Chapter 43: New Rules If you want to change the rules, the only way is to overturn the rules...
Lou Wanqiao gave a smile that could be described as cruel.
Under Li Lianhan's gaze, she leaned forward slightly and opened her thin lips softly, "Dear Majesty, why are you silent? You don't really think anyone will come to save you, do you?... Apart from your good brother, no one seems to care whether you live or die. Your Majesty, why don't you think carefully about this? Will you die at the hands of treacherous ministers, or will you abdicate voluntarily, realizing you have lost your virtue and are unworthy of being a king?"
Li Lianhan clenched his fingers, his chest rising and falling violently with his breathing. It was obvious that he was extremely angry at the moment: "Don't even think about it!"
"Even if I can't think about it, I've already done it." Lou Wanqiao kept smiling, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, but if you covered the lower half of her face at this moment, you probably wouldn't be able to see the slightest smile.
Li Lianhan looked into those extremely cold eyes and suddenly felt as if he was falling into an icy cave.
This is... the "rumored" Jade-faced Shura who kills without blinking an eye.
The former girl of the Liu family, now the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
The emperor's majesty made him unwilling to bow his head, but under her gaze, Li Lianhan felt his limbs becoming stiff little by little.
How could it be...how could it be like this!
He is the Son of Heaven!!
...But if so, what if it isn't the case in the future?
He felt cold all over and shivered inexplicably, then turned his head stiffly and looked away.
Since when...
Lou Wanqiao found it extremely interesting. Li Lianhan in this state was much more interesting than his usual appearance, and he was a little reluctant to take action.
Looking so embarrassed...it feels so good.
A faint cold fragrance lingered on her nose. She turned her head and met Wen Xuechi's eyes.
Before the coldness and murderous intent in his eyes could be retracted, Wen Xuechi's expression remained unchanged, as clear and gentle as before. He took two steps closer and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't be angry. I'm here to lend you a hand. Everything is a foregone conclusion. Don't worry."
Staring at Wen Xuechi's beautiful face, Lou Wanqiao's mood inexplicably brightened. Perhaps people are born to appreciate beautiful things. Even if they do nothing, just looking at a beautiful woman can make them eat a few more mouthfuls of food than usual.
Besides, her mood was not bad to begin with. So far, although the outcome was not a foregone conclusion, everything was under control.
She raised the imperial edict in her hand higher so that everyone could see it, and repeated it in a sonorous voice: "The late emperor's will is here. If anyone disagrees, I allow you to raise your objections here!"
In contrast to the imperial edict, she held a gleaming long sword in her hand. It was stained with blood, making people tremble with fear.
There was a deathly silence in the room. No one dared to speak. Everyone lowered their heads, not even daring to look at the imperial edict.
No one dared to refute the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
Even the current emperor was defeated by her.
In reality, the court today is far from clear. How many people working under Li Lianhan can truly be clean? Ultimately, they are all cunning people, putting their own interests first and protecting themselves.
What was written on the imperial edict no longer mattered; the outcome was already decided, and everyone present knew the ruthlessness of the Junior Official of the Dali Temple. If anyone raised any objections now, they would likely not see the light of day.
What's more... Marquis Pingyuan was standing next to her.
The Emperor, Prince Duan, and even Prince Yun could all be defeated by her.
What about a woman? What about the remains of a guilty minister?!
The truth is in her hands, and no one dares to despise it.
Seeing this scene, Lou Wanqiao nodded with satisfaction, and with a slight raise of his hand, his men came forward to clean up the mess.
"In that case, don't mistake the new emperor in the future, everyone." She spoke in a low voice, with a lazy smile on the corner of her lips, and looked at Li Su in the crowd.
He stood there without moving, still with that indifferent expression, but there was a hint of worry between his brows, and no one knew what he was worried about.
So the matter ended with "clearing the emperor and restoring the people". Under the watchful eyes of Lou Wanqiao and Wen Xuechi, no one present dared to say no.
Of course, this is not the last step of Lou Wanqiao's plan.
Remember? Her wish.
Not second only to one person.
…
Two days have passed since the early spring ceremony. Li Su has taken over the throne and power of Dali, and everything seems calm.
After Lou Wanqiao came into the world as a woman, she remained the same as before. She still attended court and performed her duties. No one dared to criticize her, and no one dared to look down on her.
Li Su issued an imperial decree, appointing Lou Wanqiao as the Minister of Dali Temple.
To her, these titles are just empty names.
After overthrowing Li Lianhan, there is another big thing.
"Yuesheng, you should know what to say, right?" Lou Wanqiao handed over the file in his hand, along with a brocade box. "The Dali Temple always relies on evidence when handling cases. Coincidentally, evidence is what I have the most."
She has been searching secretly all these years, just waiting for the case to be overturned today.
The demise of more than a dozen people in the Liu family cannot be wiped out with the fire. What she has to do is not only to overthrow such a rule, but also to reverse the verdict for the Liu family.
Lou Wanqiao doesn't think she is selfless. Perhaps after doing so many things along the way, what supported her to the end was nothing more than the belief of "overturning the Liu family's verdict."
And the Liu family... is one of the millions of innocent people.
At this point, even Lou Wanqiao couldn't help but feel physically and mentally exhausted.
What is it that they are fighting for? Power? Status? Or…reputation?
Those unfounded things?
When a person dies, all debts are settled. Wouldn't it be satisfying to kill Li Lianhan with one knife?
No, that wouldn't be a good thing. She would gain nothing that way: not money, not honor, not status.
She was fighting for things that did not exist.
Those things, seemingly unattainable to others, were precisely what she had been striving for for so many years. And to obtain them, she had to accomplish something truly earth-shattering. Otherwise, even these things would be impossible to obtain... Those in power twisted right and wrong, while those below them engaged in scheming and intrigue. In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, even an ant could only dream of rising to power.
If you want to change the rules, you have to overturn them. If you want to correct the order, you have to rebuild it.
The everlasting civilization is built on piles of flesh and blood.
Now, she is only one step away from her long-cherished goal.
Li Su's eyes moved slightly, and he looked at the person in front of him as if he was seeing her for the first time.
"Wanqiao," he moved his lips, wanting to speak, but was speechless for a moment. After a moment's silence, he finally spoke slowly and hesitantly, "Is it worth it? ... I mean, if in the end you find that the result of what you have done is in vain, then is it all worth it?"
His incoherent words made Lou Wanqiao frown, and he lowered his head to think seriously for three seconds.
"For me, there's no such thing as worth it or not, only whether I want to do it or not." She said in a crisp and clear tone, "Li Su, I don't know if you've calculated anything, but I never believe in fate. If not, I would have died more than a decade ago. I will definitely do what I want to do. This is not in vain, and I will not allow the outcome you describe to happen."
Another long silence answered her. Finally, Li Su sighed softly and took the item from her hand. "I understand. Wanqiao, it was you who pulled me out of the Taoist temple, and it was you who gave me this opportunity... to resolve my inner demons. I will help you with whatever you wish to do."
Lou Wanqiao smiled with satisfaction, said "thank you", and then turned and left.
Wen Xuechi was waiting for her outside the door. It was early spring, and a damp breeze brushed against her cheeks, jingling the wind chimes in the corridor.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, he turned around and looked, the blue sky reflected in his eyes.
"You're out," those beautiful eyes curved up, and the sky turned into a deep blue lake again, with ripples appearing as the breeze blew. "Come on, I'll walk around with you."
Lou Wanqiao nodded and followed him, turning his head slightly to glance at the closed door. "Yan Gui, what do you think?"
"What?" Wen Xuechi tilted his head and turned to look at her seriously. "Are you referring to the new emperor, or the past?"
Her thoughts were swirling. It felt as though everything had reached its end, yet it also seemed as though the end was merely a point. She stood at this point, tangled and impenetrable by a web of threads.
This weight has been borne for a long time.
Her fingertips suddenly felt a touch of warmth. She lowered her head and saw Wen Xuechi gently hooking her little finger.
"Don't worry, I will help you, always." His voice was gentle, and the cool breeze swirled around her earlobe, making the tip of her ear a little wet.
"Throughout history, only those who hold military power have a foothold. You're so intelligent, I needn't explain this to you. And with you and me, you're the ultimate source of confidence." Wen Xuechi sounded as if he were describing a mundane matter, yet his words were strangely soothing. "If the unforeseen circumstances truly are unforeseen, what good would it do even if all calamities were eradicated?"
He paused, his moon-white brocade robe blown by the wind, and his eyes were as clear and bright as when they first met.
Then Lou Wanqiao recalled the night they first met. He had looked at her the same way, with pure curiosity and inexplicable kindness.
"If the law is unfair and your heart is uneasy," he said slowly, each word striking her heart, "then use your knife and my sword to cut off those injustices. Lou Zizhao, don't forget, we are on the same side."
Lou Wanqiao was startled and subconsciously grasped the hilt of the knife at his side.
As they got along, Wen Xuechi seemed to understand her more and more.
Her usual style is to use a knife to smooth the way forward.
"You don't seem surprised at all about my true identity?" Lou Wanqiao suddenly spoke.
Now that she had some free time, some inexplicable thoughts flooded her mind. She didn't panic when her life story was exposed in public. On the contrary, Lou Wanqiao had been waiting for this day for a long time, and could even be said to be looking forward to it.
It seems that Li Lie had accidentally known her gender on the night he was chasing her, and then secretly investigated. As for what the final result of the investigation would be, Lou Wanqiao actually didn't care.
As for Li Lianhan and Li Jin, it is not surprising that they were able to find out her background.
With his flamboyant behavior over the past few years, it was hard not to attract attention. Lou Wanqiao later thought about it and realized that the seeds must have been planted from the very beginning when Li Jin tried to test the restaurant.
What about Wen Xuechi?
When did he know about it? And what did he think about it?
Lou Wanqiao suddenly remembered the promise he had made to her in the secluded little house outside Youzhou.
Thinking this way, she asked this question.
"Wen Yangui, are we still good friends?"
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