Chapter 124 - Who Is the Beneficiary

After keeping silent for a while, Mo Junyang said expressionlessly, “Tell me what you can satisfy me.”

Wei Zichao was stunned and peeped at his master in disbelief. Mo Junyang came here just as a formality. Why did he want to have a heart-to-heart talk with Zhao Ming?

Zhao Ming was overjoyed and gave some information to please him. “Prince Junjiu has coveted the position of the heir to the throne for a long time and wants to replace the crown prince.”

Mo Junyang sneered. “That’s it? Do you want to exchange it for a life of your family? Don’t waste our time!”

Then he stood up and planned to leave.

“Your Excellency, please wait!” Zhao Ming panicked and didn’t expect that Mo Junyang would leave whenever he wanted to and couldn’t be kept in suspense.

He knelt down and pleaded, “I am not a good talker. Please give me another chance. I won’t make you come here for nothing.”

He spoke solemnly and almost swore to God.

Mo Junyang stopped in his tracks and went back to his seat, saying coldly, “This is your last chance. If you say something worthless…”

“I don’t dare to anymore!” Zhao Ming kowtowed to ask for mercy.

Mo Junyang said with no emotion, “Tell me what your bargaining chip is.”

Zhao Ming quivered and spilt the beans. “In order to win me over, His Highness promised me that after we make it, he would give me my hometown as the fiefdom and make me King Chuan.”

The Mo Country had the rule to make a man outside the royal family the king, but it was left from the last dynasty. After the Mo Country was established, several kings from other families plotted treason and had been killed. Then the country didn’t have a king who was not from the royal family.

It was such a great temptation. Who wouldn’t be attracted?

Mo Junjiu was really good at playing games. He just drew a Rank-3 official over to his side and would reward him with the position of a king. What about the others with more power?

Wei Zichao secretly cursed that this prince was a prodigal son and thought his master was considerate. They really didn’t know about this news earlier.

Mo Junyang tapped his slender fingers on the table and nobody knew if he listened to Zhao Ming. After a long time, when Wei Zichao thought his master was asleep, he heard him say, “Chuan City is ruled by the Mo Country and the Zhao Country now. Can Mo Junjiu make you King Chuan even after he gets the position?”

Both Wei Zichao and Zhao Ming were stunned. The former regretted that he hadn’t thought of this key point, and the latter was amazed by Mo Junyang’s acuity.

Zhao Ming didn’t dare to play tricks and responded frankly, “The crown prince of the Zhao Country, Zhao Xinyu has become His Highness’s alliance. They would help each other get the position and had deals in cities, and a small city such as Chuan City is nothing difficult.”

“I see.” Mo Junyang finally showed a smile.

Zhao Ming heaved a sigh of relief and continued, “I am not as capable as you, and I can’t get the letters between His Highness and Zhao Xinyu, but I have recorded the contents of their communication. If you can promise to keep a life for my family, I will give you all the contents.”

Contacting the Liang Country was treason, but contacting the Zhao Country wasn’t?

Even though the records were the second-hand evidence, Mo Xiangbin was suspicious and after those things were submitted, he might deprive Mo Junjiu of his chance to be an heir.

Such a big secret was enough to exchange for a life, no matter who made a deal with him.

Wei Zichao couldn’t help but want to praise this traitor, Lord Zhao’s resourcefulness. This two-faced man was a good spy and his last card was attractive. With Mo Junjiu’s secrets, the crown prince in the East Palace would have more choices to go ahead or retreat. What would Mo Junyang choose?

After all, Zhao Ming wanted them to spare Shi Baojin’s life…

Mo Junyang looked as if lost in thought and seemed to hesitate. He came back to earth till Wei Zichao called him in a low voice. Then he looked at Zhao Ming, seeing his expectant and confident eyes, and sneered. “I am not a stubborn and unreasonable man, but you asked me to help nobody but Shi Baojin. Are you still unaware why I helped you so much but just wanted that playboy in your family to marry her?”

The smile on Zhao Ming’s face got stiffened and a thought flashed in his brain. He looked at Mo Junyang in disbelief.

Mo Junyang smiled casually. “Anyone who did something wrong would have to pay for it.”

Afterward, he ignored Zhao Ming who sat on the floor dispiritedly, and waved his sleeve, standing up. “Well, the conversation is over. Lord Zhao, take care of yourself.”

Wei Zichao was clear that as long as something was related to Shi Qingxue, Mo Junyang would change his mind, but Zhao Ming’s offer might influence the situation of the fight for the position of the heir to the throne. Was his master not tempted at all?

“Master!” Wei Zichao called anxiously and glimpsed at Zhao Ming’s anxiety. He reminded tentatively, “The Zhao Family can keep a life other than Shi Baojin’s baby.”

Zhao Ming’s eyes lit up at once and he crawled to Mo Junyang in a hurry, shouting nervously, “Right. Your Excellency, no matter how you will treat Shi Baojin, I just want you to keep a life for my family. Anyone is okay…”

Mo Junyang smiled. “Then what will you exchange with me?”

Zhao Ming said in haste, “I will give you all the records as I mentioned before.”

Mo Junyang was dismissive. “Ha! You want to fool me with that? Zhao Ming, do you think I am as stupid as Mo Junjiu? Fine, since you don’t want to make a deal, I won’t waste your time to enjoy the last breaths.”

“Your Excellency, everything I said is true. Those are the records of Mo Junjiu and Zhao Xinyu’s connections. With the records, you can investigate the traces of Mo Junjiu and the Zhao Country’s relationship. I won’t let you down. I told the truth!” Zhao Ming shouted loudly. If there weren’t a room door, he might climb to Mo Junyang.

Wei Zichao couldn’t help but whisper, “If what this guy said is true, that stuff would be helpful to the crown prince. Master, you…”

Mo Junyang cast a side glance at Wei Zichao, who wanted to advise him but was afraid of annoying him, and felt it laughable.

After thinking for a while, he took out a thin notebook from his pocket and threw it to Wei Zichao. “Do you mean this?”

Wei Zichao opened it in an instant and got stunned.

Zhao Ming found that notebook looked familiar and then noticed Wei Zichao’s expression. He couldn’t accept it and shouted, “No way. I have hidden it well. How could you get it? It must be fake, for sure!”

Mo Junyang didn’t want to argue with a dying person about the truth of something that he didn’t care about. He raised his head and left.

After he took two steps, something funny occurred to him, and he stopped and smiled at Zhao Ming gently. “Zhao Ming, you are not a fool. I think you must know who started the war sixteen years ago. When the Liang Country intruded our country’s territory, you suffered a lot. Why did you help the Liang Country at last? Let me guess. How did Yelü Beichen explain to you about your parents’ death? What did he promise to you?

Chuan City was conquered by the Zhao Country’s army then, which was like a beast at bay occupying the city. They would burn, kill and rob the local people when they retreated after being defeated at last as the customary rule. And he promised to make you King Chuan, too? Or would he help you defeat the Mo Country and the Zhao Country? You would actually believe such words?”

Mo Junyang spoke each word easily, but accurately told the truth that Zhao Ming tried to forget and didn’t even dare to think about, which was like the last straw.

Moreover, he didn’t want Zhao Ming’s answer. He left a bomb and exploded Zhao Ming’s last fighting spirit before walking out of the prison relaxed.

Wei Zichao followed Mo Junyang and walked outside. Before leaving the prison, he couldn’t help but look back at Zhao Ming, who was lying on the floor after all his energy was lost, like a dead person.

“Master, did the Liang Country’s army really kill Zhao Ming’s parents?” Wei Zichao couldn’t control himself and asked.

If this were the truth, Zhao Ming would be pathetic. He wanted to avenge his parents and family, but before dying he finally found that he had helped his enemy. Such a blow would be more painful than death.

Mo Junyang shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Then you said…”

Mo Junyang was indifferent. “The war was so many years ago, and the truth had been buried with the history. It depends on what you believe! He was in doubt, and I just told him every possibility to entertain him.”

Wei Zichao was speechless and thought, “The entertainment you mentioned would make him fall apart!”

Mo Junyang concealed his smile and looked serious, saying coldly, “Where do you think Mo Junjiu got the letter to cast a bone between Wenren Chi and Shi Junhe? Without that letter, I wouldn’t have found the secret between Zhao Ming and Yelü Beichen. He dared to make Qingxue sad, so he had to prepare to pay for it.”

In the final analysis, he did it for Shi Qingxue.

Wei Zichao was too powerless to comment. Perhaps after this issue, more people would guess that Mo Junyang loved the lady from the Shi Family.

“How would we deal with this notebook? Shall we give it to His Majesty?” Wei Zichao excitedly held the notebook with both hands, as if he had taken a bomb and would explode a fort.

Mo Junyang glanced at him with ridicule. “Why shall we hand it in? Since when did you want to be used as a tool?”

Wei Zichao answered automatically, “Can’t it get Mo Junjiu in trouble?”

“And then?”

“What then?” Wei Zichao couldn’t understand.

Mo Junyang was worried about his subordinate’s intelligence and told Qu Yuebai to explain to him. Then he went to the imperial palace to report on completion of the task.

Wei Zichao didn’t give up and asked Qu Yuebai, “Why didn’t our master use it? Does he not want the crown prince to be more powerful?”

Qu Yuebai took that notebook speechlessly and rolled it to knock on Wei Zichao’s head, cursing crossly, “Idiot! Can’t you use your brain? Do you think Zhao Ming would betray his boss just for a life?”

Wei Zichao said blankly, “Of course not, but Mo Junjiu is not his boss. He could betray Mo Junjiu. Do you doubt that the records are fake?”

Que Yuebai didn’t want to let Wei Zichao think about it and said directly, “The records must be true, but something true would be suspicious. Zhao Ming wouldn’t get any profit after handing it in.”

“He didn’t hand it in. It was our master…” Wei Zichao shut up angrily under Qu Yuebai’s glare and then asked reluctantly, “What do you think he wants to do?”

Qu Yuebai sneered. “This seems to be a good tool to deal with Mo Junjiu, but it is a hot potato indeed. If he hands it in, Mo Junjiu would be ruined and the crown prince would be in trouble, too.

Do you think our boss would do such a thing to make two fight and benefit the third one?”

Wei Zichao was still confused. “Do you mean Mo Junhao is behind the scene…”

Qu Yuebai interrupted him with a smile, “Buddha says, ‘it can’t be told’. Let’s wait and see what our boss will do.”