"Does it matter if he's my son-in-law?"
Li Buyan's rhetorical question rendered Chen Jinzhao's prepared speech useless.
People like Li Buyan rarely considered issues from a personal emotional standpoint; most were driven by self-interest.
A Yu Wendong meant nothing to him.
Chen Jinzhao's expression grew solemn, and he stared at Li Buyan, asking, "I really want to know, is power truly that important to you? Is the eternal prosperity of the Li family just fleeting smoke in your eyes? When one dies, the lamp goes out. Everything you've upheld will be meaningless the moment you close your eyes forever."
"You don't need to try to educate this old man. This old man is precisely this kind of person," Li Buyan stated.
He even compared himself to Qianlong—
The monarch who reached the pinnacle of power tactics during the Qing Dynasty.
"You are still young and do not understand the fear of death that comes with old age. The more you possess, the more you dread facing death," Li Buyan frankly shared his thoughts with Chen Jinzhao, an emotion that Chen Jinzhao truly couldn't comprehend.
In his view, death was simply death, with at most a bit of reluctance.
Li Buyan let out a deep sigh and looked at Chen Jinzhao, saying, "You could have been our Li family's grandson-in-law and become Tian Ce's greatest asset, helping him become the overlord of the world. Unfortunately, you always cling to your so-called ideals, which are incompatible with the Li family."
"It was I who ordered Jiang Yangping to kill you. I suspect you've already guessed this."
Chen Jinzhao's body trembled.
Although he had suspected it, hearing Li Buyan say it himself still shocked him deeply.
"I am already crippled. What difference does it make if you kill me or not?" Chen Jinzhao shook his head.
Li Buyan's eyes instantly turned sharp, and he said coldly, "Of course, there's a difference. You've only lost your superhuman strength, but your prestige in the military remains. If you could rally Xu Hanchen's former subordinates, you would undoubtedly become another Xu Hanchen."
In the past twenty to thirty years, Li Buyan and Qin Jianguo had exercised restraint because they were constrained by Xu Hanchen.
Furthermore, the Wu family, as the foremost aristocratic clan, loomed over everyone, making them hesitant to act rashly.
Now, all threats had vanished. No one could stop Li Buyan and Qin Jianguo's advance.
The vast land of China, its thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, had become their chessboard.
Chen Jinzhao looked at Li Buyan in disbelief, his throat dry, and asked, "I still want to know one thing."
"It's just as you are thinking," Li Buyan replied.
"But I haven't even specified what that matter is," Chen Jinzhao frowned.
Li Buyan looked directly into Chen Jinzhao's eyes and said meaningfully, "The question you want to know, you and I both know it."
Chen Jinzhao was internally shocked.
In front of this old fellow, his innermost thoughts were all seen through.
He wanted to know if Xu Hanchen's fate was Li Buyan's doing, and Li Buyan's answer was affirmative.
Chen Jinzhao clenched his fists, unable to understand how Li Buyan could be such a person.
Soon.
He unclenched his fist.
He realized that Li Buyan might have always been this way, and he simply hadn't understood.
Li Buyan sat opposite Chen Jinzhao, ignoring Chen Jinzhao's anger, and calmly said, "I'm sitting right here. With your current abilities, killing me is still very easy."
"What do you mean by that?" Chen Jinzhao frowned.
"It means nothing. You can make a move anytime you wish," Li Buyan said.
Chen Jinzhao stared coldly at the old man.
To put it bluntly.
Li Buyan knew that Chen Jinzhao wouldn't dare to do so.
While Chen Jinzhao could kill Li Buyan on the spot, he couldn't eradicate the entire Li family. Killing Li Buyan would be meaningless and might even endanger Yu Mengzhi and others. Thinking of this, Chen Jinzhao gradually calmed down, realizing his own temperament was still far inferior to these old foxes.
He took a deep breath and said to Li Buyan, "It seems you've got me cornered."
Li Buyan nodded. "That's right. What can you do about it?"
"Ginger is still hotter when it's old," Chen Jinzhao lamented.
"I just want to know, what must I do for you to spare Uncle Yu? To spare everyone around me?"
This time it was Yu Wendong.
What about next time?
It might be Yu Mengzhi, or even Xiao Sinian.
These were all things Chen Jinzhao was unwilling to see.
Li Buyan looked into Chen Jinzhao's eyes and said, "It's very simple. Let Mengzhi hand over control of the Gou Chen Group. In addition, I want absolute control over Kunlun Research Institute. Finally, you can either spend your life in prison or die directly. As long as you are still around to bother me, I will never feel at ease."
These three conditions were more outrageous than the last.
Chen Jinzhao's brow furrowed upon hearing them. Each condition left no room for negotiation.
Once he lost his freedom, not only would he become a lamb to the slaughter, but Yu Mengzhi and Xu Nianqing would also become tools for the Li family to exploit.
This was not the outcome Chen Jinzhao desired.
"You know, I cannot possibly agree," Chen Jinzhao said in a low voice.
Li Buyan shifted his gaze away from Chen Jinzhao and said dismissively, "Do you think your subjective will matters to the Li family?"
Chen Jinzhao fell silent.
"You can try to contact the Qin family. I can guarantee that the day after you make contact with the Qin family, someone you consider very important will die tragically," Li Buyan said calmly, as if a human life was as worthless as an ant in his eyes.
"Chen Jinzhao, you are still young. If you can completely align yourself with the Li family, I will allow you to gather Xu Hanchen's former subordinates. With our combined strength, we will defeat the Qin family and seize this vast empire. At that time, I can grant you a province as your fief, and I will not interfere with anything you do within it."
He first struck Chen Jinzhao with a stick, then offered him a carrot.
Chen Jinzhao couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "Li Buyan, you are selfish and greedy at your core. I once thought you were an elder with the world in your heart! I admit now that I misjudged you. You are merely a petty person skilled in underhanded dealings. Would a true man of China bow to a scoundrel like you?!"
As the words fell.
Li Buyan's expression turned ice cold.
No one had ever dared to insult him to his face. Chen Jinzhao was the first.
Chen Jinzhao stood up, intending to leave.
Li Buyan said sternly, "Chen Jinzhao, are you sure you want to fall out with our Li family? I warn you, once you walk out this door, there will be no turning back."
Chen Jinzhao's steps faltered for a moment, and he sneered, "I, with my meager three feet of life, a mere martial man. My heart yearns for the common people but I fail to serve my country with utmost loyalty, and I helplessly watch as those with wolfish ambitions wreak havoc on the court, causing widespread suffering across the land. How dare I be complicit with such petty and insidious individuals?!"
"The commander of an army can be captured, but the will of a common man cannot be taken!"