Looking at this haggard, legendary poison master and the woman beside him with a swollen belly, Zhao Hao felt a pang of emotion.
No wonder this guy wanted to talk business with me; everyone has their moments of frustration...
"Old Dian, why don't you and Old Cheng go outside and enjoy the scenery?"
"Hmm... Old Mo, you take your wife downstairs to rest. I have important matters to discuss with this young master."
Both of them are intelligent people; they can understand each other with just a glance.
After everyone else had left, Zhao Hao broke the silence between them.
"You dismissed 99% of the servants in the manor? What, this isn't like you."
Li Ru gave a bitter smile, poured Zhao Hao a cup of tea, and sighed.
"I committed too many sins in the first half of my life. Now that I know I'm on a dead end, I'll try to harm as few people as possible."
Zhao Hao nodded and drank the tea to his heart's content.
"Heh, you know even less about tea ceremony than I do? Who drinks tea like they drink alcohol..."
Between men, there's no need for so many twists and turns.
Li Ru refilled his teacup and muttered to himself.
“My father-in-law was once just as bold and unrestrained as you, and he would talk to me about the state of the world.”
"Hmm, so he's changed now, right?"
"General Zhao, if you hadn't already guessed all this, why would you have sent gifts to your father-in-law and secretly dispatched a large army to press on the border, ready to act at any moment?"
As expected, Li Ru realized his scheme. It seemed that the intimidation he had made was just a performance to cooperate with him. For some people, this level of intimidation could not be etched into the soul of someone as determined as Li Ru.
"Hehe, then let's get to the point. Give me a reason why I can trust you, and then I'll state my conditions."
Li Ru took a sip of his teacup and handed the black goose feather fan that had been with him for many years to Zhao Hao.
"I'm tired. I just want to use my last moments to help more people live."
In this world, you, Zhao Hao, are the only one who can provide a path to officialdom for those from humble backgrounds and a way of life for ordinary people.
Can this be used as a reason?
Zhao Hao narrowed his eyes. "Liu Yu of Youzhou and Liu Biao of Jingzhou, aren't they your best choices?"
Li Ru shook his head. "General, why ask such a question you already know the answer to? Liu Yu is just a bookish scholar with the title of royalty. As for Liu Biao? He's allied with powerful families; the people under his command will always remain ordinary people."
I, Li Ru, Li Wenyou, can hardly be called great. But the reason I followed my father-in-law was precisely because I wanted to carve out a path to success for myself, coming from humble beginnings.
However, power and money can easily cloud one's judgment, and my father-in-law is no longer capable of doing that.
"If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be far from death!"
Zhao Hao reluctantly nodded and then asked again.
"So, what do you think you can do to help me, and what else do you want me to give you?"
"It's simple. If you want to invade Luoyang and have a legitimate reason to send troops, I will give you that."
Of course, I would push my father-in-law into that position, making him a public enemy.
But you must guarantee the safety of my wife and children, and...
“I know this place well. If you want, they are definitely a wealthy family, and they will have no worries for the rest of their lives. But if they do evil, then don’t blame me.”
"Hehe...that's natural. At the same time, I will secretly send Liu Bian and He Ling here to you."
Although it might be more advantageous for you to poison those two directly for you.
But I investigated when you requested the title of Marquis of Qin.
Four hundred years ago, Fusu's widow, the descendant of Prince Gao, was from one of these two branches of the Zhao family of Changshan.
If you truly wish to restore your ancestors' glory, then obtaining the legitimate succession is what you desire most, isn't it?
Zhao Hao remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly.
He never expected that Li Ru would investigate to such an extent, even uncovering events from hundreds of years ago.
No wonder this guy chose to cooperate with me, instead of merging with the flames and disappearing into the world as in history...
"You admit it? That's good... Actually, I was just guessing at first."
"There's nothing wrong with acknowledging something that happened hundreds of years ago. When Qin lost its throne, the whole world condemned it."
"The Han dynasty lost its deer, just like this!"
"Alright! Now that you say that, I regret not meeting you sooner."
Li Ru slowly stood up. "General, please come with me. There is a place you need to familiarize yourself with."
Zhao Haosui was puzzled, but his intuition told him that Li Ru did not intend to harm him this time, so he nodded and followed.
Walking into the backyard of Li Ru's mansion, there was a large dry well. Li Ru actually took out a long ladder and hung it on the edge of the well.
"General, shall we make a trip?"
"It is my wish, but I dare not ask!"
As you descend the ladder, you discover a secret passage inside the well.
At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. After walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.
The secret passage is spacious, with a height of about three meters and a width of about ten meters, enough for several people to pass through at the same time.
"Wenyou has really gone all out. This secret passage... I wonder where it leads?"
"This road leads directly to the shore of Mangshan Mountain, and once you cross the shore, you will be inland in the river."
"General, this secret passage is crucial for the success of our mission, isn't it?"
Zhao Hao was stunned. "You're going to send the young emperor and Empress Dowager He away through this tunnel?"
"Does the general have a better method?" Li Ru asked in return.
"...Could it be that with Lü Bu's Bingzhou wolf cavalry and the royalist guards, they couldn't forcibly enter the palace and seize the emperor and empress dowager?"
Li Ru shook his head and explained the pros and cons in detail.
"General, what do you think of the young emperor and empress dowager's martial prowess?"
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