"Since Lord Xiangguo no longer suspects that it is fake, I have to put forward my own conditions."
Han Zeng has always been curious about what conditions Shao Xi would put forward before he would be allowed to read this letter, but he also guessed that the conditions would not be simple and trivial, but must be very harsh.
"Little friend, just speak frankly and tell me your conditions. I am willing to hear the details."
Shao Xi deliberately remained silent for a moment, seemingly thinking whether he should put forward this condition? How to propose it? In fact, Shao Xi was deliberately trying to whet Han Zeng's appetite.
Han Zeng already believed that what Shao Xi was holding was evidence that could bring Fu Zuoliang down, and he was eager to see the content of the letter and the person who wrote it.
Shao Xi's silence at this time made him feel doubly tortured. It was like a bowl of braised pork placed in front of a person who has been hungry for a long time, but he was not allowed to eat it. That feeling was quite uncomfortable.
Shao Xi wanted to make Han Zeng feel this way at this time. The more he hung on to him, the easier it would be for him to accept the price he offered.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Xiangguo, if I have got the evidence of Fu Zuoliang's crime in front of you tonight, I have shown my sincerity. Therefore, before letting Mr. Xiangguo read this letter, I also hope that Mr. Xiangguo can show his full strength." Sincerely, take out the secret messages you exchanged with the Jingyuan Dynasty and let the younger generation see them, so that it can be regarded as a fair transaction."
Han Zeng's face changed drastically when he heard this. He was first shocked, then surprised, and finally turned into angry.
Shao Xi's request seemed to Han Zeng to be a provocation to him. After all, in the court of Southern Zhao and on the public stage, he had always been a loyal and patriotic prime minister, and a veteran minister appointed by the late emperor to assist the government.
Now Shao Xi's words are equivalent to revealing his old background and tearing off his disguise. Those high-sounding words he said before are now like a joke.
As the saying goes, everyone has ugliness, but the best is to hide it. Shao Xi's move was tantamount to exposing his ugliest side, and in such a straightforward way. This was simply a humiliation for him, turning him into a clown in front of Shao Xi. How could he not anger?
Han Zeng's face was full of anger and he started to slap the case.
"Master Shao! I respect you as an envoy sent by the Jingyuan Empire. I have always treated you with great respect. Because I trust you, I discussed with you the eradication of traitors in both countries. Now you have poured dirty water on me. On his body, he falsely accuses me of colluding with the traitors in the Jingyuan Dynasty. I wonder what Mr. Shao’s intention is? What good will it do Mr. Shao to frame me in this way? Could it be that Mr. Shao has already colluded with that Fu Zuoliang in order to conspire against us in the future? Zhao Jiangshan?"
Shao Xi had a mysterious smile on his face. After Han Zeng finished speaking, he waved his hand to him, telling him not to get excited and sit down before talking.
In fact, Han Zeng could have directly issued an expulsion order to banish Shao Xi and Lao Wu from the Prime Minister's Mansion, but looking at the secret letter in Shao Xi's hand, he was really unwilling to let go of the opportunity to overthrow Fu Zuoliang. So he suppressed his anger and sat down again.
"Master Xiangguo, although I am much younger than Master Xiangguo, I am no longer a child, and Master Xiangguo no longer has to act for me. We Ming people do not tell secrets. There are people in the Jingyuan Dynasty who have secrets with people in the Southern Zhao Dynasty. Contact, this is no longer a secret to you and me. The only powerful ministers in the Southern Zhao Dynasty are the Prime Minister and the General. Even a young junior like me knows it. Don’t the big shots in the Jingyuan Dynasty know? ? Since someone sent a secret message to the general, how could no one get in touch with you, Mr. Xiangguo? I came here today with enough sincerity. If Mr. Xiangguo feels that I am rude, then let this matter go. Tonight We will return this letter to the General's Mansion and pretend that nothing happened. Anyway, I already know who wrote the secret letter to the General, and I can still deal with it when I go back. As for your affairs in the Southern Zhao Dynasty, I will not get involved. Yes, please take care of yourself, Mr. Xiangguo."
After saying that, Shao Xi stood up and took Lao Wu away from the Prime Minister's Mansion. This time, Han Zeng was defeated by Shao Xi.
If he just let them go and returned the secret letter to the General's Mansion as Shao Xi said, then this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would have slipped away before his eyes.
But at this time, Han Zeng didn't have a clue about Shao Xi. He didn't know what the purpose of his move today was, and he didn't dare to show his trump card easily. So when he saw Shao Xi getting up to leave, he felt in his heart Also extremely confused.
Seeing Shao Xi bowing and saluting, he turned around and led Lao Wu towards the door. He also saw Shao Xi raising the secret letter in his hand and handing it to Lao Wu beside him. It seemed that he wanted Lao Wu to come back tonight. Go to the General's Mansion and return the letter to its original place.
It was this move that made Han Zeng feel like a hundred claws were scratching his heart. The only chance to defeat Fu Zuoliang in so many years was right in front of him, but when he saw that he was about to miss it, Han Zeng felt extremely unwilling. .
In fact, Shao Xi, who had his back to Han Zeng at this time, was also in a state of confusion.
He pretended to leave just to force Han Zeng to make the final choice, but he actually didn't know what Han Zeng would choose.
If Han Zeng did not retain him and allowed him to leave with Lao Wu, then the plan would have completely failed. However, since he wanted to force Han Zeng to compromise, he could not leave him any room for maneuver. Otherwise, Han Zeng, an old fox, would definitely choose to be more cunning. A sure way to get the secret message in your own hands.
But now Han Zeng had no choice, either to give up this opportunity and continue fighting with Fu Zuoliang in the court, or to show his trump card and seize this opportunity. It was precisely because Shao Xi caught Han Zeng's mentality that he dared to take the risk of forcing Han Zeng to take a step forward. Success or failure depended on this move.
"My little friend, please stay. I was just excited for a moment and my words were a little inappropriate. I hope you don't take it to heart. If you have anything to do, let's sit down and talk slowly. Why are you so anxious?"
Shao Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Han Zeng's words to persuade him to stay.
However, his expression remained unchanged. He turned around and said to Han Zeng with a smile: "Just now, I have made it very clear to Mr. Xiangguo that this is a transaction between you and me. Since it is a transaction, it must be of equal value." , if this junior has already made a price, if Mr. Xiangguo wants to continue this transaction, he must come up with his own price. There is no free benefit in this world, and this junior is not working for Mr. Xiangguo for free. This junior is just here. I hope to know who in my court has contacted Mr. Xiangguo. As for whether Mr. Xiangguo is loyal or traitorous to Nan Zhao, what does it have to do with me? Where to go, Mr. Xiangguo can decide for himself."
Shao Xi's words have been made very clear. I took Fu Zuoliang's secret letter just to know from you, Han Zeng, who in our Jingyuan Dynasty is colluding with foreign countries. As for you, Han Zeng, it has nothing to do with me. If you want to see the secret message in my hand, then you have to show me the secret message in your hand. I will not accept it.
Han Zeng hesitated for a moment and finally said to Shao Xi: "Since I have said this, I must also show my sincerity. Please sit down with this old gentleman and wait for a while. I will go. Just come."
With that said, Han Zeng asked Shao Xi and others to sit down again, and he turned around and entered the back hall.
After Han Zeng left the main hall, Lao Wu handed the secret letter in his hand back to Shao Xi and secretly gave Shao Xi a thumbs up. It seemed that Shao Xi's trick "forced the dog into the back alley" even Lao Wu Wu also thought it was brilliant.
Although Shao Xi was not 100% sure of what he was doing, one thing he knew was that the thing in his hand was too tempting for Han Zeng.
As long as he holds the chips in his hands, the other party will eventually bow his head, and he believes that Han Zeng knows very well in his heart that if he does not cooperate with him, he will be pushing himself towards Fu Zuoliang. Today, he and Lao Wu have come out of the relationship. In the national government, the only person in Southern Zhao who could cooperate with him was Fu Zuoliang.
Instead of pushing a partner with a chip in his hand toward his enemy, it is better to let this partner see his own cards.
Not long after, Han Zeng walked out with the same secret letter as the one Fu Zuoliang gave to Shao Xi. However, he did not hand it to Shao Xi immediately. Instead, he sat back in his seat and looked at Shao Xi. The secret letter in his hand didn't say a word, he just looked at Shao Xi with questioning eyes, as if he hoped that Shao Xi would give him the secret letter in his hand to read, and then he would give the secret letter in his hand to Shao Xi. look.
Shao Xi secretly smiled in his heart. This old fox was really cunning. He was afraid that after reading his secret letter, he would regret it and refuse to show him his secret letter again. But by the same token, why should I let him see it first? If he regrets not showing it to himself after seeing it, wouldn’t he suffer a loss?
So an old fox and a little fox looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes, neither of them willing to hand over the secret message in their hands first.
The older fox sitting beside him suddenly lost his temper when he saw the two of them glaring at me and me glaring at you.
"I said that one of you is the dignified Prime Minister of Southern Zhao, and the other is the fourth-rank inspector of Jing Yuanguo. How can you be like two children? Since we are talking about cooperation, we must trust each other. In this way, you look at me and I look at you. Is yours interesting? Wouldn’t it save a lot of trouble to just exchange them at the same time? Don’t take advantage of anyone else, and then exchange them back after you’ve seen them.”
Shao Xi and Han Zeng felt that what Lao Wu said made sense. Instead of continuing in this stalemate, they might as well exchange secret messages at the same time. After reading the contents, they would exchange the secret messages back. In this way, both parties have mastered the secrets in each other's hands, and their own secrets are also mastered by the other party. If each other has no secrets, then there will be no psychological burden when they cooperate. It is better than the current situation where you guard against me and I guard against you. your.
So the two of them stood up at the same time, handing it to each other with their left hand and their right hand. They exchanged the secret messages in each other's hands, and each opened it and looked at it carefully.
