Chapter 106 Listen to Father
The people who come to trade are always strange; these few really do resemble those from Tingyu Pavilion.
Why should I believe you?
In the past two years, the master and Tingyuge have had close ties, and Yu Qing did not dare to refuse directly.
"Believe it or not, we just wanted to make some money, but I'm surprised you got caught so quickly."
That's probably not very safe either. Go back and tell your employer to find another partner. Hand over the Yanyu Tower's belongings to Lord Yang.
He was a student of the Imperial Academy's Chancellor in Luoyang; if he submitted these documents, he might be able to secure a position in the Ministry of Revenue.
"When Tingyu Pavilion becomes a royal merchant, it'll be just around the corner. The meager profits Yanyu Pavilion makes won't even be enough to fill a tooth!"
Wei Jingchen handed the ledger to Lu Li, who immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.
Yu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly shouted.
"etc!"
Lu Li stopped and looked back at him, but showed no intention of going back.
Yu Qing was terrified, fearing that he would drag the entire Misty Rain Pavilion down with him.
The ledgers in their hands can't cause any trouble, but the transactions between Yanyu Tower and Tingyu Pavilion are all shady murder deals!
"If you are truly from Tingyu Pavilion, how could you not know what Tingyu Pavilion is doing? Aren't you afraid of being investigated by the Ministry of Revenue?"
Yu Qing spoke cautiously.
“Tingyu Pavilion does more than just murder; otherwise, how would it have so much information exchanged with people in the martial arts world?”
Over the years, Tingyu Pavilion has been developing in the shadows.
Buying and selling information, murder and robbery—these are all businesses of Tingyu Pavilion.
Wei Jingchen's previous identity was the son of the Minister of Revenue, so naturally he couldn't let Tingyu Pavilion attract too much attention.
Now that the Wei family has fallen, Tingyu Pavilion must step into the public eye.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Qing decided to pass the matter on to Prefect Yang.
"I can't make that decision myself. You should contact the prefect of Yangling Prefecture."
The fact that they can't make the decision means that the deal between Yanyu Tower and Yanbei is real.
"Prefect Yang failed in his pursuit, and I'm afraid he won't live much longer. You want me to find him?"
You wouldn't be trying to silence me along with him, would you? You're really cunning."
"I'm not lying to you. If Prefect Yang fails to kill him, he'll definitely become the scapegoat."
Someone else will take over his job; what you're looking for is the new prefect of Yangling Prefecture.
Wei Jingchen did not doubt Yu Qing's words.
He nodded knowingly and grinned, "Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Yu."
Yu Qing looked at him suspiciously, his lips twitching as he smiled and said, "No, nothing."
"Since we're on the same side, why don't you let me go?"
"Alright, Magistrate Yang's men will come to interrogate you later, so just cooperate."
"Put everything on Magistrate Yang, and I'll have someone secretly release you tonight."
Wei Jingchen looked like he was ready to cooperate, which immediately delighted Yu Qing.
"Great, I love working with straightforward people like you!"
After Wei Jingchen and the other two left, Yu Qing leisurely lay down, waiting to leave that evening.
Once they were a bit further from the cell, Wei Mingde asked worriedly, "Jingchen,
"Isn't Tingyu Pavilion going to operate in the public eye? Wouldn't it be too dangerous to continue trading with Yanyu Tower?"
"Previously, I planned to make the transaction with Yanyu Tower public."
But now that we know that Yanyu Tower is connected to the Fifth Prince and Yanbei, we should preserve these businesses even more.
Only in this way can we further infiltrate their ranks and establish connections with Yanbei.
Wei Jingchen originally only wanted to make his fortune through Yanyu Tower, but now he is forced to continue doing so.
Who would have thought that the Fifth Prince of the current dynasty, General Zhenyuan, Yanbei's mortal enemy, actually had trade dealings with Yanbei in secret!
The Fifth Prince is planning a rebellion!
"Father, if Yanbei and Da Zhou are sworn enemies, then General Zhenyuan is also Yanbei's mortal foe."
"Back then, when Yanbei massacred the city, it was General Zhenyuan who returned to suppress Yanbei. How could Yanbei be so willing to cooperate with them?"
Wei Jingchen speculated about the darkest possible scenarios, which sent chills down Wei Mingde's spine.
"You mean that the sudden massacre of the city back then was a conspiracy between Yanbei and General Zhenyuan?"
How could this be? What benefit would a massacre of a city bring to General Zhenyuan?
Wei Mingde couldn't understand why General Zhenyuan, who had guarded the northern border all his life, would suddenly do such a traitorous thing.
"Father, how could a mere Misty Rain Pavilion possibly have the means to trade with Yanbei, sending so many things to Yanbei?"
General Zhenyuan couldn't possibly be completely unaware; he was the Fifth Prince's maternal uncle. Back when the late Emperor was alive, the Second Prince, Yunqi...
The Third Prince Yunxuan and the Fifth Prince Yunchen are both widely recognized as the most likely candidates to become the Crown Prince.
Yun Xuan was even more extreme, but in the end Yun Qi inherited the throne, so how could Yun Chen be willing to accept it?
If they really want to rebel, they need both money and soldiers. If they make a private deal with Yanbei, the money will come easily.
No sooner had General Zhenyuan left the northern border than Yanbei marched straight in and wreaked havoc at Qingbei Pass.
Only the return of General Zhenyuan brought Yanbei under control, and from then on, the practice of rotating the garrison at Qingbei Pass every three years was no longer observed.
So, wouldn't military power remain in the hands of General Zhenyuan? The goods in the merchant guild are all for Yanbei.
They were essentially asking a tiger for its skin; they naturally wouldn't give the goods to the people, thus causing a shortage of goods from Yanbei.
Therefore, without an imperial edict, even if Lord Yang went in person, they would not allow him to take the goods from Yanbei.
"Dad, think about it, if you connect the dots like this, doesn't everything make sense?"
"They've been preparing for this for eight years?!"
Wei Mingde was horrified.
He had never seen through the Fifth Prince's wolfish ambitions when he was in the capital!
"Father, these facts are not enough to convict the Fifth Prince. How about I have Xi Ran contact them and try to find evidence of their crimes?"
"Do not act rashly!"
Wei Mingde shook his head in disagreement.
"General Zhenyuan has 70,000 elite troops under his command, and it cannot be ruled out that they also maintain a private army. Even if you find evidence..."
If His Majesty were to convict him then, General Zhenyuan would likely unite with Yanbei in a desperate struggle, leaving only the common people to suffer.
"Father is right, this time I was too impatient."
“You exposed your identity in front of Yu Qing, he can’t be allowed to live.”
“My son understands that letting him escape tonight means we plan to deal with him outside.”
Hearing that he had considered things thoroughly, Wei Mingde nodded in satisfaction.
"You must remember, our first priority is to protect ourselves. We can check with the Misty Rain Pavilion."
But you absolutely cannot do it yourself. Lu Xun and Lu Li are already openly in contact with you.
Neither of them should interfere; your attempt to contact them personally last time was already very dangerous.”
What Wei Mingde was referring to was that a few days ago, Wei Jingchen used the excuse of going out to copy books for others to earn money.
In fact, he personally contacted the undercover agents.
Wei Jingchen was somewhat surprised and quickly lowered his head: "Nothing I do can escape your eyes, Father. Next time, I will have someone else do it."
"You're still young, and it's inevitable that you'll act a little too impulsively. Listen to your father."
Be cautious and conservative in your actions. Also, do not reveal your martial arts skills excessively on this journey. Your life and death are predestined, you…”
"father!"
Wei Jingchen interrupted Wei Mingde with some anger.
“The Wei family is my family. If my son abandons his family to protect himself, how is he any different from those cold-blooded and ruthless people?”
Seeing Wei Mingde's hesitant expression, Wei Jingchen said angrily, "Father, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll take my leave now!"
After saying that, he turned around, climbed over the wall, and went out, unusually throwing a childish tantrum.
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