The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chen Zigui walked out of the secret room with steady steps. The heavy stone door slowly closed behind him with a dull rumble. The chains on the stone door rattled, as if lamenting for the souls trapped in the darkness. He took one last look in the direction of the secret room, and a cold smile curled his lips, like the biting winter wind, without a trace of warmth. In the dim light of the secret room, the anxious figures of Lu Menzhong, Ji Zhaozhi, and others appeared and disappeared, their eyes filled with expectation and fear, but there was not a trace of doubt about him. They hoped that he could bring hope, that he could save them from this endless abyss. Little did they know that they were just chess pieces on his chessboard, at his mercy and at his disposal.

"Master Chen, please make the decision for us!" Lu Menzhong's voice came from behind the stone gate, with a hint of trembling and pleading.

"Sir Chen, we were all deceived by that evil woman Mo Lei, which is why we did such foolish things!" Ji Zhaozhi also echoed, his tone full of regret and fear.

Chen Zigui turned a deaf ear to their pleas. Their voices sounded to him like the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies, noisy and dull. These once-powerful figures now groveled before him like stray dogs, a source of great pleasure. He relished the feeling of being in control, the feeling of manipulating the fate of others in his grasp. It gave him an immense thrill.

He turned and left the secret room without a backward glance, the cries of those people wailing in the distance. He knew that these people had been blinded by self-interest, unable to see the truth of the matter, nor their own predicament. They thought they had found a lifeline, but little did they know that they were the prey that had walked into their own trap. Without Mo Lei's guidance, they were like a group of headless flies, buzzing around aimlessly, ultimately becoming victims in his plan, at the mercy of his will.

What Chen Zigui wanted was never just to capture Mo Lei. What he wanted was to eradicate this hidden force. He wanted to make those who dared to challenge the imperial power pay a painful price. He wanted to make sure that the world would no longer have to worry about anything! On the way back to the palace, Chen Zigui kept replaying the scene of the meeting with the assassins in his mind. The look in their eyes when they looked at him showed expectation and fear, but there was no doubt. They regarded him as a savior, obeyed his orders, and believed in him without a doubt. Very good, everything was proceeding in an orderly manner according to his plan, just like the chess pieces in his hand, falling precisely into his preset positions. He had been planning this game for too long, and every move was carefully considered, not allowing for any mistakes. Now, the balance of victory has tilted towards him.

"Your Majesty, I have appeased the assassins, and they have completely trusted me." Chen Zigui walked into the imperial study, bowed, and spoke in a respectful tone, but he could not hide the pride in his words.

Chai Zhen put down the memorial in his hand, rubbed his brow, and said tiredly, "My dear minister, you have worked hard. This matter is progressing smoothly, which is very gratifying to me. However, the next step requires further consideration."

"Your Majesty, I think this opportunity cannot be missed! Now that Mo Lei has been captured, it is the perfect time to catch these assassins in one fell swoop! By then, with both witnesses and evidence, Mo Lei will have no choice but to deny it!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Chen Zigui's eyes, and there was a hint of barely perceptible excitement in his tone.

Chai Zhen pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "My dear minister, what you said is absolutely correct. However, this matter still needs to be discussed with Dean Cen. After all, those assassins are lurking in Linkang Prefecture and its vicinity. If we alert them, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Your Majesty is wise. I will go to the academy right now to inform Dean Cen of this matter and discuss the specific action plan with her." Chen Zigui was secretly delighted. The emperor asked him to go to the academy to discuss with Cen Jiexiao. This was a rare, godsend opportunity to meet with Cen Jiexiao alone!

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, my dear minister." Chai Zhen nodded, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes.

Chen Zigui obeyed the order, hurried out of the imperial study, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the academy. All the way, he imagined the scene of meeting Cen Jiexiao. Her voice, her smile, her every frown and smile, were like a life-saving elixir, making him long for it. He knew that he shouldn't have any improper thoughts about Cen Jiexiao, but he just couldn't control his heart. Perhaps this was the magic of love, it drives people crazy and makes them lose themselves...

The setting sun, like a giant, red-hot iron, slowly pressed down toward the western hills, illuminating the once azure sky with a crimson glow. The clouds, as if scalded by the iron, tumbled and shifted, eventually transforming into a sea of fiery clouds, shrouding the entire world in a golden-red glow.

The setting sun's glow, like golden paint, splashed across the dark blue bricks and tiles of Ning'an Academy, adding a touch of warmth and tranquility to this usually solemn and awe-inspiring institution. Chen Zigui rode his horse, galloping along. The sound of his horse's hooves hitting the bluestone pavement made a crisp sound, as if echoing his anxious mood.

Arriving at the gate of the academy, he almost jumped off his horse, casually threw the reins to the little servant boy waiting on the side, and without even bothering to tidy up his slightly messy clothes, he hurried into the academy.

His heart was now filled with an inexplicable anxiety. All along the way, he had been imagining the scene of meeting Cen Jiexiao, imagining her voice, her smile, her every gesture, every frown and smile. This imagination was like a life-saving elixir, making him long for it, wishing he could grow wings and fly to her immediately.

He knew that he shouldn't have any improper thoughts about Cen Jiexiao, but he just couldn't control his heart. Perhaps this was the magic of love, driving people crazy, making them lost, making him willingly indulge in it, unable to extricate himself...

He couldn't wait to meet Cen Jiexiao, wanted to tell her in person what the emperor had instructed him to do, wanted to know her opinion on the matter, wanted to hear her voice, wanted to smell her fragrance, and then, have a good chat with her about the past and their experiences over the years.

However, when he passed through the screen wall and arrived at the front courtyard of the academy, he found that Cen Jiexiao, who was supposed to be waiting for him there, had disappeared. A faint sense of loss, like ripples on the water, spread through his heart.

He looked around and saw only groups of students, some discussing academic matters in low voices, some diligently copying articles, but there was no sign of Cen Jiexiao. He couldn't help but feel a little confused and anxious.

"Where's Dean Cen?" He finally couldn't help himself and grabbed a passing student and asked. The student was obviously not expecting someone to suddenly grab him, and the tone of the question was so anxious. He couldn't help but freeze in his tracks. After a while, he came to his senses and stammered, "Dean... Dean... is... by the pond in the backyard..."

"By the pond in the backyard?" Chen Zigui frowned, becoming even more confused. "What is she doing there?" The student seemed frightened by Chen Zigui's tone and spoke even more incoherently: "Well... seems to be... fishing..."

"Fishing?" Chen Zigui was even more surprised. He could never have imagined that Cen Jiexiao, despite encountering so many bad things, would have such a refined interest that she would run to the pond to fish at this time.

"This Sister Cen is really different..." He sighed in his heart, then ignored the student and walked straight to the backyard.

After passing through a moon gate, the view suddenly opened up, and a shimmering pond appeared before Chen Zigui. Willows swayed beside the pond, and a few lotus flowers swayed gracefully in the breeze, emitting bursts of fragrance.

On a bluestone by the pond, a woman in plain clothes sat quietly, a fishing rod in hand, her gaze fixed on the water, as if nothing in the outside world concerned her. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden glow over her, making her look like a fairy in a painting.