General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Jiang Qiqi and Wu Ming agreed to meet in Miss Yiren's room two days later.

She was so thoughtful; fearing the other party wouldn't be able to find out her carefully prepared fake identity, she even gave him two days.

The fake identity was forged by Sixteen.

Jiang Qiqi originally only knew about Twelve and Nineteen, but recently she heard that Shen Luo had two other trusted confidants who had been carrying out missions outside, namely Thirteen and Sixteen.

"Sixteen is good at forging identities, so let him handle it."

These are Shen Luo's original words.

And Sixteen lived up to expectations, doing a truly perfect job.

However, Wu Ming's power was greater than she had imagined.

The next morning, Sixteen reported: "Wu Ming's men have found out Gong Boyue's identity."

That is, Jiang Qiqi's fake identity.

It was Lin'er who provided them with the name Gong Boyue.

Previously, when she was planning to assassinate someone at the Prince's residence, she overheard Wang Liang chatting with this person, who seemed to be a trusted advisor of his.

With this name, the credibility of this identity immediately increased significantly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

That evening, Jiang Qiqi arrived at Yihong Courtyard at the agreed time, where Wu Ming was already waiting.

As she expected, even though she found out that she was Wang Liang's person, Wu Ming did not notify Cui Zhi and still came to the appointment on his own.

This time, Wu Ming's attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change, and he became extremely respectful to Jiang Qiqi.

"Brother Mu, oh, or perhaps I should call you Lord Gong."

Jiang Qiqi feigned ignorance: "What Lord Gong? Brother Wu, what are you talking about?"

Wu Ming smiled mysteriously and whispered in her ear, "Lord Gong came to Longcheng on the orders of the Vice Minister, right? I understand. The Minister wanted to keep a low profile, so he didn't make a fuss. So please don't play riddles with me."

Jiang Qiqi showed just the right amount of surprise, then smiled with relief.

"It is said that apart from Prefect Cui Zhi, only Wu Ming and Wu Ju have the greatest power in Longcheng. Now it seems that the rumors are true."

His words implied an admission of the identity Wu Ming had described.

"Lord Gong is too kind. We were merely following orders; how could we compare to the Prefect?" Wu Ming said modestly.

Jiang Qiqi ignored his polite words and had Lin'er bring out the tea leaves.

"Lord Wu, the tea has been brought to you."

The person behind Wu Ming handed him a small box, which looked quite heavy.

"As agreed that day, one thousand taels of silver shall be presented."

Wu Ming opened the box, and the silver was neatly stacked in four layers, with five ingots in each layer.

"No wonder this tea is no ordinary tea; it's from the capital." He took the tea leaves and took a deep sniff, the delicate fragrance instantly filling his nostrils.

“Yes,” Jiang Qiqi said with a smile, “Lord Wu really knows his stuff.”

……

After exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Qiqi took the silver and prepared to leave.

"Hey, sir, please wait." Wu Ming stopped her.

"If I hadn't known that Lord Gong had come to Longcheng, that would have been fine. Now that I know, I naturally want to extend the hospitality of a host and invite Lord Gong for a couple of drinks."

“This…” Jiang Qiqi looked troubled. “Lord Wang Liang instructed me to keep a low profile and not to reveal my identity.”

Wu Ming understood immediately and ordered his servants, "Tell the Yihong Courtyard to close the building today and not to receive any guests. And all of you, go downstairs."

"Yes."

Soon the noise downstairs subsided, and the servants in the house left, leaving only the two of them sitting facing each other at the table.

"Lord Gong," Wu Ming said respectfully, raising his wine cup, "Now that it's just the two of us, I humbly request that you grant me this humble official some face."

Jiang Qiqi smiled and raised her glass to the other party, saying, "Since that's the case, wouldn't it be a disservice to Lord Wu if I were to decline again?"

……

After a few rounds of drinks, Jiang Qiqi and Wu Ming went from being polite and distant at the beginning to chatting back and forth, and now they are arm in arm, clearly having had a good time.

“That Brother Gong,” Wu Ming said, his tongue slurring.

"Your arrival in Longcheng was too hasty; I haven't prepared anything. Next time you come, just let me know in advance, and I'll definitely welcome you with open arms! Delicious food, fine wine, and beautiful women will accompany you!"

"Alright, alright." Jiang Qi patted Wuming's shoulder, his face flushed, looking like he was drunk.

“Brother Wu, it’s good that I, Gong, came to Longcheng. It’s worth it to meet you.”

"But Brother Gong, what exactly are you doing in Longcheng?" Wu Ming asked seemingly casually.

"Sigh, it's nothing." Jiang Qiqi sighed, still refusing to speak.

Wu Ming poured him a glass of wine: "Brother Gong, do you not trust me?"

"What are you saying?" Jiang Qiqi waved her hand slurredly. "It's really nothing serious. Lord Wang asked me to come to Longcheng to select some people. He said..."

Jiang Qiqi moved closer, and Wu Ming, seeing this, quickly moved closer as well.

All I heard was her soft voice saying, "He said that Cui Zhi is too ambitious and greedy, and that if this continues, he will surely cause a great disaster. He asked me to come to Longcheng to observe and see if I can find someone to replace Cui Zhi."

Wu Ming never expected it to be such a big deal.

Should we tell Lord Cui?

He was thinking about it when Jiang Qiqi's next words dispelled his idea.

Jiang Qiqi patted his shoulder hard: "Brother Wu, I don't think I need to look anymore. You're very good. You're sensible and capable. You're much better than that Cui Zhiqiang."

She waved her hand dismissively: "How about this, I'll write a letter to Lord Wang when I get back. I'll recommend you for the position of Prefect of Longcheng."

"This……"

Happiness comes too suddenly.

Wu Ming has followed Cui Zhi for nearly ten years, rising from an unknown guard to a trusted confidant. He is intelligent, resourceful, and ambitious.

However, he also knew in his heart that as long as Cui Zhi was around, he would not be able to continue climbing the ranks.

He knew part of Cui Zhi's plan and originally thought that once the plan succeeded and Cui Zhi was promoted, he might be able to keep him in Longcheng as the governor.

Of course, the chances are slim; after all, it's very difficult to raise a dog that you truly like.

Unexpectedly, the opportunity has now arrived.

"Brother Gong, I am just someone who does things for others. Your words make me feel uneasy."

No matter how happy he was inside, Wu Ming didn't show it and remained very humble.

"To tell you the truth... hiccup..." Jiang Qiqi hiccuped.

"Before coming to Longcheng, I had already inquired about you and your brother Wu Ju. You are both talented and capable individuals, and I have high hopes for you. Originally, I planned to observe you for a while and choose one of you. But I never expected that fate would let me meet you first."

"Tell me, isn't this fate?"

Jiang Qiqi picked up the box next to her that contained "one thousand taels of silver", opened it, and took out a silver ingot from the top.

What was placed beneath the silver was not silver, but gold ingots.

She patted Wu Ming on the back and pointed to her heart: "Brother Wu, I remember what you did."

That's about all I have to say.

Jiang Qiqi threw the silver coins down and "thumped" onto the table, her face flushed. She kept smacking her lips as if she were fast asleep.

Wu Ming, who had just been looking dazed and had his arm around her shoulder, stood up, looked down at her, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes revealing undisguised excitement and ambition.

He turned and left.

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Qiqi also got up and left.