Chapter 2003

Wang Xiao's heart was full of excitement.

Before his eyes, he could already see the monstrous waves and bloody storms that would be stirred up in the Yan Kingdom court because of this scheme.

He had originally wanted to tell Gao Yang the news from Chang'an so that Gao Yang could prepare in advance.

But he never expected that this trip would have such an unexpected joy.

If he presented this scheme, he would be a great hero of the counterattack, a capable official in Wu Zhao's eyes, with a limitless future!

Even setting aside his future, just the moment of showing off in front of the hundred officials would be enough to make him feel great!

But when he thought of something, the joy on Wang Xiao's face disappeared slightly, and he became hesitant, "Prime Minister Gao, it's just that..."

Gao Yang turned his head, his face once again returning to indifference and composure.

He sat back in his chair, holding a teacup, leaning lazily against the back of the chair, his eyes looking at Wang Xiao.

"Just what? Are you worried that they will see through this scheme and that Yan Wushuang will be able to mediate?"

Wang Xiao nodded heavily, his expression solemn.

"Prime Minister Gao, Chen Ping's viciousness is now known to all of Great Qian; he is definitely not an ordinary person, and Yan Wushuang is also an ambitious hero. What if... what if Yan Wushuang and Chen Ping see through this scheme of alienation, and Yan Wushuang forcibly suppresses it, mediates in the middle, and makes Yuan Xuanlin and Chen Ping put aside their grudges? Wouldn't this scheme fall through?"

Wang Xiao looked directly into Gao Yang's eyes and asked tentatively.

But his instinct told him that since this scheme came from Gao Yang, it was definitely not as simple as he thought!

There must be something ruthless about it!

But since it concerned his presentation of the scheme, he naturally had to ask clearly; otherwise, when he got to the court and the hundred officials questioned him, wouldn't he fail to show off and instead make a big mess?

Gao Yang chuckled upon hearing this.

His eyes carried an understanding of human nature and absolute confidence as he slowly swept his gaze over Wang Xiao, and Chu Qingluan, Shangguan Wan'er, and the others on the side.

"True poisonous schemes are never just tricks and plots; they are open schemes! They use the 'inevitability' of human nature, power structures, and conflicts of interest to set a dead end that you know is a trap, yet you still have to jump into, and even crawl out of!"

Gao Yang took a sip of tea and slowly looked at Gao Changwen, who didn't understand but felt it was very profound.

He said softly, "Changwen, suppose Father tells you from now on that if you dare to step into a brothel one more time, he will break your legs. What will you do? Will you still step into a brothel in the future?"

Gao Changwen was stunned at first, feeling as if the sky had fallen.

This assumption was too immersive, almost making people breathless.

But almost in the next second, Gao Changwen blurted out like a conditioned reflex, "Brother, does this even need to be asked?"

"As the saying goes, one can go without food or drink, but this brothel... that is a man's romance, it is my faith that goes deep into my bones. A man is a boy until he dies, not to mention that I am a boy myself right now!"

"Let alone a mere warning, even if Father really breaks my legs, I would have to crawl there! Unless he breaks the third leg, then... then I really can't go!"

Gao Changwen replied like this.

This answer was extremely straightforward and frank, making the corners of everyone present twitch violently.

Gao Yang looked at Wang Xiao and the others, his eyes as sharp as knives, and he said faintly, "Do you see? This is the inevitability deep in human nature!"

"Some things are not a question of whether you want to or not, but a question of what is destined to happen!"

Gao Yang's voice gradually turned cold, filled with a powerful sense of oppression, "This scheme is exactly like that!"

"Who is Yuan Xuanlin? He is an old official who followed Yan Wushuang firmly when he was still the Second Prince and was leading a large army to conquer the world! When he went to Great Qian as an envoy, Yan Wushuang didn't bring anyone else, only Yuan Xuanlin as a strategist, which shows his status!"

"Furthermore, he followed Yan Wushuang all the way to his current position as a high official. Is it possible for him to have no real ability, no real temper, and no real ambition?"

"Since it is the merit of following the dragon, who doesn't want more? When Yan Wushuang ascended the throne as Emperor and rewarded merit, there were only so many positions, which involves the division of interests!"

"Now that Chen Ping has risen, and after this provocation, will the already narrow-minded Yuan Xuanlin feel threatened?"

Wang Xiao and the others held their breath, Gao Yang's voice echoing in their minds.

Gao Yang was indifferent and continued, "As the saying goes, one mountain cannot hold two tigers unless one is male and one is female. Even beasts are like this, let alone people? Yuan Xuanlin and Chen Ping are both strategists; how can their political views be completely consistent?"

"Once a disagreement arises, how will Yan Wushuang choose? Chen Ping surpasses Yuan Xuanlin once, and Yuan Xuanlin endures it? But what about twice? Ten times? Or even a hundred times?"

"Not to mention, both of them have high status, and what they say involves fundamental issues like power distribution and the direction of national policy!"

"In Yuan Xuanlin's heart, I'm afraid there have long been complaints!"

Gao Yang paused specifically when he said this, his tone carrying a confidence that controlled the overall situation, "Therefore, it doesn't matter if it's an imitation, and it doesn't matter if the scheme is seen through, because I only need to give a gentle push and throw the seeds of suspicion and dissatisfaction precisely into a pile of dry firewood that is already full of dead branches and leaves, and only needs a spark to start a prairie fire. That is enough!"

"Yuan Xuanlin's narrow-mindedness is his nature; he is an old official, so he is destined to rely on his high merit, which is determined by his status; he and Chen Ping are both strategists, so there must be conflicts in political views, which is the inevitability of the power structure!"

"How can Yan Wushuang mediate?"

"The three of them sit opposite each other; can a sentence of 'you must consider the overall situation' eliminate this suspicion that is engraved in the bones?"