lcionline Is Chapter 756 about surveillance, or waiting for someone?
Is Chapter 756 about surveillance, or waiting for someone?
“He has accepted the favor, so he will naturally protect the Twelfth Prince.” Qian Zhenyun walked to her side and followed her gaze to the window.
"Right now, those two who are confined to the mansion are probably the most restless."
Humiliated, punished, and confined to their residence with nowhere to vent their frustrations, the forged military report became their only chance to turn the tables.
Inside the Fifth Prince's residence, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed to have frozen solid.
"boom!"
A fine celadon teacup was slammed to the ground and shattered into pieces.
The Seventh Prince Zhao Rui's chest heaved violently, and his handsome face, which usually carried a lazy smile, was now filled with gloom and irritability.
"What a disgrace! I, Zhao Rui, have never suffered such humiliation in my entire life!"
He suddenly turned to the Fifth Prince Zhao Zhang, who was sitting motionless to the side, his voice full of resentment: "Fifth Brother! Are you just going to put up with this? A month of confinement and a six-month salary deduction will make us the laughingstock of the entire capital!"
Zhao Zhang's face was ashen, and he didn't say a word. His fingers gripped the armrest so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Endure?" He finally squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth, his voice as cold as ice. "What else can we do if we don't endure? Rush out to settle scores with Gu Qingchen? Or go to the palace to plead our case to the Emperor?"
"There's nothing we can do right now!" Zhao Rui paced back and forth in anger, like a caged beast. "Are we just going to stand by and watch the Crown Prince and that little bastard get all smug?"
He stopped abruptly, his eyes gleaming with a greedy and crazed light. He lowered his voice and whispered in Zhao Zhang's ear, "Fifth Brother, we must get that military report!"
Zhao Zhang's pupils suddenly contracted. He abruptly turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Zhao Rui: "Are you crazy? We just suffered a huge loss, and you still dare to trust that dog Lin Jiayou? This is obviously a trap!"
"So what if it's a trap!" Zhao Rui's voice was filled with a desperate ruthlessness. "Fortune favors the bold! I've had people investigate, and things are indeed quite turbulent in the Northern Frontier lately; the demand for rare healing medicines is real!"
"Moreover, my mother's family also sent word that if we can gather all the medicinal herbs, the profit will be at least this much!"
He held up five fingers, his eyes filled with undisguised fervor.
"Fifth Brother, think about it. If we succeed in this, you'll get military merit, and I'll get money. Once we leave this mansion, who will dare to laugh at us? We'll make back the face we lost, with interest!"
Zhao Zhang's heart wavered uncontrollably.
Military merit was his lifelong pursuit.
He remained silent for a long time before asking in a deep voice, "What do you plan to do?"
Seeing that he had relented, Zhao Rui immediately revealed a calculating smile on his face.
He leaned close to Zhao Zhang's ear, his voice lowered, like a viper flicking its tongue: "This batch of medicinal herbs is too rare. Even my Qi family would have difficulty gathering them in a short time. However, my uncle has come up with a way to pass off inferior herbs as superior ones."
"What did you say?" Zhao Zhang shoved him away abruptly, his face turning ashen, his eyes filled with disbelief and fury.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Fifth Brother!" Zhao Rui pulled him back nonchalantly. "It's not counterfeit. It's just that we're using herbs that are slightly less effective but look very similar to the real thing to replace some of the ingredients."
"For example, if you use 'Frost Flower Grass' instead of 'Snowy Ice Silkworm Flower,' and after drying and crushing them, even a god couldn't tell the difference! But the price difference is enormous!"
"You're joking about matters of national importance!" Zhao Zhang's anger could no longer be contained, and he roared in a low voice, "You dare to tamper with the life-saving medicines supplied to the border troops? If it's discovered, that's treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!"
"Who would investigate?" Zhao Rui sneered, his face full of contempt. "The frontier is harsh and cold, and the emperor is far away. The medicine has been delivered, the credit has been reported, and the money has been received. Who would offend us for the life or death of a few soldiers?"
"Fifth Brother, you're being too hesitant! If you want to achieve great things, how can you avoid getting your hands dirty?"
"I absolutely disagree!" Zhao Zhang said firmly, enunciating each word clearly. "If this matter is to be done, it must be done properly. Otherwise, I would rather not have this credit!"
The two brothers, one greedy and reckless, the other cautious and suspicious, completely broke off their relationship in the face of enormous temptations and risks.
Seeing that he was completely unmoved, Zhao Rui's patience finally ran out.
"Good, good, good!" He said three times, but his smile was icy cold. "Fifth Brother, you're so high and mighty, you want to be a saint! Then I'll take all this enormous wealth! Don't worry, the military merit will still be yours, I only want the money. You don't need to worry about anything, just wait for my good news!"
After saying that, he didn't look at Zhao Zhang again and turned away.
A few days later, in a secluded private room of a teahouse.
Lin Jiayou stood respectfully at the lower end, opposite him sat the trusted steward of the Seventh Prince Zhao Rui.
The steward pushed a heavy money bag in front of him and said expressionlessly, "His Highness said you did a good job. This is the next task: go to the Qi family's pharmacy in the south of the city and give this prescription to Manager Qi San. Tell him to proceed according to plan."
He handed over a folded piece of paper.
Lin Jiayou took the note, and his fingers paused almost imperceptibly the moment they touched the paper.
He lowered his head and replied meekly, "Yes, Your Highness and the steward will take care of it. Please rest assured."
Stepping out of the teahouse, Lin Jiayou shivered at the cold wind. Instead of heading straight to the south of the city, he turned into a deserted, narrow alley.
He slowly unfolded the slip of paper, on which were written the names of several medicinal herbs. The three characters "Frost Flower Grass" were circled in red ink.
This is the evidence.
Lin Jiayou carefully tucked the note into his pocket, raised his head, and looked at the tall and majestic gate tower of the Jingzhao Prefecture not far away.
His face was devoid of any trace of humility or subservience, replaced only by a cold and resolute expression.
Gu Qingchen, didn't you want me to make a knife? Then I'll make the fastest and most ruthless knife!
Lin Jiayou straightened his clothes, took a step, and walked towards the gate of the government office that could decide the fate of countless people.
He could now clearly see the patterns on the armor of the guards at the gate, and the lingering snow gathering in the mouths of the two stone lions.
Just then, he paused almost imperceptibly, his sharp gaze sweeping towards a tea stall diagonally opposite.
Two men dressed in ordinary short clothes sat at the tea stall, drinking hot tea with their heads down. They looked no different from the peddlers and laborers that could be seen anywhere on the street.
But Lin Jiayou's gaze fell on the money pouch worn by one of them at his waist.
The money pouch was indigo blue, with an inconspicuous cloud pattern embroidered on it in silver thread.
He had seen this pattern before.
At the Fifth Prince's residence, the guards who were favored wore these kinds of money pouches around their waists.
Lin Jiayou's heart sank suddenly.
He didn't stop walking, but subtly shifted his gaze, pretending to look casually at the street corner.
A worn-out carriage sat there quietly, the driver hunched over, half asleep.
But Lin Jiayou recognized the coachman; he was a servant in the Fifth Prince's household who was in charge of purchasing.
The Fifth Prince's men.
Why are they here?
Are they spying on someone, or are they waiting for someone?
Lin Jiayou's back instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat.