This villain has become a ghost

Hearing this, Nangong Mingzhu chuckled softly, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said meaningfully:

"...How do you know that she and I are not on the same path?"

Jiang Wenjin was confused: "Huh?"

The wine was mellow and fragrant. Nangong Mingzhu took a sip and smiled without saying a word.

Jiang Wenjin was even more puzzled, but it was not easy to ask any more questions. Recalling the scene just now, he couldn't help but sigh:

"However, that girl is an interesting person. She was born delicate and pretty, yet lovely. Who would have thought... that she could be so fierce."

Fierce?

Nangong Mingzhu curled his lips and chuckled.

...Not fierce, but certainly not gentle either.

Jiang Wenjin said, "'One day, a cattail sail will sail a hundred feet high in the wind,' 'I don't know that there is a clear frost in the world.'... Although I am not very talented, I know that anyone who can express such words must have great insight."

He paused, then asked doubtfully, "But I've noticed that she's quite close to General Qiming. Are you sure she's on the same page as you?"

Nangong Mingzhu's hand, which was playing with the wine glass, suddenly stopped.

He raised his dark eyes, his expression flickering.

"...Quite close, huh?"

Jiang Wenjin nodded.

Suddenly I felt the air pressure around me drop and it felt chilly.

He suddenly seemed to understand something and asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, she couldn't be... originally yours, right?"

Nangong Mingzhu glanced at him coldly.

Jiang Wenjin understood.

He pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so abrupt, but... you once said that when dealing with chess pieces, one must be cautious about whether they might turn against one another."

"If there really is such a sign, it would be better to cut the grass and eliminate it..."

With a "crack", the wine glass in Nangong Mingzhu's hand was crushed, and the mellow wine was mixed with the smell of blood.

Jiang Wenjin: “…”

Nangong Mingzhu casually threw away the broken porcelain pieces, wiped the blood from his fingers, looked at him with a sharp gaze, and said, "First, she is not a chess piece."

"Second, I trust her."

"third……"

Seeing this, Jiang Wenjin realized that he was overthinking it. He patted his head vigorously and asked with a puzzled look, "What's the third one?"

"...If you dare to do anything bad to her, I will kill you first." Nangong Mingzhu said softly.

Jiang Wenjin: “…”

Jiang Wenjin finally figured out something.

He sighed deeply and shook his head: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you are really..."

Nangong Mingzhu raised his eyebrows.

Jiang Wenjin spoke clearly, "I value love over friendship."

Nangong Mingzhu: “…”

"You're not just tempted by worldly desires, but you're also trying to hide it, causing me to say the wrong thing," Jiang Wenjin said meaningfully. "You and I have been friends for many years, and yet you actually threatened me like this. I'm truly... so heartbroken."

Nangong Mingzhu: “…”

Ah.

"Your Majesty is truly worthy of being His Majesty. You are truly different from ordinary people. I have never seen someone like you send your beloved undercover and push her into the spotlight. It is truly... a spectacle."

Jiang Wenjin complained with a smile.

Nangong Mingzhu rubbed his temples and sneered, "Are you free?"

Jiang Wenjin drank a glass of wine and said with a bright smile: "It's not salty, it's sweet."

Nangong Mingzhu touched the hilt of the knife.

"Oh, no, no, no, I will go and complete the task you assigned to me. I will take my leave."

Jiang Wenjin left with a smile and slowly walked down the dark passage.

He chuckled and murmured to himself, "...I hope she is as trustworthy as you think."

-

The brightly lit streets are bustling with people, and among the exquisite pavilions and towers, the melodious sounds of zithers and harps blend with the fragrance of flowers in the wind.

Liu Zeyin carried Yin Yun and threw him into the carriage.

Yin Yun, who was in a coma: "..."

Yue Liuyun was about to go up, but was pulled down by Liu Zeyin and staggered.

Yue Liuyun: “?”

What are you doing?

Liu Zeyin steadied her and said calmly, "Come walk with me."

Yue Liuyun felt doubtful, but knew that he had no right to refuse, so he acted flattered and said:

"Subordinate... I obey."

The carriage left first, and the two walked side by side.

Liu Zeyin's eyes penetrated the dim lights and looked into the heart-pounding night, but her eyes were deeper than before.

"Do you have confidence in the scientific expedition?"

Yue Liuyun said cautiously, "General, the Imperial Examination should be fine. Let's see how the Palace Examination goes."

"Okay." Liu Zeyin said.

The two walked in silence for a while.

After a while, he suddenly turned his head and looked at her with deep eyes: "Have you... been to Yudu and Yingdu?"

This question was a bit too broad, causing Yue Liuyun to swallow back the lines he had just made up and shook his head honestly:

"No."

Liu Zeyin said: "It's as prosperous as Dongdu."

"Have you been to Langcheng, Yancheng, Wancheng, Fucheng, or Qicheng?"

Yue Liuyun was confused and said, "...No."

Liu Zeyin said, "It's far less prosperous than Sandu, and the people there can barely fill their stomachs."

"Have you been to...Xuan, Wu, Xiang, Jing, Quan, Liang, and other sixteen states?"

Yue Liuyun said: "Neither."

Liu Zeyin's voice was soft and calm. "Over there, officials are corrupt, the people are resentful, and there's no way to change natural disasters or man-made calamities. Most of the refugees are poorly clothed and hungry."

"Have you been to the border?"

Yue Liuyun's heart trembled, and he sighed: "Still... no."

Liu Zeyin said: "Living beings are suffering, blood flows like a river, the land is filled with grief, and bones are piled up."

"As long as people exist in this world, they will have greed. The greed of the poor is only to fill their stomachs, but the greed of the rich, even a single thought... can lead to corpses everywhere and the destruction of families."

He tilted his head and looked deeply into Yue Liuyun, as if he wanted to see into her heart and penetrate her soul: "Is this world... really all right? In other words, can it be saved?"

An indescribable emotion surged in Yue Liuyun's heart. She stared at Liu Zeyin in a daze, unable to speak for a moment.

Liu Zeyin's expression was unclear, and he said in a deep voice: "If it were you, would you have a solution?"

After an unknown amount of time, Yue Liuyun finally raised his eyes and said slowly, "I don't know."

"It's just that I...have some questions for the general."

Yanagisawa nodded.

Yue Liuyun asked, "Why did you become a general?"

Liu Zeyin remained silent.

He looked up at the night sky, but it was not as good as before. He smiled bitterly and said, "...I thought that by becoming a general, I could protect whoever I wanted to protect."

Yue Liuyun sighed, "'Killing people is also limited, as nations have their own boundaries. If we can stop aggression, why should we care about killing too many people?' The means are not the most important, the purpose is."

“Some things always need someone to do them.”

Yue Liuyun thought for a moment, bowed, and said solemnly, "I once heard a story that I would like to share with you, General."

Liu Zeyin was stunned, her long feathery eyelashes trembling, and she thought, "Okay."