Chapter 1672 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (80)
Faced with An’s calm questioning, Lü Zheng’s reaction was profoundly meaningful.
Why not confess to An about Fang Zhi’s attempts to persuade him? Did Lü Zheng truly not have a shred of evidence?
When Fang Zhi came, Lü Zheng had been left on ice by An. Was he crazy or foolish? Why would he confess?
Lü Zheng calmly gazed at his lord, a man to whom he had dedicated years of effort and energy, diligently maintaining their lord-retainer relationship, only to be met with suspicion, distrust, and oppression in return. How could Lü Zheng prove his loyalty under such circumstances? Did he really want to follow the path of his predecessors, driving a dagger into his heart, pulling it out for An to see? Ha, what a joke!
An attracted most of the firepower; the true culprit, Jiang Ji, was surprisingly less detestable.
“Fang Zhi is a childhood friend of mine and has some personal ties with Liu Xi. He did not join Liu Xi’s service; it’s merely personal friendship. I didn’t clarify Fang Zhi’s matter, for I did not wish for my lord to misunderstand and mistakenly harm Fang Zhi.” Even at this point, Lü Zheng remained composed, showing no embarrassment or panic at being exposed. He could still calmly present his case before An, word by word defending himself. “Furthermore, I have never intentionally hidden the matter of Fang Zhi. If my lord does not trust me, can he not trust Hua Yuan? He knows about Fang Zhi, but he did not inform my lord. What could his reasons be? Why doesn’t my lord contemplate this?”
Upon saying this, Lü Zheng couldn’t help but mock himself.
He and Hua Yuan were at odds, yet he had to drag the latter out as a shield to dispel An’s doubts—truly absurd.
“He knows Fang Zhi reached out to you?”
An furrowed his brow, seemingly unaware of Hua Yuan’s involvement here.
Lü Zheng nodded. “Yes, when Hua Yuan visited the residence, Fang Zhi was there too, but he said nothing.”
Using Hua Yuan as a shield really worked well; it notably dissipated much of An’s suspicion, and the initial thoughts began to waver.
An’s expression softened, but Lü Zheng couldn’t help but close his eyes, not wanting to see the reaction on An’s face nor the disappointment within himself.
An murmured, “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Perhaps he believed Fang Zhi harmless; perhaps he thought my loyalty to you, my lord, was beyond doubt; or maybe… he sees this as leverage to use later,” Lü Zheng said, the sarcasm growing thicker on his face. “Which does my lord believe it to be?”
Lü Zheng’s question was rather blunt, even carrying a certain accusatory undertone towards An, causing the latter to feel displeased.
“Are you blaming me, Shaoyin?”
An feigned ignorance, but Lü Zheng’s heart coldly chuckled upon hearing that.
Blame?
After all the grievances Lü Zheng had endured, did An truly see it as mere “blame”?
Now he regretted having been blind in the past; even that unreliable, heartless woman Jiang Ji was more trustworthy than An.
An truly was a battle-hardened scoundrel.
He naturally assumed he could enjoy the best of both worlds, embracing Hua Yuan with one arm and Lü Zheng with the other, having the two strategists hold hands as good brothers, devotedly working for his grand ambitions, all private disputes set aside—public duty over personal grievances!
He said, “From what you just said, it seems you greatly misunderstand Hua Qing. Both of you are upright individuals holding to justice; how could you use underhanded tricks to harm colleagues? I’ve heard of your disagreements but never imagined it was a matter of water and fire. Shaoyin, both of you are my left and right arms, as close as lips and teeth. Though they may occasionally clash, they also rely on each other, supporting one another…”
Lü Zheng: “…”
Could An just keep his mouth shut for once?
He was about to be sick from An’s metaphors, for heaven’s sake, comparing him to Hua Yuan as if they were as close as lips and teeth!
Forget it, forget it.
With a scoundrel like An around, even Jiang Ji could claim to be his treasured heart’s blood and pure moonlight.
Lü Zheng asked, “Does my lord truly not know of the conflict between me and Hua Yuan?”
An frowned. “I’ve heard of it occasionally, but I thought you, Shaoyin, were not the type to let personal grievances affect public duties.”
Lü Zheng had established an overly pristine image; not only An but others too took it for granted that Lü Zheng could sacrifice personal grudge for public matters. They completely forgot that Lü Zheng was a human, not a saint, and he had desires and feelings, incapable of absolute objectivity.
After hearing this, Lü Zheng felt particularly drained.
Even if An faced difficulties in mid-life, the habits formed in his early years were deeply ingrained. Now that he had risen again, he had forgotten the trembling humility of being a lower-ranked man, regained the high-and-mighty confidence of the aristocracy, completely oblivious to the meaning of “caution,” and wouldn’t empathize with Lü Zheng’s struggles.
An’s previous question was undeniably inappropriate.
Clearly accusing Lü Zheng of letting personal matters interfere with his duties, he was purposely clashing with Hua Yuan.
Lü Zheng suppressed his disappointment, bowing respectfully while speaking calmly. “Liu Xi used such underhanded means to entrap me, sowing distrust between my lord and myself. I lack compelling evidence to prove my innocence; this is my fault. Regarding Fang Zhi’s matter, it is indeed a failure of my consideration. To avoid suspicion, I am willing to isolate myself, relinquishing my military authority and duties, awaiting the truth to emerge so I may reclaim my innocence and make plans thereafter.”
An was utterly baffled upon hearing this.
He had indeed come to Lü Zheng seeking an explanation, but now, after everything, his balance tipped back in favor of Lü Zheng, regretting his doubts.
Yet Lü Zheng had cut off all his options, providing no way for him to back down.
No matter how An thought, Lü Zheng grew weary of understanding it anymore, isolating himself meant he wouldn’t manage anything anymore.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ji relentlessly continued writing letters to her old classmate.
Writing a letter during war, writing another when there was peace, writing one when in a good mood, and even more when feeling down…
Wei Ci wiped some cold sweat, observing his lord continuously groping around the edges of being thrown by Lü Zheng.
“My lord, are you not afraid that doing this will only dispel An’s doubts?”
An was Wei Ci’s former lord, and he knew this man quite well. Once An made up his mind, his soaring ambition was incredibly bewildering. Back when Wei Ci decided to follow An, it was not only due to his sincerity but also because of the immense trust An placed in him.
To put it in his lord’s terms, An was like a multi-level marketing pyramid schemer, selling his charm like it was premium.
If An could put aside his guard and trust Lü Zheng again, there was no doubt Lü Zheng could have a change of heart.
After all, he was the man of Wei Ci’s choosing; he would assist, even if kneeling, turning the impossible into possible.
Even if that man was a pile of dung, some strategists would aspire to turn him into a flower.
Unfortunately, Lü Zheng was one of those people.
“Doubt can never truly be eradicated,” Jiang Ji replied. “Besides, Shaoyin isn’t the kind of person who would forget past grievances just because of a sweet gesture. An thinks he is who? He can simply mend things if he wishes? How big does he think his face is?”
