Giant Ship Across the Song Dynasty: My Supplies Come from My Motherland

Chapter 113 The Prime Minister's Cunning Schemes and Blind Cleverness

Chapter 113 The Prime Minister's Cunning Schemes and Blind Clever Plans

When others go to the Prime Minister's house for a meal, they are filled with trepidation. But when Xiao Lin goes to the Prime Minister's house for a meal, it's truly just plain dry food.

He was taken away by the Imperial City Guard in the morning and didn't eat well at noon. After another afternoon, he was starving. When the food was served, he buried his head in his food and ate with great relish, as if he had just experienced a famine.

Qin Hui sat there watching him eat, unable to put his prepared lines into action.

He was puzzled. How could such a powerful minister like himself be so completely controlled by this thing? And ever since he sensed the hidden threat, he couldn't even directly touch this guy.

After Lin Zhou had finally finished eating, he wiped his mouth, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp. Only then did Qin Hui have a chance to speak: "I would like to talk to you about the Palm Thunder."

"Huh? Didn't we talk about that this afternoon? Why are we talking about it again?"

Qin Hui took a deep breath, a somewhat helpless smile on his face, and said, "This thing is extremely dangerous. It must be controlled and guarded against. I want to ask you, is there anything even more powerful? Something that can shoot a hundred or even two hundred paces away?"

"I don't know," Lin Zhou replied, still feigning ignorance. "I didn't ask, but I have studied this stuff."

"Oh? How is it?"

"I don't understand."

Qin Hui's brows furrowed immediately, and his imposing aura intensified. He stroked his beard and said, "Pingzhi, how have I treated you?"

"Great! The Prime Minister treats me so well!" Lin Zhou said innocently. "Very well."

"Hmm—I'll take care of the shipyard matter for you. As for this palm-sized thunderbolt—you should understand what I mean."

"Prime Minister—"

Lin Zhou looked up with a pained expression: "Please explain more clearly, I really don't understand."

At this moment, Qin Hui finally realized that the main conflict between him and this guy was that he had a habit of speaking in half and leaving half unsaid, while this guy would not understand him at all if he did not speak clearly.

That's enough, that's enough.

At this moment, Qin Hui decided to completely abandon his usual composure and said frankly, "I would like to have a conversation with the person behind you."

Lin Zhou scratched his head, unsure how to respond. Given Prime Minister Qin's reputation, if they were to actually come, it wouldn't be a negotiation, it would be a direct confrontation. He wondered how many divisions Prime Minister Qin had, and whether they could withstand a heavily armed combined arms brigade or a plane fully loaded with Sixth Princes.

"no?"

"Your Excellency," Lin Zhou sighed, then began to ramble on, "Well, this matter isn't up to me. I can't contact them directly; they contact me one-on-one. They ask me to do something for them, and then ask me to help sell some goods and curry favor with the big shots. As you can see, that's all I'm capable of. To be honest, I'd actually be happy to be that little peddler."

"Then why not?"

Lin Zhou wiped his neck with his hand: "Is this something I can decide? —"

"Is there anyone else besides you?"

"Maybe so, but how would I know?"

Qin Hui pondered for a moment: "You tell me—was the assassination of the Commander of the Guards related to them? Could they also be involved with Yue Fei's faction?"

"To be honest, Your Excellency, you're putting me in a difficult position by asking this. I don't know."

Qin Hui's political mind started spinning like a whirlwind again. He couldn't tell whether Lin Zhou's words were true or false, but he could try to make the logic work.

The most likely explanation for him now is that the person behind the scenes is betting on both sides: Lin Zhou on one side and an unknown person on the other.

Those who are more valuable will naturally receive more resources. And if that's the case, the other person is clearly more outstanding than this one, and the person behind him—or rather, the organization behind him—is obviously focusing more on cultivating that unknown individual.

Qin Hui probably guessed that the man might have attached himself to Han Shizhong, after all, there had been a report a few days ago that the grasslands had suddenly received a batch of supplies, all of which were various kinds of medicines, with the same effect as the miraculous medicine that Lin Zhou had brought out.

Those items came from Han Shizhong's channels.

If that were the case, Qin Hui felt a chill rise from his tailbone. The forces behind the scenes had not only penetrated deep into the Song Dynasty, but might also be colluding with various tribes of the grasslands through Han Shizhong. Their support for Lin Zhou was the overt line, while another covert line was hidden under Han Shizhong's command, and might even have infiltrated the army. In that case, the appearance of the "Palm Thunder," the death of the Yu Hou, and even the covert activities of the remnants of Yue Fei's faction were probably all related to this.

What exactly do they want to do? Overthrow the imperial court? Destabilize the Song-Jin relationship? Or seize greater benefits from the chaos?

Qin Hui clenched his fists in his sleeves, cold sweat beading on his palms. He realized he was no longer facing one person or one faction, but a vast, inescapable web. Lin Zhou was merely an unsuspecting pawn in this net; the true mastermind remained hidden in the depths.

We must not alert them, nor can we allow Lin Zhou to escape our control.

We must continue to keep this pawn in check, using him to understand the network's structure, while also intensifying our investigation into any unusual movements by Han Shizhong's faction.

Thinking of this, Qin Hui's face regained its gentle smile, and he slowly said to Lin Zhou, "Alright, since you don't know, I won't make things difficult for you. But if anyone contacts you again in the future, be sure to inform me immediately. You are a smart child, and you should know that in this Lin'an City, only by closely following me can you ensure peace and wealth."

"Look at what you're saying. With my dog-like brain, how could I possibly hide anything from you if I wanted to play a trick?" Lin Zhou laughed. "Your Excellency, please feel free to give your orders."

Qin Hui stared into Lin Zhou's eyes, a plan secretly forming in his mind.

"Pingzhi, I have a plan. Would you like to hear it?"

"How could I disobey what the Prime Minister said?"

Qin Hui sat there and laughed: "Your mastermind probably sees you as a pawn to be discarded. To me, you are pure of heart and naive to the ways of the world, so I can treat you like a son or nephew. But the person behind you probably doesn't think so. My informants have discovered a batch of medicine that Han Shizhong sent to the grasslands, and it's from the same source as the medicine you use to treat the plague. It seems that your mastermind is keeping someone else in check, simply wanting to profit from both sides. You have your share with the Jurchens, and he has his share with the grasslands."

He patted Lin Zhou on the shoulder as he said this: "From now on, it will probably be a battle between the two of you. If you lose, you will be in mortal danger."

Screw you, they're the boss over there too.

Lin Zhou thought to himself, but Qin Hui caught that moment of thought and pause. He stroked his beard with a smug grin and said, "So you're scared now? I understand. Nobody puts all their eggs in one basket. That's perfectly reasonable."

"However!" Qin Hui narrowed his eyes and said in a sinister tone, "I have a move that can bring you back from the dead and make you invincible."

"Huh? What is it? Your Excellency, please tell me!"

"Hahaha—" Qin Hui threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Come, come, good child, let me tell you in detail."

"Please speak," Lin Zhou said, sitting up straight and becoming very serious, abandoning his usual playful demeanor.

Qin Hui instantly switched to a fighting expression, and it has to be said that at that moment, Lin Zhou truly felt the oppressive and domineering power of a top-level official.

"Go ahead and cause trouble, I'll back you up. Within a year, I'll make sure you rise to the top. Survival of the fittest is human nature. Han Shizhong has long lost power. The land I can approve for you, Han Shizhong can't get. The factory I can get you to build, Han Shizhong can't build. I can make you stand in that golden palace, Han Shizhong doesn't have that ability." Qin Hui's face was full of sinister intent. "Within a year, even if you do nothing, I'll make sure your value skyrockets. Don't say anything to your backers, don't ask anything. That's it, you and I will join forces to fight against Han Shizhong."

"I don't know anything, Your Excellency."

"I will!" Qin Hui slammed his hand on the table. "You better be more ambitious and achieve something. Make good use of your cheap father-in-law, and I'll guarantee you a meteoric rise to power."