Chapter 2687 Why can’t we unite as one?
Song Zhiwen took the letter with trembling hands, without even opening the envelope.
It can be seen how confident Li Bushang is.
Or perhaps, he had designed everything perfectly and was in control of the entire situation. Even now, without a single word in the letter, the words that Murong Qiu Ming and Xue Huai En had just said were enough to convict them.
At this point, this letter is almost useless.
But Song Zhiwen still opened the letter with trembling hands. Under the avoidant gazes of Murong Qiuming and Xue Huai'en, he unfolded the letter and read the words on it line by line.
The people around also held their breath.
Even though everyone just now understood who the murderer was and what their purpose was, some people still held on to a glimmer of hope.
Maybe, it's all a misunderstanding.
Perhaps Li Bushang's guess was wrong.
Perhaps, Murong Qiuming and Xue Huai'en did not actually kill the head of the Cheng family.
However, when Song Zhiwen finished reading the letter and slowly raised his head, everyone saw that his eyes were bloodshot and tears were flashing in his eyes.
Everyone understood.
Song Zhiwen looked at Murong Qiuming and Xue Huai'en. No matter how hard they tried to be stubborn, the letter and Xue Zhen were already the witnesses and evidence before their eyes. They had no way of denying it. When they met Song Zhiwen's gaze, they couldn't help but lower their heads.
Song Zhiwen's lips trembled slightly, and he opened his mouth several times, but no sound came out.
“You, you—”
He choked several times before speaking the rest of the words in a hoarse voice, his voice already filled with pain: "It's really you, it's really you..."
At this point, there was no way to tell the truth.
So, Murong Qiuming simply raised his head and said viciously, "That's right, we don't intend to give the city to Yan State. We intend to give Bailong City to Nanli King Arslan of Dan State. Is that not okay?"
“…”
"Anyway, both sides have backers. If you want to rely on Yan Country, why can't we rely on Neng Country?"
“…”
Hearing this, Li Bushang rolled his eyes.
But he said nothing, just looked at them coldly.
Song Zhiwen felt his hands and feet go cold. His hands, holding the letter, trembled constantly, and the letter almost fell to the ground. He looked down at the familiar handwriting for a long time, then looked up again and said, "But why?"
“…”
"Since we all have a backer, and since we all want to surrender our city, why do you insist on choosing the Kingdom of Dian?"
“…”
“Why can’t we all stick together?”
"Unity? Humph!"
Murong Qiuming said coldly, "The ones who have been in contact with the Emperor of Yan Kingdom have always been that old woman from the Xue family, and her daughter. Yes, Xue Yun is actually a daughter. She disguised herself as a man and deceived everyone for so many years. They have always been on good terms with the Emperor of Yan Kingdom. After the surrender of the city, they became his confidants. The rest of us are just accomplices. What benefits can we gain from it?"
“…”
"But King Nanli of the Neng Kingdom is different."
“…”
"That's the connection we secretly established. Only by offering the city to him can we gain the greatest benefit."
“…”
"You haven't even considered this, and you're only thinking about surrendering the city. Aren't you too naive?"
Song Zhiwen's face suddenly turned pale, and he was speechless for a moment.
Indeed, although his family was engaged in business, the ancestors of the Song family came from the Central Plains. Even though they had taken root in Bailong City and got rid of the culture and education of the Yan Kingdom, they still yearned for, or were attached to, the Central Plains culture in their hearts. This made him study since he was a child. In his heart, he was more of a scholar than a businessman.
Therefore, he cannot think about so many benefits and does not have so many thoughts.
For them, being able to establish a relationship with the increasingly powerful Yan State was already a very good thing, but they did not expect that Murong Qiu Ming and the others had thought so much.
Song Zhiwen took a deep breath and looked at Xue Huai'en again.
"You, the second branch of your Xue family, is also because of this relationship?"
Xue Huai'en sneered, and that smile looked extremely ferocious in the firelight. He said coldly, "That's right. That damn old woman used her daughter to disguise herself as a man and deceived us for so many years. She has always been wary of us. Now she has made friends with the Emperor of Yan. When she surrenders the city in the future, I heard that the Emperor even asked her to adopt a son to be the head of the family. Then, won't we get anything?"
“…”
"How can I, my father, and the rest of us swallow this?"
“…”
"So, we pretended to agree to surrender the city, but secretly, we had already established contact with King Nanli of the Neng Kingdom. As long as we surrender the city to King Nanli, he will help us get rid of that damn old woman. By then, the Xue family will be mine!"
Looking at the two crazy people, Song Zhiwen felt a sharp pain in his chest.
No matter what they look like now, they grew up together, running around in the mountains together, rolling on the ground together. Although he knows that everyone has grown up and it is impossible for them to be as close as they were when they were children, and everyone has their own thoughts, but in his heart, he still regards these people as friends.
But I didn’t expect that as time flies, it is not only their appearance that has changed.
After an unknown amount of time, he raised his head, his voice so hoarse it didn't sound like his own, and asked, "So, you killed Uncle Cheng just for this?"
As soon as these words were spoken, murderous intent appeared on the faces of the Cheng family guards around.
Murong Qiuming and Xue Huai'en trembled slightly when they mentioned this.
However, things have come to this point, and there is naturally no turning back.
So, Murong Qiuming stiffened his neck and said, "That's right, this is the only way to ruin your plan to surrender the city."
Song Zhiwen trembled and said, "But why is it him?"
“…”
"Why not me?"
“…”
"My family and I all support surrendering the city, and Uncle Cheng is on your side. Why don't you kill me, but kill him instead?"
Xue Huai'en sneered and said, "If we kill you, these Jinyiwei will immediately know that it was us who disagreed with the surrender of the city, and the people in the city will naturally suspect us."
“…”
"Only by killing someone who also disagrees with the surrender of the city will they be put in a difficult position. The people of Bailong City will then resent Yan Country and oppose the surrender of the city."
“…”
"so--"
Song Zhiwen said, "You killed him."
He paused again, looked at Xue Huai'en, and said, "To be exact, was it really you who killed him?"
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