novelraw Chapter 679 Disgusting
Chapter 679 Disgusting
Chapter 679 Disgusting
The struggle for the throne back then was not only fierce and intense, but also resulted in similar casualties due to the evenly matched strength of the two sides. Even though Emperor Jin's faction had the upper hand, it was only slightly better than the other forces and had no certainty of victory.
This situation made the battle extremely intense. Even with the bravery and skill of General Cao and Lu Qing's father, who had killed countless enemies, a prolonged war of attrition was not a sustainable solution.
So at that critical juncture, Zhao Bi made a suggestion.
He believed that the Brahma Kingdom had always been skilled in using poisons, and that it was rich in various rare and poisonous herbs. This was a good opportunity to make use of them. Although the late emperor had restricted their use of many overly insidious witchcrafts during his reign, the current situation forced them to consider some extraordinary measures.
Zhao Bi believed that the Brahma Kingdom seemed to be more inclined to side with the Jin Emperor, who had stronger military power. If they could cleverly utilize the Brahma Kingdom's ability to use poison, it would be equivalent to possessing a powerful weapon that the other forces did not have.
He advocated that the Brahma Kingdom should be encouraged to use its unique skills in using poison to achieve merit, thereby presenting itself as a pledge of allegiance to Emperor Jin. In this way, the Brahma Kingdom would surely do everything in its power to achieve merit and help Emperor Jin and his allies eliminate the enemy army.
Once the overall situation is settled and victory is assured, then we can use the excuse that the Vatican's use of poison is too insidious to severely suppress the Vatican Kingdom, strictly control their people and poison, so that they have no way to turn the tide, let alone collude with others and threaten the Jin Kingdom.
Zhao Bi called his plan "using the opponent's strength against them, killing two birds with one stone," believing that it could help them quickly stand out in the fierce battle and gain an absolute advantage, while also removing a potential threat in the future.
However, his proposal was met with strong opposition from Lu Qing's grandfather and father, whose views were diametrically opposed to Zhao Bi's.
They believed that the late emperor's restrictions on poisons in the Vatican were correct, and that these restrictions should not be broken for any reason. Otherwise, if they made the Vatican break the rule this time under the guise of a pledge of allegiance, the Vatican would inevitably break the rule again for other reasons. After this happened repeatedly, the loophole would probably never be closed again.
Moreover, if the Brahma Kingdom uses poison as a pledge of loyalty this time, only to be discarded by Emperor Jin for the same reason, what will the other vassal states think? Who will be willing to follow the superior nation wholeheartedly in the future?
The other vassal states are probably also secretly plotting, worried that the Vatican's present state could be their own tomorrow.
Once such a rift develops between the ruler and his ministers, it will be difficult to maintain peace throughout the land, and it will inevitably lead to many problems.
Moreover, the people of Brahma were innocent. For many years, they had dutifully refrained from allowing anyone to use those insidious and vicious poisons, and they too wanted to live a peaceful life.
Such a scheme to exploit and frame a group of innocent people is hardly the behavior of a virtuous person. Even if it succeeds, it will lose the hearts of the people and be despised by all.
So the two sides argued heatedly about the matter in front of Emperor Jin. In the end, Emperor Jin adopted the opinion of his relatives, the Lu family. He also felt that although this could achieve a surprising victory, it was not aboveboard and seemed too unscrupulous, resulting in more harm than good. However, considering that Zhao Bi was also acting for the greater good, he decided not to bring up the matter again.
Having met with a rebuff from Emperor Jin, Zhao Bi naturally couldn't bring it up again. However, his silence didn't mean he didn't harbor other thoughts. He believed it to be the wisest approach, so why would he easily abandon it because of such an obstacle?
On the surface, Zhao Bi never mentioned anything about the Brahma Land, but in private he secretly colluded with a sect in the Brahma Land that was extremely skilled in using poison. He did a lot of things that couldn't be brought up in public, but he did indeed help Emperor Jin eliminate dissidents and strike at the rebels and other forces. Since no outsiders found any incriminating evidence, all of this naturally became meritorious deeds.
Although there were always some rumors circulating outside, they couldn't really find any fault with him, so they were just passed around in private and couldn't really do anything to Zhao Bi. He remained a favorite of Emperor Jin, with many merits.
Just because outsiders don't know some things doesn't mean the Lu family is unaware of them.
The Lu family also had their own channels to learn about Zhao Bi's actions. For the sake of the bigger picture, they did not choose to reveal all the scattered evidence they knew. After all, the situation was still uncertain, and anything that could shake the foundation of Emperor Jin's rule should be avoided as much as possible.
Therefore, Lu Qing's grandfather spoke privately with Zhao Bi, hoping that he could stop in time and not make the same mistake again. As long as he was willing to give up and not knowingly commit the same offense again, the past would be overlooked for the sake of the greater cause. However, if he remained obstinate, they would never allow Zhao Bi to do anything that might threaten Emperor Jin's future great cause.
Zhao Bi was surprised that his secretive behavior had been discovered by the Lu family. Despite his astonishment, he was quite cooperative and adopted a humble and repentant attitude.
For a long time afterward, the Lu family did not find Zhao Bi to have any further misbehavior, and they believed that he had truly repented. So they did not pursue the matter any further, and kept their promise, not mentioning it to Emperor Jin, and never trying to complain.
However, having done something he shouldn't have, and having been caught red-handed by a colleague with a more powerful background, Zhao Bi was always guilty. He appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was constantly on edge, fearing that Lu Qing's grandfather would break his word like him and expose his past misdeeds of colluding with the Brahmins to use poison.
After waiting and waiting, Zhao Bi still couldn't find any signs that worried him the most. At the same time, he couldn't figure out what the Lu family was thinking. In this torment, Emperor Jin finally seized power and quelled the other forces that wanted to usurp the throne. He only needed to sweep away the last few clowns before he could ascend the throne in peace. Seeing that his great achievements were about to be accomplished, the meritorious officials who had followed Emperor Jin all along were naturally filled with joy.
In this situation, Zhao Bi's feelings became even more complicated.
On the one hand, his great cause was about to be accomplished, and he was also a man of outstanding merit among the followers of Emperor Jin. The only family that could rival him was probably the Lu family, who were related to Emperor Jin.
At this moment, the "little tail" that the Lu family held in their hands became a source of great anxiety for Zhao Bi, making it difficult for him to toss and turn and sleep peacefully.