Chapter 679: First Volume, Chapter 679: The Difficulty of Their Situation

First Volume, Chapter 679: The Difficulty of Their Situation

The next morning, Li Xiaolan returned to the Imperial Palace under the escort of the Imperial Guard.

Compared to the joy of their reunion, there was little sorrow at their parting.

After all, they were both within Jingdu, not far apart.

Moreover, Li Xiaolan had already made her stance and position clear to the Liang Emperor; if she wished to return, she could come back anytime.

Thus, Qin Feng and Liu Hongyan walked only a few steps with her before turning back to Mingyue Zhai.

Almost as soon as Li Xiaolan left, Ning Hu arrived.

"Brother Qin, last night Liu Ming led the brocade-uniform troops to sweep through every ward in Jingdu, capturing nine Beidi Night Owls."

"I think this time, the Beidi Spies have been utterly wiped out."

Qin Feng, who was inspecting the FermentationRoom, replied absentmindedly with his hands behind his back: "Spies can never be fully caught."

"Even a crafty rabbit has three burrows—how much more so the Beidi Night Owls?"

"The overt spies are merely cannon fodder, meant solely as shields."

"The covert spies are the ones who do the real work."

"Even if you catch all the covert spies, there are still older, deeper-hidden veteran spies who have lived in Shedynasty for years, even decades."

"Unless they expose themselves, you can't tell whether they're Beidi or subjects of Shedynasty."

"Even if you somehow managed to catch all these veteran spies, there are still fallback spies."

"These people look no different from ordinary civilians and have no contact with Night Owls."

"But the moment they learn their comrades are all dead, they immediately take up the burden."

Saying this, Qin Feng picked up a hemp rope and re-tied the mouth of the fermentation vat to prevent leakage, then added casually:

"Capturing enemy spies is, at its core, merely surface work."

"On the contrary, you must not wipe them all out."

"If enemy spies are completely eradicated, how will you ever send deliberate misinformation to the enemy? That's also a problem."

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Ning Hu was left speechless.

In his mind, all enemy spies were traitorous thieves who deserved total annihilation.

But Qin Feng's words completely reshaped Ning Hu's understanding.

Apparently, there were so many subtleties in eliminating enemy spies.

Especially Qin Feng's claim that some enemy spies must be deliberately spared—this left Ning Hu utterly bewildered.

Though he couldn't comprehend it, Ning Hu fully trusted Qin Feng's words.

After all…

Qin Feng himself was the Spy Chief.

He had built the Brocade Uniform Corps into the third-largest spy organization in such a short time, ranking just below the Anwu Guard and the Night Owls.

Qin Feng's understanding of this field was unquestionable.

Yet…

Ning Hu was even more puzzled.

"Brother Qin, if you know the Night Owls can't be wiped out, and shouldn't be wiped out at all…"

"Why did you let Third Miss give Liu Ming such an impossible mission?"

"Liu Ming is Mo Li's disciple and captain of the Brocade Uniform Anwu Guard."

"He's indispensable for communications and covert protection across the Jingji Region."

"If you pressure him too harshly, I fear…"

Before Ning Hu could finish, Qin Feng waved his hand to cut him off.

He brushed off the fermented lees clinging to his hands, turned, walked out of the FermentationRoom, and locked the door.

This room full of fermentation vats was a treasury—no slip could be allowed.

After locking the door, Qin Feng patted Ning Hu's shoulder.

He turned and sat beside the StoneTable, poured a cup of tea long since cooled, and handed it to Ning Hu.

"Ning Hu, before answering your question, I want to ask you: how is our current situation?"

Ning Hu shrugged, without wasting time thinking, and answered immediately.

"It's great."

"Much better than when we first returned to Jingdu."

"I still remember how back then, from the Emperor down to Lin Taibao, everyone was scheming to kill us."

"And yet? We were the ones who ended up laughing last."

"Lin Taibao and the Second Prince have both fallen."

"The Emperor has seen your power and now dares not act rashly."

"As for the Seventh Prince, he remains as before, holed up in the Hou Gong, rarely showing his face."

"The Three Dukes have lost two, leaving only the Grand Tutor."

"And that old Grand Tutor is the most protective of his own feathers, rarely getting involved in factional struggles."

Ning Hu wore a proud expression, feeling it was his fortune to stand by Qin Feng's side.

Now in Jingdu, even the Li Imperial Clan must steer clear of Qin Feng's sharp edge.

Among the court officials, the Civil Official Faction, led by the Taolin Party, looks to the Qin Family for guidance.

Throughout all of Jingdu, there is no rival to be found.

As Qin Feng's right-hand man, Ning Hu's status and position have naturally risen with the tide.

Don't think that I'm just a minor Marquis of a Battalion Commander — even Second Rank Officials in court have to show me deference.

Isn't that all because of Qin Feng's face?

Watching Ning Hu's smug look, Qin Feng couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

He picked up the cold tea, didn't mind it, and took a swig straight away, then began his analysis unhurriedly.

"You can't just look at the surface of things."

"A whole pile of troublesome matters is still waiting for us."

"Seventh Prince Li Yong and the Grand Tutor's faction — for now, we don't need to worry about them."

"What we truly need to deal with now is our very own Sage."

"In terms of grand strategy, foresight, and the weighing of power — among the people of today, none can surpass the Sage."

"When the Sage held absolute power, he was decisive in killing and punishing. Now that his authority is being questioned, he has begun to bide his time."

"He is far too patient — or rather, he is biding his time for a greater strike."

"The State Peace Talks are the bargaining chip between us and the Sage."

"As long as the talks go smoothly, in the short term, the Sage and we can leave each other alone."

"On the contrary, he will surely think of every possible way to get rid of us. And this time, it will no longer be a battle of wits and courage — it will be a true clash of arms."

"I certainly don't hope that day comes, otherwise…"

Qin Feng did not continue, but the severity of the consequences was already self-evident.

"Tomorrow, the State Peace Talks will officially begin."

"If the talks don't go smoothly, we'll have to face the Sage's wrath."

"After all, what the Sage has been waiting for is precisely an excuse to deal with us!"

"If the talks go smoothly, we'll have to face the Northern Di's retaliation."

"All our forces are in the Northern Border, and the Northern Border borders the Northern Di."

"Once the talks end, we'll still have to go to the Northern Di to return the courtesy — and that will be the perfect opportunity for the Northern Di to strike."

"Besides, going to the Northern Di to pacify them is the rule — it can't be easily refused."

"Once we leave, Jingdu will once again fall into emptiness. Whether it's the Sage or Li Yong, they will surely seize this chance to launch a massive Rebellion Inducement of our people."

"It's quite possible that by the time we return, the very skies over Jingdu will have changed."

"Tell me — is our situation a good one, or a bad one?"