After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

The banquet began, and everyone took their seats.

"Your Highness, Lord Fan. This is a welcome banquet we have prepared for you both. Anzhou is not like the capital, so these are just some simple home-cooked meals. We hope you won't find them offensive."

Liu Changshi raised his wine glass.

"What happened just now was indeed due to my poor planning, which caused you two to misunderstand. Consider this cup of wine my apology to you both." Liu Changshi drank it down in one gulp.

Qin Sima also poured himself a cup of wine. "Your Highness, Lord Fan, this cup is a toast to you both."

Cao Yuan and Fan Qingli exchanged glances and then raised their glasses to drink together.

Cao Yuan looked at the food on the table. It was similar to what she usually ate at restaurants. It wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't shabby either.

It seems that this Chief Secretary Liu is testing me.

"Thank you, Chief Secretary Liu. However, I feel that Chief Secretary Liu doesn't seem to be sincere!"

"Why do you say that, Your Highness?" Chief Secretary Liu asked nervously, his expression grave.

"When I went to the garrison, they said they hadn't paid the soldiers for several months. How come we get this little food after just one trip?"

Liu Changshi and Qin Sima exchanged glances.

Qin Sima immediately said with a grin, "Hehe, Your Highness! You must have heard it from General Li. You can't believe what he says. The reason the military pay isn't being paid is because he often leads trouble. We've already shown leniency by not dismissing him from the military."

"This is the official document we sent to our superiors to punish him. It was issued to us when the Fourth Prince was still alive." Qin Sima took out the document from his pocket and handed it to Cao Yuan.

Cao Yuan didn't even look at it and put it aside.

It seems they were just as Chu Yan had thought; they had been prepared for a long time.

Qin Sima said, "Quickly! Remove all the food here and bring out fresh food."

"Yes!" The servants quickly came in and cleared away all the food.

"Your Highness, Lord Fan, please be patient. The delicacies will be ready shortly. In the meantime, why not enjoy this exquisite song and dance performance together?" Chief Secretary Liu said softly with a smile.

With a wave of his hand, Liu Changshi summoned a group of musicians dressed in magnificent attire to enter. They played various instruments and produced melodious tunes.

Immediately afterwards, a group of graceful dancers entered the hall, dancing with the grace and beauty of fairies descending to earth.

Qin Sima, sitting to the side, stared wide-eyed at the dancing women, his already small eyes now bulging as if he wanted to devour them alive.

Cao Yuan kept her eyes on Qin Sima, thinking that as long as he was under her skin, nothing would happen.

A man entered from outside the door at some point. He walked past Fan Qingli to Cao Yuan and knelt down beside her.

"Your Highness, this servant will pour you some wine."

"Servant?"

Cao Yuan glanced at him casually, but his unforgettable face drew her gaze back to him.

The man had long, glossy black hair that cascaded down his shoulders like a waterfall, with half of it casually draped over his shoulders. A simple, crystal-clear jade hairpin adorned his head, which made him appear even more elegant and refined.

He deliberately left a small tuft of fine hair behind his temples, which swayed in the wind and revealed his fair, snow-white skin.

When he slowly raised his head, his face was breathtakingly beautiful! His eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, held a hint of a smile, and his eyes seemed to contain a pool of spring water, sparkling and captivating.

This sight is truly stunning, and evokes an indescribable feeling of tenderness in one's heart.

Cao Yuan, standing to the side, was staring intently at him, her eyes filled with surprise and curiosity. How could a servant be so exceptionally handsome?

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Qin Sima called out.

Cao Yuan came to her senses.

"Your Highness, this is a new servant we just bought! Please have him serve you for the next few days," Qin Sima said with a smile.

Cao Yuan lowered her head and thought for a moment. Was this a honey trap?

Despite his striking appearance, the unique aura he exuded made him seem nothing like a humble and timid servant of an ordinary governor's mansion. On the contrary, his every gesture revealed a noble and elegant demeanor, as if it were innate and natural.

"No need, Lord Fan and I don't need..."

Cao Yuan turned her head and saw that Fan Qingli was already drinking with a girl in his arms.

"Lord Fan, have another drink."

Lord Fan nodded and his hands roamed over her body.

"Lord Fan..."

Cao Yuan suddenly realized, was it a trap of a handsome man?

"Lord Fan is quite satisfied with how well my concubine serves me!" said Qin Sima.

Concubine?

Cao Yuan sneered. This beast was worse than an animal, actually pushing his concubine out to serve other men.

"I never expected that Qin Sima would be so magnanimous."

"It's nothing to mention. I have plenty of concubines. If Lord Fan likes one, he can take it."

Only then did Cao Yuan finally understand that his purpose in taking a concubine was merely to win over officials and, incidentally, to use the opportunity to plunder the people.

It truly kills two birds with one stone.

"Your Highness, my name is Luo Jiulan. You can just call me Alan."

"Alan!" Cao Yuan called out.

"Your Highness, please have a drink."

Cao Yuan caught his wine. "Are you really a servant?"

Luo Jiulan smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "Does Your Highness not think I look like one? Since I was little, because of my good looks, people have always thought I didn't look like a servant. It's a pity I was born a lowly servant."

Cao Yuan didn't respond and could only drink in silence.

Just as Luo Jiulan filled his wine glass with wine, Cao Yuan, who was standing next to him, inadvertently caught a glimpse of his hand that was pouring the wine.

After a brief pause, my gaze was drawn to the prominent callus on the web of its hand.

She knew that those who held bows and arrows tightly for many years often had such unique marks on the tiger's mouth area.

Cao Yuan subconsciously raised her palm and gently turned it over. Sure enough, in the same spot, there was a callus exactly like Luo Jiulan's.

Would a lackey need to learn archery?

Have you ever learned martial arts?

Luo Jiulan was stunned, then her expression relaxed. "The master who bought the servant had taught him. But he wasn't really skilled; he only had some rudimentary skills."

Cao Yuan nodded and didn't take it seriously.

The delicacies have been served one after another.

"Your Highness, the delicacies are ready. What would you like to eat? Let me serve you!"

"I can do it myself!"

After a few drinks, Cao Yuan finally remembered the real reason she had come here.

"Liu Changshi, tomorrow I need to inspect all the military pay, officer promotions and other related matters of your Governor's Office over the past five years. Please prepare them for us tomorrow."

Qin Sima said with a grin, "Yes, Your Highness, we will definitely prepare these."

"By the way, Your Highness, I forgot to ask you, how many days do you plan to stay in Anzhou this time?" Chief Secretary Liu asked.

"I'm preparing..."

Cao Yuan was about to answer when she felt her vision becoming increasingly blurry.