Chapter 166 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap
On the other side, in the Prime Minister's study, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
Liu Wenyuan had already obtained a detailed report on last night's "vivid and fragrant" scene from the spy he had planted in the Regent's Palace—the fake "Wanqing."
He immediately summoned Huo Yunzhan to his residence in secret.
"...That's how it is." Liu Wenyuan picked up his teacup, slowly skimming off the foam, but his eyes gleamed with a venomous light.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yunzhan's face was filled with disbelief. Without even thinking, he categorically denied it: "Impossible!"
“This is definitely fake!” His voice was full of certainty. “I have known Shen Qingci for many years and know her better than anyone! She is proud and aloof, and she would never do such a shameless and degrading thing!”
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Liu Wenyuan laughed, a laugh filled with disdain and contempt for Huo Yunzhan's affectionate words. "Anything is possible."
He put down his teacup and slowly analyzed, "Shen Qingci is, after all, a woman who has been married and pregnant. She has already tasted the pleasures of love between men and women and knows how joyful it can be."
"Now that she has suddenly married a useless man like Chu Jichen and is forced to live a life of widowhood, she must feel a huge sense of loss."
“What’s more,” a smug glint flashed in Liu Wenyuan’s eyes, “a few days ago, didn’t we arrange a good show so that she could see with her own eyes how intimate Chu Jichen was with Yun Yao and her daughter?”
"Her husband had another woman in his heart and was 'powerless' to help her. Under multiple blows, she was heartbroken and gave up, so it's not entirely impossible that she did something so absurd."
Huo Yunzhan's eyelashes trembled slightly, uncontrollably.
He was still confused.
If... if Shen Qingci is really that desperate for a man, why... doesn't she come looking for him?
After all, they were once husband and wife and had been intimate.
Although there were rumors that he was no longer capable, didn't he later clarify the matter through Liu Ruolan?
Huo Yunzhan's mind raced, but in the end, he suppressed these inappropriate thoughts.
He looked at Liu Wenyuan and asked in a deep voice, "Then... Father-in-law, what are your plans?"
A sinister and smug smile slowly crept onto Liu Wenyuan's lips.
"This matter is our biggest trump card right now, the one we hold to deal with Shen Qingci and Chu Jichen," he said slowly, his eyes gleaming with the cunning of an old fox. "Naturally, we must make good use of it."
He stood up and paced slowly around the room, his voice full of calculation: "Chu Jichen is eccentric, violent, and extremely possessive. What do you think he would do if he found out in public that his newlywed princess had cheated on him while he was away, giving him a huge cuckold's horns?"
“He will definitely be furious!” Huo Yunzhan blurted out.
“That’s right.” Liu Wenyuan nodded, a ruthless glint in his eyes. “At that time, in his rage, he will not hesitate for a moment and will definitely… kill that bitch Shen Qingci!”
“Given Chu Jichen’s status and position, if he were to harbor murderous intent towards Shen Qingci, there wouldn’t be many people in the world who could save her life.” Liu Wenyuan’s smile grew even more sinister. “His Majesty and I should be considered… her best choice.”
Huo Yunzhan pondered for a moment, but was still somewhat worried. He reminded him, "Father-in-law, don't forget that Shen Qingci may still be holding the Shen family's so-called 'private army'."
"Private army?" Liu Wenyuan scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain. "Even if the Shen family really does have a private army, so what?"
"Do you think those tough, unyielding soldiers would willingly obey a woman's orders? Especially a woman who is being hunted down by her husband for her moral failings and lack of fidelity?"
"Private soldiers are still soldiers. As soldiers, they want to achieve great things and secure their families' futures! They would never ruin their lives for a woman with such a tarnished reputation!"
"For us, this is actually... a tremendously good thing!"
Liu Wenyuan's lips slowly curved into a smile, his eyes gleaming with a determined light.
"I heard that Shen Qingci, that bitch, actually has the nerve to throw a lavish birthday banquet for herself?"
"That's great."
"Then, we can take advantage of her birthday banquet and, in front of all the officials and noble ladies of the capital, completely expose this matter!"
"I want to personally present her with a birthday gift that she will never forget!"
The afternoon sun shone through the window lattice, casting dappled light and shadow on the study floor.
Shen Qingci leaned back on the soft couch, holding an ancient book in her hands, engrossed in reading it.
Just then, a few clear and short bird calls suddenly came from the tall sycamore tree outside the window.
The call was not the melodious chirping of ordinary birds, but rather... some kind of deliberate signal.
"Chirp—chirp chirp—"
After a few bird calls, Wanqing, who had been quietly standing by and fanning Shen Qingci, paused her movements noticeably.
Her gaze began to wander, and a hint of imperceptible anxiety crept into her expression.
Shen Qingci's gaze seemed to still be on the pages of the book, but out of the corner of her eye, she had already taken in the subtle changes in "Wanqing".
She sneered inwardly. It seemed that this was the secret code that Liu Wenyuan and his group had agreed upon to use for passing messages.
Shen Qingci slowly turned her head, glanced at the bright sun outside the window, then stretched and said in a deliberately lazy manner, "Although it's only early summer, the weather is getting hotter every day."
“I feel restless and uneasy.” She looked at “Wanqing”, her voice carrying a hint of arrogance. “Go to the kitchen and tell them to prepare a bowl of chilled mung bean soup for me to cool down. Also, tell them to prepare some chilled soup every afternoon for emergencies.”
She remembered clearly that the last time this fake "Wanqing" delivered a message, it was under the pretext of going to the kitchen.
Since that's the case, then she... will give her another chance.
Sure enough, a fleeting, barely suppressed joy flashed in Wanqing's eyes!
She quickly bowed and replied, her voice even lighter than usual: "Yes, Your Highness! This servant will go right away!"
Having said that, he hurriedly left.
Seeing her almost impatient back view, Shen Qingci's languid expression vanished instantly, replaced by an icy chill!
"Gold ingot!"
Yuanbao's figure appeared silently in front of her.
"Follow her." Shen Qingci's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth. "No matter what method she uses, you must find out for me exactly what she ordered her to do!"
"Yes!" Yuanbao accepted the order, and in a flash, he disappeared.
In less than half an hour, Yuanbao returned to the study.
His face held a hint of solemnity mixed with a touch of excitement, as if he were watching a good show.
“Your Highness,” he lowered his voice, “everything has been investigated.”
"That mole did indeed go to the kitchen and meet with the steward in charge of pruning the plants. The two whispered to each other for a moment, and I, hiding in the shadows, heard everything clearly. They... are planning to attack you at Your Highness's birthday banquet!"
Yuanbao paused, his expression turning somewhat strange: "They seem to... want to expose one of your... supposedly major secrets in public at the banquet."
"However, it was not revealed what the secret was."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci's lips slowly curved into a cold smile.
She already had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
It's nothing more than her sordid affair of "not being a virtuous woman" and "having an affair with her lover."
"Alright." She chuckled softly, but a chilling glint flashed in her eyes. "They really... couldn't hold back any longer and are about to make their move."
She has already laid out her plan.
Next, all that's left is to wait... and lure them into the trap.
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