Chapter 282: That's because the Imperial Lord wants to kill people… and a lot of them

On the road, Lu Yuan more or less figured out what was going on.

Simply put, there are some dark forces lurking in Liaobei, and these dark forces have connections with the higher ups.

It's unclear whether those higher ups are the Duhufu or the army.

Wang Shouqing couldn't explain it clearly, but anyway they're formidable; to ordinary folk, these people are more terrifying than corrupt officials.

After all, whatever these people do is brutal and knows no limits.

Lu Yuan just listened along the way, anyway he memorized these words, and in the evening he would recite them to his wife, letting her handle it herself.

Many homes in this community were empty, and Lu Yuan finally chose one that had been completely vacated.

Once the paperwork is done later, Lu Yuan can go straight to buy furniture and bring it back.

Although they'll only stay here for half a month, they naturally need to buy new furniture.

After all, his wife is the Imperial Lord, and she's not accustomed to using other people's things.

Furthermore, as the new wife moves in, she naturally has to replace everything with new items—this is the initial experience of newlywed life.

Since they intend to play house here, they naturally have to start from scratch.

"Landlord, you can't fool me; actually, you must be a high official from Huangcheng~"

Two people came out of the street office, and while Lu Yuan was looking at the contract in his hand, Wang Shouqing suddenly stepped up to him and spoke mysteriously.

Huh?

Lu Yuan, somewhat dazed, looked at Wang Shouqing beside him.

He didn't know where Wang Shouqing had gotten that conclusion from.

Wang Shouqing, however, looked at Lu Yuan with some pride and said:

"Because I noticed a eunuch guarding beside your wife, I could tell."

Oh?

Lu Yuan blinked at Wang Shouqing.

At this moment, Wang Shouqing suddenly thought of something else, and looking at Lu Yuan, he whispered mysteriously:

"Leader, did you come here to secretly investigate Liaobei?"

"If that's the case, I won't leave for these days; if you have anything, just ask me—I'll help you get it done, I'll help you investigate!"

Seeing Wang Shouqing's excited expression, Lu Yuan grinned and said:

"That person is indeed a eunuch, but we really aren't leaders; over the years the Imperial Lord has advocated thrift, so many eunuchs in the palace have been dismissed, and we've taken in a few."

"So our family is really in business, not in government."

Hearing Lu Yuan's words, Wang Shouqing felt a bit disappointed but still nodded and said:

"Oh… okay then…"

If Lu Yuan didn't tell Wang Shouqing, there really wouldn't be any other meaning.

Mainly, during this half month, Lu Yuan wants to peacefully enjoy time with his wife; if he told Wang Shouqing,

Wang Shouqing would be coming to his house every day.

That would be a hassle.

Besides, they won't need Wang Shouqing; when the time comes, there will be the Heaven‑Upholding Guard.

Moreover, some things that an ordinary person like Wang Shouqing would only have heard about secondhand; he hasn't necessarily seen everything.

After finally finishing the paperwork, Lu Yuan followed Wang Shouqing back home.

At that moment, Gu Qingwan was sitting in the little courtyard, watching the children inside noisy and bustling, a faint smile on her face, wondering what she was thinking.

The Grand Eunuch still stood beside Gu Qingwan, ready to attend to her at any moment.

The Grand Eunuch knew full well that the Imperial Lord was just playing house.

But the Imperial Lord was only playing house with Lu Yuan, not with anyone else.

As soon as Lu Yuan returned, he grinned at Gu Qingwan and called out:

"Wife, let's go; the paperwork's done, let's go buy furniture and set up our home."

Gu Qingwan, having snapped back to reality, immediately looked at her husband, stood up, and smiled, saying:

"Let's go~"

Immediately, Gu Qingwan linked arms with Lu Yuan and walked with him out of the courtyard.

"You don't need to come; just stay here. When we buy things and bring them back, you can help arrange them."

Gu Qingwan said this without turning her head to the Grand Eunuch.

Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan left the community and hailed a rickshaw.

The two headed straight for the local furniture market.

Afterward, the two truly resembled a newlywed couple as they went to pick out furniture they liked.

Although they'll only stay here for half a month, these furnishings definitely won't be moved away in the end.

But Lu Yuan has money, so it doesn't matter.

In the end, they bought quite a lot of things and had them delivered.

It was getting late; since they couldn't cook at home today, they decided to eat out and sample Liaobei's specialty cuisine.

They'd heard that the barbecue and red sausage around here were good.

They'll try them all.

However, just as Lu Yuan took Gu Qingwan's hand, preparing to go find a barbecue place to eat, Gu Qingwan, with one hand pulling on his arm, said coquettishly:

"Brother, let's not eat out; sister wants to eat instant noodles—you said noodles boiled in a pot taste better, didn't you?"

Oh?

Lu Yuan stared at his wife with a bewildered face.

What?

You've gotten addicted to instant noodles, right?

Lu Yuan immediately raised his eyebrows and said:

"No, why eat that stuff late at night? It's not nutritious; from now on you're not allowed to eat it, okay?"

Saying that, Lu Yuan grabbed Gu Qingwan and walked toward the bustling market, while Gu Qingwan, acting coquettishly, shook his arm and said in a sweet voice:

"Brother~~let's go home and cook noodles to eat~~"

Lu Yuan walked ahead, raising his eyebrows at Gu Qingwan as he said:

"What, your man's words aren't working anymore, huh?"

At that moment, Gu Qingwan stared, stunned for a second, then her eyes filled with smiles, and she immediately said in a sweet voice:

"Oh my~~okay okay~~Sister, listen to me, let's go, let's go~~"

……

In the barbecue shop, Lu Yuan took big bites of the skewers.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingwan sat on the side, head down, eating instant noodles.

Sure enough, no matter which world's barbecue shop, they all have the option of boiling instant noodles.

"Brother, this is really tasty, eh~~"

Gu Qingwan said while looking at her man and praising him:

Lu Yuan then handed over a skewer of lamb, raising his eyebrows and said:

"Eat too much and it's not so good; come, have a bite of meat."

Being fed by her man in front of everyone, Gu Qingwan felt a bit shy yet extremely sweet.

After biting into a piece of meat, Gu Qingwan looked at her man and exclaimed in admiration:

"Brother, how did you get such a brain? How are you so incredibly capable~"

Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows, somewhat proudly, and said:

"That's right, there's even more impressive stuff; I'll slowly show you later, okay?"

Gu Qingwan laughed and wanted to lean in, but Lu Yuan quickly raised his eyebrows and said:

"Eh eh eh!! Your mouth is full of oil, don't lean on me!"

……

After dinner, each person had a bottle of old-fashioned soda, and they strolled back home.

Gu Qingwan had one arm linked with Lu Yuan's and held a bottle of old soda in the other hand as she looked around and said:

"Just by looking, I really can't tell how big the problem here is."

Lu Yuan knew what his wife was saying, and said that Liaobei's night scenery really isn't much different from Huangcheng's; both are top-tier super cities.

Whatever Huangcheng has, Liaobei doesn't lack.

Come night, everything is brightly lit.

Lu Yuan didn't pick up on that; he just lowered his head, glanced, and then suddenly said:

"Why are you still wearing high heels? Change into flats; they're more comfortable—I'll take you to buy a pair now."

Even though both are cultivators, wearing high heels won't cause any twisted ankles or bumps.

After all, not to mention cultivators, even working women on Earth, with big bellies, still strut in high heels that clack loudly.

However, Lu Yuan felt that there's nothing else going on now, and his wife doesn't need to wear high heels to maintain her aura.

However comfortable, that's how we'll do it.

However, Gu Qingwan directly refused this very seriously:

"No no, this is absolutely not happening; sister will definitely not switch to flats."

Eh?

Lu Yuan looked at his wife, bewildered, wondering how she got so serious.

Gu Qingwan gave Lu Yuan a charming roll of her eyes and said:

"It's not just for you, you little troublemaker; sister knows your kink~"

"Otherwise~let's go buy two more pairs; you said you liked thin high heels before, so sister will wear them on the bed tonight for you to see? ~"

This second wife of mine really knows how to seduce people, completely unlike my first wife.

My first wife is all delicate and makes people want to bully her.

But this second wife of mine is all about hooking you, tempting you to bully her.

She's really good at seducing people.

To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that I took this second wife's first blood, sometimes I suspect she might be a female player.

She's really good at seducing people; her tactics are a whole set.

Is this the charm of a mature woman?

Lu Yuan glanced at his second wife, swallowed slightly, then the next second pulled Gu Qingwan and headed home.

Being pulled home by her man in such eager lust, Gu Qingwan, who had just been alluring and irresistibly charming, turned a bit shy.

She spat out of nowhere, then said:

"What's the rush, sister isn't going anywhere~"

"Take it slow~going back, sister will let you have your way~"

Once Gu Qingwan finished speaking, Lu Yuan walked even faster.

……

At past two in the night, Lu Yuan fell asleep.

I've been busy a lot today; besides, my wife is pregnant, so I can't keep coming.

Besides, my wife has always called me 'good older brother', and the little husband's begging for mercy, Lu Yuan just let his wife off for now.

No choice, it's just how men are.

One should feel sorry for one's wife~

After Lu Yuan fell asleep, Gu Qingwan quietly got out of bed.

Just as she was about to squat down to put on her shoes, a hint of pain appeared on her face.

After Gu Qingwan squatted and rested for a moment, she then lifted her head to look at her husband snoring loudly on the bed, and gave him an annoyed glance.

You little rascal, you don't even know to feel sorry for your older sister.

You toss your older sister around so roughly, yet you're not afraid of breaking her~

After Gu Qingwan gently put on her clothes, a hint of flush still lingered on her face, making the already gorgeous and tempting Gu Qingwan look even more alluring.

Leaning over the bedside, Gu Qingwan's alluring red lips left several marks on her husband's face, after which she quietly left the room.

This secluded small courtyard is shaped like a concave character, with the south-facing main hall being where Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan reside.

The left wing room is where the Grand Eunuch lives, and the right wing room is where Gu Qingwan handles documents each day.

At this moment, Gu Qingwan hurried straight to the right wing room.

As she pushed the door open, everyone inside immediately knelt and said:

"Your Majesty..."

Before they could finish, Gu Qingwan immediately lowered her voice and angrily snapped:

"Keep it down!! Shut up!"

Everyone inside looked at each other.

Thus, nobody dared to speak.

Gu Qingwan snorted coldly and said:

"Close the door."

After Gu Qingwan arrived at her dragon desk, crossed her legs, the Grand Eunuch also promptly closed the door.

At this point, there were three people in the room.

One was the Grand Eunuch, another was the Captain of the Nei Ne Qing Cang Wei, Fan Weiming, and there was also a deputy captain.

The Nei Ne Qing Cang Wei is the emperor's shadow; wherever the emperor goes, the Nei Ne Qing Cang Wei follows.

This requires no orders, no notifications.

This time, Gu Qingwan suddenly came to Liaobei, and the Nei Ne Qing Cang Wei naturally came along, mobilizing in full force.

However, they have been following from a distance.

After all, they're a shadow—if the master doesn't speak, the shadow won't speak either.

"How's the investigation going?"

Gu Qingwan picked up the hot tea prepared beside her, took a sip, and said lightly:

In the afternoon, while Lu Yuan went with Wang Shouqing to handle paperwork, Gu Qingwan had the Grand Eunuch notify the Qing Cang Guard to investigate in the courtyard.

Gu Qingwan's temperament is such that she can't wait half a month for the investigation.

Even if she's playing house with her husband, it's only with him, not with anyone else.

Fan Weiming then immediately nodded and said:

"Your Majesty, some of the Qing Cang Guard in Liaobei have already submitted some materials."

The Qing Cang Guard are spread across major cities.

And the Qing Cang Guard in the Duhufu of the Great Zhou Dynasty are even more numerous.

The reason is that the relationship between the Duhufu and the Imperial Court is special.

When the Imperial Court is strong, the Duhufu is loyal; but once the Court weakens, the Duhufu will be the first to declare independence.

Therefore, every dynasty monitors and supervises the Duhufu very carefully.

Then Fan Weiming took out stack after stack of documents from the bundle on his back.

Gu Qingwan casually picked up one, glanced at it for a moment, then frowned slightly and said:

"So many, and so detailed—why didn't the Liaobei Qing Cang Guard report earlier?!"

Fan Weiming stared for a moment, then immediately knelt; the deputy captain beside him also immediately knelt.

Fan Weiming then hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, the Qing Cang Guard had reported several times before, but all were blocked by the Cabinet."

"The Cabinet's approval is that the dynasty has just stabilized; the Duhufu's affairs can only be tolerated, not acted upon rashly."

"Therefore, the Liaobei Qing Cang Guard only covertly lurked and investigated, without reporting."

Hearing Fan Weiming's words, Gu Qingwan blinked, gave a cold snort, and said nothing.

The Cabinet did the right thing in this matter.

Half a year ago, before I knew Lu Yuan, even if the Imperial Court knew the situation of the various Duhufu, it could do nothing but turn a blind eye.

But since Lu Yuan appeared, the Great Zhou Dynasty has seen one joyous event after another.

This made everyone only look at the happy things before them, thus forgetting the past messy troubles.

On this matter, Gu Qingwan still leans toward the Cabinet; the Cabinet hasn't reported on the Duhufu's affairs these past six months, presumably because they were too busy to remember.

Gu Qingwan casually opened a few memorials, glanced at them, and finally said expressionlessly:

"These damned bastards are really greedy; they even dare to embezzle the funds the court allocated for building factories."

"Back when I suppressed the rebellions and internal strife, I also cleared out a wave of Liaobei; it's only been a few years, and these people dare again."

Perhaps it's because I've become too gentle over the past half year; have these people forgotten my methods?

The three people present were very familiar with Gu Qingwan; after all, these were all Gu Qingwan's personal attendants.

The three all knew, once His Highness appeared like this…… it meant His Highness was going to kill people…… and many, many people!

(The novel's copyright has been sold…… it's going to be adapted into a manga, this week I really don't know what kind of damn luck I've had..)

(End of chapter)