Chapter 147 A woman's impatient heart, the sea...
If Su's father dies like this, then Su Tan will have no bargaining chips. Given her personality, even if she is about to die, she will take revenge in a frenzy before she dies, tearing her opponent half to death, and she will fight to the death to carve out a bloody path.
Regardless of success or failure, at a time when the court is beset by internal and external troubles, her retaliation will be a major blow to Zhilan and the entire court.
The best course of action now is to rescue Su's father while detaining Su Tan to prevent her from escaping the Su residence and colluding with the rebel army in the city to cause trouble for our army. That would be troublesome, and we would return to the previous chaotic battle situation.
Although these rebel troops are not with Su Tan, we still need to be absolutely careful and cannot afford to take any chances.
Moreover, Su Tan cannot die right now; she still has a significant role to play. She must be dealt with and punished only after the matter is resolved.
Otherwise, Wang Linfang would definitely hold Zhilan hostile, accusing her of failing to govern the country properly, allowing the criminal to roam free for many years, giving him the opportunity to collude with foreign powers and harm the safety of the country and its people. In the absence of any evidence, wouldn't it be that whatever she says be the truth?
Wang Linfang is deeply loved and supported by the people. The people's hearts are the foundation of governing a country. Zhilan must not be falsely accused during such a turbulent time.
It must be said that Wang Linfang, despite her young age, was cunning and scheming. Half a month ago, she had already prepared a perfect excuse to hide her tracks, saying that she was going out of the city to visit her relatives. It was nothing more than a trick to make it seem like she had never participated in stirring up trouble in the court.
She really knows how to put on a show. On the surface, she's such a good philanthropist, but in reality, she's just coveting the highest position of power. The poor people she painstakingly helps are only to win their hearts and minds, making them willingly become the ladder for her to climb up.
Of course, Fu Yun didn't express these things directly, but he believed that Zhilan was certainly aware of the implications.
As expected, Zhilan gave Fu Yun a deep look, but didn't delve into it. She simply asked in a low voice, "Have you decided what to do?"
Fu Yun nodded: "I've thought it through."
Zhilan didn't raise any questions and simply said, "Alright, I'll assist you."
Fu Yun asked, "Don't we need to worry about things in the palace?"
Zhilan said, "Now that we are at war, it is quite risky to send ministers to court. Since it is New Year's Day, it would be fine to let them go back and rest for a few days."
Fu Jun was slightly taken aback, then remembered that the original plan was to spend the New Year with Zhi Lan, but unexpectedly, they encountered war. Now it was already the fifth day of the first lunar month, and the Spring Festival had passed.
"Alright, the fighting in the city has temporarily subsided, and it's time for us to deal with this trouble."
He looked at Zhilan and told her his plan: "This operation should not involve too many people, otherwise it will easily alert the enemy. Let's send that elite team led by Guard Fang to help me rescue the civilians! However, they have been working hard for several days and nights, so we need to let them rest first. We will take action at midnight tonight. What do you think?"
Zhilan raised her eyes and stared at Fu Yun, a dark current surging in her eyes: "You seem to highly regard Fang Jiu's abilities and are quite satisfied with her?"
Fu Yun answered without hesitation: "Of course, she is very capable."
Zhilan's expression darkened slightly, and her gaze visibly turned cold: "Oh? Is that so?"
A fleeting look of confusion crossed Fu Yun's eyes. For a moment, she didn't understand what Zhi Lan meant. Why did Zhi Lan seem unhappy? Had she answered incorrectly?
But Fang Jiu was one of her carefully trained bodyguards. If he wasn't capable, how could he have gained her trust and favor?
Are you suggesting that Fang Jiu's abilities are mediocre? That would be a real questioning of the Empress's training capabilities, wouldn't it?
A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; I only regret that you are so dense.
Xiao Ba was quite disappointed in his son.
[It's no wonder the Empress is unhappy if you praise another woman in front of her. Think about it another way: if the Empress praised another man's abilities and satisfaction in front of you, would you be happy?]
With that little shrug, Fu Yun finally realized what was happening.
Yes, he was careless just now. He really hadn't thought about it in detail. He just felt that these guards were very powerful and he admired them very much.
But he really didn't mean anything by it; it was just admiration, nothing more.
Thinking of this, Fu Yun quickly shook her head: "No."
Zhilan raised an eyebrow at him: "Then what do you mean?"
Fu Yun, ever the pragmatist, added: "Whether she's capable or not has nothing to do with me. She's your subordinate, and it's mainly because you trained her well. She's also hardworking enough, which is why she's become such an invaluable asset to you. She was originally sent by you to assist me, so your judgment in people is undoubtedly the best. In the end, it's because of your protection that I was able to complete the tasks you assigned me. No matter how capable others are, they can't surpass you as the leader. Therefore, it's you who made them who they are."
"Oh, that's more like it! You're quite the talker, aren't you?"
Xiao Ba was very pleased.
Zhilan's expression softened slightly. She glanced at Fu Jun with a half-smile and asked, "Does that include you?"
"What?" Fu Jun was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding.
Could it be that Zhilan was trying to say that she also contributed to his success?
Zhilan smiled slightly, her expression carrying a hint of teasing: "You're right. I would never let a real pearl be covered in dust, and you are the pearl I saw at first glance, just waiting for me to pick you."
"Cough cough~" Fu Yun almost choked on the tea in her mouth.
That's not what it meant at all! How could Zhilan interpret it that way? It makes him seem so narcissistic.
He awkwardly explained, "That's not what I meant, I..."
Zhilan interrupted softly, "Do you think my judgment is bad?"
Fu Junjun's face flushed, and he replied with difficulty, "No..."
Zhilan made the final decision: "Then that settles it."
Fu Yun: "..."
Zhilan realized that Fu Yun was very quick-witted in business matters, but became dull when it came to matters of the heart. Teasing him was like teasing a simple, honest animal, which was endlessly enjoyable.
This noble lady is quite an interesting character.
I wonder how much fun she'll bring me after I marry her and bring her back to the palace.
She was genuinely eager to marry him.
At one quarter past midnight, the night was as dark as ink.
Fu Yun woke up with a start, glanced at the sky outside, quickly grabbed the night clothes from beside the bed, dressed neatly, and hurried to the front yard.
Upon entering the hall, he saw the lights flickering inside. Looking up, he saw Zhilan, dressed in a black outfit, sitting inside drinking tea, clearly having waited for a long time.
In the center of the courtyard outside the hall, several black figures stood with their backs straight. Judging from their figures, they were Fang Jiu and his guards.
As Fu Yun approached the hall, Zhi Lan heard her footsteps. She put down her teacup and looked up at the door: "You're here. Did you sleep well?"
Fu Jun nodded, looking rather apologetic, and said, "Have you been waiting long? Why didn't you send someone to wake me up?"
Zhilan walked out of the hall, her tone calm: "No rush, there's plenty of time."
As she spoke, she glanced to her right, and immediately someone stepped forward and respectfully handed her a bow and arrows.
Zhilan reached out and took it, then handed it to Fu Jun: "Knowing that you love archery, I had the Ministry of War rush to make a fine bow and arrow overnight. Take it with you for self-defense."
Fu Yun felt a warmth in her heart and reached out to take it, saying, "Thank you."
Zhilan glanced at Fu Jun, somewhat displeased, and said, "Why are you being so formal? It's just a bow and arrow; there's no need for thanks between us."
Fu Yun scratched his head, somewhat at a loss, but knew to say something nice: "Anything you give me is the best gift."
"Ahem~" Zhilan coughed lightly, turned her face away and left: "You smooth talker, I'm leaving."
"Oh, okay!" Upon hearing this, Fu Yun immediately followed Zhi Lan and walked towards the open space in the center of the courtyard.
Zhilan looked at Fang Jiu and the others and said, "You must be careful and cautious in tonight's operation. There must be no mistakes. We must capture this traitor to comfort the spirits of those fallen soldiers."
Fang Jiu and the others respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, we will never fail to live up to your high expectations."
Zhilan said no more, turned around and glanced at Fu Jun, signaling him to follow.
"Wait a minute." Fu Yun's tone was slightly urgent: "I have two things I want to say to you."
Zhilan stopped in her tracks, a faint smile flashing in her eyes: "What? Are you afraid to go out in the middle of the night?"
Fu Yun twitched his lips, thinking to himself: So what if he goes out after midnight? He has had the experience of socializing outside until the middle of the night during the Ghost Festival before returning home. This is just a drop in the ocean. What is there for a grown man like him to be afraid of?
Fu Jun took a few steps forward and said in a low voice, "We need to prepare some gunpowder, just in case."
Zhilan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Gunpowder? What do you need that for?"
Fu Yun said, "Naturally, it's to destroy Su Tan's escape route."
Zhilan said, "We've already blocked all the entrances to the secret passages in the Su residence. She can't escape."
Fu Yun insisted, "It's hard to say. After all, she's been trapped for so long. What if she managed to get someone to clear the way again during that time? Then she'll have another way to escape."
Zhilan's pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately understood: "You are so thoughtful."
As she spoke, she clapped her hands and, after her men stepped forward, instructed them, "Go and prepare a few barrels of gunpowder."
"Yes!" the person replied and left.
The people who prepared the gunpowder wouldn't be back for a while, so Fu Yun and Zhi Lan went back to the hall on their own.
At Fu Yun's suggestion, Fang Jiu and the others followed into the hall and sat on the chairs on either side of the main seat to wait.
Half an hour later, the man who had prepared the gunpowder returned.
After their equipment was replenished, the group left the Su residence and mounted the horses that were waiting by the roadside.
Taking advantage of the dark and windy night, they proceeded along the winding path.
When they were about a hundred meters away from the Su residence, Fu Yun forced the horse to stop and then jumped off.
Seeing this, the others also stopped.
Fu Yun gestured for everyone to hide the horses, then walked over to Zhi Lan and several guards and stood in front of them.
Zhilan said, "Young Master Su and I will go in and bring Father Su out. You will then inspect the underground passages of the Su residence. Regardless of whether their exits are blocked, once you confirm that we have brought Father Su out, you must immediately destroy all the secret passages leading to different parts of the Su residence."
After a pause, she added, "After hearing the explosion, the Imperial Guards, who are hiding in the shadows, will surround the Su residence and capture everyone in the entire residence. You can stay hidden in the shadows and do not need to show yourselves at the scene of the arrest."
Fang Jiu and several guards nodded in response, "Yes."
After the tasks were assigned, the group split up and went their separate ways.
Zhilan and Fuyun walked around the outer wall of the Su residence, and finally decided to climb over the wall into the courtyard where Fuyun used to live.
Fu Yun glanced at the high wall, stepped back a few meters, and was about to take a running start and jump over the wall when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and abdomen. She was then pulled up onto the wall and before she could even stand up, she was shoved back to the ground.
Fu Yun was still in shock. It took her a long while to slowly exhale after landing.
Zhilan glanced at Fu Jun with a half-smile: "You're quite timid."
Fu Yun awkwardly turned her face away: "You're too sudden, I haven't even reacted yet."
Zhilan smiled, in a great mood: "Yes, yes, you've got some nerve! You've talked back to me quite a bit before."
Fu Yun: "..." Really? How come he doesn't remember?
Zhilan gently brushed it off: "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. We need to get down to business. I'm not familiar with this place, so you lead the way."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com