Chapter 834: Change of Conduct (Part )

"I……"

Faced with Mr. Qian's questioning, Qin Kuxin was confused and speechless.

"Liu Xunyi is a star of misfortune. Although he is young, he is born with the ability to turn the tide. Even I have to admit this." Lord Qian said calmly, "He is a lieutenant and a young guard in Tianji Pavilion, but he can be on good terms with the young prince and flirt with the princess. He is a spy in the martial arts world, and he can also be appreciated by Luo Tianjin and make friends with martial arts masters. A little Liu Xunyi has caused unrest in the court and the martial arts world. From the court officials to the bandits, everyone has a thousand grudges with him. This person's ability to stir up trouble is unmatched, and his ability to survive in desperate situations is even more amazing. What do you think... Is Liu Xunyi a natural disaster?"

"Forgive my ignorance, I... don't quite understand what you mean."

"What I mean is that if Liu Xunyi knows nothing about what you have done, you will undoubtedly plant a huge disaster for yourself by keeping him by your side." Lord Qian reminded, "You know his temper better than anyone else. There is no wall that is impenetrable. If he knows your shameful secrets one day, what will be the consequences... You should know."

"Liu Xunyi is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. He and I are friends for life and death." Qin Wei tried his best to defend himself, "As long as I continue to show him kindness, he will never turn against me."

"Is this your expedient plan?" Lord Qian seemed to sneer at Qin Wei's confidence. "Submit a report to the court and nominate Liu Xunyi as the deputy leader of Tianji Pavilion? Do you think you can tie him firmly to your boat in this way?"

"I……"

"You have to know that Liu Xunyi is an emotional person. Because of a momentary impulse, he even dared to capsize his own boat."

"That's why I recommended him to the emperor as the deputy leader of Tianji Pavilion." Qin Wei said stubbornly, "Now the matter is done. Even if he kills me, the Marquis can't come back to life. What's more, the three-foot-thick ice didn't form overnight. The change in the East Palace was not my fault alone. I am the cause of all the troubles. He... can't blame me."

"If Liu Xunyi was as aware of current affairs as you are, he would not have fallen to this point today." Seeing that Qin Wei was insisting on his own way and refused to listen to his advice, Lord Qian could not help but sigh.

"I wonder if the Emperor has made any decision regarding my recommendation of Liu Xunyi?"

"There are many controversies about this matter, and there is no final conclusion yet."

"This..." Qin Wei knew that "hasty behavior leads to failure", so he relaxed his expression and bowed to Lord Qian to plead, "Please take care of this matter and speak a few good words for Liu Xunyi in front of the emperor. He fought bravely with the Mongols in Mobei and tried his best to protect the three prefectures of the Song Dynasty. This is a great contribution..."

"That's wrong! The princess has done a great job in making peace with the Mongols, not Liu Xunyi."

Mr. Qian's implication was that the princess went north for the marriage, and the marriage was promoted by the Western Palace. In the final analysis, everything was the credit of the Western Palace.

"I don't know whether it is unfortunate or fortunate for Liu Xunyi to have a friend like you." Lord Qian continued, "I have said that Liu Xunyi is a hot potato. Whoever dares to hold him in his arms will be burned to pieces. This statement is not an exaggeration even today."

"Could it be that the Emperor is still obsessed with Liu Xunyi's past mistakes?"

"Now that the princess is married, it is better not to mention the past mistakes." Lord Qian waved his hand slightly, "For now, let's just talk about the bloody incident in Yunya Town, which caused the death of the guard general Xu Guangsheng in a foreign land, and the death of 300 elite soldiers of the West Palace Guard Battalion and 50 guards of the Prime Minister's Mansion in Qinhuai. This matter..."

"Liu Xunyi has explained this matter to me clearly. It is not his fault, but Xu Guangsheng and Jin Jianwu secretly colluded." Qin Wei explained, "I have always wanted to find an opportunity to report this matter to the emperor..."

"What did you say?" Lord Qian frowned and interrupted hastily, "You mean... the bloody case in Yunya Town is related to Xu Guangsheng?"

"Yes." Qin Wei answered, "Xu Guangsheng and Jin Jianwu colluded with each other. Afterwards, Jin Jianwu was worried that the matter would be exposed, so they killed people to silence them..."

"This matter...is there any real evidence?" Lord Qian asked cautiously.

"This..." Qin Wei was embarrassed and shook his head slowly, "Not yet..."

"How can you make up stories without any evidence? It's just nonsense!" Suddenly, a trace of shame and anger appeared in Lord Qian's eyes, and his tone was slightly unhappy, "It was obviously Liu Xunyi who caused the trouble, but he dared to push the blame onto a dead man. There is no evidence to prove it, and he is just trying to make excuses for himself!"

"This……"

"Last year, Liu Xunyi reported to the court that 'Jinjianwu was hiding troops in Hengshan Village with the intention of rebellion.' The emperor believed his instigation and sent imperial envoys to investigate, but the result was a fruitless effort. There was not a single soldier in Hengshan Village." Lord Qian said in a deep voice, "In fact, the person who hid troops and intended to rebel was Luo Tianjin. At that time, many people in the court suspected that Liu Xunyi deliberately used Jinjianwu to divert the court's suppression of Luo Tianjin. After Luo Tianjin's death, the prime minister and Zhao Yuan repeatedly took credit for Liu Xunyi in front of the emperor. The emperor could not bear to pursue the mistakes of the meritorious officials, so he let the matter go. I never expected that he would dare to use the same trick again today. It's really unreasonable!"

"This……"

"Qin Wei, you are no longer the unknown person you were back then. You must be extremely cautious in your words and actions. Be careful not to be used by others, and don't give them a handle." Lord Qian looked solemn and secretive. "Now you are a dignified third-rank official. Some words coming out of your mouth... are not the truth but better than the truth. Therefore, you must not speak without any evidence, especially in front of the emperor. Once someone makes a fuss about this matter, you are very likely to lose everything you have today, and even become a treacherous minister who deceives the superiors and confuses the people. What's more, Xu Guangsheng was posthumously named "Loyal General" by the emperor not long ago. Now you actually jumped out and said that he and Jin Jianwu were working together from the inside and outside. To put it in a very disrespectful way, you are simply... slapping the emperor in the face."

"hiss!"

Lord Qian's words hit Qin Wei's sore spot, causing him to take a deep breath and his face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"My Lord, I almost made a big mistake..."

"Use your brain more in everything, and don't just listen to what others say." Lord Qian taught, "In my opinion, this matter... don't rush to report it to the emperor. Let me find out the truth for you and then make a decision." "I will follow your arrangements, sir." Seeing Lord Qian's generous help, Qin Wei, who was still frightened, hurriedly thanked him profusely.

In fact, it was not that Lord Qian did not believe Liu Xunyi's report. On the contrary, he had some doubts about Xu Guangsheng as early as the first day when the disaster in Yunya Town was reported to Lin'an City.

After all, Xu Guangsheng was not only an official appointed by the imperial court, but also a cousin of the Lu family in Jiangnan.

Even a fool could guess that the bloody case in Yunya Town was related to underworld forces, so Xu Guangsheng's special identity forced Lord Qian to doubt him.

However, no matter how great the suspicion was, he could only bury it deep in his heart. Even if Xu Guangsheng betrayed his master for personal gain and committed a crime that was unforgivable, Lord Qian could not admit that he was a traitor.

It was because Xu Guangsheng was from the West Palace, and was highly recommended by the Privy Councilor to be the escort general for the bride's escort. If there was anything wrong with him, not only would the West Palace be held responsible, but the reputation of the emperor and the court would also be greatly humiliated.

As a result, the "results" that Xifu had worked so hard to achieve would be greatly reduced.

During this period, the Emperor has been trying to balance the power of the East and West Palaces due to the uneven strength. If he gets hold of something that is not in the West Palace, he will definitely strike down the "powerful and powerful" Privy Councilor with lightning speed. Maybe... he will also conduct a thorough settlement with the West Palace as he did with the East Palace.

By then, the Privy Councilor and Lord Qian will not be able to stay out of it, and they will all follow the footsteps of the Prime Minister and Zhao Yuan.

The consequences of this incident are far more serious than a "small disturbance" in Yunya Town.

Therefore, Lord Qian would rather let the bloody case in Yunya Town go unsolved and the truth never come to light than let Xu Guangsheng be involved, and certainly not let the West Mansion be implicated in the slightest.

After the discussion, the two chatted for a while, and then, with Lord Qian personally seeing them off, Qin Wei led his men to leave the Privy Council.

"Sir, will Qin Wei agree to help us deal with Liu Xunyi?"

Bai Jin stood behind Lord Qian with an umbrella. His deep eyes flickered as he stared at the carriage moving farther and farther away in the heavy rain, as if he was thinking of something else.

"Qin Wei has some loyalty to Liu Xunyi..." Although Lord Qian did not give a direct answer, his meaning was self-evident.

"What? He dared to disobey the order of the adults?"

"No!" Lord Qian said quietly, "I changed my mind after careful consideration. Letting Qin Wei deal with Liu Xunyi... may not be a natural outcome and may even backfire. Therefore, I did not force anyone today."

"That Liu Xunyi..."

"Liu Xunyi is just an insignificant bait, and death is his final destination. How to make his death more meaningful is what you and I should consider." Lord Qian slowly extended his hand, letting the cold raindrops hit his palm, and said for no reason, "Jin Jianwu is getting more and more presumptuous."

"Jinjianwu?" Bai Jin frowned and thought, "Last time, the emperor sent people but failed to find the soldiers hidden in Hengshan Village. Otherwise... should I send people there again?"

"No need!" Lord Qian sneered, "If the court investigates, even if they send a thousand or ten thousand imperial envoys, the result will be the same. The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. After all, the current Jinjianwu is stirring up trouble under the banner of 'jianghu'."

"Your Excellency means... to let Qingfeng deal with Jin Fuyu?"

"Qingfeng has always been self-righteous. Now he finally asks us for help. If we don't use it now, when will we do it?"

"Your Excellency is right!" Bai Jin nodded slowly, not quite understanding. "Using Liu Xunyi as bait, we can let Qingfeng and Jin Fuyu fight each other, and we can reap the benefits. But Qingfeng is an old fox, and he will never do a business that loses money. If we keep Liu Xunyi hanging, there is no guarantee that he will not have other intentions."

"Who said not to kill Liu Xunyi?"

"This..." Bai Jin was stunned, becoming more and more confused. "Using Qin Wei to get rid of Liu Xunyi is the best way. Afterwards, all the troubles can be pushed onto Qin Wei, saying that he is jealous of talented people and is worried that Liu Xunyi will take his position, so he strikes first. After all, Liu Xunyi has just made great contributions in Mobei. No matter who it is, touching him at this critical juncture will attract a lot of criticism. The people's hearts cannot be deceived!"

"This is also the fundamental reason why the emperor is hesitant about Liu Xunyi. Killing a meritorious official will surely cause criticism from scholars all over the world, and the loss of reputation to the court will be immeasurable. Therefore, if you want to kill Liu Xunyi, you must have a legitimate reason." Lord Qian pondered, "I don't want to abandon Qin Wei yet, so... let me think about it."

"Qin Wei, he..."

"Don't worry, this boy is ambitious and wants to use me to get to the top, so he won't have any bad intentions towards me in the next three to five years." Lord Qian's eyes gleamed, and a sly smile rose at the corner of his mouth, "Remember! That Lan Qi... you must train her well and use her with caution. She is an important chess piece for us to contain Qin Wei in the future."

……

(End of this chapter)