Chapter 739: Come with Hatred

In the evening, Song Yu came to Zhongtian Inn, located in the downtown area of ​​East City, Jiangling Prefecture, according to the address given to him by Jin Fuyu.

Zhongtian Inn is one of the most luxurious and lively inns in Jiangling. Its name "Zhongtian" is taken from the last two lines of "Looking at the Narrowness of Jiangling" by the poet Du Fu: "The green mountains are in my eyes, but I look at the sky in the gorge."

When Song Yu walked through the bustling night market and arrived at the busy Zhongtian Inn, he couldn't help but wonder, "The owner of the dock has always been low-key. Why would his 'friend' meet him in such a mixed place?"

"Sir, do you want to stay in a hotel or stay in a hotel?"

When Song Yu stepped into the inn with confusion in his heart, a waiter with a pointed chin and a monkey face came forward with a flattering smile on his face. Before Song Yu responded, the waiter took out the linen cloth from his waist and dusted the dust off his boots.

"I'm here to see a friend who lives in Room No. 3, Tianzi." Song Yu looked around the bustling and noisy lobby of the inn and said casually, "He invited me here."

"Room No. 33...Are you Mr. Jin?" the waiter asked thoughtfully.

"That's right." As he spoke, Song Yu casually threw two taels of silver to the waiter and said, "Please lead the way, little brother."

"Okay! Sir, please go upstairs!"

The waiter was blinded by the money and became more respectful to Song Yu. He nodded and bowed as he led him straight to the second floor of the inn.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Sir, Mr. Jin is here!" Approaching the door, the waiter cautiously called out to the brightly lit room.

"Send ten plates of mutton and two jars of good wine, which will be settled together with the room payment later." A slightly "charming" reply came from the room.

What surprised Song Yu was that this charming voice did not seem to come from a woman, but more like a man.

"I'll prepare it right away!" the waiter agreed, gently pushed open the door and made a gesture of invitation to Song Yu.

Although he was nervous, he decided to make the best of it. Without further hesitation, Song Yu stepped into the steaming room filled with the aroma of wine.

At this moment, a thin figure sat behind a smoky copper pot, occasionally picking out a few pieces of mouth-watering mutton from the boiling soup and eating it with relish.

"The person I invited was Jin Fuyu, why is it you who came?"

When Song Yu slowly walked around the copper pot and squinted his eyes to try to discern the person's face through the layers of fog, that "charming and enchanting" voice sounded again.

After saying that, the man picked up the wine glass and drank it all, burping with satisfaction. Then he threw the chopsticks on the table and turned to look at Song Yu who was hesitant.

"It's you?"

When their eyes met, Song Yu immediately recognized the man's identity. He was Ding Qinghong, the former disciple of Peach Blossom Sword Island and the eunuch of the Song Dynasty court today.

Although Song Yu and Ding Qinghong knew each other, they were not familiar with each other.

"Mr. Song, please take a seat!"

Facing the shocked Song Yu, Ding Qinghong's reaction was surprisingly calm. He leisurely stretched out his hand and pointed at the empty stool beside the table, and greeted warmly: "It's getting late, I guess Mr. Song hasn't had his meal yet. I'm hosting tonight, so please don't be polite."

"Are you the friend the owner was talking about?" Song Yu crouched down and took a seat doubtfully. He looked up and down at the weird Ding Qinghong cautiously and asked suspiciously, "Why are you here?"

"Hasn't Mr. Song ever heard of 'Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future'?" Ding Qinghong asked in return, "During a surprise attack in Yunya Town, I was lucky enough to escape from the pile of dead bodies. That should be considered as surviving a great disaster, right? Since I have survived a great disaster, of course I have to look for my own 'good fortune in the future'."

"What do you mean?" Song Yu's heart tightened, but he pretended to be calm on the surface. "Song is not very knowledgeable and can't understand your lofty talk. Why don't we get straight to the point? Just say whatever you want to say."

"I treated you sincerely, but I didn't expect that Mr. Song would pretend to be ignorant. Is he taking advantage of my youth?" Ding Qinghong teased, "Others may not know who is the mastermind behind the bloodbath in Yunya Town, but I know it clearly."

Facing Ding Qinghong's provocative gaze, Song Yu remained expressionless and said nothing.

"I don't know if it was my destiny or God's blessing. That night, I had just fallen asleep when I suddenly had an unbearable stomachache. I had to go to the toilet in the dark. Unexpectedly, I heard a huge secret in the toilet." Ding Qinghong smiled slyly, "It turns out that Master Jinwu had long been determined to restore his country, and he hid 100,000 soldiers in Jiangnan, waiting for an opportunity to act. Unexpectedly, the marriage between Song and Mongolia caused the originally favorable situation to take a sharp turn for the worse, so he sent people to sneak attack Yunya Town, intending to kill An Chen and Zhao Xin, thereby destroying the friendship between the two countries."

Ding Qinghong's words made Song Yu's heart tremble with fear. The blood in his body seemed to solidify instantly, and sweat broke out on his palms.

"Do you know who was so careless to reveal the secret?" Ding Qinghong deliberately kept it a secret. "It was the two former flag masters of Tianshan Yulong Palace, Ding Ao and Dong Xiaoer. If I hadn't overheard their conversation by chance and escaped from Yunya Town before they took action, I'm afraid I would have died in bed like those Mongols."

At this moment, Song Yu's heart was in turmoil, and a fierce murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"I heard that... your Excellency has become a favorite of the Emperor and is doing very well in the palace..."

"Crack!" Before Song Yu finished speaking, Ding Qinghong's eyes suddenly became fierce, and the wine glass in his hand was crushed into pieces.

Seeing this scene, Song Yu couldn't help but frown slightly, and a hint of obscure and inexplicable thought emerged between his brows.

"Don't mention the court in front of me, and don't mention the palace in front of me! Ding Qinghong changed his previous calmness and showed a sinister look with gnashing teeth, "They bullied me too much, sooner or later I will make them pay with blood!"

Ding Qinghong seemed to be submissive on the surface, despite being betrayed by Xifu and forced to become a eunuch by Wanrenshan. However, deep down in his heart, he always regarded them as enemies and hated them to the core.

Looking at Ding Qinghong, whose hair stood on end and whose eyes were bloodshot, Song Yu remained silent and observed carefully. The uneasiness in his heart gradually eased.

"Everything is determined by fate. We have no control over it." As Ding Qinghong's attitude changed, Song Yu also changed his previous indifference, took the initiative to pour him a glass of new wine, and comforted him, "Since you don't want to bring up the past, we won't talk about it."

"Now that the evidence is irrefutable, Mr. Song will no longer deny the matter of Yunya Town, right?" Ding Qinghong calmed himself down and questioned Song Yu again.

"This..." After a moment's hesitation, Song Yu suddenly changed the subject and asked instead, "Whether it is or not, what does it have to do with today's meeting?"

"I've just said that if you survive a disaster, you will have good fortune in the future. Since you almost caused me to die in Yunya Town, I should ask you for the 'good fortune in the future'."

"Oh?" Song Yu asked with interest, "So, you are here to collect a debt from us?"

"Don't say such harsh words." Ding Qinghong took the wine glass from Song Yu and said with a smile, "I came to you to seek wealth and glory together."

"What do you mean?" Song Yu's face changed and he said bluntly, "What do you want to do? Just tell me!"

"It's great! I know Jin Fuyu's ambition, and I also know why you attacked Yunya Town. My purpose is very simple, which is to join you and conspire for great things."

"Join us?" Song Yu pondered over and over in his mind, but pretended to be ignorant on the surface, "Do you want to join Jinjianwu?"

"Mr. Song, there is no need to pretend. You know what I mean." After saying that, Ding Qinghong changed the subject and said jokingly, "I just wonder if you can make the decision on this matter?"

"Why?" Song Yu did not respond to Ding Qinghong's sarcasm, but continued to test himself, "In terms of wealth and glory, you already have everything you need, so why would you risk changing your flag?"

"First, the Song Dynasty is on the brink of collapse. Even the emperor will not be able to hold on for long, let alone us servants. Second, the court is ungrateful and has repeatedly used me to interfere in the affairs of the martial arts world. They even used me to get rid of Yuwen Xiu, causing the Peach Blossom Sword Island to collapse. In the end, instead of rewarding me for my merits and fulfilling their promises, they gave me as a 'gift' to the eunuch Wanrenshan. They abused me in every way and humiliated me, causing me to become the monster I am today, neither human nor ghost. If I don't take revenge, I will be ashamed of my ancestors, my master, and myself. I will overthrow the Song Dynasty with my own hands and kill everyone in the Lin'an court. If I don't do this, I, Ding Qinghong, swear not to be a human!"

Although it was just a few words, Song Yu was able to feel the seeds of hatred buried deep in Ding Qinghong's heart, and the raging rage that could not be extinguished without a massacre.

"I sympathize with your plight, but..." Song Yu paused, then straightened his expression and asked bluntly, "But what do these things have to do with our Jinjianwu? Why did we accept you? Is it just based on the 'secret' you just told? Do you think anyone will believe it?"

"Although I'm not smart, I'm not stupid either. I won't be stupid enough to threaten the famous Jin Fuyu with a 'truth' without any evidence." Ding Qinghong laughed at himself, "I understand what Mr. Song means. You just want to know what benefits I can bring to Jin Jianwu, right?"

"The world is bustling with people because of profit. The world is bustling with people because of profit. I believe you should understand this principle."

"I can serve as your insider for the Song Dynasty court. Young Master Song just said that I am now a favorite of the emperor. If you accept me, I guarantee that Master Jinwu will know the emperor's thoughts and the court's next move before anyone else."

"This……"

"You went to great lengths to sabotage the marriage because you were afraid that Song and Mongolia would stop fighting and make peace." Ding Qinghong said meaningfully, "Because once Song and Mongolia make peace, the leader of Jinwu will have no chance to reap the benefits. In other words, your great cause of restoring your country will become a distant dream."

"you……"

"Without me, you can only passively launch surprise attacks on the bride's way. But with my help, you can disrupt the peace talks between the Song and Mongolia before the marriage. In this way, you will not only have more opportunities, but also a greater chance of winning."

It has to be said that the conditions offered by Ding Qinghong really tempted Song Yu, but since he was only ordered to come to meet him and did not get Jin Fuyu's clear attitude on the matter in advance, he did not dare to make a rash decision.

For a moment, the room fell into silence. The two of them were each thinking and hesitating with each other.

"I am very interested in Young Master Ding's proposal and would like to have a frank and long conversation with you."

Suddenly, a clear laugh came from outside the door, which made the two of them stunned.

The door was divided into left and right. Jin Fuyu walked in slowly with a smile on his face, holding a plate of mutton and a jar of fine wine in his hands respectively.

"My two guests, the wine and meat you requested are here! It's rare to meet a good friend for a drink, so we must drink tonight and not leave until we are drunk."

……

(End of this chapter)