I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty - Chapter 64



Chapter 64: Resignation

Everything happened too suddenly.

King Rongsheng, Xia Yun, never expected that the other party would pull such a trick.

“Your Highness, King Rongsheng, what do you mean by this? We were just having a private meal, and you invited so many guests. Is there enough food for everyone?”

Qin Ji sneered as he kicked away the shards of the cup at his feet and asked.

Sure enough, this guy didn’t have good intentions either. If he had been unyielding today, this Fifth Prince might have really planned to make a move.

Actually, thinking about it, it was obvious. This was the meeting place designated by King Rongsheng, and he had cleared the site in advance. It was only natural for him to set up an ambush here. Or he could have arranged for people to guard the place after Qin Ji entered the private room, which was also easy to do.

Qin Ji wasn’t sure if there was really an ambush or how the ambush was ordered. He was just testing. Clearly, this test directly exposed the noble King Rongsheng.

Now, King Rongsheng, who was being questioned by Qin Ji, looked very upset.

He turned his head and looked at the soldiers.

“Your… Your Highness?”

The leader, who seemed to be the captain, called out cautiously. He didn’t understand. His Highness had already given the signal, and they had broken in, but why did His Highness look a bit… angry?

But this call only made King Rongsheng’s blood pressure rise.

You still have the nerve to call out, don’t you!? Don’t you know what’s going on in the room? At this moment, even shouting “robbery” would be better than directly admitting who you are under!

Now it’s confirmed, this call directly nailed it.

“Calm down, calm down.” He hurriedly smiled awkwardly, then signaled the soldiers to put away their weapons.

The intruders finally realized that this seemed to be a misunderstanding. They hesitated for a moment, then slowly put away their weapons.

“Lord Qin, your guard…”

“Ling Yan, put away your stance. I think His Highness wouldn’t make a move against us at this moment.”

Qin Ji deliberately emphasized “at this moment.”

The tense atmosphere between the two sides eased a bit. Xia Yun turned his head and looked at the group: “Who let you in?”

Seeing their boss’s angry look, the captain reacted quickly. He turned his mind and immediately replied: “It’s my fault. The madam in the mansion suddenly fell ill. To inform His Highness, I acted urgently and didn’t have time to change out of the training ground attire…”

“Outrageous! Even if it’s a big deal, does it give you the right to kick the door in!?” Xia Yun gritted his teeth, then took a deep breath, “Get out of here!”

“Yes,” the captain bowed his head in agreement, then hesitated, “But, the madam’s illness…”

“Go get my physician to treat the madam! I’ll be back shortly!”

“Yes!”

Realizing they had messed up their boss’s plan, the soldiers didn’t dare to stay any longer and quickly left the private room.

Qin Ji couldn’t help but feel amused.

Interesting, the two of them played along quite well. However, Qin Ji didn’t care what excuse the other party used to cover up. After all, the other party did intend to break off relations with him. From their perspective, preparing manpower just in case was the right choice. But, this guy was indeed a bit young.

How could Qin Ji not be prepared? He just thought that bringing Ling Yan alone would be enough. In this terrain, the quality of soldiers matters more than the quantity.

“Is Your Highness’s wife seriously ill? Perhaps Your Highness should return first. Your wife’s health is important,” Qin Ji asked with feigned concern. He seemed particularly kind, but who could know what he was really thinking?

“Ah, no worries, no worries. If anything really happens, my servants will notify me immediately,” Xia Yun said casually in this sudden situation.

“Oh… Your wife is seriously ill, and you won’t go back to check on her?”

Qin Ji looked at him mockingly, with an expression of disbelief.

This expression made the already flustered Fifth Prince even more panicked. He replied, “Haha, brothers are like limbs. Qin Gong is now considered my brother, so naturally, limbs are more important.”

“Forget it. If Your Highness really doesn’t go to check, I worry that your wife will trouble you later. We’ve had a great time today; let’s gather again another time.”

Qin Ji stood up. However, the Fifth Prince seemed to want to say something, but he hesitated for a moment and ultimately didn’t say what he wanted to.

Actually, even if he didn’t say it, Qin Ji probably knew what he was thinking. This time, he came with three main purposes: to win Qin Ji over, to find out his reputation with the Emperor and his current situation, and to find a way to bribe Qin Ji to help him.

But now, at most, he was only half successful in the bribery—Qin Ji hadn’t agreed to help him yet. The other two purposes completely failed, and because of this unexpected situation, everything he had planned lost its meaning.

Qin Ji couldn’t help but sympathize with him. Actually, his approach wasn’t bad, and he was well-prepared. Unfortunately, such tactics were of little use in the struggle for imperial power, especially since his opponent was the Grand Marshal of the country.

In the end, amidst the Fifth Prince’s “struggle,” he had no choice but to bid farewell.

That’s right, he even brought up his wife. In this situation, if he didn’t go to check on his wife, it would be quite suspicious.

When sending off the Fifth Prince, Qin Ji also noticed that there were actually many of the Fifth Prince’s men nearby, but it didn’t matter. The negotiation was over, and the other party had gained almost no substantial benefits from the whole meal.

On the contrary, Qin Ji got a free meal, and the tea seemed quite good, although it was far inferior to the imperial tribute tea at home.

Ling Yan sat back in her seat and sighed with relief, “Master, please don’t do this again next time.”

“What’s wrong?” Qin Ji smiled, “I think I did the right thing.”

“What if I’m not capable enough to ensure your safety?” She stared at Qin Ji’s face and said word by word, “Master, although I don’t understand the rules between you, at least I know you always like to take risks.”

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“Isn’t taking risks good? Sometimes, taking a risky move can lead to victory. Even if he didn’t come up with an outrageous excuse, I used this moral high ground to pressure him, and he would naturally be at a disadvantage and wouldn’t talk to me about this and that.”

Speaking of this, Qin Ji thought for a moment, “But honestly, I only do this because you’re by my side. After all, I trust your abilities.”

He also sat back in his original seat, looking at the valuable dishes in front of him, and happily started eating.

Since they were already here, it wouldn’t hurt to stay a little longer. He wasn’t full yet, and wasting food is shameful. He might as well clean up these dishes with Ling Yan.

The “cleaning work” of the master and servant progressed smoothly. Twenty minutes later, they left Qingxin Tower, both full.

…

Back at Qingxin Tower, Qin Ji picked up his pen.

The Fifth Prince had clearly sensed his precarious situation; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so indirect in probing and trying to win him over. Everything proved that this prince had more or less sensed Xia Yuxiao’s attitude towards him.

Therefore, he had to act quickly. If he missed this opportunity, the guy might escape if he delayed any longer.

He prepared to formally initiate an “investigation report” on the Fifth Prince Xia Yun at the Zongzheng Mansion.

This report didn’t need to be very detailed because, in reality, it was just a formality for Xia Yuxiao to let the court officials understand. Xia Yuxiao already knew most of what the Fifth Prince had done, and it was time to close the net.

After finishing his document, he lay quietly on the bed.

“Young Master.”

“Come in.”

Qin Ji said.

Ling Yan walked into the room and couldn’t help but laugh silently when she saw him lying on the bed in a lazy posture: “Young Master, with your status, lying on the bed like this doesn’t look good.”

“This is my bedroom, I can do whatever I want~” Qin Ji turned over and said, “Is there something you need?”

“Can’t I come in if there’s nothing?” Ling Yan said deliberately in a cold tone.

Qin Ji chuckled and then looked at Ling Yan: “Are you the guard or am I the guard? It’s not polite to barge into the master’s room.”

“Is that so? But you didn’t seem to mind me coming into your room before.”

“I’m the master, and now I don’t want to.”

“Then I’ll leave, Young Master.”

Ling Yan turned and walked out.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t, I was joking.” Qin Ji quickly stopped her, “Alright, stop messing around, what’s the matter?”

“It’s about Uncle Cui.”

“Ah… him, what’s wrong with him?”

Uncle Cui was an old servant of the Qin family. He had been working for the Qin family for a long time, just like the old butler, he had started working for the Qin family during Qin Ji’s father’s time. Now Uncle Cui was getting older, and although he was a bit slow in his work, Qin Ji was still willing to keep him.

On one hand, although Uncle Cui’s efficiency was not as good as before, he could still handle everything in an orderly manner. On the other hand, Uncle Cui had watched him grow up, and the Duke of An’s mansion was almost like his own home.

“Uncle Cui said he’s getting old and can’t work anymore. He wants me to tell you that he wants to resign and go home.”

Qin Ji was stunned for a moment, then sighed.

Old people tend to be nostalgic. If Uncle Cui didn’t want to leave, Qin Ji would have kept him.

But… since he decided to resign himself, that’s another matter.

Qin Ji waved his hand: “Call Uncle Cui over tomorrow. I can’t leave the Office of the Imperial Clan these days, just bring him in.”

“Yes.”