Chapter 127: You Are That Knife

"Lord Shen, follow me!"

He beckoned to Shen Yu, and then this old Marquis stepped into the secret chamber once again. His appearance was entirely that of a man in high spirits. He did not look at all like someone about to breathe his last.

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Yu followed in his footsteps. Regardless of what the other party's true intentions were, a mere secret chamber could not stump a Master of Mechanisms like him!

"Lord Shen must have many questions in his heart right now!" As they walked, the old Marquis spoke softly to Shen Yu, his voice revealing a touch of vicissitude and exhaustion.

"Marquis, I heard you were suffering from a severe illness, but looking at you now, it seems..."

"Lord Shen, the current Weiyuan Marquis Mansion is being watched by who knows how many eyes. Therefore, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure!"

"Who has such audacity to dare make a move against the Marquis Mansion?" As far as Shen Yu knew, this Marquis was a man who had contended on the battlefield and been young and frivolous in his youth. He had commanded an army before the age of forty, possessing immense prestige.

As for the old Marquis's own strength, it was at least the Grandmaster Realm. Coupled with the fact that the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion had been passed down for generations and was filled with experts and strict defenses, it could basically be said that his word was law in Songnan Prefecture.

In the vast Songnan Prefecture, there was likely only one force capable of making the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion act with such caution. The commander of the 180,000-strong Dongning Army, Third-Rank Martial Guard General Ye Jing.

"Lord Shen thinks too highly of my Weiyuan Marquis Mansion; in truth, our Weiyuan Marquis Mansion is not that strong!" Shaking his head, the old Marquis gave a bitter smile.

"Actually, I was indeed bedridden before, but it was not because of illness, but poison!"

"Poison? Who has such great audacity? Could it really be the Dongning Army?"

"Lord, you are mistaken; it should be said that it is not just the Dongning Army!" Shaking his head, the old Marquis said coldly, "I have always felt that behind Dongning Army Commander Ye Jing, there is another force hiding. This force is not only hidden very deeply, but its strength is quite terrifying!"

"By the way, one last piece of advice for you, Lord. Do not fully trust the Capture Gate or even the Black-Clad Guard of Songnan Prefecture!"

"What?" Such a solemn warning from the old Marquis gave Shen Yu a slight shock. If even the Capture Gate and Black-Clad Guard could not be trusted, could it be that the entire power structure of Songnan Prefecture had been infiltrated?

At this moment, Shen Yu actually thought of many things. If the Capture Gate and Black-Clad Guard were not worth trusting, then were the Shadow Guards of the Governor's Office truly trustworthy?

"Understood, many thanks, Marquis!"

"Even if I didn't say these things, I believe Lord Shen would be able to perceive them yourself!" Waving his hand at Shen Yu, the old Marquis then said, "Years ago, when I inadvertently discovered the Bliss Flower in Songnan Prefecture, I realized something was wrong, so I sent people to investigate secretly!"

"In the end, all the information gathered actually pointed to the Dongning Army. Not long after, I was struck by a potent poison, unable to speak or move, like a useless person!"

Seeming to recall something, the old Marquis's eyes were filled with killing intent. The killing aura radiating from him made even Shen Yu feel slightly uncomfortable; he was truly worthy of being a veteran general who had fought on the battlefield for decades.

"If it weren't for the fact that I had some friendship with the Sect Leader of Poison King Ridge in my youth, and they sent experts to help treat me after learning the news, I would never have discovered that it was poison, not illness!"

"This poison was extremely violent and had been lurking in my body for a long time, having already corroded my physique. Even the experts from Poison King Ridge spent an entire year to completely purge the poison from my body!"

"But even so, although I appear healthy now, I am actually already rotten to the core; I am merely holding on by force!"

Sighing slightly, the old Marquis led Shen Yu along the secret passage to the deepest part of the secret chamber. It did not look like a secret chamber, but more like a military command post, with a map hanging on it.

"Alright, let's not talk about that. Lord Shen, this is where I usually go into seclusion. It is not only very secret, but no one will disturb us. No one will know what we say here!"

"By the way, I heard that Lord Shen intends to take action against the various families recently. I advise you, Lord Shen, do not be impulsive!"

"That line again!" Although he didn't take it to heart, Shen Yu still obediently said, "Marquis, rest assured, I understand!"

"Lord Shen, a person's eyes cannot lie; you are being too perfunctory. I know you are someone who hates evil, but you must not be impulsive now. Lord Shen, please look, this is the map of the Nanhua Domain, and here is the location of Songnan Prefecture!"

Tracing his hand across the map, the old Marquis looked at it with a solemn expression. "Songnan Prefecture borders the Ying River to the west, the Cangyun Mountains to the north, the vast sea is not far to the east, and to the south lies a plain with no natural defenses. Does Lord Shen know what this means?"

Speaking to this point, the old Marquis's face was filled with nothing but worry, his eyes fixed intently on the map hanging there.

Following the position the old Marquis pointed to, Shen Yu's brows furrowed slightly. This old Marquis was definitely not just chatting with him; he was telling him that Songnan Prefecture must absolutely not fall into chaos.

"Songnan Prefecture is a wealthy place, the granary of the southeast. These people, by using the Bliss Flower, have indirectly controlled the large and small families of Songnan Prefecture. They lack no grain or fodder, and their weapons and armor are sharp!"

"Lord Shen, you are a smart man; you should be able to see it too. The people of Songnan Prefecture have long been oppressed and are on the verge of eruption. The masses are always ignorant; if someone were to raise an arm and shout at this time, and then kill a few of the most oppressive families, they would surely be joined by a multitude!"

"Once it reaches this point, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Sighing deeply, the old Marquis said with some helplessness, "This is also the reason why I have hesitated to make a move and take a gamble. Once there is the slightest mistake, it will ignite the flames of war!"

"Marquis, if it really reaches that point, what would the consequences be?"

"Lord Shen should know that the Dongning Army is a rare elite force. In the entire Nanhua Domain, there are only one or two armies that can compare to it!"

Speaking of the combat power of the Dongning Army, no one was clearer than this old Marquis; it was an elite force he had brought up himself. It was precisely because he knew that he had to be cautious.

"If it really reaches that point, the Dongning Army only needs to send a small number of troops to hold the strategic points, while the rest of the main force can sweep eastward to the sea. To the south, the imperial court has no natural defenses, so they would naturally have no rivals!"

"At that time, the best outcome would be the fall of several provinces. The worst outcome, I fear, is that the entire Nanhua Domain, or even the entire southeast, will be ruined. Once the flames of war are ignited, it will take years of effort to quell them. By then, there will surely be wailing everywhere and countless deaths and injuries!"

"This is the reason why I told you not to be impulsive, Lord Shen!"

Turning back to look at Shen Yu, the old Marquis's eyes revealed a sense of majesty, and the expression on his face was indescribably serious.

"The imperial court suppresses the four corners, and its elite armies number more than a million, so no one is certain of victory. Once that step is taken, for each family, it means the entire family has no way out. No family truly dares to gamble, even if they have leverage held in the hands of others!"

"Therefore, these people need a knife—a knife that can make these families feel a fatal threat and ultimately force them to submit. And you, Lord Shen, are the knife they have chosen!"