Chapter 242: Secret Meeting in Jinling (Part )

"Please!"

Hearing this, Shen Dongshan quickly stood up and took the initiative to go out to greet him.

A moment later, under the guidance of Miao Shan, a fat middle-aged man in a brocade robe, accompanied by several burly men, walked quickly towards the meditation room.

If Liu Xunyi was here, he would be familiar with the middle-aged man. He was none other than Lord Jia, the Minister of the East Palace of the Song Dynasty. The first time Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen fought at Yanmen Pass was to save him.

At this moment, among the several guards following Minister Jia, there was also an acquaintance of Liu Xunyi, who was the former commander of the Quanzhou camp, Feng Tianba, who was later demoted and transferred to Pingjiang Prefecture as the chief constable because he offended Lu Tingxiang.

Feng Tianba is an upright and incorruptible person. After dealing with him several times, Liu Xunyi had a good impression of him, so he asked Qin Wei to secretly help him after returning to Lin'an.

Sure enough, Qin Wei did not disappoint Liu Xunyi. After returning to Lin'an, he told Zhao Yuan everything about Feng Tianba.

Zhao Yuan made inquiries from various sources and learned that Feng Tianba was a promising talent, so he worked in secret and eventually recruited Feng Tianba into the Tianji Pavilion of the East Palace and granted him the title of Golden Sword Captain.

However, in order to prevent Feng Tianba from sniffing out any clues about Liu Xunyi in Tianji Pavilion, Zhao Yuan did not keep him in the pavilion to serve, but arranged him to serve as a guard in the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Two days ago, Shen Dongshan sent a secret letter, and the Prime Minister appointed Minister Jia to visit Nanjing privately, and by mistake, he sent Feng Tianba to be his guard.

As a result, we have today's scene.

"Master Shen, I haven't seen you for many years. I hope you are doing well!"

"Thanks to Lord Jia, I am doing fine. Haha..."

Shen Dongshan and Minister Jia had known each other for many years, so when they met they greeted each other like old friends.

While he was talking, Shen Dongshan had already come before Minister Jia. He glanced around and accidentally caught a glimpse of Feng Tianba, with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, but he did not say much. Instead, he took Minister Jia's arm and led him to the meditation room in a very intimate manner.

Shen Dong was good at judging people and had a photographic memory. He had seen Feng Tianba lead his troops to the Lu Mansion to cause trouble at Mo Cen's hand-washing ceremony, and he clearly remembered Feng Tianba's identity. Now that he saw him next to Minister Jia, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

After all, Shen Dongshan was a big shot, and Feng Tianba was just an unknown junior. So although Shen Dongshan was curious about his appearance, he had no intention of investigating further.

Inside the Zen room, both parties invited each other to take a seat. Miao Shan personally poured tea and water for them, and then she withdrew together with the servants and guards of both parties.

After a while, only Shen Dongshan, Minister Jia, Kui Qi and Feng Tianba were left in the Zen room. Kui Qi was Shen Dongshan's confidant, while Feng Tianba was there to protect Minister Jia.

Furthermore, Feng Tianba was from the Prime Minister's Office, and was known as the "seventh-rank official in front of the Prime Minister", so Minister Jia was quite caring towards him.

"Three days ago, the Prime Minister received a letter from Mr. Shen, and he summoned us to discuss countermeasures overnight." Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Minister Jia spoke first, jokingly, "In the early morning of the next day, the Prime Minister ordered me to rush to Jinling. I was exhausted all the way, traveling day and night, and my old bones were almost broken. Haha..."

Seeing that Minister Jia was holding the teacup but not drinking it, he just looked at him meaningfully and kept complaining. Shen Dongshan certainly understood what he meant and smiled faintly, "Mr. Jia has worked hard all the way, and I feel very sorry. I have already ordered people to prepare ten carts of Jinling specialties. When Mr. Jia leaves, please take them back to Lin'an, five carts of which will be presented to the Prime Minister, and the other five carts will be left for Mr. Jia to taste. It's just a small gift, not a respectful gesture, but I hope you will accept it!"

Upon hearing this, Minister Jia's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded repeatedly with joy on his face, "Thoughtful! Thoughtful! Master Shen is too polite, haha..."

Shen Dongshan had been dealing with the imperial officials for a long time, so there was no need to make some things clear, as they had long been tacitly aware of it. Even a fool would know what the so-called "Nanjing specialty" was.

"Since the Prime Minister and Lord Jia already know the contents of the letter, I wonder what you two gentlemen mean..." Shen Dongshan went straight to the point and asked directly.

"Before I left, the Prime Minister specifically told me to ask Master Shen what he thought when I met him." Minister Jia sipped his tea and smiled nonchalantly, "Since they are looking for Master Shen, then Master Shen naturally has the power to do whatever he wants. The Prime Minister and I... are just outsiders."

As soon as Minister Jia came forward, he distanced himself and the Prime Minister from the matter, and pushed all the pros and cons onto Shen Dongshan, making him bear the responsibility alone.

Shen Dongshan was not a fool. He had wanted to speak frankly with Minister Jia, but when he heard what he said, a hint of displeasure flashed across Shen Dongshan's eyes, and his expression became somewhat strange compared to the sincerity just now.

Looking at the secretive and worldly-wise Minister Jia, Shen Dongshan was not angry. Instead, he smiled slightly and slowly placed the folding fan in his hand on the table. He pretended to be bitter and helpless, and said regretfully, "What a pity! What a pity!"

"Oh?" Minister Jia raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "I wonder what Mr. Shen regrets?"

"What I feel sorry for is that in the past few years, the Prime Minister and other gentlemen have worked hard and tirelessly, working day and night to stabilize the overall situation in the Central Plains. But now it is going to be destroyed. It's such a pity! What a pity!" Shen Dongshan was extremely annoyed. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, wishing he could be heartbroken and in pain.

"Master Shen, wait a minute!" Minister Jia's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Master Shen, what do you mean by this? Why do I become more and more confused the more I listen?"

Shen Dongshan complained: "If you want to blame someone, blame those people in the martial arts world. They have nothing to do all day long and only know how to stir up trouble and kill people. Now the martial arts world is in chaos and hatred is endless. I believe that it will not be long before the Central Plains martial arts world will fall into a life-and-death catastrophe. By then, the Central Plains will be devastated and blood will flow like a river. The chaos among the people will not only increase the burden on the court, but how can I, Shen, not feel sorry? Alas!"

"Master Shen's words... are they too harsh?" Minister Jia rolled his eyes and said thoughtfully, "Since Luo Tianjin and Jin Fuyu both asked Master Shen for favors, it is enough to show that Master Shen's role in this turmoil is... crucial. With Master Shen around, how could the Central Plains be in chaos?"

"Alas! I'm afraid that I have the will but not the power." Shen Dongshan said with a sad face, "I am just a businessman, I can't even tie a chicken, I don't have any writing skills, how can I turn the tide? Resolve the conflict?"

"From what Mr. Shen said...it seems that you don't want to get involved in this matter?" Minister Jia asked suspiciously.

"I want to, but I am not able to do it," Shen Dongshan sighed, "Lord Jia is in high office, and he may not know much about the affairs of the martial arts world. On the second day of August, all the major martial arts sects gathered at the Qin Mansion in Hexi. It is no longer a personal grudge between the Qin family and Shaolin, but a feud between the six major sects headed by the Xianwang Mansion and the four major families headed by the Jinjianwu. If it was just a small fight, Shen might be able to mediate, but now is different from the past, the other party is the Xianwang Mansion and the Jinjianwu..."

"so what?"

"I can't afford to offend them!" Shen Dongshan said with a wry smile, "Whether it's Luo Tianjin or Jin Fuyu, I can't afford to offend them. No matter which one I offend, I may die without a burial place. Alas!"

After saying that, Shen Dongshan cast a pitiful look at Minister Jia again, and smiled weakly: "Minister Jia just said that Shen can do whatever he wants in this matter, which is really embarrassing for me. Now Shen not only can't do whatever he wants, but also has to be careful everywhere. I wish I couldn't even close my eyes when I sleep. Haha..."

Hearing this, Minister Jia's nonchalant expression finally faded away, and a solemn look emerged in his eyes. He whispered, "Master Shen has received requests for help from Luo Tianjin and Jin Fuyu at the same time. If you insist on not intervening, I'm afraid you will offend both families at once, right? Instead of this, why don't you choose the lesser of two evils?"

Seeing that Minister Jia was wavering, Shen Dongshan couldn't help but flash a cunning look in his eyes, but on the surface he still pretended to be puzzled and asked humbly: "May I ask Lord Jia, who is more important, Luo Tianjin or Jin Fuyu?"

"This..." Being asked by Shen Dongshan, Minister Jia was speechless. At the same time, he looked at Shen Dongshan with a meaningful look.

The two of them were battling with wits, but in fact they already knew the outcome, they just wanted to say it through the other's mouth.

After all, some words spoken by Minister Jia and by Shen Dongshan himself have very different meanings. One represents the court, the other represents himself, and the consequences are also very different.

"Mr. Shen, please tell me the truth. Do you want to intervene in this matter?" Minister Jia asked in a low voice with a serious expression.

"I want to!" Shen Dongshan said righteously, then his expression darkened and he smiled bitterly, "But I have the will but not the strength."

"Then I will tell you clearly!" Minister Jia looked at him and said seriously, "Master Shen, please intervene in this matter. You can intervene if you want to, or you can intervene if you don't want to."

Hearing this, the smile on Shen Dongshan's face gradually froze, and he said indifferently, "Master Jia, are you trying to force me to do something?"

"Master Shen wants to disobey orders?"

"I dare not!" Shen Dongshan shook his head, "But... you want me, a businessman, to interfere in the grievances of those people who are on the brink of death. Isn't this... pushing me into a pit of fire?"

"It is not convenient for the imperial court to intervene directly in this matter, and no one else is qualified to intervene. Only Master Shen is the most suitable. The most important thing is that Luo Tianjin and Jin Fuyu both need your help now, so if you come forward, all the martial arts sects will give you some favors." Minister Jia waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "The Prime Minister said that you, Shen Dongshan, are the best choice to calm this storm. In short, the overall situation in the Central Plains must not be disturbed!"

Seeing Shen Dongshan's face becoming more gloomy, Minister Jia's attitude softened a little, and he smiled faintly, "Master Shen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as you can accomplish this, not only me and the Prime Minister, but even the Emperor will remember your kindness. Who in the world will dare to go against you then? Master Shen, don't miss this good opportunity because of a momentary thought!"

Looking at the beaming Minister Jia, Shen Dongshan showed a thoughtful look on his face. He was silent for a long time before he said quietly, "Master Jia, do you know what has enabled me to achieve what I have today after so many years in business?"

"Rely on what?" Obviously, Minister Jia felt puzzled by Shen Dongshan's sudden words.

"I have always adhered to my principles over the years. No matter how the world collapses, I will remain unmoved." Shen Dongshan said frankly, "In fact, Shen's principles in life are very simple, just eight words."

At this moment, Minister Jia's face changed color, and he said suspiciously, "I would like to hear the details."

"Don't be too eager for flattery, and don't be too greedy for advantage!"

……

(End of this chapter)