Chapter 1304 - 1262:
He still didn’t know who placed the note in his room, but someone who could silently place it there just before his return must be very close by.
I heard that General Yuan commanded the secret division of the Zhao Family Army, with his spies present in every corner of the world.
If Yu Hong makes a move to kill Yuan Li and Xun Fan, the hidden guard in the Governor Mansion would surely notice the anomaly, and by then, no member of the Yu Family would escape.
He was a servant, as were his two sons. If the masters committed such a grave crime, they would likely be implicated and beheaded as well.
So, to survive, he could only betray Yu Hong.
Yuan Li pulled him up from the ground, pressed his hand on his shoulder, and said, "Don’t take it to heart, this isn’t betrayal. You must be a person first, only then a servant."
He said, "You are a Jin person; first, do not betray the country, do not betray the Great General, then you yourself, and then your master."
Zheng Quan was taken aback, "Not betray the country? I, I’m a traitorous servant, would the Great General still be willing to trust me?"
"Why not trust you?" Yuan Li asked, "Let me ask you, if the Xiongnu Kingdom still existed and Yu Hong wanted to defect, would you comply with Yu Hong or fight fiercely for the country and the people?"
Zheng Quan: "I’m a servant, of course, I can only comply with whatever the Family Head does."
"Wrong!" Yuan Li shouted loudly, "Servants are human too, and humans must have a bottom line. The country is something that must never be betrayed. Even if he’s your Family Head, you should oppose him!"
Zheng Quan widened his eyes.
Yuan Li held his shoulder and said, "This is what the Great General said, and today I deliver the same to you. Remember, it’s not you betraying Yu Hong, it’s Yu Hong who first betrayed the court, the Great General, and the people under his rule. You are fighting for justice, for the country. From today, you are no longer Yu Hong’s servant, but someone from the Investigation Department, a good person, and a hero of the Great Jin!"
Zheng Quan’s lips trembled as he asked incredulously, "I, I am a good person? A hero?"
Yuan Li nodded firmly.
Zheng Quan’s shattered heart pieced itself back together, his collapsed beliefs were rebuilt, he nodded and murmured, "Right, I am a good person, I am a good person now, I am also a hero..."
When Zheng Quan left, his eyes were bright, and his face couldn’t hide his happiness.
Yuan Li’s close guard Shi Si returned after sending him off and moved next to Yuan Li, saying, "General, he is a traitorous servant; if he can betray once, he can betray a second time. Are we really going to rely on him as an insider? Shouldn’t you bring a few more people?"
"No need, dealing with Yu Hong, a few of us will suffice," Yuan Li said, "I let him be the insider to cultivate him. Zheng Quan is much more suitable than Du Xin to be a spy."
"Ah? Why is that? That Du Xin was trained by us and then sent out, whereas Zheng Quan turned against halfway."
Though Yu Hong wasn’t a good person, Shi Si also despised servants who betrayed their masters.
Yuan Li glanced at him and said, "Zheng Quan is not someone who is fickle. If you’re afraid he’ll betray us, then instill in him a belief that he must never betray us."
Yuan Li understood Zheng Quan the best, because he vaguely saw his former self in him.
He would fight for power, for money, but he would never betray his lady!
Shi Si scratched his head, "General, I don’t understand."
"It’s right not to understand. If you understood, wouldn’t you be the General?" Yuan Li turned around, "Make preparations, the day after tomorrow we’re going to visit the Governor Mansion. We’ll catch the criminals with incriminating evidence, attempting to assassinate the court envoy. We need to catch them red-handed."
Yuan Li laughed coldly, "Initially, I only intended to control them, for there was all the time in the world. But since they’re rushing to their demise, we must see it through."
Shi Si became excited all over, happily agreed with a "yes," and dashed out to find martial brothers with high skills, "I said a long time ago we shouldn’t let them off, those who inflate prices are the worst; back then my family of six all starved to death because of this..."
Shi Si went out and picked ten experts, but Yuan Li selected only four, "The rest should quietly ambush outside the Governor Mansion. Be careful, don’t reveal yourself, and once you get my signal, go in immediately and arrest them."
Shi Si said, "Isn’t six people too few? The general’s safety should be a priority."
Yuan Li: "These past two days I’ve thoroughly seen through Yu Hong’s background, the people he has are only for appearance, plenty in number but not of use. When it comes to real combat, the three of us forming an array can be equivalent to two military formations, and since Yu Hong is close by me, I can reach out and grab him."
Shi Si: "I worry about Grand Tutor Xun, we can obviously protect our lives, but if we want to safeguard Grand Tutor Xun, it might be difficult."