They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Mo Baiyun licked his lips, revealing murderous intent, and nodded.

Wu Ziyan waved her hand, she wanted to see who was backstabbing her in her own household. Sima Lingchuan was confused, what rats and pests? People came to the house to clean them up on time.

Mo Baiyun smiled and gestured for them to proceed, then led the group towards the woodshed.

Reaching the door of the woodshed, Mo Baiyun opened it, and a person rushed out and knelt at Wu Ziyan's feet, his voice trembling and his body shaking uncontrollably, as if he had been greatly frightened. Mo Baiyun squinted at Wu Ziyan from behind.

Looking into Mo Baiyun's eyes, which held a murderous intent, Zhang Langguan cried out in a sob, "Master, spare me! Don't kill me! I beg you!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, until his forehead was scraped raw. Sima Lingchuan wanted to help him up, but Chu Qiu watched coldly, though there was a hint of inexplicable emotion in his eyes. Perhaps, if he hadn't captured him, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

"Oh dear, what happened to you? Why are you in such a sorry state, my beautiful Zhang!" Wu Ziyan's acting and voice were extremely exaggerated. She slowly squatted down and stared into his eyes. Although she was smiling, her eyes were as cold as knives. She pinched Zhang Langguan's face with her hands.

"I shouldn't have stolen the reward to exchange for money! I shouldn't have..." The more he said this, the more his eyes looked away, and he didn't dare to look her in the eye.

“What do you mean, ‘shouldn’t be’!” Wu Ziyan stood up and forcefully lifted his chin, looking down at him.

"Ziyan, what happened to you and him?" Sima Lingchuan gripped the hem of his clothes tightly. He was the one who should be handling things in the backyard, and he wanted to know what had happened that had escalated to the point of involving Wu Ziyan. He had no idea how this husband could be so incompetent!

"Master, you don't need to worry about it," Mo Baiyun said, pulling Sima Lingchuan along.

The young official Zhang didn't continue speaking, tears streaming down his face. Chu Qiu frowned, pointing his sword between Wu Ziyan and the young official Zhang, the blade so bright it reflected Wu Ziyan's face.

"Whose pawn are you!" The voice was icy.

Wu Ziyan turned to look at Chu Qiu, feeling that the sword strike Chu Qiu had pointed out was tinged with personal grudge. Anyone else would have been terrified by him, but how did he know that Chu Qiu was a pawn and not think that he was just an ordinary petty thief?

"Hahaha! So what if I tell you? What can you do to me if you know? If it weren't for the Second Prince, would I be stuck here as a lowly official?" This official Zhang started to act like a complete slacker.

"Oh... so you admit it?" Wu Ziyan stood up and winked at Mo Baiyun.

Mo Baiyun secretly made a throat-slitting gesture to Wu Ziyan, but Wu Ziyan shook her head. Chu Qiu saw their little interaction.

"You can leave, but don't let me see you." His eyes were vicious.

Zhang Langguan ran out in a disheveled state, muttering something as he ran. Sima Lingchuan grabbed Wu Ziyan's hand, and Wu Ziyan said, "This is a pawn planted by my good second sister; it has nothing to do with you."

Sima Lingchuan was shocked and found it hard to believe. This young official had been in the household for a long time. He felt guilty for not managing the inner quarters well. Wu Ziyan said, "This is the royal family."

Chu Qiu glanced at Wu Ziyan more than usual. He thought to himself that she would kill him, and even if she couldn't bear to, she should kill him!

That evening, Wu Chengye went to Sima Zongcheng's residence as promised. The two sat at the table with a pot of wine and a few side dishes, the flickering candlelight illuminating their faces.

"Prime Minister Sima, this time, Wu Ziyan has truly fallen into your hands." His face was filled with an undisguised smile.

"Your Highness, don't be too happy yet."

“You helped me get rid of her. The water was so high, she drowned. Who knows? It’s a natural disaster and a man-made one.”

"Your Highness, do not speak recklessly."

"Prime Minister, it's just the two of us, what's there to be afraid of? Besides, don't think I don't know, Xiao Rong..."

Upon hearing this, Sima Zongcheng's expression changed, while Wu Chengye laughed heartily and downed a cup of wine: "Why doesn't the Prime Minister help me succeed? Then you'll be the first Prime Minister of the founding of the nation!"

At this point, a man walked in from outside. His graceful steps and light blue clothes made him look exceptionally handsome. Sima Zongcheng was taken aback and looked at the newcomer: "Lingyu, what brings you here?"

"Mother, some incense arrived at the manor today; it's a sleep aid. I thought I'd send some over for you." Sima Lingyu's voice was very pleasant, like a lark's.

When Sima Lingyu walked in, Wu Chengye was stunned. She looked too much like Sima Lingchuan. Her heart surged again, and her hatred for Wu Ziyan deepened!

Sima Lingyu said a few words, bowed and left. Wu Chengye's eyes followed his back as he left the door. Of course, all of this was seen by Sima Zongcheng. Wu Chengye said, "Prime Minister, there must be a structural bridge between us to ensure our relationship is reliable."

Since ancient times, marriage has been a way to consolidate political power. Although Sima Zongcheng was not very willing for Sima Lingyu to marry Wu Chengye, what she said still made some sense.

Moreover, Sima Lingyu has always been obedient, so it wouldn't be a bad piece to place next to Wu Chengye; it's just a pity that Sima Lingchuan is a useless piece!

They all had their own plans, but Sima Lingyu, who was walking around the corner, overheard these words. He stopped, sighed, and muttered to himself, "How I envy my brother, he got rid of it so early."

Sima Zongcheng asked, "Then, what does the Second Prince mean?"

Even though he already knew, he still asked. Wu Chengye drank another cup: "Is the Second Young Master married? My position as his master's husband is still vacant. He won't be at a disadvantage if he marries into the family."

"It's alright that there's no engagement yet, but this matter shouldn't be rushed."

"I will ask the Queen for permission tomorrow." She couldn't wait.

"Your Highness, with the current floods, you should worry about that instead of angering the Empress."

"Yes, a marriage between prominent families must cost a fortune," Wu Chengye said, gripping his wine glass tightly. He sighed and slammed the glass down on the table. "Then I urge you, Prime Minister, to hurry!"

Turning to leave, Sima Zongcheng stood up and said, "Your Highness, please take care. I will not see you off any further."

She watched Wu Chengye's departing figure, thinking that he was brave but lacked strategy and was not capable of being of great use.

In Sima Zongcheng's eyes, Wu Chengye was nothing more than a pawn. When Wu Chengye returned to the mansion, he rushed to her side and knelt down.

This was none other than Zhang Langguan. He was sobbing uncontrollably as he recounted everything that had happened to Wu Ziyan, hoping to gain Wu Chengye's sympathy. But Wu Chengye kicked him away, exclaiming, "What! You've been captured by Wu Ziyan!"

"Second Prince, you can't abandon me! I'm your man!" he cried out, his voice hoarse and heart-wrenching.

"Get lost!" A piece that has already been captured by the enemy is of no use to her, yet she still has the nerve to make a fuss here!

His eyes were fierce and he was extremely agitated. He said to the person in the shadows, "He's useless!"

What does this mean? It means that you're useless, which means you're like an ant that has lost its value. Your life is worthless. Zhang Langguan never imagined that he would lose his life in the end, thinking that he could vent his anger.

The very next morning, as Wu Ziyan was getting dressed and preparing to leave, Chu Qiu suddenly said coldly beside her, "Dead!"

Wu Ziyan didn't hear clearly and asked again, "What?"

Mo Baiyun frowned and quickly ran to Wu Ziyan's side: "Zhang Lang, who was kicked out yesterday, died in the brothel alley."