Chapter 494 Pervert
The banquet was held in the prefect's residence; it wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't shabby either.
This perfectly reflects the idea that a distinguished guest has arrived at the home, but the family is too poor to do anything but bring out everything they can to entertain them.
The officials arrived early, and when Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge arrived, they all stood up and paid their respects to the prince, the princess, the empress dowager, and the princess.
Everyone was respectful and humble, and after taking their seats, they were reserved and quiet. It was impossible to tell whether they were feeling guilty or nervous, let alone whether they were good or bad.
Xie Guanzhi was familiar with everyone and was a very competent host, warm and thoughtful, and adept at getting along with everyone.
Yue Jiaoluo sat beside him with a radiant smile. Most of her dazzling jewelry had been removed, leaving only a few pieces. As she looked up and chuckled, she already exuded the air of a prefect's wife.
Only when he glanced at Meng Lingge unintentionally would a hint of defiance and competitiveness be revealed.
Seeing that it was almost time, Xie Guanzhi stood up in confusion: "Why hasn't Commander Lin arrived yet? I told him the time. With the Prince here, how could he dare to be late..."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Wen Zhiming said, "I sent him to welcome the garrison prince of Lanyu Kingdom. They should be arriving soon. Let's begin once they arrive."
Xie Guanzhi's face paled slightly upon hearing this, but he forced a smile.
"The prince of Blue Feather Kingdom is coming today? Didn't His Highness say that we would meet again in two days? Why is it so sudden?"
Wen Zhiming looked at him with a cold smile: "Do I need to give you an explanation for what I do?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant."
Xie Guanzhi's face turned pale. "It was so sudden. I was unprepared and worried that I might have slighted the prince of the allied country and affected the prince's trade plans."
"Oh?" Wen Zhiming's voice deepened. "This banquet is suitable for entertaining me, but entertaining the prince of the allied country is considered a breach of courtesy. Does Prefect Xie mean that I am not as important as the prince of the allied country and can be treated casually?"
Xie Guanzhi broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down.
"It was my slip of the tongue. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
He couldn't understand why the prince, who had been so amiable just moments before, had suddenly become hostile. No matter how he explained, it was no use, so he had no choice but to admit his mistake.
Yue Jiaoluo's smile froze.
Seeing her man kneeling in front of Meng Lingge's man, she felt a burning sensation on her face, a flash of hatred crossing her eyes, before she knelt down next to Xie Guanzhi.
"Upon hearing that the prince of the allied nation is about to arrive, the lord, because he was so excited about the future of the northern frontier, spoke without thinking. I hope Your Highness will forgive him."
Wen Zhiming remained calm and composed, his kingly aura instilling fear in all the officials below.
Everyone rose from their seats and knelt behind Xie Guanzhi, begging the prince for forgiveness.
After a long silence, Wen Zhiming finally spoke softly.
"The northern frontier is impoverished, and no resources should be wasted. Since a banquet has been held tonight, I will invite the princes of our allied nations to discuss the trade plan. This will save us from having to travel far and wide to host another banquet in the future."
The crowd responded in unison, "Your Highness is wise."
Wen Zhiming said, "Everyone, please get up. The prince from the allied country is about to arrive, and as the host, the prefect should go to welcome him."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The other officials rose and sat down again.
Xie Guanzhi bowed and retreated to the door, following Wen Zhiming's instructions to greet the prince of Lanyu Kingdom outside the mansion. Yue Jiaoluo was stunned for a moment, then immediately followed him out.
The couple left the banquet one after the other, and as soon as they stepped outside, the cold wind blew, and they both felt a chill run down their spines.
The cold sweat I had just broken out in was now sticky and clinging to my clothes, making me feel particularly uncomfortable.
When Xie Guanzhi saw Yue Jiaoluo behind him, he quickly took a few steps, pulled her to a corner, and gently scolded her.
"Why did you come out with me? Neither of us, husband and wife, are at the banquet. What if the King of the Northern Frontier has any orders and we can't find you? Wouldn't that cause trouble again?"
Yue Jiaoluo gritted her teeth and said, "I ran away because I didn't want to be driven by him. I've had enough of being beaten and forced to kneel at the drop of a hat. I don't want to wait a moment longer, sir. Let's make our move tonight."
Her eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty coldness in the night.
Xie Guanzhi hesitated and said, "Wen Zhiming is really cunning. He clearly said he would contact the garrison prince of Lanyu Kingdom in a few days, but he secretly had Lin Suo bring the person over today. Our plan is not yet finalized, and if we act now, the chances of success are not high..."
He certainly wanted to take action.
After swaggering around in the northern frontier for over a decade, Wen Zhiming's arrival caused his status to plummet instantly. He had to appease Wen Zhiming while also keeping things in check, leaving him feeling extremely constrained and pathetic.
However, there is not enough time to prepare now, and if we make a mistake, we will be at the mercy of others.
He still had a lot of money he had saved up, and he hadn't had enough of this beautiful woman yet. How could he bear to take such a big risk?
“My lord.” Yue Jiaoluo pulled him to a darker spot and whispered in his ear, “If we act now, we might still be able to escape this desperate situation. If we don’t act today, we might not even have the chance to do anything.”
"Think about it. Wen Zhiming was quite nice to you during the day, so why would he suddenly make trouble for you now? And why would he suddenly bring the prince of the allied country here? It's very likely that he has already discovered something. He hasn't dealt with you yet because he doesn't want to cause any trouble at this crucial moment in the trade. But he is clearly very dissatisfied with you, and it's only a matter of time before he kills you."
"Besides, he just said that he would finalize the trade plan with the Allied Prince today. Once the Allied Prince returns, it will be unrealistic for us to pin the murder of Wen Zhiming on him."
She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, fearing Xie Guanzhi might disagree, and resorted to her charms again. She squeezed out two tears, grasped Xie Guanzhi's hand, and choked out her words.
"If Wen Zhiming were to kill us both with a single blow, I would have no regrets about the two years I've lived well thanks to your kindness. My only fear is that they would think we deserved to die and throw me into prison to be abused... You know, men who are impotent can be quite perverse, and I'm truly afraid..."
Xie Guanzhi's hesitant heart was scalded by her tears.
Although I don’t think Wen Zhiming would be that perverted, he has done a lot of bad things during his years as an official. If his wife were to fall into prison, and given the beauty of Yue Jiaoluo, I’m afraid that even if Wen Zhiming didn’t give the order, someone would still be tempted to harm Yue Jiaoluo.
Xie Guanzhi was torn between his inner turmoil and his own thoughts, and then he pulled the beauty into his arms.
"No, I will never let anyone else touch you. You are my woman, Xie Guanzhi's woman, and I will protect you. I also want to kill Wen Zhiming, or drive him out of the Northern Frontier. Don't rush, let me think about it, let me think it over carefully..."
Yue Jiaoluo placed a small porcelain bottle in his palm and whispered.
"This is a fine medicine that a friend in the martial arts world got for me. It dissolves in wine, and it's colorless and odorless, undetectable even by a silver needle. No matter how skilled a master is, just one drop will instantly paralyze them, leaving them completely at his mercy..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
