My chat group is full of female losers

Chapter 318 New Trouble
Beijing.

For Cao Wu, a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, today was no different from any other day in the past ten years; they were as if they had been carved from the same mold.

He would wake up precisely at dawn, wash up, and hastily swallow two mixed grain buns that his wife had kept warm in the pot. Then, his feet would automatically take him through three alleys, arriving at the Ministry of Revenue just a moment before roll call. He was like a silent stone, quiet and reserved, spending his days buried in files checking numbers and copying official documents.

He was like a paving stone on the official road, inconspicuous and resigned to his fate.

But who would have thought that such an ordinary, unremarkable clerk, easily lost in a crowd, harbored another identity? He was a low-level spy from the Great Jiang Kingdom who had been entrenched in the capital for many years, codenamed Field Mouse. His daily work consisted of picking up trivial gossip from the streets and scraps of information from the palace.

That day, as usual, he was heading home after finishing his shift when he turned into an alley and was suddenly bumped into by a peddler carrying a load on a shoulder pole.

"Oh dear, sir, please forgive me, please forgive me!" The peddler apologized hastily, helped him up, and then, without looking back, picked up his load and ran away in a flash.

Cao Wu's brows furrowed into a knot. The peddler's eyes seemed off no matter how he looked at them, but he didn't think much of it. It wasn't until he stepped into his house and felt something hard rolled up in the sleeve of his robe that he suddenly felt a chill.

It was a small roll of paper.

He unfolded it with suspicion; it contained only a few hastily written words, an address, and a time.

His heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he immediately held the note up to the candle flame, watching it turn into a small pile of ashes.

The night was as dark as ink. Following the directions on the note, he found himself in an abandoned house in the west of the city. Behind a loose brick, he retrieved a letter.

Back in his small, dilapidated hut, he bolted the door shut, blew on the oil lamp, and the dim light illuminated his nervous face. His fingertips trembled slightly as he carefully opened the envelope.

With just one glance, the color drained completely from his face.

He practically shoved the letter into the lamplight, his eyes glued to every single word. The words on the letter seemed to come alive, clawing and trying to burrow into his mind. His face grew paler and paler, his hand gripping the letter trembled violently, and beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his collar.

—They've gone mad...this group of people has gone mad...

As the last word was etched into his pupils, he could no longer hold the letter in his hand, and it fluttered to the ground. He felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped into his chair, his eyes filled with boundless fear.

After a long silence, the fear in his eyes suddenly solidified into a resolute determination. As if stung by something, he sprang up from his chair, picked up the crucial letter, clutched it tightly, and stuffed it deep into his bosom.

He gritted his teeth and forced out a few words: "This matter... must be brought to His Majesty's attention immediately!"

And so, that thin letter embarked on a journey in a race against time. It started from a dark corner of the capital, passed through countless transfers, and was handed over by hands that were either rough or skillful. Finally, like a death warrant, it was placed on the emperor's desk in the Great Jiang Kingdom.

"Outrageous! This is outrageous!"

In the imperial study, a roar that seemed capable of lifting the roof exploded forth. The Emperor of the Great Jiang Kingdom slammed the letter onto the table, his once handsome face contorted with extreme rage. He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "I will make that tyrant pay!"

Meanwhile, in a private room of a restaurant across the street.

Changhong withdrew his gaze from the top of the street and saw Cao Wu's figure disappear around the corner.

She turned around, opened the chat group interface, and slowly sent a message: "The seed has been planted, now we just wait for it to take root and sprout."

As soon as these words were spoken, the group chat instantly became lively.

Consort Li: "Wow! Senior Changhong, you've made your move again!"

Li Tian'er: "What's the plan? What are we supposed to do?"

Lin Xuewei: "Senior is awesome! I wonder what earth-shattering project you've undertaken this time?"

The leading ladies praised the plan, but couldn't suppress their curiosity and wanted to find out more about it.

Chang Hong simply replied, "Just wait for news."

But perhaps seeing that she wasn't as hot-tempered as Si Ren, the bolder female leads still wouldn't give up, using both coquettishness and persistent pleading to try and get her to reveal more. Li Tian'er: "Senior, please tell us! It'll give us some information so we won't be caught off guard and hold you back!"

Consort Wan chimed in, "Senior Changhong, we will follow your orders, but we are just so curious, like cats scratching at our hearts."

Consort Zhuang: "Oh dear, senior, just reveal a little bit~ We promise we won't say anything!"

Consort Li: "Yes, senior, please have pity on us and satisfy our curiosity. That way we can prepare in advance and cooperate with you."

Changhong did not reply.

Just then, Su Wanqing suddenly spoke up: "Quiet down! What Senior Changhong says goes. She has her reasons for doing this. You who are handling things should just listen to her obediently! Don't take advantage of her good temper and act disrespectfully!"

The chattering female protagonists were stunned by the scolding and fell silent.

Chang Hong seemed quite satisfied with this: "Wan Qing is right. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, her profile picture went dark.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to Senior Changhong!"

"Senior, walk slowly!"

The leading ladies quickly took their leave.

After Chang Hong left, Su Wanqing continued to lecture him in the group chat: "Have you all forgotten how you fared under Si Ren? You're all courting death and don't know what's good for you! Do you only feel comfortable if you can make Senior Chang Hong as temperamental as Si Ren?!"

After being reprimanded by her, none of the leading ladies dared to say another word and quickly apologized and admitted their mistakes.

However, at this moment, Li Tian'er sensed something was wrong.

Su Wanqing was considered one of the more composed ones among them, so why would she so blatantly fawn over him and act like a lackey? Wasn't she afraid of making a fool of herself? Or did she already know Chang Hong's thoughts and personality very well? But they had only met a few times. Could it be...?

A guess popped into Li Tian'er's mind, and she immediately questioned, "Wait! Su Wanqing, something's not right with you! Confess honestly, did you already know the details of the plan?"

Su Wanqing immediately retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about! How could I possibly know!"

Li Tian'er: "Come on! I was right next to you, I saw your face change with my own eyes! You're obviously feeling guilty because I hit the nail on the head!"

These words caused another uproar in the group chat.

Consort Wan: "What a brilliant move! We're still completely confused, and you've already won Senior Changhong's trust. I'm truly impressed."

Lin Xuewei: "Well done, Su Wanqing! Still pretending with us! Making a fortune in silence, huh? Come on, tell us honestly, when did you become so successful? Don't try to get away with this!"

Su Wanqing: "Stop making wild guesses, it's really nothing!"

Li Tian'er chuckled lightly, "Oh dear, still keeping things from us. Fine, we've been too kind of you. Just don't forget to look after us in the future."

At this moment, Su Lianyue suddenly appeared and sighed softly, "Alas, it's truly infuriating to compare oneself to others. Back when Xiao Jiu died, I was the first to rush to inform Si Ren, and later when she arrived in the capital, I was the first to pledge my loyalty. And what happened? She didn't even acknowledge me. And you did almost the same thing as me, yet your treatment is so different! I thought that successfully becoming the favored concubine of the main character in that story was like winning the lottery, but who knew... sigh!"

Seeing this, the other leading ladies also expressed their feelings.

"Yes. It seems that following the right person is more important than anything else."

"Exactly! We're still foolishly waiting to be given orders, and she's already practically a high-ranking executive! The difference is just too big!"

Seeing that everyone completely ignored her explanations and only showed envy and jealousy, Su Wanqing could only helplessly utter a string of ellipses and stop talking.

(End of this chapter)