Chapter 595: It’s Hard to Be a Good Person
"what?"

When Liu Xunyi said this, Zhao Yuan was shocked, his face full of shock.

"Liu Xunyi, are you crazy?" Qiu Han shouted angrily, "Do you know what nonsense you are talking about?"

Qin Wei advised, "Brother Liu, regardless of the hard work you put in, the Prime Minister and Lord Jia worked so hard that they almost wore out their lips in front of the Emperor before they persuaded the Emperor to send the Marquis here to recruit the emperor. Do you know how much manpower and material resources were spent? How much risk was involved? How many ministers of the East Palace were implicated in this matter? Now that everything is ready, how can you retreat at the last minute?"

"I don't want to give up all my efforts, but..." Liu Xunyi looked embarrassed and said intermittently, "I just have no choice but to leave."

"Why?" Qin Wei asked, "Is it because you don't want to get married with Luo Ningyu?"

Hearing this, Qiu Han was stunned and said in disbelief: "At this point, are you still thinking about Princess Xinde? Do you know..."

"Shut up!" Zhao Yuan's face changed, and he shouted in a deep voice, "The important things are more important. Now is not the time to talk about children's private affairs!"

“Yes.” Qiu Han suddenly realized and evaded the question, “What I meant is… one thing is one thing, marrying Luo Ningyu is just a show…”

"Xun Yi, you have completely confused me." Zhao Yuan seemed unwilling to dwell on this topic, so he changed the subject and asked, "How did you have to do this? Tell me about it."

“This…” Liu Xunyi glanced at Qiu Han, who had a serious expression on his face, and then turned to Zhao Yuan and said, “To be honest, Luo Tianjin seems to have no interest in the matter of recruiting.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan frowned slightly and asked hesitantly, "Why do you think so?"

"Your Majesty, you don't know that I have been dealing with Luo Tianjin for the past two years and I know his temperament very well." Liu Xunyi explained, "Once he has made up his mind about something, he will never change it easily."

Zhao Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter and waved his hand, saying, "If it's because of these, you don't have to back off. In fact, before I came here, I had expected that Luo Tianjin would be difficult to deal with. But since I was given the task in a time of crisis, I never thought of backing off. If it doesn't work today, I'll go again in two days. I'll appeal to his emotions and reason until Luo Tianjin gives in."

"But……"

"Of course, your help is indispensable." Zhao Yuan pondered, "Today, although Luo Tianjin refused verbally, he must be quite touched by my coming. I expect that he will gather his confidants to discuss this matter repeatedly. You are his confidant and his future son-in-law, so you must have a lot of say in his heart. I will be outside and you will be inside. You and I will work together. As long as we take the opportunity to advise and act accordingly, we will be able to change Luo Tianjin's mind."

"My Lord, this matter..."

"What's more, I'm not here just to recruit you." Zhao Yuan interrupted Liu Xunyi's argument again and said with a faint smile, "I'm here on the orders of the Emperor, with many benefits. Any one of these conditions would be enough to make ordinary people infatuated and forget everything else. Although Luo Tianjin is not an ordinary person, he is a person with emotions after all. I don't believe he won't be tempted."

Liu Xunyi was startled and asked in surprise: "If that's the case, why didn't you say it today?"

"We are new here, so we are testing each other and keeping things to ourselves. If we reveal the court's cards too early, Luo Tianjin will underestimate us. Only by making him feel that everything he has fought for bit by bit can he be grateful to the emperor and serve him wholeheartedly and with all his strength."

"That being said, I'm afraid... Luo Tianjin is even more cunning than you imagined." Liu Xunyi frowned and said worriedly, "The longer I lurk around Luo Tianjin, the more I find that he is unfathomable. There is a saying... I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you. I have seen many calculating old foxes in the world, but so far, I have not found anyone more calculating than Luo Tianjin. In front of him, even Jin Fuyu can't get the slightest advantage."

"Really?" Qiu Han said contemptuously, "But why did I hear that Luo Tianjin suffered a huge loss at the hands of Jin Fuyu not long ago? And he didn't even dare to fart afterwards."

"Are you talking about the incident where Song Yu led people to rescue Ai Mi?" Liu Xunyi said helplessly, "To be honest, that incident... was actually my fault. The Palace Master was not only not wrong, but he took this opportunity to get rid of Qin Ming, help Qin Ku take the throne, and take the Hexi Qin Clan from Jin Fuyu's command into his own hands..."

"Palace Master?" Qiu Han glared and shouted, "Why do you always boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige? Today in the Xianwang Mansion, I have already noticed something strange. You obeyed Luo Tianjin's orders and turned a deaf ear to the hints of the Marquis. Now you call him 'Palace Master' all the time. Have you forgotten your identity? Do you really regard Luo Tianjin as your master?"

"I do not have……"

"No?" Qiu Han sneered, "Liu Xunyi, the black fan and the white fan are just illusions you use to cover up your identity. You are an official appointed by the imperial court and the young protector of the Tianji Pavilion. You are not a chivalrous hero, let alone a bandit."

"Brother Qiu, why do you say that? I have never forgotten my identity from the beginning to the end..."

"Since you haven't forgotten, you should remember what it means to be as firm as a mountain? What does it mean to obey orders? What does it mean to devote all your energy to a mission? What does it mean to die for a cause?" Qiu Han taught him. "I taught you these rules word by word on your first day in Tianji Pavilion. The Marquis has given an order, and we must move forward bravely even if we are crushed to pieces. We must not hesitate, let alone take a step back."

"I remember all this..."

"If you remember, why would you have said those rebellious words just now?" Qiu Han continued, "What qualifications do you have to point fingers in front of the Marquis? What qualifications do you have to change the Marquis' orders? Your mission is to recruit Luo Tianjin. No matter how many difficulties there are, no matter how cunning Luo Tianjin is, you should do your best and not think about messy things. As long as this matter is not accomplished, you cannot waver. This is the rule of being a minister!"

"Yes……"

Under Qiu Han's repeated rebukes, Liu Xunyi was sweating profusely, his face full of shame, and he gritted his teeth and replied: "You are right! Everything you said is right! I was confused for a moment, I was cowardly, and I almost ruined the Marquis's plan... I shouldn't have thought about such messy things, and I shouldn't have had the idea of ​​retreating at the critical moment. I should have gone forward courageously, using any means, and without any scruples..."

Seeing Liu Xunyi's ferocious features and talking to himself, Qin Wei couldn't help but feel worried, and hurried to smooth things over: "Brother Liu, don't blame yourself, Brother Qiu just spoke too harshly..." "Qin Wei, it's not your turn to speak here!" Qiu Han interrupted sternly, "In the past, you didn't know the rules even better than Liu Xunyi. I was not exaggerating just now, I was just reminding Liu Xunyi that as a junior guard of Tianji Pavilion, you should never forget the rules of Tianji Pavilion."

"You..." Qin Wei couldn't help but show displeasure when he saw Qiu Han turning his spearhead towards him, and said in a choking voice, "You have only known about this matter for a dozen or twenty days. How much do you know about the twists and turns?"

"It is precisely because I know so little that I am increasingly dissatisfied with you." Qiu Han said, "You have been meeting with Liu Xunyi alone, why didn't you discover his treason in time? Why didn't you nip Liu Xunyi's rebellious tendencies in the bud as soon as possible? If there is any fault, it is also your fault. The fault is that you didn't know what he was doing and indulged him, which led to him becoming what he is today."

"Qiu Han, that's enough!" Qin Wei said angrily, "I have been tolerant of you again and again, but you are getting more and more aggressive and don't know how to restrain yourself. What is Brother Liu's ulterior motive? It's just a few words of praise for Luo Tianjin, why are you making a fuss about it?"

"It's wrong to be in awe of Luo Tianjin!"

"How ridiculous!" Qin Wei argued, "If Brother Liu had no respect for Luo Tianjin, how could he approach him smoothly?"

"It's all just a show. Liu Xunyi can be servile to Luo Tianjin on the surface, but he must not have the slightest respect for him in his heart." Qiu Han's tone left no room for doubt. "If not, where is the dignity of the Tianji Pavilion's young protector? Where is the majesty of the court official? What's the difference between him and those scoundrels in the martial arts world?"

From beginning to end, Zhao Yuan just sat there quietly without saying a word.

Apparently, in Zhao Yuan's heart, what Qiu Han said was not wrong. At least, not completely wrong.

"Ha ha……"

Suddenly, Liu Xunyi sneered, staring at the wine pot on the table without blinking, and asked quietly: "May I ask, Master Qiu, which is more important, prestige or life?"

Qiu Han was stunned and said angrily: "I understand what you mean, but you should also know what 'sacrifice your life for justice' means!"

"What a sacrifice of life for justice." Liu Xunyi laughed wildly, "If I had chosen to sacrifice my life for justice, I would have died when I first met Luo Tianjin. How could I have lived to this day?"

"you……"

"Let me ask you again!" Liu Xunyi ignored Qiu Han's reaction and asked directly, "If I die, who will complete the Marquis's mission? Who will continue the plan of recruiting the vassal?"

"This..." Qiu Han was speechless and didn't know how to refute for a moment.

"My respect for Luo Tianjin is not fake, but comes from the heart." Liu Xunyi said bluntly, to the point, "If I am false, I can't even fool myself, how can I fool Luo Tianjin? I sell my dignity, not because I am afraid of death, but because I want to save my life and complete the task assigned by the Marquis. I can only be a man of the world, and I must be a man of the world! If there is even a little bit of the habits of an imperial official left in me, I would have died hundreds of times ago. How can I have the leisure to sit here and listen to your grandiose nonsense?"

Seeing Liu Xunyi's rude words, Qiu Han's face changed. Just as he was about to scold him, Liu Xunyi spoke first: "Qiu Han, remember this! I, Liu Xunyi, can survive in the swordplay and shadows until today, and can lurk beside the leader of the martial arts world without revealing my tracks. It's not because of the rules you mentioned, nor you, but myself! Bloody rain and wind, on the edge of a knife, what have I experienced in the martial arts world, I'm afraid you can't even imagine it in your dreams."

"Liu Xunyi, your words and deeds are arrogant and conceited, just like those gangsters!" Qiu Han said angrily, "What are you doing here tonight? Are you here just to show off your achievements to us? Talking some pitiful and self-pitying nonsense? Or are you here to convey a message for Luo Tianjin, rejecting the imperial court's offer of amnesty..."

"Snapped!"

Before Qiu Han could finish his words, Liu Xunyi suddenly picked up the wine jug on the table and smashed it on his head mercilessly.

Accompanied by a crisp sound and the unbelievable screams of Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei, blood gushed out in an instant, mixed with the strong and pungent wine, and Qiu Han's face was covered with blood.

"Liu Xunyi, you are crazy..."

Before Qiu Han could recover from his shock, Liu Xunyi's left hand suddenly grabbed his neck. Qiu Han wanted to resist, but unexpectedly Liu Xunyi was one step faster and pressed down hard, pressing his head firmly on the table.

At the same time, Liu Xunyi drew the sword from its sheath with his right hand, and the extremely sharp blade instantly pressed against Qiu Han's neck.

The cold murderous intent flowed through Qiu Han's pores and spread throughout his body, causing him to tremble and leaving him without the strength to resist.

"Xun Yi, what are you doing..."

"My Lord, you keep asking me why I came here tonight? And you also questioned why I was so timid. I will tell you now." Liu Xunyi's eyes were red as he spoke word by word, "Actually, Luo Tianjin sent me here... to chop off Qiu Han's head!"

……

(End of this chapter)