After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

"That's easy to handle, but His Majesty will probably be scolded by the civil officials again."

Lu Jian, who was used to being scolded, sighed and remained silent for a while.

Then he gave up struggling. "There's one more thing. Xie Yunxiang, the son of Vice Minister Xie, has been having close contact with He Shoufeng recently. The day after tomorrow is He Shoufeng's birthday. Take this opportunity to go and find out what's going on."

Although she was somewhat reluctant to say "okay," He Yao felt she could endure anything when she thought of her mother.

Noticing He Yao's emotional change, Lu Jian immediately grasped her hand and analyzed the situation from a perspective of interests, saying, "The He family only had the opportunity to associate with the prominent figures in the capital because of you. If He Shoufeng doesn't want to offend you, he would never dare to mistreat your mother again."

Then, with gentle comfort, he said, "Moreover, the clinic has already begun preparing the antidote for your mother. As soon as the opportunity arises, we will personally go to pick her up."

Thank you, Your Majesty.

"Between you and me, there is no need to say thank you."

"Your Majesty, how is the Wang family doing?"

Lu Jian was about to say this, "The person has taken the bait, but..."

"But what problem has arisen?" He Yao thought subconsciously.

"As you know, I've been setting up this scheme since before I ascended the throne."

"Over the past year, we've taken the most important steps, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"But something just feels off... Could you help me figure it out?"

"Didn't the Investigation Division send out new information? What did they say?"

"It is said that Wang Qingyan was very happy when he came out of Baili Mansion. He held a flower in his hand and smelled it again and again. He also said, 'Baili Ce is indeed interested in him.'"

The undercover agents of the Investigation Division are all lip-readers, so what Wang Qingyan said that day can be basically confirmed to be true.

so......

He Yao thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Does Your Majesty think that Baili Ce was actually deceiving you before, and that she actually intended to form a marriage alliance with the Wang family?"

"Yes, otherwise why would Wang Qingyan be so happy?"

He Yao shook her head. "That's not right."

"What's wrong?"

"The flowers Wang Qingyan was holding back then must have been very valuable, right?"

"It's a lovely pink color and a very large flower; it must be quite precious."

"That's right, Wang Qingyan must have picked this flower himself."

"Hmm?" Lu Jian leaned back slightly, puzzled. "So what?"

"This shows that Baili Ce did not break the contract."

Lu Jian looked even more puzzled. "How does this mean that Baili Ce is still trustworthy?"

Besides, is the focus of this question really a flower?

"Look," Lu Jian said seriously, seeing that He Yao didn't agree with him.

"Baili Ce is a lover of flowers, so there must be many flowers planted in his garden. It wouldn't be a big deal to pick one or two."

"For example, if you want to pick all the flowers in my garden, that's fine with you~"

"What if it's someone you dislike?"

"Hmm..." Lu Jian thought for a moment, then spread his hands as if to make it easy, and said stubbornly, "It's okay to pick just a few flowers. I am the emperor, how can I be so stingy?"

Tsk~

He Yao rolled her eyes at Lu Jian.

But to save face for him, she changed her approach, saying, "Your Majesty, this is what you men think."

"Then according to your women's ideas..."

Lu Jian pondered for a moment, "If that flower is very valuable, and happens to be one you like, but it's picked by someone you dislike..."

Imagine your favorite, most expensive flower in your own private garden being broken for no reason...

Lu Jian suddenly flew into a rage, "Pay up! That Wang guy has to pay up!"

"If he's short even a penny, I'll never forgive him!"

"..." He Yao didn't know what to say for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, he patiently explained, "If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be willing to treat Wang Qingyan to even one meal."

"So... what do you think Wang Qingyan's actions represent?"

He Yao stated her conclusion, "There are several layers of meaning."

"First, he is misleading His Majesty, making people think that he is a man who is sentimental."

"Secondly, he wanted His Majesty to believe that Baili Ce had been deceiving you all along, that they actually liked each other, which is why he gave her flowers, and that everything before was just an act."

"Oh~" Lu Jian suddenly realized after hearing this, then slapped his thigh, "That's right! I was almost misled by him!"

As expected, a girl's perspective allows her to see things he can't.

"Is there a third meaning?"

He Yao smiled knowingly, "Since Your Majesty has already thought of it, why ask such a question?"

The last implication, that someone should be sent to the Investigation Department immediately, was something even Lu Jian found difficult to articulate.

"He's scheming against Baili Ce, trying to make Baili Ce think that he likes her very much."

......

Investigation Division.

Upon hearing Lu Jian's request for them to investigate further, the investigators began to complain.

"What?! They want to investigate further?!"

"Oh......"

"Haven't all the results been announced?"

"Why do we still need to investigate?"

"Isn't it bad to have too many clandestine contacts...?"

"Boss, say something! These people up here are always making decisions on a whim."

"Shut up, all of you!" Lin Yuchuan was also furious, but he had no choice but to follow orders.

"You don't want your salary anymore, do you?"

"..." Upon mentioning the six months' worth of wages that had been deducted, everyone fell silent in anger.

Lin Yuchuan softened his tone and pointed to one of the investigators sitting on the left side of the long table, "San'er, go and contact the informant you're in charge of again."

"Yes, I understand," He San replied dejectedly.

After disguising themselves, they entered another street through the underground passage of the Criminal Investigation Department.

After crossing the street, we arrived at a pharmacy.

Right across the street is the noodle shop that the old steward of the Prince's Mansion often frequents.

......

Wangjiazhuangzi, on the outskirts of Beijing.

Although mid-May is not the hottest time, the heat is already present.

The old housekeeper, in particular, was quite old and had been exposed to the scorching sun in the open field all day; he almost couldn't hold on.

Therefore, he should have been relieved when he was dragged into the shady room.

In reality, he had been tortured to the point that he could no longer utter a single word.

Wang Qingyan leaned back in his chair, his hand supporting his head and gently tapping his temple. "Really want to go out?"

“…Thump! Thump! Thump!” The old steward paused in fright, then kowtowed violently.

However, from the outside, there was not a single injury.

"Heh..." Wang Qingyan chuckled contentedly.

See, people are just so shameless~

If you treat it well, it will only take advantage of you.

If you're a little harsher, it becomes obedient and docile.

but--

"It's not impossible."

The old butler stopped, overjoyed.

"Hmm?" Wang Qingyan gave him a look.

The old steward started kowtowing again.

Seeing the old steward kowtow so hard his head was almost falling off, Wang Qingyan's eyes showed no joy whatsoever, but rather were filled with extreme gloom.

And quite impatiently, he said, "You've been with me for almost ten years, and I was originally going to let you off the hook."

"But you shouldn't have kept the things she gave me."

"so......"

Wang Qingyan bent down, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked down at the old butler.

The old butler, whose head had become numb from kowtowing, suddenly froze as if a spring had been pressed.

You should cherish this opportunity.

"If you can't get the Investigation Division to find what I want them to find, and to make them believe what I want them to believe."

"Then I'll just have to torment you for another ten years."

After speaking, Wang Qingyan gave a wink to his attendant, who was standing there like a corpse.

The attendant immediately grabbed the old steward with one hand and threw him out of the estate.

"..." The old steward, who had been thrown out of the manor, took a while to slowly get up from the ground.

His hands and feet had fresh bruises from the fall, but they disappeared in no time.

So he dusted himself off and "regained" some of his senses.

Then he slowly looked around... and when he saw the carriage by the roadside, he climbed up on his hands and feet.

After driving the carriage for an unknown amount of time, the old steward finally stopped in front of a noodle shop.

Following the memory in his mind, he said with a calm expression, "Boss, noodles with lard, no sesame paste."

......