sbdcsierra Chapter 114 Child’s Play
Chapter 114 Child’s Play
Yin Nantian turned and left, his back view appearing somewhat heavy.
Li Polu watched Yin Nantian leave, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He pointed at Liu Shan, trembling with anger: "You really are determined to get involved in this mess!"
Liu Shan bowed and apologized, "Father-in-law, I am very sorry. I had no other choice but to resort to this tactic. Please understand that I must seek justice for those innocent officials who were killed."
Li Polu sighed and shook his head helplessly: "Fine, since you've made up your mind, I can only go back to my residence and pack up."
Liu Shan was taken aback and asked, "Father-in-law, what do you mean by this? What are we packing at home?"
Li Polu said with a wry smile, "Your actions could implicate our family at any time, so I have to be prepared in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
Liu Shan was shocked, and guilt flashed in his eyes: "Father-in-law, you can secretly transfer the cash first, or exchange all the cash for banknotes. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to run away with the cash once the matter is exposed."
Li Polu's eyes widened. He was truly enraged. He had originally intended to use this roundabout and tactful approach to persuade Liu Shan again, but he hadn't expected Liu Shan to be so resolute.
He snorted coldly and walked away.
Liu Shan watched Li Polu's retreating figure, his heart filled with helplessness. This pain of being misunderstood made him feel extremely lonely.
……
While Yin Nantian was persuading Liu Shan in Jinhua County, undercurrents were surging within Cangzhou City.
In a private room of an inconspicuous tavern in the west of the city, Zhao Tingxiao, with a bruised and swollen nose and blood at the corner of his mouth, knelt stiffly on the ground, his expression filled with fear. "My lord, I am willing to become your dog, I only beg you to spare me this time."
The man in black opposite him sneered, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Zhao Tingxiao, you owe me 100,000 taels of silver. Do you think you can just kneel down and beg for forgiveness and have it wiped clean? You can't be that naive, can you?"
The man in black slowly rose, approached Zhao Tingxiao, and said in a chilling tone, "Either pay back the money, or pay with your life. The choice is yours."
Zhao Tingxiao raised his head with trembling hands, his face full of despair. He glanced at the corpse beside him, then quickly lowered his head again, shivering involuntarily.
The owner of the corpse also had gambling debts, amounting to only a mere thousand taels of silver. However, when the man in black told him to "either pay back the money or pay with his life," he stubbornly chose to pay with his life.
The outcome was obvious; right before Zhao Tingxiao's eyes, the man turned into a cold, lifeless corpse.
Knowing he was unable to repay the debt, Zhao Tingxiao was filled with even greater fear, and his voice trembled as he pleaded, "My lord, please grant me a few more days. I will definitely find a way to raise the money."
The man in black sneered, his eyes flashing with murderous intent: "Grace period? Do you think you still have a chance?"
Zhao Tingxiao closed his eyes in despair, tears streaming down his face, filled with remorse.
He hated himself for being addicted to gambling, he hated the man in black for setting him up, he hated his powerlessness to fight back, and he hated even more his inability to repay his debts.
If he had a chance to start over... no, if he were the head of the Zhao family, he could mobilize the family's resources, and perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope.
However, reality was cruel. He was just a powerless and humiliated servant boy, and his family would never stand up for him.
Thinking of this, Zhao Tingxiao suddenly became determined. Perhaps only by fighting to the death could he find a glimmer of hope.
He suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes.
The man in black noticed Zhao Tingxiao's unusual behavior, frowned slightly, gripped the hilt of his knife, and sneered, "What, trying to make a last-ditch effort? You think you have the ability?"
Zhao Tingxiao gritted his teeth and kowtowed heavily, "My lord, I am willing to offer up the entire Zhao family, just to become your dog!"
A glint of greed flashed in the man's eyes, and his sneer deepened: "The Zhao family? You think you can make decisions for the Zhao family?"
He took a step closer, the tip of his knife pressed against Zhao Tingxiao's throat. "I know Zhao Si. He values family lineage highly and will never let the Zhao family fall into the hands of a mere servant like you."
Zhao Tingxiao's face was ashen, but he still said firmly, "Sir, you are wrong. Although Zhao Si is stubborn, he loves his family more. I will let him know that only I can protect the Zhao family. As long as you give me a chance, I will prove it to you."
A sinister glint flashed in the man's eyes, then he slowly released the hilt of his knife, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Tell me what you're planning to do."
Zhao Tingxiao said in a deep voice, "Kill! Kill the two brothers, Zhao Bochao and Zhao Zhongchao, and then cut off Zhao Si's manhood so that he can no longer have children. At this time, he will realize that if he does not hand over the family to me, the Zhao family bloodline will be completely cut off with him."
The man in black remained silent for a moment, his eyes flashing with cold light, before asking, "If Zhao Si still refuses to hand over the family to you at this point, what are your plans?"
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Tingxiao's eyes: "Then continue killing, send him down to reunite with his eldest son. As for Zhao Si's confidants, leave none alive, eliminate them all. Only in this way will the Zhao family completely fall into my hands, and you can then take control of the overall situation with peace of mind."
Upon hearing this, the man in black's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent. After a moment of silence, he sneered, "You do have some ruthlessness."
Knowing that his life was at stake, Zhao Tingxiao gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, I am willing to guarantee with my life that I will never let you down. After this is accomplished, all the resources of the Zhao family will be at your disposal."
The man in black spoke in a low voice, revealing distrust, "Zhao Tingxiao, you'd better not disappoint me, or I'll show you what it means to be slowly sliced to death."
Cold sweat beaded on Zhao Tingxiao's forehead. He suppressed his fear and said in a trembling voice, "Don't worry, sir, I understand the consequences. If anything goes wrong, I am willing to die."
The man in black coldly swept his gaze over Zhao Tingxiao and slowly nodded: "Fine, I'll give you this chance, but remember, once the Zhao family falls into your hands, you must be absolutely loyal to me. If you dare to have any disloyalty, your fate will be worse than this corpse."
Zhao Tingxiao nodded vigorously, secretly vowing to seize this last chance to live no matter what.
The man in black looked at Zhao Tingxiao with amusement, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Now, tell me your plan, how to seize power from the Zhao family. I can't just lead troops into the Zhao family and take power for you, can I?"
Zhao Tingxiao took a deep breath and slowly said, "I will first secretly contact those who are dissatisfied within the Zhao family, and gradually dismantle Zhao Si's power..."
The man in black interrupted him: "Too slow. I need a faster way. We must act before Yin Nantian returns to Cangzhou, or everything will be in vain."
After a moment's thought, Zhao Tingxiao said coldly, "I will create an accident that will cause the two brothers, Zhao Bochao and Zhao Zhongchao, to die tragically in their home. Then, I will lead troops into the Zhao family, publicly expose Zhao Si's crime of killing his sons to seize power, and force him to abdicate."
The man in black's eyes were full of contempt. Zhao Tingxiao was indeed ruthless, but his methods were not sophisticated enough, and even somewhat childish.
What did he think this was doing?
This is murder, power grab, and family takeover, not child's play!