Lan Xiuyuan nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with his plan. He tapped his fingers on the table and said thoughtfully, "I just don't know who would be the most suitable candidate!"
Feng Zhouyuan thought for a moment and said, "Jiang Ming holds a high position and wields great power. If he hangs himself, it will inevitably cause a greater upheaval in the court. At that time, the Prime Minister will probably be displeased. After all, the appointment of the first-rank officials in the court was all arranged by the old master. If we rashly take action against Jiang Ming and disrupt the old master's plans, that would be absolutely unacceptable!"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "But if the official is too low-ranking and has too little reputation, then he won't be effective. This person must have a certain rank. Most importantly, he must be a scholar with some background. Only in this way can he stir up the indignation of those students."
Lan Xiuyuan looked at Feng Zhouyuan and said with a smile, "Sir, you've thought things through very well. You must already have someone in mind, right?"
Feng Zhouyuan lowered his head and smiled modestly: "Fifth Master is joking. You must already have a choice in mind, he's just testing Zhouyuan!"
Lan Xiuyuan's smile deepened. "Then please speak first, sir. Let's see if this person shares my thoughts!"
Feng Zhouyuan smiled faintly, looked at Lan Xiuyuan, and said a name: "Gu Minglang, the prefect of Yangzhou!"
Lan Xiuyuan looked at Feng Zhouyuan, then lowered his head and smiled, "As expected, you and I are of the same mind! It is indeed this person, Gu Minglang!"
"Gu Minglang is a fourth-rank official in the court, which is just right according to rank! More importantly, he is a top scholar in the imperial examination, and his ancestors were scholars of great learning. The Gu family has produced three top scholars in five generations. Such family learning is unmatched in the entire court! Moreover, Gu Minglang himself is a romantic and talented scholar, and his skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are all top-notch. He is quite famous among the talented scholars in Jiangnan. If he is forced to hang himself by Lan Linxue, then we can really make the most of our writing!"
Lan Xiuyuan nodded repeatedly, showing great admiration for Feng Zhouyuan. Then he sighed and said, "Gu Minglang was originally someone the Prime Minister favored. Unfortunately, he's too bookish, which makes him somewhat pedantic. He's straightforward and impulsive in handling matters, and there's almost nothing about him worth supporting. In the first two years after he came to Yangzhou, he relied on being the Prime Minister's disciple to boss people around. Later, the Prime Minister wrote him a letter, and after he suffered several losses at the hands of Jiang Ming, he finally calmed down. Moreover, I heard that apart from selling calligraphy and paintings, he never tries to take more money than necessary. Think about it, how can someone like that get ahead in officialdom? Even if he stays, he won't be of much use. It's better to take advantage of this opportunity and let us make good use of him; it's like he got what he wanted!"
Feng Zhouyuan nodded repeatedly, "Fifth Master is absolutely right! But even after he dies, we still need to take good care of his family!"
"That's for sure! We not only need to take care of them, we need to take good care of them! Lan Linxue drove them to their deaths, isn't this the perfect opportunity for us to step forward and do good deeds! Moreover, although the Gu family members don't hold high-ranking official positions, their students and acquaintances are all over the world, and their influence shouldn't be underestimated. Especially Gu Minglang's uncle, Third Master Gu. He is not only a renowned scholar, but also has deep connections with those upright officials in the court. His influence is not to be underestimated. We can use Gu Minglang's matter to get closer to this gentleman. In the future, we will have more important officials in the court speaking up for us!"
Feng Zhouyuan said with a smile, "The better the reputation, the more advantageous it is for us! If even Third Master Gu speaks highly of Fifth Master, that would be more important than anything else! Moreover, I've heard that the Emperor intends to invite this gentleman to come out of seclusion and revise his books. This would be a glorious achievement, something that would make him famous for all time. It would also show how much he holds in the Emperor's heart. If even he speaks well of Fifth Master, then things will become increasingly favorable for us in the future!"
Lan Xiuyuan nodded repeatedly, "This matter is very important. Therefore, the people we send out must be very careful. They must act prudently and absolutely cannot let anyone know that Gu Minglang did not commit suicide! Who do you think would be most suitable?"
Feng Zhouyuan thought for a moment, then said softly, "Send Nightingale? What do you think?"
"Nightingale?" Lan Xiuyuan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright! He's always been very good at these things. Most importantly, his assassination methods are meticulous, leaving no room for error. Okay, let Nightingale go!"
"When are we going? Right now?"
Lan Xiuyuan glanced at the sky outside. "It's almost dawn. I just saw Gu Minglang among those adults; he's probably already gone back! Tell Nightingale to make her move before dawn. Don't alert anyone! Understand?"
"Yes! I'll arrange it right away!" Feng Zhouyuan said, barely managing to stand up.
The people next to him quickly went over and helped him out.
Lan Xiuyuan watched Feng Zhouyuan's retreating figure and slowly suppressed his smile.
Exhausted, he lay back down on the bed, wondering what Qin Kou'er was doing now, and whether he should go to see her after dawn.
Qin Kou'er quietly returned to the Qin Tiange headquarters and saw Jun Yannuo sitting under the candlelight with bloodshot eyes, writing something.
What are you doing?
Jun Yannuo suddenly looked up, somewhat surprised, at Qin Kou'er, and then quickly stood up.
"Why did you come so early? It's not even dawn yet!"
As he spoke, he walked over to Qin Kou'er, took her hand and examined it carefully, then frowned and asked, "Did things go well between you and Lan Linxue?"
Qin Kou'er laughed and pulled her hand back, walked to the chair next to her and sat down, looking up at Jun Yannuo: "What's good or bad about it? He stole our people, do you expect me to give him a nice look?"
Jun Yannuo smiled, "That's true. It's not exactly honorable for him to steal our people. If he were to also be fierce with you, that would be unheard of!"
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