Chapter 197 Acting, Pei Yuan Berates Shen Chu
The confidant smiled obsequiously, "Second Master is right. A mere censor dares to go against our Feng family."
Second Master, what should we do next? Should we also...?"
The confidant made a swift, decisive cut.
Master Feng's face darkened. "No, he is a prince after all, and he has the Flying Eagle Guard under his command. It will be very difficult for us to succeed."
Even if a minor censor dies, with the Empress and the Crown Prince present, His Majesty will not pursue the matter excessively.
"But if a prince dies, His Majesty will surely be furious, and our Feng family will be in serious trouble."
The confidant said, "Second Master is indeed very thoughtful."
Master Feng paced back and forth in the room for a moment with his hands behind his back, and said, "Over the years, we have never been able to find out where Jiang Hongzhi has hidden the evidence."
I never expected that they were hiding in their hometown of Yueyang. Have the people we sent to Anhua returned yet?
Has Jiang Hongzhi dealt with it?
The confidant said, "Not yet, but Shen Chu is already dead, and the Sixth Prince is on his way to find Shen Chu."
The soldiers left behind in Anhua were just low-ranking officers; killing Jiang Hongzhi wouldn't be difficult.
Second Master, rest assured, Jiang Hongzhi will be dead by tomorrow.
Master Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jiang Hongzhi is finally dead. Without Jiang Hongzhi, if we take back those key pieces of evidence, the Feng family will no longer have any leverage over others."
Go contact the other party and retrieve all the evidence that Shen Chu obtained.
The confidant obeyed and immediately went to the restaurant with the flag to see the leader of the men in black.
The leader of the men in black is in Pei Yuan's hands, so naturally he can't see him.
What they saw were just Flying Eagle Guards disguised as men in black.
Therefore, when his confidant suggested taking the evidence in Shen Chu's hands, the black-clad man disguised as a Flying Eagle Guard gave a cold smile.
"Evidence? Sure, let your master come and get it himself."
The confidant flew into a rage, "You've broken your promise! We agreed that once you killed the man and retrieved the evidence, I would settle the remaining five thousand taels of silver with you."
The Flying Eagle Guard, disguised as a man in black, sneered.
“Our boss doesn’t care about five thousand taels of silver anymore. With these pieces of evidence in hand, he can have as much silver as he wants.”
Our boss said that if your master doesn't personally intervene, he wouldn't mind spreading the letter far and wide.
The confidant returned with a gloomy expression to report to Master Feng.
Master Feng was so angry that he smashed a set of teacups and cursed the man in black for not following the rules of the underworld.
The confidant asked, "Second Master, what should we do this time? Are we going to be blackmailed by them again?"
"Pah! What kind of bullshit gangster organization dares to threaten my Feng family?" Master Feng spat fiercely, a sinister smile flashing in his eyes.
"Go and tell them that I will personally host a banquet for them at Xiangmanlou tonight. They can make any demands they have."
Xiangmanlou is owned by the Feng family, so it's very easy for them to tamper with the food.
Master Feng sneered, "It's one thing to be threatened by Jiang Hongzhi, but who knows what kind of Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to threaten our Feng family?"
"Let's send them all on their way tonight, to keep Chen Chu company."
Evening, at Xiangpiaolou.
The leader of the men in black, with a gaping mouth missing six large teeth, appeared in the private room of Xiangpiaolou.
Master Feng had already prepared his plan in his mind, intending to first feign compliance, then pretend to agree to the leader of the men in black's conditions and coax him into drinking the poisoned wine.
Before he could even speak, the leader of the men in black entered and shouted:
"Xi Xiu knocks before, Xi Xiu calls for goods."
Master Feng was completely bewildered and secretly blamed his confidant.
Where did they find this gap-toothed killer?
There are six beads in one hole, they're so neatly arranged.
He looked at the men in black following behind the leader of the men in black.
The man in black said expressionlessly, "My boss said it's cash on delivery. Let's settle the final payment for killing Shen Chu first, and then we'll talk about the rest."
Master Feng smiled, poured himself a glass of wine, and pushed it towards him.
“Our Feng family always keeps its word. We never break our promises. Come, let’s drink first.”
The leader of the men in black refused to drink and insisted on paying the bill first.
Master Feng cursed the leader of the men in black in his heart, but still took out a five-thousand-tael silver note and handed it over.
"Yes, can we talk now?"
The leader of the men in black did not accept the silver note.
The man in black behind him reached out and took it.
"Isn't the five thousand taels that Master Feng settled incorrect?"
Master Feng said irritably, "We agreed that I would pay a deposit of five thousand taels first, and then pay another five thousand taels after killing Shen Chu. What's wrong with that?"
The man in black smiled.
Bang.
The door was kicked open from the outside.
Pei Yuan strode in, holding a jade-bone fan.
The leader of the men in black, who had been sitting in a chair, suddenly knelt down on the ground.
The movements were incredibly swift and precise.
The man in black standing behind him respectfully handed over the silver notes that Master Feng had just given him.
Pei Yuan sat down with an air of authority, glanced at the silver note between two fingers, and then looked coldly at Master Feng.
"What? The life of an imperial envoy is only worth ten thousand taels of silver?"
Master Feng the Second...
Shen Chu is just an imperial censor, not some rare treasure. Is ten thousand taels too little?
His expression changed drastically when he first saw Pei Yuan, and now, hearing these words, he was unsure of Pei Yuan's thoughts.
"What? Are you feeling guilty now that I, the prince, have overheard your scheme?"
Master Feng glanced at his expression and tentatively said, "Your Highness has misunderstood. It was your subordinate who was ignorant and colluded with the Jianghu organization to harm Lord Shen."
"Your humble servant has only just learned of this matter and is currently handling the aftermath."
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Really? Tell me, how do you plan to handle the aftermath?"
Master Feng said, "His Majesty ordered Your Highness and Lord Shen to come to Changsha Prefecture to inspect the salt. Lord Shen was murdered. I'm afraid Your Highness will have a hard time explaining this to His Majesty."
"While I am also heartbroken by the passing of Lord Shen, given the current situation, perhaps we should discuss how to explain things to His Majesty?"
Pei Yuan waved his jade-bone fan, a half-smile on his face, "Oh, continue."
Seeing that he hadn't lost his temper, Master Feng felt a little relieved and continued:
"Your Highness was ordered to suppress the bandits. Now all the bandits in Leigong Village have been captured, and Your Highness's mission has been successfully completed."
As for the salt workers' riot, it was caused by Yao Sihai colluding with Jiang Hongzhi to sell smuggled salt and mistreat the salt workers. His Highness has already assisted Lord Shen in investigating the matter.
It's a real shame that Lord Shen was killed during his investigation of the case.
"Does Your Highness think that reporting to His Majesty in this way is a win-win situation?"
Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Uncle Feng's plan is quite shrewd."
"Why don't you tell me again, who should be blamed for the murder of Lord Shen?"
Master Feng laughed, "Naturally, it's Jiang Hongzhi's fault. He sold smuggled salt, murdered his wife and daughter, so he doesn't care about adding another charge of plotting against the imperial envoy. Doesn't Your Highness agree?"
Pei Yuan nodded, "I understand. What the Imperial Uncle Feng wants to do today is to silence me."
What benefit would this bring to me, the prince?
Master Feng scoffed inwardly, thinking, "Sure enough, everyone is selfish."
When it comes to their own benefits, even the best relationships can be set aside.
"In this way, Your Highness will have completed the mission brilliantly, and Lord Shen will even have a glorious reputation after death. In the future, the Empress and the Crown Prince will not treat Your Highness unfairly. Why wouldn't Your Highness be happy with this?"
"A posthumous reputation?" Pei Yuan's expression suddenly darkened. "What if I said I didn't want Shen Chu to have a posthumous reputation?"
Master Feng was somewhat bewildered. "Why?"
Pei Yuan sneered, "Because Shen Chu is petty and calculating, acts rashly and impulsively, lacks common sense, is arrogant and loves to show off, simply..."
Chen Chu, who had been listening in the next room, could no longer bear it and pushed open the door.
"Your Highness, that's about enough."
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