Lu Yue returned to the Prince Regent’s Mansion with the demeanor of a prince regent and soon heard the report from the guards that the Prime Minister had come to visit.
“Let him in,” Lu Yue said, taking a sip of the hot tea in the white jade cup, gently parting his lips.
Before long, Huan Chong, with his high official hat, had already entered.
“I wonder what brings the Prime Minister here?” Lu Yue pondered, imitating the tone of speech of the original owner.
Huan Chong got straight to the point: “Why did the Prince Regent defend Li Ji today?”
Lu Yue smiled, “And why did the Prime Minister frame Li Ji in the first place?”
“This… Who is this Li Ji? Hasn’t the Prince Regent figured it out yet? That day he saved His Majesty the Emperor and injured several sons of noble families. Isn’t that going against us?”
Lu Yue lowered his voice, contemplating for a moment. “He is indeed suspicious, and very likely a member of the royal party.”
“The royal party?” Huan Chong’s face showed surprise, obviously startled by the appearance of the “royal party” that had emerged out of nowhere.
Lu Yue solemnly said, “Yes, among these civil and military officials, there are still many who were loyal to the late emperor, seemingly obedient to me on the surface, but they have long been colluding behind the scenes.”
Huan Chong immediately responded, “Then it’s even more reason to kill Li Ji, to deter others!”
Lu Yue cast a cold glance, “Foolish! We I kill him, those royalists will only retreat further into their shells. We don’t fully understand their situation yet, so let’s not push them too hard for now. Just have someone secretly watch them, then we can pull them out one by one and eradicate them.”
Huan Chong was both stunned and admiring of Lu Yue’s meticulous thinking.
“I’ll immediately have someone watch Li Ji!”
“No need. You’re the prime minister; I’ll assign someone else to handle such trivial matters. You keep an eye on the others and see if there are any movements among them.”
“Alright, I’ll follow the Prince Regent’s arrangement.”
After sending away Huan Chong, Lu Yue had another pot of hot tea brought in and enjoyed it with narrowed eyes.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[Host, what do you mean by “royal party” that you mentioned before? Isn’t Li Ji the only one in the court who supports the male lead?]
Lu Yue chuckled: [I was just deceiving them. Apart from Li Ji and the silently neutral faction, almost everyone else belongs to the Prince Regent’s party. Saying that was just to confuse him and divert his attention.]
001 suddenly enlightened: [Host, you’re so clever, but won’t Huan Chong and the others see through it?]
Lu Yue: [No need to worry, not for now. I’ll help the male lead grow stronger before they become suspicious, and meanwhile, foster some affection.]
001: […That’s your real goal, isn’t it?]
Lu Yue solemnly: [It’s all for the mission.]
Pc atf vlwis ila rfmgfa mtjwyfg, j rlifca bli ijwq kjr revvfcis ila, jcv atf rwjii vbar bo iluta rffwfv qjgalmeijgis vjhhilcu lc atf cjggbk rqjmf.
Ktf vbbg mgfjxfv bqfc, obiibkfv ys atf gerailcu rbecv bo ojyglm riffnfr ygertlcu jujlcra atf jlg.
“What do you think about today’s matter?” Both individuals in the room were dressed in eunuch attire from the palace, but the speaker was a young man. The warm yellow candlelight cast upon his breathtakingly beautiful face, resembling a perfectly sculpted figure divided between light and darkness.
“The Prince Regent’s actions today are indeed puzzling. He couldn’t possibly be unaware that Huan Chong intends to frame me, yet he still intervened on my behalf. There might be a deeper conspiracy at play. Your Majesty, our situation is worrying!”
Ol Al ibbxfv ja atf atlc jcv sbecu fwqfgbg yfobgf tlw, klat tlr ojmf oliifv klat vffq mbcmfgc.
Liu Jun’s narrow eyes revealed a hint of seriousness, with the flickering light reflecting in his eyes. Liu Yuan’s behavior in the court today was indeed bewildering. What exactly was he up to?
“Don’t make any more moves today, and don’t come to see me for a period of time.”
“Your Majesty suspects that we are being watched?”
“Not yet, but there will be one soon.” Liu Yuan let Li Ji go, the only possibility being that he wanted to use him to root out all those who opposed him. Unfortunately, he guessed wrong; besides Li Ji, there was no one else.
Liu Yuan, you’re wasting your efforts.
Li Ji suddenly understood Liu Jun’s meaning and hastily bowed, saying, “I understand.”
The most important thing now is to remain still and watch as they tear themselves apart.
As the lamp went out, the secret chamber once again plunged into darkness, and was so quiet that it seemed as if no one had ever been there.
Over the next three days, Lu Yue thoroughly explored the Prince Regent’s Mansion and was surprised to find that the original owner’s mansion was even larger than the imperial palace. The garden alone was twice the size of the Emperor’s imperial garden.
Hmm, it seems this Prince Regent held quite some power, but unfortunately, he ended up being killed by the male lead, and his death was quite miserable.
So, why bother competing with the male lead for power? It would be much better to live a leisurely life as a prince.
Lu Yue leisurely spent three days wandering around his mansion, as if he truly considered himself an idle prince. Just when even 001 couldn’t bear it any longer, someone finally came to his door to deliver an invitation to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
“Your Highness, this is an invitation from Minister Sun of the Ministry of Rites. This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will be held at the Moon-viewing Pavilion in the palace. Please come and honor us, Prince Regent.”
“Understood.” Lu Yue dismissed the messenger and then unfolded the red invitation, embossed with golden lettering.
001: [Host, are you going to attend?]
Lu Yue: [Of course, I must attend. How else will I encounter the male lead?]
001: [Will the male lead be there too?]
Lu Yue rolled his eyes: [Didn’t it mention in the mission briefly that the male lead will disguise himself as a dancer to entertain the guests at the banquet? It’s surprising that even as a high-level intelligent system, you can’t remember this.]
Feeling disliked by Lu Yue’s remark, 001 decided to stay silent and not say another word.
Three days later, Lu Yue arrived at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in a carriage. As soon as the black python robe that symbolized the Prince Regent’s identity appeared, people swarmed around him.
“Your Highness, the Prince Regent has arrived!”
“Your Highness, how have you been lately?”
“Your Highness, this is a Mid-Autumn congratulatory gift prepared by this humble official. Please accept it!”
“Your Highness, I have also prepared a small token of appreciation. I hope you’ll accept it!”
—
Lu Yue was overwhelmed by the noise, and being surrounded by a group of old men, he had to pretend to be unaffected while smiling and responding. In no time, he found himself with a pile of treasures as high as a small hill at his feet.
So many people flattering him, wouldn’t this increase the male lead’s resentment towards him? Lu Yue silently pondered in his mind.
Fortunately, these ministers did not forget about tonight’s banquet. After achieving their purpose, they all found their seats in the Moon-viewing Pavilion.
As the name suggests, the Moon-viewing Pavilion was built for enjoying the moon. When the late emperor constructed this pavilion, it was for the purpose of moon-watching and entertainment with the ministers. Therefore, the Moon-viewing Pavilion was quite spacious, with over twenty stone tables laid out with exquisite snacks and fresh grapes. Lu Yue sat cross-legged, and when he lifted his head, he could see the moon in the sky perfectly.
The banquet began, and cups clinked together. Many people forced Lu Yue to drink, and if it weren’t for letting 001 adjust the alcohol content in his body, he would probably have been drunk long ago.
With drinking and having fun, it naturally had singing and dancing.
The sound of the harp and the plucked string instruments filled the air. Lu Yue, with half-drunken eyes, saw a slender girl dancing gracefully before him.
Although people in ancient times were relatively primitive, these beauties were all naturally exquisite. Lu Yue, despite being gay, couldn’t help but feel a bit intoxicated by the beauty before him.
At that moment, 001’s voice appeared in his mind.
[Host! The male lead is about to appear!]
The familiar mechanical voice immediately made Lu Yue sobered up a little.
He looked up and saw a young man with an absolutely beautiful face, wearing a crimson silk dress. He was barefoot, and had silver bracelets and anklets on his wrist, each adorned with a bell.
The young man was slightly taller than an average woman, but he didn’t seem out of place. When he lifted his dark eyes, many people gasped.
He was astonishingly beautiful, like a celestial being.
Lu Yue was also stunned. Even though this was his second time seeing the protagonist, the impact was no less intense.
However, he quickly regained his composure. Staring at the male lead like this would surely make him hold a grudge.
Thank you for the chapter✨
Thanks for the chapter 💖
😸💖