Yinshan Record

Chapter 129: A fishy fish
"I have an idea."

Su Che clasped his hands in a fist salute and said.

"What ideas could you possibly have for matters of state? Which official here isn't of higher rank than you? Do you even need to speak here? Step back and listen carefully."

Feng frowned and reprimanded him.

Su Che understood that this Eunuch Feng still cared for him. Apart from the spies from White Deer Cave, there were countless other people watching him.

In the current situation, the best course of action is to continue to protect oneself.

“Eunuch Feng, since Su Lixing has something to say, let’s listen to him. If what he says makes no sense, we can just ignore it. Listening to both sides will lead to a clear understanding.”

Yu Ze smiled; he was now more than happy to have a few more scapegoats.

If Su Che's plan works, it will be thanks to Yu Zhongcheng. But if we were to discuss the merits and demerits afterward, how could it have succeeded without Yu Zhongcheng's overall coordination, resource allocation, and various support?
If it doesn't work, then it's because Su is intellectually shallow and has misled the country and its affairs, which can also absolve Yu Ze of a lot of responsibility.

"The thing that the Censor, Eunuch Feng, and the Imperial Court are most worried about is a group of cultivators wandering through the streets and alleys of Cizhou, going from house to house and village to village looking for opportunities. If this can be avoided, the chaos caused by the so-called Golden Book Conference will be greatly reduced."

Su Che looked at the people who were in charge and said, "If the news about the Golden Book Conference really came from the north, then instead of letting them do it, we should do it first."

Upon hearing this, Feng Buxing frowned slightly, while Yu Ze fell into deep thought. Shi Chibao and Liu Yu exchanged a glance and shook their heads slightly.

"We don't have the Nine-Page Golden Book..."

Shi Chibao looked at Su Che.

The key lies in the nine-page golden book.
"We do."

Su Che certainly wouldn't hand over the two pages of the golden book he had.

"Nine pages of golden book, who has ever seen one? Who knows what wonders are contained within? Can't we just make a few dozen pages of that golden book ourselves?"

Su Che, who already possessed an authentic copy of the novel, felt that this matter was not too difficult to handle.

The old man from the Chang family in Licheng who practices the so-called "Great Sage's Armor" has had a page of the golden book enshrined in his home for over three hundred years, yet they can't see anything wrong with it. Wouldn't it be easy to spend some money to make dozens of copies of it to pass off as the real thing?
"As long as we choose a good location and gradually spread the word, we can draw those people here, and the impact on other parts of Cizhou will be less."

Shi Chibao pondered for a moment: "Su Lixing's plan is correct in direction, but the details need to be planned further."

"I think this strategy of 'cutting off the fuel supply' is feasible."

Yu Ze frowned: "I think it would be convenient to set the location in Cizhou City. The City God of Cizhou has a fifth-rank cultivation level, and he has many judges and ghost messengers under his command. In addition, with the Jingye Division and the Tiqi, it would be convenient to take care of these matters."

“If this Golden Book Conference is indeed orchestrated by the Northern Dynasty, then Yuwen Rui must have other plans.” Feng Buxing looked at Su Che: “Instead of waiting for him to advance step by step, we should take the initiative and fight him head-on.”

Su Che suddenly realized that Huang Kou from the Northern Mang Ghost Ancestor Palace and Yan Bixing from the Cangtian Sect were also in the Qingdi Treasure Garden. He wondered if these two were connected to the Golden Book Conference.

“I think Su Lixing’s method is feasible.” Yu Ze then made a request: “Eunuch Feng, I think Su Lixing should handle the whole matter. What do you think, Eunuch Feng? Commander Shi and Military Advisor Liu are both familiar faces in Cizhou. If they take the lead, it will inevitably lead to leaks.”

“Su Lixing is different. He has only been in office for a short time and has little contact with the local authorities. He has moved from the overt to the covert, which makes everything easier to do.”

Yu Ze said, "In my opinion, Su Lixing should contact you and me directly to handle this matter."

Feng Buxing pondered for a long time without speaking.

Logically speaking, as the imperial envoy, he was in charge of handling all the turmoil in Xuanshan. Now that the demons have been quelled, these follow-up matters are somewhat beyond his authority.

However, the Imperial Horse Administration was, after all, the superior agency of the Imperial Guards, and since he was participating in this matter as a representative of the Imperial Guards, Yu Ze's side wouldn't have any objections. But the problem was that Feng Xingbu couldn't possibly stay in Cizhou with Wuyundu; returning to the capital would only take a day or two.

If Su Che agrees to this, his one-way communication with Yu Ze and Feng Buxing will effectively become one where he is only responsible to Yu Ze.

Regardless of the potential flaws, once this is implemented, it would be tantamount to placing the Imperial Guards under the command of the Censorate.

"I think this is feasible."

Feng Buxing has essentially set the tone for this matter.

"Commander Shi, Military Advisor Liu, you may step aside for now. Let's continue discussing this matter."

When Yu Ze saw that Feng was not giving his approval, he was secretly pleased and immediately dismissed the other two leaders.

Shi Chibao and Liu Yu were naturally both in favor; they couldn't wait to escape this mess.

As Shi Qianhu left, he didn't forget to cast a sympathetic glance at Su Che.

Liu Yu gave a rather awkward smile.

Su Che finally understood what it meant to not offer opinions unless absolutely necessary, because once you do, it becomes your problem.

Yu Ze tapped the back of the chair lightly with his fingers. He was a practitioner of both Confucianism and Taoism, and since reaching the fifth rank of cultivation, he rarely fought with others. As a high-ranking official, he was dignified and composed in his demeanor.

At this moment, this scion of a prominent family regained his composure and spoke with great generosity.

"There is no one else here. I've already told Su Lixing that you should just go ahead and do it. I will definitely support you."

Looking at the official Yu Zhongcheng above, Su Che suddenly wondered if the former magistrate of Shanyin County had also heard this noble young master's boastful words, worked diligently under Yu Ze, and was eventually beheaded by Yu Ze to atone for his sins.

"What are the specific strategies for the next step? Is there anything we need to do?"

Eunuch Feng always acted like one of their own, while Vice Minister Yu's words of support were loud and clear, but he never actually put any of them into practice.

"I'll first disguise myself as a martial arts practitioner and scout out the current situation. Since it's a Golden Book Conference, there must be someone in charge. That person might be the most important figure in this matter."

Feng Buxing frowned: "Since we're going to travel the world, we must choose our identity carefully."

He pondered for a moment: "I will take care of this matter. Do you have any requirements for the counterfeit gold book you requested? Time is of the essence. Even if we ask the Imperial Workshops and the Water Conservancy Bureau to make it, it may be difficult to complete in a short time."

"There's no need for that. As the saying goes, the greatest sound is silent and the greatest form is formless. The more exquisite it is, the easier it is for others to see through it. It would be better to ask the old craftsmen in the palace to just make a few gold pages with scriptures printed on them and fool them for now."

Su Che looked at Feng Xingbu and said, "As long as the spies planted by the Censorate, the Imperial Guards, and the Night Watch are willing to admit it, that will be fine."

"Where are the manpower?"

Yu Ze asked, "How do we collect them all?"

"We need two people first: the Imperial Guard officer Lu Bai and an ox. We'll have to ask Vice Minister Yu and Eunuch Feng to put in some effort."

Su Che briefly explained the initial plan to the two of them.

(End of this chapter)