Tao Yi was so frightened that his whole body was shaking like a sieve.
Just as Shen Chengzhou said, Tao Yi had already betrayed him once. If he stayed with him, there was no guarantee that he would betray him again. He immediately decided to kill Tao Yi to prevent future troubles.
"General, please spare my life! General, please spare my life!"
When Tao Yiyi heard that Shen Chengzhou wanted to kill him, he hurriedly begged for mercy.
Shen Chengzhou glanced at him lightly, and several guards beside him nodded, then stepped forward, clamped Tao Yi on the left and right, and prepared to take him away.
"Wait."
Suddenly, Ling Qingwan came and stopped a few people in time.
"Wanwan?"
Shen Chengzhou was a little surprised. He didn't expect Ling Qingwan to appear here.
"Grandpa, let's lock him up in the woodshed first." Ling Qingwan suggested to Shen Chengzhou.
Shen Chengzhou knew that Ling Qingwan was always smart, and she must have made her own decisions after careful consideration. After taking a look at Tao Yi, Shen Chengzhou felt unlucky, waved his hand, and asked the guards to temporarily lock him up in the woodshed.
"Since Tao Yi was bribed by Shang Wu, it proves that Tao Yi is now the only person in our house who can be close to Shang Wu. I think it would be better to use Tao Yi and let him pass on false information for us. Although it seems useless now, once Tao Yi completely gains Shang Wu's trust, it may be of great use in the future."
Ling Qingwan told Shen Chengzhou what was in her mind.
Shangwu and Manxing came to Dayue this time, ostensibly for marriage, but Shen Chengzhou and Ling Qingwan knew what they were up to secretly. Manxing was cunning, and the emperor and Wei Xun had already taken action, so Ling Qingwan didn't need to worry about it. As for Shangwu, Ling Qingwan could always find a way to help.
Perhaps, Shangwu will be a breakthrough.
"What you said makes sense." Shen Chengzhou nodded.
"Moreover, if you killed Tao Yi and Shang Wu heard about it, she would know that you knew she had planted a spy in the general's mansion. She would be more cautious in the future. Wouldn't this alert the enemy?"
Ling Qingwan's words completely convinced Shen Chengzhou.
"You are really careful." Shen Chengzhou said with a smile. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have thought of this."
Although Shen Chengzhou is very good at commanding troops and fighting wars, his skills are somewhat weak when it comes to the struggle for power in the court.
"but… "
Shen Chengzhou frowned.
"Since Tao Yi was easily bribed by Shang Wu, it proves that he is not a kind and righteous person. What if he betrays us again?"
As the saying goes, don't employ a person you doubt. Tao Yi no longer has a good impression on Shen Chengzhou.
"That depends on who he cares about the most and why he could be bribed by Shang Wu." Ling Qingwan curled the corners of her mouth slightly and already had an idea in her mind.
Tao Yi was in charge of the purchasing affairs of the mansion. He would make some money on weekdays without anyone knowing. In theory, he was not short of money. Moreover, he was a steward, and his monthly salary was higher than that of ordinary servants.
Ling Qingwan didn't believe that Tao Yi was just obsessed with money, as she risked being expelled from the general's mansion or even beheaded in order to help Shang Wu.
Song Tian was very efficient. After dinner, he brought back the news.
"Miss Sun, you guessed it right. The reason why Tao Yi was short of money was because he fell in love with a girl from Yichunyuan a few months ago. He was so obsessed with her that he paid a huge price to redeem her."
The girl was kept in Haitang Lane, and Tao Yi was responsible for all her food and drink expenses. She was used to a good life in Yichunyuan, so naturally she would not help Tao Yi save money.
In just two or three months, Tao Yi's family assets were emptied by that girl.
"As for what Tao Yi cares about, I think it should be his wife and his two children." Song Tian said.
Tao Yi has a son and a daughter, the oldest son is only nine years old, and the youngest daughter is only four years old. His wife is also capable, and the couple manages their small family beautifully, with one taking care of the household and the other taking care of the outside world.
If Tao had not had lustful thoughts and redeemed the girl from Yichunyuan, he would be living a very comfortable and happy life now.
"Find a way to bring his wife and children to the general's residence." Ling Qingwan instructed Song Tian. "Remember, don't alert the enemy."
Ling Qingwan believed in Song Tian's ability.
"Your idea is to use Tao Yi's wife and children to control Tao Yi?" Shen Chengzhou asked.
"Yes, and the one from Begonia Lane."
There was a strange look in Ling Qingwan's eyes.
She thought of Cheng Man.
If you think about it carefully, what is the difference between Ling Feng and Tao Yi? Both of them have happy families, and neither of them knows how to be content. In the end, because of their private affairs, they caused a disaster.
"You brought them to the general's mansion to protect them, right?" Shen Chengzhou smiled at Ling Qingwan.
"Grandfather..."
Ling Qingwan said it was to threaten Tao Yi, but it was just one of the reasons. How could Shen Chengzhou not know that his granddaughter looked cold, but was actually a very kind person.
The next morning, Song Tian secretly brought Tao Yi's family to the general's mansion. In order to avoid suspicion, he also spread the news among their neighbors that Tao Yi's family had a sick relative and they had to go out of town to visit him.
This would explain why they were taking so long to return home.
At noon that day, Tao Yi begged Ling Qingwan for mercy and promised to help Ling Qingwan and pass on false information to Shang Wu.
"But he has a request." Song Tian told Ling Qingwan.
"Tell me about it." Ling Qingwan raised her eyebrows.
"He wants to ensure the safety of his wife and children. After the mission is accomplished, he will send their family away from the capital." Song Tian replied.
"What about the one in Haitang Lane?" Ling Qingwan asked with great interest.
Since Tao Yi is willing to spend money on that girl, she must mean a lot to him.
"He didn't mention it."
"Then you should give up." Ling Qingwan chuckled.
This turned out to be a good thing.
Then Ling Qingwan asked Song Tian to tell Tao Yi that she agreed to his requests.
After winning over Tao Yi, Ling Qingwan immediately took action. The first thing Ling Qingwan did after letting Tao Yi out of the woodshed was to ask him to go to Tong Shangwu to pass on the message.
Post station.
After seeing Tao Yi off, Shang Wu could no longer contain her joy and her face was filled with smiles.
"I've been telling you, the princess is such a good girl, and it's a blessing for him to fall in love with the prince of Dai Yue. If it were any other man, he would have held you in his hands."
Liusu knew what Shangwu liked to hear, so she pointed at what she liked to hear and said it.
"Unfortunately, I only like Ling Xiao."
Thinking of the encounter with Ling Xiao on the battlefield, Shang Wu's heart was filled with excitement, like a deer running around in its tracks.
If it weren't for Ling Xiao, she wouldn't have asked her father to send her to marry the emperor and traveled across mountains and rivers from Northern Zhou to Dai Viet.
Can…
Shangwu was happy when she suddenly thought of what Manxing had said.
"Princess, what's wrong with you?" Liusu noticed that Shangwu was abnormal and asked hurriedly.
"Do you still remember the conversation between Manxing and me a few days ago?"
"I remember." Liusu lowered her head.
Manxing spoke bluntly, not giving Shangwu any face at all. Liusu was afraid that Shangwu would get angry if she remembered it.