Chapter 354: What Do You Mean
“Come in, ” Qi Qingyao commanded.
The look on Heir Pei’s face was very disapproving, indicating that they were discussing more important matters before his interruption. Qi Qingyao took a deep breath and said, “He knows about Si Jin.”
Heir Pei, “…” She was saying it, just like that? Or had Lu Yan already guessed it himself? After all, they lived under the same roof, it would be hard to hide things like that.
Lu Yan walked into the room, but before he could say anything, Heir Pei lifted his chin and said coldly, “So what grand opinions do you have?”
Lu Yan knew that this man knew something, so he waved at him as he replied, “No grand opinions, but I do have some humble ones.”
Heir Pei had an attentive look on his face.
Lu Yan’s thick eyelashes moved under the light, and the look in his eyes was very resolute, “I know you came here to advise her not to go out.”
“So, you’re here to argue with me?” Heir Pei frowned.
“Yes.” Lu Yan thought about it for a moment and then looked at Qi Qingyao, “No one understands Si Jin’s background, that’s for sure. Not you, not me, and not even the Zhaixing Administration. No one knows where Si Jin went, not her, nor you or I. And I’m afraid the Zhaixing Administration doesn’t know either.”
Heir Pei responded, “So?”
Lu Yan replied, “So, I think that this matter can’t be hidden from the world.”
Heir Pei replied solemnly, “It will be kept a secret if none of us talks about it.”
Lu Yan then asked, “The State Preceptor and Head Grand Secretariat might be awake now. You think they won’t spread news of this across the city?”
‘They… wouldn’t, right?’ Pei Fengtang thought to himself, ‘Those two are not idiots, after all.’
Lu Yan’s misty eyes made him look somewhat leisurely as he said, “Powers from all sides are coming into Qingzhou City to investigate this mysterious grand master. If they can’t find him, they’ll turn the entire city upside down until they do. If you want this to happen, you can ignore everything I’ve just said.”
Qi Qingyao stared at the two men bickering between themselves, and she got up and sat somewhere else. She started thinking about what Gu Shanshan had told her. Lu Yan had mentioned before that these people have some authority in Eastern Ling, so surely they had sources of information to tell them what was going on. Since they said the grand masters were here to kill Si Jin, they had to be telling the truth.
After killing Si Jin, Eastern Ling and Southern Ming would declare war to put Northern Liang in a stranglehold. One grand master would not be enough to handle them both.
Two grand masters from Eastern Ling, and another two from Southern Ming.
How were they supposed to fight this?
Even if Si Jin announced to the entire world that he was a grand master, Eastern Ling and Southern Ming would have gotten hold of that information and declared war on the southeast and northeastern areas at the same time. By then, Northern Liang would not be able to hold out any longer either.
This was a disaster, no matter what.
Heir Pei stared at Lu Yan and asked, “Do you want to spread the news?”
“Yes.” Lu Yan nodded.
Pei Fengtang said nothing more, musing over the consequences.
“Since everyone’s investigating this matter, we should spread the information. There is no need to hide,” said Lu Yan. He then continued, “Before they confirm anything, they wouldn’t dare touch her.”
“No one would dare touch someone protected by a grand master.” Pei Fengtang rubbed his head and paused for a moment. He then sat down and poured himself a cup of tea, “However, once the confirmation goes out, she’ll be the center of attention.”
Lu Yan replied, “She already is the center of attention.”
Pei Fengtang agreed with Lu Yan, but at the same time, he felt like that was too risky. He could not decide what to do, so had no other choice but to ask Qi Qingyao, who had remained silent all this while.
“What do you think?”
“What do you mean by that?” Qi Qingyao threw a question back to him as she gracefully sipped on her cup of tea.
Pei Fengtang then replied, “Do we spread the information? Or do we wait for him to return?”
Qi Qingyao thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Spread the information.”
Pei Fengtang then concluded, “Alright, there you have it.”
He then continued, “Ask him to accompany you if you ever want to go out these few days.” Just in case of an assassination attempt.
He was talking about Lu Yan.
Qi Qingyao said nothing, but Lu Yan nodded in agreement.
She was thinking about what Gu Shanshan had said again. She mused over it. Should she tell Pei Fengtang? He was an heir, after all. If he knew about it, he would report it to the Imperial Court.
However, even if they knew, they could not do anything about it.
The grand master of Capital City would not rush all the way to Qingzhou City just to protect a grand master he did not even know. He had to protect the emperor.
Si Jin would surely be the target of other grand masters if he decided to show up again…
What should they do, then?
There was also another possibility.
Si Jin would never appear again.
Pei Fengtang thought she was still angry that Jiang Yeqian and Li Ruoxuan tried to kill Si Jin, so he said to her sheepishly, “I know you must be angry about Jiang Yeqian and Li Ruoxuan going after Si Jin. If I were you, I would feel the same too.”
Qi Qingyao looked up, her eyes misty as she replied, “Do we even have to clarify such things?”
“We have to.” Pei Fengtang nodded solemnly.
Qi Qingyao, “…”
“Any person who could possibly be a grand master has the potential to change the course of history and the integrity of the country. They would also be useful on the battlefield. That’s why we have to investigate this matter,” said Pei Fengtang. “Sacrificing yourself for this cause is necessary.”
Qi Qingyao, “…”
Pei Fengtang continued, “If I understand the State Preceptor’s attitude, he was prepared to die the moment the both of them made the decision to test Si Jin.”
Qi Qingyao tilted her head and smiled back at him, “Are you asking me not to hate them?”
“No.” Pei Fengtang had an adamant look in his dark eyes as he replied, “I’m asking you to stop Si Jin from taking revenge on them both. If he comes back, that is.”
Lu Yan looked down. He did not want to take part in this conversation.
Qi Qingyao thought for a while and then said, “I can’t make such hasty decisions on that matter.”
“You can,” Pei Fengtang replied. “That kid listens to you.”
He paused.
He soon continued, “I don’t know why he stayed by your side, but I’m sure he will listen to everything you say.”
Qi Qingyao smiled back at him mockingly, the look in her eyes as bright as a star. “They wanted to kill him, yet he can’t get his revenge. Hehe, interesting. Hypocritical dog!”
Pei Fengtang had no idea what ‘hypocritical dog’ meant.
He thought to himself, ‘Any phrase with ‘dog’ in it must be an insult.’
He sighed helplessly, “You don’t understand what I mean.”
Qi Qingyao harrumphed quietly.
Pei Fengtang said to her, “They were just testing him.”
He wanted to explain everything, but nothing came out of his mouth.
He could understand why she was so mad about this.
Pei Fengtang continued, “Forget it. If you want Si Jin to avenge himself, go ahead. Kill them both. But when two of the most important people in the Imperial Court die, there will be chaos across the entire city. Either that, or we will be invaded by Eastern Ling and Southern Ming straightaway. You’ll have to bear the consequences of your actions in the end.”
“…” This man’s excuses were quite something.
If two of the most important people in the Imperial Court died, she would have to bear the consequences.
What if Si Jin died?
If Si Jin was a rank nine, he would have been killed by those two.
Who would have taken responsibility then?
Perhaps…
One might say his death was equivalent to sacrificing a nameless pawn.
In the end, she was still not the one who would be making the final decision on whether Si Jin exacted his revenge or not.