"How could that be??"
Cheng Ji's eyes widened. Of course he could not understand the connection.
Cheng Cui said through gritted teeth, "So that was why Sima Fu was in such a hurry to send his son away..."
"No wonder Sima Zhao handed all the troops inside the imperial palace over to Guo Jian..."
"Sima Fu and his son love putting on a righteous act. Presumably Sima Zhao gave Sima Wang the same orders, and that was why Sima Wang was so eager to leave."
"Naturally, Sima Wang couldn't do the dirty work. They would use you as the blade, then have Sima Wang kill you..."
"Sima Fu refused, so they had the Guo Family take their place."
"Once you acted, they would have the Guo Family kill you, then shove all the blame onto you and the Guo Family..."
Hearing his elder brother's words, Cheng Ji flew into a rage. "They were planning to kill me all along??"
"Is there any doubt? If you did something like that for them, how could they let you live?!"
Cheng Ji's eyes reddened as he said furiously, "I've been utterly loyal to them all this time, and you've rendered them so many services..."
Cheng Cui gave a cold laugh.
"Loyal? Could you possibly be more loyal than Jia Chong?"
"They can discard even people like Jia Chong and Guo De at will, let alone me."
"We come from humble backgrounds. Why would they care about my achievements? No matter how much merit I earn, would they ever make me a marquis?!"
The mention of noble titles angered Cheng Cui somewhat as well.
The Sima Family had made quite a few people marquises over the years, but most had received their titles because of their fathers. These new marquises spent their days drinking,