PFC Chapter 118 A Treacherous Scheme!
Chapter 118 A Treacherous Scheme!
Chapter 118 A Treacherous Scheme!
"My lord, I'm not one for many schemes, but I just can't swallow this insult."
Lin Zhou gesticulated wildly and spoke animatedly in front of Qin Hui: "Do you know what Yue Fei's daughter did? In front of the whole street! In front of the whole street! She shoved me aside, almost making me fall, and then pointed her finger at my nose and cursed me! She called me a traitorous lackey, saying that her father was a great hero, and what am I?!"
"Prime Minister, even if I, Lin Zhou, am of lowly status, I am still one of your subordinates, a registered consort of the Jin Kingdom. Her outburst has been seen and heard throughout Lin'an! Where do I put my face? How can I continue to serve you, Prime Minister, and how can I maintain my standing in Lin'an? In the past, people would at least mutter 'traitor' discreetly when they saw me, but now, do you even know what they're calling me?"
Qin Hui looked at him with a smile and great interest.
"They call me a sycophant and a traitor. Hey, you tell me, we accept being called lackeys, but what does 'sycophant' even mean?"
Upon hearing this, even Qin Hui, who was always extremely sensitive to the word "traitor," burst out laughing. Lin Zhou slammed his hand on the table and continued, "Yes, I didn't know her identity back then. I gave her some things out of pity. I was blind! But even if I was blind, could she publicly humiliate me like this? If I swallow this insult, would I still be a human being? How the hell would I be able to stand in this Lin'an city?"
"Therefore, Your Excellency, you must hand her over to me. Kill her, and you'll still leave her with a reputation for loyalty and heroism. I must keep her alive, by my side. Yue Fei's daughter, fallen into the hands of a traitorous lackey like me, I'll rename her Zhaozhao!"
"Oh? Why?" Qin Hui raised his eyes in surprise: "Why is she called Zhaozhao?"
"Heaven and earth bear witness! I will witness it every single day!" Lin Zhou stomped his foot fiercely. "Damn it, I've never been humiliated like this in my entire life! Prime Minister, if you help me with this matter, my life is yours from now on!"
"You're young and impetuous." Qin Hui picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Do you know how those Yue Fei faction will treat you after you've done such a despicable thing?"
"This is my plan, Prime Minister, what do you think? I can't concentrate on anything else until I get this revenge! As for the Yue faction, do I have to be afraid of them in Lin'an? They're powerful, aren't they? If I'm assassinated, no matter who it is, I'll strip their entire Yue family bloodline naked and parade them through the streets! None of them will live! They'll all die!"
In terms of intelligence, Lin Zhou was hardly clever. In Qin Hui's eyes, this move was a terrible strategy. Back then, when he dealt with Yue Fei, he only killed him but dared not humiliate him. This guy came up with such a despicable move, which was indeed a bit dirty.
Upon closer reflection, Qin Hui found it somewhat interesting. If that were truly the case, and Miss Yue were to commit suicide, the Yue faction's anger would naturally fall on Lin Zhou. If Miss Yue were to submit to Lin Zhou, then her fierce spirit would be rendered meaningless.
If this matter is handled properly, it could keep Yue Fei's faction safe and well for a while, but it could also cause their complete collapse.
But once Yue Fei's faction is gone, then it will likely come down to direct combat with Han Shizhong. No—no—
Qin Hui rolled his eyes slightly: "Pingzhi, I understand that young people are impetuous, but now you are the son-in-law of the Jin Kingdom. No, no, that would ruin the important matter of the Song-Jin alliance. Absolutely not."
"What Song-Jin alliance? There are tons of Song princesses in the Jin palace."
"Tsk—" Qin Hui glared fiercely at Lin Zhou: "You scoundrel, stop spouting such nonsense!"
After a while, he slowly spoke, "I cannot be your slave."
Qin Hui resolutely refused, saying, "Even if you utter the most magnificent words, this matter cannot be accomplished. Even if I agree, Han Shizhong will not agree."
"Why?" Lin Zhou scratched his head and asked, "Is this related to Han Shizhong?"
Qin Hui nodded slightly: "Your method is too ruthless, too vicious, and too despicable. If there is even the slightest mistake, it could be a world-shaking event. And that person is none other than Yue Fei's eldest daughter."
"Then, Prime Minister, you must stand up for me."
Qin Hui tapped his fingers on the edge of the table, his eyes never leaving Lin Zhou, but he wasn't thinking about making decisions for him.
To be honest, Lin Zhou doesn't have the ability to get someone of Qin Hui's caliber to step in and make decisions for someone as insignificant as him.
What he was really considering was whether Xiao'e would stay or leave.
This woman was like a thunderbolt to Qin Hui. The best course of action was not to humiliate her, but to find another way and marry her off to a respectable and honest scholar.
Ideally, the man should be of refined and handsome appearance, so that the bride's family can be honored and the groom's family can exert pressure on her so that she cannot cause any trouble. This is the best of both worlds.
But the most troublesome thing right now is precisely Lin Zhou in front of me.
Those who lack strength cannot withstand the antics of this kid in front of them, after all, he has the support of the Jurchens and is also wealthy.
But if someone is powerful enough, how could they possibly allow their own offspring to accept Yue Fei's daughter?
Most importantly, Lin Zhou isn't the particularly obedient type, and Qin Hui doesn't really have anything particularly impressive to offer in order to subdue him.
Qin Hui stood there in silence for a long time, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Pingzhi, I was young once too, and I know you are indignant, but now that you are in Han Shizhong's hands, it's no use talking to me."
Lin Zhou nodded, then leaned forward and asked, "Prime Minister, what will happen to that woman in the end?"
"If I were Han Shizhong, I would petition the Emperor and let him decide. As far as I know the Emperor is concerned, although Yue Fei's crimes are heinous, the Emperor is kind-hearted and has already punished those who deserved it. He will not make things difficult for that young girl. He should choose a good husband for her. The person the Emperor chooses will certainly be from a very good family, which would be a good opportunity for her."
"Would that work? I've been craving her for ages!"
"You still intend to disobey the Emperor's decree?"
Lin Zhou turned his head away without saying a word, while Qin Hui just looked at him with a smile, his resentment clearly written on his face.
"You, you're about to marry a princess of the Jin Kingdom, how come you're getting entangled with such a woman? She'll affect your career."
"I don't care about any of that. A tree lives by its bark, and a person lives by their breath. If I can't even breathe properly, what's the point of living!"
At this moment, Qin Hui had already lost much of his patience. It was only because Lin Zhou's backers had a deterrent effect on him that he was able to get rid of anyone else.
In all his years in office, since he came to power, this was the first time anyone had dared to be so presumptuous in front of him.
"Alright, alright, I won't say any more to you. If you're capable, then do it yourself. But if you can't, don't blame me."
Qin Hui frowned deeply: "I don't know what the point of you fighting for this pride is!"
He didn't understand, but Lin Zhou stood there angrily, like a stubborn mule: "Prime Minister, you've also been fooled and become a laughingstock in Jinling City. Don't you want to fight back?!"
"Endure it when you can. Once you've climbed high enough, what was once a laughingstock will become something you dare not speak out against."
Lin Zhou didn't say anything more, but turned to leave. At least he had achieved his goal for the moment. Although he didn't get any promises from Qin Hui, he got a definite indication that Qin Hui didn't intend to kill Xiao'e for the time being. Perhaps he didn't take Xiao'e seriously, or perhaps he didn't want to have a direct conflict with Han Shizhong.
Just as he was about to step out the door, Qin Hui's voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Wait a moment."
"Prime Minister, do you have any orders?"
Looking back, one could see Qin Hui sitting at the table, with a ray of sunlight streaming down from the skylight directly above him. His hair blocked most of the sunlight, and his large forehead further obscured it, making it appear as if his entire face, except for his cheekbones and nose, was shrouded in shadow, exuding an air of lewdness and treachery.
Although Qin Hui's mouth could not be seen to move, a voice could be heard: "If you have the ability to take that woman from Han Shizhong's hands, I do have some ways to prevent him from pursuing the matter. The rest depends on your ability."
"Me?" Lin Zhou pointed to his own nose: "Snatch someone from Han Shizhong's clutches? I'm a god!"
Qin Hui scoffed, "A man is born into this world, and what he wants, he should take himself. If time waits for no one, then it won't come. If I'm not mistaken, Han Shizhong, to get rid of this trouble, will probably petition the Emperor today. He's always swift and decisive in his actions. Don't wait until the woman you've been longing for becomes someone else's wife before you take action; then no one will be able to bear the consequences. Heaven and earth are vast, but the Emperor's decree is paramount."
Lin Zhou leaned against the porch in thought for a moment, then spat on the ground: "Done!"
Qin Hui didn't respond, but just smiled and watched him turn and leave.
To be frank, Qin Hui also wanted to test Han Shizhong's reaction, to see what his attitude was towards Yue Fei's matter. After all, almost four years had passed, and if he was still holding a grudge, then Qin Hui would have to come up with other tricks.
If he turns a blind eye and backs down, then Qin Hui will naturally prefer to avoid trouble and continue to focus on his campaign against Yue Fei.
When Lin Zhou reached the door, he probably realized that he had only been used as a pawn to test the other party's bottom line.
But it doesn't matter. He's committed to one thing: Xiao'e must never be handed over to anyone. It's safer for her to stay by his side than to be with anyone else.
Based on this alone, let alone snatching someone from Han Shizhong, he would have to fight tooth and nail to get the person back from Jiu Mei.
Upon returning to the shop, the first thing he did was tell Lu You about Qin Hui's reaction, hoping he could offer some advice.
Lu You was a radical young man at the time. Although he still had great hope for Han Shizhong and others, he was still someone he could trust.
"Huh? This—"
Upon hearing this, Lu You's expression immediately twisted: "What does Brother Lin mean? Oh, take Yue Shuai's daughter from Commander Han? How can we take her? We can't possibly give her away. If we did, wouldn't we be exposed?"
Lin Zhou looked up: "There must be a way. By the way, let's all keep a low profile for a while. Qin Hui has had us all under surveillance. Cao Wenda already knows that your wife tipped off Han Shizhong this morning, but he didn't say anything."
Lu You frowned immediately: "Hiss—the situation is so complicated?"
"Yes." Lin Zhou nodded vigorously: "Don't worry about that now, let's figure out a way to get my Xiao'e back!"
""
I went to see my son today. I owe you all a chapter. I'm exhausted. I need to wash up and go to bed.