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

Chapter 238 I'm not discussing this with you

Just as the Minister of War had feared, the news, which could not be kept secret, quickly reached the ears of powerful figures in the capital through another means.

In the residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, He Shidao, who was "sound asleep," suddenly opened his eyes, abandoned the woman in his arms, went through a dark partition in the room to the backyard, and entered the servants' quarters.

Inside the house, the man dressed as an old servant waited from dusk until late at night, appearing calm and composed, but in reality, he was trembling with fear, afraid that the old fox He Shidao would not want to see him.

"It's been a long time, but the old boss's charm is as strong as ever."

Upon seeing the person arrive, Baili Jiangluo instantly made up his mind, but it was truly impolite to make him wait for so long!

So he casually replaced his drink with a hot one, his words tinged with dissatisfaction, "Lord He has kept this old man waiting."

"That group is meticulous. The assassination attempt on Lu Jian might have been staged for us. It's better to be cautious."

"Oh? Does Lord He think His Majesty is deliberately causing a stir in the court and among the people?"

"Heh," He Shidao chuckled meaningfully, then changed the subject, "Does the old master know that the Investigation Bureau, the Imperial Guards, and the Ministry of War still obey His Majesty?"

"so what?"

"When His Majesty went to Hezhou, he not only granted Consort Xuan the power of regent, but also handed over half of the military tally to the Empress Dowager."

what? !

Baili Jiang Luo's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment he forgot to use honorifics, "How did you know?!"

"Heh," He Shidao smirked slightly, "How can you cooperate with that person without some real skills?"

Like the former Vice Minister of War, relying on others to deliver messages and follow orders in everything? Then the He family would have no place to stand in the capital long ago.

"That's true." Seeing through things but not saying it, Baili Jiangluo is also a shrewd person.

"So, Lord He means... that we should be afraid of two women?"

“Woman? Ha~” He Shidao paused, then smiled even more amiably.

"Before His Majesty was thirteen years old, almost everything he learned was taught by our Empress Dowager."

"From the beginning of seizing the throne to now commanding the world, only Consort Xuan has won his heart the most. Even after the He family was exterminated, she remained favored."

"Does the old master think that a woman like this is something simple?"

"Plus Cui Yuanshu and his gang, if we're not careful," He Shidao's expression darkened, no longer joking, "we could lose our lives and our fortunes."

"What Lord He said is indeed reasonable." Seeing that He Shidao was finally serious, Baili Jiangluo also put away his contemptuous attitude.

"His Majesty is a man of great talent and ambition, and those who can work by his side are indeed not to be underestimated... But if they lose their composure, would Lord He be willing to take a gamble?"

"Ok?"

"General Wu, who was demoted from the capital, is in Kulin County, Jiangzhou. I have already sent someone to make contact with him."

He Congjun pondered for a moment, "Jiangzhou... isn't that the territory of the Cheng and Zheng families?"

"It already belongs to the Song family."

“Song Zhaohe?” He Congjun shook his head regretfully. “I have met this person. It is absolutely impossible to drag him down. Besides, he is not in the capital right now.”

“The Song family is not just Song Zhaohe; his uncles and brothers are more than willing to do things that he is unwilling to do.”

Seeing Baili Jiangluo's confident demeanor, He Shidao immediately realized something, "Yes, it's because the Song family is so prosperous."

After Lu Jian took advantage of the Fengdu Garden incident to wipe out the Cheng and Zheng families, the financial and military power of the ten prefectures of Jiangzhou had indeed been taken back by the imperial court in name only.

However, it takes time for a government order to be issued, implemented, and for results to be seen.

In particular, Jiangzhou was controlled by powerful clans for nearly a century.

Those parasites who rely on powerful families will not all die just because the pillar has fallen.

Many of them will crawl underground or transform themselves into supporters of the new policy, quietly waiting for the next pillar that they can gnaw on.

"So what does the old master plan to do?"

“Wu Chongzuo has a half-sister who is a concubine of Song Zhaohe, my cousin. I have already sent her a lot of money. Kulin County is the poorest, and my sister takes pity on her brother, so she will naturally contact her and help her more.”

He Shidao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly became interested. "And then?"

"Major corruption cases, exorbitant taxes, widespread famine, and people traveling thousands of miles to file complaints—do you think our Lord Xue could resist investigating these matters?"

"If we investigate, will Wu Chongzuo lead us to the Song family?"

He Shidao was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, overjoyed. "Master, what a brilliant plan!"

"Wu Chongzuo delivered house and land deeds to Song Zhaohe and the Fifth Master. Although Song Zhaohe refused them, who can say whether he is truly upright or just a hypocrite? Whether he colluded with other ministers in the court?"

After saying that, he gave a thumbs up, "Only cases like this deserve the praise of our Lord Xue, who loves the people like his own children and is upright and incorruptible!"

Baili Jiangluo continued confidently, "Once Xue Fengshi leaves the capital, the regent will be missing a minister, and Cui Yuanshu will be overwhelmed. Will the civil service group still be as seamless and united as it is now?"

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" He Shidao clapped his hands excitedly.

Once that group of civil officials falls apart, how could he not have an opportunity to take action?

Xue Fengshi has dominated the Censorate for far too long!

Looking at the flickering candlelight, Baili Jiangluo actually had an even more ruthless plan: "Once Xue Fengshi goes to Jiangzhou at all costs, then this situation will no longer be in their hands."

He Shidao raised his glass at the opportune moment, saying, "As long as he's gone..."

"Whether he succeeds or fails, he is doomed!"

Rather than clinking glasses, Baili Jiangluo could almost imagine how horribly Xue Fengshi would die.

After finishing his drink, He Shidao also showed some sincerity, "I will try again with the Imperial Guards. Although Qian Li will not listen to us, the Ministry of War is not ruled by him alone."

What does "give it a try" mean? If a layman heard this, he would probably think that He Shidao was talking nonsense.

But Baili Jiangluo, a cunning old fox, knew immediately upon hearing this that He Shidao already had spies in the Imperial Guard and the Ministry of War.

"As for Lin Yuchuan... the Investigation Division has always only obeyed the Emperor's orders, so I really can't do anything about it."

"His Majesty's authority is profound, and even if we can cultivate our own people, we cannot change anything in a short period of time."

"However, we can make a move against the Empress Dowager."

“I was prepared for this, but we still need your cooperation to see results in a short period of time.”

Baili Jianglu was testing his strength, but wasn't He Shidao doing the same? He couldn't do the dirty work alone.

"Then what does Lord He think of Baili Ming?"

“This…” He Shidao put down the cup in his hand, feigning hesitation.

His words were full of concern and understanding: "Your daughter is both scholarly and martial, a rare talent. You only have this one daughter left, so please treat this as a family matter."

They really don't act until they see the benefits.

Baili Jiangluo smiled faintly and told him directly, "After all, she is my own daughter. If she is obedient, I might spare her life."

He has already dealt with those unruly dogs in Xizhou. As for what will happen to Baili Ming, that's up to her.

He Shidao knew what kind of person that young lady was; how could she possibly obey him?

Therefore, Baili Ming will either die or become a cripple.

He Shidao rose and bowed, expressing his attitude: "The old master is indeed a man who can accomplish great things. I admire him."

Baili Jiangluo then stood up, bowed his head with a hint of arrogance, and said, "The situation is still unclear, so it is not appropriate for me to show myself. I will leave the rest to Lord He."

......

An unnamed island.

The sun rose as usual, and Wang Qingyan lived another day.

That bastard, how come he's so resilient?

"What will it take for you to die?" Bai Li Ce couldn't help but ask him during the meal.

Wang Qingyan glanced at her, silently finished his meal, then snatched her bowl and took it out to wash together... He limped, his gait fluctuating.

But Bai Li Ce didn't find it funny at all.

Because she hadn't finished eating.

Worst of all, Wang Qingyan returned quickly, limping and staggering...

With each step closer, the sinister and eerie aura intensified.

Bai Li Ce choked up, and just as he was about to say something, Wang Qingyan suddenly flashed closer!

"Ah..." Baili Ce almost retaliated.