knife

Chapter 354 Deeply Trapped in a Catch and Unable to Escape
He stood outside the door with his hands behind his back, listening to his wife and Zhang Qingyun chatting and laughing inside.

I met this little girl three years ago.

At that time, she appeared to be very strong on the outside, but the fear and timidity in her heart could not be hidden by someone who had experienced many hardships.

In just three years, this young woman has completely changed, inside and out.

Hearing that confident smile and thinking about what this woman had been doing recently, Wei Zhengdao couldn't help but shake his head.

Zhang Ruo has no sons, but this daughter is probably worth several sons.

He patted his cheeks, a kind and gentle smile appearing on his face. Wei Zhengdao put his hands behind his back, coughed lightly, and strode into the room with his feet turned outwards.

Everyone in the room stood up. The women and maids on both sides bowed in greeting. Madam Wei took a few steps forward, pulled Wei Zhengdao to the table, and pointed to the fox fur coats spread on the table, saying, "Husband, come and see these fox fur coats. Each one is a good thing that money can't buy! These two pure white ones are fine, but this fiery red one is really rare."

Reaching out to stroke the smooth, satin-like fur, Wei Zhengdao nodded slightly; it was indeed a fine item.

"Thank you for your kindness!" Wei Zhengdao looked at Zhang Qingyun standing in front of him and said with a smile, "How has your health been these days, Master Zhang? It's bitterly cold outside the Great Wall, and your health is not exactly robust, just like mine!"

"Thank you for your concern, Prime Minister!" Zhang Qingyun curtsied and said, "My father went to the border region, where there are the best doctors in the world. With Doctor Fu taking care of him, his health is getting better every day. He is much better than when he was in the capital! The key is that there are not so many troublesome things in the border region. He feels at ease, which is better than any medicine!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhengdao's expression changed slightly, and the smile on Madam Wei's face disappeared. The other ladies lowered their heads, not daring to answer.

Three years ago, the Zhang family suffered a calamity, and the eldest son of the Zhang family perished in this upheaval. Zhang Qingyun did not say it explicitly, but everyone understood the meaning behind her words.

Wei Zhengdao waved his hand, and Madam Wei nodded in understanding, leading the group of women out of the room.

Wei Zhengdao sat down, looked at Zhang Qingyun, and said, "You should understand the rights and wrongs of what happened three years ago now, right? It was all a matter of state, not personal grudges!"

"So that's why I'm here with you today!" Zhang Qingyun said with a smile, but her words still carried a sharp edge: "But if I say that I have no ill intentions, does Your Majesty believe me?"

“If you really say that, then I will have some doubts. It would be right for you to hate me.” Wei Zhengdao nodded and said, “But not letting personal grudges ruin public justice is a sign of maturity. You are now the representative of the Beiting Protectorate in Chang’an. I believe in your ability and integrity.”

"You think highly of me, Prime Minister!" Zhang Qingyun sat down with a smile and looked directly at Wei Zhengdao. "Prime Minister, you must be clear about the situation in Shu now. It was our Protector-General Li who led the team through Yinping, crossed Motianling, and seized Jiangyou Pass."

“Protector Li is quite shrewd; he won over Wu De and Zhang Songlin without anyone noticing. Now that the die is cast, what else is there to say?” Wei Zhengdao was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, “However, I believe that Protector Li and Protector Xiao are still loyal to the court. On this basis, we can still cooperate, can’t we?”

“Of course!” Zhang Qingyun said, “That’s why I came. Minister Wei, Protector-General Li is currently in Chang’an. If you are interested, we can meet and discuss our future cooperation.”

"I presume Miss Qingyun has already arranged a place? Did you come to inform me today?" Wei Zhengdao took a deep breath and said slowly.

Zhang Qingyun didn't mince words and answered directly, "Yes!"

A flash of anger crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

The situation is better than people.

Right now, Linghu Ye's army is stationed at Longmen Ferry. What they are waiting for is for the Yellow River to freeze over. Once it is frozen solid, the army will naturally set off.

There is not much time left for yourself.

An agreement must be reached with Li Dachui before Linghuye's army begins its attack.

It's unclear how Li Dachui has infiltrated Chang'an, but one thing is certain: Li Dachui's power in Chang'an is considerable.

To defend Chang'an, all forces must be united.

Li Dachui's current power is enough to influence the situation in the world.

This is especially true for Linghu Ye.

Linghu Ye was able to abandon the area outside the Great Wall and enter the Central Plains to contend for the world, so why couldn't Li Dachui do the same?

Moreover, the conditions for the army from outside the pass to enter the pass are much better now than they were back then. At least now, the Northern Yuan no longer has the ability to covet the land outside the pass.

Therefore, once this alliance is announced, Linghu Ye will have to reconsider his decision to attack Chang'an.

There is a very high probability that his military might turn towards Luoyang, and he will take Luoyang first before considering anything else.

In this way, his and Luoyang's positions would immediately reverse, and Zhang Quanyi would have to beg him instead of him begging Zhang Quanyi to launch an offensive in Luoyang to relieve the pressure on Chang'an.

"Xuandu Temple!" Zhang Qingyun said, "We've decided on the location, so let the Prime Minister decide the time. Wouldn't that be fair?" "There's no time like the present, let's do it tomorrow!"

"I'm afraid it won't work tomorrow!"

"Why? Didn't you say Li Dachui was in Chang'an?"

“We all went out to kill someone!” Zhang Qingyun shook his head and said, “I don’t know if he’ll be able to come back in time tomorrow, let’s set a final time!”

Wei Zhengdao found it strange. Given Li Dachui's current status, who else would be worth killing personally?

Especially in Chang'an.

"Who did he go to kill?"

"He Bing!" Zhang Qingyun uttered two words, which made Wei Zhengdao's expression change. He stood up abruptly and exclaimed, "Why would he want to kill He Bing? What did He Bing do to offend him? Do you know? He Bing went to Luoyang this time to persuade Zhang Quanyi to launch a campaign in Luoyang to relieve the pressure on Chang'an. The two of them both came from the Black Ice Guard and had a relationship. Now that He Bing is dead, I'm afraid Zhang Quanyi will feel sorry for him and will be even less likely to cooperate with us."

After a pause, Wei Zhengdao continued, "Wu De has become one of your men. Zhang Quanyi and Wu De have some dirty dealings, are you aware of that?"

Zhang Qingyun smiled faintly and said, "So, does the Prime Minister know that He Bing is already preparing to betray you and go to Southern Chu?"

"What?" Wei Zhengdao's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"If the Prime Minister sends people to investigate now, they will find that He Bing's family is no longer at the villa in Lishan. It is already deserted! If they investigate further, they will find traces of their journey south. Before that, He Bing's younger brother, He Yu, had already taken the secrets of the Black Ice Guard and headed south to Nan Chu!"

How did you know?

“Because we’ve been monitoring He Bing!” Zhang Qingyun said. “Governor Li thinks this man is unreliable, especially at this stage. Unlike the Prime Minister, he won’t have the determination to live and die with Chang’an. Moreover, if Chang’an really falls, a behemoth like the Wei family might only lose power, and Linghu Ye still needs to win you over, but a small family like the He family will inevitably be exterminated to appease the anger of those in Hedong and Hexi. If he doesn’t run away, when will he?”

Wei Zhengdao's lips trembled as he said, "That's just your side of the story!"

Zhang Qingyun smiled and pulled out a stack of documents from his pocket, saying, "These are the things our men found after arresting He Yu, including his confession. A man like you, Prime Minister, would know the truth at a glance!"

Half-believing and half-doubting, Wei Zhengdao opened the stack of documents, but the more he read, the more alarmed he became.

"Damn it!" He slammed the case file heavily on the table.

“If He Yu goes to Southern Chu, all the spies that Great Qin has painstakingly planted there will be lost!” Zhang Qingyun said. “Decades of hard work will be destroyed in an instant. Shouldn’t such a person be killed?”

"He deserves to die!" Wei Zhengdao roared.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, this man will surely not survive!" Zhang Qingyun laughed. "It was precisely to ensure absolute certainty that my Protector-General personally took action. If someone like He Bing were to defect, the damage to our Great Qin would be too severe. At that time, it wouldn't just be a loss of manpower, but also an unbearable loss of face for Great Qin!"

“Then let’s go in three days!” Wei Zhengdao stood up. “I will go with Hong Zhan in three days. I’m sure Protector Li understands that!”

“Alright!” Zhang Qingyun stood up, bowed, and said, “Then Qingyun will take her leave. See you at Xuandu Temple in three days.”

Watching Zhang Qingyun's graceful figure disappear before his eyes, Wei Zhengdao slumped back into his chair, somewhat dejected.

He Bing's defection is likely true and not something fabricated by the other side, but such a thing would be a greater blow to him, leaving him with even less leverage to bargain with Li Dachui.

Zhang Quanyi is keeping his distance from him, and now, due to He Bing's betrayal, the Black Ice Platform will fall entirely into Wu De's hands, which means it will fall into Li Dachui's hands.

Wei Zhengdao was all too aware of the importance of intelligence.

Thirty years ago, if Kou Zhong hadn't controlled the Black Ice Guard, the coup in Chang'an would never have gone so smoothly.

When one party is rendered deaf and mute, the other party can truly do whatever they want.

The successive deaths of Kou Zhong and He Bing rendered the Black Ice Station, an intelligence agency that could once be relied upon, untrustworthy.

Because in the future, the information they give you will most likely be exactly what they want you to know.

Wei Zhengdao suddenly realized that he was getting deeper and deeper into a huge net called Li Dachui, and the further he went, the greater the risk of not being able to extricate himself.

But do I have a choice?
After much deliberation, I found myself with no choice.

If we can't even get through this current hurdle safely, how can we have the chance to talk about the future?

(End of this chapter)