Golden Branch

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Wang Mian was drinking tea when she heard Lou Yu's words. She was choked and started coughing, tears welling up in her eyes.

Little pervert, I know you are a pervert, but you can't challenge my bottom line like this.

Do you want to listen to what kind of vicious words you are saying?

Kill? Leave no trace?

Are you preparing for the crime you are about to commit?

I am a socialist successor with basic values, not an outlaw.

wrong!

This is not the point!

The point is, you are a little pervert who gallops on the battlefield and does not abstain from killing. Even if you want to kill someone, why would you come and ask me, a woman in the inner chamber?

I, I do have some "divine skills", but I'm not a murderer, how could I understand——

Wang Mian kept coughing and complaining in his heart.

Lou Yu's expression remained unchanged. He even managed to put on a warm smile and very considerately handed Wang Mian a cup of fresh tea: "Have a sip of water and calm down!"

Stop coughing, or your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys will be coughed out!

Obviously, Lou Yu didn't think his words were that explosive.

Wang Mian dropped the empty teacup in his hand, took the one handed to him by Lou Yu, drank it in three or two gulps, and barely controlled the itchiness in his throat.

After suppressing his cough, Wang Mian was able to think normally.

She understood what Lou Yu meant. What he meant by "killing without being discovered" did not mean killing people without being discovered, but that he meant being able to avoid ancient criminal investigation methods.

This is the "perfect crime" most admired in detective novels.

Disguise homicide or murder as suicide or accident.

"...Why, you thought of it?"

Lou Yu paid close attention to Wang Mian's every word and action. He accurately captured the moment a gleam flashed in her eyes.

Wang Mian understood what he said and actually thought of some solutions.

As expected, this woman has a strange origin and her brain is different from that of ordinary women.

Faced with such a sharp-eyed Lou Yu, Wang Mian felt powerless and had nowhere to hide.

She knew that she couldn't hide anything from this big guy.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly said, "I do have some methods, but they're not very popular or rigorous. I'm only offering a thought. The details will depend on how you implement them."

Wang Mian said this, not intentionally "aiding and abetting evil" or becoming an accomplice to the murderer.

She understands Lou Yu.

Although this person is perverted, he is not really bloodthirsty.

He was the most powerful official in the feudal dynasty, and killing people was not a "heinous crime" for him.

To put it bluntly, if he really wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't have to resort to these little tricks.

First of all, he has the privilege to kill.

Secondly, he has a superior brain. Even if he wants to kill someone, he can use strategies such as killing with a borrowed knife to kill the other person without getting himself stained with blood.

He didn't need to go through so much trouble to prepare.

He probably just wants to expand his thinking rather than actually do it!

Wang Mian thought secretly, and started talking:

"Lou Langjun, you mean, is there a way to perfectly conceal his murder?"

"I have one or two in mind, but I don't know if they will work."

"If it doesn't work, please forgive me, Mr. Lou!"

Wang Mian habitually spoke bluntly before slowly saying, "For example, in the case of poisoning, the only things that can be detected are highly toxic substances like arsenic, while food poisoning is very difficult to detect."

In ancient times, poison was mostly tested with silver needles.

In fact, silver needles are only effective against toxins containing sulfur or sulfide, which means they can only detect arsenic.

Other poisons are useless.

Food poisoning is not included.

There are even more ways to get food poisoning, such as over-soaked wood ear mushrooms (fumonisin), spoiled nuts and grains (aflatoxin), etc.

There are even more subtle methods: "There are some special cases, a small number of people who are allergic to certain things."

"If you discover this trait of the other party and take advantage of it, you can achieve the goal of killing them without them even noticing."

Wang Mian told Lou Yu all the methods he knew.

Lou Yu listened attentively and did not interrupt during the entire process.

After Wang Mian finished speaking, Lou Yu slowly nodded, "I appreciate your advice! Thank you, Madam Wang, for your guidance!"

Wang Mian quickly waved his hands, "I dare not, I dare not! Haha, as long as I can help Mr. Lou, it's fine!"

This man is so terrible!

He is younger than me, but he is very cunning and ruthless.

Wang Mian was once again thankful that the first person he met was Ajiu, not Lou Yu!

……

Lou Yu wrote down all the methods Wang Mian mentioned and arranged for his confidants to test them.

Lou Yu was particularly curious about the allergy that Wang Mian mentioned.

Pollen, fruit, even eggs and water can become fatal causes for some people.

But this kind of knowledge is not known to the world.

Even doctors, when encountering patients with related symptoms, do not know the cause of the disease.

Lou Yu's mind moved slightly, and he called the secret guards and asked them to investigate in major drug stores, clinics, etc., trying to find clues and collect enough information.

There are also many families who have their own doctors in their homes, and the pulse records they have are also of considerable value.

Lou Yu planned them one by one.

If he wants to be truly powerful, he will have to know more secrets.

Wang Mian's words further expanded Lou Yu's scope.

"...Back then, I kept this person because of Ah Heng. Now it seems that I was right."

Torture can indeed make a person talk.

But, it is far inferior to this kind of "attacking the heart first".

After all, when people are on guard, even if they want to tell secrets to save their lives, omissions are inevitable.

Unlike today, if you keep going slowly, you will always get "surprises".

"Aheng is indeed my lucky star! I am blessed to have her!"

Lou Yu happily recorded this achievement for his little girl and thought about rewarding her well.

Wang Mian: ...Excuse me? Wasn't it me who made the contribution? Why didn't I get any commendation or reward?

But it doesn't matter, she is one with her eldest sister.

If the eldest daughter-in-law is well, she will be better off.

The sense of awe that Wang Mian had developed since childhood made her not dare to express any dissatisfaction with Lou Yu even after she became a noble lady.

She met Lou Yu's request, and obediently ordered someone to send the gifts she had prepared to the Duke of Qi's Mansion, asking Lou Yu to deliver the gifts to Wang Heng on her behalf!

……

"Calculating the time and distance, Ah Heng should be more than two hundred miles away from the capital."

While Lou Yu was busy with state affairs, he was always estimating Wang Heng's itinerary.

Wang Heng's birthday is April 21st. After estimating Wang Heng's location, Lou Yu set out from the capital three days in advance.

Accompanied by a team of guards and prepared birthday gifts, Lou Yu once again demonstrated his speed of forced marching.

They rode at full speed, covering nearly a hundred miles a day.

On April 20th, the day before Wang Heng's birthday, he met up with Wang Heng's motorcade.

"Brother!"

Wang Heng knew Lou Yu would come, but she was still happy to see the exhausted person in person.

Three or four months later, Wang Heng still remembers the thrill she felt before leaving Beijing.

When they met again, Wang Heng couldn't help but think of the snow-white chest, the red burns, and—

Bang, bang, bang!

My heartbeat started to speed up and my cheeks started to feel hot.

Wang Heng didn't know what was wrong with her, but she didn't dare to look directly into Lou Yu's eyes.

"Aheng, are you having a safe journey?"

Lou Yu seemed not to notice Wang Heng's abnormality. He dismounted his horse as usual and came close to Wang Heng.

He first looked Wang Heng up and down: "Not bad, you haven't lost weight!"

The little girl is already so thin that her waist cannot be held in one hand, and the hollow of her fair and delicate neck is deep enough to hold a fish. She can't lose any more weight.

Lou Yu moved his fingers. He had a premonition that he could hold Ah Heng's slender neck with one hand.

You don't need two hands to hold her waist.

As for the even more slender wrist, he could break it with just a little force!

Lou Yu tried his best to suppress the urge to reach out, smiled softly, and said gently, "Is everything going well? Did you encounter any trouble along the way?"

"I'm fine! Everything's going well! Don't worry, brother, I'm fine!"

Wang Heng also broke free from her shyness. She smiled sweetly and answered obediently.

Lou Yu continued to reach out as usual and held Wang Heng's small hand.

A pair of jade hands, white and tender.

Because she was in mourning, Wang Heng did not wear any makeup.

The nails are trimmed just right, neither too long nor too short.

The transparent nails have a light pink tint, without any bright colors, but they look fresh and simple.

Lou Yu's eyes swept across the small hand that looked like it was carved from jade. He held the fingers of the small hand and gently stroked the lines on her palm with his fingertips.

Wang Heng, who had just controlled her emotions, felt her throat tighten and her mouth dry again.

It was clearly a small action I had been used to since childhood, but now, I felt a kind of nervousness and shyness that made me feel like my soul was leaving my body.

"Um, brother, what birthday gift did you prepare for me?"

Wang Heng desperately tried to find topics to talk about, trying to get rid of this strange feeling.

"you guess?"

Lou Yu continued to hold the little hand. He was tall, and when he lowered his head, he could just see the top of the little girl's head and a little bit of the side view.

Her black hair was combed into two buns.

She did not wear any complicated or expensive red gold jewelry, but instead wore two small silver hairpins.

The exposed ears are white, tender and small, with fleshy earlobes, which is what the elders call a "lucky face".

At this moment, the perfect little ears were red, as if they could drip blood.

"...The little girl is shy!"

With this discovery, Lou Yu was surprised and happy.

Perhaps, the little girl still hasn't fully understood, but she can already treat him as an adult man, not a brother!

This is a huge improvement.

Only if Ah Heng regards him as a man can they develop feelings for each other.

Lou Yu resisted the urge to lower his head and kiss her earlobe, and continued to maintain the appearance of a gentleman with proper manners: "This time, I have prepared a surprise specifically for Ah Heng!"

"surprise?"

Wang Heng raised her head. They were very close to each other, but there was a big difference in height.

Wang Heng's lips just brushed across Lou Yu's chest, and did not touch his Adam's apple or chin like in idol dramas.

A dark light flashed in Lou Yu's eyes. Next time, well, I must pay attention next time!

……

In the evening, in the wilderness outside the post station, beneath the black curtain, with a bang, a brilliant flame burst forth...