Chapter 196 The Storm Is Brewing
After passing through the courtyard and entering the inner room, one sees the person holding a pen, eyes lowered, writing something.
The King of Qin flicked his sleeves and bowed forward.
Pei Yanzhi slowly put down his pen and sighed softly, saying, "I feel that today's calligraphy is rather unsatisfactory."
"I have long heard that the King of Qin's calligraphy is rarely seen by others. I wonder if I have the honor of seeing it today?"
A look of fear flashed across the King of Qin's face, and he repeatedly said, "Your Majesty is too kind to this old minister."
Pei Yanzhi's eyes held a cold glint, but his face remained calm as he said, "Don't refuse, please."
Then an attendant presented the wolf-hair brush in his hand to the King of Qin, who had no choice but to take it with both hands, look at the snow-white Xuan paper, and ponder for a moment.
He then wrote the four characters "天下太平" (Peace Under Heaven).
The brushstrokes are strong and powerful, each stroke a rare and excellent character. However, the final character, "平" (ping), is marred by a sudden drop of ink, which adds a flaw to the entire piece.
Pei Yanzhi's gaze fell on the Xuan paper. He picked it up, looked at it, and clicked his tongue softly, as if he felt it was a pity.
The King of Qin put the pen aside, bowed, and lowered his head.
Pei Yanzhi said, "The King of Qin's calligraphy is indeed a reflection of his character. Unlike me, who is just a military man, I cannot write such fine characters. However, the ink marks on the character 'Ping' do a disservice to this fine calligraphy."
"What do you think, King Qin?" The words were followed by a chill that went straight to his heart.
The King of Qin's heart tightened, and he quickly bowed and said, "It is all my fault for disturbing Your Majesty's enjoyment."
"Oh, that's an exaggeration!"
He then instructed the eunuch beside him, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly help the King of Qin up!"
"We're all brothers, no need for such formalities."
The more the emperor said this, the less the King of Qin dared to get up.
Pei Yanzhi returned to his chair and sat down, casually turning the ring on his finger, but his gaze remained fixed on the King of Qin kneeling on the ground.
"When I was still the Marquis of Yanzhou, I heard that Ganzhou was a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, with a strategic location. Why did the Prince of Qin suddenly think of Ganzhou?"
The King of Qin, who was kneeling on the ground, slightly raised his head and replied in a deep voice, "Ganzhou is a no-man's-land, and your subject is only thinking of sharing the burden of the court."
Pei Yanzhi gave a faint "hmm" and then said, "However, I heard that a mineral vein was discovered in Ganzhou a few days ago. Is the Prince of Qin aware of this?"
The King of Qin clenched his fist on the floor tiles, his face showing respect and bewilderment: "This... this is the first time I've heard of this. I never imagined that there would be mineral veins in Ganzhou!"
Pei Yanzhi, who was sitting high at the head of the table, suddenly smiled, raised his eyebrows slightly, and sighed softly: "Yes, I didn't expect this either. It's quite an unexpected surprise."
"Now is a time when the national treasury is empty, so it would be a rare opportunity to mine this land."
The King of Qin thought of the explosion that Lin Xiaoxing had mentioned the other day, wondering if it had been dealt with properly. If this person were to find any clues, even if he was alone in Ganzhou, it would be disastrous.
It's tantamount to handing over your weakness to the person in front of you.
Thinking of all this, he slammed his forehead heavily on the floor tiles and said, "Since a mineral vein has been discovered in Ganzhou, and Ganzhou is my territory, I am willing to share Your Majesty's burdens."
The words were spoken, but it felt like being slowly cut with a knife, like watching a mountain of gold lying right in front of you.
Now, however, they have to greet others with a smile and clench their fists tightly.
Pei Yanzhi squinted at him for a long time, then snorted coldly. This old fox, does he really think I'm a fool? He wants to take on this mess just so he doesn't want me to find out anything.
"I believe in your loyalty, but I have already handed over the mine to someone else. After all, it belongs to the imperial court, and it is not appropriate for others to interfere. What does Your Highness think?"
These few words, though few, weighed heavily on the mind, clearly intended as a warning.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The King of Qin remained kneeling on the spot, lowering his head so as not to reveal the murderous intent in his eyes.
After leaving the mansion, the King of Qin looked at the character "Pei" hanging high above, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness. He would definitely avenge today's humiliation in the future.
After everyone left, Wu Yang pushed open the door and entered.
Pei Yanzhi looked at the words on the desk, chuckled, and then tore the sheet of Xuan paper in two.
"They're gone?"
Wu Yang nodded. "He looked quite angry when he left."
Looking out the window at the overcast sky, which looked like it was about to rain, Pei Yanzhi asked, "Have the families of the dead been properly taken care of?"
"When I arrived, the King of Qin was about to kill them to silence them, but I stopped him. I'm afraid the King of Qin will find out about this as soon as he returns to his residence."
Pei Yanzhi turned his gaze away from the window. "That's exactly what we wanted, for him to resort to desperate measures."
"How's the investigation going with the others?"
Wu Yang said respectfully, "They are all under our surveillance. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, we can capture them all in one fell swoop."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "But... I've heard something else."
"speak."
"The King of Qin dares to plot such a rebellion so openly now, as if he has something in his hands... It is precisely because of that thing that the former officials of the previous dynasty are willing to follow him."
Pei Yanzhi's calm gaze swept over them.
Wu Yang immediately shivered and hurriedly said, "I'll go investigate right away!"
After saying that, he quickly walked out.
Inside the Sheng residence, Pei Qinghe learned from Chunzhi that his father had stayed there the previous day.
He was overjoyed and even asked his mother to take him to see the room where his father lived early in the morning.
Ji Shu looked helpless and had no choice but to tell him, "Qinghe, your father left early this morning."
"Huh?" Pei Qinghe's disappointment was palpable, and even Ji Shu was puzzled, as she had no idea why he had come to Ganzhou.
Seeing his little face fall instantly, she couldn't bear it and said, "How about Mommy takes you to the night market tonight? It's Qixi Festival today, the streets are so lively."
"Yay, yay!" For children, nothing is more fun than playing.
As dusk fell and the man still hadn't returned, Ji Shu figured he probably felt the mansion was too small and had gone back to his grand mansion.
After dinner, I took Qinghe to the market. It was the night of Qixi Festival, and the streets were filled with lanterns, making it as bright as day.
Many unmarried women would gather in groups of three or five to compete in threading needles with colorful threads, seeing who could thread the needle the fastest and best, and thus earn the title of "Seven Skills".
Even more so, engaged couples strolled hand in hand through the market, watching shows.
The child had never seen such a lively scene before, and he clapped his hands excitedly. Ji Shu carried him all the way, and her arms gradually became sore. She did not let Chunzhi come along tonight.
Just as they were struggling, a man's arm suddenly reached across and caught the child steadily.
Ji Shu felt a pang of panic, but when she looked up, she met a pair of eyes that exuded an air of authority without being angry.
As his gaze suddenly rose, Qinghe recognized his father at a glance, and he was overjoyed, cheering loudly.
Pei Yanzhi shushed him and whispered, "Watch the performance."
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