Chapter 387: Soft and Hard

"Open the door! Open the door quickly!"

"Where did all the people go?!"

Early in the morning, as the sun was rising, the gate of the government office was banging loudly.

After the door was opened, Gongsun Yushu pushed away the yamen runner who opened the door and rushed in with a ferocious look.

He had been severely beaten yesterday, and the scars on his face became more obvious overnight. His entire swollen face was colorful and very spectacular.

"Where's that Zhu? Get out here!"

Gongsun Yushu rushed to the inner courtyard like crazy and started recruiting people.

Ding Wangyuan heard the noise and brought people over, shouting:

"Young Master, no matter how noble your status is, you cannot be so presumptuous in such an important place!"

"You--" Gongsun Yushu pointed at the tip of Ding Wangyuan's nose. If it were any other day, he would not take this old man seriously.

But now the situation is different...

He finally put his hand down and asked him through gritted teeth where Zhu Lan was.

The door of a room not far away moved, and Zhu Lan pushed it open and walked out. She was wearing a plain dress, with her long hair naturally and loosely draped behind her head. It was obvious that she had just gotten up.

Zhu Qingyan followed behind Zhu Lan.

"Young Master, you've arrived earlier than I thought." Zhu Lan greeted Gongsun Yushu with a smile.

Gongsun Yushu came to Zhu Lan angrily and was about to hit her, but Wen Liu's sword was already in front of him.

"Why don't you try taking another step forward?" Zhu Qingyan glared at him with disgust.

Gongsun Yushu's forehead was bulging with veins, but he dared not vent his anger. He could only suppress his anger and asked Zhu Lan:

"It's you who caused all this trouble. It's you who caused me to be unable to stay in Yunzhou, right?"

Being so close, Zhu Lan could even hear the sound of him gritting his teeth.

Zhu Qingyan couldn't help but glance sideways at Zhu Lan.

Zhu Lan was right. Gongsun Yushu really showed up. From what he said, it seemed like something had happened again.

But Zhu Lan stayed in the room with him last night and did not leave. Could it be that she had secretly arranged some plan in advance but did not tell anyone?

It's so abominable!

"Don't be so angry, young master. I didn't do anything."

Zhu Lan blinked his eyes, looking extremely innocent.

She continued:

"The King of Zhenbei is the princess's father. He certainly doesn't want the princess to know about what he did with your Ning'an Marquis's Mansion."

"But last night, Earl Ning An must have taken you to the Northern Frontier Camp and met the Zhenbei King who had just returned from an expedition. You wanted to seek shelter from him, right?"

"The King of Zhenbei is the father-in-law of the King of Qi. If I'm right, you may have even threatened him. If I don't protect you, I will immediately spread the news that the Third Prince is a fake prince. If the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne smoothly, the King of Zhenbei will have an even more uneasy life."

Hearing Zhu Lan's words, Gongsun Yushu broke out in a cold sweat.

What happened last night was exactly as she said...almost exactly!

How did she know?

Last night, after I returned to the Earl's Mansion and told my father what had happened, both father and son were a little confused, and finally decided to quietly go to the Northern Frontier Camp.

After all, the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion and the Zhenbei King were on the same boat. The purchase of tea from the people was almost entirely done by the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion. Now that the Marquis' Mansion was in trouble, the Zhenbei King should lend a hand anyway.

At that time, the King of Zhenbei had just returned to the Northern Frontier Camp. While they were talking, Murong Jing also came back.

She actually asked, in front of the King of Zhenbei, that she and her son be escorted to the capital to await the emperor's decision.

What made him and his son even more terrified was that... after hearing Murong Jing's words, King Zhenbei did not express his opinion, and even hinted at his permission!

How can people sit still like this! ?

In his fear, he did not care about the presence of Murong Jing and told her directly about the matter of the Third Prince and the blank letter paper from General Uzi that he got from King Zhenbei, intending to use this to blackmail King Zhenbei.

The result is predictable. King Zhenbei was furious and ordered his men to beat him and his father out of the camp with sticks.

Zhu Lan spoke calmly:

“Now that things have come to this, in order to maintain his image of loyalty in front of Princess Ningyue, the King of Zhenbei must have pushed all the blame onto you and your son. There is no possibility of cooperation anymore.

On the other hand, if you really mentioned the Third Prince’s background to him—"

Zhu Lan sighed "helplessly", his eyes filled with three parts of compassion and seven parts of sympathy.

"Young Master, you should take another good look at the sun on earth."

"After all, one look is one less look."

With the character of the King of Zhenbei, how could he be threatened by a mere Gongsun Yushu?

Instead of leaving hidden dangers, why not cut the root of the problem and make the person with the secret disappear completely?

Zhu Lan's words immediately irritated Gongsun Yushu, and he, who was already nervous and fragile, began to become hysterical.

"It's all your fault! It's you who destroyed the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion! It destroyed everything in the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion!"

Zhu Lan tilted his head.

"We didn't invite Princess Ning Yue last night."

"I didn't force you to use the Third Prince's matter to threaten the King of Zhenbei."

"You did it yourself, what does it have to do with me?"

Her voice was not loud, but it was like pouring a bucket of cold water over Gongsun Yushu's head, and the latter became listless again.

Zhu Lan continued:

"Young Master, you chose to keep such dangerous evidence on yourself. Now for the King of Zhenbei, getting rid of you is the best strategy. Do you think he will be kind enough to let you go?

The only solution now is for you to quickly follow me back to the capital to see the emperor and make this matter known to the world."

Zhu Lan used both soft and hard tactics, and his tone softened a bit.

"You protected the Crown Prince from the plague in the past, so you already have a connection with him. Now you are helping him to overthrow the Third Prince—

When the prince succeeds to the throne smoothly, you will have the merit of following the dragon. Not only can you save the lives of your entire family, but you can also continue to enjoy your wealth and glory."

"Young Master is a smart man. I don't need to tell you how to choose, right?"

…

Zhu Lan and Zhu Qingyan returned to their room to pack their luggage.

Gongsun Yushu changed her mind after hearing Zhu Lan's words and immediately asked to go back to the capital with them to meet the emperor.

Without further ado, they decided to take Gongsun Yushu back to Beijing immediately.

Zhu Qingyan counted the money he had on him, hesitated for a while, and couldn't help asking:

"How did you know that Gongsun Yushu would go to see the King of Zhenbei last night, and how did you know that he would use the matter of the Third Prince as a threat?"

Could it be that he really has opened his third eye?

"It's not difficult actually. Imagine yourself as the opponent, put yourself in the corresponding environment, and think about how you would get the most benefit if it were you, or what would be your first reaction to protect yourself.

The more you simulate the environment, the better you can predict where your opponent will make his next move."

There was no hint of boasting in Zhu Lan's tone, as if he was just chatting, eating and drinking.

She tied the packed bag into a knot and said, "Let's go."

Zhu Qingyan nodded. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he was indeed impressed in his heart.

Take one step at a time, and it seems that I still have a lot to learn.