Chapter 935 – The Rabbit and Sheep Poison Scheme (8)
As Wei Ci spoke, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Who else in this world could know that Sun Wen was once a crucial aide to the Nie Clan, contributing immensely to their ambitions for power?
But before anything could begin, the Nie Clan had devastated Sun Wen’s family.
In his previous life, Sun Wen had sacrificed everything for the Nie Clan.
In this life, it seemed he was destined for a bitter vendetta against them.
His lifelong wife passed away sorrowfully, his bright and clever lone son succumbed to a leg illness, and his dutiful daughter-in-law suffered a tragic end.
If not for his young grandson supporting him, Sun Wen might have crumbled under the relentless blows of misfortune, dying far from home.
For his young grandson, the once proud Sun Wen had to forsake all dignity, turning to begging, and the two of them became destitute in Dongqing.
The situation in Dongqing was chaotic, filled with fighting.
Even if Wei Ci hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes, he could imagine the hardships that grandfather and grandson had endured just to survive.
Before Sun Wen secretly found Wei Ci, he had spent over half a year working as a laborer, disguised as a refugee.
At just over forty, he looked as aged as someone in their fifties or sixties, with his once dark hair now mostly gray.
Wei Ci oversaw the construction of the provincial government, implementing a system where workdays counted towards food and allowances.
Regardless of age or gender, the more they worked, the more they received.
Less work meant less food; more work meant more food.
Sun Wen’s greatest exercise in his first half of life was learning archery—he had never suffered through the grueling labor of a construction site!
At the start, the food he earned in a day barely fed his grandson, forcing him to scavenge for leaves and tree bark just to fill his belly with water from the river.
Once he got used to it, generous co-workers would share food with him, allowing the older children at home to look after his grandson so Sun Wen could work without worry.
Eventually, he earned more food with each passing day, even accumulating a slight surplus.
He worked hard to establish connections, gather information, and clear pathways, eventually discovering the only way to approach Wei Ci.
Although Wei Ci described Sun Wen’s night visit as refined, it was actually a complete mess.
You see, Wei Ci was very health-conscious and had a habit of taking evening walks after dinner.
However, his walking routes varied greatly and lacked any regularity, forcing Sun Wen to wait patiently.
After a long wait, he finally cornered Wei Ci, the plump rabbit.
To make a strong impression, Sun Wen prepared many opening lines, even analyzing Jiang Pengji’s temperament, and opted for the most audacious approach, “When King Wen of Zhou met Lu Shang, Lu Shang aided King Wu to raise troops against Zhou. In my humble opinion, Liu Zhongqing is lacking only a Sun Zai Dao.”
Who was Liu Zhongqing?
Liu Zhi.
On the surface, it seemed like Liu Zhi was merely compared to King Wen of Zhou.
But if Liu Zhi was King Wen, then who was King Wu, and who was Lu Shang?
Wei Ci’s thoughts spun as he turned to look at the newcomer, seeing a gray-haired old man in tattered linen clothes emerging from the pitch-black shadow.
“Do you know where Sun Zai Dao is?”
“Far in the sky, close at hand; I am Sun Zai Dao.”
Sun Wen had never been one to shy away from boasting, and although he found himself in a lowly state now, he believed he would one day soar.
This was the scene when Wei Ci first encountered Sun Wen.
Sun Wen successfully caught Wei Ci’s attention, but that wasn’t enough; he needed more leverage to gain Wei Ci’s favor.
As long as Wei Ci valued him and helped introduce him to the leader, Liu Xi, Sun Wen believed he had the ability to earn their appreciation.
Sun Wen felt like he had nothing left to live for, but his grandson was still young. If he didn’t secure a future for him, how could he face his wife, son, and daughter-in-law in the afterlife? So, this time he could only succeed; failure was not an option.
He was fortunate to meet Wei Ci.
Even without clever scheming, as long as Wei Ci knew his name, he would still be willing to make an introduction.
Sun Wen offered his allegiance, mingling as a slave in the Northern Border, assisting Jiang Pengji in her great undertaking.
As for his grandson, Wei Ci ensured his safety by sending him to Wanzhou, enrolling him as a transfer student at the Golden Scales Academy.
He was both a hostage and a promise made to Sun Wen.
Wei Ci also promised Sun Wen that if he were to tragically die in the Northern Border, he would adopt Sun Wen’s grandson as his own.
With no worries behind him, Sun Wen entered the Northern Border as a slave and within a few short months became a trusted confidant of Halencha, the high-ranking minister of the Northern Border.
The others in the tent listened to Wei Ci’s story, full of admiration for Sun Wen.
Indeed, he was a talent!
At the same time, it made them regard Wei Ci with even more caution—he had quietly embedded such a formidable spy in the Northern Border.
It wasn’t that Halencha was foolish; it was just that Wei Ci’s constructed “nail” was exceptionally high-level.
As for the Cold Food Powder—
Feng Zhen shot a glance at Wei Ci.
What on earth was the Cold Food Powder? He had quite a bit of experience with it.
Killing someone with it was as simple as a hit to the head; Wei Ci was actually using the Cold Food Powder in such a covert manner.
Truly impressive!
“Zixiao seems rather respectable normally, but who knew he was also quite a person of character?” Feng Zhen raised the wine cup on the table, “Let’s drink to that.”
Jiang Pengji wasn’t shy about exposing Feng Zhen’s intentions.
“If you want to drink wine because you’re feeling greedy, just say so; why drag Zixiao into it? Zixiao is frail and shouldn’t be drinking. Just prepare him some mutton milk without the gamey taste, and remember to warm it up.”
Feng Zhen teased, “Now you’ve shown favoritism, but Zhen is also weak—why do you let him drink?”
With that, he shot a meaningful glance at Wei Ci.
Years ago, upon seeing the scrolls collected by Wei Ci, Feng Zhen had understood this guy’s intentions.
Now being favored by the leader, Wei Ci must be overjoyed, right?
Hmph, how hypocritical!
Little did they know, Jiang Pengji smiled sheepishly, feeling guilty, “I was indeed negligent, bring someone to swap the military adviser’s wine for mutton milk.”
Feng Zhen: “…”
He wasn’t a weaned child, so why would he drink mutton milk?
Opposite, Wei Ci took a sip of the sweet mutton milk, throwing a teasing glance at the self-embarrassed Feng Zhen.
Serves you right!
You asked for trouble!
Enjoy your mutton milk!
Only Qi Guanrang maintained a stance of detached observation, his eyes slightly closed, pretending to doze off.
Feng Zhen was certain that Wei Ci was coveting the leader, while Qi Guanrang thought the opposite—that his leader was lusting after Wei Ci’s looks.
Like, downright drooling.
After that little interlude, everyone shifted their focus back to serious matters.
Upon learning that Sun Wen was an undercover agent in the Northern Border and quite a formidable one at that, their plans could be altered.
Qi Guanrang asked, “Zixiao, what plans do you have?”
Even clever individuals had different thought processes.
They needed to communicate frequently, unify their stances and opinions to avoid hindering each other at critical moments.
“The Northern Border King’s son has already come of age; their ambitions are no less than their father’s. To them, he’s not just a father but also an obstacle blocking their path to progress. Faced with tantalizing power, even father and son can turn against each other.” Wei Ci smiled, “The Cold Food Powder that Sun Wen offered not only drains the Northern Border King but can also take his life.”
