Chapter 551.2: Pulling out the Nail
Yao Rao originally was someone from Southern Qi, possessing both talent and intelligence, also born with a good appearance, pursued by quite a few handsome young men. This kind of woman, if there’s no mishap, she should have a pretty good future. But, unfortunately, she was the marquis manor’s shu daughter. This kind of her naturally was just the thorn in the di mother as well as the di sisters’ eyes, an existence that absolutely can’t be tolerated. What will happen next, it practically goes without saying, when getting persecuted, getting forced into a corner, she originally agreed to elope with a young master that very much liked her, yet in the end, the other party betrayed her, calling together a bunch of people to laugh at her, sneering and taunting, saying that she was a toad that wanted to eat swan meat. And pursuing her was also merely just for fun. After all, aside from her birth, the rest can still be considered presentable. She wasn’t worthy of being the main wife, but to play around with was still not bad.
Yao Rao nearly died, but under a timely coincidence, she got saved. And the person that saved her was the Southern Qi Emperor’s younger brother from the same mother, an ambitious person that was covetously eyeing the throne.
This Southern Qi qinw.a.n.g was someone that would unscrupulously do anything to achieve his goal, raising and training many spies. And among these spies, the great majority were all beautiful women. As a man, he was actually very clear that a beautiful woman can usually accomplish things that many men weren’t able to accomplish easily. Clearly, the thoroughly corrupted Yao Rao wanted to take revenge, wanting to slaughter all those that have once humiliated her, becoming an elite among the spies.
And Yao Rao had another thing that was different from others, and that was just, she not only wanted revenge, she also wanted power. She wanted to be above others, wanting to have those men treated as playthings.
And that ambitious w.a.n.gye was also an eccentric one, promising Yao Rao, that once the matter succeeds, he will confer her into a female marquis.
Yao Rao coming to Qi Yuan, she will certainly grasp Southern Qi’s communication lines in her hand, many things all needing for her to do, regardless whether it’s sending out information, or receiving orders from Southern Qi.
But, Yao Rao was just someone under an ambitious w.a.n.gye. Deeply infiltrating an enemy country, this kind of thing, that was something that should be done by an emperor. The power wasn’t even in one’s hand yet, so how can one divide out people to the other countries?
In reality, in Li Hong Yuan’s past life, he’d only met her when attacking Southern Qi afterwards. The place she shone brightly was also always Southern Qi. And for her to appear before Li Hong Yuan, to put it bluntly, it was just a honey trap.
Unfortunately, at the time, Li Hong Yuan at most was just a beast wearing human skin, to even count on him having tender feelings for a beauty?
Right now, it’s unknown whether Yao Rao has left Qi Yuan’s capital, or changed to another ident.i.ty, continuing to hide in some other place. The capital was that big, so if she really were to soundlessly hide somewhere, it won’t be easy to find her.
But, not being easy didn’t mean it was impossible, because even if hiding among ordinary people, she ultimately wasn’t an ordinary person. And to want to obtain important information, the hiding place also can’t be an ordinary home. As such, this range just instantly shrunk.
Li Hong Yuan spent some more time meticulously deploying surveillance. As long as the other party makes a move, then for the most part, won’t be able to escape.
However, because quite a few people died during this period of time, it can also be considered having inadvertently alerted the enemy. Those remaining spies afraid won’t have anymore movements for the time being. However, the people under Li Hong Yuan didn’t because of this just relax their guard. Not sending out news didn’t mean that there weren’t news coming in.
As a result, in just a few days, some clues just appeared.
Just, this clue was very vague, momentarily unable to figure out what it meant.
Li Hong Yuan had the gathered reports place on the table, spreading it all out, looking down at it, standing with his hand behind his back.
After mulling over and contemplating for half of the evening, with a sudden flash, Li Hong Yuan finally grasped a thread, spinning the silk from the coc.o.o.n little by little, finding the answer he wanted.
TN: All
The corner of Li Hong Yuan’s mouth hooked with a cold smile, “This arrangement sure is deep, more than ten twenty years.”
Li Hong Yuan temporarily didn’t make any moves, letting someone go fix up a portrait first, and afterwards, the next night, he took a trip to the Ruan Manor.
For Li Hong Yuan to personally come under this kind of circ.u.mstance, Ruan Rui Zhong knew, it certainly won’t be a small matter.
Ruan Rui Zhong was genuinely devoted to the country and the people, just in the past, his eyesight wasn’t too good towards the inside, completely trusting a woman that not only gave him a green hat, but was even a spy. Fortunately, after wiping clean the s.h.i.+t smeared over his eyes, he wasn’t affected too terribly.
“For w.a.n.gye to personally visit late at night, don’t know if it’s having something to instruct this old subject?” Ruan Rui Zhong deferentially stood there.
“Where’s Wei-s.h.i.+?” Li Hong Yuan directly got to the point.
Wei-s.h.i.+ naturally just referred to the second wife that gave Ruan Rui Zhong a green hat by fooling around with his sons, and Ruan Fang Fei’s mother.
Wei-s.h.i.+ had incredible skills, and moreover, possessed pretty good martial arts. Just, after certain matters got exposed, Li Hong Yuan similarly kept her around, just crippling her martial arts, also letting Ruan Rui Zhong have her tightly locked up.
“This old subject will let someone have her brought over right away.”
Wei-s.h.i.+ originally was extremely charming and elegant for her age, but now, she has long gotten worn down beyond recognition, appearing older than her age. But, this woman’s endurance was very impressive, even now, still maintaining a clear head.
When she saw Li Hong Yuan, her eyes flashed with astonishment and also alarm, but shortly after, just smiled, “Jin Qinw.a.n.g sure is daring, in the current state of affairs, to dare visit the Ruan Manor at night, looks like everything is all in order. Then, just wish w.a.n.gye an instant success.” Her voice was rough and hoa.r.s.e, not the least bit like her originally seductive tone.
Li Hong Yuan indifferently stared at her, clearly not having any desire to speak.
Afterwards, An Er directly went forward, unfolding the paper in hand. That was a portrait.
No one spoke. Li Hong Yuan just paid attention to her expression. Seeing her pupils very subtly contract, this was more than enough.
“Looks like, you indeed recognize. Have what you know all said, this prince will give you a satisfying end.”
Upon hearing this, Wei-s.h.i.+ just knew, she obviously didn’t have any leeway to make excuses. When one’s life was worst than death, a satisfying death was an extravagant hope. Wei-s.h.i.+’s heart clearly was struggling.
“What? Still have misgivings inside? This prince keeping you, it was originally thinking that you were the ringleader of the spies planted in Qi Yuan, yet turns out, you’re also nothing more than a foot soldier. Then, the true ringleader of you all certainly will know about your situation. Before getting discovered by this prince, you can still cover up, but now, you’re just a thoroughly abandoned p.a.w.n. As one would ask, what you’re worried about, or what you care about, when no longer having the value in controlling you, will they get released, or will they get killed?”
Wei-s.h.i.+ closed her eyes. When opening her eyes again, there already wasn’t the slightest emotion, “Jin Qinw.a.n.g, have to admit, you are indeed very capable. Those brothers of yours, even now, are still kept in the dark. Not knowing who their true opponent is, it isn’t completely their fault. Just, Qi Yuan, you can control in your palm, but what about the outside? One has to know, there are more capable people out there, are you sure you can just laugh until the end?”
“Whether or not one is able to laugh until the end, when time comes, one will naturally just know.”
Wei-s.h.i.+ was astonished. She originally thought that someone like Li Hong Yuan, having great power in hand, having everyone all played in his palm, and moreover, still this young, reasonably speaking, he should be very conceited, yet turns out, this simply wasn’t the case. He perhaps didn’t have certain people taken seriously, but he has never actually underestimated his opponents. Cautious, solemn, and not complacent when possessing all the advantages, clearly just a youngster, yet exactly how did he achieve this? For him to become the final winner, Wei-s.h.i.+ won’t find it strange. If this kind of person were to lose, then can only say that he must have done something to anger the heavens, making the entire world all go against him. But, the reality was that even Ruan Rui Zhong, the person that was known as the cornerstone of the neutral faction in Qi Yuan, was all working for him.
“Originally thought that one had already regarded you very highly, yet turns out, one still underestimated. Looking at it now, Fang Fei’s eyesight at the time was very good. Someone that others all weren’t optimistic about just instantly got fancied by her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t liked by w.a.n.gye in the slightest. This perhaps was my fault as the mother. It was I that didn’t raise her right. If I’d taught her like a normal young lady, then perhaps it would be a completely different outcome.”
“A normal young lady won’t fall for this prince.”
“True, based on w.a.n.gye’s reputation in the past, a normal young lady indeed would just avoid like the plague.” Wei-s.h.i.+ seemingly felt a bit regretful. “The things w.a.n.gye wants to know, I can all tell you.”
Having reached this final moment, perhaps just coming to terms, Wei-s.h.i.+ actually appeared unprecedentedly at peace. Her voice although was coa.r.s.e, her words were neither quick nor slow. Although standing, she still possessed the bearing and airs of a n.o.blewoman.
Because it was relatively brief, probably just taking half a quarter of an hour, the matter just finished very quickly.
Li Hong Yuan left with his people. Prior to that, he gave Wei-s.h.i.+ a drug. After taking it, the next day, the Ruan family can just hold a funeral for the main wife. After all, Wei-s.h.i.+ was already said to be ‘heavily ill’, ‘recuperating at home’, and now dying of illness, it also wasn’t anything strange.
Li Hong Yuan walked as he thought back on Wei-s.h.i.+’s words.
Several decades ago, Southern Qi already had the ambitions of unifying the various countries. The arrangements also just started from that time, dispatching large amounts of spies. Although the great majority got eliminated, but a small portion of them nevertheless took root, and the matter of dispatching spies never once stopped. From the very first batch, there were those that have already reached the third generation in another country. This kind of person, as long as they don’t get exposed, who would believe that they were a spy?
Among the people planted in Qi Yuan, Wei-s.h.i.+ originally was just in an upper middle position, but because she married Ruan Rui Zhong, and Ruan Rui Zhong even became a cabinet minister, and moreover very much trusted her, she thus was able to easily obtain a lot of information, just becoming the head of intelligence gathering in Qi Yuan. That’s right, it was just gathering intelligence. The orders coming from Southern Qi, the most important portion, all weren’t in her hands. Rather, it was all controlled in the hands of the person that Li Hong Yuan just dug out———Changping Marchioness——-that invisible person of Changping Marquis Manor, the puppet that got erected as a protective s.h.i.+eld by the Changping Marquis for his beloved concubine. Who would have thought that it was such a person.
Li Hong Yuan wanted to say, compared to these women, compared to those women in the imperial palace, his wife was practically just a little white rabbit, harmless, soft, and even kind.
T/N: The author also added a note at the end of this chapter for which chapter the Changping Marchioness was mentioned, so thankfully I didn’t have to do too much digging on my own. Although rather than say it was mentioning Changping Marchioness most of it was about the Changping Marquis Manor as a whole, see chapter 212. She’s actually the Changping Marquis’s second wife after his first wife died. In chapter 261, a very subtle and indirect connection was made between Yao Rao and the Changping Marquis Manor. The author also added that nothing is written randomly with no purpose.