Hua Zhi never knew that a man's emotion could be so heartbreaking, but seeing the 40-year-old Zhu Ling trembling all over, choking with sobs and bending his spine which had been straight when he was a prisoner, she could not accept this gift with peace of mind.
Standing up, Hua Zhi returned a half-bow. She had educated the prince, established the Salt Tax Transport Bureau through her hands, and broke the situation of the Chaoli clan in Jinyang. All in all, she had made some contributions. She did not ask for any benefits for herself. Most of it would be used for the Hua family, and a small part would be used to fight for a place for these people of status to settle down. They could not refuse her, not to mention that these people could hide themselves so deeply, how could they be useless? They had to work for the Chaoli clan before, but now it was for their own lives. How could they not try their best
"What does the girl want to know?" Zhu Ling's mentality changed and she immediately became positive.
Hua Zhi collected her thoughts and asked the question that concerned her most, "How many people of the Chaoli tribe are there in Jinyang?"
"Not counting those who have been captured before, there are still thirty-seven people left, including me."
Hua Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, no one slipped through the net. "What is Qi Qiu's identity?"
"Qi Qiu's mother is from Daqing, just like us, but he and I are not the same kind of people." Zhu Ling rubbed his wrist that was sore from being tied. "We are also divided into two groups. One group is like me, who is not close to the Chaoli people, and some even hate them. I am lucky enough to have saved my mother's family, but some will die one by one for various reasons as they grow up. It would be fine if they were ignorant all their lives, but as they come into contact with the outside world more and know more about what is going on, how can they not hate it?"
Zhu Ling's expression was indifferent, as if he was telling someone else's story. "One faction is people like Qi Qiu who have devoted themselves to the Chaoli tribe and consider themselves Chaoli people. Some are even more radical than the Chaoli tribe and want to restore the former glory of Chaoli. According to the information I received, Qi Qiu was personally selected by the wise man to come to Jinyang. If he had not been uprooted by you, he would have used my relationship with the Zeng family to participate in the lock hall test in April and enter the capital openly."
Hua Zhi immediately read the most important information from it, "Qi Qiu has seen the wise man? Do you have more information about the wise man?"
"I don't know whether Qi Qiu has met him or not. I only know that he is highly regarded over there. I don't know much about the wise man. I have only heard of him a few times from the Chaoli people. In their words, the wise man's name is Ao. He knows everything about astronomy and geography. He is omniscient and omnipotent. The Chaoli people were once divided into three parts, but they were unified again in his hands."
After a pause, Zhu Ling said, "It can be said that the wise man is their god. If they are asked to die, they will obey without hesitation."
He is like a spiritual leader. Hua Zhi frowned. It is definitely bad news for Daqing that a tribe with extremely strong military power has such a person.
But bad news is always better than no news at all. Hua Zhi put the matter aside and asked, "Do you know where the silver that the Chaoli tribe transported from Jinyang was sent?"
"On the surface, it was sent to Pengkou in Yanzhou, but Pengkou is a fake. There is no silver there. There are only Chaoli people who are waiting for the opportunity. In fact, it was sent to Songzhu."
Hua Zhi stood up suddenly and took two steps forward, "Really?"
"Really?" Zhu Ling knew something was wrong, so he stood up and said solemnly, "Every one of us must find ways to get more information and protect ourselves at the critical moment. This is what I spent two years to determine."
"I believe you." Hua Zhi looked at him steadily, then turned around, "Yu Mu, is there any way to catch up with Yan Xi?"
"I will immediately rush over there at full speed, and when I arrive at a place, I will go to the Seven Stars Division to replace people. I will catch up if I work day and night."
"We have to catch up, we have to, understand?"
"Yes, I will leave immediately!" Yu Mu turned around and was about to leave. Hua Zhi called him again, but she opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. What could she say? Safety first? Or saving your life? Such words could not be said. When two people meet on a narrow road, the brave will win. She could be Yan Xi's weak spot, but she couldn't be his weak bone.
Hua Zhi closed her eyes, suppressed her worries, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone must come back alive."
Yu Mu bent down deeply and walked away quickly without looking back.
Hua Zhi followed to the door involuntarily, only to find that it was already completely dark, the moonlight was hazy, and her heart seemed to be covered with a layer of dust, and she couldn't feel relaxed no matter what.
But she couldn't think too much at the moment. She turned around and continued to ask, "How many people are there like Lord Zhu?"
"I know of 27 people, but that's not all of Daqing. 19 of these 27 people share the same ideas as me, and the other eight are from Qi Qiu's faction."
"Do you guys usually interact with each other?"
"The Chaoli tribe allows us to know of their existence in order to help each other at certain times, but usually we are not allowed to interact with each other. But knowing that there are so many people with the same fate as us, how can we do nothing?" Hua Zhi showed a smile that was almost invisible on her face. "It took me several years to find out who can interact with us and who is not a fellow traveler. After confirming these, we deepened our trust through years of correspondence. Sometimes we also exchange some information with each other, but generally speaking, we don't interact too much, for fear that the Chaoli people will know."
"Which party did Yuan Shifang belong to before?"
"Him." Zhu Ling sneered. "He was originally from Qi Qiu's faction, but later on, as he gradually gained power, his mind changed. Ha, he is the governor of a state, and there are only nine governors in Daqing. How glorious."
Hua Zhi sat down again, "Can they be used by me?"
"I will contact them as soon as possible. With the guarantee made by the girl on behalf of Qisushi, I think they are willing to give it a try."
"Then I'll trouble you, Lord Zhu. This matter must be handled as soon as possible, and the Chaoli tribe must not be alerted. Since you are the hidden pawns, then you should continue to be the hidden pawns. It's just that your stance has changed."
Zhu Ling readily agreed. He was actually a little surprised. He thought Hua Zhi would ask him for a list. It would be the safest way for her to contact them herself. But she didn't. Just like he had said before that the friend's mouth was a trap, she believed it immediately and decided on a remedial plan in person.
Such trust means nothing in front of one's own people, but the problem is that he is not one of their own now.
"Girl, aren't you afraid that I am a fake surrender?"
Hua Zhi smiled, "I believe my eyes. Lord Zhu may not have much affection for Daqing, but I also believe that if people can live uprightly, no one would want to be a rat in the gutter and never see the light of day. Besides... how can a person with children have no expectations for the future?"
PS: I have written half of the next chapter, and I will definitely update twice a day tomorrow. Thank you girls for your concern. My hand has been medicated and it doesn’t hurt as much when typing.