"It's lawless and heinous! These thieves really deserve to die!" The first person to react was a middle-aged official with a bookish air. At this time, he acted quite indignant and clapped his hands several times. The table almost shook the wine glasses and dishes on top.
With this opening, others also came to their senses and echoed. Another old man with gray hair even sighed: "We have indeed underestimated the harm of these thieves to the people in the capital. Now it seems that we must eradicate them without delay." , and His Highness’s decision to clear the Worry-free Cave at this time is indeed a blessing to countless people!”
For a time, the hall was full of compliments and praises. After hearing the praise, Zhao Heng's face showed even more joy, and he felt that he had done a great thing for the country and the people. It's a good thing, everyone's mood is excited. After a moment, he smiled and said: "Teachers, there is no need to praise so much. After all, it is people like Yuehou who do the work, and their contributions are not small. And in my opinion, although those thieves should be killed, they should not be punished by the government." Those who defend them and cover up their crimes are even more unforgivable, Yuehou, what do you think?"
Sun Tu watched coldly as these monarchs and ministers were praising each other like a show, and suddenly realized that the prince Zhao Heng was not as wise as he thought. Maybe he has some ambitions, but just looking at the few so-called close ministers gathered around him, he knows that his ability is limited. Coupled with his irresponsible performance just now, it makes him look down on the opponent even more. not enough.
When being questioned by the prince at this time, Sun Tu was stunned for a moment, and then nodded: "What your highness said is true. The bandits in Wuyou Cave are certainly hateful, but those who use them and instigate them to gain more benefits are even worse. It’s time to die.”
"That's good, so I plan to use this as an opportunity to reveal the true face of these people, and I hope that the Marquis of Yue can help me." Zhao Heng said, staring at Sun Tu with a burning gaze: "As long as I can hold the The leader of the bandits in Wuyou Cave, and ask him to reveal who is behind it and make it known to the public. I believe that even if my father favors him again, he will be severely punished. And all this must be entrusted to the Marquis of Yue is you."
Feeling the other party's ardent expectations, Sun Tu finally understood the other party's true purpose of helping him secretly and using his own hands to eradicate the bandits in Wuyou Cave. This suddenly made him feel a little funny in his heart. The prince and his followers in front of him were really frustrated. They had to be so secretive even if they wanted to do something. They looked completely shameful.
However, he did not delve into the meaning of this. He just nodded briefly and then asked: "Then what do you think your highness should do now about the thieves who escaped into the underground waterways?" They had not been exposed just now. Now that his evil deeds have a definite result, I don’t know what the prince’s plans are.
"This..." Zhao Heng hesitated again. But the old man just now darkened his face, looked at Sun Tu and said: "Yue Hou, what do you mean by this? Do you want to use this kind of thing to force His Highness to take risks? Do you still have any respect for His Highness in your heart? ?”
"Marquis Yue, what you said is wrong. Can't you see the difficulty His Highness is in? If such a large-scale massacre really occurs in the city, I am afraid that both the government and the public will be shaken. Your Majesty will definitely investigate to the end. By then, Your Highness will You and I are to blame
But I can’t bear it! "Then the middle-aged official also echoed.
Others immediately offered words of persuasion, either forcefully or tactfully. Even Di Huchen said with some embarrassment: "Thousands of miles away, this is a serious matter, so please think twice. Although these people have committed heinous crimes, they are not the culprits after all. If not, Killing anyone who asks for reasons may harm His Highness's reputation for benevolence. Moreover, once this is done, it will inevitably attract a lot of obstruction and attention, so where will the Crown Prince be placed?"
Sun Tu listened expressionlessly to these people's excuses. Slowly, the corners of his mouth began to turn up and became a little sarcastic. These people actually mean the same thing, that is, they don't want to take any responsibility. Whether it is the prince or themselves, they are just bystanders, and Sun Tu will do all the charging and fighting. And the situation cannot get too big, otherwise it will be out of control and they will be implicated again.
He also wanted to gain benefits by wiping out the bandits in Wuyou Cave and use it to attack the political enemies in the DPRK and China, but he also didn't want to take any responsibility, so he just let Sun Tu stand in front and attract all the attention. These people are really good at planning things as they wish!
This made Sun Tu a little unable to understand how they dared to think like this. He was sure that he would do as they said? Just in the name of a prince? Maybe some foolish and loyal people would be willing to be used by them, regardless of all gains and losses, but Sun Tuke would never unconditionally sacrifice himself for others.
It wasn't until they had finished talking that Sun Tu slowly spoke: "If His Highness really has no intention of eradicating evil, then I have nothing to say. Anyway, some of the Wuyou Cave thieves have been captured, and it is impossible for them to be in the capital again in a short time. For doing evil, I have an explanation for myself and others, so let’s stop here." After saying that, he stood up suddenly, gave Zhao Heng a salute, and then made a gesture to leave.
"You... what do you mean?" Zhao Heng was a little dumbfounded and asked anxiously. Others were even more stunned. Well, after saying so much, this guy actually planned to give up
Sun Tu ignored the prince's inquiry and looked at Di Huchen: "Brother Di, does he know why I want to kill all the thieves this time?"
"Why?" Di Huchen was also curious. After all, Sun Tu really didn't have much interaction with those people, at least he thought so.
Of course, it was impossible for Sun Tu to tell him the truth. He only told one of the reasons: "I just wanted to make Ya'er angry. Back then, it was because of the evil deeds of the bandits in Wuyou Cave that Ya'er was removed from Di." She was abducted from her family and even suffered a lot. She has been unable to return home for many years and has no relatives. As her husband, I have the responsibility to help her vent her anger."
Di Huchen was dumbfounded, and everyone else was dumbfounded when they understood the meaning of Sun Tu's words. What a willful person he must be to cause such a big thing for a woman. But at the same time, it also gave them a better understanding of Sun Tu. This guy is a real man of his heart. Once he makes a decision, he will do it regardless of the consequences!
Sun Tu looked at everyone again, and finally his eyes fell on the prince: "Actually, at this point, my purpose of revenge has been achieved. As for whether those bandit leaders can be arrested or not, it doesn't matter. Anyway, they can't be more than a dozen. The culprit who kidnapped Ya'er years ago,
It doesn't matter whether you take them or not. Since His Highness wants to let this person live, I will naturally obey the orders and let him go. "
"You..." Zhao Heng's face changed instantly, and he was filled with anger, but when the words came to his lips, he didn't know what to say.
Later, several other ministers shouted: "Sun Tu, you are so brave! How dare you disobey His Highness's orders, and how dare you threaten His Highness with such things? Do you know what you are doing?"
In the face of the scolding, the sarcastic smile on Sun Tu's face became even brighter: "Why can't I understand a word you are saying? There has never been any legitimate decree or order on this matter, I have all found it myself. People are just helping each other, so why don't they follow orders?"
This moment made everyone confused and didn't know how to answer. This was indeed the case. They had never openly participated in the incident against the Wuyou Cave bandits. Everything was done secretly. After all, things like this are simply not on the table.
Sun Tu's words continued, but his words became more and more unacceptable: "Furthermore, although the prince is the prince, he is not the king after all. Why should I, Sun Tu, have to obey his wishes? Between us, it is just a matter of We just use each other and get what we need. Since you, Prince, are not willing to help me, why should I take the risk of being held accountable by His Majesty later to help you escalate the matter
"By the way, the only ones who know the whereabouts of the bandit leaders now are me and some of my brothers. The people from the Street Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Kaifeng Mansion don't know the exact location. So even if the prince wants them to help get the bandit leaders, I'm afraid it won't be possible. It's hard to do that. Moreover, the news is about to reach them at this time. Maybe at some point, the leader of the thieves there will escape and leave Tokyo, or he will escape into the waterway below like the others. But they don't know Is there any way you can catch him out?"
Without any cover up anymore, Sun Tu told them in the most straightforward terms, yes, I am using this matter to blackmail you into complying with my requirements and cooperate with me in eradicating the bandits below. The worst case scenario is that they break up in one fell swoop!
Di Huchen was shocked. Sun Tu must have been too courageous. The prince is also a king. Even if Zhao Heng does not have any real power connections in the court now, what if in a few years, once the official family dies, he will become the new king? When the time comes, how should Sun Tu deal with himself
Little did he know that Sun Tu really didn't take Zhao Hengtai seriously, because he didn't even take Zhao Ji seriously, let alone a subjugated king who could only merge with his father and become a disgrace to the Han people. If you threaten, you will threaten, and if you offend, you will offend. What is there to be afraid of
Zhao Heng's body had begun to tremble violently, and he was really angry. No one has ever dared to despise or even despise himself so much. Even though Cai Jing and other powerful ministers in front of his father did not agree with him, their superficial respect and respect were still there. After all, their status as king and ministers had always been there. But Sun Tu, at this time, neither his words nor his demeanor showed any intention of being a minister talking to the monarch, and he could not hide his strong sense of threat.
What made him even more angry was that at this time, he really couldn't do anything to Sun Tu, nor could he just let him leave and ruin his entire plan...