Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Chapter 418 Casting the Net

The setting sun was as red as blood, dyeing the glazed tiles of the Imperial Master’s Mansion dark red.

Wei Liang gathered the cuffs of his bright yellow uniform, his fingertips trembling slightly with nervousness.

He waved his hand to dismiss the eunuch holding the gilded food box behind him. The jade belt buckle inlaid with oriental pearls shone coldly in the twilight, but it could not suppress the flattery that shone from his hunched back.

The scent of agarwood mixed with ambergris in the hall was so thick that it could not be dissolved. The layers of silk gauze curtains were like solidified clouds, shrouding the figure sitting in the main seat in ambiguous light and shadow.

Wei Liang walked forward on the Persian carpet-covered floor, and the sole of his boot rolled over a pearl that had accidentally fallen, making a crisp sound.

He fell to his knees in front of the jade incense burner with a plop. The green smoke from the gilded animal head curled around his graying temples, making his face, which had been indulged in excessive sexual activities, look even more sallow.

"Master," he said in a deliberately low voice, but the last part of his voice couldn't help but tremble, "I have ordered the Ministry of Works to seal all the underground channels dug in the north bank embankment with Taihu stones, as you instructed last month to do for the 'River God Festival Repair'. The fine iron chains that were transported from the north bank were also sunk to the bottom of the Zhuolang River as you requested."

The figure behind the gauze curtain moved slightly, and the sound of a jade ring tapping on the rosewood armrest came, as clear as the sound of jade hitting each other, but wrapped in the chill of ice: "Well done."

Wei Liang put his forehead to the ground and heard his heart beating like a drum: "It is a blessing for me to share the worries of the state teacher."

"I can see that you really want to live... Don't you want to escape from here and find your own freedom?"

He suddenly raised his head and bumped into the pair of bottomless eyes in the gap of the gauze curtain - there seemed to be an inky vortex surging in the depths of the pupils, and the faint light flowed, making him feel as if his soul was about to be sucked in.

It instantly reminded him of the Zhuolang River - the surface of the water was calm, but underneath there was an undercurrent that swallowed everything.

Wei Liang hurriedly lowered his head, his forehead knocking against the jade floor tiles, "How can the outside world be as good as Xiangsheng City?" His robe sleeves brushed the ground, sweeping up the incense ash that leaked from the incense burner. "Here we have fine wine, three thousand beauties, and... and the protection of the national master. I am content."

National Master: “Haha...is that so?” He gave the other party a chance, but the other party didn’t want it, so you can’t blame him.

Wei Liang quickly expressed his loyalty and determination: "I will not let those outsiders destroy the beauty of Xiangsheng City! They are all sacrifices to the river! You and I are in the same boat!"

"People on a boat?" The figure behind the gauze curtain slowly stood up. The gauze curtain swayed like solidified clouds, revealing a piece of sleeves. "Do you know that those outsiders are looking for the center of the formation?"

"If we let them succeed, Xiangsheng City will be completely swallowed up by the river like it was that year - this is not just for me, but for you."

"Found the center of the formation?" Wei Liang's pupils suddenly shrank, and the color on his face instantly faded, "No... We can't let them find it!" He is also the center of the formation, are they trying to force him to death? !

The raging flood swept away the debris of houses and smashed the city gates. The pale arms of the drowned people floated in the turbid waves. The stench still lingers in the depths of nightmares... The dragon throne, fine wine, beautiful women... These images collapsed in my mind, and a chill rushed from the tailbone to the top of my head.

"Imperial Master! You must save Xiangsheng City! Save me!"

Want to destroy everything he has exchanged for with countless bones? He will never allow it!

When Wei Liang thought about the beauties, the mellow and sweet wine, and the supreme power that would all be wiped out in the flood, and the fear of the raging flood that penetrated deep into his bones, his face turned as pale as a mourning flag, his lips trembled, and he could hardly utter a complete sentence.

The hatred for those so-called outsiders instantly wrapped around his heart like poison ivy - what right did they have to destroy the "peace" he had gained by betrayal and survival?

His voice was filled with tears, and he kowtowed with tears streaming down his face. His hair was disheveled, with a few strands of white hair hanging in front of his forehead. He no longer had the majesty of an emperor. He crawled towards the main seat, trying to grab at the last straw.

The imperial teacher walked to the front of the gauze curtain, and his shadow covered Wei Liang, taking in all of Wei Liang's fear. He looked down at the emperor crawling on the ground as if he were looking at a panicked ant, with a cold arc at the corner of his mouth.

"Catch the leader first." He spoke slowly, and every word was like a small hammer, hitting Wei Liang's heart. "Catch their leader, spread the news, and they will fall into the trap themselves."

Wei Liang licked his cracked lips and tasted a hint of saltiness on the tip of his tongue... He was so nervous that he bit the inner wall of his mouth.

He asked anxiously: "Excuse me, Master, who is leading them..."

"The consort Lu Wensheng." The imperial teacher's voice was filled with a subtle hint of amusement, "The newly crowned number one scholar, the princess's son-in-law - Your Majesty, you must have forgotten that you just issued an imperial decree granting the marriage, right?"

A trace of greed and resentment flashed in Wei Liang's eyes, as if he had seen Lu Wensheng being tied up with iron chains and thrown into the Zhuolang River. The face of the top scholar was distorted in the flood and finally swallowed by the whirlpool...

Thinking of this, he kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the blue bricks with a dull sound. "Great plan, Imperial Master! I will arrange it right away! Those outsiders will never return!"

As Wei Liang spoke, he rolled and crawled to his feet, and the corner of his robe knocked over the incense burner at his feet, and the ashes scattered all over the ground like spilled ashes.

The Imperial Master looked at Wei Liang's staggering back, and his eyes behind the gauze curtain gradually became fierce.

He didn't expect that after Liu Jiqian was controlled by his inner demons, he would be so obsessed with Lu Wensheng. But that was also a good thing, as it saved him a lot of effort.

"Lu Wensheng..." He whispered the name, his fingertips gently stroking the patterns on the jade ring. The cold touch made the smile on his lips even colder.

he murmured.

"Do you think you can save the world with your own courage? Oh, the flood in Xiangsheng City is no longer the muddy waves of the past - it is a thick soup made from thousands of wronged souls, waiting for you moths who claim to be righteous to rush in one by one..."

It is jealousy, resentment, and even a distorted inferiority complex.

He hated those eyes that were always full of stars, hated the stubbornness of doing something even though he knew it was impossible, and hated Lu Wensheng's righteous look - like a mirror, reflecting the filthiness and ugliness of his soul.

This mentality stems from the fear of light and the denial of the value of his own existence. Only by dragging all the good things into the quagmire can he find a morbid balance in this rotten world.

The Imperial Master looked out the window. The setting sun finally sank into the horizon. The last ray of light struggled to illuminate the clouds but was quickly swallowed up by the endless night.

No matter how dazzling the sun is, it will eventually set, and the abyss is always waiting to swallow up the light.

The night sky of Xiangsheng City is about to fall, and the net he has set has been spread.

The setting sun outside the palace sank into the western hills, and the glazed tiles of the Imperial Master's Mansion gradually disappeared into the night. Only the gilded beasts on the eaves glowed eerily in the hazy moonlight, like countless pairs of eyes, coldly watching this city watered by lies and blood.