lovenovelstory Chapter 104 Deal with him!
Chapter 104 Deal with him!
Chapter 104 Deal with him!
"What?"
Upon hearing Lin Zhou's words, Cao Wenda straightened up, his expression gloomy and uncertain. This news was indeed a bombshell for him.
The spring rain outside started to fall again, dripping from the newly sprouting sycamore trees onto the roof tiles. Inside, the small stove, used to combat the late spring chill, was burning brightly.
But Old Cao's palms and soles were ice-cold. He went to the window and looked at the misty rain outside for a while before turning back and saying, "Why are you hanging out with those people?"
"Brother, you should help me out too. I was selling soup dumplings at the city gate back then. What do I know? I was only six years old when I last heard Yue Fei's name." Lin Zhou clicked his tongue, "By the time I came back from Southeast Asia, his body would be nowhere to be found. I was just doing some small business, looking after some poor little kids, giving them some food, and suddenly I'm a Yue Fei supporter?"
Cao Wenda turned his head: "What's the use of telling me? Go tell the Prime Minister. Besides, you said the Prime Minister ordered people to monitor you, isn't that obviously a sign of suspicion?"
"Why would you doubt me? Brother Cao, others may not know, but you certainly do. There's no one in the world like me who's part of the Yue faction."
Cao Wenda continued pacing back and forth in the room. After a while, he finally spoke, "The Prime Minister is a very suspicious man. Ever since Yue Fei, he has been extremely secretive about these matters. There is no way he would keep someone who has ties with Yue Fei's faction by his side."
Lin Zhou spread his hands: "The point is, I'm not one of them."
"I know—oh dear, stop arguing, let me think of something." Cao Wenda paced back and forth with his head down: "No wonder the Prime Minister has been frequently transferring that guy these days, so that's why."
Who is it?
"Zhang Caihu, you don't actually think the Prime Minister only has me as a retainer, do you?" Cao Wenda glanced back at Lin Zhou. "That man was also a soldier. I help the Prime Minister amass wealth, while he helps the Prime Minister with—"
He wiped his neck as he spoke: "Understand?"
"I understand, I understand." Lin Zhou nodded hurriedly. "The Prime Minister wouldn't want to get rid of me, would he?"
"It's not that serious, we just need to confirm whether you are a member of the Yue faction."
Cao Wenda's eyes darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "However, that Zhang fellow and I have never gotten along. Who knows—how far have you gotten along with your orphans?"
"I got them some flour, some pork, oh, and some clothes. That's all."
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's all."
After listening, Cao Wenda calmed down a bit. He rubbed his head and said, "You, you, why did you have to make food and drink for those people?"
"I originally had my eye on the eldest sister who was leading them; she's pretty—that's all it took for her."
"You'd better control that thing down there from now on, lust is a dangerous thing."
Cao Wenda stood up, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "Who told you about this?"
"I have plenty of friends on the road. You know the Beggars' Sect, right? People from the Beggars' Sect."
"The Beggars' Sect?" Cao Wenda scratched his head. "Never heard of any Beggars' Sect—"
"It's those idle guys who lie around by the city wall all day. They told me that lately there have been some unfamiliar people lurking around, watching my front door suspiciously." Lin Zhou gestured as he spoke, looking utterly naive. "I said, what's there to watch my front door? Then I came to ask Brother Cao, you said some Yue Fei members surrendered, and that a group of Yue Fei descendants used to live outside the city. I said I think I know them, you see—"
"well----"
Lin Zhou's words left Cao Wenda speechless. After a while, he stood up and said, "Come with me, let's go to the Prime Minister and get things cleared up."
"Won't the Prime Minister be angry?"
"How would I know? But I can't keep it from him."
The two arrived at Qin Hui's residence, and soon Lin Zhou saw Qin Hui for the second time. This time, Qin Hui was much thinner than the last time he saw him. His round face had almost become a thin oval face, and he looked somewhat haggard.
Given his cowardly nature, he must have been so terrified by the last assassination attempt that he couldn't sleep at night. Looking at his miserable state, Lin Zhou would have laughed out loud if Cao Wenda hadn't been there to stop him.
"Tell the Prime Minister everything you know truthfully."
Qin Hui raised his head slightly and glanced at Cao Wenda and Lin Zhou. When he saw Lin Zhou still grinning foolishly, he felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
If it were anyone else, being dragged here to confront him, wouldn't they be in tears and trembling with fear? Only this little brat can still laugh.
Lin Zhou didn't hide anything and told the whole story of how he met Xiao'e and her group.
"I didn't know their identities, and they didn't tell me. I took a liking to their eldest sister right away. She had such beautiful skin and was so pretty. Your Excellency, you don't know, she had such bright eyes and white teeth, and that petite figure, tsk ...
Upon hearing this, Qin Hui slammed his hand on the table: "Enough! I didn't come here to hear your romantic escapades. Is that all?"
"Yeah, I brought her a few quilts, some rice and noodles, and oh right, half a pig, and then—they just disappeared. It's so ridiculous. I was hoping to bring her more things so we could hold hands and kiss."
Qin Hui felt a throbbing pain in his temples: "Do you know who the woman you want to hold hands with is?"
'
"It wasn't Xiao'e, she told me her name was Xiao'e."
"She—" Qin Hui silently shook his head: "That's the daughter of Yue Fei, a sinner for all time! You've been deceived!"
"Huh?" Lin Zhou was taken aback, but his expression remained nonchalant. "I didn't realize she was different from those little beggars. Turns out she's from a wealthy family. What a pity!"
"What's so regrettable about it?" Qin Hui pressed.
"It's a pity I didn't get to kiss her little lips."
"Hiss—" Qin Hui tilted his head back: "You're still thinking about such things? Those people are incredibly vicious. They could stab you and you wouldn't even know how you died! Do you have anything else to say?"
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Zhou slapped his forehead, stood up, and bowed to Qin Hui: "Your Excellency, Happy New Year!"
"You—oh—fine, fine, fine." Qin Hui waved his hand impatiently: "Go, go, go, Wenda, don't come to me with this kind of thing next time."
What Lin Zhou said actually matched what Qin Hui was secretly investigating. Every clue in it matched up. Although it was unknown how much Lin Zhou gave to those orphans, the approximate amount was correct.
Because the informant had already reported Lin Zhou, and the report did indeed mention Lin Zhou's ambiguous relationship with Yue Fei's daughter. Judging from the information on Lin Zhou's side, Qin Hui probably already knew how they interacted. Isn't this just fooling a naive boy?
Compared to the Imperial City Guard's protection and cover-up, Lin Zhou's matter was hardly a big deal. If he hadn't come today, Qin Hui might have remained suspicious for a while. But since he came and revealed his foolish actions, Qin Hui only thought this man was a bit off his mind. The rest—
To put it bluntly, if Qin Hui were to even slightly consider the Yue Fei faction, he would look down on a simpleton like Lin Zhou. He's not only useless, but might even accidentally destroy his own stronghold.
This also explains why Lin Zhou initially called Xu Ping "uncle." It's because he met Lin Zhou through those orphans outside the city, and he wanted to use Lin Zhou to make some benefits, but he just let himself intercept the opportunity.
Thinking that he had once again outmaneuvered Qin Hui, he couldn't help but chuckle as he stroked his beard, giving himself a mental pat on the back.
"Little brother, next time you must be more careful and never be so reckless again."
After Old Cao walked out the door, he breathed a sigh of relief, then patted Lin Zhou on the shoulder and said, "The Prime Minister still dotes on you."
"Hey, Brother Cao. Does this confirm that everyone in the Imperial City Guard is a member of Yue Fei's faction?"
Hearing Lin Zhou's words, Cao Wenda looked around, tugged at his sleeve, and the two walked a few steps quickly. Then he lowered his voice and said, "It's not that simple. You're still very inexperienced. Even if you know that those bastards are protected by Xu Ping, it will be difficult to bring them down easily. Think about who Xu Ping is working for."
"Whose?"
"Han Shizhong".
"Huh? But they're all part of Yue Fei's faction."
"The evidence isn't conclusive yet. Right now, we'll see if the person who surrendered can pull out some crucial evidence." Cao Wenda stopped abruptly here: "Alright, you shouldn't know too much about this kind of thing. Your loose tongue has already let it slip."
"To be honest, Brother Cao," Lin Zhou said in a low voice, "I know I'm not very smart, but I do know one thing."
"you say."
"Someone is definitely stirring up trouble between us. Look, the Prime Minister is secretly monitoring me behind your back. What does that mean? It means he doesn't trust us. But have we ever had any disloyalty towards the Prime Minister along the way?"
"No! Of course not."
"That's right, so isn't this just someone stirring up trouble? If we investigate further, we might end up being labeled as part of Yue Fei's faction." Lin Zhou clicked his tongue. "I'm not afraid. After all, my father-in-law is a prince of the Jin Dynasty. At worst, I'll just be a spineless kept man. Giving a few beggars some food is more important than the goodwill between the Song and Jin dynasties, isn't it?"
Cao Wenda frowned, but remained silent.
"But Brother Cao, you're different. Today he can say I'm a member of Yue Fei's faction and investigate me. Tomorrow he can say you're the mastermind behind it all, using this naive fool like me to secretly support Yue Fei's faction." Lin Zhou patted Old Cao on the back: "Tell me, isn't that a possibility?"
At that moment, Cao Wenda felt a chill run down his spine. Was what Lin Zhou said outrageous? Yes, it was outrageous, but they had all done things even more outrageous than that. Back then, in order to persecute dissidents, not to mention Qin Hui, he himself had done many similar things.
"I think once the Prime Minister becomes suspicious, you're definitely not going to escape this fate," Lin Zhou said with a smile, arms crossed. "Brother Cao, you're still no match for your colleague's cunning."
"Then—what should we do, brother!"
"Let's invest in gold." Lin Zhou put his arm around his shoulder. "Once the thought of investing in gold arises, the world seems vast. Anyway, you're quite capable, I'll introduce you to someone later."
At this moment, Cao Wenda's vengeful nature suddenly came to the fore: "But before that, I'm going to let Zhang Caihu know that I'm not someone to be trifled with! Trying to frame me won't be that easy."
"Don't rush, let's take it one step at a time. I may not be the sharpest, but I have plenty of sharp minds around me."
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