at the moment, even Zhong Yan Chong had to admit that Han Mo's concerns might very well come true.
The Song army had a large number of soldiers, and with the indirect restraint from the Western Xia and Jin dynasties, it was still possible for many unlikely events to occur when the command was given to Tong Guan.
If they did not make plans for themselves, they might be used as scapegoats by Tong Guan at any moment.
Once Tong Guan was defeated, the first to bear the brunt would be Hebei!
At that time, if Tong Guan pushed them forward and accused them of delaying military affairs, they would truly be unable to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
"It is good that Junior Official Zhong understands. My lord has another message for Junior Official Zhong!"
"Please speak, sir!"
Hearing his words, Zhong Yan Chong once again raised his wine cup towards Yuan Xing Chi.
"My lord says that sometimes, what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth. Please trust my lord's regard for Junior Official Zhong!"
"Ah?"
After hearing this sentence, even Zhong Yan Chong was stunned. What did this mean?
It felt as if this fellow was planning to do something else.
"Junior Official Zhong, don't ask. If you ask me, I don't know either. I am merely conveying orders!"
Seeing the confused expression on Zhong Yan Chong's face, Yuan Xing Chi said with a wry smile.
"This fellow is becoming more and more incomprehensible in his actions!"
After shaking his head with a bitter smile, Zhong Yan Chong spoke again.
"It's getting late, we need to depart. Junior Official Zhong, we bid farewell!"
Seeing that the time was almost up, Yuan Xing Chi raised another cup of wine and said to Zhong Yan Chong.
"May your journey be smooth, sir!"