Chapter 752: Once cherished, but lost, it is lost
Lin Jiayou glanced at Zhao Rui vaguely, "Most of the herbs on this list are not available on the market. The only way to get them is in the hands of the Jiangnan Qi family."
Qi family!
It is the maternal family of the seventh prince Zhao Rui.
The air in the study suddenly became subtle.
Zhao Zhang's hawk-like eyes immediately shifted from Lin Jiayou to Zhao Rui's face. His eyes were filled with undisguised scrutiny and suspicion.
How could this matter involve Lao Qi's mother's family? Could this have been a trap set by Lao Qi from the beginning?
Do you want to use military merit as bait to drag yourself into the water, and then let him take the blame while you reap the benefits alone?
Zhao Rui's face darkened. He knew Lin Jiayou was trying to sow discord, but the disgusting thing about this conspiracy was that he couldn't defend himself.
The Qi family is indeed in the medicinal herb business, and it's a unique business. If this order really exists, the Qi family will definitely get involved.
He looked at Lin Jiayou with a cold tone: "Lin Jiayou, you are so bold, you dare to stir up trouble here and sow discord between us brothers!"
Lin Jiayou knelt down again, looking extremely terrified: "I dare not! I am only speaking the truth! It is precisely because this matter involves the Qi family that I dare not offer it to just one of His Highnesses!"
"If it is presented to the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Prince will think that the Fifth Prince is taking this opportunity to suppress the Qi family. If it is presented to the Seventh Prince, how can the Fifth Prince believe that such a great military achievement will fall on you for nothing?"
"So, after much deliberation, I've concluded that the only foolproof solution is to disclose this matter completely to your two Highnesses and have them make a joint decision."
"Then the Fifth Prince will gain military merit, and the Seventh Prince will gain wealth. They'll each get what they need, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? As for Gu Qingchen and the Crown Prince, their efforts will be in vain!"
His words were like a precise key, unlocking the deepest desires of the two princes at the same time.
Military merit and wealth.
Zhao Zhang was silent. He stared at the sand table and began to deduce in his mind how much reputation this matter would bring him in the court and the army if it succeeded.
There was a calculating gleam in Zhao Rui's eyes as he calculated the profits and risks involved.
They were well aware of Lin Jiayou's instigation.
But the temptation was too great, so great that they were willing to take the risk of being tricked and give it a try.
After a long moment, Zhao Zhang slowly spoke, his voice as deep as a bell: "Leave the things behind, and you, get out. If you lie about this, I will make sure you never see the sun again."
"Yes, yes!" Lin Jiayou crawled out of the study as if he had been pardoned.
The moment the door closed, the study fell into dead silence.
Zhao Rui stood up and walked slowly to Zhao Zhang. He looked at the list full of rare medicinal herbs and gave an ambiguous smile.
"Fifth brother, it seems that our Master Lin is determined to give us a big gift."
Zhao Zhang didn't look at him, his eyes still fixed on the sand table. His voice was cold and hard: "Whether he is sincere or not is not important. What is important is whether this list is true or false."
"What if it's true?" Zhao Rui asked, his tone dark. "This batch of medicinal herbs passed through the hands of our Qi family and was then delivered to your people. The military merit reported in the end belongs to you, Zhao Zhang, alone. Fifth brother, do you think this deal is worth it?"
Zhao Zhang finally turned around and looked directly at his always calculating brother, with no warmth in his eyes.
"Whether it's worthwhile or not depends on seeing the goods first. If the goods are not what you ordered, not only will we lose our military merits, but we will also be in trouble. By then, I'm afraid that even your Qi family won't be able to bear the responsibility."
Before he finished speaking, the two brothers looked at each other and saw bottomless greed and a hint of equally bottomless suspicion in each other's eyes.
The night was as dark as ink, and an inconspicuous blue cloth carriage was parked in a quiet narrow alley in the capital.
The curtain of the car was lifted by a bony hand, and Lin Jiayou bent down and got in.
There was only a small lantern burning in the carriage, and the dim light flickered, illuminating Gu Qingchen's profile in bright and dark ways.
He sat down opposite, and in the narrow space of the carriage, an invisible sense of oppression suddenly spread.
"It's done." Lin Jiayou spoke first. He straightened his robes and tried to appear calm. "The Fifth and Seventh Princes have already accepted the order."
Gu Qingchen sat still, without even lifting his eyelids, and just made a soft "hmm" sound through his nose, as if he was just reporting on the weather today.
Seeing her so cold, Lin Jiayou felt even more humiliated at being used as a pawn.
He suppressed his unhappiness, leaned forward slightly, and his voice carried a hint of what he thought was genuine worry.
"Qingchen, what exactly do you mean by this? This is no small matter. You have set up such a big scheme to offend both princes at the same time. If you are not careful, not only you, but also the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion will probably..."
"Do I need to explain to you what I did?" Gu Qingchen finally raised his eyes. His eyes were frighteningly clear in the dim light, with a coldness that seemed to see through everything.
Lin Jiayou's heart choked when he saw her, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat.
He looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of him, and a strong sense of unwillingness surged in his heart.
He couldn't accept that the girl who once had her heart and eyes full of him and would blush and have her heart beat fast at his words would now look at him with such eyes.
He put on a tearful expression, and his voice became hoarse and affectionate: "Qingchen, I don't mean to question you. I just... I'm just worried about you."
He tried to pull Gu Qingchen's hand which was placed on the small table, but she avoided him calmly.
"We grew up together. When have I ever hurt you? Have you forgotten that when we were little at Bailu Academy, we made mistakes together and were punished to copy books together..."
"No matter how bad I am, Lin Jiayou, I will never watch you step into danger!"
His voice was full of grievance and heartache, as if what Gu Qingchen had done was the cruelest trampling on their past friendship.
"Danger?" Gu Qingchen suddenly laughed. The laughter was very light, but it was like an ice-hardened knife, scraping across Lin Jiayou's face inch by inch.
She finally looked him in the eye, with undisguised mockery and contempt in her eyes.
"Lin Jiayou, was the danger you mentioned set by me, or did you bring it about?"
Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, hitting Lin Jiayou's heart like a heavy hammer.
As soon as she finished speaking, the carriage slowly stopped.
Gu Qingchen retracted his gaze, and his voice returned to its original calmness: "We're here, get off."
Lin Jiayou looked at the face that was so close yet so far away, his eyes filled with humiliation, resentment, and a hint of regret that he himself had not even noticed.
He awkwardly lifted the car curtain and rolled out.
The curtains fell, blocking out the cold wind from the alley. Gu Qingchen sat quietly, listening to the rumble of the carriage starting up again, and slowly closed his eyes.
The friendship of the past is like the wooden horse that was snatched away by Zhao Heng. It was once cherished, but now it is lost, it is lost too.
Now, the empty space should be used to put something more useful.
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