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

The news that Baili Jiangluo had regained control of the Baili clan caused a dramatic change in the situation in the capital.

Not only have the voices that previously vehemently advocated sending troops to conquer Hezhou diminished considerably, but opinions such as "for His Majesty's sake," "sending troops rashly would harm His Majesty," and "we should consider this carefully" have also intensified.

In the end, the Empress Dowager and Cui Yuanshu could no longer suppress the rising power of the old party. In addition, the disaster in Jiangzhou was severe, and there were more and more dissenting voices in the court.

"What?! Invite Prince Fu to court? How could you even bring yourself to say that?!"

The remonstrating official who made the suggestion quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, please calm down. The situation is chaotic right now. The border will receive news soon. If those barbarians find out that Your Majesty is in danger and Jiangzhou is in chaos, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"How dare you! You have cursed His Majesty!"

"Your subject dares not," the remonstrating official bowed his head again to plead guilty.

Unexpectedly, another minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Tang is right."

"His Majesty has been away from the country for a long time, and Xue Fengshi has been acting arbitrarily. In such a critical situation, if no member of the royal family is in charge, it will be of great harm to the country and the people!"

Qian Li spoke up at the opportune moment, "Imperial Censor Zhang is mistaken. Prince Fu is only fifteen years old and has never had any experience in the army or the court. What can he do if he enters the court?"

"That is precisely why Prince Fu is the most suitable!"

"Exactly!"

"That's utter nonsense! I think you all just want to use Prince Fu to control the court and commit acts of disloyalty!"

"Qian Li! You're spouting lies!"

"I'm making baseless accusations?! You know exactly what you're thinking!"

"What are you thinking! You old dog, explain yourself to me!"

"You old scoundrel! You..."

"Enough!" Seeing the ministers arguing more and more fiercely, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"I've asked you to solve problems, not to argue."

"Queen Mother, calm down."

"Calm down? Do you even respect me anymore?!"

"Your Majesty's majesty is boundless; we, your subjects, bow in reverence."

"If that's the case, then why is it necessary for Prince Fu to come to court?!"

"Do you all think His Majesty won't return? Or do you believe I'm unworthy to sit here, and that this empire should be yours to sit on! Imperial Censor Zhang?"

Censor Zhang was so shocked that he suddenly knelt down. "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This humble subject had no such intention!"

"Ha!" The Empress Dowager laughed in anger, her gaze sweeping over the ministers who had just seconded her. "And you?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"Minister Cui, what's your idea?"

Minister Cui, whose name was called, was taken aback and lowered his head in shame, saying, "Your humble servant is incompetent."

"Minister Qian?"

Minister of War Qian Li was speechless on the spot, "Your Majesty..."

"You gentlemen are truly pillars of the nation!" The sarcastic remark made many officials look ashamed.

"Weren't you all so eloquent just now? Why are you all mute now?"

After much hesitation, no one stepped forward.

Seeing that they were stubbornly pretending to be confused, the Empress Dowager suddenly calmed down and said, "Fine, since none of you can do it, I have an idea."

Cui Yuanshu immediately replied, "I humbly request Your Majesty's guidance."

"His Majesty cannot simply disappear into thin air while leading the army on a campaign."

"Now that we have searched the entire Hezhou area but have not been able to find it, there are only two possibilities."

"First, the traitor Wang does indeed possess some extraordinary abilities, enabling him to completely wipe out the entire Dragon Armor Army."

"Secondly, His Majesty doesn't want us to find him so quickly."

The Empress Dowager glanced meaningfully at Imperial Censor Zhang, a hint of helplessness on her face. "If it's the latter, we only need to stabilize the situation and wait for His Majesty's return."

“If it’s the former… thud!” Before he could finish speaking, Cui Yuanshu kowtowed to the ground with a loud thud.

When she raised her head, her face was pale. "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

He never expected that the Empress Dowager would say something so taboo in court.

"Empress Dowager..." Immediately afterwards, several more military officers knelt down in a panic.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Although the Empress Dowager had long neglected state affairs, when she did step forward, she acted decisively and never hesitated to do anything useless.

The reason I just refuted Imperial Censor Zhang was not because she disagreed with Prince Fu's entry into the court, but because his proposal was so stupid that he didn't even realize he was being used as a pawn.

"Since everyone shares this view, why not share it?"

"This..." Many ministers began to whisper among themselves.

What is the Empress Dowager thinking? Why does she change her mind so often?

Qian Li glanced at his colleagues on either side, then steeled himself and stepped forward. “If I may be so bold as to ask, what should we do if the Dragon Armor Army is truly annihilated and Your Majesty falls into the hands of the traitor Wang?”

"If Your Majesty truly falls into enemy hands, the traitorous king will surely use this to blackmail the court."

"What does the Empress Dowager mean?" A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Personnel immediately began to probe.

After a moment of contemplation, the Empress Dowager put on a helpless expression and said, "It is permissible to invite Prince Fu to court, but he must be without official rank or position, and must not have any dealings with court officials."

Upon hearing this, Qian Li's eyes lit up. "The Empress Dowager is wise!"

Cui Yuanshu couldn't help but praise, "This plan is excellent! In this way, the traitor Wang will definitely be hesitant to act rashly."

"This way, the court can remain stable and there will be no future troubles."

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"..."

......

After news of Prince Fu's invitation to the court spread, several sons of meritorious officials who had been dismissed from their posts began to act again at the behest of their families.

The Empress Dowager's order forbidding court officials from having any contact with Prince Fu was indeed a brilliant plan, but given the current situation, who could really be so obedient?

Besides, the wives and children of these meritorious families are not court officials. They can visit each other and make friends. How can the palace manage them?

So even though Prince Fu, Lu Heng, was only fifteen years old, people had already started putting people around him.

"These fools can't even hold their breath," Baili Jiangluo said confidently inside Qufeng Pavilion.

Yun Su, standing to the side, flattered, "Those good-for-nothings can't compare to you."

"Compared to Wang Qingyan, am I more skilled, or is he a cut above the rest?"

Yun Su hesitated, looking troubled, and said, "This..."

"Alright," Baili Jiangluo didn't really need a servant to evaluate him, but he just wanted to remind him from time to time so that he wouldn't forget who he was eating for.

"Has He Congjun already reported to the Censorate?"

"Yes, I've heard that he's very proper in his dealings with people and is highly regarded by those censors."

"Hmm? The Censorate is known for being stubborn and having a strong aversion to the children of high-ranking officials. How come they changed their opinion of the He family so quickly?"

“He Congjun had been studying at Fengheng Academy, and he already had a good reputation among the students from both the elite and the poor.”

"In addition, when I went to the Censorate a few days ago, some relatives bribed me to do something. I heard that they wanted to take the place of a poor scholar. As a result, they sent the evidence directly to the government office in the capital, which naturally made them seem special."

Baili Jiangluo smirked disdainfully, "He Shidao really raised a good son."

"That's right."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baili Jiangluo suddenly fell silent. Just when Yun Su thought he had said something wrong, he suddenly sighed.

"How has the young lady been these past few days?"

Upon hearing his question, Yun Su knew that this man was trying to put on a show of "deep father-daughter affection" again, so she also became worried. "Don't worry, Master, the young lady is doing well. I believe that after a while, she will understand your good intentions."

"Are you alright?" A sharp glint flashed in Baili Jiangluo's eyes, and he quickly sensed that something was wrong.

"Yes, I even read a book by the window for quite a while this morning."

"Then increase the dosage."

Yun Su feigned hesitation and said, "This... after all, the muscle-softening powder is a harmful substance. If we add more, wouldn't it... be?"

Baili Jianglu glared at her, and Yun Su immediately changed her mind and went to do it, taking the opportunity to pass the message to Wang Qingyan.

......

Without much delay, news of Lu Jian's sixth brother, Prince Fu Lu Heng, entering the capital quickly reached Wang Qingyan.

Along with this news came an unsigned letter.

The content of the book is truly beyond the realm of common sense.

So much so that there were several steps in the plan that even he hadn't anticipated.

"That's why they say dynasties last for a hundred years, and families last for a thousand."

"If they were to scheme like this, they wouldn't even spare their own children."

But what does it have to do with him? He tore up the letter and let it drift away with the wind.

As the tide rose, the light in Wang Qingyan's eyes grew brighter and brighter; naturally, the bigger the storm, the better.

"Master, here you go."

Then, carrying the fish and shrimp that Wuming had caught, he turned and walked towards the thatched hut, saying, "Don't show up for the next few days."

"Yes," Wuming, soaked to the bone, still lowered his head hesitantly, but as he watched Wang Qingyan's departing figure, something seemed to change in his heart.