Chapter 318: Death of Sparrow! (Thanks to the book friend De Gu Yao for the reward!)

"Master Shen, you are well prepared to deal with the traitor Ye Mingsheng!"

In Antai Inn, Wang Muzhi excitedly praised Shen Jianzhong:
"When Ye Mingsheng saw your list, his expression became extremely ugly. To deal with such ambitious people, you should use this method to severely destroy their prestige!"

When Wang Muzhi said this, he was very happy. Although he looked down on the Inspectorate who used despicable means and were evil, compared to the Inspectorate, he was more disgusted with treacherous people like Ye Mingsheng who betrayed the court and had ulterior motives...
Therefore, when he saw the treacherous and cunning Ye Mingsheng being made into a miserable and embarrassed state by Shen Jianzhong's tricks, he felt so happy in his heart!

Although we cannot immediately capture Ye Mingsheng to serve as a warning to the rest and to restore military discipline, as long as we can transfer troops from Ye Mingsheng to support Changqing Prefecture, it will also be a great achievement and can greatly relieve the pressure on the Zhenwu Army in the face of the Liaoyang Army under Song Wenhui.

Compared to Wang Muzhi's happiness, Shen Jianzhong seemed very calm, even a little worried. He didn't react to Wang Muzhi's praise, his eyes were slightly narrowed as if he was thinking about something...

Wang Muzhi was a little surprised when he saw Shen Jianzhong like this. He instinctively thought that Shen Jianzhong was like this because he was thinking of the relationship between him and Ye Mingsheng as a master and disciple, and he felt a little sorry for him. So he hesitated for a moment and said:

“Sir Shen, Ye Mingsheng has brought this upon himself. You don’t have to feel sorry for him… If this kid is sensible and hands over his military power, I can help you plead with Commander Chen to spare his life and only send him and the Ye family as slaves!”

After hearing Wang Muzhi's words, Shen Jianzhong came back to his senses from his thoughts. He shook his head and said:

"Master Wang, you misunderstood! Although he and I were once a master and disciple, he has now done something so ungrateful and immoral. The relationship between us as master and disciple has long since disappeared. Even if he is cut into pieces or torn apart by five horses, it is what he deserves!"

Wang Muzhi nodded with satisfaction, clapping his hands and praising him: "Sir Shen is very righteous and is worthy of being a pillar of the country! I was worrying too much."

"Alas, the only thing I'm worried about now is whether Ye Mingsheng will obey obediently..." Shen Jianzhong said with some concern:
"Oh? Lord Shen, with these three moves, if you can find a way to hit Ye Mingsheng's vital point, will Ye Mingsheng still be able to turn the tables?" Wang Muzhi said in a relaxed manner:
Shen Jianzhong shook his head and said:
"Master Wang, you don't know that this thief Ye Mingsheng can endure what ordinary people cannot, and his reaction today is very abnormal. If he was really forced into a desperate situation by me, then he would definitely come to me to beg for mercy, instead of just serving tea and sending you and me away!"

While saying this, Shen Jianzhong couldn't help but recall what Ye Mingsheng said to him at the end: Master Shen, is there no room for negotiation?
Thinking about Ye Mingsheng's expression when he said this, a hint of worry appeared in the depths of Shen Jianzhong's eyes...

"Sir Shen, I think you are worrying too much. I think Ye Mingsheng is very angry. Maybe he will come to you tomorrow to apologize!" Wang Muzhi said with a smile;
Seeing Wang Muzhi was so confident, Shen Jianzhong reluctantly nodded and said, "I hope so!"

After talking about Ye Mingsheng, Wang Muzhi, the assistant commander of the Zhenwu Army's combat affairs, discussed the military situation on the front line of Changqing Prefecture with the spy chief Shen Jianzhong. Just when the two men had almost finished their talk and were about to return to their rooms to rest.

There was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door. Hearing the footsteps, Shen Jianzhong frowned slightly and asked:

"What happened?"

"Sir, it's about Sparrow!" Cao Xin, Shen Jianzhong's personal guard, reported in a low voice outside the door:

Hearing the word "sparrow", Shen Jianzhong's expression changed and he replied in a deep voice:
"Come in!"

With Shen Jianzhong's permission, Cao Xin immediately pushed the door open and walked in. He originally wanted to report to Shen Jianzhong directly, but when he saw Wang Muzhi sitting next to him, he not only showed a hint of hesitation, but also looked at Shen Jianzhong with an inquiring look.

Seeing this situation, Wang Muzhi was certainly not a fool. Although he felt a little unhappy in his heart, considering the urgency of the military situation and the overall situation, he immediately wanted to get up and leave, giving the room to Cao Xin and Shen Jianzhong.

However, to his surprise, before he even stood up, Shen Jianzhong said to Cao Xin:

"Lord Wang is not an outsider, you can speak freely!"

After hearing what Shen Jianzhong said, Wang Muzhi, who wanted to leave, also set his eyes on Cao Xin. To be honest, he was quite curious about what the news was...

With Shen Jianzhong's permission, Cao Xin no longer had any scruples and reported in a deep voice:

"Sparrow is back! He's in the inn now!"

Upon hearing the news, Shen Jianzhong showed a hint of anger in his eyes and asked in a cold voice:

"How dare she come here without asking permission? Does she know what she is doing?"

"Sir, according to what she said, she is carrying very important information, which must be presented to you immediately! It concerns the survival of the Zhenwu Army!" Cao Xin continued to add:

Shen Jianzhong was a little stunned when he heard this, and after thinking for a while, he asked:

"Did she say what the intelligence was?"

"I asked her but she didn't tell me. She just told me that she had to meet the adults in person!" Cao Xin introduced:

"Bring her in!" Shen Jianzhong hesitated for a moment and said:
"Yes!" Cao Xin took the order and left.

Taking advantage of the time when Cao Xin left, Wang Muzhi, who was sitting nearby and listening in confusion, asked Shen Jianzhong:
"Master Shen, who is this Sparrow?"

Perhaps he realized that his secret had been exposed, so Shen Jianzhong did not hide his answer to Wang Muzhi's question:
"She is a maid I placed in the Ye Mansion, codenamed Sparrow!"

“I see!” Wang Muzhi nodded, and began to pay some attention to this sparrow. He had just heard clearly that Shen Jianzhong’s men said that the information brought by this sparrow was related to the life and death of the Zhenwu Army. He was very interested in this...
A moment later, a petite, charming girl in a black nightgown walked into the room. The little sparrow looked at Wang Muzhi who was sitting next to Shen Jianzhong, and seemed to be instinctively repelled, with her eyebrows slightly wrinkled!
Shen Jianzhong noticed Ma Que's reaction, but he didn't care what she was thinking. He asked directly:
"What information did you get from Ye Mingsheng?"

Hearing Shen Jianzhong's question, Sparrow took out a letter from his arms and summoned up the courage to cautiously test Shen Jianzhong:

"My lord, I sneaked into Ye Mingsheng's study this time and got this letter... I can't go back to the Ye family. My lord, can you let me leave?" Looking at the letter in Ma Que's hand, Shen Jianzhong said with a smile:

"Of course! You have done such a great service to the Inspectorate. Not only will I restore your freedom, I will also find you a good family to marry into. I will let you be an official's wife and you will have no worries about food and clothing in your next life!"

Hearing Shen Jianzhong's promise, a smile finally appeared on Sparrow's little face, and she handed the letter in her hand to Shen Jianzhong with both hands.

"Thank you for your compassion, sir. I am deeply grateful for your kindness and will never forget it in my lifetime!"

She is an orphan who was adopted and trained by the Supervisory Department since she was a child. The meaning of her life in this world is to become a chess piece and be used by the Supervisory Department. Almost a year ago, after Ye Mingsheng confirmed that he would be transferred to the Zhenwu Army to take up his post, she, who has a charming appearance and is still a virgin, was personally selected by Shen Jianzhong and planted in the Ye Mansion as a spy...

The task that Shen Jianzhong gave her was to report back Ye Mingsheng's every move, and it would be best if she could climb into Ye Mingsheng's bed and become Ye Mingsheng's woman. But unfortunately, Ye Mingsheng had been busy with official duties recently and did not have much time to indulge in beauty.

Secondly, as Jinyu was born a maid, she knew the minds of the maids in the mansion very well. So in order to reduce possible rivals in love, she kept a close eye on them and did not give the maids, including Maque, any chance to change their fate and become the masters.

Although she is just a chess piece, Sparrow also wants to change her destiny. She wants to live a peaceful life instead of living in fear every day, afraid that her identity will be discovered and she will be punished.

So she had been looking for an opportunity to change, and three hours ago, when she realized that this opportunity would come, she plucked up her courage and desperately seized this opportunity!
Shen Jianzhong grabbed the letter handed over by Sparrow and took out the letter quickly. As soon as he read the contents on the letter, Shen Jianzhong's face changed and his expression became very ugly...
After a cup of tea, Shen Jianzhong put down the letter and asked Ma Que with his eyes closed:

"How did you know about this letter?"

"Reporting to the Lord, I learned from eavesdropping on the conversation between Ye Mingsheng's concubine Jinyu and the old lady of the Ye family that the old lady's family had written a letter to Ye Mingsheng! I realized that this was a serious matter, so I sneaked into Ye Mingsheng's study and stole the letter!"

"What else do you know?"

"I also heard that the cousin of the old lady of the Ye family came to see her recently. This letter might have been sent by that person. Apart from that, I don't know anything else. Please forgive me, sir!" Sparrow said respectfully:
"I understand. Go down and have a good rest!" Shen Jianzhong opened his eyes, and a faint strange color flashed in the depths of his eyes, but he still said calmly:

"Yes, slave, please leave!"

Ma Que had no suspicion and bowed to Shen Jianzhong before turning around and leaving. However, she never expected that before she took two steps, Shen Jianzhong slapped her on the back. The violent internal force immediately broke the girl's heart meridian.

A mouthful of bright red blood gushed out of the mouth of this girl who held on to hope for a peaceful life in the future. Without any extra struggle, she fell down softly, completely lifeless...

She was personally chosen by Shen Jianzhong and sent to Ye Mingsheng's side, and finally died at the hands of Shen Jianzhong. Shen Jianzhong can be said to have been consistent from beginning to end!
"Master Shen, what are you doing?"

Seeing this sudden scene, Wang Muzhi, who was sitting next to him, looked at Shen Jianzhong with some vigilance.

Shen Jianzhong wiped his hands and said in a deep voice:
"Nothing, I just helped this girl. Ye Mingsheng is so cruel and ruthless that she can't stand it!"

"Master Shen, what are you talking about?" Wang Muzhi still didn't react. He was very confused about what Shen Jianzhong was doing and asked:

Shen Jianzhong handed the letter to Wang Muzhi, and then said solemnly:

"Sir Wang, do you know who wrote this letter to Ye Mingsheng?"

Hearing Shen Jianzhong's question, Wang Muzhi glanced at the contents of the letter, and his eyes gradually became more puzzled. In his opinion, the letter had no signature, but judging from the tone of the letter, it should have been written by an elder of Ye Mingsheng.

There was nothing important in the content of the letter. It was all about expressing concern about Ye Mingsheng's health, his plans for marriage, and the health of Ye Mingsheng's mother. In short, it was just some trivial matters.

Wang Muzhi really couldn't understand how such an ordinary family letter could make Shen Jianzhong, the big spy chief, so nervous...

Looking at Wang Muzhi's puzzled application, Shen Jianzhong couldn't help but sigh helplessly. Wang Muzhi was a first-class general when it came to marching and fighting, but when it came to political sensitivity, he was probably only slightly better than ordinary people!
Thinking of this, Shen Jianzhong stopped letting Wang Muzhi guess and gave the answer directly, saying:
"Although this letter is unsigned, if the handwriting is correct, it should be written by Cui Shao to Ye Mingsheng. He is the cousin of Ye Mingsheng's mother, and also Ye Mingsheng's uncle!"

"Cui Shao is a shrewd man, and he is confident that the Cui family is powerful. He knows that no matter who wins in the end, if they want to rule Liaoyang, they must rely on the Cui family!"

"So no matter how Song Wenhui and Lord Chen tempted him, he remained unmoved and did not support either side. He remained on the sidelines, waiting for the final winner to emerge so that the Cui family's interests could be maximized!"

"In order to avoid Song Wenhui's fear, Cui Shao deliberately kept his distance from Ye Mingsheng and ignored him. But now at this critical moment, why did he write this letter to Ye Mingsheng? To show his goodwill to Ye Mingsheng?"

"And the most important point is that this family letter mentioned Ye Mingsheng's marriage!

"Ye Mingsheng and that enchantress An Miaoyi from the An family are having a hot affair. Are they going to get married soon? And Cui Shao is An Miaoyi's uncle, and An Miaoyi is living in Cui's house now!"

"Lord Wang, do you know what all this means?"

As soon as Shen Jianzhong asked the question, he did not wait for Wang Muzhi to think about it, and said helplessly and melancholy:

"It seems that Cui Shao is unwilling to be lonely and wants to take the Cui family down with him!"

(End of this chapter)