Chapter 52: Entering the Game Li Su understood everything and was willing to be her...
At this moment, Li Yulan's face could no longer maintain the fake smile he had some time ago. He was almost not interested in making any expression. He just lowered his eyes and did not look at her, as if he was staring at nothingness.
"Lock him up," Lou Wanqiao ordered coldly, adding, "Don't let him die."
Li Yulan then raised his head to look at him, and a ripple suddenly appeared in his calm eyes.
Lou Wanqiao met his gaze, and the next second she suddenly reached out and pressed his jaw with a little force, and his jaw was removed.
"You want to threaten me? Biting your tongue won't work with me." She smiled, leaning down to look him in the eye. Li Yulan was speechless, his eyes filled with resentment. Lou Wanqiao continued, "Your Highness, you should know that death is the easiest thing, and living is the hardest. But there are many ways to live in this world. Some people suffer agonizingly, some are filled with regret, and some live forever in memories."
She paused, then slowly uttered the second half of her sentence: "How you live is up to me."
Lou Wanqiao waved his hand, and the shadow guard pushed him down.
Having solved a major problem, Lou Wanqiao was in a good mood. He tilted his head slightly and looked behind the screen: "Come out."
A piece of moon-white clothing first peeked out from behind the screen, and then Wen Xuechi poked his head out, blinking and looking at her, his eyes curved with a smile: "Aqiao is amazing."
"Thanks to you, I have no worries." Lou Wanqiao also praised him. "How is the situation outside?"
"He did bring quite a few people with him, and he was fully prepared," Wen Xuechi shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. We were more prepared, and those people were dealt with in secret. It's just that someone might have tipped him off, and I wonder if he has a backup plan."
Lou Wanqiao laughed and said, "No matter if he has a backup plan or not, his life is in our hands now. If we can cure this poison, then we can. If there really is no way, we don't have to worry about him causing any trouble."
With that matter settled for now, Lou Wanqiao decided to visit Li Su in the palace. He had been keeping everything in order at the palace these days, handling court affairs appropriately and demonstrating the qualities of a wise ruler.
Sitting in the carriage with Wen Xuechi, she leaned against the window casually, watching the passers-by, and said nonchalantly: "What do you think of Li Su?"
He was stunned: "Which aspect?"
"Your Majesty," she said simply.
Wen Xuechi coughed lightly and said, "If he comes, it will be much better than Li Lianhan. He can allow Dali to recuperate and return to prosperity in time."
Lou Wanqiao seemed to be lost in thought.
Li Su was of royal blood, so he was naturally entitled to the throne. Furthermore, Li Su was on good terms with her, and it could even be said that he wouldn't refuse anything she asked him to do.
Li Su has the full legal basis, so her reversal of the verdict will naturally be justified as well.
No matter from which perspective, Li Su becoming emperor is the best choice.
Suddenly, her fingertips felt a touch of warmth. She turned her head and saw Wen Xuechi lazily leaning against her and lying down casually. He rested his head on her thighs and looked up at her from below: "What are you thinking about?"
"...Nothing." Lou Wanqiao looked away, her palm resting on his smooth, black hair, gently combing it now and then. "I feel like I've forgotten something... By the way, how's Li Lie doing lately?"
Li Lie is different from Li Lianhan. Although he has evil ambitions, he has not revealed them fully. He cannot be imprisoned at will, so he can only be placed under house arrest.
Wen Xuechi thought for a while and said, "It seems I haven't heard any news about him."
Lou Wanqiao paused.
Her hair passed through her fingers and fell onto the carriage seat, and her expression gradually became stern.
My thoughts went back to several months ago, and the forgotten information gathered in my mind.
Damn it, how could I forget about this...
Seeing that she looked unhappy, Wen Xuechi stopped playing around and stood up to look at her closely. "What's wrong?"
"Li Lie ran away." She said these four words with great certainty, "There's a traitor."
Yes, she had fallen into this trap once before, and she had forgotten about it after running away all night.
Wen Xuechi then began to ponder: "Do you have any idea about this matter?"
"I can say yes and no," Lou Wanqiao answered truthfully. "Prince Duan is a treacherous and cunning man. I've fought him for years but gained little. We've sent more assassins to each other than we've eaten. If I really think about it, the possibility that he has spies around me is quite high."
"What are you going to do next?"
Lou Wanqiao chuckled: "Is he the only one who would send spies?"
Although this was the result of her momentary carelessness, it was fortunately remediable. Prince Duan was a formidable opponent, and fortunately, she had gotten to know him quite well over the years.
How does the saying go, the person who knows you best is often your enemy.
Li Lie would use spies, so she naturally had people infiltrating Prince Duan's Mansion.
It wasn't difficult to find Li Jin's current location, but using him for this would be a waste. We had to find a way to prevent him from causing any more trouble.
The carriage stopped at the palace gate, and the two entered the palace together. Lou Wanqiao went to the imperial study, and Wen Xuechi waited for her not far away as usual, so as not to disturb or hear their conversation, and to ensure that no one else would appear around.
"Zizhao!" Li Su's eyes lit up when he saw her. "I heard you were injured a few days ago. I couldn't leave, so I sent someone to deliver some medicinal herbs to Shaoqing's residence. Are you feeling better today?"
"It's nothing, just a minor injury. Has anything new happened in the past few days?"
Hearing her ask this, Li Su gave a bitter laugh: "Stop teasing me. What new things can there be? I'm here reviewing memorials all day long, and then I have to go to the morning court to watch them debate. I really miss the time in the Taoist temple..."
"Oh, so you're not used to this seat." Lou Wanqiao raised his eyebrows. "It's okay. Wen Xuechi and I have to go back to the imperial court in a few days. I feel bad for leaving you alone..."
Li Su's tone was inexplicable. "You don't look like you're feeling bad...Okay, it means I can't sleep in, and I have to deal with people every day. Everything else is fine. If you need any help, please let me know. Also."
He paused, his tone suddenly relaxed. "I've already issued an imperial decree to the Ministry of Justice regarding the Liu family case, and the case file will be rewritten today. I've also written the exoneration decree based on the petition you submitted. I'll choose an auspicious day to announce it to the world, so that everyone in the world knows about this injustice. From now on, the Liu family will be clear and free from all taboos."
Lou Wanqiao's heart moved, and the inexplicable feeling made her unable to express it in words.
Li Su was a very good person, and he treated her very well, treating her like a friend. She had gone to great lengths to invite him out of the temple, and then devoted all her energy to supporting him on the throne. Although it seemed like it was for his own good, they both understood that every move was driven by Lou Wanqiao's selfish motives.
She wanted to overturn the verdict with justification, to use greater power with peace of mind, to be in a high position, and even to control the imperial power.
She didn't say it explicitly, but Li Su understood it tacitly and was willing to be her puppet.
Lou Wanqiao looked up and met his gentle and smiling eyes.
Of course, he needed revenge, but risking his life for it was not worth it. This game of chess was destined to be a whirlwind of swords and spears, and the slightest mistake would lead to eternal damnation. He could have lived in a Taoist temple, detached from the world, but over the years, he had long since lost that desire for worldly things.
But, but.
Li Su lowered his eyes and couldn't help but recall Lou Wanqiao's back standing in the Sanqing Temple.
And the fire in her eyes as she sat with him.
Everything went smoothly, and memories of the past flooded his mind. He remembered his mother's unwilling cry when he was a child, and someone's not-so-clever frame-up method.
She uncovered the scar and pulled him back into the mortal world.
No, that's not right.
Li Su silently said in his heart: It was not Zizhao who dragged him into this situation.
He was not dragged into the mortal world. To be honest, it was his mortal heart that was touched.
So I was willing to join the game.
"Even though thank you seems a bit pale at this point, I still want to thank you." Lou Wanqiao smiled sincerely, "As I said before, if you need anything from me, please let me know as soon as possible. As long as it's within my ability, I will never refuse."
They looked at each other and smiled.
Li Su watched Lou Wanqiao's back as he left the imperial study. When the door closed, the smile on his face gradually faded.
The dragon robe he wore was large and heavy. He sighed softly and sat down in a chair. Scrolls were piled on the table, and the strong tea beside it had been drained.
This is the path he chose.
Lou Wanqiao had given him this opportunity, and he had grasped it tightly, then walked down the aisle without wavering. From then on, he would follow this path to the end.
He has been busy overturning the verdict these days. There are too many injustices that need to be redressed, not only of the Liu family, his mother, but also of countless other people.
Very sleepy and tired.
He couldn't help but think that Zizhao, as the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, had been living in such an environment and under such pressure in the past few years.
How did she get to where she is today, facing so many things alone?
Li Su had little free time these days, and only squeezed out time from his very little sleep to tell fortunes.
The hexagrams used to be unpredictable and the final result was confusing. Although he knew that it would be dangerous to be eliminated, he was still willing to accompany Zizhao to take it one step further.
Now, the hexagram has changed.
…
Lou Wanqiao walked out of the room and immediately saw Wen Xuechi not far away. He waved and walked in front of her, then pulled out a small off-white flower from behind his back like a magic trick.
"Oh, there are such small flowers in the Imperial Garden?" Lou Wanqiao was surprised at first, and then couldn't help laughing.
"It's not from the Imperial Garden, it's from somewhere else. Although this flower is small, it has strong vitality. A cluster of it can bloom vibrantly and vividly." Wen Xuechi pinned the small flower to her collar. "If you smell it carefully, you can smell a faint fragrance."
"That's really good, Yan Gui. I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable in this area. You're truly a man of the world." Lou Wanqiao suddenly remembered the answer he'd asked yesterday, which he hadn't finished. He couldn't help but become curious again. "Hey, you haven't told me about the past yet."
Once upon a time...
Wen Xuechi's eyes briefly flashed with a dark light, and then he raised his eyes and looked at her with a smile: "Okay, I will tell you everything Aqiao wants to hear."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
