However, the hint of ferocity in his eyes was quickly concealed.
“What are your plans now, Prime Minister?” Yuan Xingchi asked again.
“What other plans can an old man have? It has come to this point. The die is cast. Even if I am unwilling, what can I do?” Yu Shen took a deep breath, and his face returned to its usual impassive state.
“If that’s what you say, then I have nothing more to say. I bid you farewell!” To Yu Shen’s surprise, Mr. Yuan stood up without another word, turned, and walked away. His steps were firm, with no hint of affectation.
“Please stay, sir!” Yu Shen called out to him only after he had walked more than thirty paces, and was about to disappear through the moon gate.
“Has Prime Minister changed his mind?” Yuan Xingchi smiled, a broad, happy smile. Everything had unfolded exactly as he had planned. Yu Shen had finally revealed his true intentions.
“I am about to leave my post soon. Even if I wanted to act, I doubt I could do much…” The thought of Wang Fu’s endless tricks made Yu Shen’s head ache, even now.
“If that’s truly the case, then I wouldn’t have come to see you. At this point, are you truly not going to act?” Yuan Xingchi said, looking at Yu Shen with a smile.
“You are a very interesting person. I haven’t met someone this interesting in a long time. I wonder what kind of master could employ such a persuasive envoy like you?” After a moment of eye contact, Yu Shen finally gave a bitter smile and said.
“Does Prime Minister truly want to know?” Yuan Xingchi smiled again.
“No, you don’t need to tell me. Let’s stick to what you said earlier. We are simply conducting a transaction. What do you want?” Hearing this, Yu Shen suddenly regretted his words.
“Since that is the case, I won’t be polite. What I seek is here. Please consider it, Prime Minister!” As he spoke, Yuan Xingchi took out another slip of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Yu Shen.
“Your appetite is indeed quite large…” After reading the contents of the paper, Yu Shen’s gaze towards Yuan Xingchi began to show a hint of fear.
“You flatter me, Prime Minister!” Although he said this, Yuan Xingchi showed no intention of backing down.
“I do have the item, but what can I get in return?” After a moment of deliberation, Yu Shen asked again.
“What does Prime Minister wish to obtain?”
“I won’t ask who is behind you, but I want him to bestow this good deed upon my descendants!”
“I can only relay your request. Whether it is successful or not will depend on the will of those above.”
“Deal!” Even Yuan Xingchi himself had not expected that this seemingly impossible matter would be settled so easily. When he left Yu Shen’s residence, an inconspicuous pawn ticket was tucked away in his sleeve.
“Father, why did you give that thing to him?” In Yu Shen’s residence, Yu Shen’s youngest son, Yu Zhong, looked at Yu Shen with a puzzled expression.
“Even if I kept this for you, what could you do with it?” Yu Shen took a deep breath and looked at his youngest son, who was only fifteen years old, with a hint of helplessness. Compared to his other sons, he favored this youngest son, who had grown up by his side. However, although his son was intelligent, he lacked necessary experience.
“Naturally, it would be used as the family’s final trump card!” Yu Zhong pondered for a moment and said seriously.
“No, if you don’t have sufficient backing, this thing will be your death warrant! You must remember, such things can only add to one’s glory, not provide salvation in times of need!” Yu Shen said earnestly.
“Then why did Father keep it until now?” Yu Zhong was even more confused.
“Because our Yu family has never reached a point of blooming prosperity and peak success…” Yu Shen said helplessly.
***
“What is this?” As Han Mo’s most trusted elder, Han Mo naturally wouldn’t hide such an important matter from Han Jiayan. Therefore, as soon as Yuan Xingchi returned to Bianliang City, Han Mo had him come to the Han mansion and handed him a letter written personally by Han Mo. It was precisely with Han Jiayan’s help that Yuan Xingchi could navigate Bianliang City so smoothly. Today, the plan they had been working on was finally showing results, so he wouldn’t keep it from Han Jiayan.
“I don’t know what this is either, but I suspect it is part of the letters and evidence found in Zhang Huaishu’s residence from that year!” Yuan Xingchi’s eyes gleamed with a strange light. Looking at the seal from the first year of the Daguan era on the wrapper, his entire body began to tremble.
“Hiss! That little monkey even calculated this? But, wasn’t it said that this thing was burned back then?” Hearing Yuan Xingchi’s words, even Han Jiayan’s head began to ache. Zhang Huaishu’s rebellion occurred in the first year of Daguan, over ten years ago. At that time, Han Mo was just a small child playing in the mud. Yet, this young man had foreseen the existence of such things. Was he even human?
“Should we open it to take a look?” Yuan Xingchi was tempted. Although the iron box retrieved from the pawn shop was still sealed, it had changed hands after all!
“Let’s ask for his opinion first!” Han Jiayan also took a deep breath and looked seriously at Yuan Xingchi. When Zhang Huaishu rebelled, he was still a man in his thirties. At that time, he was also known for his literary talent and had extensive connections in Bianliang City. However, it was because of that incident that several of his friends eventually lost their families and fortunes. If not for his noble background and the fact that Han Zhongyan was the Prime Minister at the time, he might not have escaped unscathed. Moreover, it wasn’t just his friends; dozens of officials were implicated and executed in the Zhang Huaishu case alone. It must be remembered that these were all from prominent families, and any one of them could lead to the ruin of an entire lineage. For the crime of rebellion, which was considered the gravest offense throughout history, the punishment was naturally the most severe.
“The elder official’s consideration is indeed thorough. I will send someone to contact the Prime Minister immediately!” Yuan Xingchi said quickly after taking a deep breath. Although Zhang Huaishu was just a monk, he was a highly respected figure back then, not only in Bianliang City but also in Zhenzhou and Suzhou. It was undeniable that many court officials maintained correspondence with him. At the time of the rebellion, Yu Shen, who was then the Censor, was one of the chief investigators. It was precisely because he had stated publicly that all correspondence from officials, except for the main conspirator, had been burned that he had earned so much goodwill. However, it was unexpected that this fellow had secretly kept a contingency plan!