Chapter 680 Don’t do it for yourself
"Qin Wei, close the door!"

At daybreak, Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei walked into the study room one after the other. They had just seen Zhao Xie off, and now they both looked solemn and worried.

"Yes!"

Qin Wei agreed timidly, and after closing the door, he took the initiative to pour a cup of hot tea and respectfully brought it to Zhao Yuan, who looked exhausted, and said softly, "I didn't expect the young prince to come overnight..."

"The young prince and Xunyi have known each other since childhood, and they have a close relationship, even calling each other master and apprentice." Zhao Yuan interrupted, "So it's not surprising that the young prince came to rescue Xunyi when he was in trouble."

"My Lord, what you said is absolutely true."

"What I didn't expect was that Xun Yi was so obsessed with Zhao Xin that he even disobeyed my order and left Tianji Pavilion." Zhao Yuan sighed, "Based on my understanding of this boy, he is upright and honest, and cares about the safety of the world. He should not delay national affairs for his children's personal feelings. Now that Zhao Xin's marriage to Mongolia is a foregone conclusion, I thought that although he was sad, he would never do anything presumptuous, but the result surprised me. Did he sneak to Rong Wangfu tonight to reminisce about the old days with the young prince? I don't think so. The person he really wanted to find was Zhao Xin, not Zhao Xie."

"Yes! Brother Liu is deeply in love with the princess..."

"Since the marriage is a foregone conclusion, why is he looking for Zhao Xin? If he finds her, what will they say? What will they do?" Zhao Yuan raised his eyebrows and said in a serious tone, "This is what I am really worried about."

After saying this, Zhao Yuan cast a hesitant look at Qin Wei and asked meaningfully, "Did I misjudge Xun Yi? Or did I misunderstand Xun Yi?"

"This..." Qin Wei couldn't figure out Zhao Yuan's thoughts, so he didn't dare to answer directly. So he changed the subject and asked, "Since the Marquis was worried, why did you agree to give Brother Liu freedom just now?"

Zhao Yuan said self-deprecatingly, "Since the young prince has spoken personally, how can I shirk my responsibility? He seems to be discussing with me, but in fact he is giving me orders."

"My Lord, Prince Rong is obviously close to the West Palace. As people from the East Palace, why should we care about them..."

"Listen!" Suddenly, Zhao Yuan's expression changed, and he said seriously, "Prince Rong is Prince Rong, and the little prince is the little prince. The two must not be confused. Nowadays, Prince Rong is very close to the West Palace, so the people in the East Palace are more or less alienated from him. But there is one thing you must remember, sometimes we would rather offend Prince Rong than offend the little prince."

"Why?"

"No need to ask, just write it down."

"As ordered!"

After saying this, Qin Wei saw that Zhao Yuan stopped talking, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes and said cautiously: "Actually, there is one thing I don't quite understand, and I dare to ask the Marquis to give me some advice."

"What's the matter?"

"It's about Princess Xinde." Qin Wei hesitated, and repeated his words in his mind, "Since the Marquis has always been worried that Brother Liu would not give up on the princess, why did he tell him the news that the princess was marrying in Mongolia in advance? Why not wait until the princess leaves Lin'an before telling him the truth? By then, the matter will be settled, and even if Brother Liu is unwilling, there is nothing he can do but accept his fate. In this way, wouldn't it save a lot of trouble?"

"How could I not have thought of this?" Zhao Yuan snorted, "But do you think you can really keep the marriage secret from Liu Xunyi?"

"This……"

"Don't think that Liu Xunyi is drunk all day long. In fact, he is as clear as a mirror and just pretends to be confused. Otherwise, he would not have sent Ding Chou to visit the young prince at the Rong Palace several times." Zhao Yuan explained, "In a few days, the Mongolian bride-receiving team will enter Lin'an City with gongs and drums, and the news of the marriage between the two countries will spread to everyone in the blink of an eye. By then, Lin'an will be in turmoil and excitement. Although Liu Xunyi is in Tianji Pavilion, he still has ten thousand ways to get the news. There is a saying that 'there is no wall that is impenetrable'. Once the truth is revealed and Liu Xunyi knows that we have been deceiving him... Based on his personality, what will he do?"

"This..." Qin Wei looked thoughtful and shook his head slowly, "I don't know."

"That's right! I don't know what he will do." Zhao Yuan said in a serious tone, "Not knowing is precisely the biggest risk. If he gets into trouble in a moment of impulse, the court will have no room to turn around and will inevitably end up in a quarrel with the Mongols. In this case, the Song Dynasty will be at war forever and the world will be in chaos."

"Yes!" Qin Wei was still in shock, trembling with fear. "Once the Mongols arrive in Lin'an City, no matter what impulsive things Brother Liu does, they will immediately notice it. If the Mongols knew that Brother Liu and the princess had an... unclear relationship, it would affect the dignity and respect of the Mongolian princes, and they would definitely fall out with the court on the spot. If that happens, the consequences will be disastrous."

"That's why I thought about it again and again and decided to reveal the news of the marriage to Liu Xunyi before the Mongols arrived in Lin'an. First, to prepare him and not resent us for deceiving him. Second, if Liu Xunyi shows any abnormality, we can take precautions early."

"My Lord, you have foresight and foresight, and I am the one who is stupid."

"Again, Xunyi's reaction to this matter is far beyond my expectation." Zhao Yuan said helplessly, "Plus, the young prince 'adding fuel to the fire', making things even more difficult to control. Just now, although Liu Xunyi promised me solemnly that he would no longer harass the princess, I always feel uneasy in my heart. I think this matter is far from over, and there will even be bigger troubles."

"Your Majesty is right. How should we deal with it?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan's expression changed quietly, and he fixed his mysterious gaze on Qin Wei, staring at him until Qin Wei felt uncomfortable.

"My Lord, what are you doing..."

"Qin Wei, even though this is a commonplace question, I still want to ask you one last time. I hope you can answer truthfully and not lie to me in the slightest!"

Looking at Zhao Yuan who was serious about his work, Qin Wei's heart suddenly tightened, and his expression became a little embarrassed. He swallowed hard, nodded slowly and said, "My Lord, please ask."

"Stir up the relationship between Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin and promote the marriage with Mongolia. Did you come up with this idea yourself? Or..." At this point, a terrifying light suddenly flashed in Zhao Yuan's eyes, causing Qin Wei's body to tremble slightly involuntarily, "Or someone bribed you and instigated you to do this?"

With just these words, Qin Wei's face suddenly changed, and he knelt on the ground with a plop, and said in fear and trepidation: "My Lord, I did come up with this idea myself. At the beginning, my Lord mentioned in casual conversation that Prince Rong recommended Princess Xinde to go to Mongolia for marriage, and he expressed his approval of this matter in a few words. I clearly remember that my Lord said, 'The West Palace uses marriage as a negotiation condition, and whether it succeeds or not, it will not benefit the East Palace at all. But the dispute between the East and West Palaces cannot be compared with the survival of the Song Dynasty. Although the marriage is of no benefit to the East Palace, it is the only way to save the Song Dynasty from danger.'" "That's right! This statement really came from this Lord."

"I have kept your words in mind and was deeply impressed by your sense of justice. Although you are from the East Palace, you can speak up for the West Palace for the sake of the overall situation. I am afraid that few people in the world can do this." Qin Wei said seriously, "That is why I am willing to follow your example and contribute to the safety of the Song Dynasty. At that time, the biggest obstacle to the marriage was undoubtedly the attitude of the princess. She was waiting for Brother Liu to come back, so she ignored Prince Rong's earnest advice. So I thought hard and struggled again and again, and finally decided to use the alienation between Brother Liu and the princess to promote the marriage. Although I came up with this plan, I didn't dare to act on my own, so I reported it to the Marquis as soon as possible, and only acted against my conscience after getting the Marquis's promise."

"I know." Zhao Yuan stared at Qin Wei's eyes and said faintly, "I asked you at that time, do you regret betraying your best brother?"

"My Lord can sacrifice the interests of the East Palace for the safety of the Song Dynasty, and I can also sacrifice my personal feelings for the sake of my country." Qin Wei said solemnly, "Until now, I still give the same answer. For the sake of the Song Dynasty, let alone betraying my brothers, even if I am cut into pieces and my bones are crushed to ashes, or even if I lose the reputation of my ancestors and future generations, I will not regret it!"

Faced with Qin Wei's righteous words, Zhao Yuan did not rush to speak, but stared at him silently, as if he wanted to see through his eyes and see into his heart.

"My Lord, don't you still believe me?" Qin Wei said angrily, "Do you think I accepted the benefits from the West Mansion?"

"Qin Wei, if what you said is true, you sacrificed small matters for the greater good, and endured humiliation and burdens. You are the most loyal minister of the Song Dynasty." Zhao Yuan said quietly, "But if you speak nonsense, you are treacherous and sell out your master for fame. You are the most cunning traitor in the world."

Hearing this, Qin Wei's eyes hardened and he raised his hand to swear: "I swear to heaven, if I tell even a single lie, I will have no descendants and I will die a miserable death."

"Okay!" After hesitating for a while, Zhao Yuan's sharp eyes gradually softened, "I... believe in you!"

"Thank you, my lord!" Qin Wei showed ecstasy on his face and kowtowed quickly to express his gratitude.

"Get up!"

"As you command." Qin Wei slowly stood up, then hesitated and asked tentatively, "Brother Liu is now free, but no one can guarantee that he will not get into trouble. I wonder... how does the Marquis plan to deal with this?"

"Since I have promised the young prince that I will not embarrass Liu Xunyi, I cannot go back on my word." Zhao Yuan thought, "But he and the princess have been friends for a long time, how can they just break off their relationship? I must be on guard against this."

"What the Marquis means is..."

"Qin Wei, there won't be any other errands at Tianji Pavilion these days, so if you have nothing to do... you can go and accompany her to look for clothes more often."

Zhao Yuan's words were full of meaning, causing Qin Wei's eyes to change. He said in disbelief, "Does the Marquis really intend to let me go to 'accompany' Brother Liu?"

"you are not willing?"

"Of course not." Qin Wei said in confusion, "It's just... I just betrayed him, and Brother Liu wants to kill me now..."

"That's why I decided to send you to accompany him." At this point, Zhao Yuan's eyes suddenly flashed with cunning, and he sneered, "Because you have betrayed him once, Liu Xunyi would never have thought that you would betray him a second time in such a short time."

"What?" Qin Wei was shocked. "My Lord, what you mean is..."

"I asked you to accompany him because I actually hope you can keep a close eye on him." Zhao Yuan asked, "Can't you guess what I mean?"

"Of course I understand what the Marquis means, but..." Qin Wei seemed to be at a loss for words and said hesitantly, "But Brother Liu is my lifelong friend after all. The Marquis asked me to deceive him again and again, and I..."

"It's not deception, it's protection!" Zhao Yuan corrected, "If you let him cause a huge disaster, Liu Xunyi will definitely die. Only by accompanying him, comforting him, and admonishing him at all times can you help him get out of the predicament and avoid endangering himself and the court."

Hearing this, Qin Wei couldn't help but fall into deep thought. After pondering for a while, he slowly nodded: "My Lord, what you said is absolutely right. I can't just watch Brother Liu commit suicide. But Brother Liu has a deep hatred for me right now. I want to get close to him... I'm afraid it's as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Why does he hate you? The root cause is not that you deceived him, but because you are very important to him." Zhao Yuan said faintly, "The more he hates you, it means that he cares about you. If he was betrayed by an insignificant person, he would never be so angry."

"This……"

"I'm asking you, do you want to put aside your past grudges with Liu Xunyi and reconcile as before?"

"Of course I do, but..."

"I will grant you your wish." Zhao Yuan waved his hand and said, "I have a plan that will ensure that you brothers can turn hostility into friendship."

Qin Wei was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Please give me your instructions, my Lord!"

"Put all the blame on me!" Zhao Yuan said calmly, "You are just following orders. You have no choice. Liu Xunyi has been in Tianji Pavilion for many years and knows that military law is as strict as a mountain and orders must be obeyed. Therefore, as long as you sincerely confess to him and explain the pros and cons, he will definitely take into account your years of brotherhood and forgive your 'helpless act'."

……

(End of this chapter)