Chapter 9: The Abacus of Wish Fulfillment

  Is this Lord Chancellor? This man is the newly appointed Magistrate of Heyang County, the notorious and infamous Coming Junmin?

  Although Lai Jun Chen was absolutely notorious for his cruelty, curiosity got the better of Yinniang and she couldn't help but glance at the two people walking towards them.

  He was the first person, about five feet tall (about 150cm). Not only was he short, but also very thin. From a distance, he looked like a child. But this "child" had a rather long goat beard. His face was exceptionally pale, and there was nothing else unusual about it, except that when he smiled, his overly white skin would quiver, which was quite frightening.

  "It turns out that Lai Junchen is just a mouth and two hands!" Yan Niang had long heard about Lai Junchen's cruel fate, but seeing him in person, she wasn't as frightened as before. She turned her eyes to the person behind Lai Junchen, felt a shock in her heart, and suddenly lowered her head.

  "Isn't that the scoundrel from just now?" Yan Niang's heart was in great turmoil: "How did he end up with Lai Jun Chen? Could it be, what happened earlier wasn't arranged by 'that person', this guy is really a scoundrel!"

  At a glance, Wei Su followed Lai Junchen, and Yu Niang suddenly understood the "truth" of what had just happened. She also felt some regret towards Zhang Wensheng in her heart: "He obviously saved me, but I not only didn't thank him, but also misunderstood him, which is really unforgivable!"

  Just as he was thinking, Lai Junchen had already arrived in front of the carriage. The signature smile on his pale face spread out: "Your Majesty is..." His gaze shifted slightly and fell on Yanni, trembling slightly before forcibly moving away. However, the scorching heat in his eyes when they landed on Yanni for that brief moment was impossible to conceal.

  "Long time no see, Your Majesty!" When Lai Jun-cheng's gaze turned back to Wu Chengsi, there was not much reverence in his eyes: "May I ask what's going on with this little girl?"

  Wu Chengsi glanced at Yan Niang with a slanted eye and said lightly, "It's not particularly important, it's just that the lonely king's carriage accidentally bumped into her, nothing else."

  Lai Jun's smile immediately spread across his face: "Since the king is unharmed, I can rest assured! It's a coincidence that we met, and as the county lieutenant of He Palace, this matter falls under my jurisdiction. Why don't I take care of it? Your Majesty holds a high position and is the emperor's most favored nephew, with a noble character, so it's better not to bother with this trivial matter!"

  Wu Chengyou's mouth corners twitched slightly, and he lowered his head to conceal the fleeting gloom in his eyes. After a while, he raised his head, and on his face, only a courteous smile remained: "Since you've come to Shaofu to plead for leniency, this bit of face must be given. Alright, let's consider the matter settled."

  The young lady did not calm down at all, but the shock in her heart became even more intense. Wu Chengsi was indeed terrifying, but his terror came only from his identity and status. In fact, for the sake of competing for the crown prince position, Wu Chengsi still attached great importance to his reputation, he didn't want his notorious reputation to spread to the emperor's ears.

  But Lai Jun Chen was different, he was born to be evil. Apart from killing people like flies, he also had another evil deed that everyone knew about, which was robbing good families of their women.

  Whether it was a noble concubine or a humble wife, as long as he caught Come Junmen's eye, there is no precedent for escaping his clutches. All of Come Junmen's wives and concubines were forcibly taken, including his first wife Wang, who was also snatched from another family. Moreover, this Wang was the eldest daughter of the Taiyuan Wang clan, one of the five surnames with seven honors. The Taiyuan Wang clan was a powerful aristocratic family that had immense influence in both the imperial court and local areas, but even they could only swallow their anger when their daughter was taken by Come Junmen. For ordinary women, it's even more unimaginable.

  The young lady secretly felt a pang of sorrow in her heart, but she had no choice but to lower her head and say to Wu Chengsi: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity!"

  Wu Chengsi said expressionlessly: "No need to thank me, King Gu. You should thank Lai Shao Fu instead!"

  Yan Niang had no choice but to turn to Lai Jun Chen and say: "Thank you, Young Master Lai!"

  "Come on, young lady, please get up. I am the county captain of this county, and it is my duty to resolve disputes and serve the people."

  It was unclear whether it was intentional or not, but the four words "serve as the master of the people" sounded to Wu Chengsi like a sarcastic remark about his harming the common people. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he could no longer conceal his anger, withdrawing his body back into the carriage.

  The young lady was at a loss for words, but then she heard Qiu Jun come over and say in a warm voice: "Little girl, you should head back now, don't let your family wait anxiously!"

  The girl hurried forward with quick steps, as if she had received a great amnesty. As she ran, she thought to herself: "This is strange, this notorious lecher didn't ask about my private affairs, but Wu Chengsi almost did. Could it be that Xue Junming has no ill intentions towards me, or has he changed his ways?"

  After a moment of contemplation, she thought her conjecture made some sense. In the past few days, Lai Jun-cheng had been so blatant in his corruption and lawlessness, even Emperor Wu Zetian, who had always protected him, could no longer find an excuse to continue shielding him, and was forced to strip him of his position. It wasn't until the scandal had blown over that he was reinstated as a minor official, the Magistrate of He Palace County. This time, he should have learned his lesson and wouldn't dare be so reckless again.

  After having such thoughts, Yanni's mood finally eased a bit, and she let out a slight sigh of relief.

  After Ya Niang left, Lai Jun Chen and Wu Chengsi exchanged a few pleasantries across the carriage curtain before taking his leave.

  Just as Jun Chen walked far away, Wu Chengsi suddenly came out of the carriage again. This time, his originally somewhat pale face was now painted with crimson red like vermilion. His teeth "gritted" and his fists were clenched, anyone could see that he was now on the verge of an explosion.

  One of the attendants rode up to Wu Chengsi's side, and said sternly: "Your Majesty, this man is deceiving people too much. Do you want me to send someone to...?" He made a slashing gesture with his hand.

  At the critical moment, Wu Chengsi calmed down, shook his head slowly and said: "It's not possible. This person is one of the emperor's most favored ministers. For the crimes he committed in the past, if it were an ordinary person, even a hundred heads would not be enough to chop off, but he was only dismissed from office and did not even suffer imprisonment. Moreover, after being demoted for so many days, he was reused again. Can't you see the emperor's intention? If we kill him, the emperor will definitely investigate thoroughly, and it won't be easy to cover up such a thing."

  "But Your Majesty, you are also the most favored prince in front of the Emperor and the Prime Minister of the court. Can't you tolerate being bullied by this insignificant eighth-rank official?"

  Wu Chengyou snorted and said, "It's not even worth mentioning deception! He was born in the streets, doesn't know good from bad, and King Gu won't bother to argue with him."

  He couldn't help but feel a little resentful and said in a low voice: "It's just too cheap for that guy!"

  Wu Chengsi suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly, saying: "Wang Er, do you know why this time Jun Chen came out so quickly?"

  Wang Er's face was puzzled: "Please instruct me, Your Majesty!"

  Wu Chengsi made a gesture to the carman, who lightly raised his whip and the horse began to move slowly. Under the cover of the horseshoes and carriage sounds, Wu Chengsi smiled secretly and said to Wang Er, who was following closely beside him: "It's Guan Wang who spoke to His Majesty!"

  Wang Er's mouth grew wide and he stared at Wu Chengsi in utter disbelief.

  Wu Chengsi couldn't help but smile, and a layer of red flush appeared on his face with a hint of illness: "You don't understand? Of course you don't! Actually, the reason is very simple. First, as I just said, he committed so many crimes and still managed to keep his head, what does that mean? The emperor's heart is still leaning towards him, and he intends to reuse him. Since that's the case, it's better for me, the lonely king, to do this favor myself rather than letting someone else do it; secondly, although the Li family has lost its power, there are many people nowadays who are confusing the emperor's mind, plotting against him, and trying to overthrow our great Wu Zhou dynasty to rebuild the Li Tang. These people may be cheap like ants, but with my identity as the lonely king, I shouldn't take action either. And this Qu Liuquan is like a mad dog, wanting to bite anyone he sees. Now that he's new in office, he's eager to show off. Tell me, what would happen if we threw this bone to him?"

  Wang Er's face was full of admiration, if he wasn't on horseback, he would have kowtowed immediately.

  Wu Chengsi was self-satisfied and slowly said: "Wang Er, as long as you follow the lonely king well, like your brother, loyal and not two-hearted, naturally there will be no shortage of good things for you in the future. Now, it just so happens that there is a small matter that needs to be done, and I want you to run an errand for the lonely king!"

  "Your Majesty, please give your orders. I will definitely risk my life to serve you, even if it means going through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire!"

  Wu Chengsi was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing: "A sea of blades and a mountain of fire? It's not that serious! Just now, that little girl, you saw her, didn't you—"

  Wang Er was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'll go and investigate right away. This little girl won't be able to escape the palm of your hand!" With that, he turned around and rode off on horseback.