Chapter 584: Cutting off the tail to survive (Part 2)
Ye Chutang remained noncommittal.
But in Ye Jingyan's view, such a reaction was already a tacit agreement.
He frowned slightly. "Although Xie Pei has fought with Wa Zhen several times, he has returned to Beijing to retire in recent years. Apart from the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, he has no other real power. How could he be involved in these things again?"
Ye Chutang pointed at the chessboard and said, "Don't forget, although Xie Pei has retired, his prestige in the army is still very high."
"But King Yannan and Marquis Dingbei are also..."
Ye Jingyan was halfway through his speech when he suddenly thought of something and his expression changed slightly.
Ye Chutang nodded his chin and said, "That's right. Xie Pei is not the only one who holds military power, but he was the first to take off his armor, so he is the most passive now."
Would Emperor Mu Wu trust Prince Nan of Yan and Marquis Dingbei more? Ye Chutang doesn't think so.
The emperor is suspicious and can never give 100% trust to anyone.
Especially those ministers who hold real power.
Xie Pei was the oldest among the group and was plagued by injuries, so he chose to hand over his military power ten years ago.
He thought that this was a wise move to retreat while the going was tough and to protect himself, but he didn't know that the world was unpredictable, especially the mind of the emperor, which was even more untrustworthy.
"After he steps down, only Marquis Dingbei will be left in charge of Northern Frontier. No one can shake this position, not even Your Majesty."
Emperor Mu Wu was not stupid, on the contrary, he was an extremely intelligent emperor.
He still knew which was more important, family and country or imperial power.
Therefore, in this way, as long as the northern border can be kept safe, Shen Youyan will become the one with the most stable power.
On the other hand, Xie Pei...
"His former subordinates now hold important positions in the army. If he asks, they will at least give him some respect. This alone is an immeasurable fortune."
Ye Jingyan hesitated and said, "That's true, but Xie Anjun was born weak and can't practice martial arts. He has almost never left the capital for so many years and has not had much contact with those military generals. So, how can he--"
Suddenly, he paused, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
The corners of Ye Chutang's lips slightly raised.
"Xie Anjun is indeed not good enough, but Xie Pei has more than one son."
In an instant, Ye Jingyan felt that all the things that he couldn't figure out before now had answers.
“No wonder!”
No wonder Xie Anbai acted like a dissolute man, allowing himself to become infamous and never repenting - he did it on purpose!
"Whether he did this at Xie Pei's instruction or because of his own choice, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that everyone knows that Xie Pei has no successor in the army and will never be able to achieve anything."
Ye Chutang said this, holding his chin with one hand, and lazily pushed out a white piece, then calmly and decisively killed the black piece that just had a glimmer of hope.
"Xie Pei should be very satisfied with this situation. But after all his calculations, he only missed his eldest son, whom he cares about the most. I'm afraid he has never asked Xie Anjun whether he is willing to be a loyal and brave marquis with only a nominal title."
Ye Jingyan's heart skipped a beat, and he felt vaguely that he had touched upon a shocking truth.
"Sister means, Xie Anjun..."
"Go on." Ye Chutang urged him to make his move.
Ye Jingyan looked down and found that Heizi had fallen into despair again without realizing it.
His brows furrowed slightly, and after a long time, he seemed to have given up and made a move in another position.
Ye Chutang laughed.
"Want to attack Wei to save Zhao?"
"No." Ye Jingyan shook his head, "It's to cut off the tail to survive."
Since the road ahead is a dead end, we can only give up everything and seek the last hope.
Ye Chutang blinked, and the smile deepened.
"Is that all right?"
Ye Jingyan clenched his palms slightly and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Because he wasn't sure either.
It all depends on the opponent.
His palms began to sweat.
Finally, Ye Chutang took the chess piece and placed it down with a "click".
Ye Jingyan breathed a sigh of relief - the move taken by his sister was just as he expected.
He did not hesitate and followed suit.
Ye Chutang continued to chat with him leisurely and did not continue the previous topic.
The game had entered a fierce stage of fighting, and the only sound in the room was the sound of chess pieces knocking off the chessboard.
Xiaowu watched intently, and from time to time nervously glanced at the stack of banknotes on his left and the padlock on his right.
It was getting dark outside, and from time to time there was the noise of fireworks and firecrackers, which sounded very lively.
It makes the house feel even quieter and more peaceful.
Of course, only Ye Chutang felt this way.
Ye Jingyan stared at the chessboard, taking one step at a time, and his brows furrowed more and more as time went on.
Xiaowu didn't even dare to breathe, and at the same time he was secretly glad that he was not the one confronting Ajie today, otherwise he would have died long ago. What was the point of playing?
On the chessboard, the black pieces were gradually being devoured, and before they knew it, they were completely surrounded by the white pieces, with no chance to breathe.
Finally, Ye Jingyan let out a long breath, threw the black piece in his hand back into the chess pot, raised his eyes and looked directly at Ye Chutang, and said:
“I lost.”
Crash——
Xiaowu stood up excitedly instantly, the banknotes rustling, his little face flushed and his eyes sparkling.
As expected, my sister won!
There is money coming into her little piggy bank again!
Ye Chutang couldn't help laughing, and gently pinched her cheek, then looked at Ye Jingyan and said with a smile:
“It’s been a lot of progress.”
Hearing this, Ye Jingyan also laughed.
"Thank you for the compliment, sister. I am still far from it."
He lowered his eyes and glanced at the chess board.
He lost the game of chess with his elder sister, and he accepted it with all his heart, but——
"I just thought it was too simple. I thought I could turn the tables."
Ye Chutang raised the corners of his lips slightly.
"It's not that your idea is not good enough. Many times, if you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. But more often than not, man proposes, God disposes. In this world, nothing can be achieved as you think it will be."
Just like this game of chess.
Or maybe, Xie Pei, Xie family.
Ye Jingyan's chest trembled, his expression restrained, he lowered his head and answered seriously: "Sister is right."
While picking up the chess pieces, Ye Chutang said nonchalantly:
"At the palace banquet that day, His Majesty ordered Xie Pei to negotiate with the Wazhen envoys. Xie Pei was eager to follow the advice and did a great job. But not long after, Xie Pei died."
Ye Jingyan raised his eyes suddenly, shocked.
In this case, isn’t everything that happened to the Xie family the intention of Your Majesty? ?
But what mistake did Xie Pei, no, it should be Xie Anjun, make to bring about such a disaster that Xie Pei had to pay with his life! ?
Has Xie Pei's death satisfied Your Majesty and put all issues to rest?
After thinking it over, Ye Jingyan only had one last absurd and bold guess in his mind.
"Xie Anjun... is he related to Wa Zhen?!"
Pop.
The last chess piece is put away.
Ye Chutang finally raised his eyes, but did not directly answer Ye Jingyan's question. Instead, he brought up another matter.
"You were in the Imperial College. Have you ever heard the rumor that Xie Anjun and Fan Chengzhuo were friends?"
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