Upon hearing this, Li Mi, who was standing behind Qin Che and 'eavesdropping,' almost choked on his own words.

Fortunately, he managed to hold back.

Qin Che leaned back on the sofa, pondered for a long time, and asked, "Why? I have no dealings with the royal family."

Duan Wujiu smiled and said, "You are now the mastermind behind West Fortress and Sand Fortress, and you also control half of the southwestern desert. The royal family needs your support."

Qin Che looked at him and suddenly said, "Boss Duan has come from afar, why don't you rest for a few days first? Li Mi, entertain the guest."

"yes."

Li Mi bowed respectfully with a blank expression, suppressing his surprise, and led Duan Wujiu away first.

Not long after, he returned, with Lina by his side.

"Master, what exactly is going on?" Li Mi asked hurriedly.

Lina frowned and said, "The fact that the royal family is taking the initiative to show you goodwill must be suspicious."

Qin Che nodded: "You guys give your reports first."

“Mr. Sha has arrived in West Fort, taken over the leadership position, and successfully gained the support of the military and government. Although Cai Dong was somewhat dissatisfied, he did not express any opinions because it was your order.”

Qin Che hummed in agreement. "Where's Lu Guimeng?"

“Of course he wouldn’t dare to object. Mr. Sha is clearly one of your men; he’s not stupid,” Lina said with a smile.

Li Mi: "After Mr. Sha arrived, he first went to meet with Fu Xian."

"Oh? For what?"

"Didn't No. 1 Wall order a batch of weapons from Sand Castle? In addition, Mr. Sha is new here. I guess he wants to pay his respects to this port and make contact first, so that it will be easier for future work."

Qin Che put his hands behind his back, turned around, looked out the window, and remained silent.

"Should we monitor him?" Li Mi asked softly.

“Yes, necessary surveillance is the standard procedure in the intelligence department, and Sha Qingsui will understand.” Qin Che did not object.

Lina asked, "What do you think of Duan Wujiu's suggestion?"

Qin Che took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly, saying, "I've thought of a lot. You know, Fu Xian not only takes good care of our business, but also gave me the Awakening Department, and now he wants to introduce me to a princess from the royal family. Isn't he giving me way too much? Is he trying to harm me?"

Lina was overjoyed: "So, you're not going to agree?"

Li Mi frowned and said, "It's not that simple. What you mean, sir, is that there's something fishy going on here."

Lina rolled her eyes: "Do you think I don't know something's fishy? Isn't it just a way to completely tie us to the Fu faction? That's such a low tactic..."

Li Mi: ...

Qin Che shook his head: "It's really not simple. I always thought that after taking down Yuan Lin and the Shu Prince faction represented by Deng Xian, Fu Xian would control the Forest Group without breaking a sweat. But this Boss Duan has been fighting against him on the stage for so many days without any problems. Don't you find that strange?"

Li Mi said, "With Yuan Lin and Deng Xian gone, the various factions of the Forest Group have fallen into complete chaos. Only Duan Wujiu still holds a faction of power. According to our surveillance, Fu Xian has been nibbling away at him and bribing his subordinates."

"Hmph." Qin Che sneered, "He's just dawdling."

"Sir, you mean..."

That's what I initially thought.

Qin Che turned his head, his gaze cold, and said, "Since Duan Wujiu is backed by royalty, then who does he represent?"

Lina: "Could it be the Moon Prince?"

“Yes, Deng Xian and Duan Wujiu are irreconcilable enemies... which perfectly reflects the antagonistic relationship between the Moon King and the Shu King.” Li Mi nodded in agreement.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mi shook his head again: "That's not right. If Duan Wujiu is backed by the Moon King's faction, how could he introduce the princess to you? The princess is a member of the Crown Prince's faction."

Qin Che smiled slightly: "Isn't it obvious?"

Lina exclaimed in surprise, "They're royalists!"

Li Mi frowned and said, "The royalists... Fu Xian is also a royalist..."

Qin Che sighed.

He understood that something was amiss. Although Fu Xian's encroachment on Duan Wujiu's share in the Forest Group could not be used as evidence of factional struggle, even though both Fu Xian and Duan Wujiu were loyalists, it had no direct relation to the interests of the Forest Group.

It's no longer surprising that members of the same party in the council of elders compete for interests and band together on political stances.

"Li Mi, treat our guest well these next few days and find out his purpose. I won't see him for now. Fu Xian also has people here, and the council is aware of our actions..."

Qin Che planned to figure out the ins and outs before the truth came out.

After all, Fu Xian was his ally and had helped him a lot at the First Wall. If there were any tricks Qin Che couldn't figure out that might affect Fu Xian's personal interests, that wouldn't be a good thing.

"yes."

...

Li Mi and Lina left one after the other.

As they walked down the corridor, Li Mi turned to look at Lina. Seeing that she seemed distracted, he smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

“I’m thinking that Duan Wujiu is definitely up to something. Could he be trying to sabotage our relationship with the Fu Party?” Lina said, frowning.

Li Mi scoffed, "I think you're worried about the master's marriage to that princess."

Lina stared at him, wide-eyed: "What did you say?!"

“My prediction in Xibao was correct. No matter what Duan Wujiu wants to do, the move of forming a marriage alliance is undoubtedly an attempt to win over our master. Even if Fu Xian and Duan Wujiu are both in the royalist faction, they are not necessarily friends.”

Li Mi said, counting on his fingers, "Ordering Sandcastle's goods and granting the Master's Awakening Department the power are the bargaining chips that Fu Xianneng is offering."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!