Chapter 32

Do you hate it?

You hate them, don't you?

Is there any point in her living, being so filthy?

Blood spread across the jade bricks, staining the light-colored gauze dress. The alluring woman lay on the ground, coughing violently a few times, blood gushing from her mouth, creating a poignant and beautiful scene.

Her alluring peach blossom eyes tilted slightly upwards as she turned her head to look at the man rushing towards her in a panic. She chuckled softly with relief, the brilliance in her eyes gradually fading.

"Yuwen Zhe, I am willing to die now, to forgive this world, to forgive you, and to forgive myself..."

—The Final Chapter of "Hua Wen Luo"

When Yuan Liu Niang woke up, she was in an unfamiliar room.

Her last memory was of saying goodbye to the head of the gang that morning. Afterwards, not far outside the city, while she was using the restroom alone, she encountered an elderly couple.

She felt sorry for the two men, so she gave them some silver, and then... everything went black, and she remembered nothing more...

Where is this?

She tried to get out of bed, only to realize with a start that her whole body was limp and she couldn't muster any strength!

"I've been... set up?!"

If she still doesn't realize by now that she's been tricked by that couple, she'd be a fool!

She gripped the bed railing of the pear wood bed fiercely, slowly sat up, and looked around the brightly colored, dusty room.

"Damn it! You dared to plot against me! I'll make you regret it!"

......

When Lin Qiang learned of Yuan Liu Niang's disappearance, he had just finished discussing the "deal" with Yuwen Zhe.

This time, it was Lin Qiang who took the initiative to approach Yuwen Zhe.

His idea was actually very simple: he wanted to use Yuwen Zhe to open a channel connecting him to the nobles in the court.

After Yuwen Zhe dismissed his subordinates, he sat down directly opposite Yuwen Zhe and said with a smile, without any politeness, "Your Highness, this business of mine is very simple and fair."

"I left those men who were sent yesterday with Your Highness and kept it a secret. If Your Highness puts a good word for me before His Majesty, I will be granted an official position, whether it be a mid-level official or a lower-level official. I will not be picky."

This bandit really dares to speak!

"You, a bandit with not a single rank or achievement, what right do you have to be appointed as a high-ranking official!"

"Of course it's up to you, Prince Cheng!"

Lin Qiang didn't care about his cold face at all, and sat to the side with a bright smile.

"Your Highness is His Majesty's most beloved younger brother, so naturally you have the ability. Besides, didn't you say that I have something that people covet? Because of this, you've been keeping an eye on my Black Cloud Stronghold for four whole years. Were those dozens of assassination attempts just something you, Prince Cheng, did for fun?"

"If Your Highness recommends me, we can have a future together..."

His words, which seemed to suggest he hadn't said anything more, made Yuwen Zhe slightly tempted.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Fengyun Bank is owned by Black Beard, Sixth Sister is under his command, and he also has things he wants... If we could bring Black Beard under our control, wouldn't that be killing several birds with one stone?!

However... Yuwen Zhe didn't know what his purpose was in saying this. Why would a bandit with a black beard suddenly want to become an official?

Moreover, this person gave him a very dangerous feeling...

"Give me a reason to help you."

"The reason is very simple." Lin Qiang's words were extremely high-sounding, with a hint of gangsterism: "Your Highness, you know that my family has been commoners for generations, and I have a group of brothers in the mountains. I can't let my brothers starve because of me. I just want to show my face in front of His Majesty so that I can get an official position, receive a salary from the court, and protect my brothers."

Does Yuwen Zhe believe this? Only a fool would!

However, he couldn't push the big-bearded man away, and after pondering for a long time, he finally came up with an idea.

"I know this isn't your true purpose, but it's alright, I will help you." Yuwen Zhe's cold and handsome face was devoid of any extra expression: "But I have one condition."

From that one casual glance that night, he could tell that the bearded man was extremely skilled in martial arts. Since that was the case, he would put him to good use...

"As you probably know, the Yuan clan is a major threat to me. I will assign you to the Palace Guard Command. You must monitor every move of Zhaoyang Palace for me. Report to me immediately if Empress Yuan makes any move."

Wow! That's awesome!

Lin Qiang raised an eyebrow and smiled even more broadly.

"no problem!"

Spying on my little girl? You've got some nerve!

"Your Highness, just you wait and see."

If I can get even one of you monsters and demons to infiltrate Zhaoyang Palace, I'll admit defeat!

After finishing this "deal," having obtained a recommendation letter from Prince Cheng for the position of commander of the Imperial Guard without any investment, Lin Qiang left the Prince's residence in high spirits.

As soon as he stepped outside, his anxious fourth brother told him, "Big brother! Sixth sister has disappeared!"

Lin Qiang's heart skipped a beat; a bad feeling crept over him...

"What's going on?!"

"Those who followed Sixth Sister couldn't explain it either. They hadn't gone far out of the capital when Sixth Sister said she was going to relieve herself. She went and never came back! By the time they realized something was wrong and went to look for her, she was nowhere to be seen..."

"Send the brothers in the market to investigate, paying particular attention to brothels!"

"A brothel?" The fourth brother was taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied, "Okay! I'll go right away!"

He left in a hurry after saying that.

Lin Qiang's expression was extremely complex.

Only then did he remember the plot he had long forgotten. There was only a month left until the grand courtesan festival in the book…

Sure enough, he shouldn't have let Yuan Liu Niang come to the capital because he was soft-hearted!

**

Since that night he slept with Yuan Zhen, Yuwen Jing felt a little regretful. He didn't know how to face Yuan Qiong, but he couldn't help but keep making excuses for himself.

I am the ruler of a country, so what's wrong with having sex with one or two women?

Yuanzhen and Sister Qiong look so alike; I was merely momentarily blinded by love.

Yes, what man in the world doesn't have three wives and four concubines? Especially since I am the ruler of a country!

Moreover, I only love Sister Qiong in my heart, and my relationships with other women are just for show!

After thinking all this through, he felt much better. To make himself feel even more at ease, he summoned his newly favored minister, Zhao Shixian, and sought his approval.

Inside the Weiyang Palace, wisps of incense wafted from the nine-dragon-patterned incense burner. Yuwen Jing, suffering from a headache, leaned against the couch, having a palace maid massage his acupoints.

"Your subject, Zhao Shixian, a junior official, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

When Zhao Shixian arrived, he was somewhat puzzled by Yuwen Jing's intentions, so he didn't dare to speak and stood there waiting for instructions.

Yuwen Jing frowned, sighed softly, and asked him, "Minister Zhao, I remember that at the Qionglin Banquet, you once said that you wanted to be with the fifth daughter of the Yuan family for life?"

"yes."

"Sigh, I'm so envious..."

"His Majesty and His Majesty are a loving couple, a perfect match, truly enviable."

“You don’t understand…” Yuwen Jing’s eyes were filled with melancholy: “I only love the Empress in my heart, yet I am forced to favor other women. How could you possibly understand this sorrow…?”

Was I wrong? No, how could I be wrong!

Zhao Shixian instantly understood the emperor's dilemma. He smiled freely and said, "Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven. What difference does it make if you have another woman? The Empress is dignified and virtuous and will not care about such things. You and the Empress are a match made in heaven. She will surely understand."

"Hahaha... Yes, Qiong, the Empress is so magnanimous, she will surely understand." Zhao Shixian's words made the Emperor laugh heartily: "Minister Zhao understands me best! That's exactly what I think too!"

The two men talked to themselves with great enthusiasm, while the women in the harem were all eager and ready to make their move.

In truth, Zhao Shixian held a deep disdain for Yuwen Jing's behavior, which even his own wife feared. No matter how powerful he was, the Empress was still just a woman.

This emperor is so spineless. Just like Yuan Wuniang in the family, even though she married down to him, she still obeyed him obediently.

Now, this emperor can't even control the eldest daughter of the Yuan family; how laughable is this ruler of the country?

However, this idea of ​​his did not last long.

As soon as he came out of Weiyang Palace, a high-ranking female official in a light blue gauze dress blocked his way.

The female official was young, with delicate features, and a slightly indifferent yet imposing demeanor: "Doctor Zhao, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence."

In the long palace alley, Zhao Shixian followed behind Xiao Jin, his steps steady and his demeanor refined and elegant, making it impossible to discern what kind of man lay beneath this deceptive exterior.

He was quite perceptive and noticed that Xiao Jin didn't want to talk, so he didn't say much. He was all smiles and polite throughout the journey, which improved Xiao Jin's impression of him considerably.

"Your Majesty, Doctor Zhao has arrived."

Leaning back on the couch, Yuan Qiong was casually playing the game of pitch-pot with thin arrows in hand. Hearing Xiao Jin's voice, he casually instructed, "Let him in."

"promise."

"Your subject, Grand Master Zhao Shixian, greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years." The deep male voice was respectful and pleasant.

Yuan Qiong raised her slender, fox-like eyes with a half-smile: "Get up, Dr. Zhao..."

The last sentence had a somewhat ambiguous tone. He couldn't help but raise his head and meet her fox-like eyes that seemed to see through everything. He immediately lowered his head, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

The more intelligent and cunning an animal is, the more amazing its intuition is.

Zhao Shixian's intuition told him that this empress was extremely dangerous! At this moment, he no longer dared to view the relationship between the emperor and empress with the same mindset as before!

Compared to the Empress, the Emperor was like an ignorant child!

He calmed himself down, softened his voice, and adopted the most humble attitude: "I wonder what Your Majesty the Empress has instructed me to do here?"

"Nothing, I just found Dr. Zhao's words interesting and wanted to invite him to meet me."

She casually tossed an arrow, which grazed Zhao Shixian's left ear and landed accurately in the pot with a "thud!"

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Shixian was somewhat frightened... He had finally achieved his current status, and he didn't want to die! "This humble subject knows his crime! Your Majesty, please forgive me!!!"

"Oh? What's the crime? How come I don't know?"

"Your Majesty, I should not have spoken so recklessly! I will never dare to do it again!!!"

"No, you spoke very well in front of His Majesty."

Yuan Qiong smiled with delight, her fox-like eyes curving slightly: "I summoned you here to reward you, brother-in-law..."

The word "cousin-in-law" made him break out in a cold sweat. Sure enough, she knew everything that had happened in Weiyang Palace!

Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:

Ww 10 bottles;

Jersey number 7, 7 bottles;

2 bottles of Kaka;

Even the top bunkmate who's terrible at naming things gets a name from one bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!