Chapter 557 - Chapter 557: The Old Marquis Takes Action (2)
Chapter 557: The Old Marquis Takes Action (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“You…” General Leng’s fatal acupoint was hit, and he gripped the sword at his waist tightly.
Xiao Zhonghua finally agreed.
Everyone was blindfolded by the disciples of the White Lotus Society and brought into a courtyard in the peach forest.
After untying the black cloth, Xiao Zhonghua asked, “Where’s the Sect Master?”
“I’ll negotiate with you today.”
An old man with white hair walked over with his hands behind his back. He cupped his hands politely. “I’m Qiu Yutang, the Great Elder of the White Lotus Society.”
His gaze landed on Xiao Zhonghua and he said with a smile, “This must be the
Third Prince. Nice to meet you! May I know who is the Marquis of Zhenbei?”
The Old Marquis asked, “Are you blind?”
The Great Elder choked.
The few of them went to the guest’s central room.
Xiao Zhonghua and the First Elder sat at the master seat. On the left and right were the Old Marquis and a guardian of the White Lotus Society.
The others also sat down according to their status.
The Great Elder smiled and said, “Let’s not beat around the bush. Since the
Imperial Court is here to negotiate, we must be prepared to be sincere. Our
White Lotus Society originally had no intention of becoming enemies with the Imperial Court, but there are always people who have done many evil things in the name of the White Lotus Society and destroyed our reputation. In order to prove our reputation, our White Lotus Society has decided to stand up and serve the people with the Imperial Court.”
The Old Marquis rolled his eyes.
It was an ancestral eye roll. Su Cheng had the same style.
The corners of the Great Elder’s mouth twitched as he continued to smile. “To show our sincerity, we’ve decided to let you see one of the hostages first.” He clapped his hands.
Two disciples of the White Lotus Society pressed a disheveled young man in.
Leng Rui shouted, “Dad… save me…”
“Rui’er!” General Leng stood up.
Crack…
The two disciples drew their swords and placed them on Leng Rui’s neck.
General Leng stopped in his tracks.
The Great Elder smiled and said, “The other hostage is fine. After all, he’s an old acquaintance of our White Lotus Society.”
These words were intriguing.
Xiao Zhonghua did not answer and said calmly, “First Elder, state your conditions. ”
The Great Elder was a little surprised that Xiao Zhonghua was so calm at such a young age. He was not led by the nose at all.
He smiled and said, “I like to interact with straightforward people like the Third Prince. Actually, our White Lotus Society’s request is very simple. We want the people to worship the White Lotus Society as the Orthodoxy and the Emperor of Great Zhou will acknowledge the Sect Master as the State Preceptor. From now on, the White Lotus Society will advance and retreat with the Imperial Court.”
He used the word ‘acknowledge’ instead of ‘appoint’.
The difference of one word meant the world.
With an appointment, the State Preceptor was his subordinate, but with an acknowledgment, the State Preceptor was his teacher.
This was asking the Emperor of Great Zhou to personally worship the Sect Master of the White Lotus Society as a great Buddha.
On the Imperial Court’s side, everyone’s expressions were not good.
“Third Prince?” The First Elder smiled at Xiao Zhonghua, as if he did not realize how shameless he had been with his words.
Xiao Zhonghua frowned.
The Great Elder smiled at the Old Marquis. “Marquis Zhenbei?”
The Old Marquis hooked his finger at Wei Ting behind him.
Wei Ting handed him a basin tacitly.
The Old Marquis held the basin with both hands and stuck out his tongue very seriously.
The Great Elder was speechless.
The first peace negotiation between the White Lotus Society and the Imperial Court ended on bad terms.
Leng Rui was taken away by the White Lotus Society again.
When General Leng heard his son’s cries, his heart felt like it was being cut by a
Imife. He clenched his fists. “Marquis Su, you were the one who advocated
peace negotiations pack then. NOW, you’re also the one who destroyed the peace negotiations. What exactly do you want to do!”
The Old Marquis snorted. “If you want to sell your country, sell it yourself. I won’t do it!”
A deputy general of the Leng family stood up and said, “Marquis Su, don’t slander us! When did General Leng want to betray the country? Isn’t this a peace negotiation? Not only did your attitude just now anger the White Lotus Society, but you might also completely anger the other party. What benefits do you have for us?”
Wei Ting walked forward indifferently and slapped him to the ground.
General Leng did not expect his deputy general to be helpless in the hands of a small guard.
Of course, he did not expect the other party to attack without a word.
The Old Marquis glanced coldly at the deputy general. “You’re not qualified to speak to me!”
General Leng looked at Xiao Zhonghua. “Your Highness!”
Xiao Zhonghua said, “The White Lotus Society is indeed insincere this time. The Imperial Court negotiated for the sake of the people’s livelihood, and not because they’re really afraid of the White Lotus Society. General Leng, I understand that you’re eager to save your son, but you can’t be led by the nose by the White Lotus Society.”
At this point, what else could General Leng say?
He suppressed his anger and cupped his hands. “Yes.”
The Old Marquis’s goal was to assassinate MO Guiyuan. Before MO Guiyuan appeared, no matter what the conditions of the White Lotus Society were, he would not easily cooperate.
As for angering General Leng, he purely wanted to help Wei Ting test if the Leng family was related to the death of the Wei family.
The group stayed in the courtyard for the time being.
Jing Yi guarded Xiao Zhonghua’s room. Wei Ting and the Old Marquis each had their own rooms. They lived in the east courtyard, while General Leng and the others were in the west courtyard.
In the middle of the night, a black shadow quietly sneaked into the west courtyard.
Just as he pushed open General Leng’s door, a cold sword was pressed against his neck.
He smiled faintly. “General Leng, you want to save your son. I advise you to put away your sword.”
“Grand Elder?”
General Leng put away his sword and looked at him warily.
The Great Elder entered.
A trace of conflict flashed across General Leng’s eyes as he closed the door. “Why did you sneak into my room?”
The Great Elder smiled and said, “Naturally, I want to make a deal with General Leng.”
General Leng said with a cold expression, “I have nothing to trade with you.
Leave.”
The Great Elder said, “Don’t you want to save your only legitimate son, General
Leng?”
General Leng had many sons, but Leng Rui was the only one that was legitimate.
General Leng said seriously, “I won’t betray the Imperial Court!”
The Great Elder smiled and leaned back. “You even betrayed your benefactor..
What’s a mere Imperial Court?”