Prime Minister

Chapter 220, Page 219: [Vicious and Scorpious]

"What do you want to say?"

Liu Ying's expression was unfriendly, but she eventually released Hu Jiaoniang.

Although the other party's words and actions were repulsive, his words were clearly full of profound meaning.

Hu Jiaoniang raised her hand to rub her neck, walked to the table and sat down, frowning as she said, "Sister, you shouldn't always be so rude. What if you accidentally cause something bad? How will you explain it to the Ancestor?"

"Stop pretending, I didn't use any force."

Liu Ying responded coldly and sat down opposite her.

Hu Jiaoniang chuckled softly and said slowly, "That girl Zhiwei has been by your side since she was a child. Although she hasn't touched the secrets of the Holy Sect on the surface, as the Holy Maiden of the sect, you need to handle sect affairs frequently. No matter how careful you are, it's inevitable that Zhiwei will discover some strange things, right? Moreover, the key point is that we don't know how much Zhiwei knows. She is aloof and extremely intelligent, and she likes to keep everything to herself."

Liu Ying did not deny this.

She has never formally introduced Xu Zhiwei into the Holy Sect, and the most important concern is Xu Zhiwei's background. Back then, because of the trouble caused by the Ling family, the Holy Sect's layout in the north was almost completely lost, and it had to move to Jiangnan.

Although this place is wealthy, it is far from the central government, and its infiltration of the government is extremely slow. Therefore, the attitude of the upper echelons of the sect towards the Ling family is self-evident.

Liu Ying had no idea that the ancestor had known about Xu Zhiwei's background all along, making her nearly twenty years of planning seem like a joke.

While observing Liu Ying's changing expression, Hu Jiaoniang continued, "Sister should know the rules of the sect. Someone of Xu Zhiwei's status cannot be allowed to roam outside. In short, we must find her alive or dead."

Liu Ying frowned and said, "She is already dead."

Hu Jiaoniang sneered, "Do you believe that?"

Liu Ying stared at the other person with a gloomy look in her eyes.

Hu Jiaoniang raised her hand to gently smooth a strand of hair behind her ear and said calmly, "I have been looking into the details of this matter recently, and there is one point that is quite intriguing. On the day of the Yingyuan banquet, Xu Zhiwei fell into Xue Huai's hands, which is almost two months ago. According to you, sister, Xu Zhiwei attempted to assassinate Xue Huai to avenge you, and after the failure, she should have ended her own life to avoid implicating you."

Liu Ying gradually pulled herself out of her grief. After a moment of careful thought, she said, "Are you saying that Zhiwei has been forced to live these past two months?"

"Xue Huai is a cunning man. He couldn't possibly not want to find out the secret behind Xu Zhiwei. At the very least, he would want to find out why she wanted to kill him. Therefore, he would not allow Xu Zhiwei to die in a muddle."

A smug look appeared in Hu Jiaoniang's eyes as she leisurely said, "In your opinion, what will Xue Huai use to blackmail Xu Zhiwei?"

"Jimintang".

Liu Ying gave this answer almost without thinking.

Xu Zhiwei truly cared only about her elder, who was like a mother to her, and the Jimintang clinic that treated countless poor people.

"That's right. Xue Huai could only use Jimintang to blackmail her. That's why she was imprisoned for nearly two months. Otherwise, she would have died long ago. After all, you are the person she cares about the most. She would rather commit suicide than implicate you."

A pang of jealousy welled up in Hu Jiaoniang's heart, but she quickly suppressed it and continued, "So things get interesting. We know that Xu Zhiwei is worried about Jimintang, and that you, my sister, used the Guichen Pattern to force her to commit suicide. Logically speaking, she should be disappointed in you. Even if she doesn't betray you out of consideration for our past relationship, she wouldn't directly seek death. Isn't she afraid that if she dies, Xue Huai will take his anger out on Jimintang? And judging from the news coming back from Yangzhou, Xue Huai not only intends to give Xu Zhiwei a grand funeral, but will also continue to support Jimintang in the name of the government."

Liu Ying remained silent for a long time.

"Xu Zhiwei is not dead, and she is very likely to betray you and the Holy Church."

Although Hu Jiaoniang's tone was soft, it revealed a chilling murderous intent: "This is a play she put on in cooperation with Xue Huai."

Liu Ying said in a low voice, "What makes you so sure?"

Hu Jiaoniang sneered, "If she was unwilling, did the doctor at Jimintang in Yangzhou see another Xu Zhiwei's body? This matter is very simple. Without Xu Zhiwei's cooperation, Xue Huai could not have conjured up an identical body. Moreover, ordinary doctors do not know how to fake death. Only Xu Zhiwei, who is exceptionally talented and proficient in medicine and poisons, can do it."

At this moment, Liu Ying's face became even more unsightly.

She had to admit that Hu Jiaoniang's analysis made a lot of sense. The fact that the other party was able to gain the favor of the patriarch and assume important responsibilities in the sect was clearly not just due to her charming and seductive nature.

"Why do you think Xue Huai did this, sister?"

Hu Jiaoniang's words seemed to be a test.

Liu Ying was too lazy to continue arguing with her, and pondered, "If your guess is correct, Xue Huai did this for two reasons. First, to lower our guard and make us think that the matter is over. Second, to lure us into taking action. After all, Zhiwei's identity is very special. As you said, we must see her alive or dead."

"Sister is amazing."

Hu Jiaoniang's words were still barbed, but she smiled and said, "But we must consider one thing: what if Xu Zhiwei really is dead? It's not impossible. I've long heard that Xue Huai is ruthless despite his young age, and now it seems he is indeed a difficult man to deal with. No wonder even Xu Guanlan fell into his hands." Her voice carried a hint of fear, but also a subtle excitement.

"so what?"

Liu spoke in a low, somber tone, suppressing his surging emotions.

Hu Jiaoniang's deduction forced her to confront the possibility that Xu Zhiwei was not really dead, and might even have betrayed her.

The grief and sorrow triggered by the sudden news of Xu Zhiwei's death had now transformed into even more complex emotions.

"So we're going to Yangzhou."

Hu Jiaoniang said calmly, "Even if we know it was a trap set by Xue Huai."

Liu Ying frowned and said, "You're going even knowing it's a trap?"

"Sister, please calm down and let me explain in detail."

Hu Jiaoniang leisurely poured herself a cup of tea, stroking the teacup as she said, "Judging from the current situation, Xu Zhiwei may be dead, because the guards around Xue Huai's residence have been reduced. Xue Huai has publicly announced that Xu Zhiwei will be buried in seven days, so we must confirm this no matter what. Perhaps Xue Huai has already laid a trap near Daming Temple, just waiting for us to walk right into it."

Liu Ying gradually calmed down. She knew that Hu Jiaoniang valued her life the most and would not risk going there rashly if she sensed danger.

Hu Jiaoniang continued, "We must go to Yangzhou. First, we cannot disobey the patriarch's decree. We must confirm Xu Zhiwei's life or death. If she is faking her death, we must find her even if we have to dig three feet into the ground. She must be really dead. This is not something to be taken lightly. As you know, Xu Zhiwei is the gold standard of Jimintang. If she rebels and sides with the government, it will shake the hearts and minds that Jimintang has gathered over the past ten years, and all your hard work will be in vain."

"Secondly, even if Xu Zhiwei is really dead, we must ensure that all information Xue Huai obtains from her is cut off, and we must not leave any hidden dangers for our sect!"

Hearing her resolute words, Liu Ying said in a deep voice, "Are you so confident that you can do all this with Xue Huai's prior preparations? Don't forget, nowadays, everyone in Yangzhou follows Xue Huai's lead. The garrisons, the grain transport troops, and the Jing'an Division all obey his orders."

"Of course we have to go to Daming Temple in seven days, otherwise it would be a waste of the stage that Xue Huai set up. Or rather, his attention will only be drawn to Daming Temple if our people show up."

Hu Jiaoniang resumed her usual charming smile, but her eyes gleamed with an unusual light: "If Xu Zhiwei hadn't died, where do you think Xue Huai would have hidden her?"

"official residence?"

"It's not impossible, but—"

Hu Jiaoniang paused slightly, then lowered her voice and said, "A few days ago, in the evening, Xue Huai hurriedly returned to his official residence, accompanied by the eldest daughter of the Shen family. I deduce that it was you who had the food box prepared that day delivered to Xu Zhiwei, and her unusual behavior aroused the attention of Xue Huai's subordinates. Although our people could not get close to investigate, they could confirm that the extra carriage belonged to the Shen family."

Liu Ying immediately understood and frowned, saying, "You mean Xue Huai hid Xu Zhiwei in Shen Garden?"

"Most likely."

Hu Jiaoniang said, "Xue Mingzhang and Shen Bingwen are very close, and Xue Huai and Shen Qingluan seem to be about to get married. Looking at the entire Yangzhou city, Xue Huai naturally trusts the Shen family the most, and the Shen Garden is as heavily guarded as Xue Huai's official residence. For us, the Shen family has always been a tough nut to crack. Our ancestor has long wanted to make a move against the Shen family, and now may not be a bad opportunity."

This time, Liu Ying did not respond immediately; she needed to consider it carefully.

For over a decade, the Holy Sect has been rooted in Jiangnan, and naturally, it has not neglected to infiltrate the local powerful families. Originally, newly emerging powerful families like the Shen family would have been the best targets. However, under Shen Bingwen's control, Guangtai only followed the proper path and could even completely ignore the sideline benefits that were offered to them, which caused the patriarch to lose his temper several times.

If Shen Bingwen hadn't been extremely cautious, the Holy Church would have plotted to harm him long ago.

“Shen Garden…”

Liu Ying slowly asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Going with the flow, committing murder and arson."

Hu Jiaoniang's chilling tone carried a hint of mockery as she said sweetly, "Xue Huai used Xu Zhiwei as bait to set up a trap at Daming Temple. We can easily grant his wish. At the same time, our people will be keeping an eye on Shen Garden these next few days. As long as we can confirm any clues, we can deploy our elite forces in seven days! Let Xue Huai continue to put on his show at Daming Temple, while we directly attack Shen Garden. Firstly, we will completely eliminate Xu Zhiwei, and secondly, we will teach Shen Bingwen a lesson he will never forget!"

Liu Ying took a deep breath, suppressing the last ripples in her heart.

She didn't care about what was about to happen to the Shen family, and her previous guilt towards Xu Zhiwei gradually dissipated.

Knowing that she was already tempted, Hu Jiaoniang said, "Don't worry, sister. We'll pretend to be remnants of the salt smugglers and attack the Shen family under the pretext of seeking revenge against Xue Huai. It will definitely not affect the safety of the Holy Sect!"

Liu Ying stared intently at her charming yet sinister face, and nodded gently, saying, "Alright, I'll do as you say."

(End of this chapter)