When the snow by the roadside seemed to stack as tall as mountains, Hua Quanfu and his entourage finally entered Lin’an. The carriage stopped at an inconspicuous corner.
The carriage group began to set up shop, selling sorts of exotic goods from Anbei whilst Hua Quanfu walked out of the carriage and entered a nearby inn.
The inn had a few patrons, but all were in a drunken stupor except for a tall and large man a full head taller than Hua Quanfu if he were standing. From his rough appearance, it was quite clear that he was not someone from the Great Zhu, but a person of Nanwang heritage.
Hua Quanfu found a neighbouring table and ordered a couple of dishes. If one observed a little longer, they would find that he was sitting with his back against the tall man.
The tall man did not recognise Hua Quanfu at first. After all, Hua Quanfu’s operations were mainly in the Lingnan and Nanwang, not to mention that the Seventh Prince had recently purged the Southern Wu rebels, which were closely connected to operatives from Nanwang, causing both to networks to be implicated. The tall man, named Mo Yuan (莫原), was originally not the highest operative in Lin’an, but due to the purges done by the Seventh Prince, is now responsible for greeting this son of heaven.
Hua Quanfu occasionally poked the dishes with his chopsticks, not interested in placing them in his mouth at all. At some unknown point, a wooden board appeared in his hand, which seamlessly appeared in Mo Yuan’s pocket.
Mo Yuan was hesitant to take it out, afraid that the oil on his hand would ruin it. Eventually, he used a handkerchief to retrieve it, scrutinising it carefully with his head down.
After making sure the wooden board was genuine, the tall man’s body trembled slightly. Hua Quanfu can feel the vibration from his back.
“Don’t be so sentimental,” Hua Quanfu coldly said.
The body stopped shaking, and the chopstick in Mo Yuan’s hand began to move toward the dishes. However, the chopsticks were picking the chillis that weren’t meant to be eaten.
A piece of bamboo scroll was passed between the two.
Hua Quanfu unfolded the bamboo scroll and looked at the information on it. After a long time, he closed the scroll and hid it within his sleeves.
“Do you know how the Seventh Prince was aware of the Southern Wu rebel bases?”
Mo Yuan said, “He swept up all the Southern Wu operatives within a few days. I’ve already planted some spies into the Seventh Prince’s household to investigate.”
“Hmm,” Hua Quanfu sounded without any expression, as if he was still concentrated on chewing.
Mo Yuan couldn’t help but be inwardly disapproval of Hua Quanfu’s response. He had only heard about the words and patterns of this wooden plate, along with its significance from the previous head of Lin’an’s operations. He had no idea that the person was actually so young!
Mo Yuan sighed and placed down his chopsticks, “The Seventh Prince received the locations from a jianghu weasel, Fang Hui. As for how that weasel knows about the locations, this one is completely clueless. There was a gap between his last appearance outside of Lin’an and him arriving at the Seventh Prince’s manor.”
“Any strange behaviours?” Hua Quanfu asked, sipping on a lukewarm tea.
Straightening his back, Mo Yuan answered, “None at all. Aside from an affair with one of the household maid and allowing the Seventh Prince to indulge in his desire, there were no suspicious activities.”
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Hua Quanfu knew it was useless to investigate the matter any further at this moment. He said, “Have the operatives slowly pull back.”
“Understood.”
The secret channels of Nanwang in Lin’an were mainly used to monitor the three princes and various prominent ministers, but now that Hua Quanfu has arrived, they naturally must be utilised to spread greater chaos in the city. Moreover, the matters regarding Fang Hui was something nearly everyone in the Seventh Prince’s household knew and accepted. If Fang Hui had any suspicious identities, how could he have become one of the Seventh Prince’s close confidants so quickly?
Though he was quite burly, Mo Yuan was certainly no fool and understood the thought behind Hua Quanfu.
“How is the situation in Jing manor?”
Mo Yuan looked at Hua Quanfu and asked hesitatingly, “Sir, I don’t why place such emphasis on son of the dead Prime Minister. He holds only honourary positions.”
Hua Quanfu frowned and turned his head towards Mo Yuan for the first time. “You are not in the place to question my decisions.”
Mo Yuan hesitantly bowed, saying reluctantly. “This subordinate was foolish.”
Hua Quanfu gazed at the candlelight of the restaurant’s shrine and said, “Jing Wen’s knowledge on our network is difficult to match outside of certain circles. Even though there is no evidence, how the Seventh Prince managed to launch an attack against our operation likely involved his participation.”
“But still, even if he knows so a bit more than most, unless his cultivation returns to Qi Manifestation, it is too low to be meaningful.”
Mo Yuan truly did not understand. He was vaguely aware that the Southern Wu rebels were present on the night of the Prime Minister’s assassination. However, still, it should not be enough for the master of the Hua family to place so much resource on monitoring him.
But knowing that Hua Quanfu would not tolerate any more words, he could only swallow his words and remain silent. Anyway, with Hua Quanfu taking over, these sort of minor matters should no longer matter.
Moreover, Hua Quanfu was also protected by two Qi Manifestation cultivators, including the new archer that occupies the number one spot on the Xinqingnian, Qi Qi. While Jing Wen is already recovering his previous cultivation, he is incapable of harming Hua Quanfu.
And even if he is still had his previous state, he cannot necessarily defeat Hua Quanfu.
Hua Quanfu calmly said, “Although we’ve invited him once, send him another letter. At least, invite him to drink with me.”
Mo Yuan looked at Hua Quanfu, utterly confused. Jing Wen was praised universally for his excellent virtues and loyalty - how can he so easily betray the Great Zhu and join the cause of the Nanwang, a foreign state? This is not to mention that Jing Wen’s mother was the Emperor’s own sister!
Hua Quanfu seemed to see through Mo Yuan’s thoughts, saying, “His virtues are nothing more than pretence. His real face is much uglier than anyone would expect. How many people has he killed that did no wrong? If you know what happened on the night of Jing Ping’s assassination, you will find that he is more vicious than the Northern Sea people that don’t even cook their meat. How can he be such a virtuous person with so much blood on his hands?”
Mo Yuan was silent for a long time before he muttered quietly, “I understand. But to cause chaos in the capital is the primary focus. Something like recruiting should not take priority.”
Hua Quanfu thought about what Mo Yuan said and found it was quite reasonable. With a slight chuckle, he responded, “You’re not wrong. Naturally, if Jing Wen rejects my offer, then I will not pursue the matter any longer.”
“Sir is wise.”
Hua Quanfu did not say anything. Finishing the dishes and leaving only the soup behind, he said as he stood up, “I will take my leave now.”
Mo Yuan said, “I will let the operatives alert the various ministers of your arrival. Lin’an is very big, but you still should be cautious as not to reveal your identity. Come with me tomorrow to a pleasure boat, and we can officially establish our relationship to make our future meetings seem less suspicious.”
Hua Quanfu said, “I have something to do tomorrow. I can come and play with you after that.”
Mo Yuan’s expression waved. In the end, he was not so confident in the abilities of this youth, though he bore that wooden board. Establishing an ‘official relationship with the Nanwang intelligence network is essential to their plans - what business did Hua Quanfu had that could take priority over it?
Hua Quanfu paid the owner a few copper coins, though the establishment was operative by Nanwang. Once he reached the entrance, he stopped and said, “Lin’an is so big. I want to see zhen’s future domain.”
Mo Yuan was startled. He looked at Hua Quanfu as though he was a madman. “What mad ambitions you have! Not even His Majesty dare eye the throne of Zhongyuan. Who do you think you are?”
Hua Quanfu said, “When the world is plunged into chaos, heroes will arise. If there is no chaos, I will create it.”
---
Once men have power and status, their greatest worry is how to preserve it.
Who knows how many conspicuous have occurred beneath the heavens, have many dissents put down and how many talented men ruined by this desire. However, no matter how much one clings to power, it will eventually be stripped off upon their deathbed.
This is why so many emperors desired to be recorded in the history books, and even the most ordinary peasants would want to leave behind a great dynasty. Even though one will die in the end, they still hoped for immortality in some form, whether it be in writing or in legacy.
However, how can these ‘chicken soup’ compare with immortality in the true sense? Now that the opportunity has arrived, almost everyone wanted to seize it. Upon the city walls, the ministers and other great figures could even intimate the imperial court.
The merchants under their gaze were all deeply anxious. Those standing on the wall were not only ministers that can’t even tussle a chicken but significant jianghu figures with powerful cultivation that rarely appeared out of their own sect.
Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin were also standing atop the city wall.
He felt the stifling amongst the merchants entering the city, and the vortex of Qi that accompanied every Qi Manifestation expert. After a moment of silence, he said, “Exchanging sixty years for an eternality. But considering the chances, is it worth it?”