Chapter 25, the conspiracy, increased my favorability a little.

Shen Hegui casually raised his hand to wipe the dandruff from Lu Wensheng's mouth and said, "Get out of the car. I'll take you to see a show. Don't say anything for a while."

"oh."

Lu Wensheng raised her hand and wiped the corner of her mouth, a hint of red appearing on the tips of her ears.

Was Shen Hegui wiping her mouth just now?! That was such a gentle gesture! She only let him sleep in her private apartment for one night, and she's already won him over?

Lu Wensheng shook his sleeves, feeling smug, and shouted in his mind, "Xiao Yuan, quickly check if Shen Hegui's favorability towards me has reached 100%."

Xiao Yuan was speechless for a moment before saying, "[Currently, the favorability value is -200 points, an increase of one point. I hope the host will continue to work hard and not be narcissistic.]"

Lu Wensheng suddenly couldn't understand the number -200. To be fair, if her affection for someone was negative, she should have been ready to fight to the death, not wipe his mouth with her own hands.

Unless -200 is already a very high favorability value.

Thinking of this, Lu Wensheng asked, "Xiao Yuan, can you provide information on Shen Hegui's favorability towards the Emperor and Prince Su?"

Xiao Yuan: [Yes, the male lead's affection level for the emperor can be -1, -2, -3, -4... -10...]

Lu Wensheng: "..." Just as I thought.

Lu Wensheng stood on the step stool after disembarking from the carriage, listening to Xiao Yuan count to zero. She almost fell because she felt a sudden electric shock on her right arm, which was very numb and a little painful.

Shen Hegui was standing to the side waiting for her. When he saw her suddenly lose her balance, he reached out to steady her and said, "Stand firm, be careful not to fall."

Lu Wensheng made up an excuse: "My legs are a little numb. Your Highness, please lead the way. I'll be fine after a few steps."

Then she said to Xiao Yuan, "I know, stop counting, or you'll electrocute me." The shell cracked, Xiao Yuan was fine, but it started leaking electricity. It was unbelievable. It seems that from now on, I can't ask it any questions that require thinking.

Xiao Yuan: [I'll send the data to the host; I can't quite count it.] So many zeros! This is too much for it!

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Wensheng was stunned by the two long strings of zeros without any separators or intervals.

No need to count, absolutely no need to count. Just based on this length, it's already a blessing from their ancestors that the Emperor and Prince Su are still alive.

In front of her, Shen Hegui stopped in his tracks. He wanted to tell Lu Wensheng to watch the way and remind him that there were steps and thresholds ahead, but before he could speak, the person walked into his arms.

"Hiss—" What is that hard thing blocking the road! Without thinking, she raised her hand to push it.

A faint, familiar fragrance wafted over, and Lu Wensheng seemed to freeze in place. Pushing away didn't seem right, but giving up just like that didn't seem right either. Comparing the two zeros with a string of zeros, Lu Wensheng inexplicably exclaimed, "Your Highness's pectoral muscles are quite large. The future Crown Princess is in for a treat!"

Shen Hegui looked down at the hand on his chest, which was much smaller than that of an average man, and did not feel any aversion. He calmly asked, "Does it feel good to touch?"

"It feels...so nice to touch." How could she say it didn't feel nice? This negative favorability score was a bottomless pit, and she couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have a long string of zeros following a negative two.

For some reason, Shen Hegui was unusually patient today, reminding him again: "Don't do two things at once while walking."

"Yes, I won't." Lu Wensheng didn't even try to argue.

As he stepped onto the last step, Lu Wensheng looked up at the plaque, which read 'Yuhua Terrace'.

Yuhua Terrace was the best restaurant in Yanjing. She had accompanied Prince Su there a few times before. What impressed her most was a simple plate of boiled peanuts, about three ounces, which cost thirty coins, ten coins more expensive than a pound of pork. Not to mention the other dishes, the prices were not only outrageous, but even more outrageous.

Anyway, she's not a sucker; at this price, she couldn't afford to eat a single bite out of her own pocket.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Wensheng caught sight of a beggar on the opposite street corner, sighed slightly, and followed Shen Hegui.

Although merchants were ranked last among the four classes of people according to etiquette and law, their actual lives were better than those of farmers. At least they could eat their fill and stay warm every year and not go hungry.

In a small-scale peasant economy, a single natural disaster could bankrupt farmers, strip them of their land, turn them into refugees, and eventually beggars. Merchants, on the other hand, could survive on gold and silver. Even if they were unlucky and failed in business one day, as long as they seized the time to cultivate a scholar who passed the imperial examination, they could ensure their family's prosperity for a hundred years.

She went up to the second floor, through the long corridor, and then through the secret passage to the third floor, where Shen Hegui led her to a private room.

There was no other furniture in the private room except for a round table and stools. Around the table sat the newly appointed cabinet minister Xu Shengren, Zhan Xingxiu, several surviving censors, Lin Shoubai and several unfamiliar officials, and the silent, knife-wielding Imperial Guards.

Xu Shengren was the former Minister of Justice, and Zhan Xingxiu was the former Director of the Personnel Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel. In Lu Wensheng's impression, they were both good officials, upright, diligent, and benevolent.

Shen Hegui pulled out the stool closest to the wall and gestured for Lu Wensheng to sit down.

She remembered Shen Hegui's instructions not to speak, so she could only sit in the main seat under everyone's gaze.

Shen Hegui sat down next to Lu Wensheng.

All the officials present held higher positions than her, and none of them spoke, making Lu Wensheng, sitting in the main seat, feel extremely uncomfortable.

After sitting for a quarter of an hour, she found it hard to bear the silence in the private room, so she subtly tugged at Shen Hegui's sleeve, asking with her eyes what he was doing.

Looking into Lu Wensheng's wide, inquisitive eyes, Shen Hegui mercifully lifted her hand and wrote the word 'wait'.

Shen Hegui, who had been wielding a bow and sword for many years, had calluses on his palms and fingertips. With just a few simple strokes, he made Lu Wensheng unconsciously flinch.

It's so itchy, so warm, so rough—completely different from her.

After Shen Hegui finished writing the word 'wait', he whispered a few words to Lin Shoubai, and soon a plainclothes Imperial Guard left.

After about half a cup of tea's time, Shen Hegui handed a warm hand warmer to Lu Wensheng.

The officials in the private room witnessed all the interactions between Shen Hegui and Lu Wensheng, and felt a pang of jealousy.

They've been sitting there for so long, their hands and feet are freezing cold. Why isn't there a hand warmer? Besides, they're all older than this editor, Lu. Shouldn't the elderly need more care? This is biased, so biased!

Just then, the sound of rustling footsteps and conversations came from the private room next door.

"This way, Lord Wang."

"Don't be shy, sit down and have some hot tea to warm yourself up."

Lu Wensheng perked up her ears instantly. Wasn't that the voice of her mortal enemy, Li Chongke, and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Wang Minzhi? So Shen Hegui brought her here to eavesdrop?

Lu Wensheng turned around and saw that their private room seemed to be separated from the next private room only by two gauze curtains and two screens.

No wonder they didn't allow anyone to speak, and there was no one standing on the field. If there were any voices or if someone suddenly stood up, the people on the other side would definitely hear or see it.

After exchanging pleasantries and pleasantries for a while, they finally got to the point.

"Everyone, use your brains and give me some ideas. If that person comes back alive, who will be sacrificed to take his place, and what should our next move be?" Li Chongke's throat bobbed, but in the end he didn't dare to call Shen Hegui by his name directly.

"You're afraid of him? You don't even dare to say his name," one person mocked.

Li Chongke: "Let's not talk nonsense for now, time is tight, let's discuss the countermeasures first!" He paused, then explained, "I'm just afraid that the walls might be overhearing!"

"I've booked the entire building!"

The most satisfying gossip always comes from the enemy. In just a few words, Lu Wensheng's hands were no longer cold, and she was no longer embarrassed. She leaned against the back of the armchair and listened with great interest. She subconsciously handed the warm hand warmer to Shen Hegui.

I don't know if the people on the other side were feeling guilty, but they lit a bunch of candles during the daytime gathering, and the shadows of five or six people were projected onto the curtain, like a group of large rats afraid of the light.

Wang Minzhi: "Stop arguing, let's discuss the next step."

Wang Minzhi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was the adopted son of Grand Secretary Zhang Mianzhi. His original name was Wang Dan, but he changed it to Minzhi after recognizing Zhang Mianzhi as his adoptive father. In this conspiracy, he represented Zhang Mianzhi and was in a dominant position.

Li Chongke held a high position and was highly experienced. He stroked his beard and remained silent.

Wang Minzhi had a pair of eyes with three whites showing, cold and sinister like a venomous snake, and her chilling gaze did not miss anyone present.

"Why don't we find some martial arts assassins to try? If things go wrong, we'll wipe out the whole family!" someone said, unable to withstand the pressure.

“That Shen Hegui is like an earthworm in the ground or a cockroach in the kitchen. He’s been around for over ten years and we can’t get rid of him no matter what we do. We should have a backup plan. I think we should contact a vassal king or a general guarding the border, offer him great benefits, and ask him to ‘purge the court of corrupt officials’.”

In the corner, a young censor who had been silent all along suddenly interjected in a low voice: "If the vassal kings and the generals guarding the borders enter the capital together, what will happen if internal strife and foreign war break out at the same time..."

In an instant, all eyes were fixed on him, and the air seemed to freeze.

Wang Minzhi was the first to laugh, his voice like a venomous snake slicing through withered grass in late autumn: "It's good that Xu, the censor, is young and has a kind heart."

Li Chongke gave a cryptic sneer and suggested, "Shen Hegui's maternal family has an unclear origin and impure bloodline. I think while you're taking action, you should also fabricate some songs and prophecies to completely destroy his reputation! In the past half month, he's been promoting mostly people from poor families, with very few from aristocratic families. If this continues, it will definitely shake the foundation of the country!"

"That makes sense!" Everyone present nodded in agreement.

"Everyone says his mother isn't human, she's a demon. Have you ever seen her?" someone asked.

Li Chongke was the oldest and had lived the longest, so all eyes were now on him.

Li Chongke: "I don't live in the inner palace! I didn't accompany His Majesty on his southern tour more than twenty years ago. You're asking me? Who should I ask?!"

Hearing this, Lu Wensheng silently turned her head, looking at Shen Hegui with a face full of curiosity. She silently answered for herself: Who should we ask? Of course, we should ask Shen Hegui, the person in question!

The sound of a teacup hitting the table next door drew Lu Wensheng's attention back.

Wang Minzhi said, "In this world, a son must inherit his father's blood. Go back and search for beauties in your clan. If you fail in the end, send women to them and let them try to conceive Shen Hegui's child. If he is truly a monster, the child who inherits his bloodline will be the proof!"

"But there are no beautiful women of marriageable age in my tribe."

Wang Minzhi was exasperated: "If you don't have it, go look outside! You've embezzled quite a bit over the years; a little more money can solve it! As for who to push out to take the blame, whoever is found will be the culprit. Once you leave this room, those of you present should think more about your families and figure out whether it's better for one person to die or for your entire family to be wiped out!"

...

After agreeing on a general strategy, they discussed the specific details in hushed tones, assigning responsibility to individuals.

Lu Wensheng silently counted the names and their corresponding positions, and sighed inwardly that Yanjing was probably about to be engulfed in another bloody storm.

She was engrossed in her thoughts when she suddenly heard the sound of a chair being dragged around, which startled Lu Wensheng.

There's a spy?!

She immediately looked in the direction of the sound and found that only Shen Hegui's seat was empty.

The next moment, all the Imperial Guards in the private room rushed to the next room, the screen was removed, and the gauze curtain was placed on the silver hook.

On the other side were officials, and on Lu Wensheng's side were also officials. The two groups stared at each other for a moment, and an unusual silence filled the air.

Shen Hegui sat down opposite him with an air of authority, poured himself a cup of tea, and remained silent.

Lu Wensheng unconsciously bit her nails a few times, feeling embarrassed for the person opposite her.

Perhaps because Lu Wensheng's gloating was too obvious, the first target of criticism came from the other side.

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Author's Note: [Dog head with rose in hand]