My chat group is full of female losers

Chapter 313 Weird things
Chu Lu suddenly opened his eyes, sat up abruptly, clutched his head tightly with both hands, and looked pained.

"Chu Lu? What's wrong with you?" Qin Su asked in a slightly panicked voice in her mind.

Chu Lu didn't answer. He staggered out of bed, his steps unsteady, as if he might collapse at any moment. He groped his way to the table, his fingers trembling as he picked up the teapot, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down. The icy liquid slid down his throat, finally making him feel a little better.

He put down his water glass and fell silent again, breathing heavily to himself. It took him a long time to calm down.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Qin Su asked again with concern.

Chu Lu's voice was weak: "I had that dream again. But this time, it was a little different."

"What's different?" Qin Su asked anxiously.

“Emotions…” Chu Lu managed to utter two words, “All of Xie Mingshu’s emotions have flooded in.”

Even now that he's awake, Chu Lu still feels lingering fear when he recalls that moment in his dream. At the end of the dream, the instant the doll Xie Mingshu sheds tears, an endless torrent of pain, like a burst dam, overwhelms all his defenses and seizes his mind.

Upon hearing this, Qin Su immediately became alert: "Is this their goal? To break you down?"

Chu Lu shook his head: "If that's really the case, then the other party is far too stupid. This kind of story is more likely to make me angry than to break me down."

He took a deep breath and continued, "So I think it's more likely a cry for help."

"A cry for help?" Qin Su asked, her tone questioning. "The doll Xie Mingshu?"

“That’s right,” Chu Lu affirmed. “After all, the whole story tirelessly depicts how miserable and helpless the doll Xie Mingshu is. If it weren’t for needing help, I really can’t think of any other reason.”

“But…” Qin Su hesitated, “If it really was a plea for help, why didn’t she just show herself and communicate with you directly?”

Chu Lu nodded and said, "Indeed."

Then he suddenly shouted, "Xie Mingshu! Can you hear me?! Come out! Let's talk face to face! Make things clear, what exactly do you want me to do? I'll do my best to help you!"

There was no response to the sound.

"Chu Lu..." Qin Su's tone was somewhat hesitant.

Chu Lu raised an eyebrow and said, "Looks like that won't work. Never mind then."

He rubbed his still throbbing temples and said, "My situation is also very urgent, so I don't have much free time to play guessing games with her."

He continued, "We don't know when the next leading lady will appear, but based on Si Ren's experience, it shouldn't be too long. We must act as soon as possible."

“Yes, that’s how it should be,” Qin Su replied.

Chu Lu then got up and left the palace, heading straight to the imperial study.

"Someone come here," he ordered the doorway, "go and fetch Huo Qi."

A young eunuch standing nearby quickly bowed and replied, "This servant obeys the decree."

Just as the eunuch was about to turn and leave, Chu Lu suddenly called out to him, "Wait."

Chu Lu looked the eunuch up and down and said, "You... you look somewhat familiar. What's your name?"

Upon hearing this, the young eunuch lowered his head and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, this servant is Xiao Luzi. Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune and has an exceptional memory. This servant was previously ordered by Your Majesty to monitor the movements of the First Princess, Jiang Miaoyan." "Oh? Is that so?" Chu Lu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Xiao Luzi paused, then added, “That… Your Majesty also instructed me to inform Chief Eunuch Li to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see you late at night.”

Chu Lu's surprise deepened: "Was it you back then too?"

He scrutinized Xiao Luzi again, and the more he looked, the more he felt that he had indeed seen this face several times on different occasions: "Wait, besides these, have you done anything else?"

Xiao Luzi lowered his head even further, his voice tinged with fear: "This servant has always served His Majesty and done many of his duties."

Chu Lu nodded, understandingly saying, "I see. No wonder you looked familiar. Alright, go and summon them."

"Yes, this servant takes his leave." Xiao Luzi felt as if he had been granted a pardon and bowed as he withdrew.

Before long, Huo Qi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, strode into the Imperial Study and bowed, saying, "This humble general Huo Qi greets Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities." Chu Lu waved his hand and went straight to the point: "Huo Qi, I order you to immediately send reliable people to secretly investigate whether there are any signs of leaks in the deployment maps of each department, and whether there are any anomalies in the ration and pay distribution records of each camp. Report back immediately if you find anything."

Upon hearing this, Huo Qi's expression changed drastically, and he asked in shock, "Your Majesty, has something serious happened?"

Chu Lu naturally couldn't offer any further explanation, but simply said, "This matter is of great importance. You don't need to ask any more questions; just do as instructed."

"Yes... Your humble servant obeys the decree." Although Huo Qi had many doubts in his heart, he dared not ask any more questions and could only reluctantly agree. He pondered for a moment, then seemed to remember something and said, "Your Majesty, since that's the case, there has been a strange thing happening among the people recently. I don't know if I should tell you about it."

"Oh? What is it?" Chu Lu asked curiously.

Huo Qi then reported: "Your Majesty, recently some theatrical troupes have adapted your story of cleverly capturing the palace maid into plays, which are being performed all over the capital. I have also sent people to inquire about it, and the content of the plays does not slander Your Majesty at all; on the contrary, it mostly praises Your Majesty's wisdom. However... such a thing is rare, and I dare not conceal it, so I am reporting it here."

Chu Lu was taken aback, a strange look of surprise on his face: "There's such a thing?"

He quickly asked Qin Su in his mind, "This plot shouldn't be in the original work, right? Is this a reasonable deduction from the alternate story? Or is it a sign that the next female lead will take action?"

Qin Su pondered for a moment and replied, "It's unlikely that the female lead would actively promote you or sing your praises. To say that she has ulterior motives would seem a bit far-fetched, as the female lead usually doesn't act in such a roundabout way. Most likely, it's just a reasonable deduction from the dungeon world."

"I see," Chu Lu thought to himself, "Then we don't need to worry about it."

So he said to Huo Qi, "These are just idle rumors; don't pay them any mind. Just focus your attention on military matters and make sure to investigate carefully without making any mistakes."

"Understood, Your subordinate!" Huo Qi solemnly replied, accepted the order, and withdrew.

After Huo Qi left, only Chu Lu remained in the imperial study.

"Alright, everything's arranged," Chu Lu thought to himself. "What's next? Are there any spies in this palace who can provide modification points?"

Qin Su thought for a moment and replied, "You've already taken down all the commanders, and there are no more clearly valuable targets in the palace. Chu Lu, why don't you take this time to rest? Consider it as recharging for the next leading lady role."

Upon hearing this, Chu Lu pondered for a moment before finally nodding, "Alright."

He was indeed quite tired, and with nothing else he could do right now, he needed to take a good rest.

(End of this chapter)