Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 133 The Real Killer (2)

The weather was getting hotter at midday.

The sweltering heat wafted through the cracks in the window, lifting the curtains and causing the room to flicker between light and darkness.

An invisible oppression enveloped Li Qingyue's heart, while Luo Yuheng's voice still lingered in her ears, as gentle and pleasant as ever: "Of course, the benefits of this princess personally making the bait are not limited to these."

"Besides winning over the people, it can also lure out the assassins. In Yan'er's words, these assassins are ultimately a threat, so it's better to eliminate them no matter what. Moreover, it can also lure out the spies that the Yang family has planted by my side."

"For the Luo family now, this thorn is the biggest threat."

A seemingly casual question made Li Qingyue's eyelids twitch: "How is Song Yan so sure I'll make a move?"

This was what puzzled her the most. After all, this was a decision made on short notice after the Six Villains failed. How could Song Yan have calculated it?

Luo Yuheng smiled, stretched her arms to show off her beautiful figure, took two steps to the side, and sat down in a chair. There was tea on the table, and she poured herself a cup, seemingly not worried at all that the tea might be poisoned.

This tea is a little different.

Unlike the strong, spicy, and salty flavor of boiled tea, the curled tea leaves in the cup gradually unfurled, their color a vibrant green, releasing a delicate fragrance that defies easy description. Delicate fingers held the teacup, gently swirling it twice before taking a sip, the lingering aroma filling her mouth.

According to the son-in-law, the first brew should be thrown away, but he was a little reluctant to do so.

"This is called stir-frying tea."

"It's easier to brew and has a better aroma. It was also Yan'er's idea. You saw those two big iron pots Yan'er made a while ago, right?"

"Without a doubt, this tea-frying method will completely replace the current tea-boiling method. This business alone could bring in millions of taels of silver a year. I wonder if you've told the Yang family about this method?"

Li Qingyue's lips twitched slightly, but nothing came out. Her heart sank slowly. She understood that when Luo Yuheng told her this secret, he had no intention of letting her live.

"Stop showing off your son-in-law. I'm just curious, how did Song Yan know I would make a move?" Li Qingyue didn't beg for mercy, perhaps to maintain her last bit of dignity. She sat down opposite Luo Yuheng, poured herself a cup of tea, and looking at the color of the tea and smelling its refreshing aroma, she had to admit that this roasted tea was a pleasant experience both visually and in terms of taste.

Luo Yuheng glanced at Li Qingyue but did not stop her: "It's actually very simple."

"You've been bribed for quite some time now. Initially, my existence posed no threat to the Yang family, so they only monitored me. But now things are different. I've regained my status as the eldest princess and have the authority to command 5,000 troops. 5,000 troops isn't a large number, but they are not subject to the court's control and are my private army. In the eyes of the Yang family, I have become a threat, and that's why they want to kill me, no matter the cost."

"Initially, your task was simply to cooperate with the assassins arranged by the Yang family."

"But the assassin failed."

"And the task of killing me must be completed."

Luo Yuheng sighed again: "Of course, you may also abandon the mission and continue to hide in the shadows, only responsible for intelligence work."

"So we kept tempting you. I fainted, and my children, son-in-law, and even Master Yushuang, who was protecting me, chased after the assassins..."

"I lay in bed without moving."

"What a great opportunity! As long as I can get the others away and plunge the knife into my heart, the mission will be accomplished."

"Then you just need to find a way to leave the Luo residence, which isn't difficult. As my personal maid, you have a high status, and no one will stop you from leaving. At most, you can make up an excuse to find Tian Shu and the others to come back and take charge of the situation..."

"At that time, you will be a great contributor to the Yang family."

"You will constantly struggle internally, and then keep finding reasons to convince yourself to give it your all."

"Ultimately, greed and desire will take over, and then... you'll make your move."

Li Qingyue's face was deathly pale. They were still fishing.

Song Yan, without any evidence or even any obvious suspicion, simply used human greed to lure himself into this mess.

Ha...constantly searching for reasons to convince herself to take action...Li Qingyue's face turned deathly pale. That Song Yan was truly terrifying; he could even guess the thoughts that had just surfaced in her mind.

"It's such a pity. Yang Miaoqing really brought a terrible opponent to the Yang family. If she had been nicer to Song Yan back then, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way." Li Qingyue smiled bitterly, and after a brief pause, she said, "However, you don't need to think you've won. Whether it's the Six Evils or me... it's just the beginning."

"Believe me, the next assassin will appear soon, and this assassin is someone you... or even the entire Luo family, will have no way to deal with."

His expression seemed to hold a hint of mockery, as if he could already see Song Yan and Luo Yuheng dying violently. There was nothing he could do; it was an open assassination attempt, one that no one could resist.

She thought Luo Yuheng would be a little nervous, but to Li Qingyue's surprise, Luo Yuheng's expression didn't change at all. He remained calm and composed, as if he had everything under control: "You're not talking about those disaster victims, are you?"

Li Qingyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and a hint of panic appeared deep in her eyes.

“Yan’er told me before that my biggest problem is not the assassins, nor is it you, the mole; it’s the disaster victims. I can deal with the assassins Tianyi and Yushuang, and I can remove the mole sooner or later, but the disaster victims are the most difficult to handle.”

"Because of the Yang family's publicity efforts, a large number of disaster victims gathered in Ningping County."

"Today alone, thousands of disaster victims have poured into Ningping County. How many will there be tomorrow? Ten thousand? The day after tomorrow? And in the future?"

"Fifty thousand, or one hundred thousand?"

Luo Yuheng sighed, a hint of pity in his eyes. To use so many disaster victims as a weapon to kill him—even if those who reached Ningping were properly resettled, how many more would die on the way? "The disaster victims have arrived. Should we save them or not? We must save them. If we don't, the imperial family's reputation will be completely ruined, and the situation will only worsen. But how can we save them? There are too many people. Even if the Luo family has ample food, it's impossible to feed so many mouths. And because of the Yang family's interference, the court cannot send a single grain of food to Songzhou."

"Is it Song Yan again?" Li Qingyue smiled happily: "I'm really surprised that he could see that. He's truly a talent."

"But even if we figure it out, what can we do?"

"This is an unsolvable problem."

Li Qingyue's voice suddenly became hoarse: "Your food supply will eventually run out. What will happen if there isn't enough food?"

"Are you trying to persuade the disaster victims to leave? How many people do you have under your command? How many can you convince to leave?"

"Will you continue distributing food, and then everyone starves to death?"

"it's useless."

"No one cares how many people you saved before, no one cares that you also starved to death because of food shortages. People will only remember that you caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people."

"Or are you going to carefully preserve the remaining food to ensure your own survival?"

"Do you think these disaster victims might gather together and storm the Luo residence?"

"This is a popular uprising, a rebellion."

"Of course, your guards can kill thousands of Japanese pirates and perhaps hold off tens of thousands of refugees, but death in battle is inevitable. Can you bear the accusation of slaughtering civilians?"

"Even without these factors, the mere gathering of tens of thousands of people could lead to thousands of deaths if an outbreak occurs, and that blame would still fall on you."

"There's no solution to this."

"If this happens, in order to maintain their crumbling position... Luo Yuheng, you must die!"

(End of this chapter)