Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 46

The last sentence is a stark warning.

“Wonderful, wonderful!” Lu Wei remained unmoved, only smiling and saying, “With Lord Yanchun’s wisdom, you can further prove my innocence.”

"Please, Grand Tutor, be sure to inform Lord Yanchun of this matter. We commoners are of lowly status and have little influence; we are truly not worthy of Lord Yanchun's attention."

The air in the reception room grew heavy.

Ju Wu's original plan to force the young man to kneel down and then appease him was completely thwarted. He parted his lips slightly and said, "Chief Steward Lu, with Lord Yanchun's methods, he prefers to wipe out the enemy from the Yan Kingdom."

"You take care of yourself!"

Grand Tutor of the Great Yan left Luqiu Pavilion with a gloomy expression.

"He's capricious; his mind goes blank whenever things deviate from his plan. Perhaps only after he calms down and returns will his thoughts come to him, and he'll regret his inappropriate words and actions during the day..." Lu Wei shook his head, watching Ju Wu's departing figure.

"Such individuals are not useless, but they can only be used as advisors; it's unclear whether Prince Dan has no one else to rely on, or whether he cannot easily dismiss them due to their seniority."

"Although Ah Shan is also indecisive by nature, he understands that important matters must be carefully reported to me and orders must be received before taking action, even if this might cause him to miss a good opportunity..."

"But given the extent to which I use him, I would never make those irreparable mistakes!"

"I hope this Grand Tutor won't make the wrong decision."

Turning around, Lu Wei returned to the training ground in the backyard and called Lu Ni to continue practicing swordsmanship, completely ignoring Ju Wu's warning before he left.

This Grand Tutor is probably too old and of too high a status; he only knows how to use coercion and doesn't even try to bribe him.

The Grand Steward is not a child who can be easily manipulated!

Given his "I'd rather betray others than be betrayed by them" mentality, how could he possibly leave any loopholes that could severely damage his power without taking any remedial action?

------

The next morning, at the residence of Lord Yanchun.

Exhausted, Lord Yanchun got out of bed and let the maid help him put on his court robes. Then he changed from a small sedan chair in the mansion to a large sedan chair outside the mansion, preparing to go to the palace to attend court.

Before leaving, he habitually asked if there was anything unusual in Jueying Jicheng. After receiving a report that everything was fine, he left with peace of mind.

The steward stared enviously at Jueying kneeling at the front of everyone in the mansion: that position should have been his!

I was the one who arrived first! Whether it's entering the manor or gaining Lord Yanchun's trust!

Damn, damn, damn!

Once Yan Chunjun's carriage was out of sight, Jueying stood up first, looked down at the other servants, his gaze lingering on the steward for a second, and with a disdainful smirk, strode back into the mansion.

In a dimly lit secret room, two large trays of bamboo slips were presented to his desk: these contained intelligence from the entire city of Ji in a single day, which was usually first collected by his subordinates and then personally verified by Jueying himself.

He had just turned a few pages when a news item caught his eye: "Lu Wei, the head steward of the farm, has captured a high-ranking relative of the household and is using him to coerce and profit from him."

"Who submitted the information on this bamboo scroll?"

He closed the bamboo slip, raised it, and Jueying's hoarse voice rang out.

A subordinate immediately came in, glanced at the location of the bamboo slip, and reported, "It's number seventeen."

"Call him over."

Jueying simply placed the bamboo scroll aside and continued to examine other information.

A moment later, the assassin in plain clothes, number seventeen, entered and knelt on one knee: "My lord!"

"Where did you obtain the information in this scroll?"

Putting aside his other tasks, Jueying picked up the bamboo scroll, stood up, and slowly walked to Seventeen, revealing a cruel smile.

"It was gathered by my intelligence team, who infiltrated the North Street of Jicheng."

Seventeen's voice sounded slightly nervous. Jueying rarely spoke except when facing Yanchunjun, so calling him over today was quite unusual.

Not to mention that weird laugh...

A sharp, piercing sound—the sound of a blade penetrating flesh—suddenly occurred just as Seventeen finished speaking.

With disbelief filling his eyes, Seventeen slowly lowered his head, only to see a short blade piercing his heart...

He opened his mouth wide, but could not utter another word; his vitality rapidly declined.

After completing the killing move, Jueying calmly drew his weapon and let the corpse fall.

"Drag him out and dispose of him. Leave no one alive from the squad under the jurisdiction of the Seventeenth!"

With a ruthless command, Jueying, holding the bamboo scroll, suddenly vanished from the room.

...

Early in the morning, Lu Wei was meditating and cultivating on the third floor of Luqiu Pavilion.

The figure that had been lingering outside his window for a long time finally mustered the courage to reach out and knock: "Master!"

"Come in."

Lu Wei slowly opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

Upon receiving Lu Wei's reply, the figure strode into the house, bowed his head, and knelt on one knee.

The instant he entered, another shadow appeared behind Lu Wei:

It was Lu Ni, wielding the Jingni Sword.

The figure glanced at Lu Ni with lingering fear, knowing full well how terrifying this woman was, and quickly lowered its head again:

"As the master expected, the Crown Prince's residence did indeed have an inside agent in Lord Yanchun's guards."

As the figure spoke, he presented a scroll of bamboo slips with both hands.

His identity was none other than Jueying, who had always been loyal to Lord Yanchun!

Chapter 65 Response

Jueying abandoned darkness for light, turned from evil to good, and joined the steward's ranks only one day later than the steward.

That night, after controlling the butler's loyalty by kidnapping a hostage and feeding him poison, Lu Wei immediately began patching up this temporary measure.

Even a loyal servant like the steward, who had served Lord Yanchun since childhood and followed him for decades, only learned the superficial aspects of aristocratic etiquette, but picked up all sorts of aristocratic vices.

It's simply unrealistic to expect such elderly people to change their habits in their later years.

This person is usable, but not entirely trustworthy.

Moreover, the strange changes that have occurred to the steward might go unnoticed by Yan Chunjun himself due to his indifference, but it would be absolutely impossible to hide them from Jueying, who specializes in doing the dirty and tiring work.

This is the biggest hidden danger.

Conversely, if Jueying could also be controlled, then unless Lord Yanchun suddenly awakens to great talent and ambition, even as a prince, he would only gradually fall into the illusions fabricated by the chief steward...

Isn't this a wonderful thing?

So, Lu Wei, who had been running around non-stop since returning to Jicheng, once again took action, bringing Lu Ni with him, and ambushed Jueying, who had just completed a murder mission, late at night.

Steward Lu was kind-hearted and only intended to have a peaceful discussion with Jueying, but the other party was extremely irritable and actually launched an attack on them.

That's ungrateful.

We must strike hard!

The Jingni Sword is drawn.

...

After a few rounds, the battle ended.

You can't expect a man who has been a wandering swordsman, assassin, bandit, and bodyguard for over twenty years to be as loyal as he appears.

The reason why this official joined Yan Chun Jun at the end of his physical prime, when he was nearly forty, is obvious: he wanted to settle down safely in the chaotic and bloody world of martial arts.

Over the years, he has made quite a few enemies...

Therefore, when faced with a real threat of death, he knew better than the butler how to be a dog:

Dropping the short dagger in his hand, Jueying knelt on both knees, raising both hands high, expressing his heartfelt intentions to the fullest.

As a martial artist, after actually fighting him, he was very clear about how big the gap was between him and Lu Ni: if the other party wanted to kill him, it would only take ten sword strikes at most!

The reason he wasn't killed must be because the other party still considered him valuable. The greatest value Jueying could offer was simply:

"Young hero, spare my life! I know many secrets of Lord Yanchun, and I am willing to offer them all to you!"

Kneeling and approaching Lu Wei a few steps, Jueying revealed a fawning smile that was out of character for him: he could tell which of the two people in front of him was in charge.

...

Subduing this official is much easier than subduing the steward.

The protection that Yan Chunjun can provide, the farmers can provide as well.

He promised Jueying that he could go to Daze Mountain to take up a managerial position and escape the vendettas of the martial arts world; this was an enticement.

Once Jueying returns, unless he never steps out of Yanchunjun's residence again, Lu Ni can kill him at any time if he betrays her; this is a threat.

Having roamed the martial world for many years, Jueying acknowledged Yanchunjun's power, but no amount of power meant anything compared to his own life.

Even though Lu Wei, just to be on the safe side, had to feed him a poison pill, Jueying obediently swallowed it like a butler...

These two are so alike; no wonder they serve in the same household.

------

"These servants and lackeys from the Crown Prince's residence have been dealt with, and there will be absolutely no word of it reaching Lord Yanchun's ears!"

On the third floor of Luqiu Pavilion, Jueying, kneeling, spoke as if seeking credit.

"No, Lord Yanchun must know about this!"

"There are countless loopholes that are impossible to guard against. This matter should not only not be concealed, but we should also proactively tell Yan Chun-jun about it."

Lu Wei took the bamboo slip offered by Jueying, glanced at it, shook his head, casually added a few messages to it, and then tossed it back to the other party:

"You must tell Lord Yanchun this and that..."

Listening attentively to the steward's earnest teachings, Jueying's eyes shone brightly. After memorizing every word his master said, he excused himself and withdrew.

"Being my enemy has never been a good choice, don't you agree?"

He seemed to casually ask Lu Ni behind him, but before she could answer, Lu Wei closed his eyes again to continue his cultivation.