Edited by : Minak Amie. Thanks for the hardwork..
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The big procession marched with a ceremonious atmosphere as it arrived at the Tong An courtyard. He Di was immediately ushered in by Qing Li. With an exaggerated amount of generosity, Qing Li brought He Di into the inner courtyard and introduced his favourite woman, Shang Yi. “Shang Yi, this is the man I have always talked to you about, Prince He Di of Dan Lin. Come quickly and greet him.”
“Shang Yi pays respect to your Highness, Prince He Di.”
With only one glance, He Di understood the source of Qing Li’s ghost-like face of immoderation.
Once the door was closed and all the formalities were completed, it was time for the performance to begin.
“Prince, you are a straightforward person. Your traveling of such a far distance was for the sake of the late king, my father. I, Qing Li, will also refrain from saying any useless words. I do not wish to conceal the enemy who had killed him. The culprit was Xi lei’s Duke Ming and his men. He has already arrived at Tong Ze this morning, along with that loathsome uncle of mine.”
Qing Li excitedly revealed his plot, “Your Highness and I have already been allied for a few years now, during these few years I have sent plenty of gold and beautiful women. This time I want to ask your Highness for a small favour. Dan Lin’s sand is something I have been eyeing for a while. There are rumours that, using a special casting method, it can be used to create swords with a frightening sharpness that cannot be beaten by any other weapon in the world. Even an average royal family would not be able to afford it, but I have heard that all of Prince’s imperial guards are equipped with these swords. Is this the truth?”
“It’s true.”
“Excellent!” Qing Li rubbed his hands together and made a serious expression. “I am willing to pay triple the gold to purchase 20 of those swords from your Highness. How about it?”
Inside, He Di coldly sneered, but outwardly he leisurely measured Qing Li up and down and formed a smile. “Your Highness Qing Li intends to use the swords to assassinate Duke Ming?”
“Exactly!” Qing Li excitedly envisioned the future, “I have already planned it all out properly, if the swords can be factored in, I can be more assured of its success.”
He Di cautiously examined the expression on the prince’s face, a hint of chaos could be seen.
His heart was clear on the prince’s plans, but he continued to feign ignorance and incited the grand play further.
“I am in possession of the swords, however I cannot give them to you right now.”
“Ah? What do you mean? Are we not allies? All that gold and women I sent you…”
“Hehe, your Highness, please do not misunderstand. Of course we are allies.” In a careless way he explained, “Perhaps the assassin you send can hide his identity by committing suicide, subsequently preventing you from being dragged down. However, Dan Lin’s swords are unique and can be used as evidence of my involvement. How about this, I can let you exchange your gold for our swords, however, as long as I am in Tong Ze, you will not show your hand yet? Otherwise, with Duke Ming’s body as proof of an assassination plot, my Dan Lin would be implicated. How can I, on behalf of your Highness, take responsibility for the crime?”
His reasoning was very logical and caused Qing Li to feel a bit embarrassed as he nervously laughed. “Prince He Di has really considered this matter a lot, however…”
“Don’t worry, I will not remain here for long. Before Duke Ming leaves, I will definitely depart in order to give you time to carry out your plan.”
“Then the swords?”
“You can give me the gold first, wait until I am about to leave, and I will deliver the swords to you.”
“Deal!” Qing Li laughed loudly and extended his pale hand towards He Di. “We will do it as you say. As expected, your Highness truly is straightforward.”
In his heart, He Di couldn’t help but curse the man’s stupidity. However, on the outside, he only showed a smile and grasped Qing Li’s outstretched hand. “Just now, your Highness mentioned that Duke Ming has already arrived at Tong Ze?”
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