Chapter 011 Conspiracy or open conspiracy?
Just as Sun Shaozong expected, this kind of story of "being angry for a colleague and solving a strange case in half a day" was the easiest to spread among the people in ancient times.
He didn't even wait until the next day. He had just sent Ruan Rong, who was reluctant to leave, home when he heard people discussing the matter in a street tavern. His name "Captain Sun" was mentioned repeatedly.
The only thing that is somewhat inappropriate is that Li Jiuming seems to be arranged into a clown who is jealous of others' talents, to highlight the greatness of him and the second male lead Feng Xin - needless to say, Feng Xin must have secretly added more scenes for himself, otherwise, with his little ability, how could he possibly become the second male lead?
Now is the time to unite all the forces that can be united and build momentum in Qinglin Mansion. It is not a good thing to offend a local tyrant like Li Jiuming for no reason, especially since he has helped you before.
Therefore, Sun Shaozong prepared to go to the door to apologize the next day, and then hype it up to earn the reputation of "heroes appreciating heroes".
But plans cannot keep up with changes.
The next morning, Sun Shaozong had just gotten out of bed and hadn't started to wash when an official brought him a visiting card, inviting him to meet Prime Minister Nguyen Phuc Trung at his residence.
Nguyen Phuc Trung was truly second to none in the Kingdom of Qian Huong. Not to mention Sun Shaozong, a small captain, even when Niu Yongxin was still alive, if you wanted to see him, you had to go to the Ministry of Rites to apply for approval first.
How could Sun Shaozong dare to delay when such a big shot sent him an invitation?
Besides, his plan of "waving the flag and pulling the tiger's skin" also needs such a big man as a stepping stone. How can he miss such a godsend opportunity?
Therefore, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to ask Feng Xin to go and apologize on his behalf. After all, it was Feng Xin who caused the incident, so it was only appropriate for him to clean up the mess.
However, Sun Shaozong arrived at the Prime Minister's Residence in a dusty state. After the host and guest sat down in the living room, Nguyen Phuc Trung first expressed his condolences to the embassy staff on behalf of the court of Qian Huong Kingdom, praised the guards headed by Sun Shaozong, reviewed the years of unity and friendship between the two countries in the past, and looked forward to a brighter future.
At the end, Nguyen Phuc Trung finally began to interrogate in detail the process of Sun Shaozong and others tracking down the remaining assassins.
Up to this point, Sun Shaozong felt that this meeting was just a formality, just like the model worker commendation conferences he had attended in the modern world before - the whole thing was just official documents with no real substance.
The only difference is that Nguyen Phuc Trung's words are more elegant, and his attitude is stronger than those city and county leaders. Although he exudes a sense of alienation, he makes people feel like they are bathed in spring breeze.
However, just when Sun Shaozong gradually lowered his guard, Ruan Fuzhong suddenly said: "My Qianxiang Kingdom and the Great Zhou are as close as brothers, but the Zhen Kingdom regards the Great Zhou as a tiger, leopard, jackal, and wolf. Those assassins must be from Zhen Kingdom, and can only be from Zhen Kingdom!"
Just hearing this one sentence made Sun Shaozong feel the hairs on his body stand on end and he almost broke out in a cold sweat!
What does this mean?
Is he testing me to see if I have noticed the flaw?
Or is it indicating that what Qianxiang Kingdom is doing is actually an open conspiracy and they are not afraid at all that Da Zhou will discover the truth?
It's just a short sentence, but it's terrifying when you think about it carefully!
Fortunately, Sun Shaozong had several years of experience in the modern officialdom and was not a real greenhorn, so he was able to keep his composure and not show weakness in front of Nguyen Phuc Trung.
--Dividing line--
After returning to the embassy .
On the one hand, according to the original plan, Sun Shaozong sent people to spread the rumor that "Prime Minister Nguyen had a keen eye for talent, and Captain Sun loyally refused to recruit him." He lied that Nguyen Phuc Trung had recruited him with the position of a third-rank general, but he was so moved that he refused.
On the other hand, stimulated by Nguyen Phuc Trung, Sun Shaozong made a quick study of the domestic and international situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty. As a result, he discovered that this Nguyen might really be plotting something!
Generally speaking, feudal dynasties believed that there can be only one sun under the sky and only one master for the people. However, the Zhou Dynasty had two suns: the abdicated emperor and the successor emperor.
In the face of imperial power, even fathers and sons could not avoid mutual suspicion and obstruction, so the political decrees of the Great Zhou Dynasty in recent years were often changed overnight and contradictory to each other, which greatly hindered the efficiency of local governments and reduced the prestige of the court.
Precisely because of this, the previously suppressed noises are gradually rising again. For example, the Mongolian tribes in the northwest were nearly exterminated by the Zhou Dynasty more than fifty years ago. For decades, they dared only to live as slaves. Now, they are colluding with the Heishui Mohe in the northeast, and seem to be ready to make some moves.
On the southeast coast, the Japanese pirates and the yellow-haired barbarians were becoming more and more aggressive, frequently coming ashore to plunder and making life miserable for the people living along the coast.
Amidst these internal and external troubles, how could the Great Zhou still have the energy to take care of the six kingdoms in southern Xinjiang?
Therefore, although the middle and lower classes of Qianxiang Kingdom still maintain their awe of Da Zhou, the upper echelons have already developed different ideas, so they secretly use means to test Da Zhou's reaction.
Anyway, their main target is still Zhen State, and the government and the people are very submissive to the Great Zhou, as if they are loyal to the Great Zhou. Even if someone in the Great Zhou court sees the flaw, what can they do? Could it be that they can force this only "respectful and humble" younger brother to rebel for Niu Yongxin? !
After thinking through all these points, Sun Shaozong felt that the water was unfathomable and it would be better for small fish and shrimp like him to stay away from it.
Therefore, on the one hand, he told Feng Xin and others to stay at home and not go out again to avoid any trouble; on the other hand, he took the lead in raising 500 taels of silver to bribe the soldiers and officials who escorted the assassin, so that they would spread the story of "Captain Sun solved the strange case in half a day and Prime Minister Ruan recognized the talent with his keen eyes" to Shuntian Prefecture.
After four or five days of peace and tranquility, when the team escorting the assassin finally set out, the embassy suddenly welcomed an "uninvited guest" - Ruan Rong's biological father, Qinglin prefect Ruan Liangshun.
Ruan Liangshun came to visit under the pretext of 'expressing gratitude', but Sun Shaozong could not see that he had any gratitude in him. Instead, his old face was tense, as if someone owed him a lot of money.
At first, Sun Shaozong was very confused, but for Ruan Rong's sake, he didn't bother with the old man - until Ruan Liangshun said something, he understood where the other party's inexplicable hostility came from.
"Captain Sun."
Ruan Liangshun bowed his hands with a fake smile and said, "My daughter was concerned about my safety that day, so it's inevitable that she didn't mean what she said. Captain Sun, please don't take it to heart. It happens that in a few days, my daughter will be engaged to the eldest son of Minister Pan of the Ministry of Revenue. I will hold a wedding banquet at home, and I hope Captain Sun will take the time to come."
How smart is Sun Shaozong?
He immediately understood that Ruan Liangshun's words were full of hidden meaning. His real intention was actually to warn him: My daughter is going to get married soon, so you'd better not have any contact with my daughter anymore, and don't have any improper thoughts!
This invitation to him to attend the engagement party was probably just a casual remark and should not be taken seriously at all.
Although Sun Shaozong had some feelings for Ruan Rong, it was far from the level of romantic love. Moreover, if nothing unexpected happened, he would return to Da Zhou soon, and he might not have the chance to see Ruan Rong again in this life.
Therefore, although he felt a little unhappy after hearing this warning, after sending Ruan Liangshun away, he put the matter behind him.
After that , about a hundred days later, the engagement banquet of the Ruan Mansion arrived as scheduled. Most of the relatives and friends received the invitations, but Sun Shaozong was missed out - but even if he received the invitation, he was afraid that he would not have time to attend the banquet, because at the same time when the Ruan Mansion sent out the wedding invitations, the new special envoy of the Great Zhou finally arrived at Qinglin Mansion!
