dmims Chapter 169 Crime of Treason
Chapter 169 Crime of Treason
Chapter 169 Crime of Treason
"Alright, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. Anyway, my health is quite good now, so what can Xingluo's ambition do? In that case, let Qinghe relax as he pleases, as long as he doesn't become obsessed with soul power cultivation and neglect state affairs. However, the avalanche is a bit of a worry for me."
Ning Fengzhi's expression froze, his gaze fixed. He finally understood why the Great Emperor had summoned him today. Moreover, from the moment he entered until now, the other party had been chatting idly, which was clearly not the main point the other party was thinking about.
Only then did the other party subtly ask the question they truly wanted to ask.
"Listen to Your Majesty's words." Aside from not having a good impression of Xue Beng, Ning Fengzhi didn't seem to have done anything outrageous. At most, he just stayed at Tian Dou Academy, and while his cultivation was poor, he ruined the students' reputation of the Tian Dou royal family.
However, the contrast is striking, and it is precisely because of this avalanche that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe appears so approachable and enlightened. If you were to ask, after comparing the two, which of them would be better suited to be the ruler of the Heavenly Dou Empire, you would only invite ridicule from the people of Heavenly Dou.
However, imperial families often produce spoiled children, and in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Xue Xing, who had been taking care of Xue Beng for many years, was a sensible person. He could not let her run wild. Rather than saying he was being stubborn, it was more like he was trying to save his own life.
Although the competition among the princes in Tiandou was not as fierce as that in Xingluo, the fact that the second prince died when His Highness the Crown Prince ascended the throne inevitably made people wonder if the person who did it was the Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. However, now that time has passed and Emperor Xue Ye's health has improved, Xue Qinghe has shown more and more of the appearance of a crown prince, so such voices have completely disappeared.
Whether it's just an act or a genuine playboy, such a matter shouldn't cause Emperor Xueye any headaches. Moreover, if the two princes are so different, they shouldn't be so conflicted about choosing the throne.
Therefore, Ning Fengzhi couldn't figure out what exactly was troubling the other party.
Emperor Xueye sighed and clapped his hands in the empty hall. As the sound of clapping echoed to the hall's entrance, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows. Ning Fengzhi frowned as he looked at the figure, unable to discern the other's soul power cultivation level for the moment.
I had long heard that the Heavenly Dou royal family kept shadow assassins, and now that I see it, it is indeed true. Moreover, the other party's cultivation level is clearly above Soul Saint.
The other person slowly walked to Ning Fengzhi's side, holding a large stack of Tibetan paper in his hands. This paper was made of wolfsbane mixed with special herbs. It was water-resistant and extremely difficult to ignite with ordinary fire, making it the best medium for recording intelligence.
Or, to put it another way, it was the most commonly used tool by those who worked as spies and intelligence agents.
Ning Fengzhi let him place the stack of information in front of him, but did not reach out to read it.
"Actually, do you know why the Star Luo Empire stated directly that the two Star Luo spies were dead, the two who assassinated Xiao Yan?"
Ning Fengzhi calmly looked at Emperor Xueye, wanting to listen further. At this moment, Emperor Xueye actually mentioned the assassination attempt on Xiao Yan. Although it was possible that Xue Qinghe had told him, Ning Fengzhi felt it was unlikely.
But Emperor Xueye, who just moments ago seemed not to know Xiao Yan very well, is now directly bringing up matters concerning Xiao Yan.
Ning Fengzhi felt a little scared.
"That's because Xingluo and our Tiandou spies are the same. We provide our spies with the most resources for training and the best benefits to ensure their return. We even control their wives and children. As for intelligence missions, there are time limits. If they fail to return by the deadline, their wives and entire families will be killed. This has happened before. For those spies who were filled with remorse and even went somewhat mad after failing to return by the deadline, my solution was to grant them death."
Ning Fengzhi swallowed hard. This was the true method of an emperor: ruthless and decisive in killing. Useless people should die.
"So after my shadow found the residence of these two spies, it discovered this thick stack of documents, confirming that they had definitely not escaped back to Xingluo. But since Xingluo has already announced that they are dead, the result must be true."
"And among these materials is the very thing I was talking about, the avalanche." Emperor Xueye's expression darkened as he said this. It had been almost half a year since Xiao Yan was assassinated, so it was clear that the other party had kept this matter to himself for so long.
"What does Your Majesty mean?"
"Sect Leader Ning is a smart man. I don't think I need to say anything more. The materials are all laid out in front of you."
Ning Fengzhi suddenly regretted coming to the palace today. If it were any other day, he would at most remain uninvolved and offer suggestions. But today's situation seemed to be forcing him to understand the situation and then take sides.
Ning Fengzhi sighed and thought to himself, "So be it. In any case, the future of the Glazed Tile Sect is no longer in his hands, but in his daughter's. He can't possibly lead the Glazed Tile Sect to surrender to the Star Luo Empire. He should just do what the situation demands."
He reached out and turned to the first page of the document.
The materials weren't as numerous as Xueye had claimed; at least, the amount presented to him wasn't. So, it was possible that the other party simply wanted him to know this much.
But as Ning Fengzhi finished reading, his tightly furrowed brows never relaxed. The more he read, the more he felt a sense of incomprehension towards the young man's behavior.
In modern terms, that would be considered courting death.
Apart from some records of their actions, the rest of the intelligence report shocked Ning Fengzhi. It contained information that, if made public, would have a fatal impact on both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
Because of treason.
Or rather, it was an exchange of information between the princes of Xingluo and Tiandou.
Although the letter did not explicitly state who the Star Luo faction was, given the status of the Heavenly Dou Snowfall Prince, the only person he could have equal contact with was Star Luo's Crown Prince, Davis.
The two reached a deal, which included Davis reporting on Dai Mubai's situation and exchanging information with each other.
In other words, neither side's spies left empty-handed, and both sides obtained "important" intelligence.
In the context of today's two empires, which are somewhat on the verge of conflict and have a tense relationship, this is an ironic and morbid relationship.
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and rubbed his Jingming acupoint. He knew that Xue Ye must be looking forward to his opinion on the matter with great interest, and his answer would be the final result of the avalanche.
"Judging from what has been revealed above, these are all minor skirmishes, but—" However, things are not quite right. The information about Xingluo is detailed in every aspect, while the information about Tiandou is very limited. Obviously, Xingluo is not stupid and would not accept such an unequal deal. The only conceivable point is that Emperor Xueye is hiding something and does not want me to know it.
"As intelligent as Sect Leader Ning is, you must have realized that I haven't leaked all the information."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. Just as he had thought, but if that was the case, what was there to discuss? The outcome was obvious.
"I originally thought that even the imperial family could be harmonious, like my younger brother and I. But I never expected that Xue Xing's ambitions would go beyond that. He is also instigating Xue Beng. If the two of them had pretended to be foolish, the Tian Dou Empire might have had a place. But now they are being clever and secretly 'colluding' with the Xing Luo Empire. I am truly heartbroken."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. He absolutely could not offer any advice on these matters. In fact, in his opinion, Xue Ye already knew what to do and how to do it. He was just confiding in him.
Then, Xueye said to himself, "I can have Shadow secretly take care of these two people, which would be a clean break and leave a good reputation for the world. However, I don't know why I want Qinghe to do this. Now there is little fierceness in his eyes. This is not the kind of crown prince that an imperial family should have. He must have ambition to conquer the entire Douluo Continent."
Focusing solely on cultivating soul power is a good thing; the stronger the ruler, the greater the hope for the nation.
As Xue Ye spoke, his heart became more and more excited. If he were a few decades younger, he would probably take action himself without Xue Qinghe even having to lift a finger.
Ning Fengzhi, however, kept his head down and remained silent.
That night, when the moon was high in the sky, Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, slowly withdrew from the palace. However, his expression had never been so solemn.