Faced with the signs of Zhao Yong's rebellion that Hei Fu described, Jiang Ming paid attention, but remained skeptical.

When the three families divided Jin, Zhao Yong's entire family was killed, including all his sons...

It can be said that the Zhao family line ended without descendants.

Later, Zhao Yong was appointed King of Zhao and the State of Zhao was established.

But there has been no news of Zhao Yong having any more children...

Zhao Yong is quite old. If he rebels at this time, for whom is he rebelling?

Even if he has a son now and the rebellion succeeds, the descendants of the Zhao family are all alone and without the protection of the clan. Can the country be held securely by a child who is not yet an adult?

And let's not say that Zhao Yong had no successor, not even like the previous ruler of Jin...

Earlier, because of the massacre of the major clans, he himself was only a minor clan, which ultimately caused the foundation of the state to become unstable, and Jin was divided among the three families.

Zhao Yong is almost sixty years old now.

Putting yourself in his shoes, what he should be doing is trying to have more children...

Having more children, cultivating more trusted ministers, raising these children to adulthood, and letting them play important roles in all levels of Zhao... that's the right approach!

Zhao Yong is getting old!

He probably didn't have any intention of rebelling!

However, Hei Fu, whom he trusted, spoke with absolute certainty about Zhao Yong's various acts of betrayal...

This left Jiang Ming quite confused for a moment.

After all, he trusted his 'informant' quite a bit.

In this world, evidence is certainly important for some things.

However, relying solely on evidence presents a time-sensitive issue!

If you're going to solve a case, you can take your time, taking three to five years...

But if every piece of intelligence needs to be verified with evidence, then it'll be too late. While you're still figuring out the truth, the traitors will already have their knives at your throat...

Right now, Hei Fu is risking his life to come all the way from Zhao to Yan to report the situation, which shows that the situation has become extremely critical!

"hiss......!"

Jiang Ming frowned and smacked his lips: "This old Zhao Yong is so old, he rebelled...rebelled for whom? After the establishment of the Zhao Kingdom, I have never heard of Zhao Yong remarrying, and he doesn't even have any descendants!"

"Prime Minister!"

Hei Fu knelt on the ground and said earnestly, "He is a son without a public identity, but... that doesn't mean Zhao Yong has no flesh and blood."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Jiang Ming looked at him with great interest.

Hei Fu replied, "When Zhao Yong was young, he had a secret affair with the wife of his subordinate Xia Wuji. I heard from the other servants that Xia Wuji's son, Xia Dan, is Zhao Yong's child! He's almost 20 years old now... Zhao Yong is cunning and calculating. He's essentially entrusting his son to Xia Wuji's care as a form of protection. He won't reveal this secret until the very last moment, and..."

Hei Fu paused for a moment and continued, "This tactic can also lull the Prime Minister into a false sense of security, making him believe that he would never rebel!"

It must be said that there is some truth to what Hef said.

Jiang Ming entrusted the most elite army group in the north to Zhao State for control, which was actually because he was certain that Zhao Yong had no heir and there was no need to worry about him rebelling!

But if the other person has an illegitimate child, then one's 'trust' becomes 'poison'.

Seeing Hei Fu's sincere expression, Jiang Ming smiled faintly: "Hei Fu, how have I treated you?"

Hei Fu said loudly, "The Prime Minister treats me like a second parent. If it weren't for the Prime Minister, my old mother would probably have died of illness long ago..."

"Okay, okay!"

Jiang Ming smiled and said, "Then I'll assign you a task. Would you be willing?"

"I'd go through fire and water for you!" Hei Fu said with a look of unwavering loyalty.

Jiang Ming pondered for a moment and said, "You are now the cook who prepares food for Zhao Yong. I order you to secretly poison the food and kill Zhao Yong. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Hei Fu trembled violently, his eyes darting back and forth rapidly...

"What? You don't dare?" Jiang Ming asked with a smile.

After hesitating for a moment, Hei Fu said, "It's not that I dare not, but Zhao Yong is a very cautious person. He has people taste-testing the food."

"That's alright!"

Jiang Ming laughed and said, "I have a kind of slow-acting poison. You can put it in Zhao Yong's food. He'll eat it during the day, and the poison will only take effect at night... Even if he has someone taste it, he won't be able to tell!"

“This…?” Hei Fu stammered.

"Um?"

Jiang Ming grinned mischievously, "What? Didn't you just say you were willing to go through fire and water for me?"

"Uh... I will certainly not fail in my mission!" Hei Fu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"very good!"

Jiang Ming smiled and said, "Then you should go back first. I'll be waiting for your good news in Yanjing! After it's done, I'll write your achievements into history and give your family a special page in the genealogy!"

"promise......!"

After kowtowing, Hei Fu accepted the poison bestowed upon him by Jiang Ming and left the main hall. Jiang Ming, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes and began to make further plans.

......

Hei Fu returned to the inn in Yanjing, feeling extremely frustrated.

According to the original plan, as long as he revealed this information to Jiang Ming, his mission would be completed and he would receive a reward of a thousand taels of silver.

Jiang Ming is actually asking me to poison Zhao Yong, this is really too much!

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