Chapter 321 The Clever Use of a Treacherous Minister

It happened to be Yang Xin serving in the bedchamber that night, so Gao Yuan finally had the opportunity to vent about the frustrating things he encountered today. After hearing it, the woman completely lost her composure, laughing until she was doubled over and trembling with mirth.

Gao Yuan had shared his troubles hoping for a hug and some comfort, but unexpectedly, he was met with ruthless mockery, which only made his expression even sourer.

"How could you be like this? When your husband encounters something frustrating, even if you can't help solve it, you should at least give him a comforting hug. Instead, you actually laughed at me!"

Seeing Gao Yuan with that aggrieved, young-wife-like expression, Yang Xin actually found it exceptionally genuine and cute.

"Husband, seeing you like this today actually makes me feel like you are more of a real person, rather than a cold, unfeeling killing machine."

"Really?"

Yang Xin nodded vigorously and reached out to take Gao Yuan's large hand.

"Isn't it just that two treacherous officials are hard to place? Actually, it's not difficult at all. Just send them to the enemy countries, won't that work? Given their intelligence and talent, they should be able to gain the trust of Gao Wu and Lu Kuan, and then..."

This truly was a wake-up call; keeping these troublemakers in his own hands was like holding a ticking time bomb, but placing them with others would turn them into a great asset for himself.

His worries were swept away, and Gao Yuan was in a great mood. That night, he tossed Yang Xin about three times, only stopping when the woman begged for mercy repeatedly, finally satisfied.

Early the next morning, Gao Yuan excitedly arrived at the relay station and met the two historically famous treacherous officials.

Honestly, every one of those capable of being a treacherous official is a "dragon among men." Both of them were handsome and dashing, making people feel favorably inclined toward them at first glance.

After Gao Yuan walked to the main seat and sat down carelessly, the two quickly stepped forward to salute.

"Subordinate pays respects to the Lord."

Gao Yuan nodded slightly.

"Yuanzhang (Cai Jing's courtesy name is Yuanzhang), Huizhi (Qin Hui's courtesy name is Huizhi), both of you possess world-shaking talents. Theoretically, I should keep you by my side and entrust you with important responsibilities, but..."

As soon as Gao Yuan said this, both of their hearts sank to the bottom. Just as they were about to speak, Gao Yuan spoke again.

"I have something more important to entrust to the two of you. As long as you can successfully complete it, becoming marquises and prime ministers in the future will be a matter of course. Do you have the confidence to shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

Hearing Gao Yuan say this, the two men's eyes, which had previously dimmed, brightened once again. Without hesitation, they saluted Gao Yuan again.

"We are willing to devote ourselves to the Lord until our deaths."

"Good, good, good!"

Gao Yuan showed an expression of extreme excitement and beckoned them over.

"The two of you, come closer and listen!"

The two knew it must be some incredible major matter; otherwise, Gao Yuan would not be so solemn. They quickly stepped forward, bowing slightly to wait for Gao Yuan's instructions.

"I need the two of you to defect to Northern Liang and Northern Yan and gain the trust of Gao Wu and Lu Kuan."

Both were shocked, but they quickly adjusted themselves. Qin Hui asked in a low voice:

"Does the Lord want us to steal intelligence? I am not sure how to transmit it..."

Gao Yuan waved his hand.

"Stealing intelligence is too dangerous, and I don't want two great talents like you to suffer any harm. I only need you to gain their trust and then find ways to turn them into incompetent monarchs; whether it's encouraging them to be extravagant and indulgent, to favor sycophants and alienate virtuous officials, or to incite them to kill each other, as long as you can damage the national strength of both countries, it will be a great contribution. When the day of success comes, I will personally petition the King to reward you according to your merits, allowing you both to become marquises and prime ministers and enjoy glory and wealth."

The two were overjoyed, thinking that while they might not have the ability to assist a monarch in unifying the world, dragging them into the mud was truly easy for them.

In just a moment, the two had already come up with a dozen ways to drag Gao Wu and Lu Kuan into the mud.

After giving the orders, Gao Yuan had two small wooden boxes brought over, both filled with Southern Pearls, making the two men's eyes widen in shock.

"How could you two travel far without carrying some wealth? These Southern Pearls were all carefully selected by me. Take them to use for your advancement."

Seeing that Gao Yuan was so thoughtful, the last bit of doubt in their hearts vanished, and they secretly swore to make something of themselves in Northern Yan and Northern Liang.

To show his regard for them, the next day Gao Yuan brought Zhao Xiyao to meet them secretly. Zhao Xiyao also promised them official positions and even rewarded each of them with two full-green jade plaques.

On the third day, Xian Ying stepped forward to explain to the two how to contact the Secret Guards, emphasizing repeatedly that they should not make contact unless it was absolutely necessary. Then, these two infamous treacherous officials who would go down in history embarked on their journey.

Cai Jing's destination was Luoyang, while Qin Hui's target was Jixian.

Standing on the city wall watching their departing figures, Gao Yuan revealed a smile of a conspiracy successfully executed.

"Being your opponent is truly miserable; not only do they have to face open attacks, but they also have to guard against hidden arrows!"

Gao Yuan glanced at Yang Xin beside him and smiled slightly.

"There's no other way. I'm doing this to unify the world as quickly as possible, so that the common people can suffer a little less, and so that I can lead our nation toward a higher peak, saving us from having those Little Japan, Little Korea, and Azha jumping around and acting up in the future."

Yang Xin rolled her eyes at him.

"You really want to be the world leader? Wouldn't that mean fighting wars for your whole life?"

"Wanting to be the world leader is true. At the very least, I want to be the leader of Asia. However, I only plan to do it for another ten years, and after ten years, I'll let my son take over."

With a capable son who has Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin as a template, if I don't let him properly utilize his talents, should I let him stage a Xuanwu Gate incident and force me to abdicate?

"You really are a troublemaker; not only do you screw over your father, but you also screw over your son!"

"Alright, alright, it's windy here, let's go back!"

Days returned to calm once again, and Gao Yuan re-entered his daily routine of eating, sleeping, reading, and training.

With the accumulation from his last campaign of charging all the way, plus these days of diligent study and practice, his personal attributes finally improved naturally.

"Congratulations, Host. Leadership has increased from A- to A, Intelligence has increased from B+ to A-, Internal Affairs has increased significantly from C to B, and Spearmanship has increased from A to A+."

"Host: Gao Yuan, Character Attributes: Gentle appearance but strong heart, ruthless; Comprehensive Evaluation: A+; Strength A+, Agility A, Stamina A+, Intelligence A-, Leadership A, Internal Affairs B, Charisma S; Martial Arts: Swordsmanship A, Spearmanship A+, Horsemanship A, Mounted Archery A+, Foot Archery A+; Skills: Leaders Aura (C), Pursue and Attack, One-Strike Kill; Primary Life Mentor: First Life Mentor; Equipment: Qin Qiong's mingguang armor (A), Gao Chong's Tiger-Head Gold-Inlaid Spear (A), lingbao bow (S)."

Looking at his attributes, Gao Yuan was still very satisfied. Although the comprehensive evaluation had not yet reached the top-tier S-rank, Gao Yuan believed that the breakthrough was not too far away.

Thinking back to when he first activated the system, when the evaluations were basically all below C, Gao Yuan was quite satisfied with his efforts over these years.

On the other side, Cai Jing, having arrived in Luoyang, quickly displayed his intelligence. He used money to pave the way, and combined with his handsome looks, sweet tongue, and capability, he soon gained the trust of Wei Cong, the legitimate son of the Wei family.

Within three months, Cai Jing was recommended by Wei Cong to serve as the Magistrate of Xuchang, which was a good start.

On the other side, Qin Hui was not to be outdone. He directly gained the trust of the Lu clan elders and, with the promotion of the Lu family, took the post of Secretariat Assistant, a position of the fifth rank, and was placed at the center of the government.

The two nails Gao Yuan had buried had officially gained a firm foothold.