Chapter 5 - The Wise Emperor Delivers the Goods Part 1
That night, Wei Wanlan had a very long dream.
The dream began with him turning into a small fish, tasked with the mission of jumping through the Dragon Gate.
The little fish Wei swam and swam, and the Dragon Gate was right in front of him, but the waters around the gate were a dark greenish-black color, with ice floes floating on the surface. There was also a huge black dragon lying in the water, fiercely guarding its domain.
The little fish Wei swam around the big black dragon, trying to leap towards the Dragon Gate.
The big black dragon then turned around and kept batting him back into the water with its claws, creating huge splashes that frightened the little fish Wei, making him tremble in the water. Eventually, he was knocked unconscious by the surging waves.
The last thing he saw in his vision was the big black dragon's gaping bloody mouth, about to swallow him up.
"Don't eat me, big black dragon, please spare me..."
"I'm not tasty. Wuwu, please spare my life QAQ"
[The Chongzhen Emperor never begged the Qing court for mercy even when he hanged himself at Meishan. How unbecoming of you to act this way!]
[Wake up quickly!]
With a series of crackling electric currents, Wei Wanlan sat up on the dragon bed, his eyes red, pouting dejectedly: "Why did you electrocute me?"
[I had to. Those begging words of yours, if recorded by the eunuchs in charge of the imperial household, would be a disgrace to the wise emperor. It would be impossible to erase and would be passed down for all eternity.]
Wei Wanlan rubbed his head and nodded. His last memory was of the two cups of wine he had mistaken. He seemed to have consumed a love potion, but what had happened afterwards, he could not recall at all.
Wei Wanlan's small face shrank back into the blanket, his voice muffled: "Why didn't you warn me?"
[I couldn't see.] It seemed the system could only judge the environment based on sound.
The system then said: [And why would I need to warn you? The Regent Prince took you to soak in the cold spring, and you dragged him into the water.]
Danger!
[Then you clung to him tightly, almost drowning him.]
Danger, danger, danger!
[And in the end, you bit him.]
Danger, danger, danger, danger, danger!
"Don't say anymore." Wei Wanlan intuitively felt that something was amiss. Surely the Regent Prince Su Jingzhi was not someone who could be casually dragged into the water? He had seen with his own eyes how the assassin could easily defeat even the elite Imperial Bodyguard, yet Su Jingzhi was still able to gain the upper hand while injured.
The ruthless image of this man instantly triggered a mental slideshow of the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty in Wei Wanlan's mind. He's doomed.
Wei Wanlan's teeth felt soft, and he could hardly speak properly: "Then, the Regent Prince, how is he now, is he alright..."
[He has canceled the morning court today. Presumably, he was severely frozen. He has returned to the prince's mansion.]
Wei Wanlan slowly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the man was not nearby, or else if he saw him while still angry, Su Jingzhi would surely have him executed on the spot.
The system's voice gradually sounded: [Host, you've done brilliantly.]
"Huh?" Wei Wanlan was confused, his eyes momentarily going blank. It's true that many people often praised him as beautiful, and he would politely respond, "Thank you."
[I'm not complimenting your looks,] 404 explained in a refined manner, [but the strategy you used - feigning weakness to defeat a strong opponent, intending to drown the Regent Prince stealthily, and later being able to explain it as an accidental injury, it's truly ingenious!]
"Is it really that good?" Wei Wanlan felt dizzy.
The system sighed regretfully: [It's just a pity that he didn't drown. He was one breath away. But given the Regent Prince's ruthless temperament, he will surely retaliate.]
"Uh..." And so Wei Wanlan felt as if his throat was being strangled, the small head that had just finished playing the detailed process of the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty now immediately followed by the detailed manufacturing process of a lingchi (death by a thousand cuts).
From, putting, him, into, a, big, vat, and, then, starting.
Too bloody!
Wei Wanlan's lips trembled, and the small head that had just popped out of the blanket quickly burrowed back in, like a frightened little animal. Every single hair wanted to stand on end.
[Then let's take the initiative.]
[I have a foolproof method this time. Your Majesty doesn't need to directly confront the Regent Prince, just use this Ear-Acute-Eye-Bright tea.]
"Ear-Acute-Eye-Bright tea?"
Not having to directly face Su Jingzhi was simply too good. Wei Wanlan's head poked out of the blanket again, and a teapot appeared before him. The surface of the teapot was glazed and smooth, the spout emitting a refreshing tea aroma, and the body was labeled with the name of the tea in traditional Chinese characters - Ear-Acute-Eye-Bright Tea.
[This tea can temporarily resist all poisons. You have already prepared the Wind-Inviting-Collapse powder in the food box. Take the food box to visit the Regent Prince at the prince's mansion. You will drink the antidote in advance, and when the food box is opened, the Regent Prince will be unconscious, and you can naturally take his head.]
It sounded quite credible.
Compared to the previous methods of cooperating with assassins or personally drugging him, this was much easier to carry out, only needing to deliver a meal to the Regent Prince's mansion.
Delivering meals, he was an expert at that, and eating meals, he was also an expert at that. Wei Wanlan nodded: "But can this mission be completed without bloodshed... Umm, it would be best if he doesn't feel any pain before he dies."
The system was cold: [The wise emperor must not show mercy to the treacherous minister.]
"But since I transmigrated here, I've seen too many bloody scenes, the materials are enough for me to have nightmares for several years."
[Your Majesty must also not fear nightmares.]
"But what if he wakes up in pain, and I can't defeat him, then my mission will fail!"
[Your Majesty is right, I will arrange the most peaceful death for him.]
Only with logical and reasonable reasons would the system of logic overlord agree.
The residential layout of the Chang'an city followed a pattern of east being noble and west being wealthy. The Regent Prince's mansion was located in the eastern Shengye District, with two fierce stone lions guarding the entrance.
The leading eunuch went ahead to announce their arrival, and the mansion's main gate was wide open, but the Regent Prince did not come out to receive them. Wei Wanlan did not bother with the etiquette of a rebellious minister, carrying the food box and walking into the mansion, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
No artificial hills, no flower gardens, no grand pavilions and terraces as imagined...
There was a racecourse, a target range, and a training ground.
The Regent Prince's mansion, or rather the ancestral estate of the Su generals, was a vast and austere architectural complex, emphasizing sheer size above all else.
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