In the palace, everything gleamed with golden splendor.

After returning to the palace, Minister Wu hurriedly made his way to the Diligent Governance Hall, meticulously reporting every detail he had seen and heard to the Emperor without missing a single word.

"Hey, Your Majesty, you haven't noticed. Pu Yangzheng left me outside the gate and didn't care about me! Inside there is a lively scene, and I am outside..."

The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, carefully pondering the words of Minister Wu. He listened as Wu Gonggong spoke about the passionate battle between Pu Yangzheng and Xiaoguan, which disregarded the emperor's decree, and surprisingly, the emperor felt a hint of delight.

"Your Majesty... Can you please explain what exactly is going on? This foolish servant's dim-witted mind cannot comprehend it."

"Wu Gonggong," the Emperor smiled with satisfaction, "Which is better, the sharpness of the knife or borrowing a knife to kill?"

"This..."

"But it doesn't matter!"

"I feel that it's better to borrow a knife to kill someone..."

Minister Wu carefully observed the Emperor's expression, and upon seeing a hint of approval in his eyes, he discreetly set down the suspended matter.

Indeed, it is better to hide in the shadows and watch the tigers fight from the mountains, ultimately gaining the benefits of the fisherman.

In what appears to be a magnificent palace, hidden behind a dense fog, the deadly blades remain unseen. Yet, there is no turning back, as one must tread forward, step by step, and leaving behind a trail of blood.

General Mansion, Puyang Zheng sat by the bed, holding a book in his hand. He appeared to be enjoying reading, but only he knew what was going on in his heart.

The person on the bed is still in a deep sleep, with faint reddish marks on the exposed arm and little by little red marks on the pristine neck hollow.

Pu Yangzheng's face gradually turned red.

Today he tempted himself, perhaps just to put on a show for Wu Gonggong, to solidify the accusation of being intoxicated by beauty in order to make the emperor less vigilant... But when he actually touched himself, Puyang Zheng realized that things were already out of control.

Following his own heart, he took her as if he were with a woman, experiencing an intimate connection. As he gently moaned and writhed beneath her, Puyang Zheng felt a satisfaction he had never felt before.

Thinking of this, Pu Yangzheng's gaze towards the person on the bed became even more complicated.

[The male lead's favorable impression of Qi Yan increases by +10, current favorable impression: 30]

Qi Yan, who was in a deep slumber, was awakened. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Puyang Zheng, who was currently by his bedside.

Caught off guard, Pu Yangzheng was at a loss for words.

With a slightly flustered expression, he averted his eyes and accidentally knocked over a cup of water on the small table. He handed it over, his tone somewhat unnatural as he said, "Are you thirsty? Have some water..."

Qiyang raised an eyebrow, taking the water and finishing it in one gulp.

Moistening his lips with water, Qi Yan looked at Pu Yangzheng and said seriously, "General, Grand Tutor Wu will definitely report everything he has seen and heard to the Emperor today. Therefore, tomorrow you can freely propose to the Emperor to revoke the decree of forced marriage. However..."

"But?"

"The Prime Minister may not be able to argue against it." Qi Yan frowned, feeling anxious as he thought to himself, "Although the Prime Minister does not want his daughter to marry into a dangerous place, breaking off the engagement would also make him lose face."

"That's not up to him." Pu Yangzheng coldly snorted and said, "That old thief constantly listens to slanderous words, favors the illegitimate over the legitimate, and deserves to die a thousand times!"

"Favorite mistreatment of the legitimate heir?"

Qiyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "General, how did you find out about the prime minister's favoritism and mistreatment of the legitimate heir?"

"The news has already spread throughout the capital city. Do we still need to deliberately investigate?"

The general thought, "If the prime minister were to marry off his daughter, would he choose his legitimate daughter or his illegitimate daughter?"

"It's still the legitimate daughter. Even if the legitimate daughter is not favored, death is meaningless!"

Puyang Zheng coldly snorted, unwilling to speak any further.

Qi Yan lowered his eyes inwardly, a storm brewing within, eventually fading into indifference, like a clear pool of water.

Pu Yangzheng... knows a lot. The female protagonist in the original play is very different from the rumors, why doesn't Pu Yangzheng doubt it? He even dotes on her excessively, to the extent of confronting the emperor for her?

If I had known earlier, Puyang Zheng might be straightforward, but he's far from foolish.

Qi Yan fell silent, vaguely sensing that he needed to start the investigation from the female lead's perspective.