"Tomorrow morning, select four more paintings from the remaining ones and send them over!"
After getting back into the carriage, Yuan Xingchi said with some fatigue to the driver.
"Where are we going now?"
Seeing Yuan Xingchi's weary state, the driver asked softly.
"Let's go back first. Report this matter to the Lord, and we'll see what the Lord says about the follow-up plan!"
At this point, he had done almost everything he could. Now, he could only wait for Han Mo's further instructions.
"My Lord, this is a letter sent back by Mr. Yuan!"
The next morning, just as Han Mo finished washing up, Jiang Yan quietly walked over with several pigeon letters.
"Our Mr. Yuan is truly extraordinary!"
After reading the letters, even Han Mo was surprised by how quickly Yuan Xingchi had handled matters.
Although Liang Shicheng and Han Jiayan had provided secret assistance, they couldn't directly intervene. Yuan Xingchi was the one truly navigating the situation on the ground.
"To receive a compliment from the son-in-law, Mr. Yuan must die without regret!"
"Alright, you go about your business. I'll call you if I need anything later. Oh, and you can do more of this flattery every day!"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Han Mo's sudden humor completely flustered Jiang Yan.
"Alright, I was just joking. Why are you so serious!"
Seeing the embarrassment on his face, Han Mo couldn't help but laugh.
"Your subordinate takes his leave!"
After Jiang Yan left, Han Mo fell into deep thought again. The smoothness of this matter's progress far exceeded his expectations.
He had originally thought it would take at least half a month to complete, but to his surprise, it was all settled in just a few days.
Should he accelerate the pace a bit more?
Han Mo himself was now hesitant.
The chessboard was already set, and the killing moves had begun. He just didn't know who was sitting on the opposite side...
After a long period of hesitation, Han Mo decided to speed up his plans.
After all, at this moment, he needed to act decisively and quickly, without giving the enemy too much time to react. Otherwise, it would only lead to countless variables.
Spreading out a sheet of paper, Han Mo picked up the smallest brush from the brush holder and began to write down his next planned steps according to the numbering system agreed upon with Zhe Yourong...
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Although he had acquired five famous paintings, including "Court Ladies Adorned in Flower Hairpins," Bai Shizhong was not as happy as he had imagined.
Even though a night had passed, he still couldn't think of any solution.
That letter in Wang Fu's hands was like a death warrant that Wang Fu held.
Once this matter blew up, even with his current high position and the protection of Prince Yun, he couldn't be certain of the final outcome.
After racking his brains for a long time, he decided to inform Cai You about the matter first.
Finally managing to get off work, he simply changed his clothes in the duty room and got into his carriage.
"My Lord, shall we go home first?"
Seeing him get into the carriage, the attendant asked softly.
"Let's go see Scholar Cai first. It's been a while since I've seen him, and I've been missing him a lot lately!"
Although these people had been following him for years, this was still in Bianliang city, so he found a reasonable excuse to visit Cai You.
"Yes!"
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Scholar, Assistant Minister Bai is here. He's just getting out of his carriage at the entrance!"
Cai You had just returned home and hadn't even finished changing his clothes when he heard the servant's report.
"Assistant Minister Bai? What is he here for?"
This was a sensitive time, and the position of Prime Minister was likely to be filled by one of these three: Bai Shizhong, Li Bangyan, and Wang Fu.
Logically, Bai Shizhong should maintain some distance from him at this time, as he was the leader of the New Cai Party.
Even for the sake of avoiding suspicion, they should reduce their meetings.
"Should I turn him away?"
"Never mind, I'll go and welcome him personally!"
After a moment of hesitation, Cai You rubbed his temples with a headache.
After Cai Jing's downfall, he thought his life would become easier, but unexpectedly, his situation became even more complicated.
Although he had more subordinates, their minds were becoming increasingly scattered.
Having lost the position of Prime Minister, as a Grand Scholar of Baohe Hall with the title of Kai Fu Yi Tong San Si, he was truly struggling to maintain control.
If it weren't for Bai Shizhong, the Minister of Personnel, transferring his allegiance to him, his situation would have been even more difficult.
"Minister Bai, it's been a long time since we've seen each other!"
Arriving at the entrance of his mansion, Cai You cupped his hands and greeted Bai Shizhong with a smile.
"Yes, after finishing my duties today, I had nothing else to do, so I came specifically to have a game of chess with Scholar Cai!"
Bai Shizhong also greeted Cai You with a smile.
After a few pleasantries, Cai You led Bai Shizhong into his study. After the servants served tea and set up a chessboard for them, they retreated.
"You shouldn't have come today!"
Cai You said as he placed a chess piece on the board.
"I know I should avoid suspicion at this time, but there's something I must tell you. Take a look at this!"
As Bai Shizhong spoke, he took out the letter from his sleeve.
"What is this?"
After reading the letter, Cai You's brow immediately furrowed.
"This is a copy of the letter I wrote back then! I originally thought that Yu Shen had burned this letter long ago, but I didn't expect that someone sent this to my mansion yesterday!"
"You say this is a handwritten copy? Then where is the original?"
"According to that person, the original is in Wang Fu's hands!"
"Wang Fu?"
Cai You's brows furrowed even tighter. Even if this thing still existed in the world at this time, it shouldn't be in Wang Fu's hands.
"Are you sure this information is reliable?"
After pondering for a long time, Cai You still couldn't understand how this thing ended up in Wang Fu's hands.
"That person wants to make a deal with me on this matter, asking me to help Zhong Shidao transfer his military position to a civil official within two months. I think this information should be reliable!"
Bai Shizhong had no reason to hide anything from Cai You, as even the slightest detail at this moment could affect Cai You's judgment of the entire situation.