Chapter 146 Extremely cunning, meaning she…
"During that period, the head of the Wang family and the head of the Su family only met with one person, and it was the same person, just disguised as a different person."
"Hmm?" Fu Yun was somewhat surprised and asked uncertainly, "You don't mean that the two of them secretly met with that bandit leader Mu Xin, do you?"
Zhilan nodded: "That's right, this is also the reason why we couldn't find any evidence even though we knew about the collusion between the Su and Wang families with foreign powers. It was Mu Xin who dealt with the two of them from beginning to end, and Mu Xin went out of the city to make contact with the spies."
After a moment's thought, Fu Yun asked, "If Mu Xin is their liaison in colluding with foreign powers, do the two of them know of each other's existence?"
Zhilan said, "They must be unaware of it, otherwise, given their antagonistic relationship, they wouldn't have been so harmonious in the early stages."
Fu Yun nodded and offered his analysis: "Yes, that's also why I think the two families won't cooperate. I guess Mu Xin is deceiving both of them, telling them that one of them has colluded with foreign powers to expand their business and wants to take this opportunity to open shops in other countries in order to expand their business territory."
"When the other person heard her say that, he was naturally not to be outdone and also tried to open a shop in another country. As a result, the two of them were not willing to give in to each other and were secretly competing with each other, thinking about how to suppress the other."
Zhilan agreed, "That's what I think too."
Her gaze darkened, her expression hardening: "These two, for their own selfish desires, have colluded with foreign powers, betraying their country and committing heinous crimes. Their crimes are unforgivable. Even executing their entire clan, tearing them apart by five horses, would not be too much for me."
Of course, Zhilan didn't mean anything by those words. In her eyes, Fu Jun was already her beloved husband, so he naturally didn't count as a member of the Su family, especially since he had already left the Su family.
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun felt a chill run down his spine. He paused in his action of picking up his teacup, then awkwardly agreed, "This kind of traitor should indeed not be let off the hook."
He paused, then tentatively began, "But I have a question."
Zhilan looked directly at Fu Yun: "What do you want to ask?"
Fu Yun asked, "Will everyone in the Su family be punished?"
Zhilan raised her eyebrows slightly and said bluntly, "Of course, these kinds of serious criminals must be eradicated to prevent future troubles."
Fu Yun frowned, feeling a little heavy-hearted.
Seeing his silence, Zhilan spoke up to comfort him: "Don't worry, your biological father doesn't count."
Fu Jun sighed: "That's not what I wanted to say."
Zhilan was slightly puzzled. She glanced at Fu Jun and saw that his brows were slightly furrowed, and he still seemed unhappy. She couldn't help but feel a little displeased: "What? You can't bear it? Are you still thinking about that blood relationship?"
In her view, threatening the stability of the Kingdom of Nu and betraying one's country for personal gain are serious crimes that should be punished by exterminating nine generations of one's family and being executed by slow slicing, as a warning to others.
Fu Yun was slightly taken aback, realizing that Zhi Lan had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "Of course not. People who disregard the safety of the country are naturally criminals who harm the country and its people, and do not deserve to live in this world."
He sighed and patiently explained, "It's just that the blame shouldn't fall on others. She's the one who committed a terrible mistake, so it's only right that she suffers a terrible death. But what if those servants who didn't make any mistakes and were just working for the Su family to make a living lost their lives because of her? Wouldn't that be too innocent?"
Zhilan was slightly taken aback, her mind went blank for a moment, and she didn't quite understand the meaning behind Fu Jun's words. Did he not hate those who had bullied him in the past?
Killing them would surely quell my hatred.
Furthermore, in her mind, throughout history, powerful families have always been one entity, sharing both prosperity and adversity. If the head of the family has committed a grave crime, how can the other members of the family be considered innocent? If such a heinous crime is not punished more severely, how can the court be deterred?
Fu Yun shook his head, his expression particularly solemn: "Good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished. It is reasonable to punish the Su family members, and it is also justifiable to punish those who became accomplices of the Su family. However, there are some people who have never done anything immoral or harmful to others. They have only been working diligently to make a living. Why should they suffer this undeserved disaster? They do not belong to the real Su family. They have their own families and friends, and they may even be the only pillars of their families. If they lose their lives like this, how many families will be destroyed?"
Fu Yun's expression was serious and her tone sincere: "I'm not against you killing criminals. I just think that the wronged should be held accountable, and whoever is at fault should bear the consequences. Don't involve innocent people. After all, it's already very difficult for some people to live, but they still try their best and live humbly, just because there are people they care about and their families in this world."
His tone was filled with heavy regret: "They were all living, breathing people, and they had love in their hearts. This is not how it should have ended."
Zhilan frowned, staring directly at Fu Jun, a dark undercurrent surging in her eyes.
She remained silent for a long time, and seeing Fu Jun's worried face, she finally softened and comforted him, "Alright, I know you pity those servants. Before sentencing them, I will send someone to investigate the life experiences of those servants of the Su family so that no innocent person will be killed. Are you happy now?"
Fu Yun's pupils dilated slightly, and she was momentarily stunned: "Really?"
Zhilan glared at Fu Yun: "A promise is a promise. When have I ever lied to you?"
The worry between Fu Yun's brows vanished instantly, replaced by a relieved smile. He sincerely praised her, "You are such a good person. It is a blessing for the people of Nu Kingdom to have you in charge."
Zhilan: "..." All you do is talk a good game, why don't you do anything? Shouldn't you be giving me a touching hug right now?
“By the way…” Fu Yun clearly hadn’t thought much about this matter, but instead showed a thirst for knowledge: “There’s something I still don’t understand.”
Zhilan raised her eyes and glanced at Fu Jun with a deep sense of frustration, thinking to herself, "He really is a blockhead, he doesn't know how to seize the opportunity at all."
She said impatiently, "Tell me about it."
Fu Yun's mind was no longer on this matter, and she didn't notice Zhi Lan's emotions. She asked directly, "Doesn't the head of the Wang family know that Mu Xin is the bandit who wiped out their Wang family? Otherwise, why would he be so close to her?"
Seeing that he had no intention of begging for a hug, Zhilan was a little annoyed, but there was nothing she could do, so she could only sigh silently.
She explained, "They may not have known before, but they should know now, since Wang Linfang has already found out the real murderer who wiped out the whole family."
"Oh?" Fu Jun was somewhat surprised: "How do you know she's already found out? Has she contacted you?"
"Wait a minute~" A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly realized: "Could the person who kidnapped a high-ranking official and demanded to see you be Wang Linfang?"
Zhilan blinked slightly and nodded in response, "You guessed right, it is indeed her."
Fu Yun asked, puzzled, "If she wanted to seek justice, couldn't she just use her influence to find an opportunity to meet with you directly? Why did she have to create such a big commotion with the rebels?"
Zhilan's expression turned indifferent, her tone slightly cold: "Because she hates me. She thinks I'm a tyrannical ruler, blind to injustice, and indifferent to the lives of the people, unworthy to be the ruler of this land. The court is also filled with treacherous officials, with officials and merchants protecting each other. Su Tan clearly hired someone to wipe out the entire Wang family, yet he didn't receive the punishment he deserved. Instead, he's unscathed and has been living freely for so many years. So she wants to take revenge on the entire court, including me."
Fu Yun's heart tightened, and she asked, "How does she plan to take revenge? Will she destroy the entire court? Or will she kill you and take your place?"
Zhilan scoffed lightly, looking at Fu Jun with a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "You're always so insightful. I only mentioned a few related matters, and you could guess the whole story."
Fu Yun shrugged and explained with a light laugh, "That's because there are many suspicious points about her. First, although she has been doing charity porridge distribution, she doesn't actually care much about the lives of the poor. Last time, when refugees came from the neighboring city, she disappeared as soon as she was told, just because it caught our attention and we paid her a little more attention. She didn't care at all whether these refugees would starve to death. This shows that she actually disregards the lives of these poor people."
"And when she came to me for cooperation last time, she said she wanted to make money to continue doing charity, but in reality she came to inquire about the future development of my fitness training camp, and even wanted to get involved and gain some control of the training camp. This is not consistent with the Buddhist image she presents to the public."
"In other words, the impression she gives me is that she's putting on a show of being a great philanthropist to gain the support and love of the poor. That way, even if she does something outrageous or commits a heinous crime one day, the poor will still choose to believe in her, support her, and endorse her because they see that she's always doing good deeds."
"This kind of behavior can usually be called hypocrisy. She did it with ulterior motives and selfish desires, but the poor people are unaware of this. They will only feel that the court is unable to distinguish right from wrong and treats a very virtuous person in this way. This will also incite conflicts between the government and the common people."
Fu Yun concluded: "In other words, Wang Lin is extremely cunning. From the very beginning, he set up a scheme against you and the court, and he endured it for three whole years, lying in wait and accumulating strength, all for the sake of bringing you down from the throne."
"If you really go to see her, what awaits you is probably not just a threat to your life, but also a complete smearing of your reputation, causing you to lose face and the dignity of a monarch in front of the people."
Zhilan looked appreciative: "Your analysis is spot on, and it coincides with my guess."
Fu Yun smiled slightly at Zhi Lan and asked curiously, "So how did you resolve this upheaval in the palace?"
Zhilan smiled slightly, her tone mysterious: "Guess."
Fu Jun was both amused and exasperated: "I really couldn't have guessed that."
Zhilan smiled but remained silent.
If she didn't say anything, Fu Yun could only wait patiently.
Unexpectedly, Zhilan immediately changed the subject: "What are your plans regarding your biological father?"
Fu Yun stated frankly, "I want to bring him out."
Zhilan nodded, not surprised: "As long as the war outside the city continues and we don't push Su Tan too hard, your biological father is safe."
Fu Yun said, "But we can't guarantee that Su Tan won't develop a rebellious mentality after the fighting in the city ends. After all, she is now a caged beast, and Mu Xin has not come to rescue her for a long time. We can't even be sure if she has become a pawn. Naturally, she will make the worst plan, which is to perish together with him."
Before Zhilan could respond, Fu Yun said firmly, "Su's father cannot die yet."
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