Chapter 545

Gao Yang also looked at Wu Zhao with caution.

For some inexplicable reason, Gao Yang felt a wave of guilt; the gaze from Wu Zhao still carried a great deal of pressure.

"Your Majesty, it is getting late. If you have no other matters, I shall take my leave. Once I exit the palace, I must immediately pay a visit to the Cui Prefecture."

Wu Zhao's phoenix eyes widened, and she raised her voice, "As a dignified Minister of Revenue, you are going to take the initiative to visit Cui Xinghe?"

Gao Yang coughed twice and said, "Well, to put on a show, one must certainly make it complete. I am a person who pursues perfection!"

Wu Zhao took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood in her heart. She turned her head and pointed toward the direction of the palace gate, "Get out!"

"I do not want to see you right now!"

Seeing this, Gao Yang said very decisively, "Understood!"

Gao Yang immediately turned around and walked outside.

Wu Zhao only told him to leave, but she did not stop him.

After Gao Yang left, Wu Zhao rubbed the space between her brows.

"This Gao Yang truly has no morals to speak of!"

"But then again, this saying of 'let the fellow Daoist die rather than the poor Daoist' is actually quite reasonable."

After a moment of silence, Shangguan Wan'er spoke up, "Your Majesty, do you think the Great Chu mission truly dares to carry out an assassination within our Great Qian imperial city?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhao nodded slowly.

"This is not impossible. Gao Yang is a priceless treasure to our Great Qian, but to Great Chu, he is a fatal threat. Coupled with the fact that Gao Yang humiliated them today, it would not be strange if they acted out of shame and anger."

A flash of killing intent bloomed in Shangguan Wan'er's eyes, "Being so arrogant, are they not afraid of all being left behind in our Great Qian?"

Wu Zhao said indifferently, "The Great Chu Eldest Princess may have a noble status, but to Great Chu, she is insignificant. Her status is not proportional to Gao Yang's. Furthermore, assassination requires evidence. If I were to kill them all in a fit of rage, it would instead give Great Chu something to hold against me!"

"Trading their lives for Gao Yang's life, and gaining a righteous cause to make the world despise me and despise Great Qian—this deal is not a loss. If he hadn't sensed this crisis, why would Gao Yang have thought of framing Cui Xinghe?"

"My Minister of Revenue—I cannot guarantee much else, but his sense of smell for impending crises is truly unparalleled in the world!"

Shangguan Wan'er nodded, feeling it made perfect sense.

Gao Yang's sense of smell for crises was truly sharp.

But she hesitated and said, "The Great Chu Eldest Princess is no mediocrity. Will she really fall for Gao Yang's trap?"

Wu Zhao walked to the window, stood with her hands behind her back, and looked into the distance. She shook her head and said, "I cannot guarantee that, but since ancient times, the smarter people are, the more conceited they become, yet they are precisely the ones most easily misled by their own cleverness!"

"As for the suspicious points about Gao Yang, let alone the Chu Princess, even I am incredibly curious. How could someone who can write 'Clouds resemble clothes, flowers resemble faces, spring breeze brushes the railing, dew is thick and fragrant' also write 'Looking from afar, the stone is big; looking up close, it is a big stone'?"

"By comparison, as long as the suspicion is directed at Cui Xinghe—one a long-famed top scholar, the other a complete playboy for the first half of his life—who are you more inclined to believe?"

Once Wu Zhao said this, Shangguan Wan'er also fell silent.

Finally, Wu Zhao sighed, "This Gao Yang has set up quite a trap!"

"Master Cui is destined to suffer this calamity!"

Shangguan Wan'er: "..."

"Summon the Imperial Guard Commander, Li Long!"

Wu Zhao spoke suddenly, her face full of sternness.

Soon, Li Long strode in.

"Your subject, Li Long, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Wu Zhao stood in the great hall with her hands behind her back and said indifferently, "Pass on my order: send a team of elites to the vicinity of Scholar Cui's residence to protect him day and night without rest. You must ensure Scholar Cui's safety!"

"In addition, send another team of Imperial Guards to secretly protect Master Gao's safety!"

Li Long was stunned, his resolute face full of confusion.

"Protect Cui Xinghe???"

A mere Secretariat Drafter, and he needs palace Imperial Guards to go and protect him specifically?

Who has nothing better to do than to go and kill Cui Xinghe?

But looking at Wu Zhao's cold face, Li Long did not dare to ask more. He hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Then, Li Long turned and strode away.

"With the palace Imperial Guards guarding him, Scholar Cui's safety is greatly guaranteed. In this way, there is no need to worry about the Chu Kingdom's death squads making a move."

Shangguan Wan'er looked relaxed.

"But have you thought about one problem? If I secretly send Imperial Guards to protect Cui Xinghe, wouldn't that only confirm Cui Xinghe's importance even more?"

"If the assassins are all slaughtered, it would almost be a definitive confirmation!"

As soon as Wu Zhao's voice fell, Shangguan Wan'er was instantly dumbfounded.

These words were like a sudden enlightenment, making her realize the drawbacks of the Imperial Guard protection.

If the suspicious points about Gao Yang were just that, and Chu Ningyu was currently only guessing, then regardless of whether the assassination succeeded or not, the intervention of the Imperial Guards would be the biggest confirmation in Chu Ningyu's mind!

After all, for a Cui Xinghe, a mere Fifth Rank Secretariat Drafter, why would there be palace Imperial Guards specifically guarding his side?

This point would connect all the previous guesses together!

Wu Zhao looked out the window and said faintly, "A conspiracy mixed with an open strategy—this Gao Yang's methods are simply superb!"

"If I don't intervene, Cui Xinghe is in extreme danger. If I do intervene, Chu Ningyu will be even more convinced that Cui Xinghe is Great Qian's number one poisonous strategist. After returning to Great Chu, she will continue to send assassins to kill Cui Xinghe, never stopping until her goal is reached."

Shangguan Wan'er looked moved.

In her mind, she seemed to see the scene Wu Zhao described: one wave of assassination fails, and there will be an endless stream of assassins going to kill him.

"Master Cui is quite miserable."

Wu Zhao let out a long breath, as if she had made up her mind, "Compared to Gao Yang, let Scholar Cui be the scapegoat. If something really happens, I will personally go and burn more paper money for Scholar Cui."

"Otherwise, my conscience will not be at peace!"

"..."