The housekeeper Wang Bulao came back and told him that for more than ten days, the constables of Kaifeng Prefecture and the soldiers of the Military Patrol had searched almost every corner of the city, but they could not find any trace of the three thieves.

Wang Fu lay in bed, rubbing his temples and asking, "Wang Bulao, those thieves claim to be heroes of Liangshan. Has the imperial court sent people to Liangshan to investigate?"

"I've checked. There were indeed bandits entrenched in Liangshan for a period of time. Their leader was called Song Jiang. He was a brave and ruthless knight. He gathered together and plundered all along Shandong. The prefectures and counties were greatly invigorated, and many officials fled. They roamed around and plundered everywhere. Later, this group of bandits was ambushed by the prefect Zhang Shuye in Haizhou. The second leader was captured. Song Jiang had no choice but to accept Zhang Shuye's surrender. In his reply to the court, Zhang Shuye said that among the bandits who surrendered, there were no such people as Shi Qian, Li Kui, and Lu Zhishen."

"So, where did these people come from?" Wang Fu asked.

"Liang Neixiang said that the three thieves are most likely the vegetable-eating demons—the remnants of Fang La."

"The remnants of Fang La?" Wang Fu was stunned. "Why is Fang La involved again?"

"These vegetable-eating demons had already sneaked into the capital to rescue Fang La from the Heavenly Prison. The assassination of the emperor at Fanlou was carried out by this group of people."

"Assassinate the emperor?" Wang Fu snorted coldly. "That day in Fanlou, they had several opportunities to assassinate the emperor, but they easily let them go... Humph! The vegetable-eating demon has a deep hatred for the court. Given such a great opportunity, he only plucked a tuft of the emperor's beard. Do you believe it?"

Wang Bulao scratched his head. This matter was indeed hard to guess.

"What's even more incredible is that while Zhang Shixun was out chasing the two thieves, another thief, Shi Qian, took advantage of the moment when no one was prepared, broke in through the window, and suddenly rode on top of the emperor... He was already riding on top of the emperor, with the short blade in his hand pressed against the emperor's neck. With just one slash, the Xuanhe era would be over, haha!"

When Wang Fu recalled the events of that day, his expression seemed exceptionally calm, as if he was narrating someone else's story.

Wang Bulao had been Wang Fu's housekeeper for many years and knew that the calmer the expression of his husband was, the angrier he was in his heart.

"Bu Lao, the official family was in such a desperate situation at that time, but they were able to escape, and in the end it was me who suffered the misfortune. Don't you think it's strange?"

"It's really strange."

"In fact, these 'heroes of Liangshan' broke into Fanlou with no intention of killing the emperor from the beginning to the end. They just wanted to tease him."

"Tease... tease?"

"Yes, it was a teasing. I remember it clearly. Shi Qian pointed a short blade at the emperor's crotch, saying that the emperor's old... old bird was too naughty and he would castrate him on the spot. The emperor was so frightened that his whole body was shaking with fear. Pointing at me, he said, 'Can Wang Fu take my place?'"

Wang Fu sneered, "The emperor is afraid that I won't agree, so he's using the words 'If the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject must die' to pressure me."

At this point, his eyes almost blazed with anger. "But he forgot what Mencius said, 'If the ruler treats his subjects like dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the ruler like fellow countrymen; if the ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy.'"

Wang Bulao was shocked when he heard this. He hurriedly closed the door and said in a low voice, "My husband, you can't say these things carelessly. If they get to the ears of those who are interested, it will cause a terrible disaster."

"If he can do it, why can't I say anything?" Wang Fu was full of resentment.

“Husband…!”

Wang Fu waved his hand and said, "I was just grumbling at home. I wouldn't say anything in front of outsiders."

Wang Bulao finally felt relieved and asked, "The emperor wants you to replace him, so Shi Qian just listens to him?"

"Shi Qian was a bandit, so of course he wouldn't listen to him. However, when the official took out all the valuables on him, Shi Qian immediately agreed."

At this point, Wang Fu closed his eyes in pain and murmured, "In order to protect himself, the emperor even gave the seal he carried with him to Shi Qian."

"ah!"

"Bu Lao, I have seen through it all. All those who become emperors are..." Wang Fu said this and suddenly stopped vigilantly and did not continue.

Wang Bulao consoled him, "Sir, if you sacrifice yourself, the government will certainly not treat you unfairly."

"snort!"

At this moment, a servant came in and reported, "Sir, the old man Yinxiang is here."

When Wang Fu heard this, he quickly sat up from the bed and said, "Quick! Change my clothes."

In the living room, Liang Shicheng sat on the chair in the middle, and his godson Chu Hong stood beside him.

Liang Shicheng picked up his teacup and asked Chu Hong, "Is there any new news from Kaifeng Prefecture today?"

Chu Hong bowed and said, "I heard from Nie Shan that the bandits in Wuyou Cave have been completely wiped out. A few escaped, and the rest were all captured. A total of 197 bandits were captured, and 89 were killed."

"Have you caught the remnants of Fang La?"

Chu Hong shook his head. "We haven't caught any of them. I heard they all followed Huang San into the Soul-Bending Cave. The Kaifeng constables and the Imperial Guards are searching for them."

"Huang San? Who is he?"

"This man was one of the bandit leaders of Wuyou Cave, ranking fourth in command. He was cruel and cunning, earning the nickname 'Sly Fox.' During this operation, General Gao suffered a severe setback at the hands of Huang San. Not only did Huang San steal all the seized gold and silver treasures, but he was also injured, with an arrow hitting his buttocks."

"So it turns out that Gao Qiu was injured because of Huang San... Haha, he was able to make Gao Qiu look so miserable, this guy really has some skills."

Liang Shicheng took a sip of tea and said slowly, "However, no matter how cunning Huang San is, he is just a petty thief and is not a cause for concern. The vegetable-eating demon is the greatest scourge and must be completely eradicated. He must not be allowed to revive."

Chu Hong nodded and asked, "Dad, there is something I don't understand."

"What?"

"Fang La is imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. Why not kill him as soon as possible? Once this chief is eliminated, the remaining remnants will naturally be eliminated."

"Haha!" Liang Shicheng smiled slightly, "This is exactly the cleverness of the government. The reason they haven't killed Fang La yet is to lure out those who have slipped through the net."

Hearing this, Chu Hong was filled with resentment.

The person who lured the prey was almost injured by the prey. Is this considered clever?

The royal family is almost losing face.

The scandal of Fanlou had already spread throughout the capital. Rumors in the market vividly portrayed the official's ugly behavior. There were even storytellers who compiled the incident into a vernacular novel and secretly spread it among the villagers.

For this reason, the Imperial City Bureau also arrested several storytellers.

"Mr. Enfu, you are such a rare guest." Wang Fu's voice came from outside.

Hearing the sound, Liang Shicheng and his son looked outside the door and saw Wang Fu in casual clothes slowly walking into the living room.

Liang Shicheng sat still, smiling and saying, "Jiangming, I came today specifically to inquire about your condition... From your complexion, you seem to be recovering well."