Chapter 631 Half Reality
At noon the next day, the Donghai Teahouse was bustling with people as usual.

"Gentlemen, please come in!"

Accompanied by a shout, Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei leisurely walked into the teahouse.

Standing in the lobby, Qin Wei looked around, looking back and forth among the tea drinkers, as if looking for someone.

"Two gentlemen..."

Before the waiter of the teahouse came forward to greet him, Qin Wei casually threw him a silver ingot and urged: "My master likes quietness, so please arrange for a private room to serve him."

"Okay!" The waiter was blinded by the money and quickly used the towel on his shoulder to wipe the dust off Zhao Yuan's legs. He flattered, "Please go upstairs, gentlemen!"

Looking at the tea drinkers chatting and laughing in groups of three or five, and listening to the songs sung by the singing girls on the stage, Zhao Yuan couldn't help but feel emotional, and murmured: "It's really like 'The merchant women don't know the hatred of the lost country, they still sing the song of the back garden across the river.'"

"Master, please!"

When he was out, especially in a place like the Donghai Teahouse where all kinds of people mixed together, Qin Wei didn't dare to call Zhao Yuan "Marquis" or "Sir" directly, but only called him "Master" to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

Going upstairs, the waiter ushered Zhao Yuan and the other man into the private room and asked respectfully, "What would you like to drink, sirs?"

"Where is Shunxi?" Qin Wei asked impatiently, "He knows what my master likes, so I asked him to come and serve."

"Oh! So you two are Shunxi's customers." The waiter's voice sounded a little disappointed. "Sir, wait a moment. I'll go get Shunxi."

After saying that, the waiter looked at Zhao Yuan, who was dressed gorgeously, again, then weighed the silver ingot in his hand, sighed, and walked out of the room shaking his head.

"Master, is this Shunxi...really trustworthy?" Seeing the waiter walking away, Qin Wei couldn't help but feel uneasy and asked doubtfully, "Will he leak the news?"

"No!" Zhao Yuan said firmly, "Ling Xiaoxiao told me personally that Shunxi is her trusted confidant in the Donghai Tea House and is absolutely reliable."

"Early this morning, I told Shunxi the master's instructions and asked him to pass the message to Ling Xiaoxiao. But why is there no sign of Ling Xiaoxiao now?" Qin Wei asked worriedly, "Could it be that Ling Xiaoxiao is still under house arrest in the Xianwang Mansion?"

"I don't know." Zhao Yuan looked solemn, as if he was worried inside.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, followed by a shrill voice: "Is that Mr. Zhao from Lin'an in the room?"

"Master, it's Shunxi's voice." Qin Wei's face changed and he hurriedly explained to Zhao Yuan in a low voice.

Zhao Yuan paused for a moment, then nodded. Qin Wei understood and said, "It is Master Zhao sitting inside. Shunxi, have the guests arrived?"

"arrive."

With a reply, the door was slowly pushed open. Then, a sharp-faced waiter led two young men with delicate features and tall stature into the room.

The guy was Ling Xiaoxiao's confidant, Shunxi. The other two young men were Wudang disciples Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi.

Following Qingfeng's orders, Zheng Songren led his men on horseback to Luoyang City and arrived at Prince Xian's Palace last night.

When he saw that the person coming was not Ling Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yuan's eyes changed quietly, and a trace of vigilance emerged between his brows.

"The elders, please talk slowly. I will wait outside the door."

Shunxi poured tea and water, then tactfully left the room.

Qin Wei glanced at the silent Zhao Yuan, then turned his suspicious eyes to Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi and asked, "Who are you..."

"I am Zheng Songren, a disciple of Wudang Sect, and this is my junior fellow apprentice Zhang Songyi." Zheng Songren bowed and said, "The two of us are here to pay a visit to Master Zhao on the orders of Senior Sister Xiaoxiao."

In response to Zheng Songren's greetings, Zhao Yuan remained silent and continued to look them up and down with malicious eyes.

Seeing this, Qin Wei frowned and asked Zheng Songren, "How do you two prove your identities?"

"Sir, please look!"

Zheng Songren took out a hairpin from his bosom and explained, "This belongs to my senior sister. Lord Zhao should have seen it at Xiangyun Silk Shop that day. In addition, Shunxi can also prove our identities..."

"That's enough!" Zhao Yuan glanced at the hairpin and immediately understood everything. He interrupted, "What's Madam Luo's situation? Why don't you come here in person?"

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister is doing well. However, Senior Sister has someone following her everywhere, so it is inconvenient for her to come out and meet you, Master." Zheng Songren said, "So he sent us here under the pretext of going out shopping to talk to you, Master."

Zhao Yuan's eyes sparkled, and he asked tentatively, "Then is there a tail following you?"

"Don't worry, sir. We were very careful when we came here and have confirmed again and again that no one is following us."

Seeing Zheng Songren's words were so sure, Zhao Yuan's expression relaxed, and then he pointed to the stool beside the table and said with a faint smile: "This matter is of great importance and cannot afford to make any mistakes. Don't blame me for being on guard, young heroes."

"Don't dare!"

After saying that, Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi lowered their bodies to sit down, and Zhao Yuan personally pushed two cups of tea in front of them.

"Since Madam Luo sent you two to meet me, she must trust you deeply." Zhao Yuan went straight to the point, "In this case, I will not beat around the bush. I came to Madam only to tell her two things." "I would like to hear the details!"

"First, Yan Bugui's whereabouts have been found. She is in the hands of Longxiang Mountain Saint Master Yun Zhuiyue. Her life is safe." Zhao Yuan said calmly, "However, Yun Zhuiyue already knows our plan and has decided to lend us a helping hand."

"This……"

"Please rest assured, Madam. I have questioned Yun Zhuiyue repeatedly and there is nothing suspicious about her."

Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi exchanged a glance, then asked Zhao Yuan, "In that case, when does Yun Zhuiyue plan to release Fourth Master Yan back?"

"This is the second thing." Zhao Yuan said bluntly, "Yan Bugui will not come back for the time being. She has been held hostage by Yun Zhuiyue."

"Hostage?" Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi were surprised when they heard this. They asked in unison, "What do you mean?"

"Yun Zhuiyue has taken Yan Bugui as a hostage, hoping that Madam Luo will not plot against Xiao Zhirou." Zhao Yuan said frankly, "Yun Zhuiyue knows that Madam Luo is bent on killing Xiao Zhirou, so he begs Madam Luo to be kind and let her go. Once Xiao Zhirou leaves Luoyang safely, he will release Yan Bugui."

"Yun Zhuiyue is a heretic demon. How can we trust his words?" Zhang Songyi said indignantly, "My lord, please do not be deceived by this man..."

"I will guarantee this matter, so you two don't have to worry." Zhao Yuan was unhappy and said in a deep voice, "Tell my wife that she, Yun Zhuiyue and I are now in the same boat. We all prosper together and suffer together. Therefore, I hope my wife can put the overall situation first and put aside personal feelings for the time being. Don't lose the big picture for the small."

"This……"

"Yun Zhuiyue said that if Madam refuses to agree, not only will Yan Bugui's life be in danger, he will also disrupt our plan and cause us to fail." Zhao Yuan looked at Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi who were looking at each other in bewilderment, and said meaningfully, "A gentleman's revenge is never too late. I believe Madam will make the final decision on who is more important, Xiao Zhirou or Luo Tianjin."

"Okay!" Zheng Songren nodded slowly. "We will convey the adults' instructions to Senior Sister without missing a word. As for her decision..."

"Madam is extremely intelligent. I believe she will not do anything stupid."

Seeing that Zhao Yuan was so confident and seemed to be forcing him to do something, Zheng Songren couldn't help feeling embarrassed, but he didn't dare to argue with him, so he smiled and drank the tea in the cup.

"Besides this, does your Excellency have any other instructions?"

"No." Zhao Yuan groaned, "I will let you know about the rest once I have a thorough plan."

"Okay!" Zheng Songren said seriously, "Before coming here, Senior Sister told us that we must ask adults for a clear answer to a question."

"Oh?" Zhao Yuan raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, "What's the matter?"

"Senior sister wants to ask, is Liu Xunyi, the black fan of the Xianwang Mansion, really your sire?"

With just these words, Qin Wei's eyes suddenly changed, but due to his identity, he didn't dare to say more.

Zhao Yuan, on the other hand, remained calm and asked calmly, "Why do you ask that?"

"Your Excellency should have heard about what happened in the Xianwang Mansion yesterday." Zheng Songren said, "Right now, it is widely rumored that Liu Xunyi is an insider planted by the court beside Alliance Leader Luo. I wonder..."

"Haha..." Before Zheng Songren could finish his words, Zhao Yuan suddenly laughed out loud, waving his hands and saying, "This marquis not only hopes that Liu Xunyi is my insider, but also that all the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion are my insiders. In this way, wouldn't it save a lot of trouble? Unfortunately, the reality is contrary to our wishes. These people are loyal to Luo Tianjin and are unwilling to be driven by the court at all."

Zheng Songren was skeptical and asked, "So, Liu Xunyi is not from the imperial court?"

"To be honest with you two, I once tried to persuade Liu Xunyi to submit to the court." Zhao Yuan had already figured out Ling Xiaoxiao's thoughts, so he said seriously, "I tried my best to persuade him to show him the righteousness of the cause. He was once shaken and helped me with some small things. For example..."

At this point, General Zhao Yuan cast a secretive look at Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi. Seeing their expectant and nervous expressions, he became more and more certain of his speculation, so he smiled bitterly and said, "For example, he once created an opportunity for me and my wife to have a private chat at Xiangyun Silk Shop."

"hiss!"

Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi were surprised when this was said. The reason why Ling Xiaoxiao suspected that Liu Xunyi was a member of the imperial court, apart from the farce that happened yesterday, was the secret meeting at Xiangyun Silk Shop.

Now, Zhao Yuan has confessed without being asked, how can it not be surprising?

"In this case, Liu Xunyi has betrayed Alliance Leader Luo..."

"No!" Zhao Yuan waved his hand and said, "It was only this time. Since then, Liu Xunyi has refused to pay attention to me again, as if he has regretted it. Last night, he ordered me to leave on behalf of Luo Tianjin, and told me righteously that he would never do anything to betray Luo Tianjin again. I am helpless about this."

After saying this, Zhao Yuan's expression darkened, and he looked regretful, as if he was experiencing something that was only available by chance.

Seeing this, Zheng Songren and Zhang Songyi felt very nervous and suspicious.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Songyi suddenly spoke up: "Since Liu Xunyi is not your accomplice, he must be a stumbling block for Senior Sister. In that case, we don't need to show mercy when we attack him?"

"No need to show mercy!" How smart is Zhao Yuan? He naturally understood that they were deliberately testing him, so he said righteously, "Not only do you not need to show mercy, but please do not miss. When you kill him, tell him a message for me."

"Sir, please speak."

"As a Han Chinese, he has no loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness in his eyes. He is stubborn and unyielding, and is simply a dog of Luo Tianjin. He deserves to die, and it is not a pity for him to die!"

……

(End of this chapter)