Jiang Wang was somewhat numb for a moment. All the manpower he could call on had been used during the operation tonight, so it was impossible for him to have such a master on hand to save him.

So, had he come to kill him?

Jiang Wang was already ambivalent to life and death, so he said, unafraid: “Who are you? Are you an enemy seeking revenge on me?”

Holding a lamp in his hand, the person standing at the forefront didn’t look back. A clear, cold voice slowly sounded: “Today, didn’t you come to the Imperial Academy to beseech my master? Be at ease, my master can not only protect your daughter, but you as well.”

Jiang Wang was stunned. It was actually them? Why would they want to save him? How could this be possible?

In fact, Jiang Wang had understood from the beginning that the original plan of the people in the capital had been completely ruined because of the chaos Huo Fenglie stirred up. The current Longevity Festival plan had long failed and couldn’t be carried out at all, so they had completely given up on it. But he was still being watched very closely, so someone must have come out to erase suspicions at this time.

Unfortunately, Jiang Wang had been exposed. Regardless of whether the power of the people in the capital had been exposed, Jiang Wang was going to die. The difference lay in whether before he died, he dragged the people in the capital into the water with him.

But Jiang Wang refused to admit defeat, and wanted to take revenge on Yuan Jue, so he naturally chose not to.

Since he was willing to die, why did they come save him? Unless they feared he would change his mind and expose him, so they intended to silence him in advance. But he had already taken all responsibility onto himself, so the person who kidnapped him shouldn’t have such concerns.

Therefore, the only explanation was that the people before him were pretending to be mysterious and intended to reveal the real situation.

Jiang Wang’s mind raced. Suddenly, he sneered: “Stop playing games. Could it be that the emperor still suspects there is someone behind me, so he’s deliberately playing tricks and waiting for me to fall for it? I said I was the one who did all those things. Why wouldn’t I? As Prime Minister, doesn’t it make sense that I would have such ambitions?”

Jiang Wang’s heart was pounding once he finished speaking. Since these people knew he had gone to beseech someone in the capital today, how could they not know…..

“I indeed went to the Imperial Academy today, but only to ask the Empress Dowager to take more care of my poor daughter in the future,” Jiang Wang attempted to justify.

This should have picked everything clean.

However, the person who had asked him the question only sighed.

“As expected of the old fox Jiang Wang. It’s truly difficult to get any useful information out of you, ah. But it doesn’t matter. The purpose of taking you is not to identify the people behind the scenes. It’s enough that we know those people exist.”

Jiang Wang’s expression hardened. The other party was certain despite his words, which proved that the other party did hear something when he went to the Imperial Academy, but nothing specific. But he felt that this person’s voice was familiar, which was extremely strange.

“Bring him here!” The man’s voice suddenly went cold as he spoke the order.

The tall man standing behind him, who had kidnapped Jiang Wang, obeyed the command and turned around.

Jiang Wang’s pupils instantly contracted. He stared in disbelief at the person walking toward him.

“You…..you…..you…..Liu Qiao!”

Liu Qiao’s countenance was grim. Unmasked, he regarded Jiang Wang with cold eyes as he grabbed his neck and forced him directly to the tombstone.

Jiang Wang nearly slammed his head into the tombstone when he raised it while struggling. A name caught his eye.

Bai Yu.

Jiang Wang’s pupils shrank. He lurched back in fright and fell to the ground, his expression more unsightly than it had ever been during this debacle. It was as if the soul had been pulled out of his body, all of the blood in his face receding.

Bai Yu…..Liu Qiao…..

Jiang Wang couldn’t stop his entire body from trembling. He suddenly recalled the man’s words just now, as well as Liu Qiao’s obedience to his command.

In such a situation, only one person came to mind. His mind went momentarily blank. It was as if the shadow that had shrouded his head in the past had reappeared, and he abruptly turned his head to look at the person holding the lantern.

Under the interplay of light and shadow from the lantern, a young, unfamiliar face reflected in Jiang Wang’s eyes. He felt an inexplicable relief. But in the next second, the young man glanced over with familiar cold eyes, and all the blood in Jiang Wang’s body froze.

Jiang Wang’s vision went hazy, and he shook his head in disbelief: “Impossible! Impossible! Liu Zhenqing is dead. He’s dead. He died. I watched with my own eyes as he was shot in the heart with an arrow, smelled the stench of his corpse, watched him be buried. He’s dead, you aren’t…..you’re trying to look like him. Who are you?”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips rose mockingly: “Just think of me as a ghost who’s come for your life.”

Jiang Wang’s face was nearly ashen. He stared with eyes blown wide. “Why come for my life? I didn’t kill Liu Zhenqing!”

“Naturally, I’m taking your life on his behalf…..” Liu Zhenqing slowly raised the lamp to illuminate Bai Yu’s name. “You can’t have forgotten what you did.”

Jiang Wang turned to look at the name on the cold tombstone again, and his mind snagged on a memory.

Liu Zhenqing had been exposed and criticized after his death. Jiang Wang was very clear on how much dirty work this had taken, and because of this knowledge, as Liu Zhenqing’s cronies, Bai Yu and Liu Qiao could not be allowed to appear again to prove the injustices against Liu Zhenqing.

Dealing with Liu Qiao was very simple, since he had no identity and no backing. All he had to do was find enough masters to chase him down. He just hadn’t expected this simple matter to fail due to the opponent’s martial arts, allowing him to hide for many years. But Jiang Wang was also aware that Liu Qiao was purely a martial artist, and that even if he failed to silence him, it wouldn’t be a big worry. 

Bai Yu, however, was different. There had been many grand tutors in the Bai family, and even though Liu Zhenqing had been made a villain, it would not be easy to punish Bai Yu.

This was because when researching the charges, Jiang Wang found that almost all of the examples that could be cited were issued by Liu Zhenqing himself. Bai Yu could be regarded as innocent, just an ordinary court official who had obeyed orders from his superior. Therefore, even if Bai Yu were to be deprived of his official position, it wouldn’t be a death blow. He was obviously Liu Zhenqing’s right-hand man, but the end result was like this. Jiang Wang couldn’t believe it.

Jiang Wang felt that it was all a coincidence. It was impossible for someone to make so many preparations in advance to protect his subordinates in the event that these incidents came to light. And yet, this was the result. As long as Bai Yu returned, even though Liu Zhenqing was nailed to the sinner’s column, his capable subordinate Bai Yu would be able to escape all culpability.

But how could Jiang Wang allow Bai Yu to return? After all, everyone knew how loyal the man was to Liu Zhenqing. Later, an informant arranged by Jiang Wang reported that Bai Yu had collected evidence and intended to return to the capital to clear Liu Zhenqing’s name, which made Jiang Wang even more uneasy.

He had only just replaced Liu Zhenqing and firmly assumed the position of Prime Minister, and had also let the country and all of the civil and military officials know how hard he, as the deputy prime minister, had struggled to survive under the hands of the treacherous prime minister on everyone’s behalf. His name and reputation had risen to unprecedented heights due to Liu Zhenqing’s downfall. He must not lose it because of Bai Yu. 

He would fake Bai Yu’s death, take away all of the evidence in his hands, and destroy it. Then Bai Yu could die in truth.

He had received news a few years prior of Bai Yu’s death, but had only seen the body when it was transported back.

Bai Yu’s guilt was cleared before his death. As expected, there was no evidence whatsoever and he was buried peacefully in the Bai family cemetery.

Jiang Wang hadn’t visited the grave from beginning to end, but now he was unexpectedly pinned to it.

“Jiang Wang, you were aware of Bai Yu’s talent and what a good person he was. You really caused him misery. Do you know what he suffered before he died? A talented young man went insane due to abuse. Have you ever felt remorse? Have you ever come to pay your respects?” Liu Zhenqing spoke at an even pace.

When they returned to the capital, neither Liu Zhenqing nor Liu Qiao had come here, because they didn’t dare to.

But the moment they got back, the two of them had begun to investigate in secret. Without anyone noticing, based on the existing clues and Liu Qiao’s memories of that year, they finally followed the trail to Jiang Wang. In fact, it was nearly the same as Liu Qiao had guessed.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t directly tell Liu Qiao to kill him, because that would be too good for Jiang Wang. What the man cared most about was power and status, and watching him lose everything would have been the best method. Liu Zhenqing had his own plans for Jiang Wang after returning to the capital.

It was Jiang Wang’s fault that he harbored evil intentions and got involved with the rebels. Since Yuan Jue wanted to deal with Jiang Wang, Liu Zhenqing naturally didn’t mind waiting a few more days and following the trend

And now that Jiang Wang’s fate had been decided, it was Liu Zhenqing’s turn for revenge.

“The winner is king, and the loser is a bandit. If he is to be blamed, then he should be blamed for following the wrong master and stubbornly persisting in his obsession after Liu Zhenqing’s death. Everything I did was for the sake of the nation’s stability,” Jiang Wang retorted in a loud, rude voice. He no longer cared about the identity of the person in front of him. He was the dignified Prime Minister and father-in-law of the emperor, and he was not someone who could be criticized.

“The stability of the nation? You still refuse to tell the truth?” Liu Zhenqing said in surprise.

Jiang Wang looked at the expression of the person in front of him, and the more he looked, the more he appeared like the enemy who seemed to have been born to defeat him. He really did look almost like Liu Zhenqing.

“The truth? You want me to say that I did all of this for my own selfish desires? Ridiculous. Everyone has more or less mixed feelings about public and private matters. I am for myself, and also for Great Zhou. When Bai Yu tried to come back and clear Liu Zhenqing’s name, regardless of the fact that the situation in Great Zhou had finally settled down at that time, he was going to disrupt everything. The situation was chaotic before, and punishing Liu Zhenqing was what the people wanted. If this was disrupted, what would we have done if the remnants of the Three Kings took advantage of Liu Zhenqing’s reputation? What price has everyone paid to get to this point? Even if Liu Zhenqing did bear some stigma, it was for the sake of Great Zhou. Facts have proven that what we did was right. At that time, didn’t the people of Great Zhou settle down once they shared a common hatred?!”

Liu Zhenqing was expressionless in the face of these words. However, Liu Qiao lost control and punched Jiang Wang in the face. Jiang Wang vomited blood when the blow connected.

“You were protected by Master, but in the end, you repaid kindness with enmity, and even hurt Young Master Wangshu. Just like Master, he was a good official who served the country and the common people! Don’t talk about principles! You did everything just for yourself!” Liu Qiao couldn’t speak his thoughts too eloquently, but he instinctively felt that these words should be said. Master and Young Master Wangshu never did anything wrong, so it must be someone else’s fault!

Good people should be rewarded, and bad people should be punished!

Jiang Wang turned back in a state of disarray and gave Liu Qiao a fierce look: “You’re just a bodyguard, what do you know!”

“Not only is he a bodyguard, but he’s also one of the people you owe an apology to. Didn’t you send people to hunt him down?” Liu Zhenqing said unhurriedly. “The winner is king, and the loser is a bandit. You’re now the loser, so you must bear our vengeance.”

Jiang Wang instantly felt it like a blow to the heart. As he looked at Liu Zhenqing again, his eyes had already lost some of their rationality. The unyielding force in his heart was aroused again and he suddenly laughed, saying: “I’ve been defeated, but I lost to  imperial power. I’m not as foolish as you! Liu Zhenqing, Liu Xiting, everyone said you had god-like intellect and that I couldn’t compare to you, but I think otherwise.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was unsure if Jiang Wang regarded him as himself or as a substitute, but he didn’t really care.

Jiang Wang grew even more unhinged: “For the sake of Great Zhou and Yuan Jue, you became a villain through and through. You never enjoyed any achievements in your life, were reviled by the common people after your death, and were reduced to such an end. Now that I think about it, I still came out on top, hahaha!”

Liu Zhenqing said with amusement: “Do you think I care?”

Jiang Wang retorted at once: “Of course you care. I originally thought you were like me, sitting in that position and holding the golden seal, taking control of the emperor. You must have been attached to power. I truly thought that was the case up to your death. But then the investigation deepened, and I discovered that I was wrong. You were simply a fool. What did this sort of fool care about? Naturally, it was the gratitude and understanding of others.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flickered. He wasn’t sure if Jiang Wang was right or not. He may have had such thoughts, hoping to be understood and appreciated by the common people. But he had already died once, so what was there to care about? Now that he had Huo Fenglie, he no longer took such things to heart, because his heart had been warmed by that young man.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t refute. He only gazed quietly at Jiang Wang, who stopped speaking. Staring blankly into Liu Zhenqing’s eyes, he seemed to come to some understanding.

His expression became agonized, and he shouted fiercely:

“Liu Zhenqing! So what if you really don’t care? You still failed. You did everything wrong from beginning to end, not thinking of yourself and not knowing when enough was enough. You shielded the young emperor from all dangers and gave him instruction, but you were the one who did everything. Did you think the young emperor would have faith in you? You deserved to die!”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression finally changed. There had been so many circumstances, so many dangers, and he was too busy to consider things too much. He could only numbly deal with government affairs and stabilize the court. He gradually became gloomy and no longer smiled. His methods were swift and ruthless, lacking in appeasement and with little explanation. Nobody was required to understand.

“The court officials and the nation’s common people would never have faith in a powerful minister who held great power and covered the sky with one hand. You were just self-absorbed and narcissistic! Whether you were a loyal or treacherous minister, your name would be left in the history books, destined for infamy for millenia! Hahaha, Liu Zhenqing, although I’m also leaving behind a reputation as a rebel, my achievements will remain. In the end, I bested you!”

As Jiang Wang grinned with wild arrogance, Liu Qiao stepped forward again and kicked him over, drawing out his dagger in preparation to strike.

But Liu Zhenqing stopped him, saying: “Alright, since you’re smarter than me, why did you dig your own grave?”

Jiang Wang choked. He’d thought Liu Zhenqing would refute him and argue furiously. If he didn’t argue, it would be like…..like he was performing a one-man show.

Jiang Wang’s face reddened. He was in a bit of a daze. Was the person before him really not that person?

“Hehe, if Liu Zhenqing hadn’t died and the court demanded me, Yuan Jue would have taken action against me. My presence was like a stick in his throat. After all, I wasn’t really his follower in the beginning. That was all designed by Liu Zhenqing. Sooner or later, I would have died. I’m not like Liu Zhenqing, who only labored under delusions.”

“Your daughter is the empress,” Liu Zhenqing said. “As long as you behaved yourself…..”

“Hahah, Liu Zhenqing! You taught Yuan Jue. Is he really as merciful as he appears?” Jiang Wang seemed to have been stimulated, and was once again unbalanced. His eyes widened. “Have you forgotten how you died? You died in the Dragon Court, and nobody cared about your fate. You were held under duress, and everyone killed you together! Did Yuan Jue ever shed a tear for you? Oh, you don’t know. Then let me tell you, he didn’t!”

Before Jiang Wang could go on, Liu Zhenqing grabbed him by the throat.

Jiang Wang looked up. At the sight of Liu Zhenqing’s frigid expression, Jiang Wang was gleeful.

“Do you feel as if your sincere efforts went to the dogs? Are you unreconciled?”

“No, I’m not unreconciled, because there were only two people I gave my all for. One was Crown Prince Jingyang, and the other was Huo Feihan! I did it for them!”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he took the dagger from Liu Qiao’s hand and plunged it into Jiang Wang’s shoulder, piercing his collarbone.

Jiang Wang was a person used to an easy, pampered life, and screamed in pain, unable to control his tears and dripping nose.

“Jiang Wang, tell me who the people behind the scenes are. Wouldn’t it be better to make me fight them?” Liu Zhenqing knew it was impossible to get an answer by asking the correct questions, so he could only resort to this. 

Jiang Wang’s face turned ashen in pain, but he still looked at Liu Zhenqing in amusement: “I won’t talk! Let’s see which of you wins in the end! I also want to know if you’ll still help Yuan Jue!”

Liu Zhenqing pulled the dagger out: “You’ll have no chance to see it.”

In fact, Jiang Wang had already been drugged while he was unconscious, which was why he was speaking so wildly. But even still, he was unwilling to disclose the key information. There was really nothing to be done.

“Liu Qiao, block his mouth and break all of his bones for Wangshu. Don’t let him die, and don’t let him pass out. Vent your anger, do whatever you want!” Liu Zhenqing sat next to the tombstone and took out the wine he’d brought from the Imperial Academy.

He’d first had it at the Peach Blossom Banquet that year.

He drank the wine and played with the Rubik’s cube he brought.

Occasionally, he glanced over at Jiang Wang’s twisted, agonized expression as his bones were shattered.

By the time Jiang Wang was insensate from the torture and on his last breath, Liu Qiao lifted him up and went to leave.

“What are you going to do?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“Qiao Jin said that if he found the person who ordered people to pursue us, he would stab them ninety-eight times, which was the total number of injuries we received when we were hunted,” Liu Qiao said. “But there will be blood, and I don’t want to dirty Young Master Wangshu’s resting place.”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “That kid Qiao Jin is like me. He holds a grudge. Go ahead.”

Liu Qiao took Jiang Wang a little farther away. Liu Zhenqing was about to solve the last twist of the Rubik’s Cube when he suddenly sensed a figure descend, blocking the dim nighttime illumination. 

He initially thought it was Liu Qiao, but when he looked up, he felt somewhat awkward.

“What are you…..”

The one before him was Huo Fenglie.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Huo Fenglie asked, looking at him intently.

Although his tone was calm, with no emotion to be heard, Liu Zhenqing still picked up on Huo Fenglie’s anger.

“I didn’t intend to hide it from you. You still had business to take care of when we came back. Besides, this is a matter between the three of us, and should be handled by the three of us.” Liu Zhenqing gestured toward Bai Yu’s grave beside them.

“What’s your business is my business!” 

Liu Zhenqing stood up and took Huo Fenglie’s hands, saying: “Of course you would help me if I asked, but once you took action, there would be traces left. Yuan Jue knows you too well for it to be safe. It was better to leave it to Liu Qiao, so that no one would suspect you. Naturally, nobody would suspect Liu Qiao. This was the safest way.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t argue further, and just lowered his eyes. He knew it was reasonable for Liu Zhenqing to do it this way, but he truly didn’t like the feeling of being excluded by him. He as like a breeze he could never reach, clearly by his side but doing things he didn’t know about.

Liu Zhenqing had been peacefully by his side these days as his fiance, joyful and carefree each day, as if teasing him each night was enough to make him happy. It had made him forget that the real Liu Zhenqing was one he could only look up to but never tie down. 

Huo Fenglie often felt uneasy when facing such a Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing was naturally aware that Huo Fenglie had thoughts of such low self-esteem, and just thought that having things hidden from him had upset him. So he pulled him into his arms and coaxed him softly: “Don’t be angry with me. I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again. General Huo, please forgive me. For Liu Qiao to escape so smoothly, General Huo must have been merciful and helped to cover it up, right?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t deny it. He had indeed recognized Liu Qiao at a glance and immediately helped to hinder the pursuit.

Liu Zhenqing raised a hand to touch Huo Fenglie’s head, saying: “Since we’re here, should we tell Wangshu about our engagement together?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and tugged Huo Fenglie over to view the tombstone. It was like telling an old friend of a happy event, which made Huo Fenglie feel much calmer.

Soon after, Liu Qiao came back carrying the body.

“He didn’t survive,” Liu Qiao said.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “What are you planning to do…..”

“Return the body.” This was Liu Zhenqing’s original plan.

Huo Fenglie said: “When I left, Yuan Jue had already sent the Jinyiwei to search the entire city. He thinks someone came to rescue Jiang Wang.”

Liu Zhenqing explained: “I know, so in order to prevent the Jinyiwei from pursuing us and causing more trouble, the body must be returned. And if someone came to rescue Jiang Wang, it must have been one of his own men, but if he was rescued and then returned, what do you think others will make of it?”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback: “That someone killed him to silence him, and returned the body as a provocation?”

Regardless of whether Yuan Jue believed Prime Minister Jiang Wang’s words, at least Liu Zhenqing’s move would cause everyone in the court to believe that Jiang Wang was just a pawn, and that there was naturally a powerful person behind him. If Jiang Wang wanted to hide them, then Liu Zhenqing would expose them. Now, he would see if the forces in the capital could rest at ease.

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Chapter 130 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 133