Yuan Mansion
Yuan Ming was like an elegant and beautiful venomous snake, slithering past Fang'er. Her eyes were captivating, drawing Fang'er's gaze. The words that uttered from her lips were stained with blood, but she didn't care at all, as if she was simply asking: Is this bottle of poison beautiful?
"Why do you insist on me poisoning you?"
Words spoken in a tearful tone can always arouse people's sympathy, but Yuan Ming seemed more excited and her smile was even brighter.
"Do you believe in fate? Look, I met you the first time I came here. It was fate. Back then, you were like a little mushroom, squatting in a corner, crying whenever you encountered something. But there was nothing I could do about it, because you were weak. So, I suddenly thought, how fun it would be if you could kill Zhang He."
Fang'er's eyes carefully climbed up Yuan Ming's pale cheek and said weakly, "Just because it's interesting?"
"Jedi counterattack, this is my favorite scene to watch. I know how exciting it is, but I'm too unlucky to experience it properly."
Yuan Ming in her previous life had indeed never experienced this. She continued, "Little girl, I felt sorry for you, so I gave you this opportunity. Even without you, I could still have secretly delivered the poison to Zhang He's mouth."
"So," Yuan Ming pulled Fang'er up, "Do you want this opportunity?"
It's really strange, Fang'er thought. The woman in front of her looked so pale, like a sickly beauty, but her eyes were so clear and bright, and her whole body exuded an unconcealable confidence.
Under Yuan Ming's seductive gaze, Fang'er unconsciously clenched the medicine bottle, brushed past Yuan Ming, and with firm steps left this small corner where she licked her wounds.
After Fang'er left, Yuan Ming's heart was filled with complex emotions. She looked at a small piece of sky on the high wall - pure blue, just like the starry lake that she was fascinated by in her childhood.
"Wish me good luck," she muttered to herself. "I won't walk the path of my past life again. God in the dark, whether you exist or not, I hope you will be satisfied with the answers I write on the test paper of rebirth."
Yuan Ming turned around and hid himself in this magnificent mansion wrapped in gold, which would soon become Zhang He's execution ground.
…
Zhong Yingqi had a premonition that Yuan Ming would make a great comeback.
She was hiding so many things from him, and he had no way to deal with it.
Now Zhong Yingqi can only pin his hopes on Yuan Ming not touching his bottom line, otherwise, facing the feelings that he cannot express at the moment, he doesn't know how to end it.
But Zhong Yingqi never expected that Yuan Ming would act so quickly...
Fang'er brought a pot of hot tea and knocked on Zhang He's door.
Before this, Zhang He was so angry that he killed all the concubines he had abducted except Fang'er. Therefore, part of the responsibility of taking care of his food, clothing, housing and transportation fell on Fang'er.
Zhang He is a man of arrogance and extravagance, but he is also somewhat alert. However, facing Fang'er's cowardly character, he can only say that what Yuan Ming said about fate may really exist.
"Get in here." Zhang He's voice was low and listless. Perhaps it was because he had a long conversation with Zhong Yingqi last night that this plump yet frail body protested today.
Fang'er was still timid and trembling, but Zhang He was not surprised. He picked up the cup of famous Western tea, took a sip, and frowned slightly.
"Why does this tea taste different from before?"
Fang'er fell to the ground with weak legs. She followed Yuan Ming's instructions and poured all three bottles of poison into the pot of tea, but she found that the two bottles of medicine Yuan Ming gave her later were somewhat different from the previous one.
Fang'er's heart was in her throat.
Zhang He's sticky eyes were fixed on her, and then his fat hands climbed up her slender arms.
"You can't even make tea properly. You're such a fool, you're lucky to have met me. Fortunately, although you're stupid, you have some good fortune, otherwise you and your sisters would have turned into a pile of rotten bones by now. We were interrupted by that Zhong Yingqi yesterday, so let's continue today."
The fat and big-eared body approached Fang'er, and Fang'er closed her eyes helplessly as before.
But the expected thing did not happen. Fang'er opened her eyes: Yuan Ming grabbed Zhang He's sparse hair and made his whole body fall to the ground with a bang.
Zhang He grabbed Yuan Ming's right hand that was pulling his hair with both hands, and Yuan Ming quickly took out a rag with his other hand and stuffed it into Zhang He's mouth fiercely, even using his fist.
After a few punches, Zhang He kept struggling, but he was visibly defeated. He had no strength in his body and finally became like a fish out of water, allowing Yuan Ming to manipulate him.
To be honest, Fang'er once imagined that this fairy-like girl was a hero from a certain sect in the martial arts world, who traveled the world with a sword and was heroic. When she saw Zhang He oppressing the people, she took action to punish him for the sake of justice in her heart.
But now, Fang'er discovered how wild this woman's ways were.
Yuan Ming threw Zhang He, who was tied up, to the ground and gently patted the dust off his hands. Suddenly, he saw Fang'er sitting motionless on the ground and smiled.
"I originally wanted to wait for the drug to take effect and then punish Zhang He yourself, but I saw that he was planning something bad on you, so I took the initiative."
After saying that, Yuan Ming glanced at Zhang He and kicked him in the face again. Zhang He couldn't make a sound and lay on the ground sobbing.
Yuan Ming still felt that this was not enough, so he grabbed Zhang He's ear and said, "You bastard, do you know who I am?"
Zhang He's face was filled with fear, and he was trying to speak. Yuan Ming punched the rag gag again and said, "It seems like he knows."
Yuan Ming looked down at him and asked, "Do you want to live?"
Zhang He, with a bruised nose and swollen eyes, nodded wildly.
"From now on, the soldiers under your command will obey my orders. Also, I need you to confess your guilt for collaborating with the Liang State. As for the rest, we will discuss it when I need you."
Fang'er saw Yuan Ming skillfully take out the prefect's military token from a secret drawer and start writing something.
Fang'er didn't understand what she was going to do, so she just slowly crawled to Yuan Ming's side. Yuan Ming looked at her playfully and said, "If you have anything to ask, just ask."
"Can I go home?"
Yuan Ming paused, his eyes rarely evading, but his words were still straightforward:
"You have no home. Your parents died when I went to visit them, and that shabby house collapsed into ruins three days ago. It's only by chance that I know about your situation."
Fang'er's tears burst out.
"I'm sorry for lying to you. My original plan was just to use you to slowly poison the person. After all, you're always in the mansion, so it's not easy to be exposed. It's much more convenient than me doing it myself."
Fang'er didn't listen to Yuan Ming's next words. She seemed to have lost her soul.
Yuan Ming no longer disturbed Fang'er and chose to give her time to slowly digest the sadness.
After all, Yuan Ming has more important things to do at the moment.
Controlling Zhang He doesn't mean controlling Mucheng. After all, seizing power is a battle of military strength. Yuan Ming currently has no soldiers, so he has to trick Zhong Yingqi.
Poison-making master Yuan Ming stroked the papers on the table, then took out a bottle of poison from his sleeve, his eyes burning.
It is impossible to take down a city, but it is easy to take down the people of an entire prefecture.
Yuan Ming wrote down Zhang He's crimes and looked back at Fang'er.
Yuan Ming considered Fang'er a companion, but her companion was too weak and incompetent, so she had no reason to turn around and hold her back every time. So, this was Yuan Ming's last chance to give Fang'er.
"Don't cry. Tears can't bring back your parents' lives."
Yuan Ming approached Fang Er, and her eyes examined her whole body, finally stopping at her tearful almond eyes. She coaxed Fang Er again:
"I'm not sure it was Zhang He who killed your parents, but he definitely had something to do with it. Do you want revenge?"
Hearing this, the fat flesh began to wriggle and tremble. Fang'er was still dazed. She asked, "Can I kill him?"
If Fang'er had listened carefully to what Yuan Ming said before, she should have known that Yuan Ming wanted to save Zhang He's life. The answer was definitely no, at least not now.
Yuan Ming didn't care about these trivial matters. Her words were as sweet as honey, attracting the little bee named Fang'er to listen carefully.
"If Zhang He dies, will you be free?"
Fang'er didn't answer. She used her not-so-bright brain to find the answer to the question, but the answer was: No.
"What should I do?" She never thought about what kind of road she was walking on. The environment she had lived in shaped her, and of course her personality also played a role.
Yuan Ming told Fang Er: "Your parents must expect you to try your best to survive. I can tell you how to survive, but from now on you have to listen to me and do whatever I tell you to do. Do you accept that?"
Fang'er nodded, actually she had no choice. Zhang He was right. For someone as weak, timid and stupid as her, living alone outside would be a luxury.
Yuan Ming handed the medicine bottle to Fang'er for the third time. "This time it's not poison, but cartilage powder that makes you weak all over. Put it in the guards' food. Tomorrow, the Zhang Mansion will be closed to visitors."
This magnificent mansion looks intimidating, but it is vulnerable inside.
Fang'er huddled beside Yuan Ming, while Yuan Ming sat on the armchair with a cold look in her eyes, making it hard to guess what was brewing in her mind.
The crowd below slumped on the ground helplessly, all eyes turning to the mysterious woman who suddenly appeared.
After a long silence, Yuan Ming slowly spoke: "Everyone here, please allow me to introduce myself first. My last name is Yuan, and my first name is Ming. I have become famous recently, so perhaps some of you know me."
Someone exclaimed: "It's the former princess."
Surprise and confusion crossed people's faces. Yuan Ming's identity was like a thunderclap, stirring up quite a stir in the silent mansion.
Yuan Ming took in everything, letting the crowd below murmur and chatter. Yuan Ming calculated with his fingers that the effect of the cartilage powder was about to wear off, so he spoke:
"I'm sure you're all very confused by my arrival. I've arrived here unexpectedly, and I deeply detest Zhang He's actions. I've been sneaking into the mansion for many days, and I know you're all forced into this, perhaps even victims. So today, I'm here to save you."
There was another commotion. No one knew what Yuan Ming was going to do, so they listened more carefully to what Yuan Ming would say next.
Yuan Ming leaned lazily on the chair and called Fang'er softly, "You tell me what's going to happen next."
Fang'er's legs trembled as she moved forward at the slow pace of a snail. "Your Highness... we've found... the wages and monthly allowances that Zhang He has withheld from you. We'll give them back to you later. And... we hate what Zhang He did, so we've decided to double the money you'll receive."
“Double it!”
A guard stood up and stepped forward: "May I ask what your Highness's intention is?"
Yuan Ming's eyes were dim as he spoke slowly, "This is what you all deserve. As for this mansion, Governor Zhang is unworthy of his position, so he has transferred it to me."
Someone said: "The governor is the lord of a county, so..."
What he meant was that you, Yuan Ming, a deposed princess without any soldiers, are daydreaming of wanting to take over a city for nothing by resorting to such a shameful method as poisoning.
Yuan Ming was not at all panicked, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
She said, "Mucheng is a border city, and you may have heard that the Liang army attacked the northern border camp at night. You may not know that Zhang He has contacted the Liang army to surrender, and is preparing to offer Mucheng to protect himself when the Liang army attacks the Qi Kingdom."
"There's such a thing!"
"I discovered this matter. After much difficulty, I found evidence of Zhang He's treason. The evidence is irrefutable. Zhang He has confessed to it. This is Zhang He's personal confession."
Everyone was shocked. The book of guilt was circulated among the crowd, and those who could read read it aloud. This incident made the crowd boil with excitement. Who could have thought that Zhang He was so bold.
Yuan Ming saw that the time was ripe and said, "I have already informed General Zhong about this matter. Don't worry, it's never too late to mend the fences. Now, I'd like to ask you directly, are you willing to stay? This mansion is now my territory, Yuan Ming."
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