Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Taihe shook his head and said coldly, "Unfortunately, the decision is not in my hands, nor in the hands of anyone present."

A hint of worry flashed across Zheng Qingyue's eyes:

"Young Master Qi doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty person."

“His surname is Qi,” Taihe reminded him.

Zheng Qingyue quickly went through the major Qi families in Yan State in his mind, but none of them matched the current situation.

“Rhodes Island,” Taihe reminded her again.

Zheng Qingyue: "..."

He stood frozen in place like a statue, staring blankly at Taihe, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

Taihe took a sip of tea and gave the order to see the guests out:

"Please leave. This is not a business transaction. Put away your businessman's mindset and be prepared to accept whatever comes your way."

Without warning, Zheng Qingyue suddenly knelt down on both knees, gritting his teeth and saying:

"Lord Taihe..."

“I told you, please go back,” Taihe interrupted him.

The atmosphere inside the inn, accompanied by Taihe's almost ruthless words, fell into a depressing silence, and everyone's eating had long since stopped.

Zuo Le stared at Zheng Qingyue with longing eyes and found that the moment the other man knelt down, this elderly man seemed to have lost his spine and become powerless and weak. His whole spirit became dejected, and at first glance, he seemed to have aged ten years.

Just as Zuo Le was feeling sorry for him and wanted to say a few words of advice, Tai He gently pinched his wrist under the table.

Liang Xun, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke: "Manager Zheng, you can't leave yet."

Zheng Qingyue raised his head with a slight tremor.

Liang Xun turned to look at him: "Kidnapping is a serious crime in Yan Country and should be dealt with according to the law. So before your daughter turns herself in, you will also be detained and guarded."

As for the matter concerning your daughter and Qi Yan, I can only say that this is the Great Yan Dynasty, and the imperial court will handle everything properly.

"...Thank you, Lord Liang." Zheng Qingyue bowed deeply.

Taihe released Zuo Le's hand from under the table and pursed her lips almost imperceptibly.

He had already anticipated this outcome when he was the first to speak to someone.

He can become the heartless and ruthless Great Yan Dynasty, while Liang Xun, who speaks out later, can become the Great Yan Dynasty that wins people's hearts and protects the people.

Moreover, Taihe knew perfectly well that Liang Xun was aware of his secret deal with Zheng Qingyue.

His words, though seemingly cold and ruthless, placed Zheng Qingyue on the periphery of the situation, at least leaving him some freedom to make various countermeasures based on the changing circumstances.

However, with just a few words, Liang Xun imprisoned Zheng Qingyue, achieving three goals at once: upholding the dignity of Yan Kingdom's laws, accepting Zheng Qingyue's favor, and successfully dismantling the methods secretly left behind by Si Suitai.

In this confrontation, Taihe can be said to have lost completely because it spoke first.

He glanced at Zheng Qingyue, then at Zuo Le who was deep in thought, but did not feel resentment because of his disadvantage.

Zheng Qingyue was willing to get involved for the sake of his daughter, even if it ended in a dismal failure.

He could also make concessions so that Zuo Le could experience more and learn more, even if he was restrained in the ensuing confrontation.

Not far away at the counter, Qi Lin, whom Xi had drawn, was counting money by herself, seemingly oblivious to everything that was happening in front of her.

Chen and Wu leaned against the counter, silently enjoying the drama of intrigue and power struggle.

"Miss Chen, I'm a little scared," Wu You said in a low voice, half-jokingly.

"You chose to get involved yourself," Chen said calmly. "Besides, everyone here can be afraid, except for you, me, and Qi Lin, because we have Qi Yan."

Chapter 841 Drunkenly Sleeping Among the Clouds, A Cup of Wine Repels Natural Disasters

In front of the somewhat shabby Liang residence, Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu whispered to each other for a moment, and Ning Ciqiu bid farewell with a hint of reluctance.

Seeing that it was already late at night, Liang Xun did not try to keep her, but instead ordered Master Shen to accompany and escort Ning Ciqiu back to her residence.

He endured the old carp's resentful gaze and led the other into his residence.

The two entered the house, and Old Carp immediately couldn't contain his jealousy, mimicking the words in a sarcastic tone:

“Miss Ning, thank you for coming to inform me of Qi Yan’s news today. I am grateful for your hard work and will definitely visit you in person to express my gratitude in the future.”

Liang Xun pursed his lips and didn't reply.

Old Carp, taking advantage of Liang Xun's kindness, circled around him repeatedly, teasingly saying:

"How does Lord Liang plan to express his gratitude? Should we go sightseeing, or listen to storytelling and watch a play? I wonder if this counts as official business, and if it can be reimbursed?"

With a blank expression, Liang Xun asked, "Are you drunk?"

"Maybe," Old Carp shrugged. "Maybe the tea doesn't intoxicate, but the person does."

Liang Xun ignored Lao Li, walked into the room, sat down on a chair, and poured himself a cup of water.

Seeing this, Old Carp couldn't help but twitch his lips:

"Still not enough to drink?"

"got used to."

Liang Xun held the teacup, fiddling with it between his fingertips, showing no intention of drinking it.

Old Li also walked over, sat down next to Liang Xun, and took out a box containing wine cups from his bosom and threw it on the table.

"You'd better figure out a way to deal with this hot potato quickly," he said with dissatisfaction. "You really are my good brother. I guessed that it must be troublesome for you to suddenly contact me after not seeing me for so many years, but I didn't expect you to prepare such a big surprise for me!"

This involves a portion of the consciousness of the Year Beast's agent, and Qi Yan is also implicated. Such a major event would likely dedicate a whole page to the history books of the Great Yan Dynasty!

"To be remembered in history is something many people yearn for but cannot achieve," Liang Xun said calmly.

"This opportunity is yours, do you want it?"

Do you think the question right now is whether I want it or not?

At this point in their conversation, both of them fell silent.

After a moment, Liang Xun spoke again: "Actually, it wasn't me who chose you, but rather Wei Gong of Longmen who recommended you. It just so happens that I do need a trustworthy helper... I mean, I'm sorry."

Old Carp suddenly felt uneasy when he heard the apology he was asked to give: "Don't give me that stupid look."

Liang Xun still wore his poker face:

"I really didn't expect things to escalate to this extent. Initially, I just didn't want the wine cup to fall into the Sisu Terrace, so I wanted to introduce a variable to try and break the deadlock."

"What exactly are you trying to protect?" Old Carp asked, puzzled. "And what else is this wine cup involved with?"

Faced with Lao Li's question, Liang Xun did not give a direct answer:

"Shangshu has not experienced natural disasters for a long time, but my memories of natural disasters are particularly vivid."

“At that time, I was just a child, in the age of ignorance. One day, I was suddenly carried on my family’s back and we began to flee in a panic.”

Liang Xun recounted his childhood experiences: "In the chaos, I only remember the adults talking about how a natural disaster was coming without any warning, and even the Taoist masters had not anticipated it in time."

Old Carp looked puzzled: "So?"

"That natural disaster did not cause too much damage. It came quickly and went even faster. The only impact was that the three mountains and eighteen peaks of Shangshu were reduced to seventeen peaks."

"That year, I saw a person on the back of an adult in my family."

Old Carp: ? ? ?

"The person was a woman, who was drunk and lying in a pavilion on the mountaintop. Faced with the raging natural disaster, she was inspired to write poetry, drink wine and sing, and had a great time."

With a look of reminiscence in his eyes and a tone of respect, Liang Xun said, "After enjoying herself to the fullest, the woman casually threw down her wine cup, shattering the natural disaster."

But when I asked other adults, I found that no one had seen that scene; it all seemed to be just a child's fantasy.

He turned to look at the box he had placed on the table, then glanced at Liang Xun, who was holding a teacup and gazing quietly at the tea in it.

"You want to protect the owner of the wine cup?" the old carp asked.

But Liang Xun surprisingly chose to shake his head:

"I want to protect Shang Shu."

"how do I say this?"

"The attitude of the Si Sui Tai towards those Sui Beast agents has been changing over the years, and it is gradually diverging from the Ministry of Rites. I do not want a conflict between the two to break out in Shang Shu."

Old Li nodded, understanding Liang Xun's position in this incident.

But he quickly shook his head and reminded him:

"The Si Sui Tai doesn't have that much autonomy."

"Therefore, I need variables."

"It was originally you."

"Are you crazy?!"

Do you remember when we were classmates, I told you about my wish?

"You want to be a good official."

What makes a good official?

Seeing that Lao Li was silent, Liang Xun tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup, then opened his mouth to speak.

"You want to kick me out now?" Old Carp spoke up before he could.

Liang Xun swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Old Carp reached out and picked up the box again, stuffing it into his pocket and snorting:

"I advise you to put away those messy thoughts. Do you think you can outsmart Qi Yan?"

Tell me your specific plans.

“…I don’t know,” Liang Xun confessed.

Upon hearing this, Old Carp took a deep breath.

This was practically like a war. The enemy was well-equipped with all sorts of long-range, wide-area weapons, but he suddenly learned that his side hadn't even prepared a kitchen knife, let alone any weapons.

Lao Li felt that his blood pressure was a little high.

Just then, Liang Xun turned his head and stared intently at the old carp:

"I think there's something you can do."

"Find the owner of this wine cup."

"Where is she?"

"do not know."

Old Carp felt like hitting someone.

“I know that with your abilities, finding someone won’t be difficult,” Liang Xun said earnestly.

"Has anyone ever reminded you that you're terrible at flattery?" Old Carp rolled his eyes.

"I am telling the truth."

Liang Xun remained extremely serious.

Old Carp unconsciously shifted his position on the chair.

Here it comes again, that uncomfortable feeling all over my body.

He felt the conversation was going nowhere, so he stood up and muttered:

"Talking to you gives me a headache. I've been running around all day, and my bones feel like they're about to fall apart. I'm going to sleep now."

"I'll take you to rest."

"No need, just tell me the location, I need to clear my head."

Seeing that Lao Li said this, Liang Xun did not insist. After pointing out the location, he let Lao Li wander freely in the mansion.

Anyway, his Liang residence was extremely shabby, not even comparable to some wealthy families in Shangshu, so finding a guest room was not difficult.

Old Li walked along the quiet stone path of the Liang residence, touched the box in his arms, and still showed a worried expression:

"How am I supposed to analyze this nonsensical situation? Even if I run a detective agency, you can't make things this difficult for me."