You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

The main hall of the Zhang residence was extremely luxurious.

The ground is paved with gold bricks, and the east and west walls are lined with rosewood treasure cabinets, which display precious objects such as white jade mountains.

The seats, doors, and windows are all made of precious wood.

This hall alone is worth at least five thousand taels of silver.

Lu Zuo sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping around the room, thinking to himself, "How many families has Zhang Youyuan plundered over the years?"

"How many people have been harmed?"

Just as he was pondering this, a soft and melodious female voice drifted over.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea."

Lu Zuo looked up and saw a slender woman with delicate features, about twenty years old, with a woman's hairstyle, carrying a tea tray, slowly walking towards him.

He nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip, glanced at Zhang Youyuan standing not far away, and asked in a deep voice, "What about those women you mentioned?"

"I have already sent someone to invite them."

Zhang Youyuan bowed, glancing towards the door as he replied, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment, you'll be here shortly!"

Outside the hall, several graceful women dressed in light-colored silk dresses, with beautiful features, came into Lu Zuo's view.

But what truly caught his attention was the woman on the far right.

This woman is not only stunningly beautiful, tall, and curvaceous, but more importantly, she possesses a unique aura that ordinary women lack.

Her breath was faint, or she was trying her best to hide it, making it difficult for anyone to detect.

If Lu Zuo hadn't recently increased his cultivation and sharpened his senses, he wouldn't have been able to detect it either.

"This humble woman kowtows to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

They filed in, knelt in the hall, and paid their respects together.

Lu Zuo's gaze remained fixed on the woman with the peculiar aura.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Youyuan was secretly delighted. He stepped forward a few paces and whispered, "Your Majesty, she is Shen Luoyan."

"Shall I arrange a room for you right away?"

With so many people present, Lu Zuo couldn't easily talk to Shen Luoyan to confirm if she was the same person from the original story, so he nodded and said, "Go and make the arrangements."

A tyrannical ruler!

A tyrannical and incompetent ruler!

Shen Luoyan thought to herself, "This tyrant is even more outrageous than the rumors suggest, indulging in debauchery in broad daylight!"

"However, today is your death day!"

……

Soon, Zhang Youyuan led the group of women out of the hall. He first told the others to go back to their rooms, and then arranged for someone to take Shen Luoyan to a more magnificent room to bathe and groom her.

It took Shen Luoyan almost half an hour to wash up, put on exquisite makeup, and lie on the bed waiting for 'Chen Shubao'.

"Although this tyrant's cultivation level is not high, the black-clad guards around him are all at the innate level."

"You only get one chance..."

"We must succeed in one fell swoop!"

She held the gold hairpin under her pillow, pondering to herself.

Involuntarily, I recalled the tragic scene in Yunyang County, where corpses of the starved littered the fields and people resorted to cannibalism.

squeak...

Suddenly, a soft sound rang out, and the door slowly opened, revealing a tall, handsome young man who walked in.

"So beautiful..."

Lu Zuo looked at Shen Luoyan, who was leaning against the couch, and sighed inwardly.

She wore a light red silk robe, her face was lightly rouged, and her lips were bright red, like a newly blooming rose.

Her slightly upturned eyes were shimmering with water, sparkling with a thousand charms.

Water droplets dripped from her damp hair, sliding down her long, fair neck and into the depths of her collar.

Sunlight filters through the sheer fabric, outlining a graceful, undulating silhouette. The loose belt at the waist reveals a glimpse of her snow-white, narrow waist.

Beneath the silk robe, a slender, smooth leg peeked out diagonally, its ankle delicate, with a small bell tied to it.

"Your Majesty, come here..."

Shen Luoyan spoke in a sweet and charming voice, her light and melodious tone carrying an alluring charm that continued to captivate the soul.

Lu Zuo stepped forward, sat on the couch, and was about to start a conversation when a sense of impending danger suddenly arose in his mind!

His pupils constricted sharply: "Killing intent!"

"This woman is an assassin!"

Before the thought was even finished, Shen Luoyan suddenly launched an attack, pulling the gold hairpin from under her pillow. With a sudden thrust of her arm, the tip of the hairpin flashed with a cold light, heading straight for Lu Zuo's throat!

Almost at the same time, Lu Zuo also made a move!

He raised his arm, several times faster than Shen Luoyan, and seized her wrist with the advantage of being the one in control!

Shen Luoyan's heart trembled. Wasn't this tyrant's cultivation not high?

How can it be so fast...?

With a snap, Lu Zuo seized Shen Luoyan's left hand while she was distracted.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Luoyan felt an immense force strike her, and her body, which had just straightened up, involuntarily leaned backward, and was pressed down onto the couch by Lu Zuo.

"A tyrannical ruler!"

"Since I have failed, do with me as you please..."

"Shut up!"

Lu Zuo whispered in Shen Luoyan's ear, "If the Black-Clad Guards are alerted, even I cannot save your life."

what?

Shen Luoyan opened her beautiful eyes wide and looked at Lu Zuo with a surprised expression.

……

A short while later.

"So, you assassinated me to avenge the people of Yunyang?"

Lu Zuo originally thought that Shen Luoyan was angry with him for forcibly taking a woman from the common people, and that she would rather die than submit in order to protect her chastity, so she attempted to assassinate him.

That's why he spared her life earlier.

Unexpectedly, Shen Luoyan was actually the head of the Baiye Gang in Yunyang County, and she came for the people who starved to death because Su Chenghua had embezzled the disaster relief funds.

"That's right!"

"You favor treacherous officials and indulge in debauchery, yet Su Chenghua, who caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, only received a demotion as punishment?"

"If you don't seek justice for the grievances of tens of thousands of lost souls, countless righteous heroes will surely avenge them!"

Although Shen Luoyan's voice was very low, the overwhelming hatred in her tone did not diminish in the slightest.

To be honest, Lu Zuo also felt that Chen Shubao and Su Chenghua deserved to be killed!

In recent days, he has gained a deeper understanding of the situation in Yunyang.

It wasn't just about condoning corrupt officials and treacherous ministers; he also withheld 30% of the disaster relief funds originally allocated by the Ministry of Revenue and used it to build the Yangzhou Imperial Palace.

As the saying goes, "what the superiors do, the inferiors will follow," because he took the lead in embezzling, disaster relief funds were siphoned off by powerful families and bureaucrats at every level.

Less than 10% of it ended up in Su Chenghua's hands.

Even if he hadn't been greedy, the fate of the people of Yunyang County wouldn't have improved much.

It's just that Su Chenghua wasn't well-liked by his family, and was pushed out by them to be a scapegoat.

"That's absolutely damnable!"

Thinking of this, Lu Zuo subconsciously muttered something to himself.

"What did you say?"

Hearing these words, Shen Luoyan felt a sense of disbelief.

"I declare that those corrupt officials, those parasites who disregard the lives of ordinary people, all deserve to die!"

Shen Luoyan's beautiful eyes widened even more. He... he actually...

Is this still the same licentious and tyrannical ruler?

Lu Zuo's eyes sharpened as he looked at the beauty on the bed, a surge of excitement welling up inside him!

She is another opportunity!

An opportunity to evade Li Chengan and Shi Wenqing's surveillance and secure assistance!