diskusbooks Chapter 327 I've always liked to be frank and speak frankly.
Chapter 327 I've always liked to be frank and speak frankly.
He said he would have to ask Zheye and the others to wait a while, but Yinzhuo knew he couldn't keep them waiting too long. After all, if they got angry and left, how could he continue his act? Yinzhuo, Yinti, and Yintang only sat for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before getting up and heading towards the Lotus Pond Moonlight.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, Tetsuya-nii. The sun is just too strong today. My sixth brother is used to being pampered and can't stand being in the sun, so I had to take a little longer..."
Although Yinzhuo knew that Yintang's words were just an excuse for their lateness, he still couldn't help but raise his hand and give Yintang a big whack on the back of the head. What do you mean I can't stand the sun? What, am I an ice sculpture?
"Tetsuya-kun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
The thought of tricking the Japanese devil filled Yinzhuo with excitement, and his smile became even brighter. It has to be said that good-looking people have an advantage. Just look at how Yinzhuo's smile eased the tension between Tetsuya and Kenjiro.
"Your Highness, you are too kind. You are usually very busy with official duties, and it is an honor for us that you have taken the time to see us..."
It's no wonder that Tetsuya and Kenjiro adopted such a humble attitude. After all, the saying "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated" wasn't something only Yinzhuo and his group understood. Tetsuya and his companions had done their homework before coming. They knew that this Prince Zhao, whom Ninth Prince called Sixth Brother, was no ordinary person to deal with. You have to understand that the Qing emperor had more than a dozen sons, and this Sixth Prince was able to surpass the Crown Prince, Prince Zhi, and Prince Cheng, who were ranked higher, to win the Qing emperor's favor. This shows how deep and terrifying his scheming was...
At this moment, Yinzhuo was unaware of what the two were thinking. Otherwise, he would have been secretly gloating. The fact that Zheye and the others could misunderstand Yinzhuo like this only shows that the smokescreen that Kangxi had previously used to confuse the enemy had been very successful. It is likely that Zheye and the others did not realize that the reason why Yinzhuo was favored by his father was because of his sincerity.
Yinzhuo's purpose in coming here today was to test Tetsuya's attitude, so he didn't intend to beat around the bush with Tetsuya. After exchanging a few pleasantries upon entering, he asked Yintang to take Kenjiro to the next room to rest, leaving only Yinzhuo, Yinti, and Tetsuya in the room.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
The fact that Kenjiro was half-dragged and half-carried out by Yinzhi and his men greatly shocked Tetsuya. His face, which had been expressionless except for nervousness since Yinzhi and the others entered, showed a slight, almost imperceptible anger. However, he was only angry for a moment, and quickly composed himself, returning to his previous timid demeanor. Yinzhi was sitting next to Tetsuya, and although the change in Tetsuya's expression was barely noticeable, Yinzhi still caught a glimpse of it. This made him even more convinced that the timid demeanor of the man in front of him was just a pretense.
"Tetsuya-kun, don't worry. Koku just asked Kenjiro-san to rest next door so that it would be easier for us to continue our conversation. Tetsuya-kun, although we haven't met before, you should know me to some extent. I've always liked to speak frankly. Since we're already sitting here today, I won't beat around the bush. I've only come to ask you one question: do you want to be the emperor of your Japan?"
Zheye was clearly surprised that Yinzhu could speak so bluntly. Even though he was very good at pretending, he was shocked and his expression changed for a moment. Fortunately, as a veteran actor, he had good professionalism. After only a moment of losing control, he returned to his previous timid and wooden appearance.
The change in Tetsuya's facial expression was far more pronounced than before. Even Yinti, who was usually oblivious to things, noticed something was wrong. Yinzuo, of course, wouldn't miss it either, so he ignored Tetsuya's attitude and continued speaking on his own.
"Tetsuya-kun, you speak Chinese so well, you must really love our Chinese culture. I don't know if you've ever heard the saying, 'A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier.' As members of the royal family, we must have some overlap in our circumstances. Even though you're very good at disguising yourself, that brief change in your expression just now couldn't escape my eyes. I saw two words in your eyes—ambition."
After saying these words, Yinzhuo stared intently into Zheye's eyes without flinching, watching as his gaze slowly shifted from timidity to composure. Yinzhuo had once read a quote online: "The eyes are the windows to the soul. Lying requires a face, but the eyes are the traitors of the soul." Even if Zheye's facial expressions were perfectly disguised, his deep-seated ambition would inadvertently slip out from his eyes.
Now that the initial probe had yielded some results, Yinzhuo naturally wanted to press on. Although he knew that a successful imposter like Zheye would not easily admit to being exposed, Yinzhuo believed that as long as the bait on his hook was big and appealing enough, it was only a matter of time before the fish took the bait.
"This is our first meeting. I know Tetsuya-kun won't easily believe me, but I still suggest you listen carefully to what I have to say before making a decision. According to my investigation, although you are the third in line to the throne of Japan, you are not favored by your father and the emperor. Your elder brother, although mediocre, still holds the title of prince. In the end, it's always better to have your own son. If you want to ascend to that position, cooperating with me is undoubtedly the best choice. I can provide you with assistance far beyond your imagination: money, manpower, even military ships... Of course, I'm not some selfless saint. After it's done, I want the development rights to these mines, and we want to station troops in these ports."
When Yinzhuo said he was speaking frankly, he really didn't hold back at all. At this moment, people clearly forgot their father's advice not to act on their own and make reckless decisions. He directly pulled out a list and named people by name to state their conditions.
You have to admit, Yinzhuo's outrageous demands did actually make Zheye waver a bit. After all, having something in mind is always more reassuring than having nothing in mind. It's not that a pie falling from the sky is impossible, but there's a high probability that it won't just happen to land on your head. If it does happen that way, you'll probably be seriously injured rather than killed by the pie.
To be fair, Zheye's composure is truly remarkable. Yinzhuo had already said all that, but Zheye hadn't uttered a single word. Yinzhuo had been putting on a one-man show for a while, saying what needed to be said, testing what needed to be tested, and naturally giving him his advice. Seeing that Zheye remained silent, Yinzhuo raised his hand, pressed it on the table, and stood up.