Lü Qiying had fabricated many excuses to defend himself with, but upon seeing the Dragon King, he didn’t dare state any of them. Once again, he felt the anguish that he had suffered when he lost his finger many years ago, and it was even more intense this time.
Back then, the Dragon King had merely been a killer of Golden Roc Castle, someone who had just killed his mentor and become an independent killer. He had come to Tavernkeeper Lü’s house to claim Tie Hanfeng’s savings. The moment a minor disagreement arose, he had whipped out his saber and cut off one of Tavernkeeper Lü’s fingers.
Because of this memory, Lü Qiying had given up all thought of kneeling down to plead for his life. He remained sitting on the chair, and he put on a stiff expression to dissemble the fear inside of him.
By comparison, Xiao Fengchai was the real composed one, as she had been sipping at her tea quietly from the very beginning. Occasionally, she would even stretch out her hands to tidy her headwear and clothes.
‘This cheap woman is still trying to seduce me,’ Lü Qiying thought angrily. Pointing at Xiao Fengchai, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, he loudly said, “It was her. This was all her idea. Dragon King, I… I was fooled.”
Xiao Fengchai smiled, “It was indeed my plan. I plotted the whole thing. Lü Qiying was merely a minion. Just kill me, Dragon King.”
Lü Qiying was stunned. He had never expected that Xiao Fengchai would plead for him, and he actually was somewhat touched. The day before, wasn’t he still dreaming of living with this woman in the Loulan Kingdom? He sighed but didn’t say anything. His gratitude to her was overpowered by fear. He had no intention of claiming responsibility.
Gu Shenwei also gently sighed. Lü Qiying was still not as smart as Xiao Fengchai. An attempt to shift the blame was unhelpful in mollifying the penalty. Instead, it was synonymous with giving the right to negotiate to her. Gu Shenwei had no choice but to talk directly to Xiao Fengchai.
Both of these two people had been personally chosen by he himself. But now, they had both betrayed him. He couldn’t just idly stand by. “We need to talk.”
Xiao Fengchai looked back at the Dragon King and fixed her eyes on his. In a life-or-death moment, she wouldn’t count on anybody else to save her. “Money. It was all because of money. I will only serve the one who has the Meng family’s money. I’m sorry, but I think that the Dragon King understand this.”
“Um. I do,” replied Gu Shenwei. He had to admit that socializing with people like Xiao Fengchai made things easier.
Lü Qiying widened his mouth and then looked at him in amazement. He felt confused about the Dragon King’s mild attitude. After having lived in Jade City for so many years, he was not at all stupid. It was just that fear had clouded his judgement. When he recollected himself, he immediately realized Xiao Fengchai’s intention as well as his miscalculation. “That’s true. The Dragon King lied to us… No, no. I mean, we helped the Dragon King purchase a lot of things on credit… Er, the Dragon King got the Meng family’s money back, right? Naturally, we’ll continue to serve the Dragon King… ”
The more Lü Qiying talked, the more unsure he became. Xiao Fengchai took advantage of this opportunity and drew the Dragon King’s attention back to her. “No matter where the Meng family’s money is, everybody in the city is saying that the Dragon King is broke. I’m afraid that soon, creditors will all throng to your house all at once and that even the gate will be broken.”
“They’ve already come.” Gu Shenwei didn’t try to conceal the difficult situation that he was facing. “But fortunately, the gate will stay intact.”
Lü Qiying gave an unnatural smile and took the Dragon King’s joke as a gesture of goodwill, but Xiao Fengchai withdrew her smile. “I can solve your financial problem.”
“You can?”
“I have some money of my own. Not much, but it should be enough to repay part of the debt, which will comfort the other creditors. As for the rest of the debt, I have a plan. The Meng family has declined, but someone has to take over the businesses in the Western Regions. The Dragon King already has half of the Western Regions under your control. So, you can just franchise all of the industries in different areas. I can guarantee that all the merchants in the Western Regions will be willing to pay a very high price to obtain this right. Not only will the Dragon King be able to repay all the debt, but he will also make some money on the side.”
It was not until this moment that light dawned on Lü Qiying. What was the point of confessing and begging for mercy? Proving his value was the only way to survive. “I’ll donate my money as well… I’ll donate all of it. And I can contact merchants in different areas of the Western Regions and establish a trading company even larger than that of the Meng family… ”
Xiao Fengchai knew that she had made her point, so she stopped talking and let the Dragon King consider it himself, scorning Lü Qiying’s clumsy acting.
As if feeling that her suggestion was constructive, the Dragon King paced the floor for a short while and then said, “Tell me, why don’t you believe that I can take Jade City?”
Finally, the most crucial problem had been raised, but Lü Qiying didn’t know how to answer it. Again, he had to give the initiative to a woman. Xiao Fengchai was ready to answer the question. “Originally, I did. But the Dragon King sent the massive army of the Norland away, gave up his sharp victorious momentum, agreed to have a kung fu competition to select the Lord of Jade City, and also maintained an intimate relationship with the Central Plains. How was I supposed to believe it after all that? I had no choice but to believe that the Central Plains was the more powerful side, that Pang Jing would succeed in co-opting anybody he wanted to co-opt by way of his identity as an official assigned here by the Central Plains, that I was merely the first, and there would be more in the future.”
“Are you saying that you betrayed me because I made you think that the Central Plains was more powerful?”
“Yes.”
Out of prudence, Lü Qiying didn’t interpose for fear of crossing the line and enraging the Dragon King. He believed that Xiao Fengchai was taking a gamble.
But surprisingly, her gamble paid off. Instead of getting angry, the Dragon King nodded. “That makes sense.”
Xiao Fengchai had made these explicit remarks not just to stimulate the Dragon King, so she immediately explained. “Of course, the Dragon King must have his own thoughts and plans. You know, and your most trusted men know, but I don’t. I can only speculate that this operation of Dragon King’s will be a great success. You taught Pang Jing a lesson and also made me understand that the Dragon King’s luring of the Central Plains here is just an expedient measure.”
“That’s right. Now we know that the Dragon King is the most powerful one in Jade City.” Now, Lü Qiying dared to interject.
Gu Shenwei gently snorted. “You have to be punished.”
“I’m willing to take any punishment,” Lü Qiying said immediately. Hope arose within him for the first time since he had been caught.
“I want all of the merchants in Jade City – no, all of the merchants in the entire Western Regions to have faith in the Dragon Army in three days, so that nobody will ever mention my debt ever again.”
Three days was a very short time. Most of the areas in the Western Regions wouldn’t even be able to hear the rumor. But Xiao Fengchai understood that once she handled the merchants in Jade City, then those in other areas would no longer be a problem. Again, Lü Qiying accepted the offer before she did. “No problem. Three days. All I need is three days. If any creditor comes here again, I’ll repay the debt with my head.”
“The reason why I’m sparing you is not because you’re useful. There are other people who can handle the debt problem for me.”
“Yes, yes.” Lü Qiying was uneasy. He knew that this wasn’t over yet.
Having said all she should, Xiao Fengchai listened quietly.
“It is because news of your betrayal didn’t spread very far.”
Lü Qiying was relieved. It turned out that the Dragon King didn’t want outsiders to laugh at him.
“But there is one person who has betrayed me in public, and almost everybody knows it. I have to eliminate him.”
Lü Qiying’s heart lurched. He thought for a moment that the Dragon King was referring to him, and he nearly fell off the chair, but his stupidity was not incurable. So he soon realized who the person the Dragon King had mentioned was. “Meng Mingshu! Meng Mingshu publicly framed the Dragon King. By no means will he be able to get away with it.” Lü Qiying had forgotten that it was because of him that the new patriarch of the Meng family had chosen to betray the Dragon King.
Xiao Fengchai remained silent. She was merely a merchant, and the Dragon King was the killer, but now they had reversed their roles. She was wondering whether the Dragon King was testing her or making her the instrument of murder. “The Dragon King has the Meng family’s money, right?”
“It’s so right that I no longer need the people of the Meng family,” Gu Shenwei said.
Xiao Fengchai and Lü Qiying then returned to northern Jade City. Xu Xiaoyi walked into the room and shook his head, his face full of disbelief as he stroked his mustache. “The Dragon King just spared them like that? Lü Qiying is a fool. Xiao Fengchai… To be honest, Dragon King, she’s too cunning and also too seductive. Sooner or later, she will cause you trouble again.”
“Killing people is usually the simplest move.”
Stunned, Xu Xiaoyi didn’t understand the meaning of this inexplicable remark of the Dragon King’s. “That’s true. If someone is tied up and brought in front of me, then even I can take a saber and kill them. All I have to do is stab them.”
“Um. How to tie the target and bring them in front of you is usually the most difficult part.”
Xu Xiaoyi partially understood and his eyes lit up. “So it turns out that the Dragon King will still punish them. Now I feel much better. One of them was a whore, and the other was a tavernkeeper. If it weren’t for the fact that the Dragon King promoted them, they would probably still be in southern Jade City. However, they chose to become traitors the moment they got some power. The very thought makes me angry.”
As he observed this intelligence executive that had been serving him for the longest time, Gu Shenwei suddenly asked, “The Dragon Army still needs a financial executive. Do you have any recommendations?”
Xu Xiaoyi immediately blurted out, “How about me?” But soon, he blushed scarlet. “Alas, forget about it. I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to resist the temptation when there’s too much money in front of me.”
“Your current position is very important. I can’t find someone else to replace you.” Gu Shenwei made this remark to remind Xu Xiaoyi to stop thinking about money.
“The Dragon King values me too much,” Xu Xiaoyi said gloomily. He was disillusioned. But it was still a good thing to have the Dragon King’s trust. “Let me think. Managing money… I have a recommendation, but I’m afraid that the Dragon King might not agree.”
“Try me.”
“Actually, I think that Queen Ju is a suitable candidate. She might be a little young and not as experienced as Xiao Fengchai, but she will never betray Dragon King. If the money is in her hands, then the Dragon King can rest assured.”
Gu Shenwei immediately realized what Xu Xiaoyi was thinking of. His elder sister was the most important handmaid of Queen Ju’s, which meant that Queen Ju being in charge of money was naturally synonymous with Xu Yanwei being in charge of money. “How much do you know about her?”
Xu Xiaoyi briefly blushed red again and decided to be honest. “The Dragon King can ask my elder sister about it. She always speaks highly of Queen Ju. You can also ask the counselor or the Prime Minister. They will share my opinion.”
Fang Wenshi and Zhong Heng did have a very good opinion of Queen Ju, but Gu Shenwei barely remembered what she looked like. “I’ll think about it.”
Gu Shenwei stayed alone for a while after that. Xiao Fengchai’s words had stirred up some of his feelings. No matter what the truth was, when he nominally owned the Meng family’s money, he would gain the trust of a lot of merchants. Likewise, when the Dragon King seemed to be fawning on the Central Plains, it would trigger a series of betrayals.
Back when he had decided to ally with Prince Xiao in Thousand Horsemen Pass, he had already had such concerns. He had just never expected that the betrayals would happen so soon.
Killing was the simplest solution and Gu Shenwei had no hesitation or mercy. Instead, he became more vigilant. Somebody had once warned him that everybody was willing to make sacrifices during the period when they were striving for success, that they would keep count of the contributions they made in mind and wait for future rewards. People were the most betrayal-prone when success was close at hand. At that time, the rewards were so close that many people would compare the rewards with the sacrifices that they had previously made. Once they felt underpaid, they would feel angry.
Every traitor believed that they were the ones who had been betrayed first. The Dragon King pretended that he had robbed the Meng family of its money, which was a betrayal in Xiao Fengchai’s eyes.
Calmly analyzing the things that had happened around him, Gu Shenwei became even more decisive and merciless, and even that faint wisp of anger in him dissolved. He couldn’t satisfy everybody, so betrayal was an inevitable problem that needed to be solved step by step.
As he went along this train of thought, Gu Shenwei reached a new perception regarding the position of the Lord of Jade City. So, he decided to reformulate his plan.
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Lü Qiying had fabricated many excuses to defend himself with, but upon seeing the Dragon King, he didn’t dare state any of them. Once again, he felt the anguish that he had suffered when he lost his finger many years ago, and it was even more intense this time.
Back then, the Dragon King had merely been a killer of Golden Roc Castle, someone who had just killed his mentor and become an independent killer. He had come to Tavernkeeper Lü’s house to claim Tie Hanfeng’s savings. The moment a minor disagreement arose, he had whipped out his saber and cut off one of Tavernkeeper Lü’s fingers.
Because of this memory, Lü Qiying had given up all thought of kneeling down to plead for his life. He remained sitting on the chair, and he put on a stiff expression to dissemble the fear inside of him.
By comparison, Xiao Fengchai was the real composed one, as she had been sipping at her tea quietly from the very beginning. Occasionally, she would even stretch out her hands to tidy her headwear and clothes.
‘This cheap woman is still trying to seduce me,’ Lü Qiying thought angrily. Pointing at Xiao Fengchai, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, he loudly said, “It was her. This was all her idea. Dragon King, I… I was fooled.”
Xiao Fengchai smiled, “It was indeed my plan. I plotted the whole thing. Lü Qiying was merely a minion. Just kill me, Dragon King.”
Lü Qiying was stunned. He had never expected that Xiao Fengchai would plead for him, and he actually was somewhat touched. The day before, wasn’t he still dreaming of living with this woman in the Loulan Kingdom? He sighed but didn’t say anything. His gratitude to her was overpowered by fear. He had no intention of claiming responsibility.
Gu Shenwei also gently sighed. Lü Qiying was still not as smart as Xiao Fengchai. An attempt to shift the blame was unhelpful in mollifying the penalty. Instead, it was synonymous with giving the right to negotiate to her. Gu Shenwei had no choice but to talk directly to Xiao Fengchai.
Both of these two people had been personally chosen by he himself. But now, they had both betrayed him. He couldn’t just idly stand by. “We need to talk.”
Xiao Fengchai looked back at the Dragon King and fixed her eyes on his. In a life-or-death moment, she wouldn’t count on anybody else to save her. “Money. It was all because of money. I will only serve the one who has the Meng family’s money. I’m sorry, but I think that the Dragon King understand this.”
“Um. I do,” replied Gu Shenwei. He had to admit that socializing with people like Xiao Fengchai made things easier.
Lü Qiying widened his mouth and then looked at him in amazement. He felt confused about the Dragon King’s mild attitude. After having lived in Jade City for so many years, he was not at all stupid. It was just that fear had clouded his judgement. When he recollected himself, he immediately realized Xiao Fengchai’s intention as well as his miscalculation. “That’s true. The Dragon King lied to us… No, no. I mean, we helped the Dragon King purchase a lot of things on credit… Er, the Dragon King got the Meng family’s money back, right? Naturally, we’ll continue to serve the Dragon King… ”
The more Lü Qiying talked, the more unsure he became. Xiao Fengchai took advantage of this opportunity and drew the Dragon King’s attention back to her. “No matter where the Meng family’s money is, everybody in the city is saying that the Dragon King is broke. I’m afraid that soon, creditors will all throng to your house all at once and that even the gate will be broken.”
“They’ve already come.” Gu Shenwei didn’t try to conceal the difficult situation that he was facing. “But fortunately, the gate will stay intact.”
Lü Qiying gave an unnatural smile and took the Dragon King’s joke as a gesture of goodwill, but Xiao Fengchai withdrew her smile. “I can solve your financial problem.”
“You can?”
“I have some money of my own. Not much, but it should be enough to repay part of the debt, which will comfort the other creditors. As for the rest of the debt, I have a plan. The Meng family has declined, but someone has to take over the businesses in the Western Regions. The Dragon King already has half of the Western Regions under your control. So, you can just franchise all of the industries in different areas. I can guarantee that all the merchants in the Western Regions will be willing to pay a very high price to obtain this right. Not only will the Dragon King be able to repay all the debt, but he will also make some money on the side.”
It was not until this moment that light dawned on Lü Qiying. What was the point of confessing and begging for mercy? Proving his value was the only way to survive. “I’ll donate my money as well… I’ll donate all of it. And I can contact merchants in different areas of the Western Regions and establish a trading company even larger than that of the Meng family… ”
Xiao Fengchai knew that she had made her point, so she stopped talking and let the Dragon King consider it himself, scorning Lü Qiying’s clumsy acting.
As if feeling that her suggestion was constructive, the Dragon King paced the floor for a short while and then said, “Tell me, why don’t you believe that I can take Jade City?”
Finally, the most crucial problem had been raised, but Lü Qiying didn’t know how to answer it. Again, he had to give the initiative to a woman. Xiao Fengchai was ready to answer the question. “Originally, I did. But the Dragon King sent the massive army of the Norland away, gave up his sharp victorious momentum, agreed to have a kung fu competition to select the Lord of Jade City, and also maintained an intimate relationship with the Central Plains. How was I supposed to believe it after all that? I had no choice but to believe that the Central Plains was the more powerful side, that Pang Jing would succeed in co-opting anybody he wanted to co-opt by way of his identity as an official assigned here by the Central Plains, that I was merely the first, and there would be more in the future.”
“Are you saying that you betrayed me because I made you think that the Central Plains was more powerful?”
“Yes.”
Out of prudence, Lü Qiying didn’t interpose for fear of crossing the line and enraging the Dragon King. He believed that Xiao Fengchai was taking a gamble.
But surprisingly, her gamble paid off. Instead of getting angry, the Dragon King nodded. “That makes sense.”
Xiao Fengchai had made these explicit remarks not just to stimulate the Dragon King, so she immediately explained. “Of course, the Dragon King must have his own thoughts and plans. You know, and your most trusted men know, but I don’t. I can only speculate that this operation of Dragon King’s will be a great success. You taught Pang Jing a lesson and also made me understand that the Dragon King’s luring of the Central Plains here is just an expedient measure.”
“That’s right. Now we know that the Dragon King is the most powerful one in Jade City.” Now, Lü Qiying dared to interject.
Gu Shenwei gently snorted. “You have to be punished.”
“I’m willing to take any punishment,” Lü Qiying said immediately. Hope arose within him for the first time since he had been caught.
“I want all of the merchants in Jade City – no, all of the merchants in the entire Western Regions to have faith in the Dragon Army in three days, so that nobody will ever mention my debt ever again.”
Three days was a very short time. Most of the areas in the Western Regions wouldn’t even be able to hear the rumor. But Xiao Fengchai understood that once she handled the merchants in Jade City, then those in other areas would no longer be a problem. Again, Lü Qiying accepted the offer before she did. “No problem. Three days. All I need is three days. If any creditor comes here again, I’ll repay the debt with my head.”
“The reason why I’m sparing you is not because you’re useful. There are other people who can handle the debt problem for me.”
“Yes, yes.” Lü Qiying was uneasy. He knew that this wasn’t over yet.
Having said all she should, Xiao Fengchai listened quietly.
“It is because news of your betrayal didn’t spread very far.”
Lü Qiying was relieved. It turned out that the Dragon King didn’t want outsiders to laugh at him.
“But there is one person who has betrayed me in public, and almost everybody knows it. I have to eliminate him.”
Lü Qiying’s heart lurched. He thought for a moment that the Dragon King was referring to him, and he nearly fell off the chair, but his stupidity was not incurable. So he soon realized who the person the Dragon King had mentioned was. “Meng Mingshu! Meng Mingshu publicly framed the Dragon King. By no means will he be able to get away with it.” Lü Qiying had forgotten that it was because of him that the new patriarch of the Meng family had chosen to betray the Dragon King.
Xiao Fengchai remained silent. She was merely a merchant, and the Dragon King was the killer, but now they had reversed their roles. She was wondering whether the Dragon King was testing her or making her the instrument of murder. “The Dragon King has the Meng family’s money, right?”
“It’s so right that I no longer need the people of the Meng family,” Gu Shenwei said.
Xiao Fengchai and Lü Qiying then returned to northern Jade City. Xu Xiaoyi walked into the room and shook his head, his face full of disbelief as he stroked his mustache. “The Dragon King just spared them like that? Lü Qiying is a fool. Xiao Fengchai… To be honest, Dragon King, she’s too cunning and also too seductive. Sooner or later, she will cause you trouble again.”
“Killing people is usually the simplest move.”
Stunned, Xu Xiaoyi didn’t understand the meaning of this inexplicable remark of the Dragon King’s. “That’s true. If someone is tied up and brought in front of me, then even I can take a saber and kill them. All I have to do is stab them.”
“Um. How to tie the target and bring them in front of you is usually the most difficult part.”
Xu Xiaoyi partially understood and his eyes lit up. “So it turns out that the Dragon King will still punish them. Now I feel much better. One of them was a whore, and the other was a tavernkeeper. If it weren’t for the fact that the Dragon King promoted them, they would probably still be in southern Jade City. However, they chose to become traitors the moment they got some power. The very thought makes me angry.”
As he observed this intelligence executive that had been serving him for the longest time, Gu Shenwei suddenly asked, “The Dragon Army still needs a financial executive. Do you have any recommendations?”
Xu Xiaoyi immediately blurted out, “How about me?” But soon, he blushed scarlet. “Alas, forget about it. I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to resist the temptation when there’s too much money in front of me.”
“Your current position is very important. I can’t find someone else to replace you.” Gu Shenwei made this remark to remind Xu Xiaoyi to stop thinking about money.
“The Dragon King values me too much,” Xu Xiaoyi said gloomily. He was disillusioned. But it was still a good thing to have the Dragon King’s trust. “Let me think. Managing money… I have a recommendation, but I’m afraid that the Dragon King might not agree.”
“Try me.”
“Actually, I think that Queen Ju is a suitable candidate. She might be a little young and not as experienced as Xiao Fengchai, but she will never betray Dragon King. If the money is in her hands, then the Dragon King can rest assured.”
Gu Shenwei immediately realized what Xu Xiaoyi was thinking of. His elder sister was the most important handmaid of Queen Ju’s, which meant that Queen Ju being in charge of money was naturally synonymous with Xu Yanwei being in charge of money. “How much do you know about her?”
Xu Xiaoyi briefly blushed red again and decided to be honest. “The Dragon King can ask my elder sister about it. She always speaks highly of Queen Ju. You can also ask the counselor or the Prime Minister. They will share my opinion.”
Fang Wenshi and Zhong Heng did have a very good opinion of Queen Ju, but Gu Shenwei barely remembered what she looked like. “I’ll think about it.”
Gu Shenwei stayed alone for a while after that. Xiao Fengchai’s words had stirred up some of his feelings. No matter what the truth was, when he nominally owned the Meng family’s money, he would gain the trust of a lot of merchants. Likewise, when the Dragon King seemed to be fawning on the Central Plains, it would trigger a series of betrayals.
Back when he had decided to ally with Prince Xiao in Thousand Horsemen Pass, he had already had such concerns. He had just never expected that the betrayals would happen so soon.
Killing was the simplest solution and Gu Shenwei had no hesitation or mercy. Instead, he became more vigilant. Somebody had once warned him that everybody was willing to make sacrifices during the period when they were striving for success, that they would keep count of the contributions they made in mind and wait for future rewards. People were the most betrayal-prone when success was close at hand. At that time, the rewards were so close that many people would compare the rewards with the sacrifices that they had previously made. Once they felt underpaid, they would feel angry.
Every traitor believed that they were the ones who had been betrayed first. The Dragon King pretended that he had robbed the Meng family of its money, which was a betrayal in Xiao Fengchai’s eyes.
Calmly analyzing the things that had happened around him, Gu Shenwei became even more decisive and merciless, and even that faint wisp of anger in him dissolved. He couldn’t satisfy everybody, so betrayal was an inevitable problem that needed to be solved step by step.
As he went along this train of thought, Gu Shenwei reached a new perception regarding the position of the Lord of Jade City. So, he decided to reformulate his plan.
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