CH 143

Qin Luoshuang suddenly understood. The Purge Committee, wasn't it the department responsible for eradicating criminals against humanity?

He wasn't just talking nonsense.

Had he planned this all along?

Did every word he said contain a deeper meaning that I couldn't see?

Did he usually cover up his true feelings with jokes and nonsense?

Was his demeanor due to unbearable past pain, or something else?

Was his fearlessness towards life and death because of this reason?

Unconsciously, Qin Luoshuang's gaze softened. She swallowed all the words of caution she wanted to say and immersed herself in her work.

She softly hummed an interlude from an imperial epic drama:

I will be your sword.

Cutting off all your troubles.

Allowing you to move forward, pure and flawless.

I will be your shield.

Blocking all filth for you.

Like the shadow behind a king.

You are the crownless king, sleeping with us, leading us to charge.

Breaking the worldly barriers.

——

Yunzhou.

Governor's Mansion.

The governor of Yunzhou, Zhao Chaoyang, was drinking with two old friends in his unique backyard.

The backyard was not overly decorated, only with cloud rocks, plum blossoms, and green bamboo surrounding it. It was tastefully arranged and had a unique charm.

A pot of green wine was placed in the middle, and the three of them helped themselves.

Halfway through the wine, the commander of the Southern Military Region, Li Changsheng, laughed and said, "Brother Chaoyang, is it true that a sheriff dared to curse Yu Zhongxian to his face?"

Zhao Chaoyang laughed, "When have I ever lied to you? It's just a pity that the non-public agenda of the joint meeting is not allowed to be leaked, otherwise, it would have been known to all."

The Minister of Civil Affairs from the Imperial Headquarters, Xu Chengfeng, had been quietly drinking, but his expression was relaxed. He recited in a low voice, "When will the thousand-year dream wake up, who will ring the alarm in the sleep town?"

"Haha, good sentence, good poem, simple and sincere, full of spirit. It's a pity that they are all beasts, they don't understand, they don't understand, it's a waste of words."

"Brother Chaoyang." Li Changsheng asked, "But I don't understand. The kid has been so presumptuous, why didn't the elders punish him? Is it because of Sheng Huaixuan?"

Xu Chengfeng waved his hand in dissatisfaction, "Don't spoil the mood, let's just drink and not talk about the shit in the latrine."

Zhao Chaoyang laughed, "We won't talk about it, let's talk about something happy, let's talk about that kid."

He recounted the events of the joint meeting from beginning to end. Although it was their third time hearing it, the three of them were still enthusiastic, drinking one cup after another. The wine pot in the middle seemed small, but it seemed like it would never run out.

The green wine was astringent at first, but had a long aftertaste, sweet and sour, slightly intoxicating but not drunk, it was their favorite.

But at this moment, all three of them were a bit tipsy.

Li Changsheng suddenly leaned back, lying on the cloud rock, and sighed, "If only there were more people like this in the empire."

Zhao Chaoyang shook his head, "In the past, there were many hot-blooded youths in the empire, who would get angry for a crown, splatter blood for three miles, and would not hesitate to die for justice."

"We used to hear inspiring stories all the time, but what about later?"

Xu Chengfeng sneered, "They all died. The rest either became corrupt, like most of the bureaucrats now, or they kept a low profile, like us."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing their fiery atmosphere.

Li Changsheng sighed, "Looking back now, the turning point was the Five Gates Case thirty years ago. Yu Zhongxian did terrible things, but because he had the support of the Speaker, he escaped punishment. The Inspector who insisted on justice had his family destroyed."

Speaking of this, Xu Chengfeng's fist clenched, "I still can't forget those two photos, one of a girl in her prime, and one of a face burned to a crisp after being raped and killed."

"After that case, the backbone of the empire was broken. After the death of the Northern Heavenly King, the Southern Heavenly King became vulgar, and the soul of the empire disappeared."

The three of them fell silent. After a while, Xu Chengfeng suddenly suggested, "How about we help that kid?"

Li Changsheng shook his head and sighed, "That kid has already been removed from East Qin Prefecture. The East Prefecture faction has given up on him. He is about to face the storm of the empire, and that small candle flame will soon be extinguished."

Zhao Chaoyang suddenly said, "Not necessarily, the power of command is still there. As long as His Majesty doesn't give in, the power of command can't be taken away. He still has a slim chance."

Li Changsheng looked at him, his eyes dim and lifeless.

"It's useless, he has killed so many people, there are enemies everywhere. Yu Zhongxian has too many places to exploit. He was too conspicuous at the joint meeting. Those who are watching the show won't help him, those who dislike him will only secretly sabotage him. Once Sheng Huaixuan lets go, he will fall from power soon."

Xu Chengfeng sighed, "The world is full of hardships, right and wrong are empty in the end, the most fearful thing is to look back and find that the ambition is gone."

Zhao Chaoyang also sighed, "The more I see, the colder my heart gets, but I'm always unwilling to give up."

Li Changsheng took a big gulp of wine, the wine was icy cold, making people shiver all over, and said, "What can you do if you're unwilling? Do you dare to step forward? Don't you care about your wife and children? Have you forgotten how the Inspector's family was brutally killed?"Xu Chengfeng suddenly suggested, "How about this, we should publicize that young man's deeds more, let more people know about him. Even if he dies, at least his name will be remembered."

Li Changsheng said, "The non-public agenda of the joint meeting is not allowed to be leaked."

Zhao Chaoyang slapped his thigh hard, "You're too timid! We can embellish the story a bit, it's just storytelling. What's wrong with you, a commander of the southern military region of the empire, gossiping behind the scenes?"

"Exactly! If we can't act, can't speak, can't we even make up a story? I'm going back now to create a heroic and invincible story for that young man, and start spreading it everywhere."

Li Changsheng gradually came to his senses, clapped his hands and laughed, "Good, I like this idea. I want to make Yu Zhongxian, that old dog, get beaten up by that young man in the story!"

The three of them gradually regained their enthusiastic atmosphere, passionately discussing how to embellish the story, and establish Sheriff Lin's brave, domineering, mighty, and invincible image that tears through the gloom of the empire.

Unconsciously, they projected all the characters they had imagined, all the injustices they had encountered, all the unfairness, injustice, filth, and the heroes they imagined who could tear them apart, onto Lin Wen.

The more they talked, the more exaggerated Lin Wen's deeds became. When the joint meeting could no longer contain them, they started to make up his life story.

Soon, the preliminary compilation of "Imperial Book: The Biography of Lin Wen" was completed.

---

In the Central State.

Governor's Mansion.

The governor's personal guards heard Wang Bo'an's loud laughter coming from the governor's office.

This was the thirteenth time the governor had laughed heartily after receiving an unidentified reading material.

They whispered to each other, wondering what kind of reading material could make the governor laugh so heartily.

Suddenly, with a bang, the office door was pushed open, and a radiant Wang Bo'an walked out, loudly saying, "Now, print ten thousand copies of this for me and distribute them everywhere."

He threw a book into the guard's hand.

The guard took a look. The book was thin, without a cover or signature, probably only twenty or thirty pages. He flipped through it and was disappointed. There were no exciting illustrations or passionate descriptions.

Wang Bo'an continued, "Also, isn't that thing called the internet very popular now? You guys post the book online too, remember to use botnets to change the IP address."

The guards looked at each other. One of them plucked up the courage to ask, "Governor, what is a botnet? Can it be eaten?"

Bang!

Governor Wang Bo'an rewarded him with a smack, scolding, "You ignorant fool, do I, the dignified governor, have to teach you? When you were secretly embezzling for me, you took the money yourself, didn't you? That scapegoat is called a botnet, understand?"

Wang Bo'an demonstrated his newly acquired knowledge, in a good mood, he waved his hand, "Print a hundred thousand copies for me, and find a hundred thousand botnets, each botnet should post a hundred thousand copies online."

After the governor left with big strides, the guards looked at each other. One guard counted on his fingers, "A hundred thousand scapegoats, each posting a hundred thousand copies, how many is that in total?"

Another guard yawned, "You're so stupid, it's two hundred thousand, isn't it? You don't even need to think about it."

---

In the Bright State.

The stern-faced, meticulous Governor Ge Guanglin said indifferently, "Why bother me with such trivial matters? This kind of indiscriminate distribution of unmarked reading materials, the Cultural Bureau can handle it according to the rules."

His confidant took the order and left, knowing that the governor's subtext was that there was no need to interfere too much, a casual investigation would suffice.

In the River State.

Governor Shi Yuan was furious, "Damn it! Burn them all! Not a single one left! Anyone who dares to hide them, their whole family will be imprisoned!"

In the Rock State.

Governor Chang Shengkai ordered to burn the books. Zhang Shuangxi, the second-in-command and director of the state government, advised, "Why do you insist on this? Lin Wen has no grudge against us, we were allies in the past, can we show some mercy?"

Chang Shengkai said, "Since we've cut ties, there's no connection. If there's no connection, why show mercy?"

In the West Swallow State.

Governor Bai Liuxi immediately ordered to confiscate the books, and started arresting people along the channel. He quickly smashed several illegal merchants who had taken money and indiscriminately distributed unlicensed materials.

In the Dragon State.

Governor Gu Zhengyi had already taken off his pants, but was interrupted by his subordinate.

He took a look and found it was a worthless book, he was immediately furious and scolded, "Get out! You come to me with this kind of crap, believe it or not, I'll skin you alive!"

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

The charming Ye Lingyue came out of the bathroom, her body wrapped only in a towel, exuding a huge amount of seductive aura.

She chuckled, "Little Gugu, why are you so angry?"

Gu Zhengyi turned his head and almost lost his soul. He chuckled, "Just a fool, don't worry about it, Lingyue, let's continue, continue."

Ye Lingyue flicked her hair, took the crappy book from his hand, and kicked away Gu Zhengyi who was about to pounce on her. She smiled slyly, "Let me see what you're reading that's so obscene."

She sat on the edge of the bed, and after only a moment, her face darkened.

"Ah, I told you not to read it, it's boring and a mood killer."Ye Lingyue managed to force a smile, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Her failure in front of her father had left her humiliated, and she felt ashamed for not fulfilling her promise. That night, she declined Lin Wen's invitation to meet and quickly left the place that brought her so much heartache. Once again, she drowned herself in carnal desires to forget her pain.

Yet, she didn't expect to see the boy who had once stirred her youthful heart here.

She pushed away Gu Zhengyi's hand, finished reading the book, and asked, "Is the new sheriff of Changshan County, Lin Wen, short of people? Is that why he's distributing these things to boost his reputation?"

Unable to advance further, Gu Zhengyi, who was obsessed with her legs, laughed and said, "I don't know. That kid is not in a good situation. We and the Dongzhou faction have already cut him off. Maybe he wants to protect himself with these things."

Ye Lingyue pondered, a sudden idea crossing her mind.

"Little Gu, spread this information a bit more."

Immersed in Ye Lingyue's perfect legs, Gu Zhengyi agreed without a second thought, "Okay."

Ye Lingyue stepped on his face with her jade foot and pondered, "Little Gu, what do you think about sending one of my suitors to work for him?"

Gu Zhengyi was excited, licking her jade foot while saying, "Of course it's Xiao Xiao. This man is arrogant and confident that he is superior to everyone else. He was defeated in Longyang Town, and people say he's all talk. But in my opinion, he has talent, but someone needs to suppress his reckless behavior."

Ye Lingyue recalled this young talent from her memory. She had once seen him being beaten by Yu Zhongxian's lackeys on the street. His handsome face and unyielding demeanor intrigued her, so she saved him.

Yu Zhongxian and Ye Nantian always kept their distance, and since she was the elder's daughter, this favor was easily granted.

Unexpectedly, from then on, he regarded her as his destined woman, insisting that he would succeed and marry her.

Even after he learned everything, he remained unswerving, only changing his rhetoric to saving her from suffering.

He was her most fervent suitor, obeying her every command. Ye Lingyue doubted that even in bed, if she asked him to thrust once, he would never dare to thrust twice.

Ye Lingyue had seen too many men like this and quickly found them boring, so she dismissed him.

Later, she heard that he had fought fiercely with others to protect her reputation and even went out of his way to trouble her husband, only to be beaten and carried out.

After that, Ye Lingyue indulged in endless nights of revelry and new lovers, and soon forgot about him.

Unexpectedly, according to Governor Gu, he still had some talent.

"Let it be him then."

Ye Lingyue sighed softly, stepped off Governor Gu's face, and got up to call him.

In the few steps it took to reach the phone, she had already recalled every detail of their time together, and had a plan in mind.

With her understanding of him, she was certain he would work his hardest for Sheriff Lin.

This was her instinct. She never forgot any man she had been with, especially their contact information, appearance, hobbies, characteristics, quirks, size, and abilities.

Meanwhile, Lin Wen, who was cultivating on his bed, was unaware of this.

A storm was brewing outside.

He was still studying today's topic - which spells to choose to maximize power while consuming no more than 50% of his spiritual energy.