Chapter 80 Chapter 80 is the only genuine version...
"cooperate."
Chen Xu's fingers holding the Buddhist beads tightened slightly.
"Meow."
A black tabby cat stretched lazily on the Eight Immortals Table, jumped onto the beauty couch, rolled around on his sleeves, its soft belly facing upwards, and meowed coquettishly.
A petal had gotten stuck on its fur from somewhere. Chen Xu pulled his sleeve away and turned his head away in disgust.
Chen Mao was never one to back down in the face of adversity. He possessed all the bad tempers of a cat. Seeing that Chen Xu ignored him, he first turned over on his belly and waited for a moment, then tentatively used his claws to hook his sleeve. With a swish of his nails, he pulled out a silk thread.
The cat's eyes suddenly lit up, and it excitedly started sharpening its claws.
Wipe, wipe, wipe.
Chen Xu's eyebrows were twitching, and he was almost at the edge of his patience. Xie Yingchen had a jade pendant tied in his hair, and the corners of his lips were curled up in a perfect arc. He walked in with steady steps and looked straight ahead. He nodded slightly to Chen Xu as a greeting, and sat down on an armchair. Qin Chen stood behind him, holding a chicken wing wood food box.
"Me?"
The cat twitched its dark snout, jumped off Chen Xu's lap, and stalked over to him, staring intently. It arched its back and let out a low, threatening growl. Its ears twitched back, and the fur on its tail stood on end. Every hair on it said two words: Hate!
Xie Yingchen tilted his head. He had seen this cat before.
"Cat Shen, come here."
He waved to the cat.
With its unicorn tail raised high, Shen Mao jumped back onto Shen Xu, facing Xie Yingchen with its butt, and continued to sharpen its claws on Shen Xu's exquisite and gorgeous sleeves.
Xie Yingchen:?
The last time I was in the palace, this cat was quite attached to me, but now it's acting like it's its mortal enemy.
Shen Xu scoffed.
It seems that the young master's luck has changed for the better.
He hates lucky people, and so does his cat. Very good!
"Cooperation?" Chen Xu raised his lips, his smile not reaching his eyes. "I don't understand what the eldest master means."
He leaned back with a wanton gesture, raising his sleeves and resting his forearms on the soft pillow. The threads of his bright red sleeves inlaid with gold thread flew wildly, like tassels. The cat swung its tail quickly and pounced, pinning several strands of silk under its claws.
Sheng Jiang's eyebrows twitched as he watched.
Xie Yingchen leaned on the armrest of the imperial chair with one hand and got straight to the point: "Master, can I get the position of Left Admiral of the Five Armies Commandery?"
Sheng Jiang curled his lips. Gongzi Chen really dared to say that.
The Five Military Commandery holds all the military power in the world. It has only two admirals, the left and the right, both of whom are of the first rank. The current left admiral is Gong Hai, who is in charge of the imperial guards and is the emperor's most trusted confidant.
Gongzi Chen asked for the Five Military Commandery. Based on his status, his master could get it, so would he dare to accept it?
There was a hint of sarcasm on the corner of Shen Xu's mouth, as if he was laughing at his arrogance: "Young Master, it's not good to ask for too much."
Sheng Jiang and Wu Shang couldn't help but frown. In the box, there was only the sound of Shen Mao sharpening his claws.
Xie Yingchen said calmly with a smile, "Master, the position of Left Admiral is vacant. Do you think Prince Jin would be interested?"
Chen Xu raised his eyebrows: "Are you going to give it to King Jin?"
"Only when there's profit to be made will we proceed step by step. Otherwise, why would the King of Jin give up the Western Frontier, which he has been managing for so long?"
Xie Yingchen doesn't like to waste time on probing other people.
When he sent Wuweizi back, he specifically asked about it, and his master said that Yaoyao didn't have much time left. Yaoyao had single-handedly turned her fate in another direction, and she was constantly experiencing the backlash of heaven.
Once upon a time, Xie Yingchen didn't mind interacting with Shen Xu and exchanging interests with him.
But it’s not possible now, time doesn’t allow it, Xie Yingchen wants to pull him into the same boat.
Chen Xu put away his smile. He slowly twisted his Buddhist beads, his slightly narrowed peach blossom eyes dancing with the light of a wild beast hunting. "That being said, why should I bother with so much effort for you?"
"Meow."
The cat was satisfied, stretched, and shook its shiny fur. Xie Yingchen picked up a peacock feather on the table and teased it, making his point clear.
"Eight years ago, horse bandits were rampant in Yongzhou, occasionally attacking the city and causing chaos. However, Blackwater Fort was not in the area where the bandits were active, and life was peaceful. Later, a new general arrived in Yongzhou. He transferred troops from various cities to encircle and suppress the bandits, and of the 5,000 garrison troops in Blackwater Fort, 4,000 were transferred. Unexpectedly, not long after, the bandit leader escaped with a group of bandits and occupied Blackwater Fort."
The bright sunlight penetrated the window and fell on Xie Yingchen's profile, casting mottled light and shadow. On the other side of the partition door, the actress was singing a song, which attracted applause from time to time.
Shen Xu suddenly pinched his cuffs, and his tone turned cold: "Shut up."
Xie Yingchen spoke slowly, "There was a horse merchant named Yin in Blackwater Fort. The bandit leader needed the Yin family to get him good horses, so he treated them very politely and didn't harm a single one of them. However, the rest of the people in Blackwater Fort were either robbed or pillaged, and anyone who resisted was killed. The Yin family had a young, arrogant child who couldn't stand the bandits' indiscriminate killing and, beyond his ability, tried to save the entire city."
Chen Xu's eyes were gloomy.
"I told you to shut up!"
He spoke each word slowly, without any hint of exasperation in his tone. His face was as cold as a pool of stagnant water, bottomless, yet with a hint of crazy bloodthirstyness, surging with suffocating murderous intent.
He raised his eyelids, and Wushang's long sword was unsheathed. The sword body emitted a cold light and pointed directly at Xie Yingchen's throat.
Xie Yingchen raised his hand to signal Qin Chen not to move, looking into Shen Xu's eyes that could see into people's hearts.
The sword tip stopped at the tip of his throat. Qin Chen felt a chill in his heart. His arms were clenched tightly, and his body leaned forward slightly, keeping a posture ready to take action immediately.
Xie Yingchen shook his peacock feathers and said without a trace of emotion, "The Yin family's child quietly left the city and sought help from a guerrilla general. The guerrilla general was righteous and immediately dispatched troops, and the Yin family's child followed him into Blackwater Fort."
"He thought he was a hero who saved the whole city."
"Until he saw the bandit leader enter the guerrilla general's camp."
Sheng Jiang's eyebrows twitched when he heard this. He swallowed unconsciously and felt a chill invading his internal organs.
He prides himself on being loyal, but that doesn't mean he's willing to hear such confidential information.
Wu Shang held the sword expressionlessly, pointing it at Xie Yingchen. However, only Xie Yingchen was still slowly swinging his peacock feathers to tease the cat.
The peacock feathers bounced, and the cat fought back its instinct to avoid playing with people it disliked. It meowed and rubbed its furry head against Shen Xu's face.
Huh?
No pushing it away!
The cat was so happy that it took advantage of the situation and patted his face with its paw, leaving a shallow plum blossom footprint.
There was a hint of coldness in the corners of Shen Xu's eyes.
"Later, more than 120 members of the Yin family were executed for being horse bandits."
Xie Yingchen raised his hand and casually pushed away the sword that was against his throat. Seeing that Chen Xu did not react, Wu Shang stood there with the sword in his hand without any unnecessary movements.
A rain cloud blocked the sunlight, and the box suddenly became much darker. The bright and dark shadows added an uneasy atmosphere.
Finally, Shen Xu spoke, his feminine voice without a trace of emotion.
"Master, do you know who that guerrilla general is?"
He sneered, "Are you trying to tell me that it was Xie Lu?"
Xie Lu is the real name of King Jin.
Shen Xu studied him like a chess player studying his opponent, thoroughly seeing how many chips he held.
His wide sleeves, which were pulled like tassels, were scattered on the white fur cushion of the beauty bed, just like blood in the snow, bright and tempting.
Shen Xu's pupils were stained by the bright red sleeves, and his eyes were blood red, which made his cheeks look even paler.
That winter, blood dyed the snow red.
Everyone in the small house died, died because of his naivety and his overestimation of his own abilities.
Died of his ridiculous hypocrisy.
He searched all the imperial edicts and copies of memorials in the Imperial Household Department, as well as all the appointment documents of officials and soldiers, but found nothing. Only one-tenth or twelve of the memorials from the 20th to the 22nd year of the Taiyuan era survived.
"Before the Emperor ascended the throne, the palace walked through water once. The Governor must know about this."
Xie Yingchen swung the peacock feather, waving it over the cat's head. The tabby cat, who originally hated to pay attention to him, grew impatient with the teasing and turned its head, then pounced on him. As soon as its paw touched the peacock feather, its whiskers perked up, and it excitedly hugged the peacock feather and kicked with its hind legs.
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the box was like a fully drawn bow. They spoke back and forth, as if every word was carefully thought out.
Even Qin Chen subconsciously held his breath.
Xie Yingchen's lips curved up, and he spoke in the silence, neither hurried nor slow: "Master, you and I have the same goal."
"How about cooperation?"
This is the second time Xie Yingchen has talked about cooperation.
He winked at Qin Chen who was standing behind him. Qin Chen stepped forward and placed the food box on the table.
Inside the food box was a silver wine jug and a pair of silver wine glasses.
Xie Yingchen held the pot himself, and the amber wine flowed into the silver wine glass.
"Last time I said that if there was a chance, I'd like to have a drink with the Governor. I wonder if now is the time?"
Xie Yingchen had a smile on his face, and his every move and gesture showed an air of arrogance that could not be refused.
The Buddhist beads in Shen Xu's hand fell down.
The guerrilla general was sitting on a tall horse, his face obscured by the dim light and helmet.
Is it King Xie Lu of Jin?
Or, did Xie Yingchen just want to use his lies to trip up the King of Jin?
Xie Yingchen filled two glasses of wine and raised his hand to hand one over.
"Whether the Prince of Jin has ever served in Yongzhou, if he falls into the hands of the East Factory, you, the Governor, have countless ways to make him speak, don't you?"
"The Governor and I have no conflict of interest now, and I don't want to have an additional enemy in the future."
"Trust me once, what's the harm?"
These words touched his heart, and Shen Xu raised his hand to take the wine silently.
Xie Yingchen made a toasting gesture and drank it all in one gulp. The wine flowed down his throat, and the pungent taste of the wine choked him and almost made him cough.
If he really coughed it out, Shen Xu would most likely think that he had poisoned the wine.
Shen Xu stared at him and shook the wine in the glass.
The aroma comes from aging, and the wine is fragrant.
Xie Yingchen raised his sleeve to cover his lips and swallowed it hard. The splashed wine dripped onto the back of his hand, like flowing drops of water.
He said, "It's not poisonous. I'm just not good with alcohol."
This is called not being able to drink? This is clearly not being able to drink at all.
Chen Xu sneered: "Poisoning me will not benefit you, Master Chen, in the slightest." There was a hint of joy in his laughter, and he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.
His slender fingers played with the silver wine glass: "Only for the King of Jin."
Xie Yingchen repeated, "Only for the Prince of Jin."
The two men high-fived each other to form an alliance.
The palms touched each other three times in a row.
Chen Xu lowered his hand, and his wide sleeves spread out, the gold thread on them gleaming faintly.
“It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
"Meow."
The tabby cat climbed onto his lap and stared at Xie Yingchen with a fierce look.
Xie Yingchen stood up and said goodbye.
Sheng Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. He was so nervous just now that he almost thought he was going to suffocate.
So, now the master and the eldest son are in a cooperative relationship?
This young master is quite capable. Who would have thought that just two or three months ago he was just his master's prey?
Chen Xu casually flipped through the pile of impeachment memorials, picked out the one with the sharpest words, and threw it to Wu Shang.
"Send all of these to the Emperor, and place this one on top. Also, have Sun Xin go to the Meridian Gate and knock on it."
Wushang bowed in response.
He quickly sorted the documents on the table one by one, put the one that had just been thrown out on the top, and walked away holding it.
"Get out."
These words were said to Sheng Jiang.
Sheng Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead and was glad that he had lived another day.
Everyone left.
Chen Xu was lying alone on the beauty couch.
He stared with disdain at his sleeve, which had been ripped like a tassel, and casually picked up a dagger and swung it down, causing the sleeve to flutter down. The cat raised its little head and looked at him for a moment, then walked over to his hand and pressed the back of his hand with its paw pad.
The paw pads were soft and tender, just like the hand that held him tightly that day.
"Don't be afraid. I'm still here."
In a trance, he seemed to hear her voice again.
He pressed his eyebrows, unwilling to recall the past, but the memories still kept washing over him like a tide.
After their parents pushed them into the secret passage, they locked it.
My sister led us out of Blackwater Castle, smearing our faces and bodies with mud. My sister said that as long as we could get out of the border and get a horse, we would go to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor.
The Yin family is not a bandit. No!
But they were discovered.
They fled desperately until they reached a dead end. His sister took advantage of his unpreparedness, knocked him unconscious and stuffed him into a crevice in the rocks. He could not move and could only watch as his sister wiped the mud off her face, tied up her deliberately loose hair, and revealed her beautiful face.
She was dragged away by them.
Dragged away by a group of men!
The violent and uncontrollable madness in his heart surged out, Shen Xu's eyes were dark, and his half-closed peach blossom eyes bloomed with a dangerous light. Killing intent filled his heart, with the madness of a beast after being injured.
He raised his hand and touched the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye. From his forehead to the back of his head, it felt like he was being hit hard by a heavy object, and the pain was so severe that he could hardly control himself.
Veins popped out on his forehead.
"Meow?"
Cat Shen stared at him nervously and rubbed against him.
Chen Xu pursed his lips tightly, his uncontrollable rage making him want to destroy everything in the world, including himself. He picked up the dagger at his side and let the sharp blade cut his palm. Blood dripped down the Buddhist beads in his palm. His red eyes stared intently at Chen Mao, who was looking up at him.
"Meow meow."
The soft meow of a cat made his shoulders tremble. The tabby cat arched its back into his arms and put its furry head on his chest.
"Stupid cat."
Shen Xu let go of the dagger. He pressed his painful forehead with one fist and took out a white jade token from his pouch with the other hand and held it in his palm.
The white jade pendant was icy cold, and this coldness seeped from the palm of his hand into his internal organs.
His breathing gradually calmed down, leaving only the throbbing pain in the back of his head.
Chen Xu stroked the cat's forehead and muttered to himself, "They deserve to die. Skinning, bone pulling, and slicing them apart wouldn't be too much, right?"
"Meow."
"I deserve to die too."
The tabby cat raised its head and moved closer to him, its fine cat hair sticking to his face, leaving its scent.
"You're so dirty."
Chen Xu opened his five fingers and casually brushed the short fur on the cat's back. The tabby cat narrowed its golden eyes contentedly and lay comfortably on his arms.
His black hair fell on his shoulders. He gently stroked the runes engraved on the jade plate with his fingertips, and the blood on his palm dyed the white jade plate red.
"master."
Sheng Jiang's voice was heard outside.
"Sun Xin hit his head against the pillar at the Meridian Gate."
Sun Xin was a second-place Jinshi. The old man of the Sun family was a great scholar and was quite famous among the students.
"The Emperor summons you to the palace."
Chen Xu pulled his forearm out from under the cat's head and looked at the blood-stained white jade token in his palm.
“It’s so ugly.”
"As ugly as the last one."
Chen Xu threw away the Buddhist beads that had been hanging on his hand all year round and wrapped the red silk thread on the jade pendant around his wrist.
Thick black eyelashes cast a shadow like a feather fan on his face.
Now that my headache is gone, I'll give her a "big gift".
"Send someone to tell Princess Zhaoyang that the emperor is angry and ask her to return to the capital immediately."
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