The group took their seats respectively. Then Shen Zhou slowly said,
"Grandfather is getting old. There must be someone in the Shen family to take over. But I'm sure you've already investigated my true identity."
Pulling at the corner of his mouth self - deprecatingly, Shen Zhou's almond - shaped eyes showed no hint of emotion.
"I'm the son of a prostitute, growing up in an unprosperous town. Even though I was given a fancy title and placed under my father's name, I simply couldn't fit into the Shen family. Grandfather always regarded me as a blade to pave the way for him. The others in the Shen family never took me seriously, especially those from the second branch."
"You know that my eldest brother is in poor health. And my father has no other sons. So grandfather has always attached great importance to the cultivation of the grandsons from the second branch. My brothers have always thought that they would inherit all the family business of the Shen family in the future. They never expected that I would come out of nowhere."
"But without the support of my mother's family, it would be extremely difficult for me to take over the Shen family. So instead of struggling, why not just overthrow it and build a new Shen family on my own? Coincidentally, the series of actions you discovered in Shuozhou were all masterminded by the second branch. I don't know much, but I do know a bit about the inside story."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So, I'm here to seek cooperation."
Leaning forward with a smile, Shen Zhou stretched out his well - defined hand in Yun Xi's direction, his tone ambiguous.
"To prove that I'm telling the truth, I specially followed Prince Yu'an to the Yun Mansion just so you could read my mind."
"Yingying, come and touch me. See if I'm lying."
Eww~
Everyone present showed their disgust in unison.
Yi Yuan slapped Shen Zhou's hand that was reaching out to Yun Xi with a "pop". His face darkened as he said,
"Don't have any wild ideas. I never invited you. You just came here on your own insistence."
"Tsk," Shen Zhou retracted his hand reluctantly, but his eyes still fixed on Yun Xi. He murmured,
"Fine. I won't touch you now, but there will be a time."
After mumbling, seeing Yi Yuan's face turn even darker, he changed the subject,
"Anyway, the house you found is just one of the many secret storage places of the second branch. I have the locations of two - thirds of the secret houses in Shuozhou where they store food, forage, and weapons. I also know which secret route they use to transport things to Qiri Manor."
"As for the communication between grandfather, the second branch, and Zongzheng Fengyi, I can also keep an eye on them for you. This includes finding out where the Jiahe rice seeds that were not found in Qiri Manor are. As long as you help me maintain my status and ensure that I won't be implicated when the Shen family gets into trouble, I'll tell you all this information for free."
"Cooperating with me will definitely be a profitable deal. So, what do you say? Will you agree?"
The group exchanged glances. Then Yun Weisheng spoke up,
"Are you really that trusting of us? This is a crime that could lead to the extermination of the entire family. What if we can't protect you in the end?"
Shen Zhou's smile remained unchanged. His eyes shifted to Yun Weisheng, showing a rare hint of respect. He said without hesitation,
"Because I trust Yingying."
"I trust Yingying, and I also trust those she whole - heartedly believes in. As for Prince Yu'an, well, it depends on his character."
"Shen, Zhou."
Yi Yuan's grip on the red - carved wooden table made it creak. The veins on his forehead were about to burst through his skin.
Yi Yuan gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear Shen Zhou apart right then and there.
But Shen Zhou pretended not to hear. With a beaming smile, he continued,
"Moreover, with the Emperor's trust and regard for Prince Yu'an, it would be a piece of cake for the prince to protect me."
"Prince Yu'an surely wouldn't... be so incapable, right?"
This was a blatant provocation.
The temperature in the room dropped suddenly. Yi Yuan stared fixedly at Shen Zhou. The cold aura around him almost froze the air.
It was so cold that Yun Xi couldn't help rubbing her arms. She quickly responded,
"Alright, alright. Since this is beneficial to both sides, let's be friends instead of enemies."
"Let's just settle the cooperation. Can you tell us the information you know now?"
Scanning the people present, Shen Zhou pondered for a moment and said,
"I can tell you the whereabouts of the Jiahe rice seeds first. As for the other information, it's hard to explain just by word of mouth."
"I'll go back and organize the intelligence. After confirming it's correct, I'll draw a map and send it to you. It'll be much easier to find things with a map and a description."
This was indeed a good idea.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed.
Shen Zhou detailed the information about the Jiahe rice seeds that his subordinates had passed on. Then, without staying any longer, he exchanged a few pleasantries and immediately took his leave to draw the map.
As the sky gradually darkened and the night wind suddenly picked up, it was the perfect time for investigation.
Yi Yuan personally led a group of people to the place where Shen Zhou said the Jiahe rice seeds were located - the Qiwantang.
Sure enough, they saw the Jiahe rice seeds hidden in the secret compartment of a precious tripod.
"They're really good at hiding,"
Mian Xiao exclaimed in wonder,
"They knew that in the Great Yin, unlike in their Ying Country, they didn't have their own territory. So they hid the seeds in a secret compartment and sent someone to the Qiwantang to pretend to sell them as treasures, but they never really sold them."
"It's a place full of all kinds of people where no one asks about your identity. Who would ever suspect that the Jiahe rice seeds would be here?"
But Yi Yuan didn't let his guard down. He said in a low voice,
"Don't talk so much. First, replace the seeds. Then we'll take them to the Grand Minister of Agriculture for identification to see if they're really the Jiahe rice seeds."
They acted immediately. Mian Xiao took out the pre - prepared cloth bag and in no time, all the seeds were packed without a single one left.
Lin An, who cooperated with Mian Xiao seamlessly, immediately took over the tripod and poured in the ordinary rice seeds he had brought, which at first glance looked almost the same in appearance.
Putting the things back in place exactly as they were, the group left quietly.
They didn't notice that in a dim room across the way, a pair of bright eyes were quietly watching their departing backs.
Slowly, a hint of a smile appeared.
Early the next morning, the news that the Grand Minister of Agriculture had taken sick leave due to a cold reached Yun Xi's ears.
However, such a trivial matter was never taken seriously.
People just knew about it. There were so many people on sick leave. No one really cared about one Grand Minister of Agriculture.
Only Yun Xi and the others knew:
The Jiahe rice seeds had been retrieved!
The Grand Minister of Agriculture took sick leave. Firstly, he probably was afraid that his joy would show and give away the secret. Secondly, he must be eager to study the seeds.
Apart from this news, there were two other much more important things:
One was that Master Hunyuan would start his secluded cultivation from that day on to purify his mind. Fairy Manping returned to secular life on that day and would get married five days later. She would leave the capital and return to her hometown, never to return.
The other was that Princess Yizhen, the fourth princess, was about to marry Zongzheng Fengyi, the seventh prince of the Ying Country. The two countries would form an alliance through this marriage for mutual benefit.
Not long after these two important pieces of news spread, Yun Xi and the others received the map and the time of the next shipment sent by Shen Zhou's messenger.
Yi Yuan's eyes lit up. He immediately wanted to go to the palace secretly to seek the Emperor's edict and lead troops to arrest the criminals and seize the stolen goods.
For some reason, Yun Xi felt extremely uneasy. She subconsciously stopped Yi Yuan.
"Don't seek the Emperor's edict,"
Yun Xi said.
She didn't dare to gamble on how deeply Emperor Zhaohuan loved Concubine Qing and whether he would show mercy to the Shen family for the sake of Yizhen and Noble Consort Shen.
"Find trustworthy people from the Supreme Court and the Ministry of War. Don't explain anything. Just lead them to make the arrest directly."
"The more witnesses there are, the harder it will be for the Shen family to escape their guilt."
In this way, even if Emperor Zhaohuan wanted to shield them, he might be helpless.