Chapter 290 A wolf in sheep's clothing
The long night finally passed.
When Nanli Jun and the officials returned from Mount Li, it was already dawn.
Seeing that everyone was in a disheveled state, Lord Nanli showed mercy and allowed everyone to go back to their homes to change clothes and then enter the palace for the banquet in the evening.
After everyone left, Nan Lijun said to Zhi Luo with great satisfaction:
"Your suggestion is truly brilliant. I should reward you handsomely."
Zhiluo knelt respectfully, declined the reward, and asked with a forced smile:
"How does Your Highness intend to deal with Yun Chen?"
He had never expected that this elaborate plan would fail to deceive Huo Gannian and instead push Yun Chen into the fire pit by mistake. Zhi Luo was anxious but did not dare to show it on his face. He pretended to be calm and said:
"General Yun is a simple and straightforward person. If we say he is a rebel and has the intention of rebellion, I'm afraid no one in the court will believe it and it will be difficult to convince the public. It would be better to investigate those who are close to him. I think it is very likely that General Yun is suffering for others this time!"
Nan Lijun thought about it for a moment and felt that it made sense.
Based on her understanding of Yun Chen over the years, and watching him steadily rise from a guard to a major general, she was also surprised this time that Yun Chen was the traitor who entered the palace.
Compared to Yun Chen, she even felt that Huo Gannian was more likely to have rebellious intentions.
Zhi Luo thought quickly in his mind and suggested:
"Your Highness, you've forgotten that this Lishan Road test is designed to test the loyalty of all officials, and secondly, and most importantly, to take advantage of the departure of the Beijing troops to eliminate Ni Kun! Why not just label Ni Kun as the mastermind behind this, claiming that he framed General Yun? That way, we'll have a better excuse to take action."
Nan Lijun hesitated. "Yun Chen is a man of exceptional martial arts skills and intelligence. If we let him go so easily, wouldn't that be like letting a tiger go back to the mountains?"
"What are you afraid of? A fierce tiger can also be used for your own benefit." Zhi Luo was about to speak when he saw Yan Shijiu walking out of the side hall while speaking. "As long as the tiger's chain is in your hands, why would you be afraid of it returning to the mountains?"
Yan Shijiu had already taken off his armor and changed into his casual clothes. He said with a cynical smile:
"In my opinion, why not give Zhiluo to General Yun? With Lord Zhiluo in charge, won't General Yun be obedient and serve us to the fullest?"
After saying that, he stepped forward and hugged Nan Lijun's waist.
Seeing this, Zhi Luo suppressed his joy and retreated obediently.
Yan Shijiu embraced Nan Lijun in his arms, his tone filled with both anger and relief, and continued:
"Why didn't you tell me earlier about this grand plan of yours? I was so worried! I was almost scared to death!"
Nan Lijun didn't really take Yan Shijiu's jokes about the arranged marriage to heart.
Her heart and eyes were filled with Yan Shijiu. She hugged him back affectionately, and said with a little pride on her face:
"Since this is a test, I'll include you in it. Let me see how much you love me."
Yan Shijiu hugged Nan Lijun tightly, leaned over and kissed her lips, lingering for a long time.
He didn't stop the passionate kiss until her body softened unconsciously, and asked in her ear with a slight gasp:
"So now you know?"
Nan Lijun had almost no strength to stand on her own. Her whole body was soft and boneless as she nestled in Yan Shijiu's arms, and her stunning face was flushed with a bright blush.
She wanted to tease him about how he looked so funny when he ran to Mount Li with his armor on backwards, but she couldn't help but choke up as she spoke:
"I understand. You are the only one who loves me the most in this world..."
As she spoke, Nan Lijun's nose felt sore, and tears welled up in her eyes. "My father loved my mother the most, and then me. My mother loved herself the most, so she cruelly abandoned me. Inside and outside the palace, everyone respects me and fears me, but no one truly loves me..."
"I understand. Good A'li, don't cry." Yan Shijiu gently kissed away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Of course he understands.
He understands this feeling of extreme loneliness and bone-chilling cold better than anyone else in the world.
So he knew especially well how to control Nan Lijun's heart.
As for Nan Lijun, she would probably never forget the sight of Yan Shijiu riding his horse alone towards her last night under the stars and the moon.
By then, all the messengers had withdrawn from their missions, and the prayer hall fell into an uneasy silence.
For a moment, Nan Lijun felt extremely nervous.
She was looking forward to this test, but also afraid to face its results.
She was afraid that everything was just as Huo Gannian said, that Yan Shijiu had evil intentions and approached her only to plot against the Nan Kingdom.
Fortunately, her lover did not let her down.
Just as she was feeling anxious, a palace maid looked into the dark distance and exclaimed in surprise:
"Looks like someone's coming! Someone has received the message and is coming to rescue His Highness!"
"Look who it is? How come they're the first to arrive so quickly?"
"It seems to be Master Yan!"
"It's really Master Yan!"
The palace servants became excited and prepared to welcome the first loyal minister who risked his life to come to the rescue.
Nan Lijun also stood up unconsciously and looked into the distance nervously.
The clatter of horse hooves came from afar, echoing throughout the empty prayer hall and making her heart pound.
Soon, she saw Yan Shijiu riding his horse on a meteor, breaking through the darkness and running towards her fearlessly.
The stars and the moon illuminate his young and handsome face.
He raised his spear high, and the cold tip shone into his anxious and heartbroken eyes.
The corners of his eyes were slightly red, as if he was trying hard not to cry.
The moment he saw that she was safe and sound, he felt relieved, and looked at her with tears in his eyes as he smiled foolishly.
At that moment, Nan Lijun knew that the man in front of her was the only love of her life.
She wanted to be with him in life and by his side in death.
The more he thought about it, the more his heart trembled, and Nan Lijun couldn't help but began to sob softly.
Yan Shijiu held her in his arms and coaxed her softly over and over again:
"Good Ahri, don't cry."
…
…
Two hours of spring night passed. After seeing Nan Lijun fall into a deep sleep, Yan Shijiu kicked away Nan Lijun's scattered clothes on the ground and picked up his own robe and put it on.
He walked out of the hall with an expressionless face, looking down at Zhiluo who had been waiting in the corner for a long time.
Zhi Luo originally wanted to thank Yan Shijiu for proposing to arrange a marriage between her and Yun Chen, but she saw Yan Shijiu slowly walking towards her with an unprecedented coldness and oppression.
Whenever Zhi Luo saw Yan Shijiu, he was always frivolous and unruly in front of Nan Lijun. This was the first time he saw him show such a cold expression.
For some reason, Zhiluo suddenly felt that perhaps this was the real him without the mask of smile.
Yan Shijiu looked at Zhi Luo coldly from under his eyes, his gaze like two pitch-black nails.
"I gave you such a great show on Mount Li, but you used it so poorly. It seems I overestimated you."
Zhi Luo unconsciously avoided Yan Shijiu's gaze, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect Huo Gannian to suddenly fall into a coma. Fan Jian didn't recognize Huo Gannian and mistook Yun Chen for him. I will take care of Fan Jian."
There was a cold frost of impatience in Yan Shijiu's eyes, like a poisonous snake trying hard not to show its fangs.
"Wan Chen, you know I don't hit women."
As soon as she finished speaking, a dark shadow of a secret guard instantly appeared in front of Zhi Luo. With a "slap", a heavy slap landed on her face, which stunned her and she fell to the ground.
Wan Chen is a martial artist, so his slap is much harder than that of an average person.
Zhi Luo was beaten so hard that his head felt dizzy, his cheeks immediately swelled up, and a fishy and sweet taste came out of his mouth.
Yan Shijiu spoke gloomily:
"If you accidentally hurt Yun Chen again, I will send you to serve as a female official for the King of Hell. There are 143 female officials in the Shangyi Bureau. Since I can support you, I can naturally support others as well."
Zhi Luo covered his face and slowly stood up. He did not stand up, but knelt on the ground with his head down and replied in a low voice:
"yes."
At this moment, she knew very well in her heart that Yan Shijiu was simply a wolf in sheep's clothing.
In other words, it's a giant devouring python disguised as a smiling pet.
This was not someone she could afford to offend.
She began to think about withdrawing from the conspiracy and staying away from Yan Shijiu.
Yan Shijiu seemed to have completely understood her thoughts, and suddenly put on an extremely friendly smile, but his eyes were still cold.
He took out the handkerchief from Zhiluo's arms and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, saying lovingly:
"Be obedient, you are only one step away from Yun Chen. Do you want to give up now? His Highness will sooner or later betroth the female official to Yun Chen in order to win him over. What, do you hope that person is not you?"
Zhi Luo was shaken, but didn't say anything.
She raised her eyes to look at Yan Shijiu, and was looking into a bottomless abyss.
For no reason, Zhiluo suddenly had a feeling.
She felt as if she was getting further and further away from Yun Chen.
It seems like I will never be able to get close to her in this lifetime.
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