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Chapter 721 Cooperation
Thinking about all this, Cao Tianbao had completely calmed down from his earlier surprise and anger.

He was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lu Zhang, then at Lu Qing, and finally decided to ask Lu Qing: "So, you knew about everything here?"

Could it be... that you orchestrated all of this?

Lu Qing didn't say anything, but took out a waist token from his pocket, turned around and handed it to Fu Wen behind him. Fu Wen took the waist token and quickly went over to Cao Tianbao, respectfully handing it to him.

Cao Tianbao was stunned when he saw the waist token. He took it and examined it carefully several times. After confirming that it was genuine, he looked at Lu Qing in surprise: "You...you are the Golden-Faced Censor who is known to everyone in the court, but whose identity is unknown?!"
Over the years, we have all heard in private that there is a golden-faced censor personally appointed by the emperor who has done many things for the emperor outside, but we have no idea who this person is.

I never imagined that the Golden-Faced Censor was actually the carefree Prince, whom everyone else underestimated!

"When His Majesty demoted me to a commoner, he did not take back my Golden-Faced Censor's badge and identity. What does the General think this means?" Lu Qing asked, having Fu Wen retrieve the badge.

Cao Tianbao's eyes showed a newfound understanding, which seemed to put him at ease.

In contrast, Lu Zhang looked much more surprised, clearly having only just realized that the Golden-Faced Censor was actually his elder brother.

Zhu Yu couldn't speak at this time, but as a "spectator," she couldn't help but sigh.

The initial suspicions were indeed correct; the person who knew Lu Qing's identity as the Golden-Faced Censor was none other than Lu Ze.

Lu Zhang... his mind is too simple to fathom this secret.

"So these Jie people... were all in cahoots?" Cao Tianbao was now more convinced of Lu Qing's abilities, and Lu Qing's words clearly implied that Emperor Jin also tacitly approved of it, which made him feel more at ease. However, he still had some concerns about the Jie people.

Especially considering that he only had about a hundred men under his command.

"If King Jie hadn't used the pretext of divorce to send his warriors across the border, the strange phenomena in the capital and the court probably wouldn't have been so easily revealed."

Faced with 'foreign invasion', the emperor had to face numerous obstacles in the court if he wanted to send troops to meet the enemy. In addition, there were other chaotic situations in the capital. Anyone with discerning eyes could see the hidden dangers.

On the other hand, the Jie people crossing the border appears to be an influx from Jie territory into Jin Kingdom's lands, but if the General is interested in the future, he might as well lead a group to inspect the area and see what the actual situation is like," Lu Qing said.

Lu Zhang nodded repeatedly, confirming for him: "I saw this with my own eyes. On the surface, the Jie people crossed the border and invaded the land of Jin Kingdom. In reality, they added a human wall to the borders between Jie Kingdom and Fan Kingdom, and between Jin Kingdom and Fan Kingdom, thus filling the gaps in our defenses on the Fan Kingdom side."

Cao Tianbao seemed to be deep in thought, muttering to himself: "So, the weak defenses on the border with the Vatican are the result of someone's deliberate actions. If we were to transfer troops from the Jin Kingdom, even if the Emperor issued an edict, we would either be unable to do so or we would alert the enemy. This is indeed a difficult situation..."

If the same spot were occupied by the Katas... then what about the Brahma lands...?"

“The Brahma people will think that this is another conflict between Jin and Jie, and they will see it as a good opportunity to divert the emperor’s attention. They might even use it to shift the blame and kill someone else. So, instead of being more vigilant, they will be happy to see it happen.” Lu Qing nodded to Cao Tianbao.

"Brilliant!" Cao Tianbao exclaimed, his mind suddenly clearing. He clapped his hands. "If the Jie people are willing to cooperate with us in putting on this show, it would be a win-win situation! But..."

He glanced at Yan Shu, then swallowed back the doubt that was on the tip of his tongue, lest he voice it and cause the Princess Yi, who had not yet received the divorce papers, to fly into a rage.

Over the years, among all the vassal states, if one were to say which one has always been most at odds with the Jin Kingdom, it would probably be the Jie Kingdom.

If it were the Shuo Kingdom that was cooperating with them in this play, given Zhu Cheng's personality, it might seem easier to achieve. But if it were the Jie King and the Jie people, it would seem somewhat unbelievable.

“In the past, there seemed to be some prejudice and misunderstanding between us and the Jie people. This time, we were able to make this happen,” Lu Qing looked at Zhu Yu and smiled, “all thanks to the sisterly bond between my wife and Princess Yan Shu.”

"This is all thanks to Princess Yan Shu." Zhu Yu quickly waved his hand and pointed to Yan Shu. "How we met the princess is a long story. In short, after the princess discovered that someone had been plotting for a long time to stir up chaos in the world, she was very righteous and wrote a long letter for us to send to the Jie Kingdom and to the Jie King, persuading her father to join forces with us."

"Without Princess Yanshu's efforts to persuade us, this situation wouldn't be what it is today."

Yan Shu was initially quite angry with Cao Tianbao, but after listening to their conversation for a while, her anger subsided. After being praised by Zhu Yu, she even felt a little embarrassed.

She sighed, her tone tinged with resentment and grievance: "Actually, we Jie people are not warlike. We just want to protect our homeland and live peacefully in our own way."

After the past disputes were resolved, no one forced us to live like the people of Jin Kingdom anymore, and we never had the thought of being enemies with anyone again. We Jie people all understand the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me".

But no matter how much we want to live and work in peace and contentment, the prerequisite is that the world is at peace. Otherwise, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact!
That's why I persuaded my father to agree to assist Lu Qing and the others in helping your Jin Kingdom to defend the border that it couldn't hold.

If you don't trust us, go out and ask around, see what the people of Jin Kingdom around you are saying!
"If anyone does something wrong, my father will never let them get away with it."

Cao Tianbao looked at her, unsure of what to say. On one hand, the plan was good, but he still wasn't completely at ease with the Jie people. On the other hand, no matter what, the Jie people were indeed helping this time, and his words just now weren't very pleasant to hear.

If I don't apologize, I'll feel guilty.

Apologize. At your age, you might feel better in your heart, but you'll lose face.

So he could only cup his hands in a gesture of respect to Yan Shu.

Then, he thought of something else.

Judging from this situation, Lu Qing and Lu Zhang are already on the same side, and since they told me about this, it's clear they don't intend to exclude me.

Cao Tianbao cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and tentatively asked, "So... is His Highness Prince Shu the mastermind behind all of this?"