Chapter 123 The Positions Are Reversed, I'm Holding You...
Fu Yun said, "We did this to lower their guard. Your search of the outside world is basically complete, creating the illusion that as long as they hide and avoid the storm, they can make a comeback and continue their original plans in secret."
"As for those secret passages that haven't been found yet, I suggest we don't waste manpower searching for them. Since they've already sensed something's coming, they've probably all left by now."
Zhilan stared intently at Fu Jun with deep eyes: "Since you say so, you must have a solution. Why don't you tell me?"
Fu Jun's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile: "I do have a plan, but you'll have to check it out to see if it's feasible. After all, this is just theoretical; whether it can be implemented is another matter."
Zhilan became interested: "Tell me about it."
Fu Yun said, “Take the first house we searched yesterday as an example. The spies are more insidious than we imagined. They are like rats in the gutter, scattered throughout every corner of Lingzhou City. Many of them have even married locals and had children, using their families as cover, which makes it much more difficult for you to investigate them. What I’m thinking is that since we can’t stop them outside the city, we might as well turn the tables and deal with them by clearing the way.”
Zhilan raised her delicate eyebrows: "Unblock?"
The next instant, her pupils dilated slightly, and she understood the meaning behind Fu Yun's words: "Please step into the trap."
Fu Yun smiled slightly, his gaze towards Zhilan full of admiration and affection: "Not bad, since they are so eager to infiltrate, then let them infiltrate to their heart's content. From now on, everyone entering the city must undergo strict screening. If you find any suspicious persons, don't make a fuss. Just keep a close watch on them in private, so as not to alert them. When the time is right, we will catch them like turtles in a jar and wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
Zhilan looked deeply at Fu Jun, her expression dazed for a moment, then her eyebrows furrowed slightly: "It is a bold plan, but it also has drawbacks, as it may easily harm the people in the city."
Fu Yun did not express an opinion on this, but only asked: "Do men and women here need to register their identities and places of birth with the government before getting married?"
He remembered that historical records indicated that some dynasties required reporting to and filing with local government officials, while others did not. He wondered if this matriarchal society had such a law.
Zhilan nodded: "Of course it is necessary. Our dynasty's laws stipulate that all marriage ceremonies must be recorded in the official records in order to check the population and prevent concealment and fraud."
Fu Yun said, "That makes things easier. We just need to check the identities of the couples who have married in the last two years, focusing on people from other places who have moved into the city. Even if they falsify their identity information, they can't become local residents. As long as we monitor their every move and take precautions against them, this targeted investigation is much simpler than finding a needle in a haystack."
Zhilan continued, "These are only countermeasures against foreign invaders, but what if one of our own people becomes a traitor?"
Fu Yun looked around and lowered her voice: "This brings us to the point. The reason why offense and defense are combined into one word is because both are indispensable in any kind of battlefield. Since we cannot take the initiative to attack, let's do the best we can in terms of defense."
"Oh?" Zhilan's eyes lit up with intense interest: "Then tell me, how should we defend?"
Fu Jun's eyes revealed a mysterious look: "I won't tell you for now. I'll take you to the secret base in a few days, and you'll understand after you see it."
Zhilan was slightly taken aback, then a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes: "You are becoming more and more presumptuous, daring to deliberately whet my appetite."
Fu Yun smiled faintly and remained silent.
Now, he no longer worries that Zhilan will scold him if she's unhappy.
Once you truly understand Zhilan, you will deeply appreciate her personal charm, which is completely opposite to the rumored tyrant who is ruthless, bloodthirsty, and treats human life as worthless.
"To be honest, you have impressed me time and time again. If I didn't know that you were only interested in business, with your intelligence and wisdom, I would have suspected that you approached me with ulterior motives."
Fu Yun: "..."
He waved his hand and declared, "You think too highly of me. I'm just quick-witted and good at theoretical discussions, but I'm no good at practical matters. Not to mention I have no connections, even if I did, I wouldn't know how to be an official or govern. I'm just a straightforward person who speaks my mind. I can't stand seeing corrupt officials causing chaos in the court for their own selfish reasons, doing deceitful, hypocritical, and fraudulent things. It's more suitable for me to make money honestly."
Zhilan chuckled, clearly amused by Fu Yun's words: "You are a delicate and weak man, powerless to protect yourself, who has never entered the court. How could you know about these extravagant and corrupt practices? It must be just wild speculation. You don't need to worry. There is no precedent in our dynasty for men to serve as officials. No matter how resourceful you are, I will not let you get involved in this mess."
Fu Yun: "!" Hello, frail and delicate. Goodbye, frail and delicate.
He was so stung by that damned word that he was numb and couldn't muster the urge to refute it.
He had no interest in officialdom, so he didn't care at all whether he entered the imperial court or not.
Even if in the future the men's physique is improved so that they only become military generals, responsible for fighting on the battlefield, and not civil officials or involved in court decision-making, that would be fine too.
“It would be nice if you were a woman,” Zhilan suddenly sighed.
Fu Yun: "?"
Seeing the confusion in Fu Yun's eyes, Zhi Lan smiled and explained, "If you were a woman, you could enter the court as an official and help me solve my problems."
Fu Yun twitched her lips and thought to herself, "Thank you for your kind words, but I am very satisfied with my gender and have no intention of castrating myself."
Seeing Fu Yun's strange expression, Zhi Lan's smile deepened: "Of course, a man would be even better, otherwise I would never have met such a pleasing and noble consort as you, wouldn't you say?"
Fu Yun's face flushed, and when he looked up, he met a pair of beautiful eyes filled with affection. The eyes were burning and sparkling, and the affection for Fu Yun was undisguised. The tone was helpless yet doting: "I don't know if you've put a spell on me. I miss you so much when I don't see you for a day, and I want to see you all the time."
Noticing a suspicious blush on Fu Yun's cheeks, Zhi Lan's desire to tease him intensified: "Tell me, what should I do?"
Fu Yun was agitated, her ears burning, and she was momentarily unable to resist.
Please! Stop flirting, or you'll be in big trouble.
His heart felt like it was bursting with dazzling fireworks, but he refused to admit defeat so easily, saying defiantly, "Gaining your favor is my greatest fortune. I don't know how to make you feel more relaxed and happy."
He looked into Zhilan's shimmering eyes with a serious expression: "You have always been devoted to the country and its people, never putting your own wishes first. I hope that in addition to the great love for the country, you can also have your own little love, love yourself more, and live a more carefree and unrestrained life."
He felt inexplicably ashamed after he finished speaking; such hesitant words were not his style, and he usually couldn't bring himself to say them.
He lowered his eyes, forcing himself to remain calm, and pretended to sip his tea at a leisurely pace.
He slowly finished his cup of tea without hearing any response from Zhilan.
Fu Yun couldn't help but have some doubts. Could it be that his sweet words didn't sound sincere?
He looked up and was immediately drawn into those captivating eyes.
Zhilan stared intently at him, her eyes brimming with intense emotions. When he looked up, she beckoned to him and said softly, "Come here?"
Fu Yun: "?"
Zhilan said patiently, "Come before me."
Fu Yun, puzzled, put down her teacup and walked over to Zhi Lan, who was just across the table. She was about to ask, "What's wrong?"
He was startled to find his waist suddenly tightened, and then he lost his balance and unknowingly sat down on Zhilan's lap.
Fu Yun: "!"
He suddenly widened his eyes, startled, and immediately straightened his back, trying to stand up from Zhilan. He couldn't wait to apologize, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Did I hurt you?"
Unexpectedly, he was unable to stand up because Zhilan's arms were wrapped around his waist and abdomen.
He struggled, but couldn't budge it an inch.
"What? As my beloved consort, can't I even hug you?" Zhilan's voice, half-smiling and half-smiling, came from beside my ear, and my waist was gently caressed by a warm palm.
Fu Yun blushed: "..." It didn't say I couldn't hug, but the positions are clearly reversed!
He truly hadn't expected Zhilan to do something like that. He looked anxiously towards the hall door, hoping no one had seen him, or he would really want to disappear into the ground.
Fortunately, there was no one outside the hall, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But the feeling of being held in Zhilan's arms was indescribably strange. He couldn't get up, and he didn't dare to sit down too hard, afraid of hurting her.
He could only use his knees and calves to stabilize his body, which made his legs tremble slightly.
Zhilan chuckled softly, feeling the stiffness in the person in her arms: "So nervous?"
Then, with just a slight exertion of her arm, the person on her lap fell into her arms.
The little guy looks frail, but his body isn't soft to the touch; instead, it exudes a certain resilience and firmness, which is probably related to the training he mentioned.
The feel of it was even better than she had imagined, making her quite fond of it.
Fu Yun felt like he was on fire, experiencing both the thrill of being intimate with Zhi Lan and the embarrassment of being held in a woman's arms.
He stammered, "Let me down... It wouldn't be good if you hurt yourself sitting on it."
Zhilan gently pinched Fu Jun's cheek, the smooth feeling of his skin touching her heart, making her even happier. She teased softly, "How could you possibly hurt me with such gentleness?"
Fu Yun: "..." Seriously? Although Su Fu Yun is only about 1.73 meters tall, he is still a man. The weight of his frame cannot be changed. Even if he is thin, he is still about 120 centimeters tall, right?
[That's not right, Su Fuyun's score is only around 110.]
Fu Yun: "?"
Wouldn't he be as skinny as a monkey? He didn't understand where the aesthetic appeal lay in such a thin frame.
【You don't understand. In matriarchal societies, thinness is considered beautiful, especially for men. The more delicate and frail a husband is, the more women will adore him.】
Fu Jun was speechless for a moment; this was a concept he couldn't understand.
In his view, a man who is not full of strength is not a man.
110 pounds may not be heavy for a man, but it must be heavy for a woman to bear.
So, suppressing his unease, he asked Zhilan curiously, "Doesn't your leg hurt?"
Zhilan was somewhat amused and exasperated: "I'm holding you in my arms, and this is what you want to know?"
The author's note: The original owner of this body was not tall because she was sickly and malnourished since childhood, but Fu Jun will grow taller after exercising, to about 178 to 180 cm.
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