Free Web NovelChapter 1356: Chapter 48 Your Life and Death, Success and Failure for Alliance Hierarch Sister Miao Yu to Love Me Once More (An Extra Chapter for Alliance Hierarch Sister Miao Yu’s Love!)
During the pursuit of Yang Country’s remnants, Jiang Wang suddenly disappeared.
Soon after, rumors began to spread in Linzi City, each one seemingly aiming to condemn Jiang Wang to death.
In the midst of such abrupt and chaotic circumstances, Zhongxuan Sheng immediately identified the critical point and decisively smoothed it over.
Such shrewdness and strategy leave one in awe.
Given that he had already devised countermeasures for this overwhelming wave of rumors, it’s no wonder he could afford to joke about Jiang Wang.
Jiang Wang, on one hand, was exasperated by this fat man’s teasing, and on the other, couldn’t help but genuinely admire him.
He thought for a moment and couldn’t resist asking, "You just said that you handled these rumors as if I were still alive. Now I’m curious—what would you do if I were dead?"
"If you were dead, I wouldn’t need to do anything." Zhongxuan Sheng glanced at him. "Because at that point, whatever the circumstances, you would undoubtedly be a loyal subject! Any slander thrown your way would be meaningless. Whoever attacked you would be an enemy of Qi Country. By leveraging that public sentiment, I’d have countless ways to skin and dismember Yue Leng and Li Youjue."
A living person’s loyalty or betrayal is hard to judge. Only the dead can have their character definitively assessed.
And an unexpectedly deceased Yellow River Leader would invariably be painted as a devoted and positive figure. Without solid evidence, no mud could stick.
That’s the necessity of Qi Country, unaffected by anyone’s personal will.
The words "skin and dismember" were uttered with casual indifference by Zhongxuan Sheng, making Yue Leng and Li Youjue sound like mere names of no significance.
Only in this way could one glimpse his skill and confidence.
Jiang Wang, who had grown immensely from navigating countless precarious situations, had shown brilliance that everyone noticed along the way.
Traveling with Zhongxuan Sheng, who often kept a low profile, one couldn’t fathom the extent of the power he had amassed over time with his intelligence and long-term scheming.
Jiang Wang laughed at his words, "It seems if I wanted to take revenge on either of them, slitting my throat right now might be the easiest option."
Zhongxuan Sheng laughed as well. "Dry bones in a grave—how could they be worthy of such vengeance from you?"
Li Youjue and Yue Leng.
One is the descendant of one of the four major Green Badge Aristocratic Families, a Godly cultivator, holding a third-grade Green Badge.
The other is a legendary hunter deity.
But in Zhongxuan Sheng’s mouth, they were no more than dry bones in graves.
Jiang Wang remarked, "I suspect that between Yue Leng and Li Youjue, at least one of them is connected to Equality Country. Perhaps even a member of it."
"It’s too soon to say." Zhongxuan Sheng shook his head. "Both of them are seasoned Green Badges, trying to find obvious flaws or clues on them upfront is near impossible. Zheng Shangming relayed a message to me, saying Beiyaduwei has only temporarily placed them under house arrest in the name of questioning."
Jiang Wang sighed. "I still can’t figure out what their ultimate goal is. Both of them seem rather strange."
"No one is a worm in another’s belly; no one can fully discern another’s thoughts. That’s something I’ve always reminded myself." Zhongxuan Sheng gave him a meaningful look. "It seems you haven’t yet realized what the true focus is."
Jiang Wang froze, then immediately understood.
The key in Zhongxuan Sheng’s earlier remark was, of course, Zheng Shangming!
The reason Zheng Shangming sent Zhongxuan Sheng a message was undoubtedly in consideration of Jiang Wang.
At the same time, his message indicated that at least within Zheng Shi, Jiang Wang was not perceived as problematic.
To some extent, this could even represent the will of the Son of Heaven!
Through this indirect method, the Son of Heaven had reassured Jiang Wang!
The current Emperor Qi, who personally built Qi Country into its powerful state, commanded unmatched prestige. His rewards and punishments stemmed from his divine heart. A single word from him was indisputable. Why would he need to use such oblique means to comfort Jiang Wang?
The Son of Heaven had his own motives!
With Zhongxuan Sheng’s guidance, Jiang Wang increasingly saw through the chaos, distinguishing the thousands of tangled threads in this sprawling chess game. He realized he was nothing more than a cornerpiece.
Huang Yixing’s sudden death and Cao Jie’s temporary detention were merely the beginning.
His life-or-death battle in this abruptly unfolding chess game might only represent the gain or loss of a couple of pieces!
"Don’t get too emotional," Zhongxuan Sheng suddenly said. "How could one measure the Son of Heaven’s tactics? If you’d died this time, your posthumous honor would be secure, but then where would you experience this divine favor?"
Beiyar Commander Zheng Shi allowing Zheng Shangming to privately relay messages to Jiang Wang showed the Son of Heaven had not been swayed by the rumors and still trusted Jiang Wang. This was undeniably divine favor, something that could evoke gratitude profound enough to sacrifice one’s life.
But conversely, the harsh truth was... the Son of Heaven entered this chess game without providing Jiang Wang any guarantee of safety. His survival was entirely up to his own endeavors.
For the victory the Son of Heaven was pursuing, even the greatest Inner Mansion could be overlooked. After all, geniuses arise in every generation. Even if it’s the Yellow River Leader, his value has already been established. The Son of Heaven has bestowed all his favor; the rest is another game entirely.
"No wonder wise men throughout history rarely meet good ends!" Jiang Wang chuckled. "No matter which Son of Heaven, none would want their true intentions uncovered by others!"
Zhongxuan Sheng deeply examined the famous Son of Qingyang before him.
He often teased Jiang Wang’s intelligence, but Jiang Wang was quite clever—his "foolishness" was only relative to him. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
He reminded Jiang Wang not to be manipulated by Emperor Qi’s imperial schemes, blindly grateful, and foolishly sacrificing himself in vain.
Jiang Wang, in turn, reminded him that sometimes the true intentions of the Emperor weren’t what mattered. If the Emperor needed your gratitude, then you should give it! Don’t assume that superior intellect allows you to escape everything and disregard the Emperor’s authority.
It was only at this moment that Zhongxuan Sheng realized why Emperor Qi showed such unparalleled favor to Jiang Wang, far more than anyone else. Though Jiang Wang couldn’t match him in intelligence, he often grasped the essence of things with remarkable clarity!
"Hahaha, so Prime Minister Yan retired, Prime Minister Jiang is soft, Chen Zeqing remains silent, and Tian Anping flies into fits of madness. Living is exhausting!"
Zhongxuan Sheng burst into laughter, dropping the topic, and shifted gears. "When King of Qin Guang and Wang the Coroner joined forces to kill Su She, only the four of you were present. Now that this incident has been brought up, do you think Yin Guan might be behind it?"
"Honestly, I’m not sure," Jiang Wang said. "Although I’m acquainted with Yin Guan and we share a bit of camaraderie, he isn’t someone who would consider such relationships. To achieve his goals, he’d do whatever it takes. Maybe someone could be the exception, but that person isn’t me."
Saying this, he thought of Su Muqing—Yin Guan’s cousin from You Nation’s Lower City among the twenty-seven cities.
Presumably, she was now living in the Upper City.
As Yin Guan’s reputation soared, You Nation would inevitably place greater emphasis on her.
"If that’s the case, then it isn’t Yin Guan. Exposing you at such a time has no significance to him," Zhongxuan Sheng pondered briefly and decisively stated, "Then it must be Su She!"
"How is that possible?" Jiang Wang was hard-pressed to agree. "I personally saw Su She killed!"
"Given the tactics and power Yin Guan has demonstrated, Hell Has No Door couldn’t have exposed this information without Yin Guan’s endorsement. All things considered, only Su She has the need and the cunning to seize this opportunity."
"But he’s dead!" Jiang Wang had always trusted Zhongxuan Sheng’s intellect, yet this sounded utterly absurd.
He had personally seen Su She killed by Yin Guan—there was no falsity in this. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Your ears can deceive you; your eyes can deceive you."
Zhongxuan Sheng said, tapping his fat fingers against his temple. "But your brain won’t deceive you."
Jiang Wang blinked. What did he mean?
Seeing his expression, Zhongxuan Sheng clarified, "Oh, I meant—if your brain exists."
Jiang Wang: ...
You might as well not explain!
