The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 302 Sharing Dreams
"call out!"

The arrow in Lu Zhan's hand grazed Duan Ling's ear and flew backward.

Duan Ling stood frozen in place, cold sweat pouring down his face, constantly reflecting in his mind: Had he offended Lao Lu recently?
He didn't come to his senses until he heard a "thud" as the arrow pierced his flesh.

He turned his head and saw that there was a white tiger hiding in the haystack behind him.

At this moment, an arrow was stuck between the eyebrows of the white tiger, and the white tiger staggered and let out a series of roars.

Duan Ling was startled and finally realized what was happening. He quickly drew his bow and fired several more arrows.

At the bonfire banquet that evening, the emperor learned that Lu Zhan had hunted a large tiger and praised him extensively.

Whether it was because he had received the emperor's reward or not, Lu Zhan was so happy that he got completely drunk.

As Duan Ling helped him back into the tent, he couldn't help but mutter, "It's not like you haven't been praised by the Emperor before. Is it really necessary to make you this happy? Your cousin should really come and see how drunk her cousin is."

Upon hearing the words "cousin," Lu Zhan suddenly opened his eyes.

He raised his hand to rub his temples and said in a hoarse voice, "Duan Ling, you should go back."

"Are you sure you can manage on your own?" Duan Ling asked, somewhat worried. "Where's Chen Jiu? I haven't seen him all afternoon."

Lu Zhan didn't answer. He pushed Duan Ling away and walked unsteadily to the bedside.

Seeing him lie down, Duan Ling felt relieved.

After covering him with the blanket, Duan Ling left.

Meanwhile, in an inn in a remote town, Zhiwan smashed the food that Zhiye had brought her onto the ground.

"I don't want it, take it away now!"

Zhiye glanced at the food that had been smashed on the ground and scoffed, "You've got quite a temper! But it's your own body. If you don't eat, you'll be the one who goes hungry."

Zhiwan retorted angrily, "Don't pretend! I know why you kidnapped me. You'd better give up on that idea. I'd rather die than be associated with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhiye suddenly raised his hand and slapped her. "If it weren't for revenge, do you think I would have gone down this path? You and I are the closest people in this world, but you're in such a hurry to sever ties with me. How can you face your grandparents and your parents?"

Zhiwan's face was slapped to the side, and she tasted the salty, fishy flavor in her mouth.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said sarcastically, "Don't drag my parents into this. If my father approved of what you did, why didn't he join you in your scheme back then? Besides, my father has never mentioned you in front of me, which means he doesn't approve of you at all."

Furthermore, the current imperial court is not something you can shake. Why waste your energy and throw your life away?

"Uncle, you should pull back from the brink." As she spoke, Zhiwan's tone softened.

"You're just as weak and incompetent as your father!" Zhiye said with a look of disappointment.

“My father is neither incompetent nor weak; he can see the situation clearly. The current emperor may have taken the throne from my grandfather through dishonest means, but during his reign, he was diligent and hardworking, and did a lot of good for the people.”

A good emperor is one who can ensure that the people live in peace and prosperity.

Even if your grandfather were still alive, you can't guarantee that he would have done a better job than you.

"The current emperor has won the hearts of the people; you cannot overthrow him," Zhiwan said patiently.

Zhi Ye was stunned for a moment, then, after regaining his senses, he was furious. "You are utterly heartless! The dog emperor is the enemy who killed your own grandfather, yet you speak up for him?"

“I’m not speaking for him, I’m just stating the facts,” Zhiwan said, frowning.

She also felt sorry for her grandfather's fate, but being born into the royal family meant that no one had a choice; it was all a matter of the victor taking all.

Moreover, she was neither able nor capable of avenging her grandfather.

She only hoped that her uncle would come to his senses, stop immediately, and not do anything foolish again.

"You don't want revenge, but you're afraid of implicating the Lu family, right?" Zhi Ye stared into her eyes and suddenly said. Zhi Wan seemed to have been touched on a sensitive spot, and coldly replied, "Isn't it natural for me to be afraid? My aunt adopted me back then, otherwise I might have died long ago. How would you have the chance to talk to me here and coerce me?"

Zhiye snorted coldly, "You seem to have a conscience now that the Lu family is mentioned. But don't forget, if I wanted to harm the Lu family, it would be easy. I only need to send a letter of complaint to the Inspectorate, and the entire Lu family would be finished."

The emperor's greatest fear is the descendants of the Prince of Jin. If he were to discover that the family of his most trusted and relied-upon minister was harboring a descendant of the Prince of Jin, do you think the emperor would execute the entire Lu family, including nine generations of relatives?

Zhiwan's heart skipped a beat, and she said urgently, "You can't do this! The Lu family are all good people; you can't harm them..."

"If you don't want me to report them, then you'd better obediently follow my instructions." Zhiye thought he had intimidated her, and softened his tone.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan lowered her head and pondered for a long time. As if she had finally understood, she nodded and said, "Fine, you just want me to spy on court secrets for you, right? I'll help you, but you have to promise me that you absolutely cannot harm the Lu family."

“Of course, I still want Lu Zhan to work for me, how could I harm the Lu family? Don’t worry, little niece.” After saying that, Zhi Ye suddenly reached out and pulled off one of her earrings.

Zhiwan observed his actions but said nothing, only asking, "Where is this place?"

"It's alright to tell you. This place isn't far from the hunting grounds; it's called Santian Town." Zhiye didn't think that a weak woman like her could escape.

But just to be on the safe side, he found a rope, tied her up, and stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth.

After placing Zhiwan on the bed, Zhiye turned and left.

Hearing the sound of the door being locked, Zhiwan's heart sank.

Her uncle took her keepsake; did he go to find her cousin?

What exactly does he want his cousin to do for him?
Considering that the emperor was currently in the hunting grounds, and that this place was so close to the hunting grounds, could it be that my uncle wanted my cousin to help him assassinate the emperor?

Upon realizing this, Zhi Wanxin almost jumped out of her skin.

She needed to contact her cousin as soon as possible, hoping he was already asleep.

However, the two haven't dreamed together in a long time, and she wonders if she'll be able to dream of her cousin this time?
But she had no other choice but to try her best.

Thinking of this, she quickly closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep.

But whether it was because she was tied up or because she was too anxious, she couldn't fall asleep at all.

She could only force herself to calm down and try to relax.

When her uncle kidnapped her last night, Tong Da kept chasing after her. Fearing she would make a sound, her uncle knocked her unconscious.

She didn't wake up until this afternoon.

Fortunately, she was exhausted from fighting with her uncle, and soon she finally felt sleepy.

She seemed to have only been asleep for a short while when she felt herself being pulled into someone's arms.

A strong smell of alcohol, mixed with the familiar scent of cedar wood, wafted into her nostrils.

Realizing something, she immediately opened her eyes.

Sure enough, her cousin was sitting by the bed, untying her ropes.

Upon seeing her cousin, Zhiwan's eyes reddened. She wanted to call out, but found that her mouth was still stuffed with a strip of cloth.

After untying the ropes binding her, Lu Zhan tore the gag from her mouth and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Cousin."

"Cousin..." Zhiwan could no longer hold back and threw herself into his arms, her voice choked with sobs.

Lu Zhan hummed in agreement, raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, and tried his best to control his emotions as he said, "You've suffered."

“It’s all my fault for being so careless.” Zhiwan shook her head, lifted her head from his embrace, and quickly told him the information she had obtained, “My uncle said that this place is called Santian Town, and he took my earring, so he must have gone to find you. I guess he might want to force you to assassinate the emperor. Be careful, and whatever you do, don’t listen to him…”