Chapter 85 Han Zhao

"These words were spoken directly by Xian Yin Si. I dare not alter a single word." The young man said confidently. Then he waved his sleeve calmly and looked at the several guards who came out from behind Wen Yao. "Xian Yin Si has given me all my instructions. You can take me away now."

His tone and demeanor were calm and composed, as if he had no idea that the factory supervisor was a place of evil and what kind of treatment he would receive. The guards had never seen such a man before, and they looked at each other in confusion before stepping forward.

Wen Yao came back to his senses from the shock, put down the Xingyi Sword, and allowed the barbarians who had followed him to hold the young man down.

"Commander Wen, do you have anything else to ask?" The guard said, "If not, I will take this man to the factory supervisor for interrogation."

Wen Yao shook his head and watched the guards drag the defenseless man away.

She returned to Prince Yan's Mansion. Zhao Xuanxu hadn't returned yet, so she lay on a bamboo chair by the window, staring blankly at the beams. But now that she was quiet, Wen Yao's mind began to replay the words of the Northern Liao spy.

She wondered why that man came to her without any resistance, and then wondered why Lou Chengyi was interested in her.

How could he be interested in her?

Lou Chengyi was inherently bad and unruly, a stubborn, thorny child from a young age, and quite difficult to deal with. Wen Yao, taking care of a child for the first time, often got so angry that she couldn't control herself and couldn't be tolerant and educate him, so she beat him up quite a bit.

In the following years, they were thousands of miles apart, with only occasional letters. As long as they didn't meet and talk, they could barely be considered affectionate with each other. This time when they met again in Bianliang, Lou Chengyi was still as bad-tempered as ever, unable to say a word, and their meetings usually ended in bad moods.

Wen Yao reviewed the past ten years and really couldn't see that Lou Chengyi was interested in her at all.

"You brought troops here...what nonsense." Wen Yao muttered, took out the dagger from his waist and pierced through the air. The tip of the dagger sank deeply into the opposite pillar, and the end of the dagger did not tremble at all.

Zhao Xuanxu stayed in the palace for a while this time, and only returned after lunch. Listening to the group of people quarreling all morning, Zhao Xuanxu was irritable and irritable, and his face was grim when he stepped into the palace.

Wen Yao was lying by the window when he came over silently from the corridor like a wandering soul. Wen Yao immediately stood up and grabbed him through the window string.

She looked at Zhao Xuanxu with a serious expression.

Zhao Xuanxu's clothes were pulled askew but he did not resist. He stopped outside the window with his waist bent, his thick brows smoothed and relaxed, his expression immediately became kind.

"You——" Wen Yao opened his mouth to speak but felt something was wrong, so he took a deep breath and spoke again: "I——"

"Why."

In the end, he didn't know where to start. Wen Yao was dejected and hit his head hard on Zhao Xuanxu's arm.

Zhao Xuanxu had rarely seen Yao with such an expression. He spread his five fingers and lifted her long hair. "What's wrong?"

"The secret letter leaked, and Northern Liao's spies instigated the candidates to cause trouble in front of Fengming Gate." Wen Yao asked, "Does the palace know about this?"

"The imperial guards have reported back." Zhao Xuanxu's fingers loosened and entangled with his hair, and he said, "No one cares, they are still arguing." It was still the same old issue, fighting or giving money, it was a cliché and extremely boring.

"What conditions did Bei Liao offer?"

"Tianshui should give up the states in front of the mountains, or pay money." Zhao Xuanxu said in a light tone: "Annual tribute of 500,000 taels of silver, 300,000 pieces of silk and cloth, and 100 boxes of gold, silver and porcelain. Tianshui and Bei Liao are brothers. The emperor of Bei Liao is older, so Tianshui should call Bei Liao brother."

"...Shameless." Wen Yao sat up: "You actually want so much, you have a really big appetite."

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were divided north and south, with Yanshan Mountain and Beiling Pass as the dividing line, dividing them into the prefectures in front of the mountain and the prefectures behind the mountain. A hundred miles south of the grasslands lay Yanshan Mountain, and beyond it lay a vast plain, allowing troops to march directly into the heart of Tianshui.

Such an important gateway would never be surrendered unless the Emperor of Tianshui and his entire court were completely mad. The only option left was to pay.

Tianshui was a prosperous commercial city with a thriving tax system. Although the sum demanded by Northern Liao was enormous, Tianshui could still afford it. It was just that the name was rather unpleasant. Annual tribute, returning the favor to a brotherly nation, clearly meant to force Tianshui, entrenched in the Central Plains, to bow to Northern Liao in the name of the surrounding states.

If this were agreed to, the Emperor of Tianshui would suddenly have a brother who spoke Northern Liao at such an old age. Needless to say, it would be extremely humiliating, and the officials and people of Tianshui would also be humiliated. It was unclear how his merits and demerits would be discussed in the history books.

Zhao Xuanxu stroked Wen Yao's hair and suddenly thought of something: "Bei Liao also said they want to protect someone. If they agree to provide annual silver, Tianshui will send another envoy to deliver silver, silk, and this person to Bei Liao."

"who?"

"Han Zhao."

"Who is this?"

"I don't know." Zhao Xuanxu released his hand and walked in from the side door. "The Liao people didn't mention their identities, only their names."

All the civil and military officials in the court, and their spies throughout the city of Bianliang, had never heard of Han Zhao.

Wen Yao was silent for a moment, then said with difficulty: "This person is probably the factory supervisor."

She finally understood why he was so calm after being caught. It turned out that he was really fearless.

Wen Yao leaned on the bed and looked at Zhao Xuanxu who was walking towards her. She thought about many of the passionate love rules that were circulated on the Internet in her previous life and said, "Come here."

She composed herself, pulled Zhao Xuanxu over to sit down, pressed his shoulders, hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and said tactfully, "You know, Lou Chengyi, he's not in a good head."

"Why did you mention him suddenly?"

Zhao Xuanxu's gentle, even docile expression suddenly changed. The corners of his eyebrows drooped, and the curve of his eyes became strange and dangerous. "You said Han Zhao is related to him? Someone came to see you just now?"

His Royal Highness Prince Yan was extremely alert at this time, and his sense of smell was particularly sharp. The fatigue and laziness he had just shown in the court were swept away, and he quickly got to the point with two questions.

"The reason behind the scholar's disturbance is a Northern Liao spy. I just went to Fengming Gate and stumbled upon a man in Shilifang." Wen Yao said, "I went to arrest him, and the guard followed behind. He didn't panic after discovering me. He gave me a few words and then followed the guard to the factory supervisor."

At this point, Zhao Xuanxu understood, his lips curled coldly. He began to think about the news that had come back from Northern Liao in the past few days, his mind racing with murderous intent. But he had to suppress his emotions. He looked up at Wen Yao, his eyes dark and leaden, carefully licking every change in her expression: "What did he say?"

Wen Yao faced him, and suddenly raised her hand to pat his face: "What are you doing? Can I agree to whatever he says?"

"Lou Chengyi." Zhao Xuanxu struggled to pronounce the name, his throat choking and nausea rising. "What did he say?"

"A lot of things. To sum it up, he's interested in me." Wen Yao put one hand on Prince Yan's shoulder and touched his face with the other, completely comforting him: "I just treat him as a friend I met and got to know. I have thought about killing him, but I never had any intention in this direction. Do you believe me?"

Zhao Xuanxu held Wen Yao's hand tightly in his palm and raised his voice: "Why do you ask me if I believe it?"

"No matter what, I trust you completely."

"That's good." Wen Yao nodded heavily and said, "I won't care about him anymore. Since I'm with you, others can be friends if they want to. If they have other ideas, I will draw a clear line with them."

She spoke seriously, her pupils fading in the faint light outside the window, with nothing in them, calm and determined.

Zhao Xuanxu then quieted down, slightly tilting his head, his cheek pressed tightly against Wen Yao's palm. His eyelashes, extremely long and breathtakingly beautiful, drooped straight down into Wen Yao's hand: "Ayao, I remember."

*

Wen Yao's guess turned out to be correct. The young man who had first walked into the factory's dark cell, robe in hand, was indeed the Han Zhao whom Bei Liao had specifically requested to be protected.

"This person is not from Liao. I don't know why he was so cowardly as to become the eyes and ears of Northern Liao in Bianliang." Song Mingde put his hand down, and the badge of the eunuch who held the seal beside him hung on his waist, shining brightly.

The emperor sat on the large and luxurious couch in the study, still wearing his silk Taoist robe, but his complexion was not as full and rosy as it was a few days ago, and there was a bluish tint under his eyes and between his eyebrows.

A eunuch walked around the hall's dragon-carved pillars, holding a tray filled with a bowl of steaming, refreshing soup. He stepped up to the emperor's side and brushed past Song Mingde. The latter didn't make any other move, simply taking a step back, causing a bead of sweat to break out on his back.

He was afraid of the factory supervisor, or rather, who in the palace was not afraid of this supervisor who had great power and control over the factory and was on par with the three officials of Prince Yan?

The last person who wasn't afraid was Sun Caishan. He leaned on Concubine Feng and, taking advantage of the situation, was brought to His Majesty's side to curry favor. What was the result? After a few months of glory, upon his return, Governor Song fell suddenly ill with strange symptoms, and it was rumored that he was dying. The Empress also seized on Concubine Feng's minor incident of beating several palace maids to death, and, through him, severely punished her, forcing her to stay out of the palace for several days.

"He's in the factory prison." Song Mingde stood above the emperor, his head slightly lowered, his back slightly bent. "I'm holding him captive, waiting to see whether Your Majesty wants to kill him or keep him."

Kill or keep? In other words, should Tianshui show weakness to Northern Liao and pay them money, or go to war with them? If it's the former, the person must not only be kept alive but also be well-served, without missing a single limb. If it's the latter, the person can be kept alive. During the battle between the two armies, the head will be cut off by slitting his neck and used as a memorial to the military flag.

The emperor remained silent for a long time. He waited until the eunuch's arm, holding the tray, began to tremble before he took up the Qingxin Soup, moistened his lips, and slowly spoke, "Mundane political affairs truly disturb one's tranquility. Mingde, you just returned, and it's been a while since you've seen those people quarreling. What do you think of seeing them today?"

"You all are my loyal ministers." Song Mingde's elegant features were clouded with gloom. "If one's heart is full of pride, then it will be chaotic. This is still within human nature."

"I know they are all motivated by the good of the nation," the emperor said quietly. "I am the emperor, the Son of Heaven, and naturally I am wholeheartedly committed to the common people. But look at how, today, just a few words from a rebellious individual provoked those scholars and common people to act so recklessly, completely disregarding the fact that I sent envoys north to preserve the current peaceful and prosperous era."

"They are full of passion, but they fail to see the strength of Northern Liao's army. If I choose the second path, won't the people of the world pierce my spine?"

The emperor's words became angry later on.

The eunuchs and palace maids beside them had already knelt tremblingly, their minds pressed to the ground. The large study was silent. Song Mingde stood alone to the side, his expression still calm.

"Your Majesty, your words are too serious." Song Mingde's voice was clear, and when he spoke slowly, it was like a narrow knife, with a cold light that gave people goose bumps. "Under the whole heaven, the emperor is the most honorable. The country is your majesty's country, and the people are your majesty's people. Your Majesty is the ruler, and no one dares to criticize you. As for those scholars and people who are causing trouble, they are just fools and will not accomplish anything great. The factory supervisor will help your majesty solve the problem, so your majesty does not need to worry about it."

What a speech that shows that a treacherous minister is in power and has great authority.

But the emperor liked it.

The Supreme Lord said slowly, "Well, a minister should be like you. The court is now full of powerful ministers, each with their own thoughts, but you are the only one who pleases me the most... I heard that your brother, whom you finally found, got drunk and drowned."

"Yes." Song Mingde lowered his eyes. "Before this, the only one of my surviving brothers was this brother. He was brought here by force, so our relationship is shallow. We can only be brothers for a few years."

"Human life is like a lantern, uncertain and predestined." The emperor waved his hand and granted divine grace: "Send your brother's tablet to the Jiuyang Taoist Temple. Accept incense offerings to accumulate blessings for your next life."

Taoist Priest Jiuyang was the Taoist sorcerer that Sun Caishan had recruited this time. He possessed several magical skills and was highly favored by the emperor. Not only was he bestowed with a title and a residence, but a Taoist temple was also built for him in Bianliang City. He was a top celebrity in the imperial court recently.

"Your Majesty, your grace."

Song Mingde lowered his head, a faint smile on his lips, but his expression was cold and boundless.

Since ancient times, emperors have always been the sole rulers of their country, brooking no interference from outsiders. The emperor saw no loyal ministers, no Yong Wang clique, no Qin Wang clique; only what he wanted to do and what he wanted to hear. Some words might not be appropriate for a wise and capable emperor, but when spoken by Song Mingde, they were just right.

"Han Zhao must be carefully cared for by the factory supervisor." The emperor raised his hand to straighten his Taoist robe and said slowly, "Don't let him die."