"Zhou Yang, if you don't like me, I won't force you," Pan Yang said, looking at his back. His tone was calm, but the expression deep in his eyes was quickly concealed.
Shi Zhouyang stopped in his tracks and lowered his eyes: "My lord is quite the joker."
“I never joke.” Pan Yang’s voice was calm but inexplicably serious, making him convincing: “If you really don’t like me after we get rid of the bandits, I will not allow Shi Yan to arrange our marriage.”
"I hope you will really remember these words when the time comes." After saying that, Shi Zhouyang took another step and left.
Pan Yang stood still, staring intently at Shi Zhouyang's figure. He only started to move when Shi Zhouyang was completely out of sight. He really didn't like being misunderstood. It was like a question of trust. He always liked to ask Zhouyang if he trusted him, and Zhouyang's answer was always the same.
However, this world seems to be a little different, and he didn't like any of the things Zhou Yang said. He even really wanted to break Zhou Yang's legs and just lock him up. Anyway, no one could stop him from doing these things. But he couldn't let Zhou Yang get hurt in his small world, because that would definitely affect the real world. He couldn't take the risk.
Looking at Pan Yang's expression, 001 tried to comfort him, "Host, this is definitely not Zhou Yang's true thought. Zhou Yang is probably just talking nonsense! Don't be angry, host. If it really doesn't work, we'll finish the mission and go to the next world."
Pan Yang ignored him, and 001 stopped talking. Hey, he's just a system, always running around like a spy. He should just shut up.
The next day, Pan Yang set off early in the morning. Shi Zhouyang sat in the courtyard, playing with the bracelet that Pan Yang had given him. After a long while, the body of the secret guard appeared in the courtyard.
"Reporting to Master, the Prime Minister has already set off. If Master wishes, you should still be able to take a look," Feng said obediently, kneeling there.
"Who said I was going to see him?" Shi Zhouyang frowned.
“The person above has overstepped their bounds.” Upon hearing this, Feng immediately lowered his head.
Shi Zhouyang looked up at the palace wall, then said in a conciliatory tone, "You, secretly follow him, and tell me immediately if you hear anything."
"Yes!" Feng then disappeared.
The journey south was far from the capital, and it took Pan Yang three days to reach the south. After a brief discussion with the county magistrate there, he began preparations to deal with the bandits.
While Fan Yang was away from the capital, Shi Yan naturally began to quietly build up his own power base.
Those bandits were indeed no match for Pan Yang. In just two days, most of them went from being defiant to surrendering as soon as they saw Pan Yang. Their attitude changed incredibly quickly.
However, there was a bandit group called Tiger Roar Village that remained arrogant and domineering. So, Pan Yang went there in person again. He then saw that Tiger Roar Village did not seem to have any intention of fighting, and the chief of the village even wanted to hold a banquet to seek peace, which surprised Pan Yang.
So he went straight to the appointment. He wanted to see what these people were up to, and he didn't want to return to the capital so soon. If Shi Zhouyang was unwilling to marry him, he might as well release the bandits and start a rebellion.
Inside the village, the tables were laden with fine wine and meat. The chief, the second chief, and the third chief were all sitting there, seemingly chatting and laughing, not treating Pan Yang as an enemy. Pan Yang, on the other hand, watched their performance quietly.
After drinking for a long time, the chief and the third chief were completely drunk and passed out. However, the second chief's demeanor exuded nobility, and he didn't seem like a bandit at all.
Pan Yang looked at him, his tone icy: "Just say it, Jiang Sunan, are you going to fight or just have a chat?"
"You're too kind." Jiang Sunan held his wine bowl, speaking slowly and deliberately: "I'll be frank with you. I know I can't beat you, and even if I threaten you with Zhou Yang, it probably won't work. So let's make a bet in this small world."
"I've always been curious about your relationship, but are all those little worlds really so unbreakable? And there are many things about you that I'm curious about, but unfortunately, I can't beat you. So let's make a bet. If you win, I can grant you one wish, but if you lose..."
Jiang Suonan slowly opened his mouth, a strange smile on his face. He spoke very softly, and Pan Yang could only understand what he was saying by reading his lips. In the end, Pan Yang rolled his eyes: "Why should I bet with you?"
Jiang Sunan wasn't in a hurry. He picked up the wine pot and poured him a cup of wine: "It's alright, we can take it slowly."
Shi Zhouyang sat in the courtyard looking at the letter sent by the wind pigeon. He was somewhat surprised by the short words on it, and he felt a strange sadness in his heart.
He dropped the note in his hand, only to see that it read "The Prime Minister is dead." For a moment, he even felt that it might be fake news, but soon the guards who had gone south with Pan Yang returned, bringing only Pan Yang's clothes.
Because they couldn't even find Fan Yang's body. According to them, the battle was so sudden that a fire broke out, and in the end, they couldn't even tell whose remains they were.
Upon learning this, Cheng Yue felt a mix of emotions. He should have stopped Huan Yang back then. Now that Huan Yang was dead, there was nothing he could do, and he knew he would soon be the next to die.
Shi Yan only pretended to be sad for a few moments, saying that the entire capital should mourn. The Prime Minister's Mansion quickly prepared for the funeral. Huan Yang's parents were already gone, and he didn't even have a single relative by his side. The entire funeral was arranged by their old steward.
As night fell and a chilling wind blew by, Cheng Yue walked up to the memorial tablet, looked at the words on it, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "You're just foolish. You were a perfectly good civil official and prime minister. The emperor clearly wanted you dead, but you insisted on jumping into the fire. Now, Shi Zhouyang doesn't care about your death at all."
"It's laughable that as your good friend, I can't even visit you openly, and I even have to pretend to be happy for your death." Cheng Yue clenched his hands and finally sighed, "Being a loyal minister is really meaningless."
Cheng Yue didn't leave until midnight, but as soon as he left, a dark figure emerged from the shadows.
The man, dressed in night clothes, stared silently at the mourning hall. He regretted his words; he didn't want Huan Yang to die at the hands of bandits.
Shi Zhouyang glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. To be honest, he still couldn't quite believe that Huan Yang was gone. This person appeared suddenly and disappeared just as suddenly. If Feng hadn't insisted that the chances of Huan Yang being alive were slim and that so many days had passed, he wouldn't have believed that this person was dead.
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