???
His smile vanished instantly.
Lia looked at Chen Yu’s moving lips with a dazed expression, completely unsure of where to begin or how to speak.
What was going on?
He had just come to deliver something for Chen Yu, and by chance, to see if he could pry some useful information from him, and perhaps give Chen Yu a little of what he knew to strengthen their friendship.
He hadn’t even set the stage, and Chen Yu had already thrown him into this situation.
Most importantly, Lia had no idea what Chen Yu was referring to, nor whether Chen Yu was bluffing or had actually caught him red-handed.
“Hey!”
After a long silence, Lia suddenly forced a dry laugh and pretended to casually approach Chen Yu.
“Sir, you’re just trying to scare me.”
“Stand there!” To his surprise, Chen Yu’s gaze turned cold in an instant. He raised his hand slightly, pointing at the smiling Lia as he spoke in a low, serious tone, “Lia, do you think I’m joking with you? I believe I’ve made myself clear. The reason I haven’t exposed you is because I’m saving face for you. Our cooperation has been good, and I’m generally satisfied with how you handle things. However, some of the things you’ve done behind my back…”
Chen Yu, leaning against the wall, sighed and shook his head with regret.
“Are not good!”
Seeing Chen Yu’s expression and hearing his tone, which clearly indicated he had evidence, Lia’s heart sank to the bottom.
This was bad!
At this point, it was no longer a matter of whether Chen Yu was bluffing. Even if he were, Lia had no choice but to admit it. Who else but him had left eyes in Fengqi City?
If he tried to stubbornly deny it, he risked destroying their relationship.
Within the royal family, the seventh prince was no longer under his clan’s control, and the eldest legitimate son was too incompetent to be supported. This only viable path through Chen Yu could not be severed.
“How can I be so unlucky?”
Lia grumbled silently.
Even if he hadn’t had that deep talk with his father that night, and Chen Yu had tried to scare him, he would have had the nerve to stand his ground. Now, with his current concerns, he dared not persist.
“Sir, I admit my mistake!”
Several minutes later, Lia gritted his teeth and stood before Chen Yu with his head bowed.
“I didn’t have any malicious intent. I purely wanted to help you,” Lia slowly raised his head, his eyes full of sincerity. “The eyes I left in your city were not because I wanted to spy on you or your city’s development. I was afraid that people within the royal family would make a move against your city. Having someone here would allow me to better know about any reinforcements coming to your aid.”
“Is that so?”
Chen Yu looked at him with a half-smile, while Lia clenched his fists tightly.
“I sincerely want to work with you. As I told you before, the royal family has significant designs on Fengqi City. When I came to your city, I noticed you didn’t have much of an armed force. I was genuinely afraid something might happen to you, and you’d be reluctant to ask me for help.”
“Hiss, so I should be thanking you.”
“No need,” Lia grinned and waved his hands repeatedly, saying solemnly.
“It’s all I should be doing.”
“Alright then, tell me where you’ve placed your eyes, and specifically who they are. I’ll see if they match the people I’ve caught,” Chen Yu said with a smile. “You need to think carefully and be precise and thorough. Don’t blame me; it’s your own fault for doing this incorrectly.”
“No problem.”
The moment Lia decided to confess, he had no intention of hiding anything further. Sacrificing some of his informants in the city would resolve Chen Yu’s crisis of trust in him.
It was worth it!
Taking a deep breath, Lia decisively revealed every single one of the informants he had placed in the city.
Chen Yu listened silently, inwardly astonished.
It had been less than half a month since Lia had learned that Chen Yu was the City Lord of Fengqi City, yet he had managed to place dozens of informants within his city in such a short time. Moreover, some of these individuals were even within the management levels of the City Lord’s Mansion, covering everything from the mansion itself to the laborers.
One could imagine how many hidden dangers other cities might have planted for Chen Yu.
The Luo Ma, discovered by the little demon, was just one in a vast sea of spies. Chen Yu looked forward to the grand harvest when the net was finally cast.
As Lia revealed the informants, his heart bled.
These were all his informants!
The people he had painstakingly placed, and now he had confessed them all with his own hands.
“Sir, I’ve told you everything without holding back,” Lia looked up into Chen Yu’s eyes. “Am I being honest enough? Please spare these people’s lives.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not that cruel. You can take them all with you when you leave.”
“No problem.”
“It’s just, is this all?” Chen Yu blinked, his eyes still holding that unreadable smile. “Are you sure there’s nothing else?”
“I’ve told you everything!”
“I’m not talking about the spies in the city now. What do you think I’m referring to? You actually know very well, don’t you? Are you still going to play dumb?”
“Huh?!”
Lia’s eyes widened instantly, staring directly at Chen Yu as he exclaimed.
“Sir, weren’t you just talking about the spies? You… you’re deliberately trying to trick me into revealing things myself. This is no fun, doing it this way. There’s no point.”
“You’re blaming me because you placed spies in my city?”
Chen Yu looked at him with a smile. “Lia, you’ve done so many wrong things in my city, and I’m still giving you a chance to repent. You should be satisfied. Or, if you feel wronged, you can take your people and get out of my city right now, and we can cease all contact.”
“Hey, don’t do that!”
Hearing this, Lia immediately became anxious.
“Sir… City Lord Chen, you can’t just bully me because I’m willing to follow you. Your city is full of eyes everywhere. Don’t all the city lords in your territory have a hundred or so people planted here? Why are you targeting me, when I’m the one who supports you the most?”
“Who else is standing in front of me right now?” Chen Yu said softly.
Lia felt his entire being on the verge of collapse. He raised his hand and ran it through his neatly styled long hair, messing it up. He also recalled his father’s assessment of Chen Yu.
He and Chen Yu were truly not on the same level.
Trying to outwit Chen Yu would probably require someone on his father’s level. Although he was considered well-trained, they were ultimately not in the same league.
Lia was also puzzled. They looked to be around the same age.
How could Chen Yu be so cunning?
“I’ll tell you!” At this point, Lia had nothing left to lose. “I’ve also set up two camps outside your city. The merchants who trade with you are also my people. As for those merchants, I don’t interact with them much, at most I ask them what resources you’ve bought from them. Other than that, there’s nothing else. No matter what you say, I haven’t hidden anything. I’ve told you everything!”
“I believe you.”
To Lia’s surprise, Chen Yu suddenly nodded with a smiling expression.
“Good, you’re being honest!”
“I’m starting to suspect you’re just bluffing me,” Lia frowned and said. “If my father finds out about this, he’ll lecture me again. Sir… please give me a little face. I’m also someone who will inherit the family. Tricking me like this is very embarrassing.”
“Don’t rush, there’s one last question.”
“Ask!”
“You know about the fire in my granary last night, right?”
“I know. I was asleep, though,” Lia frowned and said. “I only received the news this morning. I wasn’t deliberately pretending to be ignorant.”
“Then tell me everything your eyes outside the city saw, without omitting anything.”