Chapter 166: A New Path

PS: Thanks to the charcoal-burned hills for casting pink~

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Seeing that everyone was full of fighting spirit and wanted to show their skills and wash away the previous shame, Zhong Min did not delay and directly announced the first and most important difficult task they had to complete this time.

"Don't say anything, right now, the most urgent thing for us is to obtain an extremely important piece of information at all costs, otherwise Muzhou will be in danger. If we can't get this information in time to solve the prince's urgent problem, then the existence of our intelligence network in the future will be meaningless." Zhong Min mentioned the most urgent matter quite seriously. Whether Xiao Mingzheng can hold on successfully this time and break the blockade, the information from the capital is also very critical.

Only by understanding the court's bottom line and purpose this time, and their specific layout, can Xiao Mingzheng find the opportunity to break it, and the whole situation will no longer be so passive.

Hearing Zhong Min's words, Mo Ming and Mo Yan both grew serious and firmly requested Zhong Min's instructions. They weren't entirely sure what this extremely important intelligence referred to, but since it concerned the survival of Muzhou and the safety of the prince, it naturally became their most important task. No matter what it was, they had to complete it, no matter the cost.

"We must quickly ascertain the ultimate purpose behind the court's tacit approval of Prince Liang's siege of Muzhou. We must also obtain the emperor's specific plan, precise troop deployment, and timeline, as well as the maximum price the court will pay and its bottom line. The more we understand these, the better equipped His Majesty will be to find countermeasures and resolve this crisis. Do you understand?"

"As you command!" Mo Yan responded first, but Mo Ming did not respond immediately this time.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Seeing this, Mo Yan couldn't help but touch Mo Ming, who was obviously stunned. He didn't know why his brother, who was usually calm and confident, didn't say a word after hearing the task this time.

Seeing this, Mo Ming finally spoke up and said to Zhong Min, "Sir, it's not that I'm unwilling to complete this task, but it's truly too difficult, almost impossible to accomplish."

"Brother, what are you talking about? No matter how difficult it is, we have to complete it. This is related to Muzhou and the life and death of the prince. How can we retreat!" Mo Yan frowned anxiously. Obviously, he did not expect his elder brother to suddenly say such discouraging words.

On the contrary, Zhong Min did not look surprised at all, and did not react as strongly as Mo Yan.

"Don't worry, Mo Yan. Let Mo Ming speak his mind. We'll discuss whether it's feasible later," she said calmly, unhurried. In her opinion, if these two agreed without a second thought or opinion, then the situation would be hopeless. Raising doubts at least showed that Mo Ming understood the situation and had given it some thought.

Mo Ming was deeply impressed by Zhong Min's understanding attitude. He nodded in gratitude and then said, "Sir, to be honest, I'm not completely unaware of what's happening in Muzhou. I've been secretly trying to get some information about it these days, but to no avail."

"Prince Liang's sudden military action this time... What connection does it have with the court? How does the Emperor plan to respond? What is his ultimate plan? Will he secretly send more troops? Or even issue a final decree to send troops to encircle the enemy? No one knows. Despite my best efforts, I have only been able to find out that only the Emperor and Prime Minister Ning are aware of this matter. Not even other important officials at court were informed of their involvement. Clearly, the Emperor is worried about leaks and the Prince finding out."

"We naturally have no way of doing anything to the Emperor. As for Prime Minister Ning, he's extremely cautious and wouldn't reveal a single word to anyone. Not only us, but spies from other forces in the capital have also tried to get some information about this matter, but none of them have managed to find out anything either."

Everything Mo Ming said was true, so after hearing this, Mo Yan, who had been slightly blaming him just now, lowered his head and stopped talking. The wish was beautiful, but the reality was cruel. Although they would not hesitate to die as long as they could achieve their goal and complete this mission, they would not even have the chance to die at the moment.

When Zhong Min heard this, she fell silent. The Ning Xiang they were talking about was naturally Ning Zhiyuan. It seemed that she was right at the beginning. The seemingly gentle man would indeed become Xiao Mingzheng's biggest trouble.

It is definitely impossible to use the emperor's brainpower, but Ning Zhiyuan is even more capable than him. Zhong Min knows Ning Zhiyuan's ability and character very well. In her opinion, Xiao Mingzheng's predicament this time was probably carefully planned by Ning Zhiyuan for the emperor.

But even if this was incredibly difficult, they had to do it, even if it seemed like there was no way to proceed. If this path didn't work, then they would find another one. She didn't believe that such a large-scale plan would have no loopholes.

Feng Zhongmin was silent for a long time and felt a little depressed. Only after knowing the seriousness of the matter, even the young master could only remain silent and sigh.

But a moment later, Zhong Min blinked his bright eyes twice, and said to them as if he had come up with an idea: "Okay, this matter is indeed extremely difficult, but it doesn't mean that there are no clues. I firmly believe that there is nothing in the world that cannot be accomplished; it just depends on how you go about it."

Hearing this, Zi Yan couldn't help but say, "Young Master, do you mean there is a way?"

Mo Ming and Mo Yan looked at Zhong Min with great anticipation, waiting for her to reveal the secret and point out the direction. If it was really possible, no matter how difficult it was, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, they would not give up and would do their utmost to serve the prince.

Zhong Min smiled faintly and said calmly, "Since the Emperor and Ning Zhiyuan can't find a place to start, why not try other things? Although this matter is extremely confidential, and the procedure does not allow a third person of status to know all the arrangements, how can such a large-scale plan be completed by just the Emperor and Ning Zhiyuan? There are always people who run errands for everything. Even if those people don't know the specific details, they can still provide some useful information. If we can collect information from these channels bit by bit, summarize it, and then filter and analyze it, I believe we will definitely find some clues."

"This is a feasible method, but the time for implementation is not easy to control, and the accuracy of the information cannot be fully guaranteed." Mo Ming's expression became much brighter. Obviously, although Zhong Min's method was not very efficient, it was still a viable way to go. Under the current situation where it is impossible to move forward, it is naturally the best choice.

"You're right! So in addition to this method, we also need to find someone who can help us quickly condense and screen intelligence." Zhong Min said mysteriously.

"Who?" This time, Mo Yan, Mo Ming and Zi Yan asked at the same time.

"I don't know exactly who this person is." Zhong Min shook his head.

When the others heard this, they felt a sense of loss. Mo Yan, impatient, blurted out, "Sir, aren't you kidding us?"

"Don't worry, I'm just saying I don't know the person's name, but that doesn't mean we can't find him." Zhong Min smiled and said, "Think about it, the emperor usually has someone else do everything for him. Once this habit is formed, it's hard to change. Even for the most important secret letters, it's impossible for him to write every one of them himself. Instead, he has special officials who write for him. So, as long as you find the record officials who usually write for the emperor, you will naturally find opportunities to extract valuable intelligence from them. By combining all the information together, comparing and verifying it, it will not be impossible to filter out the useful information."

After hearing this, Mo Ming and Mo Yan could no longer contain their excitement. They really didn't expect that Zhong Min would come up with such a trick, and as far as they knew, the feasibility was indeed very high. What's more, those petty officials were no match for people like Ning Zhiyuan, so it would be much easier for them to take action.

Seeing their excitement, Zhong Min didn't stop and continued, "Those who write official histories for you are generally people who think they are talented but feel they are unfulfilled. So, if you use your brain a little, it's not difficult to get useful information out of them. Find out their details, cater to their interests, and make them think that you are their best confidant. Then, you only need to guide them a little, and you will definitely get what you want."

"What if you meet a blockhead who pretends to be noble and doesn't want anything?" Zi Yan raised a question that she thought was quite complicated. In her opinion, those people were talented but never received important positions. It might be related to their character flaws. At the very least, it showed that they were not suitable for the mainstream officialdom.

"That's easy!" Zhong Min said with a smile. "If he doesn't want anything, just create some trouble for him and then come forward to solve it for him. If he's really the kind of person Zi Yan describes, then repaying even a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude is a reflection of their noble character. Do you understand?"

"I completely understand!" Mo Ming said excitedly, "Please rest assured, sir. I will personally arrange it immediately. If I cannot successfully obtain this crucial information, I am willing to die as an apology!"

As he spoke, he stood up and knelt on one knee toward Zhong Min. Mo Yan, who was standing beside him, followed suit. Zhong Min quickly stood up and helped the two men up. "Go ahead and do it. I believe in you."

Afterwards, they discussed some other things and agreed on a code word and contact information for emergency meetings. Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhong Min took Zi Yan away.

After leaving the teahouse, the two did not rush back, but walked and looked around, deliberately taking a detour and strolling slowly on the street.

"Young Master, what should we do next?" After walking around for a while, Zi Yan asked in a low voice. At this time, she was extremely impressed and adored by Zhong Min.

"Wait!" Zhong Min didn't say much, and at this moment all she could do was wait.

As the two were talking, Xiao Wu suddenly brushed past Zhong Min. As he passed, Zhong Min heard Xiao Wu's calm warning: "There's a tail!"