You're Strong But Now You're Mine
Chapter 141 - 140 Stirring the Shit Stick

Chapter 141: Chapter 140 Stirring the Shit Stick

Le Yuxin never expected that his plan to provoke war and accelerate progress would not alert the Silver Blood Association, nor be discovered by White Night, but would be uncovered by a secret organization loyal to Huiyao.

This feeling is like pulling a clever move in a game; neither your teammates nor your opponents notice it, but somehow the lone NPC becomes aware.

As for Qin Leyin’s words, Le Yuxin is three parts believing, seven parts doubtful.

Firstly, Qin Leyin should be someone from Huiyao’s Four Guards. He has no reason to use an unheard-of organization to fool Jing Zhengwei — compared to the hidden ’Huiyao Four Guards’, claiming to be an external special agent of the Yanjing Statistical Department would be more credible.

Secondly, it is probably true that Huiyao Four Guards want to eliminate the Silver Blood Association. Anyone with clear eyes can see these merchants have become too powerful; if not dealt with now, future troubles will be endless. Especially for the feudal imperial court, this merchant alliance that can disrupt the world with financial power must be eradicated.

As for those reasons Qin Leyin mentioned, Le Yuxin doesn’t believe a single one.

Things like ’forcing wealth overseas’ or ’if the Silver Blood Association can advance productivity, Huiyao Four Guards will support them’ are pure nonsense — if Huiyao Four Guards could freely choose their master, selecting the party emperor, they shouldn’t be called Huiyao Four Guards, but Cihang Sword Pavilion.

As a legacy espionage organization, they must have their own baseline and stance, and this baseline must be founded on unconditionally supporting the Huiyao Court — otherwise, the Court wouldn’t tolerate them.

He likely says this to resonate with Jing Zhengwei or hint to Jing Zhengwei — ’Silver Blood Association isn’t necessarily doomed; if there are patriotic merchants, Huiyao Four Guards might support them’...

Because in his eyes, while Jing Zhengwei hates the Silver Blood Association, he himself is a capitalist merchant.

People often betray their organization but rarely their class.

Based on Jing Zhengwei’s life experiences, he actually has ample reason to betray the Silver Blood Association: neglected by his father in his youth, lost his mother, separated from family upon growing up, not destined to inherit the position of patriarch, and even if he could inherit, he would face the elder family seniors above and his covetous brothers below, he’s not Jing Qingfu, not knowing how much effort is needed to integrate the Jing Family — or he might not integrate it at all.

Heavy rules for turbulent times, harsh drugs for disease.

The Silver Blood Association not only blocks the upward paths for the lower class but even internally clogs itself — the five major guilds have suppressed them for decades, governors and officials escort them on either side, Dongyang is a pot of meat, basically divided by them entirely, with the dregs enjoyed by their vassals.

Anyone with great ambitions in Xuanzhu County must first grasp the basics of the Silver Blood Association, or... break the Silver Blood Association!

Only amid chaos can others seize the opportunity to ride the dragon and soar!

Seizing the patriarch position, destroying Silver Blood, climbing high, merchants wielding power, tyrants disrupting the country... such a crazy plan aligns with Jing Zhengwei’s style!

Thus Qin Leyin leaves three points of room when speaking, highlighting the critical point of the Silver Blood Association’s inevitable demise to reassure Jing Zhengwei; mentioning Huiyao Four Guards’ concerns further kindles Jing Zhengwei’s ambitions.

If it were the official version of Jing Zhengwei, he might be pondering how to leverage Huiyao Four Guards’ power now, considering strategies.

Unfortunately, he is the unofficial version.

Le Yuxin, working as a statistical department agent, an assassin, and a cunning merchant, hasn’t lived these days in vain, quickly spinning his mind to unravel the loops within.

Yet at present, he naturally needs to put on a merchant attitude to negotiate with Qin Leyin, seeing if he can extract more information.

"Jing Family Patriarch position."

Qin Leyin opens with a bombshell: "As long as Wei Shao is willing to cooperate with our Huiyao Four Guards, we’ll help you ascend to the position of Jing Family Patriarch."

Le Yuxin couldn’t help but chuckle, then played a direct blow card, apologizing with a sheepish grin: "Sorry... it’s not that I look down on you, but isn’t it that you support my brother Jing Zhengwu yourself? So long has passed, my brother still hasn’t seized the patriarchal position. Do you really have a way to let me ascend?"

"Wei Shao, your doubts are quite normal." Qin Leyin revealed a counter card: "But, you only know I support your brother Jing Zhengwu, yet you should also know... Jing Main Hall, Jing Zhengfeng also have supporters behind them."

Although Qin Leyin only partly spoke, Le Yuxin instantly understood the implications, his face drastically changing:

"You’re also supporting Jing Main Hall and Jing Zhengfeng?!"

"Not too overt support, merely fanning the flames." Qin Leyin said with a smile: "Since we’re here, I might as well say a bit more... you know Ting Zhaozao is the second young master of the Ting Family, right?"

Le Yuxin nodded: "I know, Silver Blood Association president Ting Gu nurtures two sons and one daughter, eldest son Ting Wanjian, second son Ting Zhaozao, third daughter Ting Yanzhou."

At this time, remembered something from Jing Zhengwei’s investigation, Le Yuxin had a hunch: "Eldest son Ting Wanjian is five years older than Ting Zhaozao, has followed his father managing the munitions factory for years, with experience in the Heyang Army, undisputed next patriarch of the Ting Family, and potentially next president of the Silver Blood Association..."

"...until he had an affair with his father’s sixth concubine, and Ting Gu was furious, relegating him to the Heyang Army to handle arms trading, almost losing inheritance rights, only then did Ting Zhaozao take the opportunity to rise..."

"That sixth concubine, could it be you guys—"

"Hey hey hey, we at Huiyao Four Guards wouldn’t stoop to such dirty dealings." Qin Leyin waved with a smile: "Wei Shao knows quite a lot, the affair of the Ting Family’s eldest son with a concubine is a secret even within the Ting Family, all servants who knew were executed, the concubine fed to the dogs, only because Ting Gu despite being ruthless didn’t harm his son, did Ting Wanjian barely survive."

Ironically, Le Yuxin thought, you might have just heard, but Jing Zhengwei actually witnessed this firsthand, even climbed up a pine tree at the Ting Family to watch the scene unfold... Le Yuxin mentally commented, humbly said: "I heard it from aunties on the street... so was this your doing?"

"Also not." Qin Leyin played a card down: "Neither concubine nor Ting Wanjian know of our existence. We merely were aware that Ting Wanjian favored married women, and as Ting Gu aged, his concubines naturally contemplated their future... sparks met tinder trees, nothing to do with us?"

"We don’t have such power, can’t control and toy with the Ting Family, at most... just create a little opportunity for them to be alone."

"So all said and done, four words suffice: ’fanning the flames’."

Qin Leyin revealed a critical strike card:

"In this world, achieving success is hard, ruining things is easy. The human heart is unpredictable, human nature greedy, and on this land of silver and blood, everywhere are blossoming flowers of crime, we merely offer a bit of convenience, evoking human’s ugly nature."

Le Yuxin nodded in sudden understanding.

Understood, you guys are the shit-stirrers.