gnovel Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Yin De and Fu Quan, one on each side, supported Batu as the three of them walked unsteadily.
Batu dared not put any force on his left foot, only touching the ground with his toes. With each step, his shoulder would tilt towards Yinde.
Fuquan was young and weak; he was supporting Batu's left arm, and his own back was almost bent over by the weight.
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, stubbornly refusing to let go.
Batu had walked this path from the courtyard gate to the study countless times, but he had never felt it was so long.
The old locust tree in the courtyard rustled in the night wind, and the cicadas' chirping poured down from the treetops, hoarse and lingering.
Fu Quan freed one hand and pushed open the study door, where candlelight peeked out from the crack.
Yin De and Fu Quan helped Batu to sit down in a chair next to the desk. Batu slumped back in the chair, panting heavily.
Fu Quan stepped aside and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Yinde stood behind Batu, his short jacket stained with black ash and blood, but his expression remained calm, showing no signs of fatigue.
Yin'e walked behind the desk and sat down.
He moved the candlesticks on the table aside to make room, crossed his hands on the table, and scanned the three of them with his eyes.
"You did a great job tonight," Yin'e said. "Without you, tonight's events would not have been possible."
Yin De straightened his back even more, but his face remained expressionless.
Fu Quan lowered his head, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"Yin De, reward him with five hundred taels of silver."
Yin De quickly lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down on one knee: "Thank you, Tenth Master!"
"Fuquan, reward him with one hundred taels of silver."
Fu Quan knelt down with a thud: "Thank you, Tenth Master! Thank you, Tenth Master!"
"Batu".
Batu tried to stand up and kneel down, but as soon as he moved, a piercing pain shot through his right shoulder.
He simply didn't stand up, but nodded: "Tenth Master, you saved my life, it can't be bought with money."
Yin'e looked at him and did not mention the reward again.
The moment the word "but..." was uttered, the atmosphere in the study suddenly changed.
His gaze fell on Batu's face, with a hint of seriousness.
"There's something I need to say." He paused. "Our original plan was to kill Gao Mengyuan."
Once he's dead, there's no way to verify the incident, and the fire will be considered a pure "accident."
Batu can withdraw cleanly, and the Tenth Prince's Mansion can also extricate itself cleanly.
"But now, there are still some discrepancies."
"Tenth Master, it's my fault for not handling things properly. I didn't expect Gao Mengyuan to have that person with him, nor did I expect Xiao Guoxing to be there. I...I..."
Batu gritted his teeth, slid off the chair, and knelt on the ground. "Please punish me."
Yin'e did not speak immediately.
He stood up, walked around the desk, went to Batu, bent down, and supported his arms with both hands, helping him up from the ground.
"This isn't your fault." Yin'e released his grip and took a step back. "Man proposes, God disposes. You've done very well."
Batu raised his head and looked at Yin'e.
His eyes reddened, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but found that he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
The study was quiet for a moment.
Yin De took half a step forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Tenth Master, should we send my maternal uncle back to the grasslands to hide? Before the news spreads, we can leave the city tonight and get far away before dawn."
Once on the grasslands, that's his territory; no one can touch him.
"That's what I originally thought too," Yin'e said. "But then I thought, if Batu disappears, then all that's left is Gao Mengyuan and Xiao Guoxing's side of the story."
They can arrange things however they want, which puts us in a very passive position.
Yin De thought for a moment and nodded.
"Then what should we do?" he asked.
"Batu not only can't run away, he also has to go to the government office on his own initiative."
"Go on your own initiative?" Batu's voice was tinged with disbelief.
His body instinctively shrank back.
"That's right. Juxianju is a loan shark, and you are a victim. You can be a witness and tell us everything you know."
"Then...what about the murder and arson?" His voice trembled slightly. "Sun Yongfu's matter...and my arson...if the authorities investigate..."
"Despite your words, I'll deny it to the death." Yin'e's tone was calm. "Did someone see you kill someone? Did someone see you set a fire?"
Batu was taken aback.
He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
When the accounting office was set on fire, the door was closed and there was no one in the corridor.
When Sun Yongfu was killed, there were only the two of them in the outhouse, and there was no one else in the corridor at the time.
While he was setting fire to each room, everyone ran away.
"No, not at all." His voice was a little steadyer, but still carried a hint of uncertainty.
"That settles it then." Yin'e shrugged. "Murder and arson aren't the point."
The main focus is on Juxianju's operation of a casino, its loan sharking, and the affairs of its behind-the-scenes boss.
All you need to do is reveal everything you know.
He paused, then held up a finger and waved it in front of Batu: "Remember, just keep pinning your finger on Gao Mengyuan, and never mention the Crown Prince."
Batu was stunned for a moment, and Yinde was also stunned for a moment.
The two exchanged a glance, then looked at Yin'e at the same time.
"Tenth Master, why is this?" Yin De took half a step forward, his tone filled with confusion. "We've gone to so much trouble just to drag the Crown Prince into this mess, haven't we?"
"Now that we've finally gotten this opportunity, how could you..."
"Idiot," Yin'e interrupted him, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent; do you think we can just shake his position like that?"
He stood up from behind his desk, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the study a few times.
"How could Father Emperor, with his wisdom and insight, not see through the intricacies of this situation?"
He stopped, turned around, and looked intently at Yinde and Batu.
"Who in the court doesn't know who's behind Gao Mengyuan? Who doesn't know who Huang Tiren and Xiao Guoxing are working for? Do we need to explain whose property Juxianju is?"
"Stop at the point. Saying too much will only make you seem deliberate."
The Emperor would feel that you are interfering, telling him what to do, and that you are hoping for the Crown Prince's downfall.
By then, not only will you fail to overthrow the crown prince, but you'll also get yourself into trouble.
He paused, his gaze falling on Batu's face: "Don't be a target."
The study was quiet for a moment.
Batu sat in the chair, head down, looking at his hands.
He raised his head and looked at Yin'e with genuine admiration in his eyes.
"Tenth Master is wise."
This time, those four words weren't just polite; they came from the heart.
He finally understood that the Tenth Master's previous image as a good-for-nothing was just an act for the world!
He hid it so well that he fooled everyone!
He thinks further ahead than others, sees more clearly than others, and calculates more shrewdly than others.
He calculated three moves ahead for every move he made; he considered three layers of meaning in every word he uttered.
This kind of person is terrifying; he's far superior to me.