Chapter 66

The Emperor was very pleased, for Ling Xiao had given him a long-lost sense of security!

Yes, that's the word! Security! But don't misunderstand, Ling Xiao is still straight, firmly refusing to bend and will never bend! At least, that's what he believes.

"Oh hahaha! Little Ling, well done!" The Emperor closed the book in his hand and looked at Ling Xiao with great delight.

Ling Xiao looked at the Emperor in surprise, only to realize that the Emperor had a cavity in his back tooth!

The Emperor suddenly stood up from the dragon throne and commanded with authority, "Baihu! I order you to immediately arrest all the officials listed on this roster." He tossed the book to Baihu, and one could clearly see the simple and clear words on the roster—roster!

"Your subject obeys the imperial command!"

Baihu left, leaving behind the Capture God and the Dragon Protector Clan. Wei Zhongxian remained by the Emperor's side, but his face was a bit dark. "Since this matter has come to a close, the misunderstanding between the Six Gates and the Dragon Protector Clan is now resolved. Capture God, apologize to Little Ling!"

The Emperor smiled at the Capture God, but his tone left no room for refusal.

The Capture God looked at Ling Xiao with a gloomy face, as he rarely looked any other way. Ling Xiao also faced the Capture God solemnly, understanding that the Emperor wanted him to smooth things over. He had to give him this face!

"My subordinates were ignorant, I hope Mr. Ling can forgive and tolerate them. On behalf of the Six Gates, I apologize to Mr. Ling!" He bowed slightly.

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, "Little Ling, I know you still have some grievances, but this is a special time, and harmony is the most important!"

Ling Xiao nodded and said, "Your subject understands. Capture God is just doing his duty. Besides, this matter was ultimately due to a few constables being provoked, and it has nothing to do with Capture God."

He spoke with great righteousness but felt a sense of triumph inside: "I've been playing the game of using others' hands all along! The Capture God's pale face is proof! Hehehe!"

The Emperor laughed, "Little Ling is very reasonable!"

Hearing this, the Capture God's face improved slightly. The Emperor continued, "Ling Lingfa, your wife was frightened. I will give her a special reward to calm her down. I know you have grievances, but we are all officials of the same court, and we will see each other often. Let's put this matter behind us!"

Ling Xiao looked at Ling Lingfa with excitement. Knowing Ling Lingfa, his wife's affairs were more important than anything else! Would he oppose the Emperor for the first time because of this? It was truly something to look forward to!

Ling Lingfa said calmly, "Your Majesty, my wife was once a lady of high birth, but she became what she is now due to the pressures of life. However, for the stability and prosperity of our dynasty, I believe she will understand the bigger picture."

"Ha ha ha, well said! If it weren't for the special status of the Dragon Protector Clan, I would have made her a noble lady!" The Emperor laughed, his squinted eyes could have killed a mosquito!

Ling Xiao looked at Ling Lingfa, whose expression was like still water, but he was not as optimistic as the Emperor. Knowing Ling Lingfa, when he smiled and spoke to you, there was a 70% chance he was lying. When he spoke with wide eyes and a strange expression, he was most likely telling the truth. And when he spoke calmly and solemnly, he was 100% lying!

"Is Master planning to secretly accumulate strength to take revenge on society?" Ling Xiao thought angrily.

The Emperor slowly put away his smile and said solemnly, "The trivial matters are settled, let's talk about the main issue now."

"See, I told you! The Wheel King is just a minor character, a trivial matter in the Emperor's mind," Ling Xiao thought, his face calm as he looked at the Emperor. He knew what the Emperor wanted to say. There were only two things on the Emperor's mind: one was the duel between Ye Gucheng and Xi Men Chuixue on the roof, and the other was the eunuch Wu Xianghuang!

The plot that should have started long ago was delayed for so long, and so many things happened during this interval!

Ling Xiao glanced at Ling Linggong, who was silent and seemed transparent, "Last time you had an unclear connection with the Jinshan Sect. What will you do this time?" He thought, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he turned his gaze back to the Emperor.

"Ling Lingfa, report your findings!" the Emperor ordered.

"Your Majesty, after many days of investigation, I can confirm that Qin Cao is Wu Xianghuang!" Ling Lingfa said decisively.

The Emperor nodded and asked, "What do you all think?"

"Since we know the enemy's true identity, why don't we just arrest her directly?" the Capture God asked in confusion.

"Qin Cao has become famous in the noble circles of the capital! If we arrest her rashly, it will cause protests from some high officials," Ling Lingfa explained slowly.

"Hmph! What do we fear from high officials?" the Capture God said disdainfully.

"High officials are not to be feared, but do you know how many of them are spies of the Jinshan Sect? How many of them can influence the military deployment and political decisions in the capital!" Ling Lingfa continued.

"Then we make her reveal her true form, and those people will naturally stop supporting her."

Ling Lingfa shook his head, "If it were that easy to make her reveal her true form, she wouldn't be Wu Xianghuang. Not to mention capturing her alive, if she insists on maintaining her appearance as Qin Cao, how will the people view the Emperor? They will say the Emperor, unable to obtain the beauty, killed her out of anger! The face of the Ming Dynasty will be lost!"

The Capture God fell silent, never expecting a courtesan to have such power. It was like the celebrity effect in Ling Xiao's previous life, for example, if a superstar danced the square dance with a plunger in the Great Hall of the People, even though the behavior was ridiculous, it would quickly become a classic and be remembered for generations.

"This is indeed a troublesome matter. How do we make her reveal her true form?" the Emperor rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Why don't we catch her and have seventeen or eighteen men take turns with her! She won't be able to resist and will definitely transform!" Ling Xiao raised his hand to suggest.

The scene fell silent, and everyone ignored Ling Xiao's suggestion with strange expressions.

"Actually, making her reveal her true form is not the most important. What's more critical is to root out all the Jinshan Sect's spies in the capital. Otherwise, if one Wu Xianghuang falls, a thousand more will rise. Don't forget, the Jinshan Sect's backing is the Jin Kingdom!" Ling Lingfa said to himself.

"Ling Lingfa's concerns are very reasonable. Do you have a complete plan?" Wei Zhongxian asked with concern.

Ling Xiao was somewhat surprised by Wei Zhongxian's appearance. If the ultimate goal of Ye Gucheng and Wei Zhongxian's plan was to create a false impression, then this should be a good opportunity. However, Wei Zhongxian's diligent appearance seemed somewhat unreasonable!

Ling Lingfa replied, "The only way is to lure her into a trap. As long as she can't resist, she will inevitably make a mistake. Once she makes a mistake, whether she reveals her true form or not doesn't matter. We can use this as a pretext to bring her to justice. Moreover, she will use all her spies in a last-ditch effort before the trap is sprung, allowing us to capture them all!"

"But why do you think she will expose all her spies?" the Capture God asked.

"Because of her hatred for me! And because of a bait she can't resist!"

"What bait?"

"The Emperor!"

...

"Master, you were a bit too rash in the hall!" Ling Xiao and Ling Lingfa were walking home, and Ling Xiao suddenly felt a chill down his back as he watched the passersby.

Ling Lingfa's suggestion almost caused a commotion in the hall! To have the Emperor face a dangerous criminal like Wu Xianghuang, only someone as reckless as Ling Lingfa could come up with such an idea!

The Emperor is the foundation of the dynasty, and even a hair falling out could result in a palace maid being beaten to death. You actually suggested he face life-threatening danger! Many people criticized Ling Lingfa, but they clearly forgot the Emperor's character.

In a certain sense, the Emperor was also a man with an extremely inflated ego. Such men have a common trait: they are brave in the face of challenges, even seeking them out, often taking risks!

Hearing such an interesting and novel idea, the Emperor couldn't resist, overruling objections and making the decision!

"Do you have a better plan? Besides, the Emperor seemed quite excited about it," Ling Lingfa said indifferently, buying a skewer of candied haws from a street vendor.

"How about we try an assassination? We can frame it on Hei Shi afterward," Ling Xiao suggested after some thought.

Ling Lingfa bit into a candied haw and said, "Sure! See if you can assassinate Wu Xianghuang. Of course, if you can bring in a master like Ye Gucheng, that would be different. Can you?"

He looked at Ling Xiao with anticipation.

"Hehe! Hehe! Just kidding!" Ling Xiao lowered his head and walked obediently.

The two walked in silence. Ling Xiao suddenly asked, "How have you been getting along with Qin Cao these days?"

Ling Lingfa's relaxed eating motion suddenly froze, and he said with a mournful face, "Qin Cao's appearance is perfect, looking at her makes me lose my appetite! Her figure is even more exquisite, holding her in my arms is irresistible. But! But! She's a man!" His tone was truly heart-wrenching.

Ling Xiao immediately imagined Wu Xianghuang lounging in Ling Lingfa's arms, posing seductively. It felt like a bone-chilling wind was blowing through him, and he shivered.

"Master, to let a eunuch sit in your arms for so long, you are a true man!" Ling Xiao praised from the bottom of his heart.

Ling Lingfa patted Ling Xiao's shoulder, moved, "Only you truly understand me. I will discuss this with my wife today. The day after tomorrow is her birthday, and I think that will be a turning point!"

Ling Xiao was shaken. It seemed the plot was finally entering its final stage! But his experience told him that the plot never went smoothly. Who knew what variables would arise this time? Maybe Wei Zhongxian, maybe Ye Gucheng, maybe Ling Linggong, who knows?