Watching the situation in front of him, Liu Zhenqing had already come to a decision. Huo Fenglie to the side seemed to somewhat understand the issue, and breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Qiao Jin was the person Qing-ge had protected in the beginning, and was also his only living relative. If he actually had to draw his sword, Qing-ge would be sad.

And Qiao Jin had never experienced such ups and downs before. He suddenly blushed in embarrassment and glared at Liu Qiao: “Y-y-you! Why did you kiss me!”

Liu Qiao was somewhat impatient: “You made the request and I did it. What, do you intend to break your promise?!”

For Liu Qiao, this activity was very simple. As long as he could solve Master’s problems without swords being pointed at Qiao Jin, he could do such a small thing. Although he didn’t like to be too close to others, the other was the child he’d raised himself, so what was there to hate?

Qiao Jin’s face was still wet, his eyes wide. The youth’s bewilderment could not be concealed, and was painted across his face.

“I asked you to kiss me, and you did. Do you know what this means?”

It was like something that required traversing oceans of fire and mountains of swords to obtain, yet the other party gave alms to his poor self without a care. He wanted it, but was aggrieved when he got it. This feeling was truly indescribable.

Liu Qiao was no fool. Of course he knew what kissing meant. He had seen many couples and lovers in entertainment houses, and had watched Liu Zhenqing in person.

He was rather surprised that Qiao Jin would make such a request out of anger. In fact, he understood that Qiao Jin had made such an unreasonable request out of purposeful resistance to make him withdraw. But Liu Qiao had really underestimated him. Since Qiao Jin’s request had been fulfilled, he must keep his promise. Otherwise, Liu Qiao would beat him and teach this brat the meaning of dropping a rock on his own foot.

Liu Qiao said indifferently: “It was only a touch, and it’s not the first time.”

Qiao Jin was shocked to hear these words, and fury surged through his entire being: “Not the first time? Who was it! Was it Liu Zhenqing?!”

Liu Zhenqing, who was targeted even while hiding behind a tree, felt the gradually lowering air pressure of the one behind him. He immediately shook his head. How could it be possible? Even though he’d already explained things, why did this cheap cousin of his still think of him as a love rival, ah? But Liu Zhenqing was also quite surprised that this wasn’t Liu Qiao’s first time. Hadn’t he said that he’d never been attracted to any girl before? Could it have been a similar situation as today?

Liu Qiao said bluntly and unemotionally: “It was you.”

Qiao Jin froze, unable to believe his ears. “Me? When was this?”

“When I was being hunted and you fell ill, this was how I gave you medicine,” Liu Qiao said.

Qiao Jin stared at him in astonishment: “I…..I was still a child back then, this is different, this…..”

“What’s the difference?” Liu Qiao asked. This was still the same person, he’d just grown up. 

Seeing Qiao Jin’s current expression, Liu Qiao knew that his counterattack was extremely smart. It seemed he had become more clever after returning to his master, and simply helped resolve his master’s troubles.

Qiao Jin felt as if he was one step away from choking to death. But the little wolf cub was very intelligent, and quickly realized that he seemed to have accidentally found a way to keep Liu Qiao by his side.

He seemed to have never possessed anything since childhood but Liu Qiao. He wouldn’t give him up to anyone, and even if it was despicable, he would keep this person by his side.

“I keep my word. I’ll listen to Liu Zhenqing this time, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always listen to him in the future.”

Seeing Qiao Jin’s difficult-to-tame appearance, Liu Qiao frowned slightly.

“Unless…..” Qiao Jin gazed at Liu Qiao, his heart beating like a drum. “Unless you…..”

“Cough, cough, cough.” A sound interrupted Qiao Jin’s words.

Qiao Jin turned around unhappily to see Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie walk out from behind a tree in the distance.

Liu Zhenqing gave Qiao Jin a helpless look, then glared at the black-hearted wolf cub. If he didn’t come out, there was no telling what excessive demands Qiao Jin would make to coax Liu Qiao. Liu Qiao was still acting as if he hadn’t been taken advantage of at all, and Liu Zhenqing had no intention of selling Qiaoqiao to the wolf cub.

Liu Qiao saw them approaching and said: “Master, he agreed to cooperate.”

Liu Zhenqing stepped forward awkwardly and patted Liu Qiao on the shoulder: “Qiaoqiao, ah, never mind him cooperating. I have plenty of ways to deal with him, you don’t have to agree to any of his requests.”

Qiao Jin immediately glowered at him.

Liu Qiao had naturally noticed that Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie had been behind the tree before, and wasn’t embarrassed at all as he said: “It was only a kiss. That’s easy.”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. As expected, Liu Qiao didn’t care much about this sort of thing. He could only say sincerely: “Qiaoqiao, something as intimate as kissing can only be done between couples who are in love with each other, not just anyone. This is especially true when someone uses it as a trade, with no sincerity at all.”

Liu Qiao stared blankly, unable to understand why his master was taking this so seriously.

Seeing that Liu Qiao still looked confused, Liu Zhenqing gestured to Huo Fenlgie beside him and said: “We can do this kind of thing.”

Huo Fenglie had been in a daze ever since Liu Zhenqing mentioned couples who were in love, and his expression changed slightly when Liu Zhenqing pointed at him.

Qing-ge…..was only making an excuse to educate Qiao Jin.

They were lovers who had kissed countless times, but…..were they in love?

He feared they wouldn’t be able to give Liu Qiao any positive teaching materials.

Liu Qiao’s eyes turned to the two of them. Although he felt it was unnecessary and was quite satisfied with his low-effort, big-reward deal, he would listen to whatever his master said. Thus, he gave a nod.

After educating Liu Qiao, Liu Zhenqing glanced at Qiao Jin and saw that he seemed resentful of his approach to things. He stepped forward and sneered: “Don’t bully him and take advantage of him for being ill-informed. Otherwise, I won’t be able to spare you.”

Liu Zhenqing’s voice was rather cold when he said this. Although Qiao Jin was his cousin, Liu Qiao was a family member he recognized as his younger brother, and he would naturally defend his shortcomings.

He had already suffered a big emotional loss with Bai Yu before. He didn’t want Liu Qiao to suffer in such a way again, so he had to guide him well.

Qiao Jin’s expression became a little unnatural, but his eyes remained stubborn. He just wanted to obtain Liu Qiao, even if he had to use tricks. He didn’t hide his ambition at all.

When he was fourteen years old and discovered that Liu Qiao was thinking of leaving, he “discovered” the so-called group of rebels. He intentionally involved the two of them so that in this way, Liu Qiao would have no intention of leaving. But when Liu Qiao realized that he could handle everything on his own, he planned to leave when Qiao Jin reached eighteen years old. It seemed this represented the completion of his task and he could go watch over Liu Zhenqing’s body, even though he didn’t know where Huo Fenglie had buried him.

But how could Qiao Jin allow him to leave? So he told Liu Qiao that when he rebelled, he would clear Liu Zhenqing’s name. The promised benefits were just a way to retain Liu Qiao, who wanted to leave. Because Qiao Jin knew that Liu Qiao would only compromise if it concerned Liu Zhenqing.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhenqing came back to life and he lost any chance of winning.

From near-family dependence to a deterioration of emotions, Qiao Jin had no time to sort out his feelings. Liu Qiao was about to run away, and the kiss made Qiao Jin realize that in the face of someone like Liu Qiao, there was no other path before him. He was forced to mature and bypass the tangles and struggles, and in order to have no regrets, he had to go straight to the goal.

Qiao Jin took a deep breath. He glanced at Liu Qiao, then turned to Liu Zhenqing and said directly: “I won’t talk in circles with you. You know what I want. I’m willing to cooperate with you, but only on the premise that…..”

Liu Zhenqing cut in at once: “On the premise that you unite with us and behave yourself. Otherwise, regardless of the current situation and the emotions involved, do you think you have any chance of winning this contest? You still want to make conditions with me?”

Liu Zhenqing’s tone was beyond comprehension, and Qiao Jin almost jumped up and down in anger. He was truly in a pinch, because he indeed had no negotiable capital.

“Brat, you’re still a little too young. Don’t worry, I won’t bully you. Since Liu Qiao made a deal with you just now, you must obediently fulfill it. The only benefit I’ll give you is that I won’t object or hinder you. But don’t mess around with me. I’ll be watching. You understand what I’m getting at.”

This meant: You like Liu Qiao and can pursue him if you want, but proper methods must be used. As the one Liu Qiao recognizes as his master, I won’t interfere for personal gain.

“You…..” This wasn’t just bullying, it was bullying him to death. He had sold himself to Liu Zhenqing for nothing.

Smiling like a fox, Liu Zhenqing patted Qiao Jin on the shoulder and said: “Okay, it’s time to get down to business.”

Regarding the people in the capital, the rebels, and the situation behind all of this, Qiao Jin naturally knew more than Liu Qiao.

“I don’t know who the ultimate mastermind behind the people in the capital is, but I know that the current prime minister Jiang Wang is involved.” Qiao Jin directly dropped this bombshell piece of news.

“Jiang Wang?” Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie could only frown, obviously confused as well.

Although this candidate wasn’t entirely unexpected since Liu Zhenqing had been a little suspicious of Jiang Wang since the imperial examination fraud case, he’d thought it had been all about profit. After all, if there were grievances among the common people, even if the emperor was blind, the prime minister couldn’t be unaware of it. Thus, there must be something wrong with Jiang Wang.

But based on Liu Zhenqing’s understanding of the then deputy prime minister, it was a bit contradictory for him to rebel. Not that this fellow was so loyal, but because his eldest daughter was the current Empress. If she gave birth to a child in the future, he would be the crown prince. With such a background, had he lost his mind? Joining the rebels?

Qiao Jin said: “You don’t believe me. I can’t be sure of the others, but I’m certain of this person. He was even the one who hired those martial arts masters to hunt us down back then. You don’t know how many injuries Liu Qiao suffered from that. His life hung from a single thread many times, leaving a lot of residual consequences. Even now, his body aches on rainy days and he can’t sleep.”

Liu Qiao nudged Qiao Jin in displeasure. Why mention him? When he looked up, he saw Liu Zhenqing regarding him with a worried look.

“Master, I’m fine. How can a martial arts practitioner be free of illness or injuries?” Liu Qiao said indifferently.

Liu Zhenqing sighed. He knew Liu Qiao was capable. Being targeted as his right-hand man, if Liu Qiao were any weaker, his ending would have been the same as Bai Yu’s.

“Let’s go back, come with me to Medical Valley and let my master nurse you back to health,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Liu Qiao hurriedly waved his hands, leveling a fierce glare at Qiao Jin.

Qiao Jin was just in a bad mood and wanted to avenge the injustices done to Liu Qiao. “In short, the people behind the scenes are hidden well and deeply. They are very powerful, and intend to kill the emperor.”

Because this plan involved the Western Shu Kingdom, Qiao Jin understood it relatively clearly.

It was the people in the capital’s plan from the time the Spring Plowing Ceremony assassination plot exposed the rebel remnants. They were waiting for an opportunity, preparing for Qiao Jin, who controlled the Western Shu Kingdom, to launch an attack here. This would lead Huo Fenglie to lead his troops to the southwest. And once fighting started in the southwest, Xiheng Kingdom would definitely get involved. In this way, Huo Fenglie and the Huo Family Army would be completely contained.

Then they would have the rebels hiding on the island in the southeast rebel, and use the students gathered in the capital for the imperial examination case to spread rumors. This would force the emperor to lead a personal expedition, leave the capital, and personally go down to deal with the rebels, where he would be assassinated.

But they never expected the emperor to send Huo Fenglie south from the beginning to investigate the imperial examination case. Nor that Huo Fenglie would completely unearth the rebels’ logistics, directly trace the rebels’ source, and cause their plans to be disrupted.

Because Huo Fenglie and his party moved so fast, the people in the capital had no time to lay the groundwork for a change in strategy. They could only watch on helplessly as all of the rebels were arrested. Without the excuse of the rebels to lure the emperor here, and without knowing where Huo Fenglie would be in the future, it was difficult for them to make plans.

Only then did the plot of the true and false King of Western Shu come into play. Qiao Jin didn’t know what they planned to do next, but in any case, the people in the capital had to trap Huo Fenglie here for at least two months. It was only that Qiao Jin hadn’t expected the combined forces of Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing to be so difficult to deal with, and had to resort to kidnapping.

After hearing Qiao Jin’s words, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie knew that the delay was most likely for the Longevity Festival on the emperor’s birthday, which took place in a month. This was to ensure that Huo Fenglie wouldn’t be present at that time. The assassination should take place then.

But there was one thing Liu Zhenqing found extremely strange. “Who are they backing in the end? They don’t know of Yuan Jin’s existence.”

“What?” Qiao Jin looked at him with a furrowed brow.

Liu Zhenqing analyzed: “If they throw the country into chaos and seize the throne, who will sit on it? Although Great Zhou currently has various potential problems, overall it seems that the country is peaceful and the common people are safe. Emperor Yuan Jue is also diligent and loves the common people, while they will bear the infamy and be unpopular. If another member of the Yuan family succeeds Yuan Jue when he’s killed, it would be possible. But after the Three Kings Rebellion, the Yuan clan has all but withered away. Now, apart from you, there are only those in the palace, and the eldest little prince can’t walk yet.”

Qiao Jin stared blankly for a moment, then said at once: “You don’t think I’m putting an act on in front of you?”

Intelligent people sometimes think too much. Liu Zhenqing shook his head, saying: “I have no more doubts. If your identity is revealed, it will also arouse the suspicions of the courtiers and make them suspect that you’re of unorthodox blood.”

Qiao Jin scoffed.

Suddenly, Huo Fenglie spoke up: “There’s one more thing.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and looked at Huo Fenglie with some uncertainty.

Huo Fenglie said gravely: “There’s one more thing, have you forgotten? Yuan Jue also has a younger brother, King Jing. If something happens to Yuan Jue, he is the most likely to ascend the throne.”

Liu Zhenqing was frozen for a moment before he remembered who King Jing was.

That was the youngest son of the first crown prince. When he was born, he had the same fate as Yuan Jue. His mother died during childbirth, so he was taken and raised by the current Empress Dowager and the Taifei, the late emperor’s top concubine. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was only three years old. He had been frail and sick since childhood and could hardly leave the palace, so his sense of presence was very weak.

King Jing would be near sixteen or seventeen now. Because Liu Zhenqing hadn’t heard of him since his rebirth, he nearly forgot about him, thinking that he had died of illness long ago.

Even Qiao Jin was puzzled: “There’s another king?”

Huo Fenglie briefly spoke of King Jing’s situation. The reason people didn’t know there was another king was because King Jing was away from the capital at all times. Since he had no official position or duties, he simply traveled the mountains and rivers, wandering with the clouds and wild cranes. He didn’t live like a member of the royal family at all. Even Huo Fenglie hadn’t seen King Jing for many years.

Liu Zhenqing’s thoughts were so: The chaos of the Three Kings must have left Yuan Jue with a considerable psychological shadow. He would never let any prince have real power again, not even his only brother. Being unfettered from worldly concerns was the best way to live a long and healthy life, and according to the Empress Dowager’s character, she probably taught him in this manner.

When Liu Zhenqing first faced the group of rebels, he was most worried that the person they intended to support was Yuan Jin. But now, after such calculations, King Jing had become the most likely target of suspicion.

Liu Qiao expressed his confusion: “How is that possible? Those rebels are the remnants of the Three Kings. How can they support King Jing? Are they stupid?”

“They’re not stupid, they’re just being used. They only know that they can kill Yuan Jue in revenge, so they don’t care about being used as a weapon.” Liu Zhenqing touched his chin, the figures of two women flashing through his mind.

Could the Empress Dowager and the Taifei be involved in these matters? They brought up King Jing, after all.

Then Liu Zhenqing asked about Prince Qiao An again. After all, the plan here required the cooperation of Qiao Jin and Prince Qiao An. Huo Fenglie was able to give the answer to this, because in his rage, he had tortured Prince Xiao An and interrogated him.

Qiao An was so frightened that he gave up everything, which was perfect for cross-checking the information given by Qiao Jin.

Speaking of Qiao An, Qiao Jin mentioned that the people in the capital must be suspicious of him, not because of his identity, but because they felt that his actions after being the King of Western Xu for some time seeme ambitious. This worried them, so the matter this time was arranged without notification.

They chose not to directly order Qiao Jin to attack Huo Fenglie, but waited until Prince Qiao An was sent over, using the news about the true and false kings of Shu to cause conflict. This left Qiao Jin with no choice but to cooperate temporarily. It was also a warning to him.

And as for the true prince, Qiao An, his reason for cooperating was very simple. He was almost assassinated by his family and went into exile, but was discovered and taken in by the forces in the capital. They didn’t choose to develop Qiao An, and only raised him as a young master. Then they sent a substitute to go back and become the King of Western Shu, ready to obey orders at all times.

This was equivalent to keeping the balance, as Qiao An’s existence could always be used to threaten the false king of Western Shu into compliance and keep him from having ulterior motives. They could also use the false King of Western Shu to make Qiao An understand that he could be replaced at any time, and that the decision-making power was always in the hands of the people in the capital.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but admire these imperial schemes. But considering Qiao An’s previous seduction attempts on Huo Fenglie, people’s hearts were really unpredictable. Prince Qiao An didn’t want to be completely controlled by others. He also wanted to escape this difficult situation, but had no other alternatives.

After figuring out the ins and outs of the matter, Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “What do you think?”

Huo Fenglie always liked to listen to Liu Zhenqing, but the man was no longer the powerful minister he used to be and wouldn’t act in an arbitrary fashion. Now, he liked to ask Huo Fenglie for his opinion. After all, Huo Fenglie and Yuan Jue had a different sort of camaraderie.

“We must go back,” Huo Fenglie said at once. “Envoys from all over the world will come to the Longevity Festival. If something suddenly happens, other countries will immediately start a war.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded. He was about to speak, when he was interrupted by a mocking Qiao Jin.

“Didn’t you teach Yuan Jue? Liu Qiao keeps saying he’s better than me, but he didn’t notice a problem after seeing that shabby prince? If he’s killed by these rebels so easily, then he’s not worthy of being emperor. If King Jing can’t do it, you might as well help me.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “You’re not convinced and think you’re better than Yuan Jue?”

“The two of you originally thought he was so good because you were close to him.” Qiao Jin rolled his eyes.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head, saying: “If Yuan Jue was in your position, he would never develop Western Shu like this, arousing suspicion among the people in the capital. Nor would he risk going into the city to meet us. It is impossible to delay Huo Fenglie by sending troops, and even less possible to use the double-edged sword of public opinion. You did the right thing by kidnapping me, but it was only possible with Liu Qiao’s superb skills. Everything else, you did wrong.”

Qiao Jin stared at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing smiled. “The most important thing is that Yuan Jue has no weaknesses. He will not let one person influence his emotions and decisions, but you have. You are too impulsive and reckless, with a heart of bloodshed. Being in charge of the Western Shu Kingdom is fine, but for Great Zhou, you are far from enough.”

Unconvinced, Qiao Jin said: “Who says that? Don’t our ancestors include the type who dedicated their entire world to one person?”

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie both gave him strange looks, as if to say, what kind of emperor can be used for comparison? That was an unprecedented situation and couldn’t be used as an example.

Liu Zhenqing patted Qiao Jin and said: “It’s actually amazing that you could grow up freely like this. You don’t want to be the emperor anyway, so why compare yourself?”

Qiao Jin scoffed coldly.

Liu Zhenqing continued: “Your guess is correct, it’s impossible for Yuan Jue not to have noticed anything. I actually think Yuan Jue is taking advantage of the situation. He doesn’t know who’s behind the scenes, so he’s planning to lure the enemy out and annihilate them in one fell swoop.”

Huo Fenglie said with a frown: “Then I shouldn’t go back? Just play my part here?”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head. “Yuan Jue may not know their complete plan, but he’ll definitely hear about what happened here. So tell the truth, that you tortured Qiao An due to emotional impulse and some truths were revealed as a result. Let Yuan Jue determine if you should stay or go back. As for what Qiao Jin said, there’s no need to tell him.”

Although the information Qiao Jin provided was useful, without actual evidence, reporting it hastily would only arouse Yuan Jue’s suspicion.

“Emotional…..impulse?” Huo Fenglie stared blankly.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “In any case, report whatever rumors are going around the army. Only in this way will they be true.”

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing with a complicated expression. According to Yuan Jue’s temperament, if he heard about this situation, they might be granted a marriage in the future. Had Qing-ge not considered this?

Liu Zhenqing noticed Huo Fenglie’s strange expression, then recalled the failed marriage proposal and felt a little unhappy. What, he didn’t want to spread rumors with him?

Then he must spread them. When it reached Yuan Jue’s ears, it would be spread all over the country. Let’s see how Er-gou hides then!

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Chapter One Hundred Twenty << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two