diymy Chapter 11, The Zhang Family Delivers a Mission!
Chapter 11, The Zhang Family Delivers a Mission!
The next morning, Lin Zhou's abilities cooled down, and he returned to his own side in a deserted place.
The sunlight outside was just right, shining through the window and onto him, making him shiver involuntarily. Listening to the car horns outside, this normally normal noise gave Lin Zhou a strong sense of security at this moment.
He turned on the TV and turned the volume up high; the mundane sounds inside instantly dispelled his unease.
"It's still more comfortable here..." Lin Zhou leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath.
Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Director Zhao calling.
"Hello, Brother Zhao."
"You're back? Take a rest, why don't you come over and hand in your quest?"
"Okay, I'll take a shower."
After taking a shower and changing into modern clothes, Lin Zhou went to Director Zhao's place, where several experts, including the old historian, were.
"This is a letter that the Marquis asked me to deliver."
Lin Zhou handed Si Hou's handwritten letter to Director Zhao, then sat down, picked up his teacup, and recounted in detail everything he had seen and heard over the past few days to the two of them.
"Attacked?" Director Zhao glanced back at the old professor, then smiled. "This is most likely a form of manipulation."
"Huh? PUA? Me?"
Director Zhao nodded, then took out a piece of paper and began to list 1, 2, 3, and 4.
"First, Xu Cheng's behavior was very strange at the time. The Imperial City Guard was, to some extent, the Song Dynasty's national security force. Who would dare to directly attack national security in a busy urban area? Moreover, his behavior was also very suspicious. After knowing that someone was watching you, why did he still insist on taking you to some secluded places?"
"Sigh! Yeah, I thought it was strange too, and I even asked him about it." Lin Zhou slapped his thigh: "Now that you put it that way, it's much easier to understand."
"Secondly, after you escaped danger, the best course of action for him would be to go to the Imperial City Guard's office rather than a small inn. From our perspective, this is actually a kind of psychological reconstruction for you, allowing you to build trust and dependence on them amidst extreme anxiety."
"Hey... I'm being honest with them, and they're just playing games with me?"
"It's not just a simple trick; it's actually a common tactic used by intelligence agencies." The director, being a professional, explained, "It's like the usual scenario where they find someone to be the bad guy and then rescue the damsel in distress."
He continued, "Third, the next morning, the Marquis himself came to pick you up, and he did so in a procession through the streets. This was essentially to declare that your relationship with him was not shallow, and he could also explain your behavior to other people who coveted you. For example, he could say that you were a nephew who had an epileptic seizure at a brothel or prostitute, which is consistent with the behavior of a nephew of a fourth-rank official."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhou slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I really don't understand how you civil service exam takers work... You all treat me like a dog!"
Director Zhao smiled and poured Lin Zhou another cup of tea, then continued, "Fourthly, there's the matter of the shop. The location you mentioned is most likely owned by the Imperial City Guard, and it's even possible that the people who were evicted were from the Imperial City Guard. But my personal understanding is that this is a covert operation, usually used to deal with emergencies. Xu Cheng might not even know about it, so his demeanor is genuine."
"But……"
"Actually, I'm not sure either, but you said that Si Hou arrived while you were chatting inside. This actually carries a sense of deliberate coincidence. Although it can be explained in any way, in the eyes of a professional, this kind of coincidence is a bit too much. So I feel that it's highly likely that this was a carefully orchestrated arrangement." Director Zhao smiled at this moment, "A superb agent, to deceive others, must first deceive his own people. Combining his and his son Xu Cheng's comments about Qin Hui, we can basically conclude..."
Director Zhao raised his head: "He is also under tremendous pressure and is constantly looking for a way to break the deadlock."
Just then, the historian Mr. Wang spoke up: "According to historical records and some literary works of the time, Qin Hui was actually aware of the consequences of his handling of Yue Fei. In addition, Yue Fei was a man who had been captured by the Jurchens and then released, so at that point in time, he was not an arrogant and powerful minister, but a cautious and cowardly villain. He would definitely eliminate anyone and anything that might pose a threat to him. The fact that so many orphans he had persecuted could still exist around Lin'an City means that someone was fighting against him."
"The Marquis?"
"One person probably couldn't have that much power; I think it must be a group of people. Si Hou Xu Ping might just be one of them, but he definitely played a significant role." Professor Wang adjusted his glasses. "Let's take a look at the contents of the letter he wrote to us."
The letter contained very little, and upon analysis, it consisted of three main elements: testing the sincerity of cooperation, demanding something from this side, and hinting at a factional split within Lin'an.
"There is another matter I must report. Lin'an is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with spies from various factions everywhere. They have employed many tactics, one to deceive the emperor and make him appear merely a merchant, and the other to use this as an opportunity to intimidate others and deter them from acting rashly. But after this charade, a real enemy will surely emerge. The old villain Qin Hui is as suspicious as a ghost, and his followers are as numerous as locusts. I hope you will tell the envoy upon your return: In your future actions, you should outwardly appear greedy and corrupt, but inwardly remain pure and virtuous. You may indulge in sensual pleasures and amass wealth, but you must never openly do good deeds. This is a wicked place; you must be cautious and prudent."
"Hahaha... This Sihou is quite a character." After reciting this sentence, Professor Wang tapped the table: "Interesting, very interesting. Director Zhao, your deduction is already evident here. I must say, this Sihou is indeed wise."
As an old man who has spent his whole life studying history, this was the first time he had a direct conversation with the real ancient times. His face turned red, and he even felt that his heart was about to give way.
"Mr. Wang... please calm down," Lin Zhou reminded him. "Would you like some nitroglycerin?"
"No need, no need." The old man stood up excitedly, took out a brush and ink from the side, and said, "I'll write him a reply. You two continue your conversation."
At this moment, Lin Zhou looked at Director Zhao and asked, "Brother Zhao, wasn't it against regulations that the beautiful expert slipped chocolate and White Rabbit candies into the supplies last time?"
"Yes, it's against the rules, but it's fine. It's not a big problem. She told me herself that girls from academia are like that—they're prone to being overly compassionate." Director Zhao shook his head and sighed. "I've reported it to my superiors, and she got a scolding, but you've handled similar cases before, so it's not a big deal. What are your thoughts for next time?"
"I want to bring some White Rabbit candy too."
"Okay... to coax a little sister?" Director Zhao, true to his word, said, "Don't tell me I don't know anything. As long as you don't go too far, I won't stop you from bringing whatever you want."