Chapter 388: Hao Zhen Should Be Thanking Me

Yuan Gang had never seen Shao Pingbo before, but the words "Young Master Shao" were enough to put him on alert.

A Young Master Shao acquainted with Su Zhao? For someone who knew the background, it was not difficult to make the connection.

Qin Mian moved closer to Su Zhao, her eyes full of blame and questions.

Shao Pingbo, who had followed her inside, was not blind. Naturally, he also saw the red-faced man sitting calmly in the room drinking tea. He studied Yuan Gang with some curiosity. Then he quickly swept his gaze across Su Zhao's room.

This was his first time here. Judging from the furnishings, it was unmistakably Su Zhao's private bedchamber. A man who could sit inside Su Zhao's bedchamber? Shao Pingbo was somewhat surprised by Yuan Gang's identity.

He gave Yuan Gang a slight nod in greeting, then smiled at Su Zhao. "Sister Zhao."

Those two words made Yuan Gang slowly rise to his feet. They almost confirmed the newcomer's identity. His surprise was considerable. That man had actually come here.

Anyone Master Dao considered dangerous was enough to make Yuan Gang extraordinarily vigilant.

He could tell that the man wore a false mask to conceal his true face.

Su Zhao's smile was somewhat awkward. She had always called Shao Pingbo simply "Pingbo," but with Yuan Gang present she could hardly use the name. She was afraid of exposing his identity.

With Yuan Gang still there, she could not say much. She could only turn to him first. "Mr. An, I have a guest to receive, so I won't see you out."

The meaning was obvious. You've seen him. This isn't the Prince of the Western Court. You can leave now, can't you?

His excuse for staying had disappeared, and Yuan Gang had already learned what he wanted. He gave a slight nod. "Farewell."

Shao Pingbo also cupped his hands politely in return.

After watching Yuan Gang leave, Qin Mian voluntarily withdrew as well. "Proprietress, Young Master Shao, please talk. There are still guests in the front hall I need to attend to."

"Thank you," Shao Pingbo replied courteously.

As Qin Mian left, she closed the door behind her. Only then did Su Zhao finally settle down.

Her gaze landed on Shao Pingbo's hair, and uncertainty filled her face. "How did your hair turn this white?"

It was a painful subject, and Shao Pingbo had no desire to discuss it. He asked instead, "Who was that red-faced man just now?"

Su Zhao brushed it aside with a single sentence. "Someone the organization is cultivating."

"Oh." Shao Pingbo's response was mild.

But he had noticed Su Zhao's earlier awkwardness. And why would someone the organization was cultivating remain in her private bedchamber until he arrived and came face-to-face with him? That was not normal.

A man like Shao Pingbo possessed an extraordinarily sharp mind. Any irregularity could trigger his vigilance. With matters unfolding right before his eyes, it was difficult to hide much from him. Still, he did not press the subject.

He understood very well that if someone intended to hide something from him, repeated questioning would accomplish little. There were other matters, however, that had to be clarified.

"What exactly happened to that shipment of warhorses? Why did they fall into Niu Youdao's hands? Did the problem occur on my side or yours? Did your attempts to deal with Niu Youdao make him notice your existence?"

One question followed another, while his eyes watched Su Zhao's reactions closely.

Su Zhao smiled bitterly. "You've misunderstood. It was purely an accident. Ghost Mother of Xianyin Mountain turned against us. No one expected Niu Youdao to somehow collude with Ghost Mother..."

She gave him a general account of what had happened.

When Shao Pingbo heard that even Xiaoyue Pavilion itself had made a move only for Niu Youdao to escape, he sighed. "I told you long ago that Niu Youdao probably already knew Linghu Qiu's identity. You..."

He truly did not know what else to say. The damage was already done. Further blame would serve no purpose, so he stopped there.

Instead, he comforted her. "Still, perhaps this isn't entirely bad. After something like this, your superiors surely won't let him go. That saves us trouble."

Unexpectedly, Su Zhao looked troubled. "I can't understand the attitude above."

Shao Pingbo's vigilance sharpened at once. "What do you mean?"

Su Zhao said, "The higher-ups issued a warning. No one is allowed to act against Niu Youdao without authorization. Anyone who violates the order dies! Cough, cough..."

Shao Pingbo froze, then immediately began coughing again and again. He doubled over, coughing until his face flushed red. Pulling a handkerchief from his sleeve, he covered his mouth. Su Zhao quickly stepped forward and helped regulate his qi.

When he finally lowered the handkerchief, the streak of bright red blood on it was shocking.

She stared. "What's wrong with you? You still haven't recovered?"

"I'm fine. Fine." Shao Pingbo waved her off, walked to a nearby chair, and sat down.

As he closed his eyes and slowly evened out his breathing, however, his cheeks remained tightly drawn.

He had assumed that after suffering such a loss, Xiaoyue Pavilion would never let Niu Youdao go. Instead, Xiaoyue Pavilion had issued an order that bordered on protecting him. That made no sense. Something like this would never happen without cause. Shao Pingbo was certain Niu Youdao had done something behind the scenes.

The key problem was that Shao Pingbo had very few cards in his own hand that could be used against Niu Youdao.

Beizhou and Nanzhou lay at opposite ends of the State of Yan, one north and one south, with a vast stretch of the State of Yan's territory between them. Sending troops directly against Niu Youdao was unrealistic.

Nor did Shao Pingbo command any force in the cultivation world capable of dealing with him. To some extent, Dachan Mountain itself restrained Shao Pingbo from acting recklessly.

Only moments earlier, he had thought Niu Youdao's clash with Xiaoyue Pavilion had left him trapped in an enormous danger. Yet the situation had reversed too quickly—and so completely. Now even Xiaoyue Pavilion had stopped. The blow to Shao Pingbo was considerable. Niu Youdao had plainly reached some kind of agreement with Xiaoyue Pavilion.

While in the Qi capital, Niu Youdao had repeatedly dissolved one crisis after another, escaped Xiaoyue Pavilion's pursuit, stolen Shao Pingbo's warhorses, and now somehow pacified Xiaoyue Pavilion itself. Even Shao Pingbo found the sequence of events almost unbelievable.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and sighed toward the ceiling. "This man is too dangerous. He truly is a formidable rival of mine!"

As he said it, a faint sorrow rose in his heart. When his own power was insufficient to suppress Niu Youdao, Shao Pingbo discovered that he suffered from one enormous innate disadvantage in facing him.

Shao Pingbo was not a member of the cultivation world. Unless he offered cultivators benefits, few cultivators had any reason to deal with him. Niu Youdao, by contrast, could move freely between both worlds.

"He is indeed very dangerous." Su Zhao nodded gravely in agreement. "But you don't need to worry too much. The matter of the warhorses—those above will still find a way to help you. After all, the mistake was ours, and the attitude above has always been to support you."

"I've already solved the warhorse problem."

"Solved it?"

"I came to the Qi capital for precisely that reason. I've already met Hao Yuntu. He agreed to let me take thirty thousand warhorses out of the country."

"Then how will you transport them back?"

"I've also met Emperor Hai Wuji of the State of Zhao. With Hai Wuji's help, once the route is selected, the thirty thousand warhorses can pass through the State of Zhao without obstruction."

"..."

Su Zhao was speechless. She was also genuinely astonished by his ability. Without making a sound, he had secured the cooperation of two imperial courts, and with astonishing speed.

She poured a cup of tea and set it in front of him. "This time, we caused you trouble."

"You've already helped me more than enough." Shao Pingbo lifted the tea and moistened his throat, which still ached from coughing.

After setting the cup down, he added, "There is one more thing I need your help with. Liuer will have no relatives or support in the Qi capital, and I have little power here to assist her. Once she arrives, as long as it doesn't interfere with your own affairs, please look after her where you can."

Su Zhao was surprised. "Liuer is coming to the Qi capital too?"

Shao Pingbo shook his head. "Not yet, but soon. I've already proposed a marriage to Hao Yuntu. Before long, Liuer will marry into Qi."

Su Zhao stared at him. "You're marrying Liuer to Hao Yuntu as an imperial consort? But... Hao Yuntu's inner palace is filled with beauties. How could you bear to put Liuer in such a position?"

Shao Pingbo replied calmly, "You misunderstand. Hao Zhen. She will be Prince Ying Hao Zhen's second wife. ..."

Su Zhao was struck speechless. Her superiors had indeed given Shao Pingbo enormous support. Without fully understanding his reasons, they had found a way to help him accomplish what he wanted, and the organization had paid an enormous price without complaint.

Only now did she finally understand why Shao Pingbo had wanted the Princess Consort of Prince Ying dead.

Precisely because she understood, she could not suppress her horror. "Have you gone mad? Hao Yuntu isn't a fool. the Princess Consort of Prince Ying is assassinated, and immediately afterward you marry your younger sister to him. Even if he didn't want to suspect you, how could he avoid it?"

Shao Pingbo said, "I proposed the marriage because his son lost his wife. If he insists on suspecting me, there's nothing I can do. Without evidence, what does suspicion matter? Even if he knows I did it, so what? Don't worry. A man who rules as emperor does not judge matters by right and wrong. He judges whether something benefits him. When it is time to close one eye, he is more practical than either of us. Your concern is unnecessary. You've already seen the result. Hao Yuntu agreed to the marriage."

Su Zhao asked, "What about Hao Zhen?"

Shao Pingbo said, "Hao Yuntu has already agreed. Does Hao Zhen have room to refuse? Would he dare? Compared with the other princes, Hao Yuntu has never valued him highly. Hao Yuntu is a formidable ruler. He values sons he admires or sons who have ability. Hao Zhen's performance has always been too mediocre to catch his eye. You can see it from the wife Hao Yuntu originally chose for him. Her family came from minor officialdom and had no real power behind it. Hao Yuntu never placed any hopes on Hao Zhen and never gave Hao Zhen any reason to hope. He wanted Hao Zhen to stay quiet and know his place."

Su Zhao shook her head. "I don't believe you're marrying Liuer to Hao Zhen because you want him to stay quiet."

"Stay quiet?" Shao Pingbo gave a soft laugh and shook his head. "The tree that rises above the forest is the first the wind will break. Hao Yuntu is a formidable ruler, still in the prime of his strength. The entire State of Qi bows before him. He can summon wind and rain with a word. Which of his sons can withstand that authority?"

"They struggle among themselves and think the contest is between princes, but in the end what they're truly contesting is the power in Hao Yuntu's hands. What they fail to understand is that until the lion king grows old and weak, until he no longer has the strength to rule, he will never surrender his power."

"Sister Zhao, do you truly think Hao Zhen is harmless? He is a man who quietly accumulates strength without showing it. He can advance to attack or retreat to defend. That is true intelligence. He understands perfectly well that the time has not yet come to exert himself."

"Hao Zhen's former wife could do nothing to help him. Liuer is different. Behind her stands me, her elder brother. Marrying Liuer means acquiring the ability to influence one side of the larger political situation, and therefore to influence Hao Yuntu's thinking to a certain degree."

"His wife's death? Hao Zhen should be thanking me. I did for him what he himself did not dare to do."

Su Zhao felt a chill run through her.

She bit her lower lip. "There's something I don't know whether I should say."

Shao Pingbo said, "Speak freely."

Su Zhao hesitated before saying, "Have you forgotten about Liuer and Tan Yaoxian? She seems... no longer untouched. If she marries Hao Zhen, will he..."

"You're worrying too much." Shao Pingbo's tone remained calm. "Liuer is my only younger sister. I will not mistreat her. As long as I make Hao Zhen understand how much influence Liuer has over me, he will treat her well."

"As for that small blemish, it's easy enough to deal with. I'll find a way to conceal it properly for Liuer. Hao Zhen will have no reason to harbor resentment."

[End of Chapter 388]