Chapter 118: Do You Want Me to Grant You Death?

Si Tu Wei is hiding a secret trump card, Ning Shan said with a meaning‑laden expression, "namely the secret intelligence organization I told you about—the Qingyou Platform."

Ning Jinli puzzled, "There has never been any record of this organization in history!"

Ning Shan smiled, "Historical records can never be exhaustive; on the contrary, many things have vanished forever in the river of history. Moreover, this spans over two thousand years, and a lot that was recorded has been lost, otherwise there wouldn't be so many unsolved mysteries."

"That's true…" Ning Jinli continued, "Does the Qingyou Platform hold a lot of officials' private information?"

"Exactly," Ning Shan said, "After Si Tu Wei brought Jiang Peihuan and Xiao Qidi back to Xuan Guo, he gradually realized that Jiang Peihuan, leveraging the Empress Dowager's influence, was steadily eroding his power. So he spent several years planning and officially established the Qingyou Platform six years ago. He used the Qingyou Platform to obtain the private information of all officials in his faction—over twenty officials with real authority and hundreds of lower‑level officials. This move effectively curbed the Empress Dowager's continued undermining of him."

Ning Jinli asked again, "Then did he also use the Qingyou Platform to poach people from the Empress Dowager's side?"

Ning Shan shook his head, "He wanted to, but the Empress Dowager's faction is shielded by her; their private data is hard to obtain, and even if obtained, it's of little use. Therefore, officials who mix with the Empress Dowager are basically beyond Si Tu Wei's coercion."

Ning Jinli, nervous, said, "Does Xiao Qidi have absolutely no knowledge of the Qingyou Platform's existence?"

"Of course," Ning Shan's mouth twitched slightly, "To maximize the Qingyou Platform's secrecy, Si Tu Wei ensures that only a handful of people inside the organization know it belongs to him, and Si Tu Wei usually only contacts the head of the organization, the so‑called Qingyou Platform Commander, and in rare cases directly contacts the Deputy Commander."

Ning Jinli's pupils dilated, "Dad, when you were in the warehouse you told me you are the Deputy Commander, so the Commander… could it be…?"

Ning Shan blinked, "It's that idiot dead‑fat guy."

Ning Jinli almost shouted, quickly covered her mouth, and said in a smaller voice, "After he died, wouldn't the Qingyou Platform become yours?"

Ning Shan's eyes showed a hint of pride; he smiled without speaking.

"Dad," Ning Jinli clutched Ning Shan's sleeve, "please don't help Si Tu Wei deal with Xiao Qidi."

Ning Shan raised an eyebrow, "Whoa, your elbow's already bending outward so quickly?"

"Dad… what are you saying?" Ning Jinli's cheeks flushed with a hint of shyness.

"Did you forget what I just told you?" Ning Shan said, "I said if Si Tu Wei still tried to struggle, he wouldn't have this favorable outcome right now."

Ning Jinli's eyes lit up, "I get it—once he tries to play the Qingyou Platform as his final trump card, it backfires. That shows, Dad, you…"

"Understanding is enough," Ning Shan nodded slightly, "Actually, when he was dealing with Lord Le An, I already knew. If your mother hadn't written me a letter beforehand about you and Xiao Qidi, I wouldn't have secretly suppressed the intel; otherwise Si Tu Wei would have known about the Shun Gong rebellion case long ago."

Having learned this, Ning Jinli couldn't help but feel grateful that her mother and father had both helped a great deal behind the scenes.

In the main hall, Si Tu Wei slumped on the ground as if his spine had been pulled out.

He had poured countless effort and wealth into creating a puppet to replace Xiao Qidi, yet unbeknownst to him, it turned into Xiao Qidi himself.

Such a blow was both sudden and overwhelming.

He could no longer hear the murmurs of ministers behind him; he bowed his head, hands braced on the floor, his mind racing to figure out which step he had taken wrong.

Reviewing the entire process.

He decided to activate the puppet substitution plan because a commander named Li Yao of Xi Tun Guan claimed to have brought back Xiao Qidi, who had been abused by the enemy into a Human Stick.

"So that's it… so… that's why!" Si Tu Wei suddenly understood everything.

At first, the Human Stick he saw was the puppet!

Only this way could he have been deceived!

In other words, his puppet plan… was actually used by Xiao Qidi!

He thought he could crown himself with the puppet and seize all court power, but the result… was that he enabled Xiao Qidi!

"Brilliant… truly brilliant! Hahaha!" Si Tu Wei, looking delirious, clapped and laughed.

Seeing this, everyone fell silent, and no one dared to step forward to help him.

Si Tu Wei, still laughing, staggered to his feet and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I never expected… you would pull a counter‑strategy on me, but I don't understand—how did you know that person?"

This question was one he racked his brain over yet could not solve.

He considered his secrecy flawless, believing Xiao Qidi could never discover it.

But, contrary to his expectations, the person not only discovered it but also exploited it.

How could he have accomplished something that seemed impossible no matter how you thought about it?

Xiao Qidi's thin lips moved slightly, "I have an Immortal's assistance—do you believe it?"

Si Tu Wei was dumbfounded, his mouth opening, and after a while he gave a wry smile, "Perhaps… saying there's an Immortal's assistance does make sense, hehe… hehehe!"

Both of their conversations were spoken in front of the ministers present.

The crowd was bewildered.

"What does 'counter‑strategy' mean?"

"Who is that person?"

"What does 'Immortal assistance' mean?"

This feeling, where every word is understandable yet the dialogue's meaning is like a celestial script, leaves everyone's hearts in turmoil.

Wanting to know but daring not to ask only makes them anxious, their hearts clawing, fearing that something might involve them while they remain in the dark.

It's like being roasted over fire—unbearably painful.

"Si Tu Wei, you may step down," Xiao Qidi's eyes darkened slightly, "I give you three days to pack your belongings, allowing you to take your wife, concubine, servants, and the assets of the Prime Minister's residence. I have already shown you utmost benevolence."

These words subtly carried a warning.

Si Tu Wei, however, did not immediately thank and take his leave.

He was truly unwilling to accept defeat at the brink of victory.

He was on the verge of obtaining unprecedented power, yet in an instant lost everything.

The feeling of being half a step from the summit, about to reach the peak, only to suddenly fall—plummeting ten thousand feet into a abyss—was more painful than death itself!

The thought of accepting fate and the thought of unwillingness battled within him.

But soon, the unwilling thought, driven by intense emotion, gained the decisive upper hand.

Si Tu Wei's trembling pupils quickly steadied, and within the calm a frantic gleam emerged.

He straightened his back, regaining the usual Daxuan Prime Minister aura, even stepping onto the first step beneath the throne.

The ministers inhaled a gasp of cool air.

They furtively glanced at his silhouette, eyes filled with doubt and surprise.

Ning Shan narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly to Ning Jinli, "It seems he ultimately chose to struggle a bit more; taking this step, he cannot possibly end well."

"Si Tu Wei, you have great gall." Xiao Qidi stood unmoving like a mountain, his eyes slightly lowered as he looked down from the throne steps, "Do you intend to defy My command?"

Si Tu Wei raised his head to meet his gaze, opening with a sneer, "Xiao Qidi, I admit you played this ploy beautifully—no wonder it's something I taught you—but you're still too young; you really think regaining the throne will make me step down?"

Xiao Qidi hid a chill in his eyes, "Are you trying to get Me to order your execution?"

Si Tu Wei said, "Execute the veteran minister who served two generations of Daxuan kings? Execute the benefactor who risked his life to rescue the former king, the empress dowager, and the present sovereign back to Daxuan? Or execute the Prime Minister who, fulfilling the lifelong wish of loyal officials and generals of past Daxuan monarchs, has devoted most of his life to governing and made Daxuan as strong as it is today? Or perhaps…"

Si Tu Wei also stepped his other foot onto the stairs, continuing word by word, "Or perhaps execute the present sovereign's honored uncle, whom he has publicly proclaimed to be most revered and important?"

Xiao Qidi pressed his thin lips together, the chill in his eyes intensifying.

On the surface, these words were directed at him, meant to highlight Si Tu Wei's unmatched achievements.

But in reality, they were meant for the hundreds of officials, big and small, present to hear.

Everyone will weigh it in their hearts.

If he really had Si Tu Wei executed, who would dare to serve him wholeheartedly thereafter? Even the people of Daxuan would feel this king had gone too far.

Lose the ministers' hearts, lose the people's hearts.

This is an outcome no wise king would wish to see.

"You really want to force Me?" Xiao Qidi leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice.

Si Tu Wei knew that with his intellect, he must have understood the hidden meaning of those words, so he simply assumed Xiao Qidi had been cowed by him and didn't ponder what that short sentence truly signified.

"Your Majesty!" Si Tu Wei declared, chest out, "May I teach you one more thing?"

Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes, "What is it?"

Si Tu Wei turned his face and shouted loudly, "Officials, those of you who wish me to remain Prime Minister, please step forward!"

At his command.

Xiao Qidi's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately looked toward the other officials.

He saw many officials lower their heads, glancing left and right furtively, and then someone actually stepped forward.

One, two, then three in succession.

One after another, more than twenty actually walked out of the crowd.

Moreover, these twenty-plus were all senior ministers of the court.

Xiao Qidi's expression instantly darkened like an abyss, his gaze sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.

Especially those officials who had steeled themselves to stand before him in support of Si Tu Wei—their very legs trembled.

Yet they truly had no choice.

"Si Tu Wei, you really are capable," Xiao Qidi said in an icy tone, "I have already taken back all royal authority, yet so many high‑ranking Daxuan ministers still back you—do you really think I cannot dismiss you?"

Si Tu Wei spoke with full confidence:

"I wholeheartedly wish to serve Daxuan, but since Your Majesty does not accept my intentions, I have no choice but to act this way."

"Your Majesty, you can take back the imperial seal they've been holding and reclaim the authority they've exercised, but you cannot sway their hearts."

"What is true power? True power is the ability to make many people willingly submit to you, to devote their very brains and blood for you!"

"The colleagues behind me are all pillars of Daxuan; they all support me. Could… Your Majesty really dismiss this group that constitutes more than half of the court's senior ministers all at once?"

"Without ministers and officials, who will attend to Your Majesty's affairs?"

"Such pillar‑like talent isn't something you can find among peddlers and vagabonds on every street."

"Do you expect the other half of the court's senior ministers to shoulder the entire burden? Can they even manage it?"

"Or perhaps you could simply pick commanders from the million‑strong Daxuan army to replace us? Oh, that won't work either—you know better than I that trying to find a learned statesman among a bunch of brutes who only know how to fight and wave swords is no better than grabbing a random peddler off the street."

"Your Majesty, a state cannot lack a ruler, but it is even more unacceptable to lose many talented ministers—this is the lesson I wish to teach you."

As his words faded, the hall fell into utter silence.

The officials who had originally been compelled to step forward because Si Tu Wei held their secrets also gained considerable resolve.

Meanwhile, another portion of the court officials wore solemn expressions.

This king is still too young; he likely cannot suppress the veteran Prime Minister whose power base is firmly entrenched in the core of Daxuan's power circle.

Xiao Qidi's eyelids twitched, his anger already showing on his face.

Yet his presence remained undiminished; his dark eyes swept over the officials standing beside Si Tu Wei, and he asked in a deep voice, "Do you perhaps have some leverage over him?"

Immediately, one of them changed countenance.

Others, though appearing calm, bore expressions of unspeakable bitterness.

Xiao Qidi added, "Do you perhaps think that as the sovereign of Daxuan I cannot even protect my own ministers? I can promise you, as you have urged, that whatever mistakes you made before today will be forgiven."

After saying that, the officials' expressions became even more indecipherable.

Some felt their legs tremble, as if they wanted to step forward to say something, but they never found the courage to move.

Seeing this, Xiao Qidi furrowed his brow slightly.

Could it be… that I guessed wrong?

Could it be that this faction of ministers supporting the Prime Minister isn't doing so because they have leverage over him, but because they have genuinely been won over?

Si Tu Wei saw the faint flicker of confusion cross Xiao Qidi's face, and, unable to suppress his satisfaction, he smiled and said, "Some matters, even if they violate Daxuan law, will be dropped if Your Majesty grants pardon; but there are other matters that, even if they are not illegal, will ruin one's reputation and life once they become known—even if Your Majesty is willing to let it go, the person involved could not face living on. Do you understand, Your Majesty?"

Seeing that his guess had been correct and that Si Tu Wei was beginning to get carried away with pride, Xiao Qidi feigned incomprehension and asked, "If something would lead to one's ruin and disgrace, how could you possibly know about it? I, for one, do not believe it."

Si Tu Wei, who had just barely avoided being turned against by Xiao Qidi, reflected that as the esteemed Prime Minister of Daxuan he had never suffered such a setback—this was nothing short of a lifetime disgrace, and the pent‑up anger in his chest was nearly bursting.

Yet at this moment, seeing himself turn the tide against the wind and regain control of the situation, he—despite having weathered countless storms over half a lifetime and cultivated a steady mind—could no longer restrain the urge to raise his brows and vent his pride.

If he did not release this suffocating, humiliating rage, he feared he would suffer internal injury.

Provoked by Xiao Qidi's goading, he blurted out, "I'll tell You, Your Majesty! Have You ever heard of the Qingyou Platform?"