Chapter 485: Chapter 308, Showdown!

There are countless tricks in the world, but only sincerity wins people’s hearts.

In Yan Wenli’s eyes, at this moment, Tang Fei was honest.

Otherwise, why would he tell him about his love for the Princess, a matter that could cost him his head?

Although this romance was public knowledge, openly admitting it was completely different.

What game was he playing here?

Yan Wenli looked at Tang Fei with an amused expression and asked aloud, “Why are you telling me all this?”

“I want to make a contribution, to serve the Royal Family.” Tang Fei said frankly and straightforwardly. “That’s why I joined the Monitoring Bureau, and it’s the only reason.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you are doing? Since you joined the Monitoring Bureau, I’ve had you lead a team on your own to investigate the case of the Lu Family, and I’ve had Zhong Jiayuan of the fifth division fully cooperate with you…”

“Yes, I am very grateful for the opportunity the Director has given me. But, Director, I’m very afraid now…”

“Afraid of what?”

“I don’t know what exactly we are supposed to do.” Tang Fei looked at Yan Wenli with anxious and fearful eyes and said aloud, “The first case I was in charge of was the Lu Family case; as I investigated, it ended up involving the Yu Family…”

“The Director might not be aware, but I don’t have a good relationship with Qin Jianyi and Qin Yuyang of the Qin Family… Apart from my senior brother Shen Xinglan who has always supported me, I hardly have any friends in New Star.”

“…”

Yan Wenli sneered inwardly.

Are you trying to fool someone?

Although you and Shen Xinglan studied under the same Great Grandmaster and are technically sworn brothers, your relationship isn’t exactly harmonious, is it?

Shen Xinglan has been childhood sweethearts with Phoenix, and they were a match made in heaven.

Everyone in the Phoenix Empire thought they would end up together, and then someone came and stole love with a cross cut…

It’s already good that Shen Xinglan didn’t chop off your head with a sword, and you think he’ll support you?

“Among the empire’s nine major families, I’ve already offended the Yu, Lu, and Qin families… I’m afraid if I continue investigating like this, I will offend all nine families. Director, will I have a way to survive when that happens?”

“The case was personally handed to you by me, and before you came to the Monitoring Bureau, the King had a talk with you, hadn’t he?” Yan Wenli scrutinized Tang Fei and asked, “What? You’re worried that the King and I won’t be able to protect you?”

“I’m not worried about that; what I’m worried about is…”

“Worried about what?”

Tang Fei hesitated.

After a moment of deliberation, he said through gritted teeth, “I’m afraid that when the time comes, the Director and the King won’t want to protect me.”

Yan Wenli’s gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, and his face instantly became dark and threatening.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

In the vast office, there was not a single sound; Tang Fei could even hear his own breathing and heartbeat.

A distinct smell of old paper lingered in the air, the scent of the ancient books from before the Blue Star cataclysm stored in the cabinets.

These books were worth their weight in gold and were now extremely rare.

“You mean… you’re worried that we won’t be able to withstand the pressure from the nine major families and will abandon you?”

“Yes.” Now that he had started speaking his mind, Tang Fei had no reservations. “Just now the Director said that if the old master of the Yu Family personally comes to you, you won’t be able to withstand it, and probably the King won’t be able to withstand it either.”

“The investigation is only just beginning; what if it involves other families as well? Or say, we investigate all nine major families… What will their retaliation be like then? How brutal and terrifying? Will my frail body be able to survive these turbulent waves?”

“I want to make a contribution, to serve the Royal Family, to marry the Princess… But if I can’t even save my own life, then what value and meaning does all this have?”

Yan Wenli looked deeply at Tang Fei and asked aloud, “Do you want to quit?”

“No, I just want to know what exactly we are supposed to do.” Tang Fei met Yan Wenli’s eyes without flinching as he spoke.

Yan Wenli took a sip of Whiskey, chewing on it slowly in his mouth, not immediately answering Tang Fei’s question.

He understood the implication in Tang Fei’s words, and he knew what he was worried about.

But this was a chess game meticulously planned by him and the King, and Tang Fei was just a small chess piece in this game…

Was there a need to tell him?

Could he be trusted?

It wasn’t until he swallowed the Whiskey, which was infused with the aroma of flowers and fruit, that he finally said, “What if I can’t answer that question?”

“I quit.” Tang Fei said decisively. “I can put my life on the line for you, but I cannot do so blindly without knowing what’s at stake.”

“I know what you want to know, and I know what you’re worried about…” Yan Wenli looked seriously at Tang Fei, speaking in a stern and serious tone: “But everyone has their responsibilities, and your job is to do every single thing your superiors order you to do.”

“It seems… the Director doesn’t want to open up to me?”

“What do I have to open up to you about? Can the things you worry about be the same as the things I worry about?”

“I resign.” Tang Fei stood up to leave.

“How insolent.” Yan Wenli smashed his glass of Whiskey.

Crash!

The wine glass smashed against Tang Fei’s back and then rolled onto the hard Moon Gold Stone floor, shattering to pieces.

Tang Fei acted as if he heard nothing, pushed the door open, and strode out.

“That damned bastard…”

Yan Wenli cursed vehemently.

“Quite a character.”

Zheng Jianfeng returned from seeing off Secretary-General Lin Fan and was reporting back when he saw the smashed glass on the floor and the spilled whiskey. Shocked, he asked, “Director, what happened?”

“It’s nothing, I accidentally knocked over the cup,” Yan Wenli said.

Zheng Jianfeng knew it was definitely not “accidental.”

Even if the director was sitting on the sofa, the cup wouldn’t have flown that far by an accident.

When he left, the director and Tang Fei were whispering together.

Now that Tang Fei had left, and the director had smashed a cup…

What had Tang Fei done to make the director this angry?

His heart pounded with the thought—had Tang Fei fallen out of favor?

“I’ll take care of this,” Zheng Jianfeng offered.

“No need, let the secretarial department handle it,” Yan Wenli waved his hand, saying, “Prepare the car, I’m going to the Phoenix Palace.”

“Yes, Director.”

——

“What? Tang Fei resigned?” Zhong Daolong had just finished attending a major meeting, still dressed in his suit and tie, with a layer of makeup that ordinary people would hardly notice.

Upon hearing Yan Wenli’s account, he asked in utter surprise.

“Yes,” Yan Wenli nodded and said, “The kid’s slick; he felt something was off and wanted to bolt at the first chance.”

“He can’t leave,” Zhong Daolong said, “We used him because he seemed like the right person for the job. From the observations and results over this period, it’s clear he truly is the best choice.”

“He’s already in the middle of it all; if we let him go now, then all the groundwork we’ve laid will be wasted. The loss is too great, I can’t accept that.”

“But he’s already sensed the danger,” Yan Wenli said helplessly, “Today, he confronted me, asking what exactly we want to do, how far we intend to go… can I tell him that?”

“Because it involves the Yu Family?”

“The Yu Family is just a ploy to stir his sensitive nerves,” Yan Wenli said with a pondering expression, “During the clash with the Lu Family, one might say it was a test for him. After all, his close relationship with the Lu Family is known to the world. Whose side would he take when conflict arose between us and the Lu Family?”

“Clearly, he chose us, backstabbing the Lu Family. But when the Lu Family’s case implicated the Yu Family, he panicked.”

“He came to me to talk, saying that he originally didn’t want to enter the Monitoring Bureau, that he had other options… such as going into seclusion with the Great Grandmaster.”

“But because he’s in love with Her Highness the Princess, and there’s a wide gap between their statuses, he wanted to make a name for himself, to serve the Royal Family… But now he worries that if the investigation goes too deep, he might even lose his life.”

Zhong Daolong sneered, “So cowardly, fleeing faster than a rabbit at the first sign of danger… Does such a guy really think he can marry my daughter?”

Yan Wenli watched Zhong Daolong with an amused look, saying, “He also said that he indeed wishes to marry the Princess, but if he inexplicably loses his life over this, then what is the value and meaning of everything he’s doing?”

“What do you think?” Zhong Daolong asked as he loosened his tie to breathe easier.

“I think he’s guessed what we want to do, and he has little faith in our plans.”

“He doesn’t trust the Royal Family?”

“He fears that in facing the united stance of the nine major families, we may choose to compromise, that we would make him a sacrificial pawn…”

Zhong Daolong remained silent.

Though they had never discussed this topic, if such a situation truly arose, Tang Fei would indeed be the pawn to be sacrificed first.

No, more precisely a scapegoat.

In any case, all the cases had been investigated by him, all the suspects had been arrested by him, all the families had been offended by him.

If neither side wished for a fight to the death, tossing Tang Fei out would be just the thing to quell everyone’s anger and ease the tense atmosphere.

People just needed an acceptable excuse, whether it was Tang Fei or Li Fei didn’t matter.

Yan Wenli obviously understood the King’s thoughts, yet he couldn’t urge him, nor would he ever spell it out.

To accompany a lord is to accompany a tiger, one must not presume to speculate about the thoughts in a monarch’s heart just because they believe they are a trusted confidant.

That is a sure path to doom.

“Do you think we can trust him?” Zhong Daolong asked, looking at Yan Wenli.

Yan Wenli was surprised by Zhong Daolong’s question, not expecting the King to be willing to compromise for Tang Fei’s sake.

By asking this question, it indicated his willingness to reveal the truth to Tang Fei and their secretly planned strategy for years.

Isn’t that too risky?

If Tang Fei harbored ulterior motives or was a spy for another family…

The ramifications would be tremendous.

Could that young man truly be irreplaceable?