Chapter 122 The Worst Strategy, the Middle Strategy, and the Best Strategy
"So, Ouyang Lianghan and Xie Lingjiang didn't notice you? They didn't know you were following them?"
“That’s right. But that Xie woman is too vigilant. I dare not get too close and can only keep my distance from half a mile away.”
"Patriarch Liu, I suspect that this Confucian Qi cultivator named Xie Lingjiang may have already advanced to the seventh rank. Her aura is somewhat fierce; I wonder if it is the Zhu Fei spiritual energy."
"It's just a bit strange. If that's really the case, isn't the speed of her advancement a bit too fast for a scholar's lineage? Could it be... could it be that she's been secretly taking some powerful elixirs these days? They're comparable to some of the elixirs in our immortal sect's lineage."
"That's hilarious. Hmph, these Confucian Qi cultivators are full of righteous indignation and criticize our immortal cultivation methods of taking elixirs, but they still can't resist the temptation and take shortcuts themselves. I wonder if there will be any side effects."
That night, the darkness was just beginning to fall.
The bright moon in the sky hid behind the dark clouds.
Deep within the Liu family mansion, in a secluded and hidden garden, in a study where the lights had just been turned on.
As Liu Ziwen got up in the night to put on his clothes, he turned to the Jade Cup Fairy who had come to his door late at night and asked her earnestly with narrowed eyes.
The latter returned from Di Gongzha late at night and went straight to the door, not caring about disturbing the rest of the Liu family's inner quarters.
Normally, such behavior would be extremely rude, but given the current circumstances, Liu Ziwen didn't find it strange at all.
He even grew to like the black-robed priestess in the room, whose name sounded ethereal and whose appearance was eerie and unsettling.
The Liu family has been in Longcheng for so many years, spending money to support so many people; they've still been somewhat useful.
Outside the study, in the late night, not far from the garden, came the faint sounds of a child crying and a woman comforting herself, as if they too had been awakened by some noise. Liu Ziwen pretended not to notice.
I didn't listen to the Jade Cup Fairy's resentful words towards the Confucian Qi cultivators.
His face was somber. In the study, which was lit only by an oil lamp, he paced back and forth with his head down, as if he were lost in thought.
"Brother! What happened?"
Liu Zian and Liu Zilin arrived one after another, pushed open the door and entered the room. The latter was so busy that he didn't even put on the right sleeve of his outer robe, and his black silk inner garment also exposed his chest full of chest hair.
His hurried appearance suggests that he was awakened from his sweet dream by the servants sent by Liu Ziwen, and rushed to the scene.
Liu Ziwen did not answer his two younger brothers' questions immediately. The Jade Cup Fairy turned her head and coldly recounted what she had observed at Di Gong Gate that night.
Both Liu Zian and Liu Zilin looked surprised upon hearing this.
The former frowned, while the latter, unable to contain his emotions, looked anxious.
"Brother, what should we do now? This Ouyang Lianghan is very wary. It seems he has never trusted us from the beginning. He is just pretending to be friendly and trying to kill us, just like us."
"But now things have gotten worse; we've handed him the handle that could get us killed! Where exactly... where did things go wrong, and he caught us red-handed?"
"Third brother, is it even worth getting hung up on which link went wrong now? The Burning Heaven Shark Oil has already been delivered. Instead of that, we should think of a solution."
Liu Zian, like a sick tiger raising its head, looked down at the agitated Liu Zilin and said:
"Besides, since you've already decided to break off relations and there's no possibility of reconciliation, you should be prepared for the other side to use violent methods and launch a desperate counterattack. What naive wishful thinking are you still holding onto?"
"Yes... Second Brother."
Liu Zian turned his head and paced towards Liu Ziwen in front of the desk, saying solemnly:
"Brother, the most interesting thing about tonight's events is that Ouyang Lianghan didn't immediately turn on us and expose us on the spot. Instead, he only took County Magistrate Diao and a few others as witnesses and then quietly left. This is definitely not a case of letting things go."
"What is he trying to do?" Liu Zilin asked, scratching his head.
Liu Zian didn't turn to look at his third brother, who never gave him a friendly look, and continued, word by word:
“Ouyang Lianghan is not in a hurry at all, which is probably because he thinks there will be a better opportunity later, or that he has already made arrangements, and even tonight’s events cannot disrupt his plans in the slightest…”
"Brother, this kid is frighteningly calm. He's probably waiting for the right moment to lay all his cards on the table, just like us, so he can take him down in one fell swoop and leave him with no chance to recover."
At this point, he glanced in the direction of the county government office and nodded:
"He's still the same magistrate who tried to confiscate our property when he first took office, only now he's more skilled and more difficult to deal with."
Liu Ziwen suddenly stopped and turned around, saying:
He was waiting for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
He was waiting for Inspector Shen Xisheng and his party to arrive.
"He also prepared a show for us, which will start at a set time."
The room fell silent instantly, and everyone's expressions changed.
Liu Ziwen, with one hand behind his back and the other supporting himself on the desk, gazed northward and sighed.
“Ouyang Lianghan, Ouyang Lianghan, our Liu family has been lying low in Longcheng County for so many years, but we never expected to finally meet our nemesis, you.”
"No wonder the pro-government faction in Luoyang has been able to fight against the Wei family, who are deeply favored by the emperor, for so long. They really have a master. They just sent a young county magistrate and they managed to create this situation that is like a stag fighting each other."
The head of the Liu family suddenly turned to his two younger brothers and said:
"But Ouyang Lianghan is by no means a stumbling block for the Liu family, but a whetstone, a very good whetstone. Second brother, third brother, Longcheng County is now a life-or-death game of chess. We cannot give an inch. Only the winning side can stride out of Longcheng and rise to the top!"
"Whether the Liu family can break free from its cocoon and transform into a butterfly depends on this one move."
Looking at his elder brother, who suddenly seemed to have regained his energy for reflection, Liu Zian cautiously asked:
"Does my elder brother already have a good plan in mind?"
"Tell me about yours first."
Liu Ziwen did not answer immediately. With his back to the crowd, he said indifferently:
"How do you think we can break this deadlock?"
Liu Zilin took the first step forward:
"What else can we do, elder brothers? Now that Ouyang Lianghan has discovered the Burning Heaven Shark Oil hidden inside the Di Gong Gate, we have to find a way to bring it back as soon as possible."
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then added:
“We…we’ll use something else to replace it, and secretly disguise it as Burning Heaven Shark Oil! When Ouyang Lianghan exposes it on the spot at the ribbon-cutting ceremony or some other time, our plan will fall through.”
Liu Zilin's eyes lit up:
"We can also countersue him for defamation. Defaming law-abiding citizens is a crime punishable by law according to the Great Zhou law! What do you think, elder brothers, what do you think of this plan?"
Liu Ziwen glanced at him but didn't immediately comment. Instead, he turned his gaze to Liu Zian.
The latter, with a thoughtful expression on his sickly face, lowered his eyes and said:
"Brother, I have a plan. Since the Jade Cup Fairy can temporarily impersonate Ouyang Lianghan, let's continue to use the Burning Heaven Shark Oil. However, this time we won't blow up the Di Gong Gate to kill people, but instead we'll accuse Ouyang Lianghan of smuggling the Burning Heaven Shark Oil and trying to blow up the new gate."
"This death sentence can't be wasted; let's put it on Ouyang Lianghan's head."
"He has witnesses, and we can create witnesses too. We can have the Jade Cup Fairy impersonate Ouyang Lianghan in front of everyone. We have all the witnesses for transporting shark oil to the sluice gate, and we have more than him!"
"Besides, Governor Wang of Jiangzhou is on our side. Ouyang Lianghan may be favored by Inspector Shen Xisheng, but we are not afraid of him when it comes to a lawsuit!"
Liu Ziwen smiled slightly, then suppressed it, turned around, and said:
"Third brother, this is a poor strategy, and you're treating Ouyang Lianghan like a fool. The Burning Heaven Shark Oil has already been transported in; how could it be so easy to switch it out?"
"Think about it carefully again. Do you think Ouyang Lianghan would turn a blind eye to the people who were helping the Jade Cup Fairy smuggle the goods tonight? They've been under surveillance for a long time. If you try to tamper with things again, it will be much more difficult. If you alert them and arouse their suspicion, it will be troublesome."
“What elder brother says is true.” Liu Zilin was taken aback, but nodded humbly in agreement with his elder brother’s words.
Liu Ziwen then said:
"Second brother's plan is quite good, and can be considered a good strategy."
"But the knife is too soft, not hard enough, and the play is too literary, not martial enough."
"Besides, second brother, have you forgotten what we've been painstakingly planning this time for? Just to deal with Ouyang Lianghan? Isn't that too petty and narrow-minded?"
Liu Zian frowned slightly, his expression thoughtful, and said:
“Brother is right. We still need to help Lord Wang deal with Shen Xisheng and get the gift certificate. This is also the important matter that Wei asked us to handle.”
After murmuring for a while, he looked up and asked seriously:
"Then what is the best strategy, brother?"
Liu Zian, Liu Zilin, and the Jade Cup Fairy who had been watching all turned their gazes toward them.
Standing at the desk, Liu Ziwen said calmly:
"It's not exactly the best solution, but it can clean things up completely..."
"Heh, Inspector Shen Xisheng, huh? Then let Ouyang Lianghan kill him for us."
Everyone in the room was stunned.
...
This chapter is too short, there will be another chapter later tonight! (Serious face)
(End of this chapter)
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