Chapter 156

Is what this woman said true?

Cannot be verified.

But if Wang Yang were to infer, he tended to think it was true. The reason is that she had no need to tell this lie, and more importantly, regardless of whether Wang Yang believed it or not, it had no impact on his original plan.

However, even if this woman said the truth, just based on what she said, it might not necessarily mean the Prince of Badong was going to rebel. Perhaps it was to accumulate strength for self-protection, or perhaps there was a hidden ambition for separatism.

But regardless of whether the Prince of Badong had the intention to raise troops, just the fact of trading weapons with the barbarians was something the imperial court could not tolerate. Saying "involving rebellion" was not an exaggeration at all. Being trapped in it, the situation was not good.

If it's not good, he couldn't show weakness, otherwise he would return to the old path.

Wang Yang waved his fan and said indifferently: "I'm not smart enough, but you are so smart, aren't you still unable to find evidence? Saying so much as if it were true, are you telling a story!"

Xiao Baoyue felt that Wang Yang was difficult to tame. Even after saying this, he still wasn't suppressed! He immediately asked back: "How do you know I don't have evidence?"

Wang Yang smiled: "If you had evidence, would you still need to talk to yourself here? Can we be a little more honest?"

At this time, the reporter couldn't help but remind: "Young Master, if those soldiers break in..."

"They won't break in. Don't you see it yet?" Xiao Baoyue's tone was mocking, his jade-white fingers pointing at the desk, "This 'Wang' young master didn't come to commit suicide, he came to negotiate terms with me. How about... Young Master, you be a little more honest too?"

Wang Yang certainly wouldn't let them break in.

He let Chen Qingshan lead those soldiers to bluff, search and make trouble in the restaurant, whatever, but the only thing he couldn't do was enter the "Ding-sized room."

Once the matter here is exposed, not to mention what kind of loss the woman will suffer, anyway, he himself will mostly be finished. I don't know if those few questions Yu Yi asked were asked on behalf of the Emperor? Will he relay his discussions from yesterday to the Emperor? If so, then he has buried a hook. Does the Emperor not want to hear the follow-up? "Green collar, long thoughts," it is said that the Emperor is shrewd and capable, does he not love talent?

Hard to say!

What is most lacking in any era is talent, but what is also not lacking is talent.

Especially in this society of aristocratic clans, the scholar-officials are not appointed by the Son of Heaven. If the case is really exposed, even if the Emperor has the heart to save him, I'm afraid it will be difficult to start.

Besides, Jingzhou is thousands of miles away from Jiankang. How long will it take for the information to reach the Emperor? How long will it take for the Emperor to find time to take a look? If it's not good, the noble person is busy and forgets it directly, or says "wait and see."

In short, pinning hope on the Emperor is too ethereal. His discussion at the Yu family can only be used as a "leisurely brush," similar to just having a sum of spare money to invest in a new small team of friends. Whether it will bloom or bear fruit in the future is not certain, but for the current life, he certainly cannot rely on this.

The only thing he can rely on is himself.

The current situation is,

The Prince of Badong, the mysterious woman, and Wang Tai—Wang Yang doesn't trust any of these three parties. But he has already been involved in it. To seek survival, he must maneuver to borrow power.

So on that day, riding a horse in the suburbs, on the way back to the city, Wang Yang set the basic strategy: pull one side, hit one side, and guard against one side.

The side to pull is not the Prince of Badong, but the mysterious woman.

The Prince of Badong has come up on his own now, no need to pull, but need to guard against!

This is like a big ship. Although Wang Yang got on the ship to cross the river, he started preparing a lifeboat when he got on the ship, which is the backup in the plan, because he was worried that one day the ship would have problems, or the ship would have no problems, but he would be thrown off the ship.

Where is this backup?

It's with this mysterious woman.

So this woman guessed right. Wang Yang didn't come to fight for his life, he wanted to use the posture of fighting for his life to pull this woman to the negotiating table.

Then how to pose a "posture of fighting for his life"?

Just saying it definitely won't work, so after offering the strategy of the constant-price granary, he asked the Prince of Badong to do him two small favors. The first favor was to bring the Prince's personal guard out to "find a place" and "shake his power," giving the woman a "soldier approaching the city," firstly to facilitate the setting of a "covenant under the city," and secondly to demonstrate his own value. Didn't this woman value his ability to approach the Prince of Badong? Now he even brought the Prince of Badong's guard soldiers, so his value naturally rose with the tide.

On one side is the determination to burn with the jade, on the other side is the increase in utility value. Wang Yang wants to rely on these two points to strive for the initiative. From being threatened unilaterally, to turning into cooperation between the two sides.

Actually, to tell the truth, Wang Yang is now "not overwhelmed by many crimes," he is already a capital crime anyway, what's more about rebellion? If the matter is really doable, it's nothing to rebel with the Prince of Badong. But the premise is not to fail.

Rebellion and pretending to be a surname are not the same concept. If the former fails, from Liu Zhao, Zong Ce to Xiao Shan, Hei Han, A Wu, and even Xie Xinghan may be implicated.

However, if he really wants to rebel, Wang Yang has a way to make a cut with them to avoid implicating them in case of failure. But the key to the problem is that Wang Yang really doesn't look favorably on this stock of the Prince of Badong!

This person can charge as a general, but if he is a commander...

Appearance follows the heart, actually stubborn; nature is impermanent, actions are unscrupulous; reckless behavior, self-righteousness is a camouflage, but in fact, it is long-term indulgence, which has long become the background color of personality; many times it is actually an excuse for him to do whatever he wants. Seems philosophical but ignorant, stubborn and perverse, not a suitable entrepreneurial partner.

Don't say being an entrepreneurial partner, even being a lackey, Wang Yang doesn't like such a lackey, too uncontrollable.

In addition, although Wang Yang knows very little about the history of the Southern Qi, and doesn't know whether the Prince of Badong rebelled in history, and whether he succeeded after rebelling. But he knows that the Southern Qi was short-lived, and Emperor Wu of Liang was the final winner. Don't say the Prince of Badong has no appearance of success. Even if Wang Yang judged wrong, and there was some coincidence that allowed the Prince of Badong to enter Jiankang, I'm afraid he could only be a wedding dress for others. This is called destiny in the words of the ancients.

However, if Wang Yang really goes down to the field, destiny may not be unchangeable.

But this ship of the Prince of Badong is not worth going down to the field.

Not only can he not go down to the field, he also has to find a way to escape, avoiding taking himself into the seabed when the ship sinks.

Wang Yang relaxed his mouth: "How about this, you let these people retreat first, it's not a thing to surround me all the time."

Xiao Baoyue also responded readily: "Okay, all retreat."

The swordsmen sheathed their swords, bowed to Xiao Baoyue, and then retreated quickly.

Wang Yang said: "Talk to me first, who is the dealer in your dealing with the Prince of Badong? Is it yourself? Or are you also working for someone?"

"You don't need to know so much."

"Look, it's the old routine again, isn't it? It's agreed that we are a cooperative relationship. Since it's cooperation, the information on both sides should at least be transparent. I don't know anything, how can I rest assured to cooperate?"

Xiao Baoyue sneered: "The basis of cooperation is equality. Are you equal to me? Your life is in my hands, what you hold is just that I want to use you."

Wang Yang waved his hand: "Wrong! To be precise, what I held before was that you wanted to use me, but since you asked me to monitor the Prince of Badong, I held one more thing. Besides, I am a small person, my life is not worth money. Using my life to smash you, although it may not be able to smash you down, but what you want to do to the Prince of Badong might be smashed."

Xiao Baoyue was slightly interested and asked: "What do I want to do to the Prince of Badong?"

Wang Yang didn't answer, holding the folding fan, knocked on his neck, looked left and right lazily, and sighed: "It's a pity to spend effort, set up a restaurant, and hide a courtyard, if it's exposed."

Xiao Baoyue sneered: "Wang Yang, do you really think you can hold me with this? I am a person who never accepts threats. The reason I am willing to talk to you a few more words is because you happen to be a link in the Prince of Badong's conspiracy. I use you as a chess piece, which can give me a first move, and this is also an opportunity for you to make up for your crimes. If you don't want it, you can try to call those soldiers in now. Let's make a bet to see if I can retreat completely before you are beheaded."

Wang Yang pondered. He didn't see that not far away, on the poplar tree, Bai Si had silently unloaded the long bow on his back, held it in his hand, and pulled the arrow.

Although Wang Yang didn't see this scene behind him, he inferred that if it really came to this step, this woman would inevitably kill him to silence him before the soldiers broke in, because this could reduce many uncertain troubles later.

Wang Yang certainly didn't want this, but fortunately, he could guess that the other side didn't want this either.

He pretended to be deciding whether to fight for his life, but actually counted the time, firstly to strive for negotiating chips, and secondly to put psychological pressure on Xiao Baoyue. After feeling that the time was enough, he said:

"Using my life to bet on this matter, I won't do it unless I have to. How about this, we each take a step back. I won't ask who is behind you, but you lift the curtain. At least I have to see the main person, because you also saw me, this is not too much, right?"

Xiao Baoyue didn't speak.

Wang Yang shook his head: "If you are not even willing to do this, then we really can't cooperate, there is no sincerity at all."

After a moment of silence,

Xiao Baoyue opened his mouth: "Okay, I give this sincerity."

She gave an order, and two maids in the room stepped forward, their silk sleeves stretched out, and the bead curtains opened.

The true face of the mysterious woman was finally revealed.