Chapter 291: Conspiracy

Western Liang, Wuwei.

In a courtyard at the corner of Dongting Street in the southeast, Cui Yan frowned as he looked at the middle-aged scholar before him.

This person claimed to be Zhu Liang, a retainer of the Ma Family.

He had come to Wuwei on the orders of the Head of the Family of the Ma Family to see him, entrusting him to introduce him to the Emperor of Western Liang, Tuoba Hao.

Besides this, the middle-aged scholar also brought a letter from the Dou Family, the handwriting on which he was very familiar with.

Thus, he no longer doubted.

"I trouble you, Captain Cui. This matter is of great importance; there will be a generous reward once it is accomplished," said Zhu Liang.

To be safe, Ma Jin did not send any members of the Ma Family.

"Easy to say, easy to say," Cui Yan said with a smile, though his eyes carried a trace of dissatisfaction.

The Dou Family promised him that as long as he betrayed the Great Song Dynasty, they would send his wife, children, and family to Western Liang.

But now, he had not even seen a single hair of them.

In this letter sent by the Dou Family, they were still playing word games with him.

They said that when the time was right, they would send the people over.

He knew that the Dou Family had not finished using him yet and were afraid he would not obey, so they were holding his wife, children, and family as bargaining chips.

Burning the Dou Family's letter, Cui Yan said to Zhu Liang, "Wait here for a moment; I will go to the Prime Minister's residence and return."

Having said this, he headed toward the Prime Minister's residence.

Halfway there, a Western Liang general came toward him.

Upon seeing Cui Yan, the Western Liang general suddenly spat on the ground at Cui Yan's feet.

Cui Yan looked over, but the Western Liang general was not afraid at all; after letting out a mocking laugh, he cursed, "Song dog!"

Hearing this, Cui Yan dared not retort and only lowered his head to continue on his way.

Behind him, the Western Liang general let out an even louder laugh.

With a belly full of suppressed anger, Cui Yan arrived at the Prime Minister's residence.

After being announced, Cui Yan was called inside.

"Prime Minister,

someone from the Ma Family of Qin Prefecture has come." Seeing Li Xin, Cui Yan bowed and saluted.

Li Xin nodded.

It was for this very reason that he would see Cui Yan.

"The court of the Great Song Dynasty is becoming more and more interesting. Their target is Yan Wang, right?" said Li Xin.

Cui Yan was startled, "How does the Prime Minister know?"

"Heh, from the moment you rebelled against the Great Song, this has been a trap aimed at Yan Wang. Anyone with a discerning eye can see it, though dealing with Yan Wang is also what Western Liang wants," Li Xin said with his hands behind his back.

"Everyone in Wuwei says the Prime Minister is wiser than the average person, and it is indeed so," Cui Yan laughed.

Li Xin nodded, "You have that person come over. Let's see what he has to say, then I will consider whether to report it to His Majesty."

Cui Yan replied that he would.

Since arriving in Western Liang, he had felt extremely uncomfortable.

The people here, their clothing and hair, were all different from the Song People.

To integrate into Western Liang, he took the initiative to shave off his own hair, just like the people of Western Liang.

But his identity as a Song Person still could not be hidden.

Many Western Liang generals were very unfriendly toward him.

At best they insulted him, and at worst they even beat him.

Only here with Li Xin could he feel a bit more at ease.

Because Li Xin's appearance was the same as his; both had the appearance of Song People.

And he also knew that Li Xin's background was that of a Song Person living in Western Liang.

Thinking of how he had just been bullied by a Western Liang general, he said, "Prime Minister, this subordinate defected from the Great Song and helped Western Liang take Jinzhou. This is, in any case, a great merit, yet many Western Liang generals often bully this subordinate. I hope the Prime Minister will act on my behalf."

"Oh, I will report this matter to His Majesty." Hearing this, Li Xin seemed to lack interest.

Cui Yan lowered his head, not noticing Li Xin's expression, and said, "Many thanks, Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and I are both Song People; I hope the Prime Minister will provide much support."

Hearing these words, Li Xin's expression changed drastically. He raged, "Audacious! Who is a Song Person with you? My ancestors have lived in Western Liang for generations; I am a true Western Liang person. If you speak nonsense again, I will certainly punish you for the crime of lèse-majesté!"

Cui Yan was so frightened his face turned pale, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

He said hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes, this subordinate understands. I will never dare to speak nonsense again."

"Go and call the person from the Ma Family over," Li Xin barked.

Cui Yan hurriedly bowed and retreated.

Once outside, he felt a wave of desolation in his heart.

He raged inwardly, "Li Xin, do you think that because you learned the Western Liang language and script and became the Prime Minister of Western Liang, the people of Western Liang will treat you as one of their own? Ridiculous, you are only deceiving yourself."

After venting, he felt even more dejected.

He knew very well that he could not return to the Great Song, and from now on, even if he lived like a dog in Western Liang, he had to keep living.

Returning to his own courtyard, he led Zhu Liang to the Prime Minister's residence.

But the gatekeeper of the Prime Minister's residence only ushered Zhu Liang inside, blocking him outside the door.

Zhu Liang looked back and saw that Cui Yan had not followed.

Although puzzled, he still went straight to see Li Xin.

He handed a letter to him.

After reading the letter, Li Xin remained silent for a long time.

This letter had no signature, but the tone of the writing seemed to be that of the person in charge of the Ma Family.

First, he informed him that the Great Song was sending troops to Jinzhou.

At the same time, the letter mentioned a plan.

The Ma Family and Xiliang were to put on a show, allowing both the Ma Family and Xiliang to benefit simultaneously.

The ultimate goal of this show was to weaken Yan Wang, with the Ma Family gaining merit and Xiliang keeping Jinzhou.

According to what was said in the letter.

When the Ma Family Army encountered the Xiliang Army, they hoped both sides would secretly send people to communicate in time and discuss how to fight.

Should the Ma Family feign defeat? Or should Xiliang feign defeat? In any case, there could be no real engagement.

In this way, neither side would need to lose any soldiers.

At the same time, both sides could also jointly design a trap.

For example, having the Ma Family troops deliberately ask Yan Wang for reinforcements.

With the Xiliang Army lying in ambush nearby, waiting for Yan Wang's troops to arrive before charging out, and so on.

Li Xin finished reading and nodded slightly.

In this way, the Ma Family would no longer be Xiliang's opponent, but would become a helper.

And all they would have to pay was to pretend to lose a few major battles to the Ma Family.

Just to let the Ma Family claim credit from the Imperial Court.

Once Xiliang defeated Yan Wang, the Ma Family would withdraw from Jinzhou.

At that time, they would blame all the responsibility for the failure on Yan Wang.

After all, the Ma Family would have been winning battle after battle, and Yan Wang would have held them back.

"Good, good, good..." Li Xin said the word "good" three times in a row.

If things were truly as stated in the letter, he was in complete agreement.

Moreover, the matter regarding Cui Yan last time had been proven true.

This left him with no further doubts about this current matter.

The internal strife within the Great Song would benefit Xiliang.

"I will go see His Majesty now." Li Xin's expression was excited.

The matter of Cui Yan's rebellion was already a great achievement.

If he could facilitate this matter, it would be another great achievement.

Hurrying to the palace, he met with Tuoba Hao.

After reporting this matter, he waited quietly for Tuoba Hao's reply.

"Your Majesty, your subject believes this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; as long as Yan Wang is weakened, there will be an opportunity to continue advancing east," Li Xin said.

Tuoba Hao pondered for a long while, just as Li Xin had said.

The matter of Cui Yan last time had proven to be a success.

This matter was worth the risk, because things would not get any worse.

He said: "This is truly a blessing bestowed upon Xiliang by the heavens; it seems it is time for my Xiliang to rule the world. Good, let it be done this way. As long as Yanzhou is taken, Xiliang will control the northern frontier of the Great Song. After managing it for another ten-plus years, we can march south to seize the Great Song empire!"