"What? You... you mean Auntie isn't Auntie?" Yu Xiaoyu looked at Xue Feng in disbelief.
Xue Feng nodded. He hadn't expected someone to be so brazen as to substitute one person for another.
"This whole affair is truly..." Yu Xiaoyu was stunned for a long time, but then she let out a laugh.
Xue Feng was puzzled by her laughter and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Yu, what are you laughing about?"
Yu Xiaoyu stood up, her back to Xue Feng. Only she knew how delighted she was. If the world knew that the wife of Prefect Lin was the sister of the chief of Feng Ling Village, what would they think?
"Xue Feng, thank you." Yu Xiaoyu turned around, her expression now composed.
"Miss Yu, you are too kind," Xue Feng replied.
"I don't need you today. You..."
Xue Feng blinked slightly and said, "I shall take my leave!"
After Xue Feng left, the maidservant by her side said, "Miss, isn't it a bit harsh to treat Young Master Xue Feng like this?"
Yu Xiaoyu turned to look at Hong Zao upon hearing this. "Are you feeling sympathetic?"
Hong Zao trembled all over and quickly said, "This servant dares not."
"You dare not? Yet it seems you do."
Hong Zao looked at her approaching mistress and retreated in fear. "Miss, this servant has absolutely no other intentions."
Yu Xiaoyu lifted Hong Zao's chin and said coldly, "Do not covet what you are not entitled to. Even if I didn't want it, it wouldn't be your turn."
"Yes, Miss. This servant will bear your words in mind," Hong Zao replied.
Yu Xiaoyu said, "You may withdraw."
Hong Zao did not dare to delay and quickly withdrew, knowing there was still someone else in the room.
Indeed, as soon as Hong Zao left, a figure emerged from the shadows. "Miss Yu, why be so angry? It's not worth it."
Yu Xiaoyu said coldly, "I presume you overheard the conversation. What do you think should be done?"
"The background of Madam Lin can be revealed to everyone."
Yu Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. "When?"
"It's not time yet."
"If Lin Feng steps down, then the next Prefect of Jiangnan..."
"Will be your father."
"Thank you, Young Master." Yu Xiaoyu was overjoyed.
The person chuckled softly. "What thanks? This is merely our cooperation. As I said at the beginning of our partnership, as long as you follow my instructions, the Prefect of Jiangnan will belong to the Yu family."
Yu Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered something and said, "However, do not harm Yan Jin Chao. He knows nothing."
"He is an insignificant person. I will not lay a hand on him."
Yu Xiaoyu smiled brilliantly, imagining her father becoming the Prefect of Jiangnan, and herself becoming the mistress of the Yan residence. She had longed for this day for a very, very long time.
At the stroke of midnight, the night was deep and silent.
A black figure weaved through the military camp, stopping at a tent. The guards were already asleep from weariness.
Taking advantage of this, the shadow entered the tent.
Inside, a person sat cross-legged, their limbs bound by chains. The other end of the chains was anchored to the ground. The chains were so short that it was difficult to even stand up.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He was startled to see the newcomer. "Why are you here?"
"Xu Yangshuo has kidnapped Prefect Lin's daughter," Xue Zi Ning said slowly.
Gu Shao'an was taken aback and frowned. "I didn't expect him to be so bold."
"It's not that he's bold; it's the person behind him who emboldens him."
"Can you find out who is behind Xu Yangshuo?"
Xue Zi Ning shook his head. "I cannot. But I suspect it is one of those people."
"We need to hurry. My deputy..."
"General..." a voice called from outside. Xue Zi Ning and Gu Shao'an exchanged a glance.
"You two may withdraw!" Deputy General Li waved his hand, signaling the two guards to leave.
The two guards were startled but dared not say anything more. They turned and left.
The tent flap was lifted, and Deputy General Li saw Gu Shao'an sitting cross-legged. He walked forward. There was no moonlight that night, only a dim candle burning within the tent, dimly illuminating Gu Shao'an with his eyes closed.
Perhaps sensing his arrival, Gu Shao'an opened his eyes and looked up. Seeing him, he said indifferently, "Deputy General Li, you couldn't resist any longer?"
Xue Zi Ning, hiding in the shadows, was somewhat perplexed by Gu Shao'an's words. Did he have a grudge against Deputy General Li?
As he pondered, a voice, presumably Deputy General Li's, came, "Gu Shao'an, have you made up your mind?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Shao'an chuckled lowly and looked up. Even in the dim candlelight, his eyes showed mockery and indifference. This look struck Deputy General Li's heart. "Gu Shao'an, I advise you to think carefully, lest you suffer for nothing."
"Deputy General Li, who is the person behind you?" Gu Shao'an tried to straighten his back, but the chains pulled him down, making it impossible. He could only tilt his head and look at him, asking word by word.
"Do you want to know?" Deputy General Li asked with a smile.
Gu Shao'an shook his head. "You won't tell me."
"Since you know, don't ask further. I only ask you, will you cooperate with us?" Deputy General Li asked.
Xue Zi Ning's heart skipped a beat. Cooperate with us? Who are "us"?
"The Gu family has always preferred to break rather than bend. Deputy General Li, you have chosen the wrong person," Gu Shao'an said coldly.
Deputy General Li smiled, his eyes now filled with ice. "Since that is the case, I cannot keep you any longer. Gu Shao'an, blame yourself for being too loyal. The capable rule this world. Why lose your life for a woman? Is it worth it?"
"I, Gu Shao'an, have been loyal to the country and the Emperor my entire life. Whether the Emperor is male or female, as long as they are a wise ruler, what difference does it make if they are a woman? Deputy General Li, you are too arbitrary. Since the Female Emperor ascended the throne, the people have lived in peace and contentment, and the country has been unified. The people no longer suffer the pain of war and displacement. Isn't this the situation we wished to see? Why do you want to destroy it for your own selfish desires? Do you know that with the outbreak of war, the people will suffer endlessly? Is this what you want to see?"
"I don't know about this world, but I only know that women are not fit to be Emperors or monarchs."
"Then who is fit? Regent Xue Wenjie, who once held sway over everything? Or Xue Zijie, who recently tried to usurp the Female Emperor? Deputy General Li, we are merely subjects. We should do what subjects are meant to do. When you think too much, greed naturally arises."
"Who doesn't want to become a pillar of the state? Gu Shao'an, you may not want it, but that doesn't mean I don't. No one in this world wants to stay in the same place, stagnant. Gu Shao'an, I want to climb higher. Is that wrong?"
Gu Shao'an gave a bitter smile. "It's not wrong, but you are wrong in your methods."
"Perhaps. But I have come this far, and I will not turn back."