Chapter 135: Where profit lies, the hearts of the people follow.

Fang Xu picked up the cup of warm wine beside him and looked at the heavy rain falling outside the ancient temple, draining the wine in a single gulp with a faint smile.

In Fang Xu’s view, Murong Bai and Zhang He had both come for their own interests, so he would simply offer them sufficient benefits to win them over.

And they should also understand that right now, he was not supposed to be their enemy.

Who was their common enemy right now, exactly?

Naturally, it was Murong Fu, which was the fundamental reason why Murong Bai and Zhang He chose to stand on his side.

As the saying goes, blocking someone’s path to wealth is no different than murdering their parents.

That being the case, one had to ask: would Murong Bai and Zhang He choose him or Murong Fu?

Perhaps one might feel curious—would Murong Bai not choose to betray him? Would Zhang He not betray him?

Without conducting a thorough investigation beforehand, Fang Xu would never do anything without absolute certainty.

Murong Bai’s interests were aligned with his. If Murong Bai wished to accomplish great things, Murong Fu was an obstacle that had to be eliminated.

Moreover, the Murong family’s own ancestral rules permitted such occurrences.

Therefore, Fang Xu was not worried that Murong Bai would choose to betray him. More importantly, Murong Bai understood Murong Fu’s temperament.

He knew that apart from standing on Fang Xu’s side now, he had no other choice.

Of course, what mattered even more was that whisper Fang Xu had previously delivered beside Murong Bai’s ear; one could tell just how panicked and shocked Murong Bai’s expression had been at that moment.

What on earth had Fang Xu said to Murong Bai? That would probably remain a mystery forever.

Yet one thing was certain: Murong Bai could not possibly betray Fang Xu unless he intended to go down together with him.

However, would Murong Bai choose to do such a thing? What possible benefit could there be for him in doing so?

As for Zhang He, in Fang Xu’s eyes, the situation was even simpler.

Originally, Zhang He had merely wished to be a good official, and his earlier conflict with him was also understandable.

From this, one could perceive why Zhang He had managed to become the head of a commandery at such a young age, as well as the strictness of his family upbringing.

Clearly, had it not been for the sake of the common people around Danyang Commandery, Zhang He might not have chosen to help Murong Fu oppress the populace.

After all, every matter involves choices and trade-offs, and the real question is how one chooses to make them.

Since Fang Xu could guarantee the stability of Zhang He’s future authority and allow Zhang He to act in accordance with his own conscience,

this had already deeply touched Zhang He’s heart. Of course, what was even more important, in Fang Xu’s view, was that he ought to thank Murong Fu for his arrogance.

Had Murong Fu not said certain things to Zhang He back at the inn, he might never have realized that Zhang He could become such a major asset to him.

Wouldn’t one say this called for thanking Murong Fu? Naturally, while things appeared this way on the surface,

Fang Xu had already prepared a contingency plan, though he naturally hoped he would never need to resort to that second method.

As the saying goes, one must always guard against others; even if they had submitted to him now, he still needed to keep them firmly in his grasp.

When Murong Bai and Zhang He were leaving, Fang Xu had whispered a few instructions into Old Wu’s ear.

Shortly after, Old Wu had sent his subordinates to carry them out. What tasks had Fang Xu assigned to Old Wu?

Naturally, it was to investigate Murong Bai and Zhang He, as well as the words and deeds of their close relatives. Clearly, he intended to get a hold of their weaknesses.

This would make it easier for him to control them, wouldn't it?

"The hearts of the people follow where the benefits lie!" Fang Xu could not help whispering to himself. Then, he took the coir raincoat handed to him by Old Wu and put it on.

Taking advantage of the stormy night, he headed in the direction of the inn.

Who could have known that the upcoming turmoil among the southern clans would all stem from this very night?

Meanwhile, back at the inn, Qiu Chuji was excitedly holding the refined ashes and preparing to look for Fang Xu.

However, when Qiu Chuji came downstairs, Fang Xu was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Qiu Chuji ran into Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian, who seemed to have had some sort of conflict and were currently giving each other the cold shoulder.

Hearing the commotion from the second floor, Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian looked up in unison.

When they saw Qiu Chuji standing at the top of the stairs, both Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian froze in astonishment.

Clearly, the fact that Fang Xu had failed to notice Qiu Chuji was a woman did not mean that everyone else would fail to notice it as well.

At that moment, both Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian perceived Qiu Chuji’s female identity, and they looked over with strange expressions in their eyes.

Qiu Chuji also looked with puzzlement at Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian downstairs, and the atmosphere abruptly turned awkward.

Many of the guards on Fang Xu’s side, upon witnessing this scene, instinctively scattered to keep out of the way.

After all, whatever was about to happen next was no longer something they could interfere with, wasn't that so?

"Who are you?"

"Who are you guys?" Zhuge Jun, Shangguan Lian, and Qiu Chuji all asked in unison, making the atmosphere even more awkward.

The guards watching over Qiu Chuji grew nervous, and so did the guards downstairs watching over Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian.

After all, these guards had also figured out the truth of Qiu Chuji’s female identity over the past few days, so they were genuinely terrified that a fight would break out!

If a brawl really erupted, should they try to mediate, or whose side should they take?

They instantly found themselves trapped in a complex and painful dilemma. Qiu Chuji did not answer Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian’s inquiry, nor did Shangguan Lian and Zhuge Jun answer Qiu Chuji’s question.

The three of them remained in a standoff, though there was nothing else to be done.

After all, to all three of them, the others had appeared out of nowhere—how could they possibly know who they were?

Back in the village, when Fang Xu had caused a ruckus at the county government office, he had sent Qiu Chuji away to the inn for her own safety, which was why Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian had never seen what Qiu Chuji looked like.

And later, when Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian escorted Fang Xu back to the inn, Qiu Chuji had merely glanced briefly at Shangguan Lian.

At this moment, Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian struck a questioning posture, which somewhat displeased Qiu Chuji. Thereupon, Qiu Chuji walked down unceremoniously,

and sat down right opposite Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian. A table originally had four sides, and the only remaining side faced the inn’s main entrance.

Did this not go without saying? Or rather, everyone present understood very well who that empty seat was reserved for.