Zhou Dequan stared at Wang Pan's face, which had turned pale in an instant, and a cold, almost cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if he was admiring the last moment struggle of the prey falling into the trap.
He paced slowly, his voice lowered even more, with a sense of oppression that seemed to be in control of the situation:
"Give me some pointers? Brother Wang, at this point, you and I are both pawns on the chessboard. It's just that some people can see clearly, while others are still in the dark!"
"You sent someone to spy on Zhao Muyun, but they haven't returned yet. I'm afraid they've already been caught and will betray you sooner or later."
"Once Zhao Muyun finds out that it was your Wang family who was spying on him, he will label you an enemy. My son is a lesson for you."
Wang Pan's face changed, and a noticeable panic appeared on his face.
He forced himself to remain calm, but his voice trembled slightly: "I was just following orders."
"On orders? On orders from King Jin, right?"
Zhou Dequan let out a strange laugh, as if mocking Wang Pan, "You actually went to help the King of Jin, you are really hopeless!"
"What...what do you mean?" Wang Pan began to waver in his beliefs.
"You've been through a lot for years, but you can't even see the current situation clearly."
Zhou Dequan looked at Wang Pan as if he were a primary school student. "Do you really think that the current emperor, by appointing the Prince of Jin to a military post, tacitly allowing the Prince of Jin to invest in Zhao Muyun's private salt business, and even intending to marry the Prince of Jin's daughter to Zhao Muyun, is deliberately encouraging the Prince of Jin to seize the throne?"
"Isn't that so? Originally, His Majesty was planning to hand over the throne to the Crown Prince and become the Supreme Emperor. But a few months ago, he suddenly took power and issued several imperial decrees. There were also undercurrents in the court, and even voices were raised to depose the Crown Prince."
In front of Zhou Dequan, Wang Pan no longer held back and told everything he knew.
"So, you secretly showed your goodwill to the King of Jin, and even provided money and grain to help the King of Jin acquire a stake in Zhao Muyun's private salt business." Zhou Dequan said with a forced smile, "One hundred thousand taels of silver, thirty thousand dan of grain, your Wang family is quite wealthy!"
"Brother Zhou, we each serve our own master. I'm sorry for any offense." Wang Pan bowed and apologized.
"It's just illicit salt. I don't care! What my Zhou family has lost will be taken back sooner or later."
Zhou Dequan waved his hand. "Have you ever thought about this? The Crown Prince has been on the throne for over thirty years. How many storms has he not experienced?"
"Prince Jin, His Majesty has merely summoned you to serve as a whetstone for the Crown Prince! As long as the Crown Prince survives this ordeal, he will inherit the throne and become the new Emperor."
"Tell me, after the crown prince ascends the throne, will those who fantasize about the Prince of Jin seizing the throne still be able to survive? Humph!"
Wang Pan felt a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.
At this moment, he finally understood what Zhou Dequan meant by the irretrievable destruction.
Once the prince ascends the throne, it seems that there will be no good end waiting for his Wang family except the execution of the entire family.
"Then...then according to Brother Zhou's opinion, what should I...what should my Wang family do?" Wang Pan's voice completely lost its confidence, with a desperate plea.
Seeing Wang Pan completely defeated, a hint of pleasure flashed in Zhou Dequan's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a deeper sinister look.
He sat back in his chair, picked up the cup of tea that had already gone cold, but only touched his lips with it. His tone softened, yet with an unquestionable determination:
"What should we do? It's simple, you and I will join forces!"
"Join forces?" Wang Pan looked up in surprise.
"That's right! You have been drawn into the vortex of this fight and cannot stay out of it. If you want to survive, you have to know the current situation." Zhou Dequan smiled slightly.
Wang Pan was puzzled and said, "I'm just a Hedong merchant. At most, I have dealings with officials in Jinyang. How can I climb up the tree of the Crown Prince?"
"Haha, it's easy to get in through the prince's connections." Zhou Dequan took a sip of tea leisurely.
However, the bitterness of the tea made him frown slightly.
Dayin's tea has not yet developed a special production process. It mainly uses fresh leaves directly without withering, rolling and other processes. The tea is closer to "food ingredients" and tastes bitter, which is very different from modern tea.
"Brother Zhou, don't joke. How can merchants like us enter the prince's house?" Wang Pan shook his head and sighed.
If he could have used the prince's connections, why would he have spent such a huge amount of money to secretly befriend the Prince of Jin?
Zhou Dequan smiled faintly, a look of pride written all over his face: "It's far away, yet it's right before my eyes. I'm just lucky enough to be able to walk in the Prince's Mansion."
What!
"So Brother Zhou actually has such a profound connection. I'm so sorry!"
At this time, Wang Pan was completely convinced.
No wonder the Zhou family dared to have such a big tone and strength to challenge Zhao Muyun. It turned out that Zhou Dequan’s backer was the current prince, the new emperor of Dayin.
"It's nothing!"
Zhou Dequan said this lightly, his expression full of pressure, and then sneered, "Zhao Muyun thought that the emperor's granting of marriage was a talisman? Little did he know that it was actually a death warrant."
"In the eyes of the Crown Prince, he is the Prince of Jin's man. His fate will only end in death. Humph!"
Panic, hesitation, struggle and ruthlessness flashed alternately across Wang Pan's face.
He was silent, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, making a dull sound.
After a long time, so long that a barely perceptible anxiety flashed across Zhou Dequan's eyes, he suddenly raised his head, and the last trace of hesitation in his eyes was replaced by a desperate ruthlessness.
He took a deep breath and said, "Brother Zhou...tell me about your plan."
Zhou Dequan couldn't contain his inner ecstasy, and said calmly:
"Since you have gained the trust of Prince Jin, continue to lurk beside him and inquire about his and Zhao Muyun's movements."
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