A Thoroughly Satisfying War of Words

Prime Minister's Mansion.

"Ah! Ah! Ah..."

Shen Jin clutched his hip and groaned nonstop, his cries utterly pitiful.

Shen Kui was so vexed by the noise that he snapped, "What are you yelling for? Your bone is only dislocated, not broken. Why are you putting on such an act?"

Shen Jin complained, "Mother! Look at him!"

Wang Shu grumbled, "Our son's been beaten like this, and you, his father, have nothing to say except scold him? If you're so capable, go dislocate Qin Yanying's bones!"

After their eldest son, the couple had tried for more than a decade before Shen Jin was born.

She treasured this youngest son dearly. All these years, apart from when he was training, she'd never let him so much as bump or bruise himself. And now someone had dislocated his hip. How could she not be furious?

Shen Kui flew into a rage. "This is what comes of a doting mother! Do you realize how serious this is? If you keep spoiling him, that brat will drag the entire Shen Family down with him!"

Wang Shu was about to argue, but seeing Shen Kui's eyes brimming with fury, she realized the consequences might really be serious, so she let it drop.

Shen Jin shrank his neck and stopped wailing. Seeing Shen Kui pacing back and forth with an anxious look, he gave an ingratiating smile and said, "Father! It's all over now, isn't it? That good-for-nothing Qin Muye is alive and well. With Chen Sui's ability, he'll clear the Prime Minister's Mansion's name sooner or later."

Shen Kui's face darkened. "Use your brain for once. When Qin Muye went missing, your boat was drifting along the inner river. How many checkpoints would they have had to pass to leave the city? Yet they didn't make a sound!

"How many people in the entire capital have the power to pull that off?

"Your father has held the post of Prime Minister for nearly twenty years, yet I've never discovered an opponent like this in the capital. This matter is far more serious than Qin Muye going missing."

Shen Jin's mind raced. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Father! What if Qin Kaijiang had planned to rebel all along and deliberately staged this whole charade using his own son? I've read military strategy books. This tactic is called..."

Shen Kui pressed a hand to his forehead and cut him off. "Jin'er, you're different from other people. Whatever you do, don't waste your energy on reading."

Shen Jin: "..."

Shen Kui furrowed his brow and pondered for a long time. Then a doubt suddenly surfaced in his mind. "Jin'er! Earlier, you said Qin Muye was insecure and sensitive, and that if he suffered a grievance, he'd definitely find a chance to get even."

"Right! If he hadn't wanted to get back at me, he wouldn't have boarded my boat yesterday."

"But today, why didn't he say a single word?"

"Well..."

Shen Jin asked, puzzled, "Father! Do you think he's plotting something?"

Shen Kui said nothing, which meant he agreed.

Shen Jin waved his hands repeatedly. "You're overthinking it. Those two, uncle and nephew, couldn't scrape together half a brain between them. What could they possibly be plotting? I bet His Majesty saw through everything and warned them to quit while they were ahead."

Shen Kui ignored him and walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Ever since entering officialdom, his career had gone smoothly. The only time he'd ever faced real danger was when Qin Kaijiang nearly drew his blade on him in front of all the civil and military officials because their political views differed.

The feud between the Shen and Qin Families could not be settled, but he knew the Qin Family. He didn't believe they would resort to underhanded methods against him.

He didn't know who was behind this.

But he knew what the culprit wanted.

The conflict between the Prime Minister and the general had to remain on ice.

Only if Gan Kingdom remained stable would he have time to prove his political views right and leave behind an enduring legacy for the ages.

So in this case, he had to endure.

[Main Fate: A Doting Mother Ruins Her Son]: A doting mother ruins her son.

[Fate Rank]: Ninth Rank (2/20)

[Annotation]: Spoiled rotten, he causes one disaster after another, until his own father ultimately kills him.

--

[Main Fate: Yin-Yang Proxy Face]: Two sides to one coin, praised and condemned in equal measure.

[Fate Rank]: Second Rank (2499/2560)

[Annotation]: A renowned prime minister in life, he led Great Gan to its greatest heights. After he died peacefully of old age, Great Gan collapsed, and later generations wrote him into the Biography of the Treacherous Prime Minister.

[Hint]: When the fate fluctuation exceeds 500, you can obtain the fate skill Yin-Yang Proxy Face.

These were the fates of Shen Kui and his son.

Qin Muye had noticed them just now, but he'd been thinking about other things and hadn't examined them closely.

This was the first Second-Rank fate he'd seen. But it made sense. How low could the fate rank of a prime minister who led Great Gan to its greatest heights be?

At least in Qin Muye's recollection, Shen Kui was quite capable. His methods were ruthless, but he certainly wasn't the treacherous prime minister Qin Yanying called him.

According to his memories, Li Hong had ascended the throne at a young age. At the time, Great Gan had just endured a major internal upheaval, and its territory had shrunk several times over after being devoured by the demons of the Four Barbarians.

Fortunately, sovereign and subjects had stood as one, civil and military officials had worked together, and they had set a national policy of using demons to control demons and barbarians to control barbarians. By granting titles and rewards to foreign states and bringing great demons from the Four Barbarians into the court as officials, they had divided and won over various outside forces. They had restored Great Gan's territory to its peak, and even expanded beyond it.

The man who implemented this policy was Shen Kui. Great Gan's current golden age, with ten thousand demons coming to court, owed much to this prime minister. The Qin Family had also thrown its full support behind the policy at first, but later the general and the prime minister had clashed. The Qin Family argued that they should slam on the brakes immediately, or they risked a tragedy in which a guest usurped the host.

From then on, their conflict only grew.

But as for who was right and who was wrong, though more people in the court and among the common folk supported Shen Kui, there had never been a definitive answer.

Judging by the fate's description, Shen Kui must have been wrong.

Of course.

Qin Muye didn't care all that much about who was right or wrong. His eyes were fixed on the densely packed numbers after the words "Second Rank."

If he brought Shen Kui down, wouldn't that be a huge haul?

He might only be a little shrimp right now, but what if?

He still had to go after the people who played major roles in the currents of history: emperors, crown princes, prime ministers, marshals. He'd take them all down!

Especially the mastermind who had poisoned him.

Once he dragged that bastard out into the open, he'd make sure not a bone remained.

"Muye! Muye!"

"Huh?"

"You still haven't told your aunt why you won't be short of money tomorrow!"

Qin Yanying was a little excited. "You're not planning to take Chen Sui out to rob people, are you? His Majesty said you can't abuse your authority."

Since arriving in the capital, the aunt and nephew had spent quite a bit of money, but it had all gone toward medicinal ingredients to nurse Qin Muye back to health. The Marquis of Zhennan Mansion covered half, and the court reimbursed the other half.

They hadn't actually spent all that much on food, clothes, and entertainment.

Still, she felt terribly strapped for cash.

If she had money to spend, she'd be very happy.

Qin Muye smiled. "Don't worry, Aunt. I'm not the sort of person who breaks the law!"

As he spoke,

he caught Bai Yuji's hand again. "Yuji, once you marry into my family, I'll never let you suffer."

"Mm!"

Bai Yuji smiled tenderly. Her body still resisted touching Qin Muye, but for the sake of the plan, she could endure it.

At least she could endure it in front of Qin Muye.

Back at the Southern Pacification Mansion, Qin Yanying cheerfully arranged a new bed for Qin Muye, then shot Bai Yuji a series of meaningful looks. But seeing how the "young couple" hesitated and fretted, she arranged a new bed for the room next door, too.

After sending away the maids who attended them personally,

Qin Muye shut the door and immediately walked toward Bai Yuji with a beaming smile. "My little lady! We should get some rest!"

"Don't come any closer!"

Bai Yuji didn't know where she'd drawn the dagger from. "Until you've recovered, when no one else is around, don't you dare try anything indecent with me!"

How had she pulled that out like a conjurer?

This woman seemed to have some kind of storage spell. He'd have to see if he could learn it sometime.

Qin Muye pursed his lips. "So you're saying I can do whatever I want to you when other people are around?"

Bai Yuji snorted. "As long as you're not afraid they'll find out you're limp as a rag, go right ahead."

Qin Muye: "..."

Damn it!

So you're going to milk that one trick for all it's worth, huh?

Just you wait.

Once I'm back on my feet,

I'll give you a thoroughly satisfying war of words.