“This, this, all of this was given to us by the Tongxin League!”
The owner dared not delay and quickly said, “The Tongxin League provided many scripts, including these targeting the Duke. We, we were only following orders. Duke, we are truly innocent.”
Zhang Shi sneered, “And yet you seemed all too happy to sing these plays, didn’t you?”
“No, no…”
The owner tried to defend himself again but was cut off by Ren Tianye’s cold snort. The interrogation continued for some time, but the owner’s answers remained the same.
The materials came from the Tongxin League.
Wherever the Tongxin League had obtained these scripts was unclear, but it was suspected that the Grand Palace Master had written them herself.
With further questioning, the owner had nothing more to reveal. Zhang Shi dragged him aside to continue the interrogation.
Half an hour later, Zhang Shi reported to Ren Tianye.
“Duke, I believe the Xiangsi Pavilion has confessed enough. Even the matter of Xu Shang has been fully disclosed. He can say nothing more—likely everything has been laid out.”
Ren Tianye nodded, thinking the same, but still gave Zhang Shi an order.
“Continue the interrogation.”
“Spare no detail. Make him reveal as much as possible. If there’s any clue, we must find it.”
As Zhang Shi carried out the order, Ren Tianye’s brow remained furrowed.
His mind was restless, with no solution in sight.
What kind of person was Liu Ruyan?
Or rather, what means did she possess?
How could she know about his past life—the ups and downs with his three girlfriends? It was as if she had investigated him thoroughly.
“Could Liu Ruyan be one of my ex-girlfriends?”
But that didn’t fit. His three relationships had gaps of at least three months, and the ex-girlfriends likely didn’t know each other.
Besides, Liu Ruyan seemed about twenty years older than him—that just didn’t add up.
“Could Liu Ruyan have transmigrated from a book?”
Still wrong.
If she had transmigrated from a book, she would have focused on his exploits in the Great Yu Empire, not his previous life.
“She must have some system.”
“A system that allows her to spy on others, to better control and exploit them. That’s how she created the feverish romance craze across the Great Yu Dynasty.”
But that didn’t fit either.
He had dealt with many from the Tongxin League.
The deceased Three Hall Master of the Tongxin League.
Left Protector Bai Zixuan.
Right Protector Ye Hu.
The newly promoted Three Hall Master Bai Li.
He had questioned them all thoroughly, but none of their words revealed any trace of Liu Ruyan having a system.
The only certainty was that Liu Ruyan was definitely a time traveler, with a phone at her disposal.
Ren Tianye’s head ached from thinking.
He had no choice but to put it aside for now.
For the moment, the only way to learn the truth was to break through Cloud Capital and capture Liu Ruyan alive.
With that thought, his gaze sharpened.
The next target was Pukou City.
Pukou City was on the north bank of the Yangtze River, across from Cloud Capital.
Taking Pukou meant breaching Cloud Capital itself.
With abundant troops and a large batch of sweet potatoes and other crops soon to arrive, now was the perfect time to strike.
As he considered battle plans, Su Jin hurried over.
“Duke, the interrogation of Wan Qing has turned up something unusual.”
Su Jin’s face shone with barely contained joy. Behind her followed Wu Xingzhou, who was originally assigned to outer defense for the main army’s supply lines. He too wore an excited expression, as if eager for action.
“What is it?” Ren Tianye asked.
“Wan Qing also faked her death once!”
“And it was very successful!”
“Even now, those who knew her before still believe she is dead.”
Ren Tianye was puzzled. “Oh?”
Su Jin quickly explained, “Wan Qing was married. But her husband was always busy with city defense and neglected her. She grew dissatisfied and began to think of escape.”
“Instead of pursuing a proper divorce, she sought the Xiangsi Pavilion. They devised a plan for her to fake her own death.”
“She said she wanted to die before her husband’s eyes, so he would regret it for the rest of his life, while she went off in search of happiness.”
Ren Tianye understood.
“So Wan Qing came to Hu Shaoyou?”
“Yes,” said Su Jin. “Hu Shaoyou and Wan Qing knew each other since childhood—childhood sweethearts. But they were separated early on and went their own ways.”
“This time, Wan Qing came to Source City and rekindled her old flame with Hu Shaoyou. To spend the rest of their lives together in secret, they went back to the Xiangsi Pavilion for help. The Pavilion designed Hu Shaoyou’s fake death plan too.”
“If we hadn’t caught on, that adulterous pair would have succeeded.”
Ren Tianye felt a flash of understanding.
So the Xiangsi Pavilion’s “love business” included such “matchmaking” services—using faked deaths to resolve problems and achieve happiness.
The thought made him furious. He ordered Zhang Shi, “Tell them to turn up the pressure on the Xiangsi Pavilion’s owner.”
“Yes!” Zhang Shi acknowledged but lingered, adding, “Duke, from the interrogation of the Xiangsi Pavilion’s owner, it’s clear that all the Pavilion’s business involves shady dealings.”
“They even claim to promote love!”
“That Xu Shang—he was the one protected by the Xiangsi Pavilion. Hu Shaoyou had to cover for Xu Shang just to keep the Pavilion’s favor.”
Ren Tianye then remembered Xu Shang. But he had never paid him much mind, as Huai’an City was already under his control, and Xu Shang, as its former acting governor, was irrelevant now.
Hearing Zhang Shi bring him up, Ren Tianye asked offhandedly, “And Xu Shang?”
“Did the Xiangsi Pavilion people confess?”
“Did you catch him?”
Zhang Shi shook his head. “They confessed, but we didn’t catch him. And I don’t plan to bother anymore.”
“Oh?” Ren Tianye was surprised.
Wasn’t Xu Shang Zhang Shi’s personal grudge? Hadn’t he launched this attack on Source City with Xu Shang as his primary target? Even if Ren Tianye didn’t care, Zhang Shi should have.
Zhang Shi explained, “Xu Shang was sold by the Xiangsi Pavilion to some wealthy official in Cloud Capital who was chasing love.”
“The Pavilion said that this official had long admired Xu Shang and was lusting after him. Now that he’s finally won Xu Shang’s love, he’s thrilled.”
He paused and added, “That wealthy official is a man.”
Ren Tianye was speechless.
So were Su Jin and Wu Xingzhou.
Ren Tianye rubbed his forehead.
No wonder Zhang Shi—despite his vengeful nature—had let Xu Shang go. Xu Shang had been sold off to someone paying for love!
Brilliant!
The Xiangsi Pavilion’s business model was truly eye-opening.
“Duke, it seems the Xiangsi Pavilion plays rough,” Su Jin’s voice broke in.
She paused, then asked, “Do you know who Wan Qing’s original husband was?”
“Who?”
“Zhou Xiong.”
"Zhou Xiong?" Ren Tianye's face instantly lit up with delight.
Zhou Xiong—wasn't that the name of the garrison commander of Pukou City?!
...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
