vrcanaries Chapter 161: His Highness seemed like an unpolished jade in front of Chu Xingchen
Chapter 161: His Highness seemed like an unpolished jade in front of Chu Xingchen
Until the young master entered the palace to get married, and Chen Dong was sent to fake his death and retreat into the dark, he was the 25th generation successor of the Dade Pawnshop, the hidden fulcrum of the Nangong family for hundreds of years.
Until the Nangong family and she died, he had been guarding the Dade Pawnshop in secret, guarding this secret underground contact point.
The Dade Pawnshop is separated from the Nangong family's spy network and power, but it is also a spy network and power that belongs exclusively to the Nangong family.
"You are, Your Highness?"
Shopkeeper Chen looked at Su Yingxue with complicated eyes.
He recognized the jade pendant, but not Su Yingxue. Her Royal Highness the Princess had lived in the inner palace since she was young, and she had never left the palace since she was young.
Shopkeeper Chen had never seen her in person. But he had seen paintings of her that his subordinates had passed down to him. Those paintings, which had belonged to Su Yingxue since she was a child, depicted her every frown, every gesture.
Every one of her paintings is a replica of Young Master Nangong Jiuyue.
Although Su Yingxue has changed her appearance now, her expression is somewhat similar.
"Junior Su Yingxue, nice to meet Manager Chen." Su Yingxue stood up and saluted Manager Chen.
"You're welcome, Your Highness the Princess." Shopkeeper Chen quickly stood up and helped Su Yingxue up.
"Your Highness's body is worth a lot of gold, and you really can't do this." Chen Dong said softly.
He has been running the pawnshop for many years, and now he finally waits for Su Yingxue.
"Yingxue wants to thank Shopkeeper Chen for arranging his men and for his strategic planning and defense of the Dachen Pawnshop over the years."
Su Yingxue was extremely respectful towards Chen Dong. She knew that Master Liaokong's recommendation would not be wrong.
"Your Highness, the troops that I had Chen Dong arrange have all been disbanded and incorporated into my current forces."
Chen Dong looked at Su Yingxue and explained softly and carefully, "Your Highness, I actually have someone in your palace. If you need to convey an order in the future, you can find Aunt Li, the maid in your palace. She is my secret agent."
"That's good." Su Yingxue said with a smile, "Since Manager Chen has already made all the arrangements, Yingxue is relieved."
"However, if we want to find a way to revive the Nangong family's former reputation and glory, what do you think, Shopkeeper Chen, should we do?"
"The most important thing is how to make the next move."
In her previous life, Su Yingxue was just a university student. Living in an ivory tower-like environment, she was pure and beautiful, and therefore, she didn't understand human nature or the power struggles of the imperial court.
Shopkeeper Chen, who was able to manage the pawnshop in such an orderly manner and yet remain unscathed in the Nangong family case, must have been quite talented.
"Your Highness, the four great families are now all the same. The Qin family is now weakened, and it will be difficult for them to return to their former glory."
Shopkeeper Chen finally spoke out what he had been holding in his heart for a long time. He had waited for this day for a long time and had made many preparations.
"Now that the Qin family has been defeated, the Shangguan family ranks third. The Shangguan family has always prided itself on being a family of scholars and a century-old prestigious family."
"Many of the Nangong family's civil servants once switched to the Shangguan family."
"Some are those who sell out their ancestors for fame and fortune, while others are in the Shangguan family but their hearts are with the Nangong family."
Shopkeeper Chen couldn't help but sigh.
He handed over a list of the Shangguan family's followers and spies. Some of them were the secret agents who pretended to join the Shangguan family after the Nangong family case and secretly contacted him.
As for those spies, he has been constantly infiltrating the forces of the four major families in recent years.
"Your Highness, I believe that the Shangguan family, among the four great families, is not particularly capable, and most of them are civil servants."
"For the past few decades, I have been collecting the weaknesses and leverage of the officials of the Shangguan family who now hold civil power."
"It's all here, Your Highness, please take a look."
Su Yingxue was filled with awe upon hearing this. It turned out that Shopkeeper Chen had already made all the plans so long ago.
All these evidences and connections belong to her power.
"Shopkeeper Chen, sister." Chu Xingchen suddenly looked up and said calmly, "Sister, actually, Xingchen has a different opinion on the next target."
Chu Xingchen's eyes were cold, clear, and calm. Like a black eagle in the desert, he was intimidating and fearful. Yet, he seemed incredibly calm, possessing a shrewdness beyond his years that made one want to listen carefully to his opinions.
"Young man, why do you say that?" Shopkeeper Chen looked at the young man in front of him. He was just a young man of ordinary age, but for some reason he looked very mature.
He spoke with great vigor and seemed very sure of what he said.
"Why don't you tell me your thoughts first, brother." Su Yingxue knew the boy's abilities very well. He was the male protagonist in the novel who had super powers, so he was naturally a person favored by God.
You can ignore anyone's opinions, but you must listen to Chu Xingchen's.
Besides, she knew a thing or two about his abilities. After all, the top-notch secret guards around her couldn't withstand many blows from him.
"Well, since Your Highness trusts this young man, then I, Chen, will naturally trust what Your Highness trusts." Shopkeeper Chen simply sat down, and the three of them sat around the table and talked slowly and in detail.
"So, when Prince Chu kidnapped the women from the Music Bureau, he left behind the Liu family's token?" Shopkeeper Chen raised his eyebrows when he heard this.
"This operation is just too coincidental," Shopkeeper Chen said softly. "After all, what assassin would carry a token that reveals his identity?"
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen frowned. He had a vague feeling that this was clearly a frame-up and it didn't seem like the Liu family was responsible.
What's more, the four great families are birds of a feather. They rise and fall together. How could they become suspicious of each other just because of a token?
"Of course it's not just a token," the young man laughed loudly, "This token looks like it belongs to the Liu family, but I had someone compare it to the Liu family token and made a high-quality imitation."
"The Liu family token and that token appear to be identical in pattern, shape, and material," Chu Xingchen said coldly, "but the token we picked up is hollow inside."
"If you don't weigh it, or if you're not careful, you won't be able to spot such a tiny difference."
Chu Xingchen said coldly, "The Liu family is currently on the rise, and the Xuanyuan family has been firmly at the top of the list for decades. They are used to this commanding position."
"In recent years, many members of the Liu family have become increasingly dissatisfied with the Xuanyuan family's bullying of the Liu family by relying on the queen's high position."
"Half of the Liu family's annual income needs to be handed over to the Xuanyuan family, but this is something that the Liu family members are resentful of."
"So that fake token was just a trigger. The Qin family is currently failing to perform their duties, so they naturally need a scapegoat."
"The Liu family and the Xuanyuan family have always had many conflicts, and now it is just pushing the Liu family to the forefront."
Chu Xingchen spoke each word with great force.
"In the past few days, the people I have planted in the Qin family have already quietly brought back news."
"I had someone leave something in the secret room of the Liu family's study."
"The Xuanyuan family hates others trying to compete for their supreme position. If the Liu family allies with the Shangguan family, the two families intend to unite and replace the Xuanyuan family. The letter was discovered by the Qin family's spies who were secretly investigating this matter under the orders of Xuanyuan Luoshan."
"Then, the hidden dangers that were originally caused by the fake token will be infinitely magnified due to the suspicion of the Xuanyuan family."
Chu Xingchen said coldly, "Besides, once the fake token incident is exposed, if the Liu family is really punished by the Xuanyuan family, they will definitely bite back at the Qin family, thinking that they dragged the Liu family into trouble in order to escape punishment."
"In this way, while the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." Chu Xingchen said coldly, "Sister and Manager Chen, it's better for you to wait and see what happens."
"When the time is right, Xingchen will throw out clues one by one," Chu Xingchen looked at the two of them with clear eyes. "After all, the four great families are not as incorruptible as the rumors say."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen suddenly felt that the young man in front of him, although two years younger than His Highness, had a more mature mind and strategy than His Highness.
In front of Chu Xingchen, His Highness seemed like an uncut jade. He was neither versed in literature nor in martial arts. He knew no political schemes or government. He was neither capable of intrigue nor of strategic planning.
Alas, His Highness from the Nangong family still needs to be properly trained by a master!