knife

Chapter 203 Precise Analysis

Wu De led his horse, wandering aimlessly through the streets in a daze.

Thinking back to when I planned the assassination of Liu Qinglin and personally killed Sima Lang, I felt that I was doing something very righteous, eliminating a scourge for the people. Now, I realize that it was just a small part of a larger plan.

The only gain was that on that night, because of the pent-up emotions in my heart, I advanced to the ninth rank of the Profound Origin Realm.

"Chief Wu, Chief Wu!"

He heard shouts coming from nearby, and Wu De turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came.

A familiar face stood beside a cart, waving at him. When he looked up, he was surprised to find that he had unknowingly arrived outside Zhang Ruo's residence, and the person greeting him was Luo Liang, who had come to the capital with him earlier.

Luo Liang is Luo Ying's uncle.

Luo Ying joined the Black Ice Guard and is now under Wu De's command. He is still in Hedong and has not returned yet!
"So it's Brother Luo. What are you doing here?" Wu De asked, perking up.

"Chief Wu, Miss Qingyun is back! I've been transferred to work by her side!" Luo Liang said with a smile. "I just went to buy some daily necessities today. Since Miss Qingyun just returned, the manor is always short of this or that! You're here to see Miss Qingyun, right?"

Wu Degang wanted to say no, but then he thought, since he's already here, he might as well meet him.

What Wu De saw inside the pass was nothing but filth, but the area outside the pass, which he had previously considered a barbaric land, allowed him to see many glimmers of humanity.

Zhang Ruo was formerly the Vice Minister of Revenue, so his house was naturally quite large. After making great contributions outside the Great Wall, the court returned the house to him. Perhaps to make up for the previous injustice done to Zhang Ruo, the court also took over the houses of several other families on either side of the house. The Ministry of Works renovated the houses and then bestowed them upon the Zhang family, making Zhang Ruo's mansion twice as large as before.

Wu De also came when they came to raid the house.

This was a return visit, and I was filled with mixed emotions.

As the saying goes, "three times poor, three times rich, but never old age," and "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," which is really true.

As long as you don't die, there's always a chance.

It seems that Zhang Ruo's story will become an inspirational legend in officialdom.

Standing far away on the porch, watching the lively scene in the front yard.

Zhang Qingyun was accompanying several noble young men as they strolled out of the main hall, seemingly preparing to see them off.

The young man leading the group was none other than the Zhou family boy whom they had bumped into at the city gate a few days ago. It seemed that this guy really cared about Zhang Qingyun, as he had come to visit again after only a few days.

No one knows what kind of spell Zhang Qingyun cast on these people, but they all left with rosy cheeks and high spirits.

Wu De only came out after those people disappeared through the gate.

"Miss Qingyun is really busy!" Wu De's tone, though not malicious, was not without sarcasm.

Why did Zhang Qingyun have to feign politeness towards these people? Was it simply because they were all from the same circle?

No, that's not true.

It can be said that ever since Zhang Qingyun took a trip to the area outside the Great Wall, they have been on completely different levels.

The only reason I still befriended them was because I could get a lot of information from them that was needed outside the Great Wall.

Scholar Zhou, for example, was a drafter of imperial edicts and a person close to His Majesty. There were many things that even the Black Ice Guard might not know, but Scholar Zhou already knew them all.

Even if an emperor doesn't manage affairs or show any interest in politics, he's still an emperor.

"I've really neglected Brother Wu, but Brother Wu is one of us, so I don't think he'll blame Qingyun. Unlike these people, they resent you when you're far away, and they're disrespectful when you're close. They're really a nuisance!" Zhang Qingyun smiled and bowed to Wu De apologetically, "Brother Wu, let's talk inside!"

When receiving Young Master Zhou and his entourage in the main hall, they led Wu Deyun directly to the study at the back, making it clear at a glance how close or distant the relationship was.

Wu De suddenly realized that he actually felt this was the right thing to do and even felt quite comfortable. He couldn't help but pinch his palm with his fingernail.

Zhang Qingyun now acts with effortless grace, and it's truly apt to recall how I once described him and Luo Ying as natural-born for this profession. On the other hand, I'm being criticized by Da Yin for needing to hone my inner strength before I can achieve anything.

Sometimes, you really can't use age as an excuse.

There are old foxes like Da Yin and Wei Xiang, but there are also young monsters like Li Da Chui and Zhang Qing Yun.

Kneeling on either side of the small table, Zhang Qingyun skillfully brewed Kung Fu tea. This reminded Wu De of that night in Tai'an City, when this young girl had exposed his identity in just a few words, leading to that transaction. "Brother Wu seems to be in a bad mood. Is it because of the Jinyang incident?" Zhang Qingyun pushed a cup of tea in front of Wu De.

"It's not just about Jinyang!" Wu De said, "Now even the Wang family of Taiyuan has been wiped out!"

There's no way to hide this news; it will probably spread throughout the world in just a few days.

"This shouldn't upset Brother Wu, right? You killed Liu Qinglin from the Liu family, didn't you? Such a bad person is fine as long as he's dead!"

"Too many people have died, too many innocent ones. He Zudao is a madman!" Wu De sighed and shook his head. "I just went to the He residence today; how tragic!"

Zhang Qingyun's eyes widened in surprise: "Although He Qiku was not young, his martial arts cultivation was extremely high and his health was always very good. Why did he suddenly die?"

Seeing Zhang Qingyun's questioning gaze, Wu De shook his head and said, "The imperial court didn't do anything to him; he just didn't want to live anymore!"

Zhang Qingyun pondered for a moment, then picked up a cup of tea and sipped it slowly before saying, "Brother Wu, there's clearly a lot more to this than meets the eye!"

Wu De shook his head and said, "Yes, but I'm sorry, I can't say anything."

Zhang Qingyun smiled and said, "Brother Wu doesn't have to tell me, but I can guess!"

It would be a miracle if you could guess it!

Wu De said to himself.

“He Zudao achieved a great victory in Hedong, annihilating the Liu family of Jinyang and the Wang family of Taiyuan. After plundering their wealth, he will surely recruit soldiers and horses and greatly increase his prestige. Judging from his purpose, he probably wants to establish himself in Hedong!” Zhang Qingyun said, “Under such favorable circumstances, it is very strange that He Qiku would commit suicide.

Zhang Qingyun glanced at Wu De, who was slowly sipping his tea with a blank expression, and continued, "With He Qiku's experience and knowledge, he must have discovered something was wrong and felt that his son's future was not good, and that the He family would definitely not have a good end either, so he committed suicide in despair."

Wu De's hand trembled slightly, and he looked up at Zhang Qingyun with some surprise.

Seeing Wu De's expression, Zhang Qingyun knew she had guessed correctly.

“But even if the powerful families of Hedong unite, they still wouldn’t be a match for He Zudao!” Zhang Qingyun said. “Brother Wu, this assessment was told to me by Deputy Protector-General Li. Zhi Qiu Academy has done some research on people like He Zudao. Moreover, we have also obtained some information about him from the Southern Chu.”

"When did you get involved with Southern Chu?" Wu De asked curiously.

“Brother Wu, why are you saying such unpleasant things!” Zhang chuckled as he poured the other man another cup of tea. “We have some business dealings with a high-ranking member of their Tianluo faction, so naturally we’ll talk about these things. As for Nan Chu, He Qiku and his son have been fighting against their Great Chu for nearly twenty years. They know every detail about this father and son. They told us that He Zudao is a fierce tiger, and now you’ve released that tiger.”

"Even a fierce tiger that has descended the mountain will find it difficult to achieve great things!" Wu De said quietly.

Zhang Qingyun nodded and said, "So, the imperial court must have other plans in Hedong, right? Neither you, the Grand Magistrate, nor the Prime Minister, would place your hopes on some powerful families who are disloyal to the imperial court."

At this point, Zhang Qingyun suddenly clapped his hands and said, "I understand now. He Zudao's indiscriminate killing in Hedong successfully instilled fear in the other powerful families. As a result, these people will unite to wipe out He Zudao. In the ensuing battle, no matter who wins, they will pay a heavy price. The imperial court is preparing to be the fisherman who benefits from the conflict between the two sides. But where is this fisherman hiding? He Zudao and the people in Hedong are not fools. They won't fall for this trick so easily."

Listening to Zhang Qingyun's analysis, Wu De was completely dumbfounded. He really didn't expect that Zhang Qingyun could basically analyze the whole situation after he only said a few words.

Who is this person?!
Wu De was speechless, while Zhang Qingyun laughed heartily.

“No matter where they’re hiding, there’s definitely some force here. Impressive, Brother Wu! This is killing several birds with one stone. Once the Hedong region is completely in the hands of the imperial court, if managed well, it will be like adding another layer of insurance outside the capital and putting even more pressure on the forces outside the Great Wall. The person who orchestrated this is truly admirable.” Zhang Qingqu shook his head repeatedly: “This matter has probably been planned for more than a year or two.”

"How did you come up with these ideas?" Wu De asked.

“Analyze!” Zhang Qingyun smiled and said, “Everything has a cause and effect. No matter how messy a tangled mess may seem, it always has a beginning and an end. Once you figure out the key points, the remaining details aren’t really that important. Am I right, Brother Wu?”

Wu De remained silent.

This was his last act of defiance.

But in my heart I was thinking, if you knew that your Zhang family was destroyed because of this incident, and now only you and your father are left, I wonder if you would still be able to analyze the gains and losses of all parties so calmly as you are now.

“This scheme is very ingenious, but there is one problem. It seems that He Zudao has been underestimated!” Zhang Qingyun said, “What if the other party does not fall into the trap, or what if he realizes he has been tricked but is able to get away? Brother Wu, if that is the case, I am afraid that the lands east and west of the river will be in great chaos.”

"Even He Qiku has given up hope, do you think he has a chance?"

"You never know!" Zhang Qingyun said softly. "Many things happen unexpectedly, in ways you never expected. The more certain something seems, the more likely it is to go wrong."

(End of this chapter)