Capítulo 1336: Chapter 1331: Calculating Every Penny
“This seems inappropriate…” Lu Jin spoke with a smile, “The person has been interrogated by , and the confession is in the Prince’s hands. I wonder how the Ninth Prince wishes to investigate further? If Yan takes the person back and dismbers them, it will be fine. But should there be any retraction of confession, it would seem that Zhou has coerced a confession, and it would be a great injustice for our Zhou.”
So Yan court officials overheard Lu Jin’s words and couldn’t hold their anger, they cupped their hands toward Lu Jin and said: “The person is from our Yan Kingdom. Since Minister Lu has already interrogated them, why are you afraid of us taking them back? Our Ninth Prince says he would like to investigate further and will certainly provide an explanation to Zhou. Minister Lu, however, is obstructing, which inevitably leads to suspicions that the guard was coerced into confession!”
Xiao Rongyan heard these words and cast a cold and sharp gaze towards the fool who was unaware of their own folly.
Indeed, Bai Qingyan straightened up upon hearing this, the smile on his face vanished, his voice beca cold and stern, and raised two tones but was slow and deliberate: “The envoy from Yan speaks strangely. Our Zhou has coerced a confession? Is it our Zhou that coerced Master Zhong’s guard to… go to Liu Mansion to assassinate Minister Liu, a significant court official of Zhou Dynasty? Or is it our Zhou people who went to the posthouse to tie up this assassin, placing a knife against this assassin’s throat to assassinate our own court officials?”
“Yan Kingdom should not forget that Minister Liu of our court is still lying in bed, his life uncertain! First was my brother, now it’s my trusted minister, this has already been your Yan’s… second ti harming our Zhou!” Bai Qingyan’s voice was icy, “This is due to my restraint. If I were a tyrant, I fear you Yan court officials would not be able to walk out of this grand hall upright today!”
While Bai Qingyan spoke slowly and calmly, there was an inherent air of authority, and now his voice, raised as if mixed with shards of ice, was even more daunting.
The Yan envoy was so frightened he quickly lowered his head, wishing to bite off his own tongue. He belonged to the Empress Dowager’s faction and naturally had to find ways to absolve Zhong Xingxiao of guilt. Yet, even those not part of the Empress Dowager’s faction, now that Yan Kingdom is in such a situation, had to try to clear Yan of suspicion in order to negotiate this national wager with Zhou.
Yan used the phrase “the power of words is fearful,” compelling Zhou and Yan to talk about negotiating the nation’s fate, now handing such a significant handle over to Zhou, giving Zhou an excuse to send troops, how could he, as a Yan court official, not be anxious?
“Our Yan official’s reckless words in a mont of urgency, Emperor need not take to heart. Just as Emperor says… our Yan guard went to Minister Liu’s residence to assassinate, this is indubitable.” Xiao Rongyan spoke composedly, “Losing a guard is not important but… it involved the blood kin of our Empress Dowager of Yan, her brother by the sa mother. This matter… our Yan must still investigate thoroughly.”
Just as Xiao Rongyan finished speaking, Wei Zhong stepped in with quick steps, saluted Bai Qingyan and said: “Your Majesty, the assassin… Doctor Huang could not save them, they are gone!”
Xiao Rongyan’s palm tightened.
“To assassinate a significant minister of our Zhou, dying ten thousand tis would not suffice to vent hatred.” Bai Qingyan’s voice was indifferent, “Dead… turned out to be a convenience.”
Without giving Yan’s court officials a chance to speak, Bai Qingyan continued: “Regarding the assassination, what exactly did Master Zhong, the Empress Dowager’s brother, intend, I can roughly guess. Whether it is fearing Minister Liu’s mouth or wanting to disrupt this national wager, it seems… previously, the Ninth Prince of Yan ca to our Zhou Dynasty court saying that Yan still has so capital to fight against our Zhou, those words were indeed true!”
In Bai Qingyan’s words, he deliberately elevated Yan.
“Now that Minister Liu has not yet awakened, Master Zhong should not appear in this negotiation of the wager!” Bai Qingyan tapped his fingers on the table and said, “Let’s start negotiations tomorrow! The sooner the negotiations conclude, the sooner Yan can leave our Dadu City.”
Now the handle is in Zhou’s hands; Zhou is willing to talk about negotiations. This ti Yan must show enough “sincerity” to quell the matter of the “assassination.”
Yan’s court officials have already inferred the aning of the Emperor of Zhou, roughly hinting that their Yan must be prepared to offer concessions to ensure the national wager’s negotiation.
And even if they have any dissatisfaction, once hearing that Bai Qingyan has set the date for starting the negotiations tomorrow, everything else seems unimportant.
Xiao Rongyan also saw Bai Qingyan’s intention, but standing from Yan’s standpoint, if wanting to bicker over the “assassin” matter with Zhou, it would rather be a loss than gain. Setting tomorrow for negotiations is good news for Yan.
Yan’s envoys naturally thought so and, hearing that the negotiations on the national wager could start tomorrow, their expressions were both unexpected yet seed inevitable…
After all, Zhou was strong to begin with, and this ti they’ve effectively caught Yan’s handle. During the negotiations tomorrow, proposing so difficult demands for Yan, Yan may be more willing to agree, even if it ans Yan having to cede a few cities, with Yan caught by a handle, Yan has to agree, thus giving Zhou a great chance to obtain Yan without bloodshed.
Such a deal, as long as the Emperor of Zhou is slightly greedy, he will be tempted.
For Xiao Rongyan, an assassin even if Lu Jin failed to handle it properly, and died, was just a death. But he understood Zhong Xingxiao; he didn’t have the courage to order his n to assassinate Zhou Dynasty’s Chief of Staff.
But this assassin, in the end, confessed under Lu Jin’s hand yet happened to die when Yan’s court officials arrived. Xiao Rongyan couldn’t fathom… whether the assassin’s death was Bai Qingyan’s way of paving the path for smooth subsequent negotiations by holding the hostage as leverage.
However, Xiao Rongyan’s biggest worry was that the assassin might have other backgrounds, another purpose.
Apart from personal matters, the current outco is not bad for Yan, but Xiao Rongyan must understand why the assassin attempted to kill a significant minister of Zhou, who was pulling the strings behind.
“Since the assassin is dead, may we ask Emperor of Zhou to hand over this criminal’s corpse to Yan Kingdom,” Xiao Rongyan spoke.
“The assassination of our Zhou’s Minister Liu has not yet concluded, Yan thinks… I allowed tomorrow’s negotiations, so this matter lightly passed by? You dare to ask for the body?” Bai Qingyan’s voice carried a smile.
Seeing the situation, Lu Jin asked with a smile: “Could it be that Yan’s Regent Prince wants to take this Yan’s ‘righteous warrior’ back for a decent burial?”
“Minister Lu’s words are heartless!” Yan’s Minister of Revenue stepped forward loudly, “Our Regent Prince wanting to take the body back is rely to bring it before Master Zhong, for Master Zhong to give an explanation! After all… this assassin claid to be ordered by Master Zhong. Though the confession is out now, Master Zhong is still our Yan’s significant minister. Emperor must give us a chance to clear Master Zhong of suspicion.”
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