After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Chapter 168 Lu Jian's Mantis Stalking Cicada Trap

But Lu Jian did not find this seemingly evasive statement funny at all. Instead, he looked at Cui Yuanshu seriously and said, "I originally thought that Xue Fengshi would be the one to come."

"..." To be honest, if Lu Jian weren't the emperor, Cui Yuanshu would have punched him right now.

Damn it, the court assembly just now hinted at that, and they even said "I thought..."

Despite his insults, Cui Yuanshu still gave a perfunctory bow.

He acted as if he was very willing to play this role, saying, "Although the Censor-in-Chief has a heart to serve the country, he is too upright."

"Such a morally reprehensible thing is better left to a treacherous person like me."

“…” Staring at the old man who had embezzled 700,000 taels of silver in the He family case, Lu Jian suddenly felt a little reluctant to part with him.

Ultimately, one cannot be too upright when in a high position.

The Minister of Revenue remained calm, saying, "A merciful ruler cannot command an army, nor can he accomplish anything because of sentiment. Your Majesty must not be soft-hearted or lenient because of me."

After a moment of silence, Lu Jian took out a bottle from under the table. "I have prepared the medicinal ingredients and tested them with a human Gu. The effect is quite good."

"Thank you..." Baili Ming and the Minister of Revenue were about to express their gratitude when they saw Lu Jian take out another bottle.

"despair"

Take out another one.

"despair"

"despair"

"Tap tap..."

In the end, Lu Jian took out a total of eighteen.

Even the well-informed head of the family, Baili Mingren, was dumbfounded.

Cui Yuanshu was so calm he was practically cracking; his old face froze.

Um... wait, is their emperor really that thick-skinned?

Lu Jian, however, maintained a dignified demeanor and casually picked up the booklet to read it again.

"Humph~"

"It's just three bowls of blood. I am vigorous and skilled in martial arts, so it's nothing to me."

[I can handle farts all the time, but I almost didn't make it through the last time.]

"..." Cui Yuanshu didn't know what to say for a moment.

He could only praise him, saying, "Your Majesty truly loves the people like your own children; I will certainly not fail your trust."

Lu Jian was not modest at all, "That's right!"

"I am a wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages. You should be grateful to have an emperor like me."

? ?

The level of shamelessness is shocking!

Baili Ming, who had originally intended to make a gesture, immediately felt it was unnecessary.

But after thinking about it, he said, "Your Majesty, please do not send Eunuch Zhang over today."

Since Baili San Niang's accident, Zhang Shan has been offering incense at the Baili family's residence for seven days on behalf of Lu Jian.

"Okay," Lu Jian thought for a moment and understood what Baili Ming meant.

Seven days of sincerity is enough; any more and the court officials will object.

"However, the medicinal ingredients are hard to come by, so use them sparingly."

Of course, he wouldn't say that when he was testing the antidote, he was whipped dozens of times by the crazed morning glory vines.

......

After Baili Ming and Cui Yuanshu left, Lu Jian also began to seriously review the situation.

From the moment he arrived at Fengdu Garden, Wang Qingyan made it clear to everyone that if his life were in danger, the Gu Tree and Gu Guard would go berserk.

Like a mad dog protecting its master, it will never let go unless it dies itself or the enemy dies.

To this end, he also tried to secretly cultivate a few Gu trees transplanted from Fengdu Garden.

The original plan was to thoroughly improve this strange tree so that Wang Qingyan could be completely eliminated from his position.

Unfortunately, I tried hundreds of times but failed.

Things only took a new turn when Baili Ce brought back the Ancestral Gu.

He had personally tested the effects of the Ancestral Gu, and it was truly domineering. Without taking the time to adjust it, very few people could withstand it.

And because over the years, many people have come to fear Wang Qingyan from the bottom of their hearts, he had no choice but to use Baili Shi to set up this "mantis stalking the cicada trap".

At Wang Qingyan's wedding banquet, his antics with Baili Ming successfully made Baili Ce the "cicada" that was fought over and schemed against.

Li, the steward, Shucheng Prefect, and even Baili Sanniang, who had always been dissatisfied with Wang Qingyan, each plotted their own schemes and became "mantises" destined to die.

Thus, the entire "mantis stalking the cicada" scenario was brought to a head.

Unable to bear the betrayal and scheming, and disregarding everyone else, Wang Qingyan went with the flow, positioning himself as the "wild card" in the game.

Lu Jian sees himself as a “bird catcher”.

However, based on his current strength, he may not be able to quickly kill Wang Qingyan, this "sow-dew" (a metaphor for a mantis stalking a cicada), for a long time to come.

Therefore, his ultimate goal is—

Let the facts tell the world that Chao Sheng is not scary, but Wang Shi can be killed.

This is very important.

Very important.

Even if it cannot completely eliminate the fear brought about by the Chaosheng Gu scourge, it will definitely sow a seed for the people of the Gu-infected land to stand up and resist Wang Qingyan.

But for the seed to take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree, Baili Ce, this "cicada," cannot die.

We must not let Wang Qingyan discover that the Ancestral Gu is with her.

Therefore, he needed a pawn, namely Cui Yuanshu, to replace the controlled "cicada".

......

With an astonishing number of Gu Guards at his disposal, Wang Qingyan restored Lincheng to its original state in just half a month.

He also allocated a large sum of money and grain to her, instructing her to continue making donations at the Marriage Temple on Changshun Street, saying that since she believed in this, she should continue making donations for a few more months.

Okay, okay, you're going to badmouth her, aren't you?

But what she was more concerned about was, "Where did you get so much money and food?"

"Why can't I have that much money and grain?" Wang Qingyan retorted.

"Starving people entered the city, and countless families were looted. How could you..."

Wang Qingyan couldn't help but chuckle, "Ha..."

"You're so adorably absent-minded sometimes~"

"When prosperity comes, the people suffer; when decline comes, the people suffer."

"In this world, the poor and miserable are always just ordinary people."

"..." Bai Li Ce was stunned by his words and stood there dumbfounded.

He asked, knowing the answer already, "Is something wrong?"

"Are you really worried about me?" Baili Ceze looked at him with sarcasm.

"I'm worried."

I'm worried about her—

What other close friends or acquaintances are there that I don't know about?

"I'm fine" doesn't mean I'm uncomfortable.

He pulled her close, leaned in, and pressed his forehead against hers. It felt a little cool, so Wang Qingyan wanted to close the window.

"Don't turn it off."

"It's getting windy, and it wouldn't be good if we caught a cold. Let's turn it on again tomorrow when it's warmer."

"Are you now going to take away even my freedom to breathe?"

Wang Qingyan's hand paused by the window...

When he turned back, his expression was much more serious. "I just didn't want you to be upset."

Don't you want me to be upset?

That's hilarious! You've already killed someone, and you're telling me this?

If I hadn't reacted quickly, would I still be sitting here?

"I just felt tightness in my chest and wanted to get some fresh air," but that's okay, she could explain.

Hearing her say that, a deep smile appeared in Wang Qingyan's eyes again... Suddenly he leaned closer, pressed down, and kissed Baili Ce so hard that he almost couldn't catch his breath.

"Huff..." After letting her go, he was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

"You!" Baili Ce was furious.

She shook off his hand from her shoulder, kicked the stool back, and rushed forward, intending to punch him.

I thought about it and decided against it; I couldn't beat them anyway.

Seeing her gritted teeth and helpless expression, Wang Qingyan arrogantly raised an eyebrow, "Now that's what you call chest tightness."

He took her tightly clenched but ultimately useless fist, held it in his hand, and kept it close to his heart. "Look," he said, "we even have the same heartbeat."

Why should you get angry over someone who is nobody to you?

"..." Honestly, if she were even slightly more fragile, she would have jumped off the building already.

He pretended not to see the expression on her face and took her for a stroll in the newly renovated garden.

"I do not want to go."

"That won't do! You haven't left the house for almost two weeks. If you stay here any longer, you'll get so bored!"

He spoke lightly, showing no sign of worry.

"Besides... I want to go."

That's strange. "If you want to go, then go."

Nobody's stopping you~

Turning back to look at her, Wang Qingyan said calmly and matter-of-factly, "You said you would stay with me all the time."

Take a deep breath...

Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you get angry to death, no one will take your place.

"Let's go shopping then."

What's so interesting about visiting a run-down garden?

"Okay, then change into something thicker."

......