After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

"No." Xie Mingzhu realized what was happening and immediately took a few steps closer to Luo Hanfeng, wrapping her arms around his waist. She cried and said, "I'm not scared, I just feel so sorry for you."

"If I had met you sooner, I could have saved you from all this harm."

Hot tears soaked Luo Hanfeng's clothes. He turned his back to Xie Xing, his face expressionless, and placed his hand on Xie Mingzhu. "Mingzhu, you've been so good to me. I don't know how to repay you."

Xie Mingzhu shook her head, crying.

"No, you don't need to repay me. It's because I haven't done enough for you."

[Ding, the male and female leads' progress +10.]

Xie Xing glanced at the progress bar, which was rising incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it was almost full.

There is 20% progress remaining.

[How does this progress bar work?] Xie Xing asked the system while watching Luo Hanfeng and Xie Mingzhu being all lovey-dovey.

The system stated: "In novels like this, whoever the female lead likes is the male lead."

The progress of the male and female leads mainly depends on the female lead's feelings for the male lead; the closer they are, the faster the progress bar rises.

At this point, the system asked in confusion, "[This is really strange. Why is the progress bar here even faster than the original book's progress bar?]"

Xie Xing frowned.

She felt something was wrong.

Although Luo Hanfeng and Xie Mingzhu appeared to be very close, Xie Xing still sensed a slight unease.

What a jerk!

Xie Xing watched for a while and couldn't help but sigh.

No wonder the system said that Luo Hanfeng is the kind of person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Last night, he was able to say some strange things in the house, and he was also able to act pitiful to gain Xie Mingzhu's sympathy in order to achieve his own goals.

If you're not careful and fall for a romance scammer like that, you might die without even knowing how.

Xie Mingzhu carefully applied the medicine to Luo Hanfeng.

Xie Xing observed for a while and, finding no problems, instructed his guards to take her away.

Little did she know that as soon as she left, Luo Hanfeng finished applying the medicine and then started talking about serious business with Xie Mingzhu.

"Father is furious today," Luo Hanfeng said. "He vows to wipe out all the remnants of the previous dynasty."

“Mingzhu, if you can get my things hidden in the General’s Mansion to be found by Father, he will point the finger at the General’s Mansion. At that time, you can fake your death to escape, steal the tiger tally from the General’s Mansion, and force the emperor to abdicate in Xie Ansheng’s name. Then you can take the throne legitimately.”

Xie Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat.

She was a young woman from a respectable family. Even though she came from a general's family, she had only learned music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues and the Precepts for Women. When she heard such a rebellious thing, her face turned pale with fright.

"But can this really succeed?"

If Xie Ansheng could succeed in rebellion simply by relying on the military power he held, then why didn't he just declare himself emperor?

Luo Hanfeng said calmly, "That's impossible, but soon after, there will be drought in the south, locust plagues, famine, and war in the south. At that time, your father will be imprisoned, and the only military generals available in the court will be Jun Lanjin and Prince Liu's faction."

"The rest are not to be feared."

Luo Hanfeng lowered his head and looked at Xie Mingzhu tenderly: "Mingzhu, you are so good to me, I will definitely help you sit on that throne."

Xie Mingzhu opened her eyes wide and looked at Luo Hanfeng.

Her heart was pounding.

She bit her lip and asked, "Really? Really?"

"Can I really?"

Luo Hanfeng's eyes were filled with tenderness as he gently embraced Xie Mingzhu, his voice soft and low: "Of course it's true, my girl."

Xie Mingzhu was still somewhat hesitant.

She hasn't made up her mind to truly retaliate against the Xie family.

Luo Hanfeng naturally noticed her hesitation, and he said gently, "It's alright, you can think about it slowly."

……

The time left for Xie Mingzhu is actually not much.

The emperor was urging them urgently from above.

Xie Ansheng found Jun Lanjin and said, "These remaining forces haven't made a move at all. We don't know when the famine will come. The defense map and the tiger tally are all gone. If this continues, we can only sit and wait for our doom."

"What are Your Highness's plans?"

Prince Jin's Mansion.

Xie Ansheng paced back and forth in Jun Lanjin's study, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Jun Lanjin reclined on the chaise lounge, his gaze following Xie Ansheng's movements and turns. He propped his chin up and said calmly, "That night, when Luo Hanfeng entered your general's mansion, did he hide anything?"

Xie Ansheng said, "We dug three feet into the ground, but we found nothing extra or missing from the mansion."

"That's really strange." Jun Lanjin's eyes curved into a smile: "Luo Hanfeng can hear Xie Xing's thoughts. Did he really only intend to kill Xie Xing when he entered your esteemed residence?"

Xie Ansheng said, "If he could hear thoughts, wouldn't he be even more justified in killing Xie Xing?"

After all, Luo Hanfeng is destined to become an emperor. Once he discovers that others besides him can also hear Xie Xing's thoughts, he will naturally want to get rid of this person as soon as possible.

"Then why not kill them from the beginning, but instead leave them until this day?"

Jun Lanjin tapped his fingertip on the table: "Have you kept the tiger tally of your general's mansion safe?"

Xie Ansheng said, "Of course, the tiger tally is on me."

This tiger tally was given to him by the emperor before the founding of the dynasty.

Things are not yet stable. The Xie family won a battle not long ago, so the emperor will naturally not ask for the tiger tally back at this time.

Jun Lanjin narrowed his eyes. "Keep the Tiger Tally safe. As for your Xie family, there are so many fools in your Xie family. Xie Tongchen alone could kill you all."

"If you can manage him well, your Xie family will be able to keep the Tiger Tally and have nothing to worry about."

"But if it can't be managed properly, there's nothing I can do."

Xie Ansheng's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Your Highness, since Luo Hanfeng is preparing to make a move, why don't we strike first and nip him in the bud?"

“The general may also give it a try.” Jun Lanjin’s fingertips caressed the chess piece, his voice slow: “If successful, that would be best, avoiding a battle.”

"If it doesn't work out, please make sure the General's Mansion cleans up the mess and doesn't let anyone find out."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty."

After saying this, Xie Ansheng left in a hurry.

Three days later.

Famine struck southwards.

The locusts swept through the area, devouring all the crops and creating a large number of refugees.

The epidemic broke out suddenly.

The people were miserable.

The emperor was furious and ordered the execution of several court officials. The officials were replaced one after another, and blood stained the Golden Palace.

All the officials were filled with apprehension.

How could there suddenly be an epidemic and famine?

At this time, the envoy from the Southern Kingdom said he wanted to return to the Southern Kingdom.

The Chu Emperor naturally wouldn't let them leave so easily. He kept Aruo behind, detained several envoys from the Southern Kingdom, and only then released the rest.