Mu Qing Tang, like Si Feng Wu, was not someone who resorted to killing unnecessarily.
It was always better to resolve issues without bloodshed.
However, the trouble lay in the deep roots of the San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian. Their people were everywhere, in every conceivable and inconceivable place.
If they were to wield the axe indiscriminately, uprooting them entirely, the new dynasty would inevitably see rivers of blood, and many innocent lives would be lost. Killing them all would be too cruel.
But if they weren't uprooted, who could guarantee that the remaining members wouldn't stir up trouble again? If another ambitious individual like the Grand Elder of Han Xiao Dian emerged, all the hardship and suffering they had endured over the years would have been in vain.
This was undoubtedly a dilemma.
Si Feng Wu, however, spoke calmly, "We cannot kill everyone, but we can make the San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian disappear! The King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token will cease to exist, and the registry containing the identities of all disciples of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian will be destroyed. Those who hold core secrets will either be recruited or die. How many people do you think can be recalled to form the so-called San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian disciples then?"
Mu Qing Tang suddenly understood. "You intend to use the tokens and registries to completely sever the connections between the various levels of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian. Those who are unwilling will regain their freedom, and those who are determined will have nowhere to exert their influence?"
To maintain their mystique, San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian did not keep many people at their headquarters. Most of their disciples were hidden in various guises throughout the world, holding positions from high officials to common folk. Without summons from the San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian headquarters or their tokens, these individuals might never have the chance to meet. Some might have known each other for years, completely unaware that the other was also a disciple of San Sheng Lou or Han Xiao Dian. Si Feng Wu's plan was to break these connections, making them like kites with severed strings, powerless even if they wished to cause mischief.
It had to be admitted that this was indeed a method that pleased everyone.
However, "If we are to proceed like this, we must first obtain the registries of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian, right? And those tokens passed down through generations. If these items are not acquired, even if we truly dismantle the headquarters of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian, it will only be a superficial solution, won't it?"
Si Feng Wu remained silent, his gaze slyly fixed on Mu Qing Tang. After meeting his gaze for a moment, she suddenly realized, "You're planning to use me again?"
"It will just be a little trouble for Da Bai. Once the items are found, I'll handle the rest. As compensation, all spoils of war seized from San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian will be yours, not going into the national treasury. Deal?"
Mu Qing Tang's eyes lit up like sparks, widening roundly. "You promise?" As if afraid he would go back on his word, she hastily extended her pinky finger, ready to make a pinky swear. Si Feng Wu indulgently hooked his finger with hers. "I promise."
Mu Qing Tang joyfully scampered away. "Da Bai is too conspicuous. I'll find the things for you, but the treasures are mine!" Before she finished speaking, she had vanished. The palace maids and guards in Qian Qing Palace were all trusted confidantes, so Si Feng Wu let her have her way.
Several people by his side looked at Si Feng Wu speechlessly. Lian Yu spoke frankly, "Your Highness, we all know that as long as you are present, the Consort acts without thinking. But is it right for you to deceive her like this?"
Li Yang boldly chimed in, "Exactly. San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Dian are not overt enemies of the court, so their possessions wouldn't normally go into the national treasury. Moreover, weren't the Consort's funds always used by us? For the court, the Xuan Jia Army, and the Ji Ci Hospital, the court always contributed a small portion, and the Consort contributed the large portion. Otherwise, the money the Consort has earned over the years would be enough to buy the entire new dynasty..." Li Yang grumbled indignantly on behalf of Mu Qing Tang.
The others, like Li Qing, looked at Si Feng Wu with the eyes of someone who had found a scoundrel who leeched off his partner. Si Feng Wu was speechless and amused. "Who exactly is your master? How have you all been bought over by the Consort?" he asked, his tone sounding aggrieved, but his expression was smiling.
Li Su, unconcerned with his expression or tone, said with a dark and sinister face, "The Consort doesn't need to buy us over. We are grateful for Your Highness's kindness in knowing us, but the Consort has also repeatedly saved our lives. If Your Highness were to act as the Consort said, drawing the first sword upon entering shore to strike down your beloved, we subordinates would rather betray you than let down the Consort."
Li Qing remained silent, merely standing beside Li Su and casting a look of contempt at Li Yang and Li Jin. Li Yang hesitated, looking like a distressed child caught between divorced parents, unsure who to side with.
However, Li Jin, with his intelligence, looked at his companions, who were nearly about to split into factions, with a hint of helplessness. "What are you all doing? Do you really believe His Highness would be willing to cheat the Consort?" he said, walking a little further away. Turning back, he cupped his fists towards Si Feng Wu. "Your Highness, stop playing coy. You know us brothers well; making us choose between you and the Consort is too difficult. Just tell us your plan. Are you going to keep it from the Consort and us?"
Si Feng Wu did not refute Li Jin's words. Li Su and the others immediately focused their gazes on him. Si Feng Wu, however, shifted his gaze to Lian Yu. "Two years should be enough time for you to make a decision, shouldn't it? The Bai family, do you still want to return to them?"
Lian Yu blinked, confused as to how the topic had shifted to her. "Does my returning or not returning have anything to do with you being a freeloading scoundrel who cheats the Consort into working for free?"
"Naturally, it does," Si Feng Wu said mysteriously. "Tell me quickly, are you returning or not?"
Lian Yu hesitated, unable to make up her mind. Si Feng Wu, as if guessing her thoughts, immediately added, "I've already asked Master Bai on your behalf. He has already entered the monastic life, renounced the surname Bai, and does not wish for you, who lives a life of integrity, to be innocently implicated because of this tainted surname. He only wants you to live your life freely and without restraint, and he doesn't expect you to make any sacrifices for the Bai family."
Lian Yu turned her head in astonishment, seeing Si Feng Wu calmly tilt his head. "The abbot of Xiangguo Temple should naturally reside in Xiangguo Temple. The capital has moved, so Xiangguo Temple should also move."
Few knew that Master Liao Kong, the renowned abbot of Xiangguo Temple, was Bai Wuji, the Grand Master of the Imperial Secretariat, who had single-handedly protected Si Feng Wu twenty years ago. Even fewer knew that his son was Lian Yu, the strategist, who was more like a brother than a brother to Si Feng Wu. But Si Feng Wu knew, Mu Qing Tang knew, and Lian Yu... also knew.