I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 399 Using yourself as bait
The Palace Front Department and the Imperial City Department were biting each other in front of Zhao Heng, which was something Zhao Wei had not expected.

Being able to force Lei Jing into a corner, it seems that the Dianqian Division is really ruthless and intends to kill Lei Jing and Gu Qianfan.

However, neither of them has any evidence, so it is naturally impossible for them to really hurt each other. But after today, the Imperial City Division and the Palace Front Division will definitely confront each other.

It seemed that Zhao Heng was quite angry just now, but he might not be as angry as he showed. After all, the Palace Front Department and the Imperial City Department were at odds, which made it convenient for him to maintain a check and balance.

Of course, the fact that the Palace Front Department took the initiative to form a group with the Imperial City Department also illustrates a problem, that is, some people in the Taizu lineage and the Qingliu are about to get restless.

This is also a good thing for Zhao Wei.

After coming out of the palace, Zhao Wei did not go to Anyefang, nor did he return to the prince's palace, but went directly to the Xiao Mansion.

"Your Highness has come here uninvited. It seems that you have something important to discuss with me, an old minister?"

Zhao Wei was too lazy to talk to Xiao Qinyan in an official tone, and said directly: "My father summoned me today and ordered me to secretly investigate the case of the hat monster."

"Isn't the Imperial City Department and the Palace Front Department in charge of the Hat Monster case? Why would the emperor allow His Highness to investigate secretly?"

Xiao Qinyan looked surprised, but he quickly reacted.

"It seems that the emperor also wants to eliminate the impact of the hat monster case as soon as possible. Your Highness came to see me for this matter?"

Zhao Wei nodded and said calmly, "In the case of the hat monster, we both know who the target is."

Xiao Qinyan remained silent for a while before he spoke: "What does Your Highness want to do?"

"Whoever the mastermind behind the Hat Monster case is, it's Qi!"

Judging from the plot in the TV series, the hat monster case was planned by Commander Cui from the Palace Front Department and Ke Zheng's disciples. However, the plot did not specify which disciple of Ke Zheng it was. It can only be confirmed that it was from the Qingliu lineage.

However, Qi Mu was aware of this matter and took advantage of it, which shows that Qi Mu was inseparable from this matter. Even if he was not one of the masterminds, it did not prevent Zhao Wei from beating him to death with a stick.

More importantly, judging from the fact that Zhao Heng asked him to investigate Qingliu, Zhao Heng probably knew that there was a connection between Qingliu and Dianqiansi. Otherwise, given Zhao Heng's personality, he would not let him take advantage of the issue and investigate further.

Xiao Qinyan frowned: "Your Highness, do you want to put all the blame on Qi Mu?"

"Is there a problem?"

Any question?
Of course there is a problem!
Xiao Qinyan was speechless and replied, "Your Highness, after Lord Ke left the capital, Qi Mu has been the mastermind of the Qingliu faction. If we get rid of him so quickly, wouldn't it be a bit hasty? Besides, will the emperor believe it?"

It is true that he wants to dominate the government, but after all, he has just returned to the capital and has not yet completely controlled the situation. He does not take Qi Mu seriously, but he is afraid that getting rid of Qi Mu will arouse Zhao Heng's suspicion.

As an emperor, it is impossible for the butler to watch him dominate the government.

"Prime Minister Xiao, do you disagree with my plan?"

"That's not the case. Qi Mu is indeed abominable, but it's probably not that easy to bring him down with the hat monster case, unless we use the Duke of Anguo..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Wei interrupted him and said, "People from Taizu's lineage cannot be moved. This is what my father meant."

Xiao Qinyan nodded and said thoughtfully, "Then this matter will be difficult to handle. Your Highness, do you have a foolproof plan?"

"No."

"No?"

Xiao Qinyan looked at Zhao Wei in astonishment. He had thought that Zhao Wei had found a solution because of his confidence in what he said. He did not expect Zhao Wei to give such an answer.

Zhao Wei's expression remained unchanged. Of course he had a way to deal with Qi Mu, but he was not prepared to tell Xiao Qinyan. He came to Xiao Qinyan just to show his sincerity in cooperation, set a trap for Xiao Qinyan, and give Zhao Heng a reminder.

But thinking of the plot in the TV series, Zhao Wei suddenly laughed and said, "In fact, it is very simple to bring down Qi Mu. As long as Gu Qianfan is willing to help, it can be done easily. I believe you should be very clear about the connection between Gu Qianfan and Qi Mu."

Xiao Qinyan did know, but he simply ignored Zhao Wei's suggestion.

Are you kidding? Gu Qianfan is his son. He still wants Gu Qianfan to be loyal to him and support him with all his strength. How could he sell out his "eldest son" for the sake of Qi Mu?

In Xiao Qinyan's heart, Gu Qianfan is much more important than Qi Mu.

Even though Gu Qianfan is not close to him now, he is his biological son after all, and the most capable and promising son at that. It is really not worth it to exchange Gu Qianfan for Qi Mu's son.

"Prime Minister Xiao, you'd better hurry up, otherwise I will do it my own way. Also, if you can't even solve this problem, I think there is no need for us to cooperate."

Xiao Qinyan was still in deep thought until Zhao Wei left.

He felt something was strange. Zhao Wei came to see him specially but actually did nothing. What did Zhao Wei mean by that?

Wait!
"How did the King of Han come here?"

What else can I do? I just came here by carriage.

Uncle Zhong was a little puzzled, but he still replied carefully: "They should have come out of the palace and headed straight to the Prime Minister's residence."

Hearing this, Xiao Qinyan couldn't help but snort: "He is really calculating."

Even though the Han Wang party and the Hou Hou party are quarreling fiercely in the court now, as if they are incompatible, Zhao Wei is Liu Wan's biological son after all, and no one will doubt the Hou Hou party's position of supporting Zhao Wei to take the throne.

At least, that's what it seems to the outside world.

Zhao Wei came to the Xiao Mansion once, and then Qi Mu fell. It was hard not to suspect that it was Xiao Qinyan who was behind this, so the firepower of the Qingliu would be directed at him, the treacherous prime minister who had just taken office.

More importantly, once Qi Mu falls, there will be no ministers in the court who can check and balance him. In addition, he is in league with Zhao Wei, so will the emperor be careful and wary of him?
This is certain. No emperor would like to see the emergence of court officials who could threaten the imperial power.

Uncle Zhong didn't see what Zhao Wei was planning, but he was tactful and didn't ask any more questions. He just said, "Prime Minister, since His Royal Highness the King of Han has a plan, we can't let him lead us by the nose."

"He just said that the government does not allow anyone from Taizu's lineage to be touched. This means that he is not trying to use this incident to touch Qingliu, but the government wants to take action against Qingliu, but he has chosen Qi Mu."

As Xiao Qinyan spoke, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes: "Besides, Qi Mu must also fall."

When he returned to Tokyo, he needed someone of high enough status to establish his authority. Now that Ke Zheng was no longer in Tokyo, Qi Mu was the most suitable candidate.

In addition, Qi Mu used his son Gu Qianfan and his previous secret negotiations with Wu Jin. One of the terms of the deal was to overthrow Qi Mu and push Wu Jin to power.

So no matter from which perspective, he must defeat Qi Mu.

Toppling Qi Mu was Xiao Qinyan's established plan, but he didn't expect that this day would come so soon, so soon that he was caught off guard.

Xiao Qinyan knew very well that Zhao Wei came to the Xiao Mansion openly to set a trap for him.

But he had to fall into this trap.

Xiao Qinyan sighed and waved his hand, "Okay, you go down first, I'll think about it by myself."

What the housekeeper Zhongshu said was right, we cannot let Zhao Wei lead us by the nose, but how to avoid being led by the nose still requires careful consideration.

However, Xiao Qinyan didn't know that Zhao Wei had never intended to lead him by the nose from the beginning to the end.

Again, the main reason why he came to find Xiao Qinyan was to remind Zhao Heng and remind him to be careful of the power of the party behind him.

For this, he even did not mind being suspected by Zhao Heng.

What Zhao Wei really wanted to do was to use this incident to attack the peace-loving faction in the court. Both the Qingliu and the Houdang were within his range of attack.

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Qinyan came to Prince Han's mansion. Unlike Zhao Wei who came openly, he came secretly.

The study room of Prince Han’s mansion.

"You mean, you are prepared to risk your life and lure Qi Mu and others to assassinate you?"

When Zhao Wei learned from Xiao Qinyan the purpose of his looking for him, he was a little surprised, but not surprised.

After all, Xiao Qinyan had used this trick in the TV drama, but he had overdone it and almost killed Gu Qianfan. His appearance had changed the plot quite a bit, but Xiao Qinyan was actually planning to use this trick, which was somewhat beyond Zhao Wei's expectations.

Xiao Qinyan smiled and said, "Those people are hiding very deeply, but if they have the chance to take my life, I believe they will definitely not let go of this opportunity."

"Prime Minister Xiao, aren't you afraid of an accident? Your cleverness may backfire and you may end up losing your life?"

Xiao Qinyan smiled and said, "That's why I came to see you, Your Highness. With your help, I believe everything will be fine."

Zhao Wei also laughed: "You trust me so much, aren't you afraid that I will sell you out?"

"The fact that Your Highness can ask this question already speaks volumes."

Xiao Qinyan smiled confidently: "Cooperating with me is the most beneficial to you, Your Highness. I am willing to take this gamble."

Of course, this was just polite talk. He certainly couldn't trust Zhao Wei completely. Turning to Zhao Wei was just an extra layer of insurance. He had other arrangements in secret.

Zhao Wei knew very well what Xiao Qinyan was planning, but he still agreed.

The next day, night.

On the riverside of the inner city, Zhao Wei stood on the bridge dressed in black, and next to him stood Liu Sheng, the commander of his personal guards, also dressed in black.

"Has everyone been arranged?"

"It's all arranged. If Xiao Xiangzhen is in danger, our people will take action."

Zhao Wei agreed to send someone to secretly protect Xiao Qinyan, and all of this was arranged and executed by Liu Sheng.

"Your Highness, it is said that Prime Minister Xiao has a bad reputation. He..."

Zhao Wei interrupted with an indifferent look on his face: "Whether he has a good reputation or not has nothing to do with us. He and I are just using each other. He has his ambitions, and I have mine. Unless he is mentally ill, he will not turn against me, and he dare not turn against me."

There are no so-called good or bad people in the court, there are only interests, and he sees this more clearly than anyone else.

Tonight's action was a trap set by Xiao Qinyan for Qingliu, with himself as bait. On the one hand, it was to let the mastermind behind the scenes take the initiative and expose himself; on the other hand, it was to make his eldest son Gu Qianfan return to his heart. Gu Qianfan was very important to him.

Zhao Wei knew Xiao Qinyan's purpose. This was beneficial to him, so he went along with it. All he had to do was send a team of people to protect Xiao Qinyan.

At this time, the sky had completely darkened, and there were obviously fewer people on both sides of the river than before, and a strange atmosphere was everywhere.

"Your Highness, Deputy Envoy Gu is here." Liu Sheng said in a low voice.

Zhao Wei naturally also saw that Gu Qianfan and Xiao Qinyan had met up and were talking.

"The show is about to begin. Let's go and hide first."

Naturally, those people would not miss such a great opportunity to assassinate Xiao Qinyan. Just like the original plot, not long after Xiao Qinyan and Gu Qianfan got on the boat, the black-clad killers who were also hiding in the dark attacked from all directions.

In the center of the river, the large ship that Xiao Qinyan was riding on immediately became a sitting duck, and the killers rushed frantically from both sides of the river towards the large ship in the center of the river.

This action caused great chaos on both sides of the river bank. Pedestrians scattered in panic, but there were also some brave people who were curious and stood not far away to watch.

The fight is about to begin!
Although the martial arts level in this world is not high, this kind of fight is also extremely thrilling.

Zhao Wei stood in the dark and watched. On the boat in the distance, Xiao Qinyan and Xiao Wei, father and son, could only barely defend themselves under the protection of Gu Qianfan. Although Gu Qianfan was a martial arts master, the other side was outnumbered and powerful, so they soon fell into a passive position and suffered multiple injuries.

Liu Sheng is the person who is usually responsible for contacting Gu Qianfan. He gets along well with Gu Qianfan. Now that he sees Gu Qianfan is injured, he can't help but feel a little anxious.

"Your Highness, Deputy Envoy Gu can't hold on any longer. Should we take action?"

Zhao Wei turned his head and glanced at him, saying calmly: "Fathers are not in a hurry, why are you in a hurry? Let's wait and see."

He didn't believe that Xiao Qinyan would hand over all the security to Prince Han's Mansion. There must be people arranged by Xiao Qinyan in secret, so he planned to wait a little longer.

But what Zhao Wei didn't expect was that even though Gu Qianfan was in danger several times, Xiao Qinyan had no intention of moving.

Seeing Gu Qianfan in danger again, Zhao Wei finally spoke.

"This old man Xiao Qinyan is really cruel. Gu Qianfan cannot be seriously injured. Let them do it."

Liu Sheng understood and whistled immediately.

Then, a group of men in black rushed onto the boat from the shore and the water, and began to surround and kill the black-clad assassins who were besieging the Xiao father and son.

These men in black were all highly skilled in martial arts and had good working order. Although the number of killers exceeded theirs, they were still no match for them. In addition, they were caught off guard and were killed in pieces in a short time.

It can be said that the two sides are not on the same level at all.

"Let's go."

After seeing this, Zhao Wei no longer had the desire to continue watching and left the scene with Liu Sheng.

Because of the help from Prince Han's Mansion, Gu Qianfan did not suffer serious injuries and be on the verge of death as in the original plot. Now he is just slightly injured and nothing serious.

So after the assassination happened, Gu Qianfan said goodbye to Xiao Qinyan and Xiao Wei and quietly came to Prince Han's Mansion.

In the study room of the Prince Han's mansion, Zhao Wei looked at Gu Qianfan who was bandaging his wounds and said with a smile, "Deputy Envoy Gu, you have done your best to protect Prime Minister Xiao tonight. With such a great contribution, you are about to be promoted. I would like to congratulate you first."

Gu Qianfan gave a bitter smile, but his injury was aroused and the corner of his mouth could not help but twitch again: "If it weren't for General Xiang and his men's actions tonight, I would have been seriously injured if not dead. Thank you, Your Highness!"

I have to say that Gu Qianfan's intuition is really accurate. In the original plot, he was really seriously injured.

Zhao Wei shook his head and smiled: "Tonight, Prime Minister Xiao used himself as bait, not only to lure out some people, but also to let you gain some credit. Now that you have secured his credit, he will definitely recommend you to take over the Imperial City Division. What do you think?"

Gu Qianfan was silent for a moment: "I don't want to stay in the Imperial City Department any longer, or even stay in Tokyo, but if Your Highness needs me, I can stay in the Imperial City Department."

"You want to transfer?"

"I have this idea. The Liao people are not stable, and I want to go to the border." Gu Qianfan said, and suddenly remembered something: "Oh, Your Highness, we caught a Liao spy today."

Zhao Wei nodded: "Yes, I know."

"Know?"

Gu Qianfan was shocked. You know, they had just caught the spy this afternoon, and no one else knew about him except a few people close to him. How did Zhao Wei know about him?

"The spy you caught has been under surveillance in the palace." Zhao Wei explained, and then said thoughtfully, "Let's not talk about the spy for now. If you want to transfer him out, I'm afraid you will have to wait for a while. I have other uses for Lei Jing, and the Imperial City Department needs you to take charge for a while."

Gu Qianfan nodded, then suddenly realized: "Wait, Your Highness, you said that Lord Lei is also your man?"

"Are you surprised?"

Gu Qianfan nodded honestly: "It was a surprise."

In his opinion, Lei Jing was a fence-sitter who lacked ability, could only flatter, was corrupt and wanted to climb up the social ladder. However, he did not expect that Lei Jing was actually Zhao Wei's man.

Being valued by the King of Han, does that mean that everything Lei Jing showed was just an act? !

This... Lei Jing hid it really well!

While Gu Qianfan was feeling emotional, he was also somewhat happy in his heart. After all, Zhao Wei had told him all about Lei Jing's hidden tricks, which meant that he had officially become a member of the Prince Han's Mansion.

Zhao Wei smiled and said, "Lei Jing has been my man for ten years. After tonight, he will go to the border to investigate some corrupt officials among the border troops. After all, he is well-known and is the most suitable person to be an undercover agent. Anyway, you will have to wait for a while."

Gu Qianfan was deeply shocked and said solemnly, "For the sake of the Song Dynasty and His Highness, Lord Lei is willing to bear the infamy. I am just staying in the Imperial City for a while longer. How can I say that I am wronged?"

However, what Gu Qianfan didn't expect was that he would have to wait for two full years.

(End of this chapter)