I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty - Chapter 48



Chapter 48: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

When Ling Yan walked in, Lord Lu visibly became a bit flustered.

For a scholar like him, standing in front of a remnant of the demon cult was definitely not a good thing.

“Lord Lu, I just want to know the specific situation on your side from your mouth. You see, I’m not a fool. I know who is behind you. That prince who was once in the southern border, he must still be thinking about how to get rid of me, right?”

Qin Ji smiled as he voiced his guess, or rather, it was no longer a guess but an almost confirmed fact, only lacking the final evidence to convict these people.

“Do you think you can still escape, boy?”

Knowing that he probably couldn’t get out unscathed, Lord Lu still spoke, despite his trembling body.

“Escape unscathed?” Qin Ji seemed to be watching a joke, “How is that possible? I can guess what slogan you are using externally, probably something like ‘cleansing the court’, right? Very correct, after all, I hold great power now, and it’s normal for you to attack me under the guise of serving the country and the people.”

After saying this, Qin Ji calmly sat in his seat, and Ling Yan quickly handed over a plate of fruit.

“However, I don’t intend to escape unscathed. On the contrary, the bigger the commotion you make, the safer I am.”

He said, picking up a sharp knife from the fruit plate and cutting an orange. The fragrant juice splashed everywhere. Qin Ji took a bite of the orange and said, “You see, you want to get rid of me. Although I can protect myself, sometimes His Majesty still wants me to put on a little show of suffering for her.”

“Sometimes, when a minister constantly shows loyalty and reliability, His Majesty might not believe it. So if I choose to suffer a bit, being plotted against by you, His Majesty might actually trust me more because of your actions.”

What Qin Ji said was not alarmist.

These guys’ target now was almost certainly him. The previous assassination attempt on His Majesty had indeed angered her, but overall, it was just a side attempt by some people.

The last failure would make the other side realize that to move against the emperor in this country, they must first deal with him, the Grand Marshal.

Qin Ji was now confident that their real target was him, which made things easier for him.

He could completely pretend to be attacked and injured, then complain to His Majesty. The emperor still relied on him, and facing his complaints and injuries, she might gradually lower her guard against him—after all, he was struggling to protect himself, so it was hard to think about usurping the throne at this time (even though he never considered usurping the throne).

“That’s something His Majesty will consider later. You traitors will not die a good death.”

“Well, whether I die a good death is not something you can control. Come on, tell me, who is behind your group.”

Qin Ji continued to inquire.

Meanwhile, Ling Yan had silently walked to Lord Lu’s side. She did nothing but politely bowed to Lord Lu and then took out a small knife from her body.

The blade was very sharp. This knife did not seem to be made for killing but was forged for some delicate work. And now, this knife was placed beside him.

Lord Lu thought carefully.

He said it was to protect the country of Daxia, but in the end, his real purpose was just to stand in a more reliable team. He had no private army, nor did he have the ability to control the court, so he was eager to seek a force that could protect him.

When he was young, he believed that the court should not be a place for forming cliques for personal gain. For the sake of the people, he would not regret it even if he was shattered to pieces.

But now that he was in this position…

Lord Lu sighed deeply, “If I tell you, will you let me go?”

“I want to be friends with you, Lord Lu, if you are willing to consider me a friend,” Qin Ji gave Ling Yan a look, signaling her to step back a little, “You are right, I do hold great power, and I do pose a threat to His Majesty. But heaven and earth can testify, I have no disloyalty to His Majesty. Without me, how many ‘Duke An’ do you think will emerge in the court?”

Lord Lu did not speak, just lowered his head.

“Nowadays, the real traitors in the court are causing chaos. They collude with foreign countries and attempt to overthrow the current foundation. Lord Lu, you are well-read in the classics, how can you assist foreign enemies and internal traitors?”

At this moment, seeing the other party slightly waver, Qin Ji knew it was time to appeal to righteousness.

Lord Lu looked at him and then whispered:

“Don’t tell His Majesty.”

“I will keep it a secret.”

Qin Ji nodded.

Of course, he would tell Xia Yuxiao depending on the situation, but some things could not be known to her, otherwise, his plan might go wrong.

“The Fifth Prince, now known as King Rongsheng, has long been plotting to get rid of you.”

Qin Ji heard this name without showing any surprise.

He had already investigated it thoroughly. This King Rongsheng, being the most adept at diplomacy among all the princes, had long been on his list. King Rongsheng Xia Yun had gone to the southern barbarian regions during the previous emperor’s reign to communicate and negotiate with multiple barbarian tribes. With his help, the related missions successfully made most of the tribes in the southern barbarian regions belong to Daxia at a minimal cost. It was a great achievement.

However, in the fight for the throne, Xia Yun was obviously lacking. He was good at socializing and having fun, but he was not material for governing a country. He was also quite lax, and in the end, he did not even make it to the real “final round.”

It was only natural for the Fifth Prince to oppose Xia Yuxiao because he had disliked his sister since childhood. Moreover, due to his extremely extravagant and indulgent lifestyle, after Xia Yuxiao ascended the throne, she simply gave him the title of a prince, built a prince’s mansion in the accompanying capital not far from Taian City, and provided him with some monthly stipends, letting him fend for himself—of course, besides the stipend enough for him to live comfortably, Xia Yuxiao would not give him any other money.

The Fifth Prince always harbored such ambitions. The success in persuading the southern barbarians made him believe he had the ability to rule the country. So, in recent years, his ambitions grew bigger and bigger, and he even started to secretly manufacture armor and cultivate practitioners.

Of course, this behavior did not succeed. Xia Yuxiao knew her brother’s little schemes too well. She directly bribed the steward of the prince’s mansion and secretly set a fire in the mansion, burning all the weapons and armor hidden in the warehouse to ashes…

Even so, relying on his connections in the southern border and his excellent eloquence, this Fifth Prince still managed to create a force of his own.

As expected.

From noble mtl dot com