Chapter 353 Assassin
Meng Lingge had originally intended for Lu Shui to gradually gain Guan Yi'an's trust before luring him out, but now that Lu Shui had acted on her own and brought the plan forward, she decided to strike while Guan Yi'an was still gloating over finding someone to use and make him walk right into the trap.
Although Lu Shui acted impulsively this time, given her relationship with Zheng Qingshan, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Moreover, judging from the current situation, the outcome wasn't too bad.
"I am indeed unaware of Guan Yi'an's plans, but I can roughly guess his purpose. He has been looking for opportunities to stay close to me and my family, and he must be trying to harm me or use me for personal gain."
"The day after tomorrow is the first day of the ninth lunar month. I will be going to Lingtai Temple to offer incense. Since it is a private matter to pray for my son, I will keep my identity hidden and act discreetly. You will reveal this information to Guan Yi'an. Remember not to tell him deliberately, but to say it casually."
Green Water immediately understood Meng Lingge's meaning and couldn't help but worry.
"Does Your Majesty intend to get involved? Although Guan Yi'an is in the guest room, the guards you left behind still won't allow him to leave the residence. Even if he has malicious intentions towards you, he shouldn't be able to get out. If you suddenly withdraw the guards now, it will arouse his suspicion."
Meng Lingge picked up the branch from the ground and looked at Lushui, saying, "You just need to pass on the message to him; he'll figure out the rest of the issues himself."
Guan Yi'an was too capable; the two guards in the open couldn't possibly restrain him. With just a few tricks from the hidden guards, Guan Yi'an could easily escape the Prince Zhong's residence.
Now that she holds a high position of power, it is extremely difficult for Guan Yi'an to find an opportunity to harm her, so it is impossible for Guan Yi'an not to be tempted upon hearing this news.
Lu Shui thought Meng Lingge would blame her for acting impulsively, but to her surprise, not only did Meng Lingge not blame her, but she also brought forward the plan.
Seeing that she seemed hesitant to speak, Meng Lingge guessed what she was thinking and placed the branch in Lushui's hand.
"If I hadn't been prepared when I opened the window, I might have been hit by it. Now that you've started to lure the enemy, don't think about anything else. Protect yourself and wait for the enemy to make a mistake."
"New developments have been discovered in the murder case at Princess Qiongxiao's residence. In the past month, four maids in the princess's residence died mysteriously one after another, and all the skin on their bodies was missing. Old Master Fu and the princess are on the run, and there may be new victims at any time. Therefore, if Guan Yi'an can be brought to justice as soon as possible, and Princess Qiongxiao and Old Master Fu can be found by following the clues, it would be a great thing."
Green Water understood.
It turned out that she wasn't the only one who was anxious; Meng Lingge was also very anxious.
Meng Lingge had only told her to take it slow because she was worried about her safety. Now that her impulsive actions hadn't caused any serious consequences, Meng Lingge naturally moved up the pace of the plan.
Having figured all this out, Lushu was completely relieved. "Your Majesty, I understand. I will certainly live up to your expectations and complete the task you have entrusted to me."
Meng Lingge looked at her with a gentle smile and said, "My maids Chunhong, Xiazi, and Qiulan have all been promoted to ladies-in-waiting. I have already reserved a place for you. Once things here are settled, I will send someone to bring you to the palace."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Lu Shui nodded vigorously.
Today, a female official in the palace handed over the harem's accounts. Meng Lingge could not stay long. After leaving Han Cui's room, she called over a guard and gave him a few instructions before returning to the palace.
She traveled discreetly and came and went in a hurry; apart from Lu Shui and Su Leyan, not many people knew that she had been there.
Guan Yi'an, who had been staying in the hotel room and had not left, had no way of knowing what was going on.
September 1st.
Before dawn, Guan Yi'an went up to Lingyun Temple carrying a black bag.
Meng Lingge was right. When Guan Yi'an learned from Lu Shui that she had traveled incense discreetly and entered the temple to burn incense, he immediately harbored evil intentions and prepared to seize this rare opportunity to take revenge.
While he was using the outhouse, he ambushed the servant who was emptying the chamber pots, knocked him unconscious, changed into the servant's clothes, and pushed a cart full of stinking chamber pots out of the mansion before dawn.
After successfully leaving Prince Zhong's mansion, Guan Yi'an first went to the safe place where he hid his money and retrieved a small amount of valuables. Then he went directly to the illegal organization he knew about to find an assassin.
He knew of two places where he could find this type of person.
These two places are like a gathering place for street thugs and ruffians. If you're lucky, you can find desperate criminals willing to take on murder and arson jobs for just a few taels of silver.
Another place was a gambling den where the manager employed a gang of thugs who would provide any customized service for the right price. Whether you wanted an arm, a leg, or a head, they'd take on any heinous crime.
As long as he doesn't reveal Meng Lingge's identity, both of these places can hire assassins.
The former is cheap, but the quality is too poor. Even if Meng Lingge travels in a low-key manner, she will still bring a few people with her. These scoundrels and rogues will probably have a hard time succeeding.
The latter is much stronger militarily, but it would require a large number of them to mobilize and cause casualties. This is no small sum.
Guan Yi'an thought about it and finally decided that this was a rare opportunity, so he prepared to invest heavily to hire thugs from the gambling den.
He had even come up with an excuse. To prevent the thugs at the gambling den from being too soft-hearted to harm Meng Lingge because she was pregnant, he would tell them that this woman was having an affair and was carrying a bastard child. Men despise this kind of woman, so they would naturally not feel sorry for her.
But when he found the gambling den, he discovered that the doors were tightly shut.
Although it was still early, he remembered that as long as he gave the code, the head steward would be ready to receive him at any time.
Guan Yi'an shouted the code several times outside the door, and several burly men came out, pinned him to the ground and beat him, warning him that if he shouted again, they would report him to the authorities.
These people used to be most afraid of the government, but now they dare to threaten to report us to the authorities?
Guan Yi'an was completely baffled, until a shop owner next door was woken up by the noise and kindly explained it to him.
"The new emperor ascended the throne and executed eight corrupt officials on the very first day. The owner behind this gambling den was one of them. Now that the owner is dead, the shop has been transferred and is no longer a gambling den. If you still shout the former owner's illegal signals here, the new owner will definitely not be happy."
It turns out that Wen Zhiming was behind this!
It made it so he couldn't even hire an assassin!
Guan Yi'an hated Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming even more. He got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and quickly headed towards another destination.
Even if I can't kill Meng Lingge, I'll make her injured or cause her to miscarry, anything is fine, I just can't let them have an easy time.
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