o me!"Su Pingbei's expression was serious, even a hint of disdain. He said, "If that's the case, you should understand reason even more. From your basic needs like eating, drinking, wearing clothes to...Chapter 1797: I've Disliked Him for a Long Time

My heart suddenly became clear.

He looked at Li Chen, his expression unfriendly, and said: “Then you asked me to kill him It’s more like a test of me than killing King Ning.”

"That's not true."

Li Chen smiled and said, "You are a smart person, you know what choice to make. A vassal king, even if he is powerful and ambitious, is still just a vassal king. The one sitting in the Golden Hall will never be the king, but the emperor."

“Is it better to cooperate with a vassal king, risking everything in a gamble with countless dangers and having to be wary of each other lest one be betrayed like a rabbit who dies and the dog eats its flesh, or to choose partners whose cooperation has already been established from the beginning, steadily advancing towards a mutually beneficial relationship Isn't this question easy to answer”

Pouring himself a cup of wine, Li Chen presented it to Jian Xin with a light smile. "Therefore," he said, "whether you kill him or not, it doesn't affect my plans, but your own."

Jian Xin frowned and asked, "What would you have done if I hadn't killed him"

"Li Chen said calmly, "To me, whether you kill him or not makes no difference. If you don't kill him, the only place he can go is the Yan Yun Sixteen Riders' camp. And as you can see, 300,000 Jin troops have been mobilized. In half an hour, the Yan Yun Sixteen Riders will be wiped out. With their nest destroyed, how can King Ning protect himself"

"Aren't you just testing me" Jian Xin demanded immediately.

"This is called double insurance."

Li Chen smiled and said, "Politicians never fully trust anyone when they do things. Sometimes they even doubt themselves, wondering if they've been blinded by their own ambitions or intoxicated by desires, missing the truth and essence of things. Especially when facing important decisions, being prepared can often ensure success. The saying 'a journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step' means that those who make it are often those who are cautious, for those who overestimate themselves often fall. So, I don't distrust you, but rather, I distrust myself."

Jian Xin gritted his teeth and said: "In terms of sophistry, you are the best in the world."

Li Chen let out a hearty laugh and said, "If we don't drink this cup of wine, it'll get cold. Cold wine isn't as good."

Jian Xin's face remained impassive. After the back-and-forth exchange, he had suppressed his inner discontent.

Taking the cup, Jian Xin drank it in one gulp.

"How does it taste" Li Chen asked.

Jian Xin set down his cup and said calmly, "This wine is excellent. The plums are also the finest shipped from the south. The heat used to warm the wine is unique as well. It raises the temperature of the liquor just enough to fully blend the aroma of the wine with the tartness of the plums without overheating it so much that the alcohol evaporates. Honestly, this wine is top-notch."

"Speaking of this, Jian Xin coldly glanced at Li Chen and added, "But drinking depends on the company. With today's atmosphere, even the most exquisite wine would taste bland."

This made Huangji Tian burst into laughter, "He always gets the best of others, today someone finally dared to tell him the truth right in front of his face! What a glorious day for Fu Yi Bai!"

"Speaking of which, Huangji raised his cup to Jian Xin and said, 'I've long disliked him. He always seems so composed and unfazed by everything. We're all human beings, yet he acts like a detached hermit all the time, putting on airs that make people feel quite irritated.'"

"For these words, let's have a drink."

To everyone's surprise, the usually aloof Jian Xin readily raised her glass to toast Huang Ji Tian.al court takes a break. All departments are closed except for those on duty, and officials have returned home to prepare for the festivities.As customary, on New Year's Day, all officials in the capit...