strictlysupreme Is Chapter 658 difficult to answer?
Is Chapter 658 difficult to answer?
Yang Chenghong was in a bad mood, and to make matters worse, he came with a mission. In order to soften the emperor's heart, he had to pretend that he had really suffered. Not only did he not bring any concubines, but he also only brought his usual servants. However, no matter how well they served him, there was no way to conjure up ice to cool him down on this desolate road.
Yang Chenghong waved his hand impatiently: "Go ask again, how much longer?"
The servant accepted the order and was about to go out to ask again when the carriage suddenly stopped.
Yang Chenghong nearly fell over from the swaying.
Yang Chenghong immediately cursed, "What are you good for?"
However, in the next instant, a long sword was placed directly against his neck. The sudden chill on his neck made him shiver, and he belatedly looked at the person who had come.
Pei Ji said expressionlessly, "Young Master Yang, please."
"You, you..." Yang Chenghong's voice was extremely slurred: "Commander Pei, Commander Pei~"
Even if he were blind, he could recognize that the person in front of him was Pei Ji, the guard commander who served the deposed crown prince.
Pei Ji has always kept a low profile. He rarely showed his face unless it was a special occasion. It was only after the deposed crown prince became crippled that he began to protect the deposed crown prince at all times. Anyone in the capital with a discerning eye would recognize this face.
The reason he was able to come to the southwest as an imperial envoy was because, at this time of year, the ministers in the court were unwilling to take on the task, and their passing the buck gave him the opportunity to investigate the matter of the deposed crown prince. Previously, the Crown Prince had sent someone to petition His Majesty, saying that Yuechuan possessed a great treasure that could be seized. Before this matter was resolved, news arrived that the deposed crown prince was still alive and in Jinzhou. The deposed crown prince was exiled to Yuzhou and was still a criminal; even if he were still alive, he should remain in exile. His presence in Jinzhou, a crucial military town in the southwest, reveals his wolfish ambitions.
The court was immediately thrown into an uproar, and the discussion about the deposed crown prince was in full swing. No one cared about the Yuechuan treasure anymore. After some discussion, Duke Xiao suggested that someone be sent to Jinzhou to investigate the matter, and the emperor agreed.
After some back and forth, the task fell to him.
But he never dreamed that before he even arrived in Jinzhou, he would run into the deposed crown prince.
I don't know whether to say he was lucky or unlucky.
Yang Chenghong looked at the long sword at his neck and tried his best to remain calm: "Commander Pei, let's talk this out. I am an imperial envoy personally appointed by His Majesty. Isn't it inappropriate for Commander Pei to act like this?"
“Then, Your Excellency, please come in. Our young master wishes to see you,” Pei Ji added.
Yang Chenghong's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat broke out on his brow.
Sure enough, Pei Ji was inseparable from the deposed crown prince, and he truly had no chance of survival left.
"Okay, okay." Yang Chenghong dared not say anything more and was helped off the car by Pei Ji.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers escorting Yang Chenghong immediately drew their swords, but Pei Ji didn't even glance at Yang Chenghong.
Yang Chenghong had no choice but to wave his hand to let the guards back, and then followed Pei Ji for a long time on the scorching official road before they finally reached a carriage.
When Yang Chenghong saw that the other party only had a horse-drawn carriage and a cart pulling a box, with no more than seven or eight guards in total, they were really traveling light and simply. If they hadn't been brought here, he probably wouldn't have even noticed them if they had just passed by.
Yang Chenghong was sweating profusely, and his mind was in a state of extreme inner turmoil.
He brought nearly two hundred men with him, these guards were all soldiers appointed by the imperial court, and there were even some people sent in by the Third Prince, many of whom were highly skilled. If the two sides clashed, it wouldn't be impossible for him to take down the crippled deposed crown prince.
But... he didn't dare to take that gamble.
As Yang Chenghong approached the carriage, his brow was soaked with cold sweat.
"Imperial Envoy Yang Chenghong greets Your Highness." Yang Chenghong lowered his head, his nervous voice trembling slightly.
Pei Ji grabbed him by the collar and easily lifted him onto the carriage. The carriage door opened, and Yang Chenghong subconsciously glanced inside.
Before his eyes, the once brilliant and talented Crown Prince, dressed in plain clothes and adorned with a silver hairpin, appeared vividly. His fingertips casually landed on the chessboard, placing a chess piece. Hearing the sound, he slightly raised his eyebrows, but showed no emotion whatsoever.
At the other end sat a young man with a high ponytail, wearing a mask, and with a relaxed demeanor. His eyes seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.
Yang Chenghong lowered his head nervously again, but before he could speak, Pei Ji grabbed him and forced him to kneel in front of Zong Que.
Zong Que put down the chess piece he was playing with and finally looked up at Yang Chenghong.
"How much silver did the Yang family give to Father Emperor?"
Yang Chenghong was stunned, and his heart sank. He never expected that the deposed crown prince would ask him such a question. Shouldn't he be asking what the emperor was doing sending an imperial envoy to Jinzhou?
"Lord Yang, is this question difficult to answer?" Zong Que asked softly.
"No, no, Your Highness, why do you say that? Silver, silver..." Yang Chenghong racked his brains trying to think of some polite words to get through this, but he still couldn't help but feel terrified in front of Zong Que. It wasn't that he was weak, but Zong Que's oppressive pressure was still so chilling, even though he had been crippled, as if any lie could be exposed in front of him.
"Lord Yang, you wouldn't be trying to tell me that this didn't happen, would you?" Zong Que looked at him quietly.
"Yes, yes, absolutely not, Your Highness, how could I dare to deceive Your Highness? I truly do not know..." Yang Chenghong wiped his sweat as he nervously tried to smooth things over as quickly as possible.
Before he could think of what to say, he heard Zong Que say calmly,
"If you don't want to talk, just pull out your tongue."
Yang Chenghong froze, his mouth moving faster than his brain, blurting out, "Ten million taels of silver."
As soon as he said the words, his body went limp and he almost collapsed.
Zong Que chuckled lightly: "It seems that those who smuggle salt are truly wealthy. Ten million taels, the Yang family is quite generous."
Yang Chenghong lowered his head and didn't dare to say another word.
"Lord Yang came to Jinzhou to investigate whether I, the deposed crown prince, am still alive. I wonder how much this information is worth in Lord Yang's eyes?" Zong Que asked.
Yang Chenghong's mind was in complete chaos. "Your Majesty, I don't understand..."
“What I mean is to sell this information to Lord Yang. What does Lord Yang think?” Zong Que looked at Yang Chenghong and asked with a slight smile, “Or does Lord Yang think it’s better to have your men capture me and go to the capital to claim credit and rewards?”
"Your subject dares not, Your subject..." Yang Chenghong stammered.
Zong Que asked Pei Ji, "How many men did Lord Yang bring?"
“About two hundred people,” Pei Ji replied.
“Kill them all, kill them until Lord Yang comes to his senses.”