stonecrandall Chapter 1132 Cooperation, but I am in charge!
Chapter 1132 Cooperation, but I am in charge!
Gao Yao slowly withdrew his hand, as if he had only done something insignificant. He walked back to his seat, sat down again, and even straightened the hem of his robe. The whole process was unhurried, a stark contrast to Yan Xiaoyi, who was kneeling on the ground spitting blood.
“Now,” Gao Yao’s voice remained calm, “is Your Highness willing to continue the discussion?”
Li Yunrui took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. After three breaths, her expression returned to calm, but upon closer inspection, one could see that her hands, resting on her knees, were trembling slightly.
She sat back down in her chair, but her posture was completely different from before—she leaned forward slightly, a subconscious defensive stance; her hands were clasped together on her knees, her knuckles white from the force.
A Grandmaster, a Grandmaster unbound by any nation. A flurry of information flashed through Li Yunrui's mind: Qing Kingdom had Ye Liuyun in charge, Northern Qi had Ku He protecting it, and Dongyi City had Si Gu Jian as a deterrent. Each Grandmaster was a walking strategic deterrent, a force capable of altering the course of battle.
If Gao Yao wanted, he could kill himself silently tonight and then flee a thousand miles away.
Even if Emperor Qing was furious, and even if the Censorate pursued him with all its might, the cost of killing a Grandmaster was something no country could afford—Ye Qingmei's death is the best proof of that, and that incident is still affecting the power structure of the Qing Kingdom.
“Sir,” Li Yunrui’s voice had regained its usual calmness, but his choice of words was more cautious, “I am very curious, why did you choose to cooperate with me? With your status, any country in the world would treat you as an honored guest. The Emperor of Northern Qi would give you the position of National Preceptor, Dongyi City would honor you as the Chief Swordsman of the City, and even in Qing Kingdom, if you wish, His Majesty would give you a status no less than that of Ye Liuyun.”
She paused, looking directly into Gao Yao's eyes: "But what you want, sir, seems to be more than just wealth and status."
Gao Yao smiled. It was the first time Li Yunrui had ever seen him smile so clearly, a smile that carried three parts mockery, three parts ambition, and four parts a depth she couldn't understand.
“Your Highness is half right.” Gao Yao picked up the slightly cooled tea and took a sip. “Wealth and honor? I can have those things whenever I want. But some things are not so easy to obtain.”
"For example?" Li Yunrui pressed.
“For example,” Gao Yao put down his teacup, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp, “there are too many grandmasters in the world.”
Those few words caused the temperature in the room to plummet. Li Yunrui felt a chill rise from her spine and instantly spread throughout her body. She wasn't unfamiliar with ambitious people; she herself was one of them. But this was the first time she had encountered such a direct and blatant expression of killing intent towards someone of equal strength.
"What you mean, sir..." Li Yunrui's voice involuntarily lowered.
“Four Grandmasters? That’s too many.” Gao Yao’s tone was terrifyingly calm. “Ye Liuyun guards the Qing Kingdom, Ku He is stationed in the Northern Qi, and Si Gu Jian intimidates the Eastern Barbarians. They each govern their own affairs and check and balance each other, so the world will never be at peace.”
Li Yunrui frowned deeply. She understood Gao Yao's implied meaning, but didn't understand how it had to do with her.
"Your Highness desires to become the master of Qing, or even go further." Gao Yao's gaze seemed to pierce through one's heart. "But I hope that there can only be one Grandmaster in this world. Your Highness, don't you think we are quite similar?"
The candlelight flickered, casting a swaying shadow on the wall. Li Yunrui remained silent for a long time, long enough that Yan Xiaoyi had managed to stand up, though his face was still pale, he was at least able to move.
"Why should I believe you?" Li Yunrui finally spoke. "Even if you really are a Grandmaster, dealing with the other three is nothing short of a pipe dream. Ye Liuyun has been in charge of the Qing Kingdom for decades, Ku He lives deep in the Northern Qi palace, and Si Gu Jian has even proven his Dao through killing. How do you expect to do that?"
Gao Yao did not answer directly, but instead brought up another matter: "Three days later, Fan Xian will enter the palace with Chen Pingping. They will report to His Majesty on Yan Bingyun's matter."
Li Yunrui's expression changed slightly. Yan Bingyun was her deepest pawn planted in Northern Qi, and also her bridge connecting her with certain forces in Northern Qi. Fan Xian discovering Yan Bingyun's identity was within her expectations, but Gao Yao even knew the exact timing...
"How did you find out?" Li Yunrui's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension.
“That’s not important,” Gao Yao waved his hand. “What’s important is how Your Highness should respond when His Majesty asks.”
“Of course…” Li Yunrui stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence. She originally wanted to say “shift the blame to Fan Xian,” but realized the problem as soon as she said it.
Gao Yao looked at her suddenly pale face and nodded: "It seems that Your Highness has already thought of it."
“There are no more than ten people in the Censorate who know Yan Bingyun’s true identity,” Li Yunrui muttered to himself, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Besides Chen Pingping and the heads of various departments, even many provincial inspectors don’t know. If I point out that Fan Xian is related to Yan Bingyun, it would be tantamount to telling His Majesty that I have a spy within the Censorate…”
“And these aren’t ordinary informants,” Gao Yao added. “They are key figures with access to top-secret information. Does Your Highness think His Majesty would tolerate a princess who controls both the Imperial Treasury and the Censorate?”
Li Yunrui gripped the hem of her dress tightly. She knew her brother all too well—the man sitting on the dragon throne, seemingly gentle, but in reality, his mind was as deep and cunning as the sea. He could tolerate her forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices in court, could tolerate her secret dealings with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and could even tolerate her petty actions against Fan Xian. Because all of this was under his control, all of it was a pawn he used to balance the various forces.
But what if a piece tries to break free of the board, or even influences the player in return...?
"His Majesty will kill me." Li Yunrui's voice was soft, but every word carried immense weight.
Gao Yao nodded: "So Your Highness's answer is only one: you know nothing about it. No matter how Fan Xian accuses you, no matter how Chen Pingping probes you indirectly, Your Highness only needs to repeat one sentence - 'Who is Yan Bingyun? I don't know him.'"
“But…” Li Yunrui gritted her teeth, “Fan Xian must die. If he dies, all the problems will be…”
Her words stopped abruptly.
Because Gao Yao suddenly moved.
This time, Li Yunrui didn't even see how he got up. She only felt a blur before her eyes, and a cold hand was already gripping her throat. The hand didn't use any force, it just rested there lightly, but Li Yunrui felt all her internal energy sealed off, and she couldn't even move a single finger.