Shen Yuan overheard Xiao Ling and Chu Yuning's conversation.
She had just climbed down the ladder when there was a knock at the gate.
Shen Yuan walked over and opened the door. Xiao Ling walked into the courtyard, washed his hands by the well, and then tore off the human skin mask from his face.
Shen Yuan took the human skin mask and examined it closely: "You went out so early today just to sew a beard around your mask?"
"Is it pretty?" Xiao Ling asked.
Shen Yuan pouted, "It's ugly!"
“Ugly is good.” Xiao Ling smiled. “Only an ordinary, passerby’s face like this will not attract attention and will make it easier for me to move around in the capital.”
Shen Yuan nodded in agreement. The human skin mask was incredibly realistic, much more effective than applying ointment. If given the chance, she really wanted to go to Qingyun Mountain to become an apprentice and learn martial arts.
Xiao Ling added, "We were so close just now, and that little dwarf didn't even recognize me. It's clear that this mask is incredibly realistic."
Shen Yuan knew Xiao Ling was referring to Chu Yuning, and her tone was tinged with helplessness, "Why are you teasing him?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow.
Shen Yuan quickly shook her head. No, it's not okay. She just felt that Xiao Ling was suddenly acting a bit childish, like... a competitive little boy, a little... immature.
The moment the word "childish" popped into Shen Yuan's mind, she quickly shook her head.
How could she think a man who could cut off someone's head with a single stroke was naive?
Shen Yuan didn't continue the topic and asked, "Have you had dinner?"
"without."
"Then I'll go make dinner." Shen Yuan filled a basin with water, washed her hands, and went into the kitchen.
Xiao Ling followed behind her, smiling as he called out, "Then I'll take care of washing the dishes."
Shen Yuan turned around and glanced at Xiao Ling.
Um……
Why do I suddenly feel that Xiao Ling is a bit well-behaved?
Since there were only two people eating, Shen Yuan made a simple dinner. She stir-fried a plate of shredded radish and a plate of garlic sprouts with the pork belly she bought during the day, and served it with a pot of white porridge. That was her dinner.
After dinner, Xiao Ling took the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen to wash them.
Shen Yuan went inside and wrote two letters. One was for Granny Liu, who had settled in the capital and she needed to let her know she was safe.
The other letter was for Jiang Yuchen. She planned to ask him to find more people to make anti-chapped skin cream and comfrey ointment and send them to the capital.
Shen Yuan finished writing the letter and had just put down her pen when Xiao Ling finished washing the dishes and came into the house.
Upon seeing Xiao Ling, Shen Yuan picked up her pen again.
She suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Ling, how about we discuss a collaboration?"
"Oh?" Xiao Ling's interest was piqued. He sat down opposite Shen Yuan, poured himself and Shen Yuan a cup of tea, and asked, "What kind of cooperation?"
Shen Yuan leaned forward slightly, looking at Xiao Ling and saying, word by word, "I helped you ascend to that position, and you..."
"Should I help you kill Chu Yuning?" Xiao Ling asked.
Shen Yuan shook her head. She pondered for a long time before continuing, "Change the unequal rules of this world for me!"
"First, establish more schools for girls; second, set up official positions for women in the court; third, establish laws that allow women to annul engagements, divorce, or divorce their husbands."
After Shen Yuan finished speaking, she looked at Xiao Ling with some uncertainty.
The demands she made were unprecedented, and even if she became emperor, it would be difficult to implement them. Would Xiao Ling think she was daydreaming?
Xiao Ling not only didn't find Shen Yuan's statement that "she helped him ascend the throne" ridiculous, nor did he question the three new rules she proposed. Instead, he listened patiently to what she had to say before asking, "Anything else?"
"That's all." Shen Yuan shook her head; these were all she could think of for the time being.
If these three new regulations can be implemented, then many women in the Great Yan Kingdom like her will have the right to rewrite their lives, and Shen Yuan felt that was enough.
Therefore, Shen Yuan does not covet more.
After she finished speaking, she quickly wrote down several lines of names on the paper, then blew on the paper to dry it. After the paper dried, she handed the paper to Xiao Ling.
"Consider this my pledge of loyalty to cooperate with you!"
Xiao Ling took the paper, glanced at the name written on it, and then looked up at Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan explained, "You can trust the people here; they will all be of help to you in the future!"
As she spoke, Shen Yuan pointed to the first name on the paper, “Lü Jimin, a native of Jinan, whose mother is the Cui family of Qinghe. He was raised by the Cui family from a young age, and is well-versed in poetry and literature. Most importantly, he is of noble character and upright, and will be able to help you eliminate the old ministers of the Crown Prince’s family in the future.”
"If nothing unexpected happens, he should be among the top three in this year's imperial examination!"
Xiao Ling's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this. The results of the imperial examinations had not yet been released. How could Shen Yuan be so sure that this Lü Jimin could be among the top three?
Shen Yuan met Xiao Ling's gaze, picked up her pen, and wrote a few more lines on the paper.
"These are the questions for this year's imperial examination."
This completely stunned Xiao Ling.
He had no doubt about Shen Yuan's words, so he was convinced that the exam questions Shen Yuan had written down were genuine. But... leaking the imperial examination questions was a capital offense; how could Shen Yuan know about something so confidential?
This is incredible!
Shen Yuan picked up the paper with the exam questions written on it and burned it to ashes over the candle flame.
“Originally, Lü Jimin was the top scholar in the imperial examination this year, but besides the examiner and me, there was also Chu Yuning who knew the exam questions before the exam.”
"So I'm not sure who will be this year's top draft pick."
There was so much information in Shen Yuan's words that it took Xiao Ling a while to process it all.
He really wanted to ask Shen Yuan how she knew all this, but he held back and didn't ask any further questions.
Shen Yuan explained the details of each person on the list to Xiao Ling.
Having once been a slave in the princess's residence, she had seen these people at Xiao Yunyan's birthday banquet and knew their positions and fates three years later.
The claim that she helped Xiao Ling ascend the throne sounded like an exaggeration, since she had neither a noble birth nor military power, so how could she possibly help Xiao Ling?
But Shen Yuan felt that what she said was not empty talk.
Throughout history, the most direct and effective way to seize power has been to kill one's rivals.
Besides Xiao Ling, the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom only had two sons left.
If Xiao Yuncheng and Xiao Yunfei are dead, then the only person left who can inherit the throne is Xiao Ling.
Even if Xiao Ling has no backing or military power, the only new emperor that everyone can support is Xiao Ling.
Shen Yuan was gambling with the lives of Xiao Yuncheng and Xiao Yunfei.
She bet that Xiao Ling would outlive Xiao Yuncheng and Xiao Yunfei.
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