Chapter 615: A Careless Move
Recently, unless there was something special, Luo Tianjin would invite Yelu Qin and Xunzhen to his study for a secret meeting, which would often last for most of the day.

There are three purposes. First, to share the latest intelligence with the two and speculate on the next intentions of the Song Dynasty, Mongolia and Jin Fuyu. Second, to find out the preparations of the young Qin Wang. Third, to tie up the energy of Yelu Qin and Xunzhen, so that Xie Xuan and others can secretly recruit soldiers and cultivate their own "Imperial Guards".

November 27, morning.

Luo Tianjin was discussing important matters with Yeluqin and Xunzhen in the study as usual. Others in the mansion were busy preparing for the wedding of Liu Xunyi and Luo Ningyu. Everyone was in high spirits and busy.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation between Luo Tianjin and the other two.

"what's up?"

"Master, Mr. Shen is here to visit." Luo Qi's voice came from outside the study.

"Master Shen?" Luo Tianjin was stunned. He then turned to see Yeluqin and Xunzhen with strange expressions. His face darkened instantly and he said unhappily, "I have already rejected the imperial court's offer of amnesty. Why are they here again?"

"Reporting to the Palace Master, only Master Shen came today, and Master Zhao did not come with him."

"Oh?"

Luo Tianjin was curious and was about to answer, but Yelu Qin spoke first: "Since there are guests, why don't we two go away first."

"No need!" Luo Tianjin knew that Yeluqin was deliberately testing him, so he waved his hand and said righteously, "You are not outsiders."

After that, Luo Tianjin instructed Luo Qi, "Please come to Mr. Shen's study for a chat."

"Yes."

A moment later, Shen Dongshan, looking melancholy, came to the study. When he saw Yeluqin and Xunzhen sitting beside him, he was stunned at first, and then he looked at Luo Tianjin with a strange look in his eyes.

"Master Shen, please take a seat!"

Luo Tianjin saw the clues, but remained calm and said jokingly: "What brought Master Shen here? You are a very busy person, and you are rarely seen. It is almost impossible for ordinary people to see you."

"Lord Luo, please stop joking." Shen Dongshan said awkwardly, "I am now deeply trapped in the quagmire and I am powerless to escape. Alas!"

"Why does Master Shen say that?"

"I am caught between Lord Luo and Lord Zhao. I am in a very difficult situation." Shen Dongshan said with a wry smile, "One is the imperial envoy of the court, and the other is the leader of the martial arts world. I cannot afford to offend either of them."

"Oh?" Yelu Qin raised his eyebrows and asked meaningfully, "Master Shen's implication is that Lord Zhao is still unwilling to give up the offer of amnesty?"

Hearing this, Shen Dongshan's eyes moved and he chuckled subconsciously, but did not answer.

"Mr. Shen seems to have something to say?" Luo Tianjin frowned slightly and asked carefully, "I wonder... could it be related to me?"

"It has no direct relationship with Palace Master Luo." Shen Dongshan pondered, "It also has no direct relationship with the matter of recruiting the amnesty."

After hearing Shen Dongshan's answer, Luo Tianjin's heart finally settled down. He was most worried that Shen Dongshan came to "borrow money" and exposed his selfishness in front of Yeluqin and Xunzhen. Now that he heard that Shen Dongshan's purpose had nothing to do with him, he felt much more at ease.

"Why did Master Shen come?"

Facing Luo Tianjin's questioning, Shen Dongshan hesitated and spoke vaguely: "This... this..."

"Master Shen, don't worry. Prince Ning and Miss Xunzhen are my friends." Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "If you have anything to say, just say it."

Yelu Qin was very pleased with Luo Tianjin's words, and a hint of pride appeared between his brows.

"In that case, I will not beat around the bush any more." Shen Dongshan said seriously, "May I ask, Lord Luo, did anyone from your mansion go to Xiangyun Silk Shop three days ago?"

Luo Tianjin frowned and nodded, "It is true. Xunyi and Yuer went to try on wedding dresses that day."

"That day, Lord Zhao also went to Xiangyun Silk Shop."

"what?"

Just these two words made Luo Tianjin's face change suddenly and his eyes became nervous.

Seeing this, Yelu Qin and Xunzhen became suspicious and looked at each other subconsciously.

"How did Mr. Shen know?"

"In fact, Xiangyun Silk Shop is Shen's business. This matter was reported by the servants." Shen Dongshan said bluntly, "Lord Zhao and Madam Luo once had a private conversation at Xiangyun Silk Shop, about... an incense stick of time."

"hiss!"

The most worried thing still happened. In an instant, Luo Tianjin's face became gloomy, his eyes flickered, and he was quickly thinking of countermeasures in his mind.

"Does Mr. Shen know what they talked about?"

Shen Dongshan shook his head bitterly and explained, "They were having a secret meeting in the tea room on the second floor, and Lord Zhao did not allow anyone to get close, so I had no way of knowing about their conversation."

"This……"

"I know that Lord Luo has made up his mind to reject the imperial court's offer of amnesty. I came here today not to stir up trouble, but to make Lord Luo think twice before acting."

"What do you mean?" Luo Tianjin looked confused, as if he didn't understand Shen Dongshan's intention.

"Lord Luo and Madam...it's better to be consistent in your attitude towards amnesty. Since you've refused, just refuse to the end. Don't say one thing in front of others and another behind their backs, so as not to backfire and create unnecessary trouble." In fact, Shen Dongshan had no idea that Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao had fallen out. He thought that Luo Tianjin was plotting something again and deliberately sent Ling Xiaoxiao to meet with Zhao Yuan. Therefore, he was dissatisfied and came to persuade him.

Little did he know that Ling Xiaoxiao and Luo Tianjin had already become estranged from each other, and her secret meeting with Zhao Yuan was not Luo Tianjin's intention, but was something she did on her own.

If Shen Dongshan knew the whole story, he would not be so reckless. After all, betraying Zhao Yuan would not benefit him at all.

Smart for a lifetime, but foolish for a moment. This time, Shen Dongshan did make a mistake in order to get out of this situation as quickly as possible.

But because of his negligence, Luo Tianjin learned the truth in time and almost missed a hidden danger.

At this time, Yelu Qin and Xunzhen had a lot of thoughts in their minds, but on the surface they remained silent, listening quietly like outsiders.

"Thank you for your reminder, Master Shen." Luo Tianjin did not point it out, but asked quietly, "May I ask, Master Shen, who else saw Zhao Yuan at Xiangyun Silk Shop that day?"

"This..." Shen Dongshan looked at Luo Tianjin with confusion in his eyes, and said hesitantly, "Why does Lord Luo ask when he already knows the answer? On that day, only Madam met Lord Zhao. Miss Luo and Liu Zhishan were trying on clothes, and Sect Masters Xu and Ling were guarding the door."

"Yu'er, Xunyi, Xu Heng, Ling Qing." Luo Tianjin narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded thoughtfully, "I understand. Thank you, Master Shen, for telling me frankly."

"What's going on?" Shen Dongshan finally noticed something strange, and immediately his heart moved, and he asked in surprise, "Could it be that Lord Luo doesn't know about this?"

"I know. Of course I know." Luo Tianjin said with a strange tone, as if he was smiling.

Having said that, Shen Dongshan has gradually realized that he may have made a huge mistake.

He originally wanted to use this opportunity to resolve the dispute between Luo Tianjin and Zhao Yuan as soon as possible so that he could escape. However, he did not expect that due to his own inconsiderateness and impulse, he actually made a huge mistake.

Unfortunately, the matter was done and Shen Dongshan couldn't turn back time, so he could only continue on.

"Shen came here only to remind Lord Luo." Shen Dongshan was very upset. In order to avoid making mistakes, he hurriedly said, "Let Lord Zhao leave Luoyang City as soon as possible. It will be good for both you and me. I hope... Lord Luo will take care of himself."

"Thank you."

"Shen takes his leave!"

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Please take care, Mr. Shen."

After the greetings, Shen Dongshan no longer hesitated and fled from the study.

Luo Tianjin's face was as gloomy as water, his eyes were cold, and it was unknown what he was thinking about. He did not speak for a long time.

Seeing this, Yelu Qin and Xunzhen felt embarrassed, so they bowed to Luo Tianjin and said goodbye.

After leaving the study, the two walked quickly without saying a word until they returned to the courtyard where they lived.

"Xunzhen!"

The moment Xunzhen pushed the door open and returned to his room, Yeluqin's voice suddenly rang out: "What do you think of what Shen Dongshan said just now?"

I don't know why? Xunzhen had been absent-minded since he came out of the study. He was actually startled when Yeluqin called him.

"Ah?" Xunzhen responded subconsciously, "What's the matter?"

"Didn't you notice something strange?" Yelu Qin raised his eyebrows and looked at Xunzhen with a meaningful look.

"Strange?" Xunzhen struggled internally, hesitating for a long time before nodding reluctantly, "Yes! There are indeed some strange things..."

"Looking at Luo Tianjin's reaction just now, it's obvious that Ling Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yuan were having a secret meeting, and he had no idea about it." Yeluqin continued, "As far as I know, Ling Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yuansu have never met before. The two of them only met once by chance in the main hall of the Xianwang Mansion. How could they have a secret meeting at Xiangyun Silk Shop for no reason? Someone must have been behind this."

At this point, Yeluqin's eyes showed a hint of amusement, and he asked with a smile: "Guess who is behind this?"

"This..." Xunzhen was not unable to guess, but for some inexplicable reason, she seemed unwilling to say the person's name.

"Liu Xunyi!" Xunzhen didn't say anything, so Yeluqin said for her, "If there wasn't someone working together, how could Zhao Yuan know Ling Xiaoxiao's whereabouts so clearly?"

Xunzhen nodded slightly as if to respond.

"How long do you want to delay this matter?" Yeluqin asked in a deep voice, "Since the first day Zhao Yuan came to Luoyang City, I have repeatedly urged you to tell Luo Tianjin about Liu Xunyi's secret, but you repeatedly refused on the grounds of giving him a handle. I know that you have always been sensible in doing things, so I respect your decision and will not force you to obey my will. But now, Liu Xunyi has become a stumbling block for the cooperation between Shao Qin Wang and Luo Tianjin. Do you think it is necessary to continue to delay it?"

"This……"

"Liu Xunyi saw that Luo Tianjin was determined, so he set his sights on Ling Xiaoxiao. If we let him go on like this, the plan of the Young Qin Prince will be ruined sooner or later." Yeluqin's tone slowed down and he advised, "I know you have some friendship with Liu Xunyi, but friendship is friendship, and the cause of restoring the country is the top priority. You should know better than anyone how much effort the Young Qin Prince has put into this. At this critical moment, you must not miss the opportunity because of a moment of kindness and regret it for the rest of your life."

"I understand." Xunzhen nodded slowly, "Give me three days..."

"No!" Yeluqin refused. "Liu Xunyi is full of hidden dangers. The longer you stay, the more dangerous it will be. Therefore, I will only give you one day! Before noon tomorrow, if you still refuse to tell Luo Tianjin the true identity of Liu Xunyi, I will tell him myself. Then, don't blame me for not giving you a chance."

"But……"

"No buts!" Yelu Qin said without question, "The leverage Liu Xunyi holds poses no threat to us, and it cannot be used as an excuse for you to procrastinate. If you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. You'd better take care of yourself!"

After saying this, Yelu Qin didn't give Xunzhen any more chances to speak and turned to walk towards his room.

……

(End of this chapter)