Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 375 The Eastern Depot Saves Itself, the Western Depot Oversees It

"The head steward was actually an undercover agent!"

Iron Claw Eagle was overjoyed.

During this period, if we were to say who in the entire court was having the hardest time, it would definitely be him.

After all, although Iron Claw Flying Eagle was the head of the Eastern Depot, he was actually an undercover agent planted by Iron-Blooded Marquis next to Cao Zhengchun.

I've worked diligently all these years and finally made it to the position of a senior manager.

This confrontation between Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi was extremely dangerous.

Caught in the middle, he was able to please both sides. If Cao Zhengchun won, he would still be the head of the Eastern Depot.

If Zhu ignores the outcome, he can also return to the game.

Unexpectedly, the situation developed in a way that no one could have predicted. In the end, it was not a win for either side, but a lose-lose situation.

Both Zhu Wushi and Cao Zhengchun are dead.

When the emperor settles accounts later, both the Eastern Depot and the Dragon Guard Manor will be punished.

His dual identity suddenly made him a source of evil, and he has been living in constant fear these past few days.

Suddenly, I heard that the imperial court had uncovered the truth about the Battle of Taihu Lake twenty years ago. The murderer who killed 108 masters from the eight major sects was not the invincible Gu Santong, but the Iron-Blooded Marquis Zhu Wushi.

The reason is that Zhu Wushi cultivates the Absorption Technique, and he killed those 108 masters for the power within their bodies!
Speaking of the Absorption Technique, the most famous person in this era is not the long-outdated Eccentric Swordsman of Tianchi, but Liu Xi.

While it may not be a secret known to everyone in the world, Liu Xi's cultivation of the Absorption Technique was indeed known to many in the upper echelons of the imperial court and the martial arts world.

When Iron Claw Eagle learned of this news, he was immediately stunned.

Iron-Blooded Marquis cultivates the Absorption Technique, so why did the same technique end up in Liu Xi's hands?
Could it be that Liu Xi, like himself, was an undercover agent planted by the Iron-Blooded Marquis?
That's why Iron Claw Eagle came specifically to test the waters.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xi didn't hide anything at all and admitted it directly!
Liu Xi not only made no attempt to hide it, but even laughed triumphantly: "Hahaha, that's right, I'm an undercover agent!"

Iron Claw Flying Eagle exclaimed joyfully, "That's wonderful, Chief Steward! To be honest, I'm also an undercover agent planted in the Eastern Depot by the Divine Marquis!"

"what?"

Liu Xi was taken aback: "You're Zhu Wushi's mole?"

"Yes!"

"You're an undercover agent!" Liu Xi was still somewhat incredulous.

"Yes, I've been lying down for many years."

As Iron Claw Flying Eagle spoke, he noticed that Liu Xi's expression suddenly turned extremely ferocious, like a vicious beast staring at him menacingly.

Startled, his voice turned somber, and he trembled slightly: "Steward...Steward, what's wrong...?"

"No, it's okay..."

Liu Xi's gaze was deep: "Being an undercover agent is good, this is something I have to do. I just didn't expect that you were one too."

Iron Claw Eagle felt something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Liu Xi suddenly laughed: "Flying Eagle, you've been an undercover agent for so many years, do you have any channels to contact the people of the Dragon Guard Manor?"

"Yes, I have……"

"Alright, from now on, you and I are on the same side. Remember, within the Eastern Depot, I am your superior, understand?"

Iron Claw Eagle didn't really understand, but meeting Liu Xi's gaze, he could only obediently nod.

Is Liu Xi really an undercover agent planted by Zhu Wushi?

Obviously not.

However, he now understands that his acquisition of the incomplete Absorption Technique was probably not an accidental opportunity, but rather a deliberate arrangement by Zhu Wushi.

The opponent was probably just making a casual move, preparing to use it at the right time.

Unfortunately, before they could even get to that point, Zhu Wushi died.

What a good death!

When Liu Xi heard that Zhu Wushi was practicing the Absorption Technique, and even the complete version, he was truly alarmed.

He was almost 100% certain that there was something wrong with the incomplete version of the Absorption Technique he was practicing.

If Zhu Wushi hadn't died, and it had come to the point where he really needed to use this seemingly insignificant move, his decades-long cultivation of the Absorption Technique would likely have become a weapon that restrained him.

Fortunately, Zhu Wushi is dead.

His immediate priority is to preserve the power he holds.

The Eastern Depot was to be suppressed by the emperor, while the Dragon Guard Manor had already been partially dismantled by the emperor long before.

It is conceivable that after this incident, the entire Dragon Guard Manor would fall under the emperor's control.

As a eunuch, Liu Xi had no chance of taking control of the Dragon Guard Manor.

However, the Western Depot might be worth a try.

However, although Yu Huatian, the supervisor of the Western Depot, has gained the emperor's favor, he is only a young man more than ten years younger than him, and his cultivation level is only that of a Grandmaster.

If Liu Xi were to go to the Western Depot, he would either seize power or have no choice but to submit.

The former is difficult, and he can't bring himself to do the latter.

Moreover, Liu Xi was reluctant to give up his years of hard work in the Eastern Depot.

After much thought, Liu Xi came up with the best solution.

That is... to protect the Eastern Depot!
But how can we protect the Eastern Depot?
The appearance of the Iron Claw Eagle pointed Liu Xi in the right direction.

"Flying Eagle, since you're able to make contact with the Dragon Guard Manor, why don't you try now?"

Both the Eastern Depot and the Dragon Guard Manor can be considered as half-spy organizations.

The Eastern Depot, due to the influence of eunuchs, was far less effective in this regard than the Dragon Guard Manor.

The most terrifying thing about the Dragon Guard Manor is not how many experts it has, but its incredibly powerful intelligence network.

In the original storyline, Zhu Wushi had been assassinated once, but before the assassin even met him, Zhu Wushi had already learned the assassin's identity and investigated his entire life story through the intelligence network of the Dragon Guard Manor!
The sheer power of the intelligence network of the Dragon Guard Manor is evident.

Such a powerful intelligence network obviously relies on a large number of intelligence personnel, especially those planted in numerous forces, many of whom are even core members of each force.

Zhu Wushi could even appoint a high-ranking official to the Eastern Depot; one can only imagine the extent of his influence over other forces.

This core intelligence network had been targeted by the emperor long before.

He had previously dismantled the experts who served the royal family, organizing the most reliable ones into the Dragon Protector Clan, while the rest were sent to the Dragon Guard Manor. Together with the Eastern Depot, he controlled part of the power of the Dragon Guard Manor.

At that time, the emperor had already gained partial control of this intelligence network.

With Zhu Wushi dead, the emperor immediately took action to seize all of them.

But it is clear that within the intelligence network that Zhu Wushi has cultivated, there must be quite a few of his die-hard loyalists.

Unfortunately, as intelligence agents, these people's identities are all top secret.

Moreover, the emperor's previous actions, which seemed like a winning move, also had the negative effect of alerting the enemy, causing Zhu Wushi to withdraw part of his intelligence network directly from the Dragon Guard Manor.

This intelligence network is exactly what the emperor is most concerned about right now.

No one knows which faction these intelligence agents currently belong to, what their identities are, or what intelligence they possess.

The Western Depot was naturally in charge of this task.

The emperor's strong support for the Western Depot was clearly not without reason.

The current head of the Western Depot, Yu Huatian, is not very old. Shortly after the late emperor ordered the establishment of the Western Depot, he passed away, preventing the Western Depot from ever entering the political arena. As a result, it has been suppressed and has little power, and can even be described as virtually unknown.

Therefore, the previous directors of the Western Depot all tried their best to transfer away, which is why it was the young man Yu Huatian's turn to take over.

Although young, Yu Huatian was quite capable, and the emperor also wanted a subordinate who was truly and completely loyal to him, so the two sides hit it off immediately.

Over the past year, the Western Depot has undergone tremendous changes. As the supervisor, Yu Huatian has continuously reformed and expanded the Western Depot, attracting many capable individuals, which has led to the Western Depot we see today.

However, the situation that Yu Huatian faced was actually not very good.

He is now like Zhao Kuo in the Battle of Changping. He is a talented military strategist, but unfortunately, he ran into the god of war Bai Qi as soon as he appeared.

The same goes for Yu Huatian.

Although he was exceptionally capable, he was still young. However, his first task was to find a part of Zhu Wushi's hidden intelligence network.

While this cannot be compared to the direct confrontation between Zhao Kuo and Bai Qi, it can still be considered a covert clash with Zhu Wushi.

This is quite difficult for a newcomer.

Fortunately, the emperor was wise enough to give the Western Depot only a purely supervisory task on the surface.

In this way, the embarrassment of the West Factory failing its mission can be avoided.

Although there was a way to save face on the surface, Yu Huatian knew in his heart that if he didn't do this well, although he would still be given important responsibilities, his status in the emperor's heart would definitely drop significantly.

The only thing the Western Depot can boast about now is its imperial favor.

There is nothing else.

If even this is lost, the future development of the Western Depot will certainly not be smooth.

But the more anxious you are, the less clues you can find.

A great reputation is never undeserved; Zhu Wushi's ability to become one of the three powerful figures in the court is undoubtedly remarkable.

The purpose of hiding this part of his intelligence network was to prevent the Eastern Depot and the Emperor from taking over his most core operations.

His opponents were those two guys, and the covert methods he used were naturally very elaborate.

Let alone the current Western Depot, even the Eastern Depot at its peak would not be an easy thing to find.

Under these circumstances, Yu Huatian suddenly discovered that someone actually dared to cause trouble!

Suddenly furious.

"The Eastern Depot? Hmph... It's time to pay a visit to our old master!"

At Yu Huatian's command, he donned a moon-white robe embroidered with gold flying fish and led his men to the Eastern Depot.

This flying fish robe was bestowed upon him by the emperor; it is embroidered with a four-clawed flying fish pattern.

Yu Huatian has a delicate appearance, but this flying fish robe actually makes him look quite heroic.

The group did not announce their arrival but barged directly into the Eastern Depot, making their intentions clear.

Seeing the other party's attitude, Iron Claw Flying Eagle knew the visitor was up to no good and immediately sneered, "Yu Huatian? Heh, I've heard so much about you. You're a guest, please have some tea!"

A cup of scalding hot tea flew directly towards Yuhuatian.

Yu Huatian reached out, and his powerful inner energy blocked the cup of tea.

As for the traces of innate true energy contained in the tea, it was obviously nothing in front of this grandmaster.

"no!"

Yu Huatian's face was as hard as iron: "I'm not here to have tea and chat with you. I still want to give you a good talking-to from the Eastern Depot. Be honest, a dignified end is better for you."

After saying that, he waved his hand and sent the hot tea in front of him back.

The hot tea, imbued with the master's true energy, is no less powerful than swords.

Iron Claw Flying Eagle hurriedly tried to stop him, but with only the cultivation level of the Innate Realm, he was no match for the cup of hot tea.

Other eunuchs from the Eastern Depot nearby also took action.

However, even with their combined efforts, they were still forced to retreat repeatedly by the true energy emanating from this cup of hot tea.

Fortunately, Liu Xi arrived at the scene at that moment.

With a wave of his hand, he caught the cup of hot tea.

"Yu Huatian, what are you, the Western Depot? How dare you cause trouble in my Eastern Depot?!"

What is the Western Depot?

Yu Huatian snorted coldly, raised his head slightly, and said arrogantly, "Let me tell you, what the Eastern Depot dares not manage, I manage; what the Eastern Depot dares not do, I do. Execute first, report later, with imperial permission—that's the Western Depot!"

The Eastern Depot? Nothing but scrap metal, soon to be swept into the dustbin of history.

"You..." Liu Xi's face immediately turned red, and he said angrily, "Young man, don't be so hot-tempered!"

"What kind of young person isn't spirited?"

Yu Huatian glanced at him disdainfully: "Old man, you'd better learn to behave yourself, or the next time I come to the Eastern Depot, I'll be here to tear you apart!"

With a flick of his cloak, he stormed off.

Watching his retreating figure, Iron Claw Eagle showed no anger on his face, and Liu Xi also calmed down instantly, his eyes filled with a deep and mysterious look.

Iron Claw Flying Eagle said, "Congratulations, Steward... no, Grand Supervisor! This Yu Huatian is truly just a young man. He has only gained a little imperial favor, yet he has become so arrogant. I'm afraid he didn't expect that he would fall right into your trap, Grand Supervisor!"

"Hmph, of course. A young brat like him? With my help, he'd be easy prey."

Liu Xi was somewhat smug.

But while saying this, he was actually quite serious inside.

His plan was actually quite simple: to prove his abilities to the emperor.

If the Eastern Depot could do what the Western Depot couldn't, then the emperor would naturally understand what a veteran power in the court truly meant, and what it truly meant to be wiser and more experienced.

In this way, the Eastern Depot can be preserved.

Of course, Liu Xi was well aware that the emperor would never abolish the Eastern Depot.

Emperors who grew up amidst checks and balances are perhaps most adept at the art of checks and balances within the imperial mind.

If the Western Depot grows stronger in the future, without the Eastern Depot, who will check and balance them?
But not laying off employees doesn't mean not suppressing them.

What Liu Xi needed to do was to preserve the power of the Eastern Depot as much as possible, while also suppressing the Western Depot's image in the emperor's mind.

Today's scene seems like the Eastern Depot being humiliated by the Western Depot stepping on its head, which is extremely shameful. But if the emperor knew about this, what would he think?

This was exactly what Liu Xi had planned.

However, after seeing Yu Huatian in person, Liu Xi realized that he had seriously underestimated this supervisor of the Western Depot.

Today's arrogant behavior may also be intentional on their part.

Throughout history, emperors' favorite ministers have all shared one characteristic: they are extremely annoying.

But often it wasn't that the favored minister wanted to do this; rather, he had to make himself disliked by everyone in the court. Only then could he gain the emperor's trust.

After all, a minister who is hated by everyone in the court is destined to have no way out and it is impossible for him to form a faction.

Their only support was the emperor.

Yu Huatian's actions today may well have taken this into consideration.

"It seems we should also pay more attention to the Western Depot!" Liu Xi thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)