"Why bother asking sothing when you already know the answer?" The impostor Prince Lan, his eyes dazzled and ears ringing from a slap by Zhu Yu, forced a complacent smile as Lu Qing questioned him. "I’m just a small pawn. Without orders from above, how dare I do such things to a family of ritorious officials?
As the saying goes, one who eats the ruler’s grains must worry about the ruler’s matters and serve the ruler with loyalty.
Even though I also admire your grandfather and father for their distinguished achievents, I have no choice but to follow the imperial commands."
His speech caused the guards of the Prince Lan Mansion, who were unaware of the truth, to turn pale.
They took such a huge risk to rise up, all to help the Young Master restore Lan Country, but now suddenly this impostor claims to have received an imperial order from the Emperor Jin to annihilate an entire family of ritorious officials... Are such secrets, ones feared by emperors, the kind of thing they’re permitted to hear???
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing rely let out a cold laugh, casting a scrutinizing glance at the impostor Prince Lan from head to toe: "No wonder your junior despises you, his senior brother. It seems you’ve truly nestled yourself in Lan Country, engrossing yourself in concocting various poisons, while remaining blind and credulous to the happenings of the outside world.
They told you Duke Yan was dead, and you actually believed it?"
With that, he sneered at the impostor Prince Lan, causing a surge of inexplicable anxiety within the impostor.
He had been rather confident, for the information delivered from Jin Country had clearly stated that Duke Yan, Zhao Bi, was ambushed by his junior’s n on his way out of the capital, leaving not a single survivor among his accompanying family.
This was a fact he had always been convinced of, and although Lu Qing’s words would not instantly overturn his belief, considering his junior’s usual cunning and tactics forced him into doubt.
After much internal struggle, he could not resist asking the question that reason told him he should not: "What do you an by that?!"
Zhu Yu glanced at the man, internally sighing at how one’s rationality seed helpless against one’s inner demons.
Once the question was asked, Lu Qing’s purpose was achieved.
"Zhao Bi’s death was rely a false ssage deliberately released to confuse outsiders, you included," Lu Qing said nonchalantly, appearing calm and composed. "As long as Zhao Bi lives, you’ll be in constant fear and take extra precautions.
But if he’s dead, you’ll act with impunity, allowing any rebellious thoughts to surface openly instead of being hidden.
Your fellow disciple is eager for you to expose your flaws early on, avoiding the need for deceitful diplomacy after their grand plan succeeds.
In reality, the two you believed to be arch-enemies have now beco allies on the sa boat."
"You’re trying to fool ." The impostor Prince Lan was unwilling to believe Lu Qing’s words, yet his deep-seated distrust of his junior brother felt like termites rapidly consuming what little confidence he had left.
Even though the truth of these matters might no longer affect him given his current predicant, he still wished to know whether his original suspicions and fears were indeed true.
"Fine, take it as deceiving you then." Lu Qing did not argue, nodding calmly. "In fact, your junior disciple is indeed much more scheming than you."
"What’s his na again? Yishaen?"
At the ntion of his junior brother’s na, the impostor Prince Lan shivered involuntarily.
Pretending not to notice, Lu Qing continued: "This Yishaen is truly clever yet foolish.
He knew to choose a puppet to pose as himself, using it to maintain appearances by King Fan’s side while he secretly orchestrated from within Jin Country, one eye on commanding the puppet, the other on furthering his sches.
In this regard, he indeed shows great cunning.
But due to personal vanity, he chose a notably handso puppet."
Lu Qing sneered dismissively: "The whole world knows that people from Bhutan are generally small in stature, with dark and yellowish skin, and rarely are there those who are tall and have fair complexions.
Yet the High Priest under Yishaen’s na is famously handso, with everyone in Bhutan, especially in the capital, praising not only his knowledge of astronomy and geography but also his extraordinary looks.
Anyone with a bit of sense should realize it’s unnatural for a disciple raised under a master’s guidance, proficient in every witchcraft practice from Bhutan, to not be a native Bhutanese—Bhutanese witchcraft is traditionally never passed on to outsiders, so how could your master have been so unreservedly open to an outsider?!"
The impostor Prince Lan grunted, initially appearing to oppose Lu Qing’s words, but after taking a breath, he said: "Our master always said he was ticulous and calculating, the most intelligent among us brothers, destined for great achievents.
Turns out, not so much.
For the sake of appearance and reputation, he indeed let himself be fooled like this!
Since childhood, he was the most unremarkable among us brothers. Because he seed so ordinary, whenever our master boasted about his most talented disciple, people always mistook it for another junior of ours who looked more intelligent.
This is sothing Yishaen always resented, pretending not to care, yet ultimately revealing his flaw by choosing such an attractive puppet for himself!
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Too bad our master is no longer around, otherwise he should really see clearly what kind of mind his most prized disciple truly has!"
"If your master were still alive, he might still consider Yishaen his most accomplished disciple, without change," Lu Qing said, shaking his head slowly. "After all, Yishaen not only directs his disciples in Bhutan to work for him but also collaborates with Zhao Bi as an ally.
If he succeeds soday, your once extinct school might indeed rely on him for restoration."
"Stop spouting nonsense!" The impostor Prince Lan’s disheveled state made the prospect of his junior’s success even more unbearable, making his tone more volatile. "That Zhao Bi is the culprit who killed my master and nearly eradicated our school!
How could my junior brother possibly ally with the person who murdered our master?!"
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