Prime Minister

Chapter 197, Section 196: [Using a Borrowed Knife to Kill]

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, at the canal wharf south of Yangzhou city.

This place has a large area of ​​densely packed, cramped bungalows, where tens of thousands of canal workers, laborers, and porters live. In addition, there are countless taverns and inns, making it a place where all sorts of people mingle.

Previously, Liu Yi would never have given a second glance to such a place, but in the past few months, he first hid in the slums of northern Hangzhou, and after recovering from his injuries, he secretly returned to Yangzhou, where he still had to live in a crowded bungalow near the dock.

As Liu Fu's only surviving son, Liu Yi possessed all the hidden wealth of the Liu family, enough to support his extravagant lifestyle for the rest of his life. Yet, he could only hide in such a humble dwelling, partly because the authorities had not given up on capturing him, and partly because he was about to do something earth-shattering.

The brazier inside the house was burning brightly, and the leaping flames illuminated Liu Yi's thin face. The second master of the Liu family, who once held sway over the Huaihe River region and was almost omnipotent, was no longer spirited. His face was now filled with deep-seated resentment and malice.

"Second Master."

Guo Hui pushed open the door and entered, emanating a chill from his body.

Liu Yi responded indifferently.

Guo Hui cautiously sat down by the brazier and said carefully, "Second Master, I have found out that the Yangzhou government will hold a lantern festival on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and will also host a banquet for local gentry and wealthy families at Yingyuan Garden."

Liu Yi took a deep breath, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Yingyuan Garden is hailed as the premier garden in Yangzhou. It was once owned by the Liu family, and Liu Yi often hosted banquets for his friends there, enjoying a carefree and romantic life. But now he is a stray dog, and the murderer who caused his family's ruin is about to hold a grand banquet at Yingyuan Garden.

"That beast Xue Huai certainly knows how to pick a place."

Liu Yi's chest heaved violently, his long, strong fingers almost breaking the armrest, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "He's going to use the corpses of our Liu family as stepping stones."

Looking at his contorted face, Guo Hui's worry deepened, and she managed to say with difficulty, "Second Master, please...please accept my condolences..."

"Condolences?"

Liu Yi looked up at Guo Hui and said, word by word, "How can we accept this?"

More than a month ago, he received a message from his informant in Hangzhou, and immediately vomited a mouthful of blood—his father Liu Fu, his brother Liu Rang, and two other important confidants, including Liu Song, along with officials such as Xu Guanlan, had been beheaded.

Although Xue Huai did not exterminate them all, and the women and children of the Liu family were not implicated and executed, Liu Yi was still filled with rage at the result. Therefore, he did not even want to look for his exiled relatives who were still alive, and his heart was filled with hatred and murderous intent towards Xue Huai.

As Liu Yi's confidant, Guo Hui naturally understood his feelings, but he had to advise him tactfully: "Second Master, when the banquet at Yingyuan is held, it will definitely be heavily guarded. There are still garrison troops and grain transport troops stationed in the city, and the government will certainly not let its guard down, and..."

Seeing that he hesitated to speak, Liu Yi bluntly asked, "And you suspect that this was a trap set by Xue Huai?"

Guo Hui sighed, "Yes, Second Master. Xue Huai has been extremely cautious these past few months, with a large number of experts constantly by his side, making it impossible for our people to find an opportunity. Now, he has suddenly changed his behavior and is hosting a banquet for so many people at the Shadow Garden. It's clearly a trap for us. Given Xue Huai's meticulousness and ruthlessness, he shouldn't make such a mistake."

"I know, so what?"

Liu Yi slowly stood up and said in a cold voice, "He knew that I would seek revenge sooner or later. There is no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days in this world, so he deliberately exposed such a flaw, betting that I would fall into the trap he set."

Guo Hui asked, puzzled, "If that's the case, why can't Second Master just be patient for a while?"

Liu Yi gave a cold smile.

Guo Hui quickly explained, "Second Master, it's not that I'm cowardly or afraid, it's just that Xue is currently very powerful and influential. If we confront him head-on, it will be difficult to succeed. Why don't we lie low for a year or two and wait for him to lower his guard before we make our move?"

"A year and a half..."

Liu Yi scoffed, looking at him with a deep expression, and said, "You are the person I trust the most, and you know best about our current situation. You should know how many people have left us in these short four months."

Guo was speechless.

The Liu family is a thing of the past. Some of the collateral relatives don't even dare to mention their family history, let alone the ordinary people who used to depend on the Liu family for survival.

After Liu Fu was captured, the vast majority of people immediately severed ties with the Liu family. Apart from the assassins he had trained with countless efforts and money, the only ones who were still willing to obey Liu Yi's orders were the salt smugglers who risked their lives and craved the gold and silver treasures in his hands.

As time went on, the government's pursuit never weakened. Many of Liu Yi's fugitives had already left. If this continued, he would eventually become all alone. What would he use to seek revenge on Xue Huai then?
Thinking of this, Guo Hui couldn't help but sigh. At this moment, the Second Master's mind was already clouded by overwhelming hatred, and he was also facing very real difficulties. No one in this world could stop him from entering the prefectural city on the eighth day of the first lunar month.

"I don't plan to leave Yangzhou alive this time."

Liu Yi stared into Guo Hui's eyes and said in an unquestionable manner, "You will arrange everything for me, but you don't need to be involved personally."

Guo Huileng said, "Second Master—"

"you listen to me."

Liu Yi interrupted him directly, and then said, "This time I will gather all the manpower I can use and send out half of the silver first. After the matter is settled, you will send out the other half. Also... I would like to ask you to take care of the elderly, weak, women and children of the Liu family who are still alive." His eyes were filled with a resolute determination. Whether or not he could kill Xue Huai this time, he was prepared to die in the city.

Guo Hui took a deep breath, lowered his head with immense heaviness, and said in a dry voice as if sandpaper were being rubbed together, "Guo Hui obeys the order and will rather die than fail Second Master's trust!"

If it weren't for Liu Yi's help back then, he would have been a handful of dust by now, and his parents, wife, and children would not have survived either. Therefore, his life no longer belonged to him.

Now Liu Yi is not sending him to his death, but only entrusting him with the aftermath, which is clearly a sign of absolute trust.

Liu Yi raised his hand and patted Guo Hui on the shoulder, then said in a low voice, "Now I'll tell you the specific arrangements for that day."

Guo Hui solemnly replied, "Yes."

……

Inside the city, at Jimin Hall.

With the Lunar New Year just five days away, fewer and fewer people are coming to seek medical treatment. Xu Zhiwei has more and more free time every day, but she doesn't think this is a good thing.

In the past, when she was treating patients, she would constantly improve her medical skills. Now, whenever she has free time, the image of one person will appear in her mind.

She had never been so hesitant in all these years.

On one hand, there were the changes she witnessed in Yangzhou, and the countless praises of Xue Huai heard from the simple people.

On the other hand, there was the highly persuasive persuasion from Li Cong and others, who argued that someone like Xue Huai must be very well hidden, and how could ordinary people see through his cunning and tricks?
Li Cong even used the relationship between Xue Huai and the Shen family as evidence, just like Xu Guanlan and Liu Fu back then. Isn't this a new form of collusion between officials and businessmen? With the support of Xue Mingzhang and his son Xue Huai, Shen Bingwen has now become the top merchant in Yangzhou. Isn't there some shady interest behind this?

Xu Zhiwei leaned towards the former judgment, but she didn't think Liu Ying would deceive her.

Light footsteps sounded outside the warm pavilion. Xu Zhiwei didn't pay attention at first, until a gentle voice sounded beside her: "Zhiwei."

Xu Zhiwei looked surprised and quickly stood up to greet her, saying, "Aunt, you've arrived."

Liu Ying came closer, took her wrist and examined her for a moment, then said, "I was worried about leaving you here alone, so I came to check on you."

The two sat down by the couch. Xu Zhiwei felt as if she had a thousand words to say, but she didn't know where to begin.

Seeing this, Liu Ying had a plan and said kindly, "Zhiwei, do you know who that strange patient you treated in Hangzhou was?"

Xu Zhiwei looked at her curiously.

Liu Ying sighed softly, "His name is Liu Yi, the second young master of the Liu family in Yangzhou. Before Xue Huai and Tan Mingguang attacked the Liu family, Liu Fu had Liu Yi lead his men to escape out of the city. However, Liu Yi took a chance and returned to the city, where he ran into the canal army that was chasing him and almost died from their arrows."

Xu Zhiwei frowned and said, "So he's from the Liu family. Aunt, if I had known his identity earlier, I would have rather broken my promise than save him."

Liu Ying smiled faintly, a complex look flashing in her eyes: "This man certainly deserves to die, but right now he might be able to lend us a hand."

Xu Zhiwei was taken aback, then realized what she meant and asked, "Aunt, Liu Yi has returned to Yangzhou?"

“Our men dare not get too close, but we can confirm that he is hiding somewhere outside the city.”

Liu Ying gave a brief explanation, then said earnestly to Xu Zhiwei, "Zhiwei, I understand your hesitation. After all, you've never experienced anything like this before, and Xue Huai is so good at disguising himself that you can't see through his facade, which is why you can't make up your mind. The Liu family has been brought down by Xue Huai, and Liu Yi's father and brothers have been executed. Now he only has one thought: to take revenge on Xue Huai."

Xu Zhiwei lowered his head and remained silent.

Liu Ying continued, "Li Cong told me that the Yangzhou government will hold a lantern festival and banquet on the eighth day of the first lunar month. That will be one of the few opportunities that Xue Huai will not be able to bring a large group of guards. Liu Yi will definitely not miss it. This should be a trap set by Xue Huai. Liu Yi will most likely fail, but it will be a golden opportunity for us."

"A godsend opportunity..."

Xu Zhiwei repeated those four words softly.

Liu Ying nodded slightly and said solemnly, "Even if Liu Yi fails, the power he wields can still create a lot of chaos that day. Once his scheme is completely crushed by the government, that will be the time for Jimintang to step in and treat the wounded. This will allow you to further gain Xue Huai's trust. After Xue Huai gets rid of this thorn in his side, he will inevitably lower his guard temporarily. You just need to find an opportunity to mix Mo Yu into his drink, and this matter will be over."

The room fell silent.

Liu Ying waited patiently.

After a long while, Xu Zhiwei raised her head and looked at her most respected and trusted elder, and asked softly, "Aunt, I want to know why you insisted on killing Xue Huai."

(End of this chapter)