Chapter 120 Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Wen Zhiming treated her sincerely, so of course she would help her husband without reservation.

She didn't want to be like Wen Zhiming, abandoning each other in times of trouble. If she couldn't stay in the capital and stand shoulder to shoulder with Wen Zhiming, then she had to do her best to help him so that he wouldn't have any worries.

Wen Zhiming didn't say anything more, but simply held her tightly, enjoying the rare moment of reunion between husband and wife.

The night grew darker.

Wen Zhiming sat up and placed a kiss on Meng Lingge's forehead.

"My wife, I should go back now."

He couldn't leave quietly when dawn broke. Besides, his bodyguards and Li Yan'er were waiting for him to return to his room to deal with their matters.

Meng Lingge nodded and prepared to get up to see him off.

"Don't move, my wife, rest well. There's no need to get up." Wen Zhiming covered her with the quilt and took out a short knife from his sleeve. "This knife is very sharp. Keep it for self-defense."

The knife was small and could be easily concealed within a sleeve. Meng Lingge drew the hilt, a cold glint flashing within it; anyone who saw it would know it was a deadly blade capable of drawing blood.

Seeing that she accepted it, Wen Zhiming turned around, jumped onto the windowsill, and leaped out.

Meng Lingge carefully put away the dagger, listened attentively to the sounds, and only after confirming that there were no unusual noises did she close the window and return to bed.

The scent of Wen Zhiming still lingered on the bed. Meng Lingge felt a pang of sadness. After going to Jiangnan, she didn't know how long it would be before she could see Wen Zhiming again.

Out of worry and reluctance, she waited until dawn before falling asleep again.

...

Wen Zhiming returned to his courtyard, dressed in night clothes, and climbed in through the window. The guards on the bed had already cleaned up the mess.

Li Yan'er was completely naked, covered only by her own light gauze, and was currently unconscious. The guards had already changed the blankets and quilts on the bed, but there was still an unpleasant smell in the air, proving that a passionate lovemaking had just taken place.

Seeing Wen Zhiming frown slightly, the guards immediately opened the other two windows, letting the cold wind blow in and towards Li Yan'er at the corner of the bed.

This bodyguard was named Lianyan, and as his name suggested, he was sparing with his words.

Looking up and seeing that Wen Zhiming had given no instructions, she bowed and withdrew.

Wen Zhiming glanced at Li Yan'er on the bed and really wanted to throw her off the bed, but after thinking about it, he restrained himself and took out new pillows and blankets from the cabinet and spread them on the other side of the bed.

Fortunately, the bed was large, and there was some distance between the two of them.

Li Yan'er was awakened by the cold.

She coughed twice, then slowly woke up. Memories of last night returned, and she sat up with a delighted expression.

She succeeded.

Seeing that Wen Zhiming was still fast asleep far away from her, she slowly crawled over, wanting to snuggle up to Wen Zhiming's side.

Just as Wen Zhiming was fast asleep, he turned over and, by sheer chance, kicked Li Yan'er. As she had expected, his long leg was incredibly powerful, sending her sprawling off the bed. She gasped in pain.

Li Yan'er covered her arm, her eyes brimming with tears, while the culprit remained oblivious, continuing to snore loudly.

She waited for a while and tried to get closer again, but Wen Zhiming only raised his arm slightly, which scared her so much that she shrank back.

Li Yan'er sighed bitterly. A fool is a fool. He has no sense of chivalry at all.

They attacked ruthlessly last night, and now we can't even rely on them.

Fortunately, the mission was accomplished, and such a trivial matter was insignificant. Leaning against the bedside, she quietly awaited dawn, filled with pride and joy.

She had to wait until everyone in the manor was awake before going out from here, so that as many people as possible could see her.

Before long, it was broad daylight, and the sounds of servants bustling about could be heard outside.

Seeing that Wen Zhiming had not yet woken up, Li Yan'er put on a light gauze and half-draped her outer robe over her body, not caring at all that the marks of lovemaking on her body would be discovered, and ran out in a blatant manner.

After she left, Wen Zhiming, who was fast asleep, immediately sat up, his eyes clear, and strode towards the next room.

The room was locked, but he still took the unconventional route, jumping in through the window and then closing it behind him.

The room was decorated in a very cozy style. The brocade quilt on the bed, the teacups and tea bowls on the table, and the carved phoenix chair in the corner—any one of these items could make him feel relaxed.

Everything in this room, big and small, came from the bedroom he shared with Meng Lingge at the Prince of Anshun's Mansion. Since his recovery, he would steal one or two items from the mansion almost every night and place them here, thus creating a near-perfect replica of that bedroom.

Wen Zhiming sat on the bed, lay down in the quilt, and his tense nerves from the night were immediately released. He almost became obsessed with this cozy nest and slept soundly.

Outside the courtyard, thanks to Li Yan'er's pretentious performance, the news that Prince Wen favored Li Yan'er quickly spread throughout the entire mansion.

Within an hour, the emperor in the palace also received the news.

"Eunuch Zhao, I have said before that sometimes chess pieces may seem useless, but if you place them in the right place and apply pressure, they may become useful again."

The emperor sneered, as if this news was exactly what he had expected.

Eunuch Zhao nodded in agreement, “Your Majesty is wise. But this servant doesn’t understand. Since you can use Moon Concealing Frost on Wen Kehao, why not simply use one on Prince Anshun and Prince Wen as well? That would be a one-time solution, completely eliminating any future troubles. It would be much easier and safer than the current arrangement.”

These questions were too direct, but they were indeed a problem that had troubled Eunuch Zhao for a long time. Since the Emperor did not trust Prince Anshun and Prince Wen, he could have simply ordered them killed or secretly poisoned. Why make things so complicated?

Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, he finally dared to ask what was on his mind.

The Emperor snorted coldly, looking at Eunuch Zhao with obvious eagerness for knowledge, and felt quite disdainful.

"Fool! Wen Kehao was too dangerous, which is why I had no choice but to use Moon-Concealing Frost on him. If I had also used it on Prince Anshun and Prince Wen, even an idiot would have guessed that I had secretly poisoned them. Prince Anshun had been kind to me, and Prince Wen was a fool. If I were to kill them all like this, what would the civil and military officials think? What would the people of the world think?"

Eunuch Zhao appears loyal, but in terms of intelligence, he is far inferior to Chief Steward Wan. If Chief Steward Wan were here, he would never have asked him such a foolish question.

He not only wanted the world, but also the submission of all officials and the support of the people.

How can one take shortcuts and disregard consequences and reputation by killing someone outright?

A ruler must avoid being rude and barbaric, and even more so, must not be afraid of trouble.

Back then, with just a frown or a glance, Eunuch Wan knew what he meant, and could handle things perfectly without him even having to say a word.

Unfortunately, now that Eunuch Wan is dead, only Eunuch Zhao is still loyal and reliable. He is a bit stupid, but with proper training, he can be used to some extent.

"As long as Wen Zhiming favors a palace maid and becomes pregnant, I can rightfully grant him a marriage. With a fool and a palace maid, there will be nothing to worry about with Prince Wen. When this matter reaches Prince Anshun, his drinking problem will naturally worsen. I only need to use a palace maid to solve two problems at once and perfectly preserve my reputation."