My lord, spare his life!

The person in charge considered and guessed.

"Is it because Lord Zhang was of noble character and integrity?"

Although the steward had been traveling around with the head of the household, Xiao Sui, he had managed to squeeze in some investigations. From the intelligence gathered so far, this Prefect of Tianyue was known for his loyalty and integrity, and was praised among the common people for his pure and virtuous character. Privately, he had a group of admirers who regarded Prefect Zhang as a celestial being, as radiant as the sun and stars. Such a person naturally couldn't tolerate anything shady.

Xiao Sui chuckled: "Yes and no."

The manager was completely confused: "Please enlighten us, parents."

Xiao Sui gently waved her fan, brushing aside her damp hair, but remained silent. Seeing this, the steward wisely found an excuse to refill the lamp oil.

Watching the steward's retreating figure, Xiao Sui sighed softly. It wasn't that she was unwilling to tell her confidant, but rather that she knew there was no benefit in it. Even Xiao Sui was somewhat startled by Fan Shuyan's astonishing words. With a gentle wave of her fan, her thoughts were drawn back to that day.

Seeing Fan You earnestly advising her to restrain herself, Xiao Sui also found it amusing and had the same thought as the steward, teasing Fan You a couple of times.

Fan You said: "That's not it."

Xiao Sui: [Why is that?]

Fan Youdao said: "My lord is a man of learning."

Xiao Sui: [Even sages say that among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.]

Fan You shook his head: "My lord is an adult in stature, yet her enthusiasm for learning is like that of a child. Adults, to some extent, have their own discernment—what can be learned and what cannot—but she is different. Anything she has seen or heard, as long as it aligns with her own understanding, she will absorb it. Do you know what this means, senior? It means that before this, my lord was merely a blank sheet of paper with a few hastily drawn lines."

Xiao Sui frowned more and more as she listened: 【You've overstepped your bounds.】

Did Fan You consider himself the author?

Besides, what subject would care about that?

Previously, I told her that by unifying the Three Enclosures, Four Symbols, and all the states, she would be the mother of all people. Even now, though she is merely a prefectural magistrate, she is still the mother of the people of Tianyue, and all the people are her children. She accepted this explanation and has since considered herself the mother of Tianyue. Managing Tianyue is managing her own family; governing Tianyue is also about earning money to raise her children.

I told her—

Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.

And she actually accepted this statement, considering the common people of Tianyue, redistributing land equally so that those who tilled would have their own land, without depriving them of their time or burdening them with labor, and promoting various industries. She established carpentry workshops, innovated spinning wheels, and is currently working to open up trade and suppress bandits in the eastern territories.

Xiao Sui: [What exactly are you trying to say?]

[If she hadn't met Shen Zhi, hadn't met me, hadn't met Puyang Kui and his group, but instead met a violent and wicked person like Qin Huang, and if someone had maliciously guided and instilled other ideas in her, given her earnestness, she might have become even more wicked than the wicked!]

Xiao Sui felt that Fan You's words were extremely arrogant and conceited.

but--

He couldn't come up with any evidence to refute the claim for the time being.

Xiao Sui said, "As expected of the headmaster's son."

Her words carried a hint of sarcasm.

Fan You was not only arrogant, but he also thought too highly of himself.

【Xiao Xiuying, I can't afford to gamble.】

There is another detail that supports Fan You's viewpoint.

Zhang Yang shot and killed Du Fang's son with an arrow from below the city.

In her eyes, if Du Fang's son was destined to die here, then it was fate; if he wasn't meant to die here, he would "refresh/resurrect." This wasn't just true for Du Fang's son; it was true for everyone she met. Therefore, killing wasn't killing in her eyes.

She, like Qin Shiming, has no heart.

Under these circumstances, if she were to truly follow the path of a warlord like Qin Huang, the deaths of countless people would be nothing more than numbers to her. The sight of piles of starving corpses and endless roads strewn with bodies would be mere background noise, not worth her attention. She wouldn't be killing people!

But she's also somewhat different from Qin Shiming.

Xiao Sui calmly looked at Fan You, who was showing faint signs of madness and demonic possession, and simply lowered her eyelids: [What do you intend to do?]

She can become a demon, or she can become a saint.

------

One day, Fan You entered a meditative state and communicated with the lustful ghost, and suddenly had a strange realization—everyone he and Zhang Yang came into contact with could work together to influence which path she would ultimately take.

Fan You stared blankly at his hands, realizing this before his other subordinates. That day, he also saw the lustful ghost within him for the first time. A ghost whose appearance was exactly like his, but whose brows carried an aura of languid decadence.

Lustful demons crave depravity, decadence, and indulgence.

Completely surrender and succumb to the most primal desires of the flesh!

Abandon all reason, abandon all shame.

The lustful demon chuckled: "Look down at yourself, see how filthy you are. Don't you resent it? Why are you the only one filthy while everyone else can stand clean on the shore? Don't you want to pull down those immortals standing on the clouds?"

Fan You's eyes momentarily became unfocused.

He saw himself mired in the mire, and he also saw a phantom figure, pure and flawless, on the horizon. An endless, inexplicable hatred welled up in his chest; these emotions were all-pervasive, like black mud seeping out from any crack unseen by the naked eye…

He didn't hear the lustful ghost's words clearly.

A strange, seductive voice echoed in my mind—

Raise your hand and pull Him down!

As if possessed, Fan You reached out, and the once unreachable clouds were now within reach. Just as his fingers were about to touch the ethereal sleeves, a burning pain shot through his cheek.

He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Yuan Xie rubbing his wrist.

The latter looked at his swollen cheeks with a smile.

【woke up?】

Fan You, burning with anger: [I'm awake.]

Hold fast to your original nature and guard your inner self; don't let lust take advantage of you. I'm telling you to face it squarely, not to let it lead you astray.

Even after calming down, Fan You was secretly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Those emotions aren't mine.

He secretly reflected on his actions—

Why am I so easily aroused by emotions?

So far, his relationship with his lord has been fair, and he has never harbored any intention to harm or hold a grudge against the other party, regardless of the other party's background.

Fan You rubbed his burning face: "Youzheng, you can communicate with the lustful ghost, have you managed to get anything out of it?"

Even a lustful ghost wouldn't know.

Fan You: [...]

Yuan Xie: [But one thing is certain: every ghost that has come into contact with her both loves and fears her. They fear her because she can threaten them. They love her because they all want to devour her completely, or drag her down into a downward spiral.]

Fan You: [...]

Yuan Xie smiled and said, "Our lord's origins are rather mysterious."

Fan You exhaled a breath of stale air.

Yuan Xie said, "Shuyan, why don't you help me serve our lord? I don't care about titles or status, nor do I care whether I'm a concubine or a guest in his inner circle. With my abilities, I'm sure we can become a harmonious couple. As our feelings deepen, perhaps our lord will be willing to reveal everything to me."

Fan You casually grabbed something and threw it at Yuan Xie's face.

[You're still dreaming! Keep your thieving ambitions alive!]

The disfiguring object was easily blocked by Yuan Xie.

Uncle Yan, I'll wait for the day you open your mouth.

Actually, it's fine if Fan You doesn't admit it. How can you guard against a thief for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days? What if one day the lord suddenly becomes enlightened and notices that Yuan Youzheng's beauty and intelligence are equally outstanding, and takes advantage of him in broad daylight without saying a word? Can Fan You stop him?

Hmph, he'll be crying then!

------

I want her to become a saint!

Fan You's voice still seemed to echo in Xiao Sui's ears.

Xiao Sui became increasingly speechless as she thought about it.

If Fan You wants her lord to become a saint, so be it. Why should we interfere with her private life? Is it just because we're afraid her lord will see this and follow her example of philandering? If that's the case, wouldn't that be a good thing?

Fan You was a lustful devil.

If the lord truly desires to be a womanizer, he should first indulge in the womanizer himself.

Secondly, there's Yuan Youzheng, who's always causing trouble.

"However, on the other hand, there has always been the custom of 'what the superiors do, the subordinates follow.' If the lord is virtuous and self-disciplined, the subordinates will naturally follow suit to please him." If the lord goes to become a Buddhist nun, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures, how can the subordinates be expected to party every night?

Xiao Sui thought of Lü Yuan and felt a little resentful.

Fan Shuyan's efforts to rectify conduct have even reached her level, yet her business partner, Lü Yuan, manages to maintain a plethora of beauties gifted by her adoptive father. The number of beauties is even plentiful enough that they can be generously sent to serve guests.

Even Xiao Sui felt resentful at the difference.

If she's having a hard time, no one else should be either.

The steward watched as she waved her fan faster and faster, guessing who had offended the parent. The parent clearly held a grudge against someone.

"Go and find out."

Xiao Sui used her sword fan to summon several guards.

After a few whispered words, the guard accepted the order.

Xiao Sui learned some information about Lu Yuan from Guan Zong, but it wasn't comprehensive. Guan Zong might have been concealing or misleading information, and also, he hadn't been in contact with Lu Yuan for a long time, so some of the information was outdated. Xiao Sui then sent someone to update the information and find out about Lu Yuan's current situation.

The focus was on finding out the grudge between Lü Yuan and Prefect Che Si.

Perhaps we can make use of this in the future.

Thinking of this, Xiao Sui felt much more at ease, and her sleep quality improved that night, with a dreamless night until dawn.

Lu Yuan only learned that Xiao Sui had refused the person she was supposed to bring when he called for water in the middle of the night. Looking at the young man kneeling not far away, anxiously waiting for reprimand, Lu Yuan took a sip of tea to moisten his throat: "If she doesn't want it, then she doesn't want it. You don't need to blame yourself."

The young man's tense back relaxed.

Lu Yuanchong beckoned to him: "Come here."

The young man in plain clothes crawled forward on his knees. As soon as Lu Yuan raised her hand, he lowered his head and placed the back of his neck in her palm, his every move showing a submissive and pitiful demeanor. Lu Yuan looked at his profile by the lamplight, calmly scanning him for a few moments: "Looking at a beauty under the lamplight does indeed have a unique charm."

The young man in plain clothes pursed his lips.

He humbly described himself as old and past his prime.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan merely scoffed and retorted, "You're younger than me, and you're already old and faded. What am I to you?"

The young man in plain clothes suppressed the chilling feeling of his vital parts being gripped by the other's icy hand, and remained calm and docile on the surface: "General, you have courage and can calm the four directions. You cannot be underestimated because of your appearance."

Lu Yuan was pleased by what he said.

She waved, signaling the person behind the curtain to leave. She decided to disregard the fact that the young man in plain clothes had secretly been communicating with the prefectural government while she was away, and simply gave him a meaningful look. The latter's eyes lit up, and he helped her undress, then they both fell into the tent together.

The next day, Lu Yuan got up early to entertain the distinguished guests at his residence.

At noon, her retainers presented Xiao Sui with what she wanted, all of them were well-known and famous painted-skin ghosts from various counties in the mountains.

The weather in Chesi County is much hotter than in the Eastern Province.

Many wealthy people wear only one or two layers of light, breathable clothing at home, yet they still sweat profusely. Xiao Sui and Lu Yuan, both protected by star power, are not so sensitive to the temperature outside. However, they still followed local customs and dressed in similar cool attire.

Lu Yuan asked curiously, "Why is the Queen asking about the Painted Skin Ghost?"

Xiao Sui carefully examined the list, trying to guess how much each person was worth.

"Of course, there's profit to be made."

"Painted Skin Ghosts? Profitable?" Lu Yuan looked up at the blinding sun and sighed, "Your Majesty has worked hard." Dealing with painted skin ghosts in this sweltering heat, no matter how much you earn, it's all hard-earned money.

Lu Yuan then casually asked, "Is it spices?"

Spices were very expensive these days. For example, pepper was used as a substitute for salary by many local officials in the mountain counties.

Xiao Sui: "It's human skin."

Lu Yuan turned his gaze to the stewards and guards behind Xiao Sui.

His eyes questioned Xiao Sui: "Is the human skin business just about skinning people on the spot?"

Xiao Sui: "No, it's another kind of strange object."

Lu Yuan became interested: "I would like to hear the details."

"By chance, I obtained something—a strange human skin as thin as a cicada's wing, similar to the silk robes you and I wear now. It's so light that you can't even feel its weight when it's covering flesh and blood. This thing is not only thin but also doesn't easily rot, it can mask odors, and more importantly, it can be used by many painted-skin ghosts." Xiao Sui lightly shook her fan. "So I got all the human skins I could get my hands on, buying and selling them to make a little money for myself."

The more Lu Yuan listened, the more alarmed he became.

Although she didn't know Xiao Sui's background, she realized from their interactions over the past two days that he was no ordinary person. His talk of "making a little extra money through buying and selling" likely implied an unimaginable profit margin.

Lu Yuan lowered his eyes in thought, his eyes swirling with calculations.

She subtly probed Xiao Sui.

Such a magical human skin can only reach its maximum value when it falls into the hands of a truly powerful and influential "skin-painting demon." Xiao Sui has no connections in the mountain kingdoms, nor can she access people of that level. Even if she could, it would require meticulous planning and a great deal of time.

"How could I not know?" Xiao Sui sighed, fanning herself, a hint of sorrow in her eyes. "It's just that I have no connections, no one to introduce me to anyone."

As she spoke, she handed over a ladder.

Lu Yuanshun climbed up the ladder.

He was very frank and began to recommend himself.

However, although she could help Xiao Sui with the referral issue, it would still take some effort to make arrangements around the edges. As long as Xiao Sui could wait, it would be fine. Xiao Sui understood the implication and gently patted Lu Yuan's hand. With Lu Yuan's promise, she was willing to relinquish a portion of the profits.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Xiao Sui casually asked about the young man in plain clothes from last night.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of regret rising in his heart.

He asked, "Has he caught the queen's eye?"

Did she act too quickly?

Xiao Sui shook her head: "I don't like to take what others love, but I saw that he was dressed thinly and the night wind was strong, so I was afraid he would catch a cold when he went back."

Lu Yuan sighed, "Heaven is jealous of beauty. This morning, a servant came to report that he had caught a cold last night, which aggravated his heart condition, and he died suddenly before dawn. The true cause of death is still under investigation."

Xiao Sui: "...Died suddenly?"

Lu Yuan was somewhat worried: "Perhaps it was his weak health, or perhaps it was the jealousy and tantrums in the inner courtyard... Other things are fine, but he was given to me by my godfather many years ago, and he died suddenly just after I returned. I'm afraid my godfather will have some doubts, and it will be difficult to explain."

Xiao Sui: "..."

really?

She doesn't believe it.

??|??w?`)