diskusbooks Chapter 178 Because I Hate
Chapter 178 Because I Hate
Murong Jing narrowed his eyes and coldly swept his gaze across Su Mobai.
He did indeed take advantage of this opportunity to lie and claim that his leg was incurable and that he would be confined to a wheelchair from then on.
However, only a few of Feng Yue and Jiang Zhuo's confidants knew about this; even Emperor Mo Yao and Empress Murong Jing were not told.
Su Mobai is far too shrewd.
Compared to Murong Jing's alarmed reaction after his secret was exposed, Su Mobai appeared much calmer, as if what he had just said was nothing of great importance.
"As expected of the God of War, there is a reason why he has such outstanding military achievements. This incident shows that His Highness Prince Qin has extraordinary patience. This long-term plan can be described as casting a long line to catch a big fish."
After Su Mobai finished speaking, he nodded with a mixture of admiration and praise, but there was no joy in his eyes.
Now that he had seen through Murong Jing's scheme, he was naturally not happy.
Although their schemes appear to be the same on the surface, there is only one big fish. If they cooperate at this point, the fish will eventually fall into the net, and they will inevitably have to share it.
As for how to divide it, that's the question, not to mention whether people are willing to divide it.
Of course, in Su Mobai's eyes, this fish was originally raised in his own pond, but it was caught by someone halfway through. Now, he alone does not have enough ability to catch this big fish back, so he can only seek help and find allies.
Therefore, his previous insistence on getting Su Mowan to marry Murong Jing was not only because Murong Jing was indeed a good person, but also because he had his own selfish considerations.
Rather than letting outsiders take a share, it's better for family members to share; it'll make me feel better.
Murong Jing had already calmed himself down.
He said calmly, "Now that you know my plans, what are your thoughts?"
Su Mobai curled his lips into a cunning smile.
"My opinion is very simple. I must say, you used this move very well. Now not only Liuxia, but also Dongli and Yanxue are eager to make a move. However, there is a problem here. If the three countries launch an attack at the same time, can Yunmo handle it?"
For Yunmo, Liuxia is to the west, Yanxue to the south, Dongli to the east, and Beiyuan to the north. Yunmo is situated between these four kingdoms. Although it has the strongest military and is the wealthiest among the five kingdoms, it would be very difficult to besiege them all at the same time.
The Yanxue Kingdom in the south was dealt with by Yunmo a few years ago, and the Beiyuan Kingdom has always been Yunmo's biggest enemy. However, things have calmed down a lot in the last two years.
Yanxue is not capable of launching a counterattack in the short term. Yunmo's current enemies are only Liuxia Kingdom and Beiyuan Kingdom.
As for Dongli Kingdom, they've been busy dealing with Beiyuan lately, so they probably don't have time to mess with Yunmo.
Among them, Su Mobai admired Bei Yuan the most. He could keep Dong Li entangled with one hand and still have the other hand to entangle Yun Mo. That was quite a skill.
It should be noted that although Beiyuan's military strength is also strong, it can barely suppress Dongli among the five kingdoms, ranking second.
To provoke the first and third with the strength of the second-ranked team is truly audacious.
Murong Jing was not drawn into Su Mobai's trap.
"The scenario you described will not happen. Dongli and Yunmo are related by marriage, and there is also Beiyuan involved, so they will not provoke Yunmo. As for Yanxue... even if Yanxue and Liuxia join forces, I will not take them seriously."
To Murong Jing, Yan Xue was nothing more than a defeated opponent, not worth mentioning.
In the previous battle between Yunmo and Yanxue, he didn't even need to take action himself; the three thousand Snow Shadow Guards and the fifty thousand Valiant Cavalry Guards had already severely intimidated the Yanxue Kingdom.
Jiang Zhuo was the biggest contributor in that battle.
Murong Jing inadvertently displayed an air of superiority, which deepened the smile on Su Mobai's lips.
He blinked his beautiful fox-like eyes, which immediately revealed a calculating glint.
"Confidence is a good thing, and I enjoy dealing with confident people. Liu Xia might be making some moves soon; would you be interested in collaborating with me?"
It's called cooperation, but it's really just about doing hard labor.
Murong Jing had long seen through Su Mobai's shrewdness.
"What strength do you possess that would make me cooperate with you?"
His Highness the King of Qin looked somewhat disgusted.
Su Mobai frowned in displeasure and said bluntly, "Let's put aside strength for now and talk about leverage. Given the current situation, if I say the word, Mo Wan will come with me without hesitation. Do you believe me?"
"..."
Murong Jing felt as if his vital point had been struck, and for a moment he didn't know how to retaliate, nor could he.
Su Mowan isn't really tied down yet. With just one word from Su Mobai, she'd definitely get out of bed, slip on her boots, and run off with him...
Although His Highness the Prince of Qin was always confident, Su Mowan was a woman with poor taste. As a result, she didn't even glance at such a good-looking and manly man, let alone feel any romantic feelings for him.
However, feelings can be cultivated slowly, and given time, Su Mowan will definitely be devoted to him. But, since Su Mobai has said this now, Murong Jing's expression is not very good.
After a moment, Murong Jing gave in.
"Tell me, how do you want to cooperate?"
Seeing that the other party had finally backed down, Su Mobai was extremely smug, revealing his foxy nature: "It's simple, help me send troops to Liuxia, and after it's done—"
"Ten cities?"
"...You wish! Once it's done, we can skip the traditional betrothal and wedding ceremonies. After all, I know that I should repay great favors as much as possible, and I won't make things too difficult for you."
"..."
Murong Jing's lips twitched.
Sending troops to Liuxia was part of his plan, but attacking it on his own and in cooperation with Su Mobai were different.
Moreover, sending troops to Liuxia was no small matter, yet Su Mobai dismissed it so lightly with a mere "great favor."
It's true that he likes Su Mowan, and Su Mowan even saved his life, but all of that combined isn't enough for him to send troops without asking for any benefits in return.
After all, he was not the emperor of Yunmo. Yunmo would belong to his elder brother Murong Wei in the future. Even if they were brothers, he couldn't give others a reason to criticize him or sow discord.
Murong Jing shook his head.
"I cannot help you unconditionally. Although I like Su Mowan, that is not enough for me to send troops. Women are ultimately not as important as national affairs. I know what is more important. If you want me to cooperate, show me your sincerity. Don't just try to fool me with empty words."
Murong Jing wasn't stupid. Su Mobai's words implied cooperation, but in the end, he just wanted him to send troops. Did Su Mobai only offer empty words?
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Su Mobai's wicked scheme was exposed, but he wasn't embarrassed at all. He immediately put on a smiling face with a hint of smugness: "Do you know about the Star-Picking and Moon-Playing Pavilion?"
Murong Jing narrowed his eyes.
"Could it be that the Star-Picking Pavilion and the Moon-Playing Pavilion are both yours?"
The Star-Picking Pavilion is an intelligence organization with intelligence gathering capabilities comparable to the Free and Unfettered Sect. In fact, due to the Free and Unfettered Sect's decline in the past two years, the Star-Picking Pavilion has grown even stronger.
As for the Moonlit Pavilion, it specializes in training secret guards, assassins, and death squads. However, its reputation is far less than that of the Star-Picking Pavilion, because the Moonlit Pavilion almost never takes on assassination missions.
In other words, Su Mobai was keeping these people around for his own use.
Naturally, Murong Jing did not overlook the strangeness of this situation. He frowned and said suspiciously, "As far as I know, your salary is less than one-tenth or one-twelfth of mine."
"..."
Talking about salary is too humiliating.
Rich people never consider the feelings of poor people when they speak, which hurt Su Mobai deeply.
But he understood the meaning behind Murong Jing's words perfectly. He immediately glared at him and said, "In short, I can support these people. As for where the money comes from, you don't need to ask. If we have a hard time making ends meet in the future, I will ask Mo Wan for help without any hesitation. You can rest assured."
"..."
His Highness the King of Qin expressed great concern.
It seems necessary to consider going back and discussing with Su Mowan about handing over the financial power.
Murong Jing was somewhat hesitant about the cooperation at this point. However, relying solely on the strength of the Star-Picking and Moon-Playing Pavilion, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Cooperation is possible, but there must be benefits involved.
Before Murong Jing could even speak, Su Mobai interjected, "I'm penniless right now, so it's too early to talk about benefits. But I can tell you this: if I achieve my goal, I'm reluctant to give up the ten cities, but I can sign a treaty promising not to be enemies with Yunmo for a hundred years."
This promise, though not as practical as ten cities, is far more powerful and valuable.
Su Mobai is a trustworthy person.
This benefit was attractive enough for Murong Jing.
He feigned a leg ailment to provoke those who were eager to make a move, so that he could resolve both internal and external troubles at the same time.
Without the imposing aura of a war god prince, Yun Mo would surely be unable to restrain himself from those who were eyeing him covetously. Little did anyone know, this was nothing more than a trap set by Murong Jing.
It has to be said that Su Mobai was full of admiration for this tactic of luring the snake out of its hole.
Murong Jing glanced indifferently at Su Mobai in front of him: "Logically speaking, I could have just helped you seize power. There are easier ways to do this. Why do I have to send troops? After all, it is Liuxia."
Su Mobai's eyes darkened.
In an instant, he was filled with intense hatred. After a long while, he slowly said, "Because I hate him. I will never forget the massacre of my family twenty years ago. He broke his promise and destroyed the Ji clan and ruined my mother. To this day, I still remember how much my mother regretted it back then."
Upon hearing the words "massacre of the entire family," Murong Jing's pupils constricted slightly.
It turned out to be the case.
The reason why Ji Yu took her two children and went into hiding in Yunmo back then was probably because Liuxia could no longer tolerate her and her two children.
Thinking back to Su Mowan's carefree attitude, Murong Jing suddenly felt that being carefree wasn't so bad.
He took a deep breath.
Finally, he gave Su Mobai the answer he wanted.
"I promise to help you reclaim what belongs to you, but afterwards, you will not only need to sign a letter of state stating that you will not invade Yunmo for a hundred years, but you will also need to form an alliance with Yunmo to jointly conquer Beiyuan."
Su Mobai was satisfied.
Once satisfied, one's base nature comes out.
He glanced at me with a sly smile: "It's my fault for not getting a good price for Mo Wan. I actually made such an unreasonable demand on my brother-in-law."
Murong Jing: "..."