"When we went to see Klaus, did I do anything that made you suspicious?" Decius asked.
"No, strictly speaking, it wasn't you. Do you remember what I was doing before we entered?" Zhang Heng asked.
"You were looking around, looking at the people in the corridor … Oh, you saw Andrea's men," Decius said.
"I don't know who those people are, and I'm not even sure what their purpose is. However, my friend in the southeast city told me that those guys have been following us, and the murderer killed Amidio a few minutes before we arrived. In other words, someone realized that we were about to find the final answer. So, they killed Amidio in a hurry to prevent him from talking nonsense. However, this led to another problem."
Zhang Heng said, "Even if they were following us, how did they know our movements so clearly?"
"Is that when you started to suspect me?" Decius said, "So, I made up the theory that Amidio might have left behind evidence."
"Well, it's not a fabrication. The possibility of such a thing happening is not small," Zhang Heng said.
"Aren't you afraid that I will find the evidence he left behind and hide it secretly?" Decius could not help but ask.
"We are in the same room, my friend. Do you really think you can hide your every move from me?" Zhang Heng sighed.
Decius was silent when he heard Zhang Heng's words.
"Now the only question that bothers me is, how deep are you involved in this matter?" Zhang Heng looked at Decius, "I personally tend to think that there is an agreement between you and Andrea, but your understanding of him is limited. As the situation develops, your surprised expression doesn't seem to be faked, unless you are an excellent actor."
"I think your childhood energy contributed a little to your acting career, but it shouldn't be enough to completely deceive me. Especially after seeing Amidio's body, your fear and shock were real. Therefore, "Zhang Heng snapped his fingers," I was a little surprised that you hid my necklace without hesitation. "
Decius finally said after a while of silence, "What you know about me is just hearsay. You don't know my actual life. If there is a chance for me to leave my family with my beloved, I will not miss it no matter what."
"The premise is that you really have a bargaining chip with Andrea. And why do you think you won't end up like Amidio?" Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows, "Besides, I'm curious about what Andrea promised you to stand on his side."
"He told me that as long as I don't meddle in other people's business, he will provide me with a stable and decent job after everything is over, so that my wife and I can move out of here," Decius said.
"This condition sounds good. You should do what he said. Don't worry about the necklace. Stay by my side and continue to play the role of Watson," Zhang Heng said sincerely.
"But I want more. I also want to stand out and enter the Senate. Only then can I hold my head high in front of my father and that bastard brother. If that necklace is really an important physical evidence left by Amidio, I will have the capital to negotiate with Andrea." Decius clenched his fists.
"Your courage is commendable," Zhang Heng praised, but then he changed the topic and added, "It's a pity that you don't have a brain."
"…"
"Well, I have roughly understood your position in this matter. Next, let's solve the matter of the ore." Zhang Heng clapped his hands.
"Are you going to find Andrea and have a showdown with him?" Decius asked.
"Amidio is dead. If you are Andrea, will you admit that you are the one who destroyed the mine?"
"I don't think so," Decius said truthfully.
"Yes, even if I bring you to confront him, he will not admit it. And strictly speaking, he only told you not to meddle in other people's business. He did not instruct you to do anything. You taking the necklace was your free will."
"Then, how do you want to convince him to let the Binota Mine resume work?"
"Now that I know who is behind the scenes, it's easy to get the mine to resume work. I don't need him to admit that he did it. All I need to do is to find out his weakness. We can give him a taste of his own medicine," Zhang Heng smiled, "But it's better if you don't know the specific process. You can continue to fulfill the agreement with Andrea. Don't meddle in other people's business."
"I … don't quite understand." Decius looked a little puzzled, "Are you not going to hold me accountable for this matter?"
"Yes, after all, you were my Watson for a while. And it's not good for me to hold you accountable," Zhang Heng said. "Besides, you can rest assured. Even if Andrea knows that I'm dealing with him, he will not suspect you. But from now on, you must tell me in time if there is any news. I may have something for you to do, but don't worry. I will pay you when I ask you to do something. Do you want to enter the Senate? I may be able to help you in this matter. "
…
After learning who the mastermind behind the scenes was, Zhang Heng immediately formulated a plan to fight back. But before that, he had to do one thing first, which was to stir up trouble and drag someone down with him.
Early the next morning, Zhang Heng went to visit Senator Divo Braille. Divo Braille was still very cautious. As a well-known neutral member of the Senate, he had heard about some people secretly confronting the newly ascended emperor during this period.
Adhering to his usual attitude of not offending anyone, he welcomed Zhang Heng, the new advisor, but he wasn't very enthusiastic. They chatted casually in the front hall for a while. After that, Zhang Heng asked to go to the study to look at his collection. Divo Braille couldn't refuse him, so the two stayed in the study for a while. After that, Zhang Heng felt bored, so he asked to leave.
So Divo Braille breathed a sigh of relief and sent Zhang Heng to the front hall, watching the Easterner leave his domus.
As soon as Zhang Heng stepped out of the door, he went straight to Cobb's residence on the outskirts of the city and stayed there for a long time. Andrea, who was secretly monitoring Zhang Heng's whereabouts, was very nervous. Of course, he knew that Divo Braille was the biggest buyer of Cobb's farm.
Although he had asked Amidio to negotiate with Cobb and said that he was willing to help Cobb pay for the mine's breach of contract and pay Cobb another sum of money, the mine was only a small part of Cobb's business. Most of his income still came from his farm. If Divo Braille got involved and used his status as the biggest buyer to pressure Cobb, Cobb was likely to reveal everything about his deal with him.
However, Andrea still had a glimmer of hope. After all, Divo Braille had been neutral for so long. There was no reason for him to suddenly join the battle. Of course, Andrea wasn't afraid of Divo Braille, but Andrea was just someone who was pushed to the forefront. He had a more powerful political ally behind him. Otherwise, Andrea, a small municipal official, wouldn't dare to challenge the imperial power alone.
Divo Braille would not be so blatant as to make an enemy out of them. Otherwise, he could only rely on Commodus after tonight. Perhaps this was just a bluff by the Easterner.
However, after another day, Andrea received bad news. The sewer pipe in the area under his jurisdiction was destroyed by unknown people last night.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
