Chapter 932: Long Line Big Fish (Part )

"Forgive me for speaking frankly, but what the young lady said... is a bit biased." Hong Si couldn't hold back his inner shame and anger, and said boldly, "These past few days, we have given him people and money when he asked us to. We did whatever he asked us to do. If this is still considered making things difficult, I'm afraid there is no such thing as a smooth sailing in the world..."

"Don't complain!" Xunzhen interrupted Hong Si's complaints, "I admit that you have indeed suffered a lot of grievances in the past few days, and you have also done a lot of things. After all, you were the only ones who ordered others before, and you have never been ordered by others. It is normal for people to have difficulty adapting for a while."

"Thank you for your understanding, Miss..."

"But!" Before the four of them could thank him, Xunzhen suddenly changed the subject and said in a deep voice, "Just because you have trouble adapting doesn't mean you can pretend to obey me, nor does it mean you can play tricks and use means in secret!"

"This……"

"The roster of the four prefectures in the capital was clearly in good order, but you deliberately messed up the order, tore it into pieces, and sent some people who knew nothing to Liu Xunyi, so that he would know nothing when asked, right?" Xunzhen bluntly exposed the four people's evil tricks and sneered, "Don't tell me that those messy account books were gnawed by rats or that there was a thief in the house."

"This……"

"You four are already grown up, and you are all heroes with status and position. Why are you playing childish tricks? Little do you know that in order to sort out those messy account books, Liu Xunyi and Miss Pan have not slept for several days and nights."

Faced with Xunzhen's righteous rebuke, Yuan Xiao and the other three looked at each other in silence.

The atmosphere in the study room became increasingly oppressive. Unable to bear it any longer, Lei Zhen simply made up his mind and said indignantly, "I heard that Liu Xunyi never uses the people we recommend, but instead selects some young men from the newly recruited young disciples to do his work for him. This... is also a humiliation to us."

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it!" Xunzhen snorted and laughed, teasing, "The people you recommended are more slippery and lazy than each other. Are they really helping Liu Xunyi? I don't think so. These people were clearly sent by you to cause trouble!"

"Miss, please understand. We have absolutely no such intention..."

"If it's not your deliberate arrangement, then those people are cunning by nature and can't be used for any major tasks." Xunzhen said disdainfully, "Since the people you recommended are all good-for-nothings, why can't Liu Xunyi recruit some good people himself?"

"We spoke from the bottom of our hearts, but the young lady didn't listen to a word we said. Liu Xunyi is a dog under the guise of selling mutton, but the young lady protects him everywhere. It's so unreasonable..."

"boom!"

"Speaking of 'selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton', ten Liu Xunyi tied together are not even one ten-thousandth as good as you."

Faced with the four people who evaded the main point and repeatedly argued, Xunzhen, who could no longer bear it, slammed the table and said bluntly: "Don't think that I know nothing about the 'good deeds' you have done. In these years, have you used the money of the Young Qin King to enrich yourselves? Have you made up excuses to report the income and expenditure to the Young Qin King? Have you done many extraordinary things in the Northeast without the knowledge of the Young Qin King?"

"Hiss!" The four people were caught off guard by Xunzhen's aggressive questioning without any warning, and their expressions froze immediately, and their eyes began to become panic-stricken.

"You colluded with the government to oppress the people and allowed your subordinates to rob and plunder. On the surface, they were all legitimate businesses, but they could not make much money all year round. But privately, they opened gambling houses and brothels, and colluded with each other to the extreme. Not only did they cheat, they even forced women into prostitution!" Xunzhen said coldly, "You have repeatedly obstructed Xilu Wuzong, opposed entering the Central Plains, and attacked Liu Xunyi. You are just worried that your shameful deeds will be exposed to the world and your free days will be gone. Humph! You can still defy the evil that God has sent, but you can't survive the evil that you have brought upon yourself! If it weren't for your loyalty to the Young King of Qin for more than 20 years, I would not bother to care about these things. Let you do whatever you want, and be smart. When Liu Xunyi finds out your "bad debts" and spreads it to the ears of the Young King of Qin... you know what the consequences will be."

"This……"

Xunzhen's straightforward remarks made Yuan Xiao and the other three terrified and chilled to the bone.

After hesitating for a long time, Yuan Xiao gritted his teeth and bowed to Xunzhen, saying bitterly: "To be honest, we... have indeed done some extraordinary things in recent years, but... it was not our intention, but forced by the situation. As the saying goes, 'If the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if the person is too careful, there will be no followers.' Since we intend to expand our influence, we cannot just stay out of it, but must cater to some greedy dignitaries. In other words, we must be like-minded with them, so that we can win their trust and carry forward the four prefectures of Shangjing..."

Yuan Xiao hesitantly defended himself while carefully observing Xunzhen's reaction, and then said, "But we dare to swear to heaven that no matter how many outrageous things we have done, we have always done it to assist the young king of Qin in achieving great things, and we have never had the slightest rebellious heart."

"You'd better remember the oath you made today forever." Xunzhen looked at the four anxious people expressionlessly, and said meaningfully, "Today I will believe that you had no choice, and I will not pursue the mistakes you made. But from now on, I don't want something like this to happen to you again. After all, if you capsize in the gutter, the young king of Qin will be very sad."

"Of course! Of course!" Seeing Xunzhen's words, the four of them felt relieved. Yan Shun hesitated again and again, and asked tremblingly: "What if Liu Xunyi finds out something..."

"Don't worry! Even if Liu Xunyi finds out something wrong, I will try to cover it up for you and won't bring the matter to the young king of Qin."

"Miss Gaoyi, we are so grateful!"

"Remember! Young King Qin never mistreats his family. As long as you are loyal, no matter what you want, Young King Qin will give it to you without hesitation, even if it's just a mountain of gold and silver."

"Miss, what you said is absolutely right..." "Since we've come to this point, I might as well make it clear to avoid any further rifts in the future." Xunzhen's expression changed, and he said seriously, "Xilu Wuzong is a big chess piece set up by Shao Qin Wang himself, and Liu Xunyi is an extremely important chess piece in this chess game. Therefore, when it comes to Xilu Wuzong and Liu Xunyi, everyone must obey orders and obey sincerely, without the slightest dissent. Otherwise, even if you are Shao Qin Wang's confidants who have followed for more than 20 years, there will be no mercy."

"hiss!"

Xunzhen's words were so weighty that they made Yuan Xiao and the other three tremble in their hearts and look horrified.

"In fact, I know you are upset. Although you don't say it, you can't get over it in your heart." Seeing the four people's strange faces, as if they were unable to speak, Xunzhen's tone gradually became softer, "In addition to worrying that Liu Xunyi will find out about your scandal, you are also worried about him being the deputy leader of Xilu Wuzong."

"Miss, please understand!"

"Well! It's rare for us to be frank with each other, so I might as well help you untie your knot."

"What the young lady means is..."

"In terms of age, you are more than a generation older than me. In terms of seniority, I should call you uncle. In terms of merit and qualifications, you are far superior to me." Xunzhen looked around at the four people and said lightly, "Therefore, there are some things I don't have to hide. At the same time, I hope that after listening to you, you can understand the good intentions of the young king of Qin, and stop fighting with Liu Xunyi over the little gains and losses in front of you."

"May I ask for your instructions, young lady?"

"Besides worrying about your secret being exposed, there are three main reasons for your unhappiness." Xunzhen's beautiful eyes turned and she said calmly, "First, Xilu Wuzong. Second, getting involved in the Central Plains. Third, Liu Xunyi."

"That's right!" Lei Zhen replied without hesitation, "I have asked the young lady about these three issues more than once, but she was vague every time..."

"If I explain the three problems clearly, can you put aside your prejudices, serve Xilu Wuzong wholeheartedly, and obey Liu Xunyi?"

"If you can explain it clearly and it makes sense, we will abandon all our prejudices." Hong Si replied solemnly, "After all, whether it is the four prefectures of Shangjing or Xilu Wuzong, they all serve the young King of Qin. We eat the salary of the king, so we should be loyal to the king and worry about the king."

"Well said!" Xunzhen said with relief, "In that case, I will not beat around the bush and first explain to you four what exactly is Xilu Wuzong?"

"The four prefectures of Shangjing have been merged into one, and this is Xilu Wuzong, right?"

"Yes, but not entirely." Facing Lei Zhen's probing, Xunzhen pretended to be profound, "In fact, the 'Xi' in Xilu Wuzong refers to 'Western Liao', 'Lv' refers to 'Yelü royal family', 'Wu' refers to 'martial arts masters', and 'Zong' refers to 'the culmination of all'. Put together, Xilu Wuzong is the place where all the martial arts masters in the world gather under the command of the Liao royal family."

"hiss!"

When these words came out, the four of them took a deep breath.

"From what the young lady said..." Yuan Xiao pondered, "Is Xilu Wuzong more than just an alliance with the four prefectures in Shangjing?"

"Of course!" Xunzhen could not deny it, "The four prefectures in Shangjing are renamed the 'Four Branch Offices in the Central Plains'. In other words, you are just a part of Xilu Wuzong."

"This..." Lei Zhen asked curiously, "Besides us, who else is there?"

"Right now, Xilu Wuzong only has troops from the four prefectures in Shangjing." Looking at the four people who looked a little disappointed, Xunzhen smiled slyly and said, "Don't be disappointed. In fact, Prince Shao Qin already has a plan. Once Xilu Wuzong's name is officially known, our power will at least double within three months."

"What do you mean?" Yan Shun looked suspicious, "Could it be that Young Prince Qin has already found other candidates?"

"Of course!"

"Who?"

"The current 'Three Religions of the Western Regions' will be the 'Three Major Branches of the Western Regions' in the future." Xunzhen's eyes flashed, and his words became more and more secretive. "Tianzang Peak, Linglong Sea, and Jinlun Temple will soon be incorporated into Xilu Wuzong, and there are many top-notch masters among them. In addition, we plan to expand branches in Mobei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tubo and even overseas islands, and recruit talents. The young king of Qin intends to gather all the martial arts masters and talented people in the world together to serve the Liao Dynasty!"

……

(End of this chapter)