The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

Wang Long held Qin Minglan tightly, his voice gentle.

"I will protect you with my life!"

Qin Minglan snuggled closer to him, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes.

He nodded happily.

The two embraced and cuddled for a while.

"Old man."

Qin Minglan opened her eyes and suddenly shouted.

"Um?"

Wang Long looked at Qin Minglan with a puzzled expression.

"Why were you holding your back when you came out of your sister-in-law's yard just now?"

Wang Long's body stiffened.

"No...no, Miss, you've mistaken me for someone else."

"I didn't see wrong."

Qin Minglan lifted her head from his embrace, a mischievous smile flashing in her almond-shaped eyes.

"Old man, are you... impotent?"

Wang Long's face darkened.

"Young Miss, are you questioning me?"

A man can have many flaws, but you can't say he's incapable!

Qin Minglan laughed even harder and poked him in the chest.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Look at yourself now, pale-faced, with dark circles under your eyes, you're walking with your hands on your back, like you've been hollowed out."

Wang Long took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions.

"Young Miss, you're playing with fire."

Qin Minglan tilted her head, her face beaming with a smile.

"So what if I play with fire? You think you can eat me alive?"

"You're probably having trouble even getting into bed right now!"

Wang Long didn't bother to explain. He simply bent down, picked Qin Minglan up in his arms, and strode towards her yard.

Qin Minglan exclaimed in surprise, wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in his chest, both shy and amused.

"You old bastard! What are you doing?! Put me down!"

"Didn't you question my abilities, young lady?"

Wang Long strode forward, a smile playing on his lips.

"I will prove it to you, young lady."

"You...you old pervert!"

Qin Minglan's face turned bright red, but she couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

She buried her face in Wang Long's chest, her voice barely audible.

"Then be gentle... be gentle... I haven't recovered from last night..."

Wang Long looked down at her, his cloudy old eyes filled with tenderness.

"it is good."

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Imperial Palace.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides.

Emperor Murong Yuan sat upright on the dragon throne, his expression unchanged, revealing neither joy nor anger.

But those eyes were as cold as frost, sweeping over everyone present and sending chills down the spines of many.

Today's morning court session was unusual.

Sixteen lives were lost in the capital city overnight yesterday.

Chen Mingyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, died in his own study, bleeding from all seven orifices and with all his meridians severed; his death was tragic.

Zhang Chongyang, a senior official in the Ministry of Works, fell into his own well and was pulled out after being soaked and his face was unrecognizable.

There were also more than a dozen officials, including the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, the Judge of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Registrar of the Court of State Ceremonies, who either died suddenly, went missing, or met an untimely death.

Without exception, they were all supporters of the Crown Prince.

When the news reached the palace, the emperor was furious and summoned the crown prince that very night, ordering a thorough investigation.

This is not only breaking the crown prince's wings, but also provoking him, the emperor!

Overnight, the entire imperial city was filled with an atmosphere of fear and unease, with everyone living in constant fear.

The Second Prince, Murong Ye, stood in the queue, a faint smile on his lips, casually adjusting his cuffs.

The Third Prince, Murong Yu, remained calm, showing no sign of anything amiss.

The emperor's gaze swept over the second and third princes, lingered for a moment, and then moved away.

"Your Highness, I will give you three days to investigate this matter."

Murong Hao felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

The emperor then looked at the Minister of War.

"By imperial decree, effective immediately, martial law shall be imposed on the imperial city, and the curfew shall be moved forward to 5:00 PM. No one shall be allowed to enter or leave the city gates without authorization."

The Minister of War immediately stepped forward to receive the imperial decree.

"I obey your decree."

The emperor stood up and his gaze swept across the entire room.

"Dismiss the court."

"Court adjourned—"

The eunuch's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the hall, and all the civil and military officials bowed in unison, watching the emperor depart.

Murong Hao stood there, watching the emperor's departing figure, his expression solemn.

He knew that a storm was brewing against him!

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, civil and military officials dispersed in twos and threes, whispering amongst themselves.

As soon as Murong Hao stepped out of the palace gate, the Second Prince Murong Ye caught up from behind and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

"Brother, Father has ordered you to thoroughly investigate this case. You must take it seriously."

His voice was casual, with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Sixteen high-ranking officials of the imperial court died overnight. Such a big case, if we can't find out the truth, it will be difficult to explain to the Emperor."

Murong Hao stopped and glanced at him, his expression calm.

"Don't worry, Second Brother, I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

"That's good."

Murong Ye smiled, leaned closer, and lowered his voice.

"Brother, do you think these people might have offended someone? Or perhaps..."

He paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"...Is someone trying to take this opportunity to stir up trouble and undermine the Crown Prince's position?"

Murong Hao's fingers tightened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Second brother, you are overthinking it. My position is not something that anyone can shake."

"Yeah?"

Murong Ye smiled, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

"Your Majesty, your humble servants will also take their leave!"

Murong Yu bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

Murong Hao watched his two younger brothers' departing figures, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves.

He knew that the sudden deaths of these officials were inextricably linked to them.

"The palace is no longer safe; little sister cannot stay here any longer."

Suddenly, Wang Long's image appeared in Murong Hao's mind, and he had already made up his mind.

The Zhennan Marquis's Mansion, a secret underground chamber.

Zhao Pojun stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the secret room. In front of him stood a man in black, who was wrapped in a black robe from head to toe, with only his eyes showing, which gleamed with a cold light.

The man in black had a restrained aura, making it impossible to discern the depth of his cultivation. Zhao Pojun treated him with utmost respect.

"My lord."

Zhao Pojun knelt respectfully on one knee, his forehead bowed, his posture humble to the point of being almost pious.

"The plan is progressing smoothly."

The man in black robes spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and deep, like the sound of metal scraping against metal, echoing in the sealed room and sending chills down one's spine.

"Well done."

Zhao Pojun lowered his head, not daring to speak.

"But that's not enough!"

Zhao Pojun raised his head and looked at the man in black robes.

"Does the Lord mean..."

"Make the fire burn even brighter."

The man in black robes slowly walked up to Zhao Pojun and looked down at him.

Zhao Pojun quickly agreed.

"Our lord is wise."

The man in black robes nodded in satisfaction, then randomly took out a yellowed scroll from his sleeve and tossed it in front of Zhao Pojun.

"This is what I promised you."

Zhao Pojun quickly took it with both hands, looked down and saw three large ancient seal characters written on the scroll: "Puppet Technique".

His breathing suddenly quickened as he longed for the legendary forbidden technique.

I finally got it today!

This puppetry technique can be used to control both people and beasts!

Zhao Pojun's goal is to refine the ninth-grade spirit beast of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Tengjiao, into a puppet for his own use!

"Thank you, my lord!"

Zhao Pojun was so excited that his voice trembled, and he kowtowed repeatedly.

The man in black robes looked at him with disdain.

"Cultivate diligently. When I regain my strength, that will be the day I overthrow the Great Qian Dynasty. At that time, you will be the new emperor of this country."

"I will also help you advance to the Grandmaster level."

Zhao Pojun shuddered, his forehead pressed to the ground, his voice devout.

"Your subordinate swears to serve your lord to the death!"