Chapter 638: Disintegration From The Inside
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Zhou Wei knew that Xie Rui was not a smart kid, but he did not expect him to be so reckless.
“The other party is very cautious. Don’t act rashly.” Although he couldn’t see anything along the way, the closer he got, the more he could feel the dangerous aura. Moreover, this was the other party’s territory. Before they understood the whole situation, they would only die here if they acted recklessly.
“Uncle, you didn’t bring anyone?”
Zhou Wei shook his head. His men could not enter at all. The main reason he came was to find out about the other party’s situation in person.
“I’ll go and meet the City Lord in charge here. You can relax and wait here. Uncle will think of a way to save you.”
“Alright.”
Xie Rui was still a little flustered that he couldn’t leave, but since things had come to this, there was no better way than waiting.
“Uncle, I was poisoned a few days ago. Someone wanted to kill me.”
These words truly shocked Zhou Wei. Their men had gone through great difficulty to sneak into this place, and even now, they had yet to find any useful information. Yet their enemy was so formidable that he managed to poison Xie Rui?
“Could it be that the people here were responsible for poisoning you…” Before he had finished speaking, Zhou Wei already felt that the possibility of this happening was not high.
If Su Ying wanted Xie Rui’s life, there was no need to make such a big detour.
“I understand. Be careful in everything you do. I’ll definitely rescue you as soon as possible.”
“Good, good.”
After Zhou Wei came out of Xie Rui’s room, he expressed his desire to meet Su Ying.
“This matter is of great importance. There are some things that I hope I can explain in person.”
The Green Guardian went to convey the message to Su Ying. She told her men to bring Zhou Wei directly to the main hall.
As they walked all the way to the main hall, Zhou Wei was shocked to see the towering buildings. They could never have imagined that there would be such a magnificent city in a godforsaken place like the northern wilderness.
Zhou Wei raised his eyes and his gaze landed on Su Ying, who was seated at the main seat of authority. The shock in his eyes became more pronounced as if he never expected that the City Lord here was a woman.
Zhou Wei quickly collected himself and went up to pay his respects. “City Lord.”
Su Ying leaned back in her chair as her almond-shaped eyes swept languidly over Zhou Wei.
“What do you want to say?”
Zhou Wei said, “I heard from His Highness that the City Lord wants the Jin State’s iron-smelting technique. However, that is a secret technique of the Jin State, and there is really no way for us to lay our hands on it. Can we use something else to compensate you? Are you willing to accept this proposal, City Lord?”
Su Ying raised her eyebrows. “What else do you have that is more valuable than the iron-smelting technique?”
Zhou Wei knitted his brows. “Just state your requirements, City Lord. Other than the iron-smelting technique, as long as it’s something that we can fulfill, we’ll definitely offer it to you with both hands.”
Su Ying sat up straight and shook her head. “To me, nothing is more valuable than the iron-smelting technique. I’ll give you guys a month. After a month, if you can hand over the item, I’ll release that fellow. If you can’t… For every day of delay, I will cut a piece of flesh from his body until only bones are left.”
Zhou Wei’s eyes darkened ominously.
He frowned and said, “City Lord, this is no small matter. In the first place, His Highness’s arrival here was just a misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, His Highness should return to the kingdom and we can forget about the earlier matter. After all, our Emperor loves His Highness. If he knew about His Highness’s predicament, he would not be pleased.”
As he spoke, he deliberately shot a warning look at Su Ying. “If our Emperor knows that His Highness has suffered here, I’m afraid he won’t let the matter rest. The Jin State has been peaceful all these years. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, we won’t want to start a war. Do you agree, City Lord?”
In the face of Zhou Wei’s thinly veiled threat, the icy smile on the corners of Su Ying’s lips deepened. “It doesn’t matter. I’m also very curious to know how important Xie Rui is to the ruler of the Jin State and also Xie Rui’s rivals. If they knew about his predicament, they would probably be very elated.”
Zhou Wei had not expected Su Ying to be so stubborn. He did not want to anger her either. This was no small matter, and he could not make a decision. He could only leave this place first before making further plans.
“City Lord, don’t be anxious. Although it’s not easy to obtain the technique, for the sake of His Highness’s life, I believe His Majesty would be very willing to offer up this technique. I will go back and send a letter to His Majesty. I will give City Lord a satisfactory answer in a few days.”
“Good.”
Su Ying did not make things difficult for Zhou Wei. She got her men to blindfold him straightaway and send him out of the northern wilderness.
After returning to the Jin State, Zhou Wei sent a letter to Prime Minister Zhou to explain the situation. Thereafter, he summoned Lord Wang.
“Send a message to the spies over there. Tell them that since it’s difficult for us to break through from the outside, get them to think of a way to make them disintegrate from the inside. I don’t believe that those people under her are on the same side as her!”
“Third Master is right. They already have some clues about this matter. I will get them to speed up lest His Highness encounters more danger as time passes.”
Ever since Su Ying spread the word that she needed a large amount of clay, the people in the city were all dispatched to dig for clay except for the labor force tasked with the spring plowing. The scale of the endeavor could be described as spectacular.
After the people dug for almost half a month, Chu Yun announced that the clay excavation had come to an end. If they wanted to make bricks, the mixed clay alone was not enough. They still had to carry out firing of the clay bricks.
Since the rainy season had yet to arrive, they needed to make good use of the time to dry the clay bricks before putting them into the kiln for firing.
When Zhou Xing returned home, he saw Meng Jiang limping home with a basket.
Zhou Xing had been close to Meng Jiang since he was young. After Meng Jiang got into trouble, Zhou Xing went to visit him a few times, but Meng Jiang felt embarrassed and was unwilling to see him. Zhou Xing did not want him to feel uncomfortable, so he did not go to his place again.
Today was the first time he saw Meng Jiang outside the house.
“Meng Jiang.”
When he heard the shout, Meng Jiang turned around.
Zhou Xing jogged up to him. “Are you feeling better?”
A look of awkwardness flashed across Meng Jiang’s face. “Mm-hmm. I’m feeling better. My father told me to come out for a walk. He said I would recover faster.”
Zhou Xing could tell that he was uneasy, so he changed the topic. “I saw Uncle Meng go to the fish pond. I think he’ll catch some fat fish for you tonight. Aunt Tian’s cooking skills are good, unlike my mother’s. Everything my mother cooks tastes the same.”
“You have some nerve, you brat. How dare you pour scorn on your own mother’s cooking behind her back. If you’re so capable, you can do it yourself!”
Zhou Xing only felt a pain in his ear, and he yelled out in anguish.
After the incident, a rare smile appeared on Meng Jiang’s face. “Aunt, be more ruthless. Otherwise, this brat doesn’t know what’s good for him.”
“That’s right. I must teach him a lesson today. Has your body recovered, Meng Jiang? Come to my house for dinner tonight. You can judge my cooking skills for yourself and see if they pass muster.”
Meng Jiang instinctively wanted to turn Mrs. Zhou down. He hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries, but he couldn’t resist Mrs. Zhou’s enthusiasm. After informing Tian Niu, he followed Zhou Xing to his house.
“Big Brother Zhou, Aunt, you’re back. Drink some hot water first.”
Meng Jiang had just entered the house and sat down when she saw Qing Qing walk in with a kettle.
Their eyes met, and both of them were taken aback..
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