Chapter 241

Da Qian.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Wu Zhao opened her mouth and asked, "Have the Changan scouts returned yet?"

Lu Zhen stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, all scouts dispatched from Changan, except for those sent to the borderlands, have now returned. All passes along the route are normal."

Qin Zhenguo also spoke up, "Our Da Qian's troops are strong and our horses are sturdy; even if there is conflict at the border, Your Majesty need not worry."

When these words were spoken, a flash of relief finally crossed Wu Zhao's face.

She turned her gaze toward Gao Yang.

Seeing this, Gao Yang also spoke, "Today's events are perilous, not peaceful; they are cause for worry, not celebration. In such extraordinary times, being cautious is not wrong."

Wu Zhao nodded, deeply agreeing, "The Junior Official Gao speaks with reason. Let the scouts in all regions continue their patrols."

Next, she turned her gaze toward the Minister of the Supreme Court, Lu Wen, "Minister Lu, has the assassin not been caught after so many days?"

Named by Wu Zhao, Lu Wen immediately stood out, trembling, "Your Majesty, that assassin is a martial arts expert from the Jianghu and possesses the art of disguise; we have yet to track them down."

"I beg Your Majesty to grant this subject more time."

"Bang!"

Wu Zhao slapped the table, her face filled with anger.

"How much more time do you need? Ten days, half a month, or a year?!"

"What if next time, they want to kill me?"

Wu Zhao felt she was losing face; Gao Yang was working for her, yet he was assassinated in the street. This was undoubtedly a provocation to her, Wu Zhao's, majesty.

Yet, after so many days had passed, she hadn't even seen a shadow of the culprit.

"This subject is guilty!"

Lu Wen suddenly knelt down.

Seeing this, Yan Zheng spoke up, "Your Majesty, these Jianghu people rely on their martial arts to despise the law. Some experts even dare to kill constables in the street and escape!"

"But because of their superb martial arts, they are difficult to capture. Now they even dare to publicly assassinate the Junior Official Gao in Changan. This subject believes we must find a way to weaken them!"

Wu Zhao frowned.

"These martial arts practitioners are indeed too bold."

"My esteemed ministers, do you have any brilliant plans?"

Wu Zhao looked at the crowd. This was not the Jin Luan Hall, but the Imperial Study, and those present were the absolute core team of Da Qian.

Upon hearing this, everyone's brows furrowed tightly.

The Chancellor Xu Xuanji stood out and said, "Your Majesty, martial arts practitioners only have chivalry in their hearts, with 'righteousness' above all else, and their individual combat strength is not low. I fear it is difficult to punish them!"

Cui Xinghe also added, "If the imperial court openly suppresses them, I fear it will cause them to harbor resentment. If they turn to banditry and plague the regions, that would be even more troublesome."

Everyone felt it was too difficult to handle.

"Then should I just let it go?"

Wu Zhao raised her tone, extremely dissatisfied.

For a moment, the ministers were silent.

But at this moment, Gao Yang stood out.

"Your Majesty, this subject has a plan that can kill three birds with one stone: it can both resolve my grudge and relieve Your Majesty's worries!"

Following Gao Yang's words, the ministers' gazes suddenly turned toward Gao Yang, filled with shock and vigilance.

What kind of bad ideas were brewing in Gao Yang's stomach again?

Who was going to be unlucky?

"This subject already has a brilliant plan in mind, but it requires Your Majesty's help."

Gao Yang continued.

"What brilliant plan?"

Wu Zhao and Shangguan Wan'er both looked at Gao Yang with curiosity.

Gao Yang took a booklet out of his robe and handed it to the eunuch, "Your Majesty, please look. This is a masterpiece this subject has worked on at home these past few days, and it has cost this subject a great deal of effort."

Hiss!

Wu Zhao's eyes twitched, inexplicably thinking of the vicious plan Gao Yang had told her about in the Rouge Pavilion.

From "The Female Scholar" to "A Teenager's Grades Are Not Ideal," it had been so long, and Wu Zhao still remembered, but she didn't even dare to look for Gao Yang.

She instinctively felt that this was nothing good.

Wu Zhao's face flushed slightly, and she said displeased, "This thing, although it harmed the teenagers of the Six Kingdoms, it is also too easy to backfire on my Da Qian."

"This is absolutely not allowed. Furthermore, in such an occasion, for Minister Gao to show this to me, is it not quite appropriate?"

Gao Yang was instantly stunned, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? This is a martial arts manual, a vicious plan specifically designed for these Jianghu experts!"

Wu Zhao was taken aback, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

She only then realized she had misunderstood.

She picked up the small booklet presented by the eunuch, and Shangguan Wan'er on the side also looked over.

The officials were also full of curiosity. What kind of martial arts manual was so powerful that it was a vicious plan set for Jianghu experts?

Immediately after, Wu Zhao read it out in shock.

"Sunflower Manual!"

The ministers were all confused.

But Gao Yang's face revealed a proud expression.

As the saying goes, taking a step back makes the sky vast, but enduring for a moment makes one angrier the more they think about it. This old man hadn't been caught after so many days.

This made him even more unhappy.

And since they knew the art of disguise, their face was likely fake.

Was he, Gao Yang, someone who would suffer a loss?!

Seeing the smile on Gao Yang's face, Wu Zhao realized that this matter was not simple; this so-called martial arts manual was definitely not simple.

She hurriedly opened the first page.

But the eight large characters that came into view made her gasp.

"Hiss!"

"To practice this art, one must first castrate oneself?"

Wu Zhao was shocked.

Shangguan Wan'er was also shocked.

The ministers were also shocked.

A martial arts manual, yet the first page says to practice this art, one must first castrate oneself?

"Is this the vicious plan you came up with?"

Wu Zhao spoke in disbelief, her phoenix eyes full of shock.

The officials also looked at Gao Yang with tingling scalps.

Gao Yang's gaze carried the pleasure of revenge, "The Jianghu person who assassinated me could repel my two bodyguards in one move; they must be a Jianghu expert. As long as they are an expert, they cannot resist the temptation of a martial arts manual."

"Your Majesty can set a trap, first build momentum, place this Sunflower Manual in an ancient tomb, and then hype up the news, such as 'obtain this divine art, and you can dominate the Jianghu and become the number one expert!'"

"By then, the news will spread throughout the entire Jianghu, causing Jianghu experts to flock to compete for it!"

"They will inevitably kill each other."

"The person who assassinated me has superb strength; there is no reason they wouldn't go to compete for it. Once they obtain this Sunflower Manual, they will face a choice."

"If they don't castrate themselves, then even if they practice it, it will be ineffective, and they can't blame the manual. But if they do castrate themselves, then they have fallen into my trap."

Gao Yang smiled cunningly and continued.

"Martial arts practitioners mostly don't care for women, and they temper their bones every day, being quite ruthless to themselves. Wielding a knife to castrate themselves is also within reason."

Accompanied by Gao Yang's voice.

The ministers present instantly felt their scalps tingle, and even Wu Zhao's face changed wildly.

Ruthless!