Chapter 543: Seeing Through Greed
Wei Ya spoke with such emotion that his eyes reddened involuntarily: "Your father dug me out from a pile of dead bones. He carried me through three days and nights of yellow sand to bring me home—this is a debt of rebirth. I would never harm you, nor would I betray the northwest. I am not misleading you; I always felt there was a traitor among us. Otherwise, with the prince's alertness, how could he easily fall into the hands of villains? The subsequent events further convinced me that the situation was grave. I don't know who it is, but Your Highness the Crown Princess must be cautious. The Commander's Seal is in my hands—it exists as long as I live, and it will be destroyed if I perish. I pray the young master overcomes this crisis. If anything should happen to him, I, Uncle Wei, will fight to the death to protect Your Highness the Crown Princess."
After speaking these sincere words, Wei Ya gave Shen Xihe a deep look, bowed solemnly to her while holding the Commander's Seal, then turned and strode away.
Shen Xihe watched him leave as Xiao Huayong came to her side: "True hearts are revealed in times of crisis. Your father must find comfort in having such a right-hand man."
"Beichen, human hearts are truly difficult to calculate." Shen Xihe sighed softly, thinking of two matters.
One was Geng Liangcheng. She had expected him to tear off all pretenses and directly threaten Sang Yin, but she had underestimated Geng Liangcheng's shamelessness. He had actually employed a Self-inflicted injury ruse. Fortunately, Xiao Huayong had already exposed Geng Liangcheng in front of Sang Yin; otherwise, Sang Yin would certainly have been deceived and unwittingly become his accomplice.
The other was Wei Ya. In her and Xiao Huayong's plan, when news of the Turkic conflict arrived, Geng Liangcheng was supposed to seize the opportunity to consolidate power and claim the title of commander. They never expected Wei Ya to step forward, and even more surprisingly, Wei Ya had guessed some aspects of the situation.
Wei Ya only said he suspected the matter was not simple and that there was a traitor among them. However, from Wei Ya's decision to dispatch Geng Liangcheng to Tingzhou, it was clear he suspected Geng Liangcheng. Lacking evidence and to protect Shen Xihe, he could only send Geng Liangcheng far away.
"Geng Liangcheng is not one who can achieve great things." Xiao Huayong grew increasingly contemptuous of Geng Liangcheng.
He wanted to seize power yet cherished his reputation; he could neither shoulder the mantle of a hegemon nor deserved the title of a hero.
Shen Xihe deeply agreed. She didn't wish to discuss Geng Liangcheng further and instead asked, "Why did the Turks arrive so quickly?"
"Xiao Changtai made his move several days ago. He had already persuaded the Turkic king." A faint smile touched Xiao Huayong's lips.
"How did you make Xiao Changtai take action?" Shen Xihe was puzzled, as Xiao Huayong clearly didn't know Xiao Changtai's whereabouts—if he had, he would have acted against him long ago.
"I don't know where the fourth brother is hiding, but the Ye family must have connections with him. The Ye family is currently seeking to restore their standing—how could they miss such a good opportunity?" Xiao Huayong's eyes brimmed with a mischievous smile.
Since Xiao Changtai was convicted of witchcraft and expelled, the Ye clan had been marginalized by His Majesty. Ye Qi understood that if he didn't achieve merit within a year at most, he would likely be completely abandoned by His Majesty.
Neither the Ye family nor Xiao Changtai himself wanted to see the Ye clan fade into obscurity.
"In this world, there is likely nothing you cannot accomplish when you set your mind to it." Shen Xihe was truly in awe of Xiao Huayong's ability to control the grand scheme of things. He could draw everyone into his game—whether enemy or stranger—each becoming a chess piece at his fingertips."I merely saw through their greed and made use of it." Xiao Huayong didn't consider this to be particularly difficult.
People may have desires, but those desires should not exceed their capabilities.
June has ended, and July has begun. I will update diligently in July. For the first ten days, I will maintain a daily update of four thousand words. On the 11th, there will be a massive update with at least fifty thousand words. After that, I will continue to update diligently. I was indeed very busy before, so let's strive together in July.
(End of Chapter)
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