Shen Mu remained silent for a long time before he slowly said, "What's strange is that I didn't discover anything."
Yang Fan frowned and said, "That's it? Isn't this the same as saying nothing? "
Shen Mu suddenly laughed and said, "However, I am different from you. The rules of the government and the pugilistic world are different. On your side, you can't do anything without evidence. Because once the rules of authority are broken, it will be a nightmare for all officials. Unless you want to be a handsome official and have the support of the Emperor. Even so, the outcome is worrying. "
Shen Mu pointed at his own nose and said, "But the pugilistic world has its own set of rules … in the pugilistic world, if you are powerful enough, you can set the rules. Your words are the rules."
Yang Fan let out a long sigh and looked into the distance. He said, "The pugilistic world … yearns for it."
Shen Mu laughed and said, "If you yearn for it, why don't we swap? I have many strange people under me. Among them, there is Hu 'er who is proficient in the art of bewitching. Thus, I asked someone to kidnap the shopkeeper, who is suspicious but has no flaws, and asked him to use the art of bewitching to interrogate him. As long as one's willpower isn't firm enough, those who are bewitched by his art of bewitching will confess everything. "
Yang Fan asked, "What's the outcome?"
Shen Mu said, "He was indeed bribed by someone and accepted a huge sum of money. Then, he blew the matter up and caused a conflict between the Obvious and Hidden Sects. As a member of the Hidden Sect, he has long been dissatisfied with the Obvious Sect's competition. Furthermore, he felt that I was overly tolerant towards the Obvious Sect. From his point of view, he was just pushing the boat with the current for the sake of the Hidden Sect. Under the state of bewitching, he still didn't think that this was a betrayal to the Hidden Sect or to me … "
Yang Fan interrupted his words and said, "Brother Shen, aren't you a little too old?"
Shen Mu was startled and asked with astonishment, "Why?"
Yang Fan said, "You can't get to the main point after talking for so long. I want to know who is the mastermind behind the scenes!"
Shen Mu simply replied, "I don't know!"
Yang Fan was stunned. Shen Mu said, "The person who bribed him didn't expose his identity. Even the person who was in charge of bribing him didn't know his name and identity. However, this person accurately grasped the shopkeeper's mentality and made use of the shopkeeper's dissatisfaction and anger. In addition to a huge sum of money, he made use of a person who still had no intention of betraying the Hidden Sect."
Shen Mu looked at Yang Fan and said, "This person is very good at grasping people's hearts, and he seems to understand the situation of our two sects very well."
Yang Fan said, "And then? You won't let this go, will you? "
Shen Mu said, "That's right. With the financial resources and understanding of our situation, only the four factions would want to touch us."
Yang Fan couldn't help but frown again. "So many?"
Shen Mu bitterly smiled and said, "Not only are there many of them, but they are also complicated. Among these four factions, one of them might be someone from my inner circle who is dissatisfied with my tolerance towards the Hidden Sect. Another might be someone from your inner circle who is dissatisfied with your tolerance towards us. Keke, there will always be people who don't know the hardships of others and don't know the difficulties of their position. They will always think that they are at a disadvantage. "
Yang Fan grunted and said, "I've also suspected this before. What about the other two parties?"
Shen Mu said, "Seven sects and five families. Perhaps … they are not willing to lose control of us and hope to provoke a fierce battle between us. When both sides are injured, they will come out to clean up the mess and bring us back into their control. "
Yang Fan said, "This is also possible."
Shen Mu said, "There is still the last party, which is the Lu Clan."
Yang Fan's eyes flashed and said, "Isn't the Lu Clan also one of the Seven Sects and Five Families?"
Shen Mu said, "But our goals are different, so I have sent people to investigate Lu Binzhi's whereabouts."
Yang Fan thought and said emotionally, "No matter if it is the Hidden Sect or the Hidden Sect, if there is a senior elder who is dissatisfied with the current situation and uses his power to cause trouble in the dark, it will not be easy to find him. As for the Seven Sects and Five Families, the seven enormous aristocratic families, you cannot be sure who instigated it or who executed it. It is also as difficult as ascending to the heavens to investigate a secret of the aristocratic families that are impenetrable and impenetrable. As for Lu Binzhi, he is a person who should have the right to inherit the family. Since he has been stripped of his power, he is like a prince who has lost his power. The Lu Clan will definitely be on guard against him and forbid people from coming into contact with him. They will also be very secretive about his current situation. It will be very difficult for you to find out. "
Shen Mu nodded and said, "It is best that you know. This is the reason why I did not contact you all this while and watched as the relationship between both sides became more and more indifferent. I hope that the mastermind behind the scenes believes that both sides have completely broken off. I hope that he will make a move again. Since I have already noticed it, as long as he makes a move, it will not be so easy for him to escape unscathed."
Yang Fan said, "But they have not made a move again?"
Shen Mu said, "Yes, they have not. It seems that they only did this one thing and lost interest in us. Therefore, I think that among the four suspicious forces, the Lu family is the least suspicious. If the mastermind is Lu Binzhi, with his hatred for you and me, he wouldn't have done such a trivial thing and then disappeared. "
Yang Fan said, "For the past year, the imperial court has been very busy. If we are not careful, we will fall. Thus, I have put more effort in this area and neglected many other things. When the Crown Prince rebelled, I was drugged by my own people and almost lost my life. "
Shen Mu said, "I already know about this. Fortunately, nothing happened to you. Otherwise, the situation between the Obvious and Hidden Sects will be broken, and a huge battle will be inevitable. However … if you really died, I believe that the final victory will belong to the Hidden Sects. Thus, I feel rather regretful. Haha … "
Yang Fan looked at him and said, "But there is something you do not know. When we were chasing after the Crown Prince in Mount Zhongnan, I realized … perhaps Dugu Huizhi was not the only one who was bribed by my side. There are others, and this person might know who is the mastermind behind the scenes."
This time, it was Shen Mu's turn to be moved. "Who?"
Yang Fan said, "I also want to know. This is the main reason why I invited you here. After the Obvious and Hidden Sects' Patriarchs broke off, they suddenly had a secret meeting. Oh, I think they will tell the mastermind about this, right? "
…
While Yang Fan and Shen Mu were talking about Lu Binzhi, Lu Binzhi was in a hidden courtyard in Chang 'an. He was dressed in a spotless and snow-white robe, sitting cross-legged and playing the zither.
The sound of the zither was melodious, and it seemed like Lu Binzhi was in a good mood.
There was a praying mat on each side of him, and two men dressed in green were kneeling with their hands on their knees. They had solemn expressions.
One of them was in his early twenties, and he had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. He was extraordinarily handsome. Although he was wearing a long robe that covered his well-built body, it was still hard to conceal the muscles on his back and arms that could burst out with powerful strength. This person was obviously a martial artist.
The other person was different. He was in his early thirties, and he had a small beard. He had an elegant and refined demeanor, and he had the unique charm of a mature man. He sat there quietly with his eyes slightly closed. He had a smile on his face as he listened to Lu Binzhi's zither. The gentle sunlight shone on his body, and he looked like a book — a book that emitted the fragrance of ink.
His scent was completely different from that young martial artist, but they both had a special masculine scent.
After Lu Binzhi finished playing, he gently pressed his fingers down and stopped the lingering sound of the zither. He smiled and said, "Shen Mu and Yang Fan, huh? There's no need to pay attention to them. Yang Fan's power has fallen, and he can only focus on Jianghu from now on. There's already a flood dragon in Jianghu, so how could he allow him to spy on his territory? They will fight sooner or later. If we intervene now, we will arouse their vigilance, and that won't be good. "
A respectful reply came from the door, "Yes, this lowly officer will immediately reply to him according to young master's instructions."
It turned out that the barrier door was closed, and there was a person kneeling at the door. This person was covered in dust, and it was obvious that he had come from afar.
The barrier door was closed, and the sound of distant footsteps could be heard.
Lu Binzhi turned to the two kneeling in front of him and said, "The two of you have your own unique skills. One of you is a martial artist, and his bowing technique is especially brilliant. The other has exquisite medical skills, and is especially good at treating diseases related to gynecology. I have racked my brains to transfer the two of you into the Featherwood Guard and the Imperial Physician's Bureau. Are you clear on your mission? "
The two bowed and said, "Mr. Ding has already clearly explained the mission that young master has given us."
"Very well, you can leave now. For the sake of your safety, this young master will not contact you again until you make some progress. The two of you must take care of yourselves! "
The two placed their hands on their knees and bowed to Lu Binzhi before walking out.
Lu Binzhi stared at their backs. Once the barrier door was closed and his hands were placed on the zither, he heard another voice from outside. "Young master, I've returned."
The barrier door opened, and Ding Yue took off his shoes and entered the room, bowing to Lu Binzhi.
"Sit!"
Lu Binzhi raised his hands from the zither and confidently brushed them to the right. Ding Yue sat down on the prayer mat.
Lu Binzhi asked, "How is the matter going?"
Ding Yue replied, "The Prince of Xiang is in a bit of trouble. We tried to get in touch with him, and after probing, we discovered that although he was rather dissatisfied with his current situation, he had no intention of resisting. Our people were too enthusiastic and almost made him wary of us.
However, we have made considerable progress with Princess Taiping. Princess Taiping's number one strategist, Grand Sir Mo, is very passionate about power. The Prince of Xiang and Taiping's faction have suffered great losses, and the Wei clan's faction has suddenly emerged as a new force. In order to grasp as much wealth and power as possible, Grand Sir Mo seems to be somewhat unscrupulous. "
Lu Binzhi thoughtfully said, "Princess Taiping? Haha, although Wu Zetian is already dead, she ruled the world for twenty-some years and became the first female emperor since ancient times. Her influence is truly not small. Even now, women's thirst for power is still greater than men's. Princess Taiping, Empress Wei … I didn't think that my two stakes would ultimately fall on women. "
He turned to Ding Yue and leisurely said, "Strengthen your relationship with this Grand Sir Mo. Money, beauty, whatever he wants, give him. This line cannot be broken!"
"Yes!"
A moment later, the melodious sound of the zither rang out once more …
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