[Is He Going to Steal a Kiss?]
The shaved ice dessert was finished.
The peaches were also eaten.
Su Zhenzhen and the little eunuch lay side by side under the eaves. The summer breeze blew gently. The woman narrowed her eyes, gazing at the bright moon hanging in the sky.
The little eunuch was like a bad-tempered kitten that had just been soothed, lying on another lounge chair next to her.
"Did anything happen with your godfather today?"
The little eunuch curled his lips, as if he had caught the tail of a hidden spy.
"Something happened during this spring's imperial examination. I heard there was cheating involved." After speaking, Lu Hexu turned his head and rested his gaze on Su Zhenzhen's face, his eyes flashing with interest.
Su Zhenzhen nodded. "Then don't forget to take your medicine."
"Take this medicine, one pill each time. Take one after breakfast, and another one before bed at night. I've prepared a month's supply for you. Take it first, and we'll see how it works." At this point, Su Zhenzhen paused and let out a long sigh.
Alas, this cannibalistic political struggle.
Alas, this money-draining beautiful youth.
She didn't know what he had been through before, for his young body to end up like this. Fortunately, he was still young; with proper care, he should be able to recover fully.
Su Zhenzhen began to calculate the medicinal herbs she would need in the future. Many of these herbs would be extremely precious even in modern times, let alone in ancient times where resources were scarce.
She had to save up more money to be able to afford raising Mu Dan.
"And then?" A voice suddenly rang out beside her.
Su Zhenzhen instinctively turned her head. Hmm?
"The imperial examination fraud case."
Oh, that.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head and thought for a moment. "It's quite pitiful."
Entering officialdom with a heart full of ambition, going from wielding the jade dragon to die for the lord to withering away like a dead orchid in sorrow.
But then again, who in this world doesn't suffer grievances?
The little eunuch beside her fell silent. As the night deepened, Su Zhenzhen's eyelids grew heavy, and she gradually became sleepy.
A mosquito-repellent incense stick was planted in a flowerpot to the side. A faint, elegant fragrance curled upward, and wisps of smoke drifted out slowly, exuding a delicate scent.
Lu Hexu slowly opened his eyes. With a turn of his head, he could see the woman lying next to him, sleeping soundly and completely unaware of her surroundings.
He propped his chin on one hand, tilted his head slightly, and lifted his fingertips to catch a strand of the woman's hair that trailed down to the ground.
He didn't believe that the woman, after asking out of nowhere and hearing about the examination fraud, would have absolutely no thoughts about it.
[Is he going to steal a kiss from me?]
Lu Hexu expressionlessly let go of that strand of hair.
-
Wei Heng sat behind his desk, hundreds of exam papers laid out in front of him.
He had spent a whole day and night finally finishing reading all of them.
His doubts from the daytime were finally answered.
One hundred and thirty-one successful candidates, and all of them had been stuffed in through connections.
"Ha, hahahaha..."
Wei Heng laughed out of sheer anger.
He knew the current imperial court was somewhat absurd, but he hadn't expected it to be this absurd.
This was a full one hundred and thirty-one people!
Wei Heng reached out to support his forehead. Han Shuo stood in front of him.
"Lord Wei?" Han Shuo looked at Wei Heng, who seemed like he had gone mad, and instinctively took a step back.
"I'm fine." Wei Heng gathered the pile of exam papers and stood up. He glanced at the sky and hurried out of the courtyard toward the Qingliang Hall.
"Your Majesty, this servant has an urgent matter to report."
Wei Heng prostrated himself on the ground, the hundreds of papers in his arms scattering across the floor.
In the dim light of the glazed lamps, he looked at these papers and fell inexplicably silent, feeling a bitterness of not knowing where to begin.
"Speak." A single word dropped from above.
Wei Heng instinctively looked up and saw the figure of the young man standing in front of him.
He was clearly just a teenager, yet his body already exuded the aura of an emperor. Hidden in the shadows, his gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"Selecting talents through the imperial examination is the foundation of the state, serving to support the nation above and govern the common people below. But now, this system has become a tool for certain individuals to amass wealth. If this continues, the wise and the foolish will not be distinguished, the corrupt officials will not be identified, and how will the foundation of the nation survive? I beg Your Majesty to see clearly."
Lu Hexu stood there with a cold expression, just about to order Wei Heng to investigate and handle the matter himself.
It's quite pitiful.
The woman's words suddenly flashed in his mind.
He had never been one to have much compassion.
Lu Hexu frowned and turned his footsteps back. "Call the people in charge of this imperial examination over."
-
There were two main officials in charge of this imperial examination: one was Zhou Mo, the Minister of Rites, and the other was Chen Qingchen, the Investigating Censor.
These two had long heard the tyrant's reputation for drawing his sword and killing people over the slightest disagreement. After entering the hall, they prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to look up.
Their foreheads pressed against the cold floor tiles. They only felt a chilling cold seeping from their bones, making their legs tremble.
"Your subject, Minister of Rites, Zhou Mo..."
"Your subject, Investigating Censor, Chen Qingchen..."
"Greets Your Majesty..."
Lu Hexu stood up and walked between the two of them.
His fingertips brushed the top of their hair, his expression growing increasingly sinister.
"Wei Heng."
"Your Majesty."
"Hand this one over to the Brocade Guards." Lu Hexu raised his hand and pointed at the Minister of Rites, Zhou Mo.
Zhou Mo looked up in panic, his face deathly pale. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am wronged! Your Majesty..."
The Brocade Guards entered, clamped a hand over Zhou Mo's mouth, and dragged him away.
Only Chen Qingchen was left in the hall.
Seeing Zhou Mo's fate, Chen Qingchen knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his official uniform already soaked with sweat.
The young Emperor's gaze fell upon him.
Chen Qingchen knelt in the Qingliang Hall, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
There was not a single sound in the Qingliang Hall. Chen Qingchen could only hear his own breathing, wheezing like a broken bellows, as if he would pass out if he couldn't catch his next breath.
"Your Majesty, for this imperial examination fraud case, we have Lord Chen to thank for sending the exam papers over," Wei Heng stepped forward and spoke up for Chen Qingchen.
Lu Hexu responded with a faint expression, "Let the Brocade Guards investigate and handle the rest."
-
As soon as Su Zhenzhen woke up early in the morning, she heard a clamor outside.
Many palace maids and eunuchs had already gathered outside to watch the commotion.
Su Zhenzhen also followed the crowd.
What kind of show was this?
She squeezed in at the back of the crowd, cracking melon seeds while watching. From a distance, she saw the Brocade Guards arresting people.
Arresting people left and right.
Not a single one of the newly minted scholars was spared; they were all rounded up. She wondered if the imperial prison could hold so many people at once.
These scholars thought they were here for a vacation, but unexpectedly, they had come to throw their lives away.
After the arrests, Su Zhenzhen stood on her tiptoes and saw another group of people approaching from afar.
An old acquaintance—her future husband's godfather.
Wei Heng held an imperial decree in his hand. His gaze swept across the garden and finally landed on Chen Qingchen, who was shivering and hiding in a corner.
The Brocade Guards coming to arrest people bright and early had terrified this Investigating Censor so much that he almost crawled out through the dog hole again.
"The Emperor's decree has arrived. Investigating Censor Chen Qingchen, receive the decree."
Chen Qingchen stumbled and crawled out to kneel.
"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
Investigating Censor Chen Qingchen, upright in upholding the law and unflinching in your impeachments, you are hereby specially promoted to Minister of Rites, to take charge of rites, music, sacrifices, and imperial examinations. You must strictly fulfill your duties and not fail this promotion.
Respect this."
Chen Qingchen's eyes widened. His vision was no longer blurry, his waist no longer ached, and his legs no longer trembled.
"This subject bows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace!"
Wei Heng stepped forward and placed the imperial decree into Chen Qingchen's hands.
"Lord Wei," Chen Qingchen looked up, tears and mucus streaming down his face. "I... I too come from a humble background. I understand how difficult it is for poor scholars... For us, after ten years of bitter study at a cold window, if we cannot enter officialdom to serve the imperial court, wouldn't we have lived our lives in vain..." As Chen Qingchen spoke, his voice suddenly choked with sobs.
The middle-aged man, in his forties, knelt before Wei Heng and covered his face, weeping.
Though Chen Qingchen possessed talent, he was restricted by his family background. A mere scholar of humble origins with no one to rely on, he thought he would spend the rest of his life in mediocrity. He never expected to be exceptionally promoted at the age of forty.
"Lord Minister, please rise," Wei Heng said, helping the man up.
"Lord Wei, it was my fault before, I was blind. Please do not take offense." Chen Qingchen remembered how Wei Heng had spoken up for him in front of the emperor.
Wei Heng shook his head and said, "It is His Majesty who is wise and brilliant."
"Yes, yes, yes, His Majesty is wise and brilliant!"
Su Zhenzhen covered the heirloom jade pendant at her waist that belonged to this newly appointed Minister.
He wouldn't ask her for it back, would he?
-
"Someone from Grand Secretary Sun's side is here." Liu Jingxing pushed the door open and entered. Behind him followed a young man dressed in luxurious brocade garments with an arrogant expression. Seeing Shen Yanci sitting behind the curtain drinking tea, the young man's expression turned extremely ugly, and his tone was quite hostile. "Zhou Mo has been arrested, did you know?"
Facing a high-ranking second-grade official like Shen Yanci, this man's attitude was highly disrespectful.
Shen Yanci set down his teacup. "I heard."
"And you are still sitting here drinking tea?"
"If I don't sit here drinking tea, where should I go?" Shen Yanci failed to suppress his anger.
He had originally intended to use this imperial examination to win over the officials from humble backgrounds in the court, but he never expected such a golden opportunity to be ruined.
Sun Xianning didn't expect the usually gentle and jade-like Shen Yanci to lose his composure like this. He paused subconsciously, but did not restrain his temper much. As the only son of Grand Secretary Sun, he had never suffered any grievances since birth.
"My father said that Zhou Mo has an account book in his hands. We must find that thing, and we absolutely cannot let Han Shuo find it."
Shen Yanci gripped the teacup in his hand and breathed heavily. "Understood."
-
A few days after the imperial examination fraud incident, the matter had already become a subject of gossip for everyone after meals.
The banquet in the garden was short of hands, so Su Zhenzhen was called over by her aunt.
Banquets in the garden were held daily. The place was surrounded by mountains and rivers, with musicians playing the zither. Su Zhenzhen carried a lacquer tray in her hands, weaving through the garden to serve dishes to the noble guests.
A commotion came from ahead. Su Zhenzhen looked up and saw a group of young gentlemen gathered in the waterside pavilion. They wore well-fitted round-collar robes, held folding fans, and looked highly spirited.
"Is that Lord Xie?"
Jinling had two flawless jades: one was Shen Yanci, and the other was Xie Linzhou.
Shen Yanci had been recommended into officialdom by Grand Secretary Sun. Within three years, he had skyrocketed to the position of a second-grade official.
Xie Linzhou came from a humble background and entered through the imperial examinations. Three years ago, he scored third place overall. Although he was now only a rank-seven Supervising Secretary of the Six Offices, a low rank, this position supervised all officials and had the power to reject imperial edicts, serving as a stepping stone for future prime ministers.
From this, one could see how high Wei Heng's expectations were for Xie Linzhou.
"Which one?"
"That one, the one wearing the blue robe."
Beside Su Zhenzhen, noble ladies covered their faces with fans and whispered softly.
It was said that the third-place scholar's talent might not necessarily be the best, but he was definitely the best-looking.
The distance was a bit far. Su Zhenzhen took a look from afar and also felt that the blue-robed third-place scholar named Xie Linzhou had extremely handsome facial features. He was the kind of handsome man with a hint of heroic spirit, yet also exuding a scholarly aura.
"Is this Lord Xie married?"
"He is already married."
"What kind of person is his wife?"
"I heard she sells cloth."
"A merchant's daughter?"
"Yes, back then, who knows how many noble ladies had lost their hearts to him..."
Su Zhenzhen was spacing out and listening to the gossip when someone behind her bumped into her. The tray in her hand tilted, and she crashed into a person in front of her.
"Please forgive me, noble lady."
She quickly prostrated herself on the ground to beg for forgiveness.
The lady did not blame her. Instead, she asked her to rise in a gentle tone. "It's fine. I just need to go change my clothes. Do you know where I can do that?"
Su Zhenzhen stood up and nodded, leading the lady outward. After taking a few steps, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Su Zhenzhen turned her head and saw that the previous third-place scholar, who was just being discussed, had unexpectedly come right up to her.
Well, he was good-looking indeed, but unfortunately not her type.
Su Zhenzhen had once discussed top-tier handsome celebrities in the entertainment industry with her friends in a group chat, and ultimately concluded that aesthetics were truly very personal.
Handsome men came in all shapes and types, but she only loved the beautiful youth type.
"What's wrong?" Xie Linzhou's gaze fell on his wife's skirt. "Were you bullied?" His eyes instantly turned sharp as his gaze shifted to Su Zhenzhen.
Why are you looking at me? I was pushed too! Which lunatic pushed me anyway!
"No, it was me who carelessly blocked this maid's way." The woman reached out and soothingly patted her husband's hand. Her tone was incredibly gentle, carrying the softness of a Jiangnan woman. Her appearance was also that of a typical Jiangnan beauty, possessing a delicate charm like misty rain.
With a slender figure and long, thin fingers, she looked like an extremely fragile beauty.
"I will accompany you to change."
"I can go by myself. Your colleagues are all here, do not breach etiquette."
Xie Linzhou glanced at the waterside pavilion, then at his wife. He was silent for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
After Liu Tingyue persuaded Xie Linzhou to leave, she followed Su Zhenzhen to the guest wing in the back to change her clothes.
Su Zhenzhen walked in front to lead the way when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and then she instantly lost consciousness.
Damn it!
Liu Tingyue reached out to catch the maid whose body went limp and fell, placing her on the nearby curved bench. Then, she looked around. Seeing no one nearby, she turned sideways and slipped into a wing room that had an extremely hidden mark in the dark.
Before entering, Liu Tingyue even wiped away the tiny crescent moon mark on the wall.
Inside the room, separated by a thin reed blind, a person sat beside the desk at the back, drinking tea.
Wearing a green robe with wide sleeves, prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, delicate tea fragrance in the air, his posture was elegant.
Liu Tingyue spoke in a low voice, "Master."
"How has Xie Linzhou been lately?"
"Wei Heng values him highly and has already started discussing confidential matters with him."
Shen Yanci swirled the teacup in his hand. "Teacher was too ostentatious in handling the imperial examination fraud. Wei Heng is no fool. Zhou Mo has a list in his hands. Look for it carefully, and do not disappoint me."
-
Liu Tingyue came out of the room, first went next door to change her dress, and then walked over to Su Zhenzhen.
She noticed that this maid was extremely beautiful, with picturesque features. As she leaned her head against the curved bench, she looked just like a painting.
Liu Tingyue reached out, her fingertips touching Su Zhenzhen's cheek.
Su Zhenzhen suddenly snapped her eyes open, a dull ache in the back of her neck.
Such a heavy hand.
She looked up and saw Liu Tingyue standing before her. "Madam, what happened to me?"
"You suddenly fainted," Liu Tingyue furrowed her delicate brows, her face full of concern.
"Oh." Su Zhenzhen stood up, holding onto the back of the bench. Her eyes looked a bit vacant. Mimicking the brainless NPC maids in TV dramas, she showed absolutely no suspicion about her sudden fainting and spoke with utmost dedication, "I will take Madam to change clothes."
Liu Tingyue followed Su Zhenzhen to the front wing to change. Su Zhenzhen stood outside the door, staring at the rockery not far ahead.
Liu Tingyue was Shen Yanci's person.
Wei Heng had always been dedicated to cultivating his own forces. In a court where aristocratic families banded together, he rallied talented scholars who were ostracized due to their humble backgrounds. Xie Linzhou was one of them.
Three years ago, Xie Linzhou passed the imperial examination as the Tanhua. To realize his ambitions, he volunteered for a provincial post to establish merits in practical affairs, offending many nobles in the process. It was Wei Heng who stepped forward to protect him, and thereafter, he became Wei Heng's confidant.
Wei Heng's actions naturally could not be hidden from Shen Yanci's eyes.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Shen Yanci chose to plant a spy by Xie Linzhou's side.
She was a merchant's daughter whose parents had passed away, struggling to survive by selling fabrics, and she happened to live right next door to Xie Linzhou.
At that time, to investigate a corruption case in Lin'an County, Xie Linzhou concealed his identity and disguised himself as a poor scholar.
Liu Tingyue's family was in debt, and she was repeatedly harassed by local thugs. It was the righteous Xie Linzhou who always came to her rescue. As time passed, the two gradually developed feelings for each other. After the Lin'an County corruption case concluded, Xie Linzhou revealed his true identity and the two got married. Liu Tingyue leapt from being a lowly merchant's daughter to the wife of the Tanhua.
Countless people in the court wanted to form a marriage alliance with Xie Linzhou, but he ignored them all, simply bringing his wife over from the countryside. Knowing the snobbish nature of some people and that his wife was gentle and unable to fend for herself, he always protected her fiercely.
Su Zhenzhen's memory of the novel "Return to the Court" was truly too distant.
Had it not been for Liu Tingyue's knife-hand strike, she wouldn't have remembered this ill-fated couple who ended up dying together.
In the original story, Xie Linzhou's benefactor, Wei Heng, was murdered. He dedicated himself to uncovering the truth, only to discover that his wife, with whom he spent his days and nights, was actually a spy planted by his political enemy. Was there anything more devastating than that?
Su Zhenzhen inexplicably thought of herself and Mu Dan.
In this treacherous and unpredictable political novel, she and Mu Dan were natural opposites, just like Xie Linzhou and Liu Tingyue.
Suppose she and Mu Dan got together; given her identity, they wouldn't have a good ending either.
"Are you alright?" Liu Tingyue pushed the door open and entered, seeing Su Zhenzhen leaning against the doorframe in a daze.
Su Zhenzhen snapped back to reality and slowly shook her head.
Looking at Su Zhenzhen's pale face, Liu Tingyue thought for a moment, then pulled out a golden leaf from somewhere and handed it to her.
"Thank you, miss, for bringing me here to change."
Gold?
Pure gold?
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously touched her own neck.
That works too.
Next time there's such a good deal, call me again.
Su Zhenzhen tucked the golden leaf away safely. Watching Liu Tingyue walk far away, she smiled brightly and continued walking forward.
Suddenly, a person appeared in front of her.
Su Zhenzhen raised her eyes and saw a familiar face.
Shen Yanci.
"My Lord." She quickly took a step back, lowered her eyes, and bowed respectfully.
A physiological disgust—she couldn't bear to look at him for even a second.
"It's you."
Shen Yanci withdrew his hand that was resting on the flexible sword at his waist.
After Liu Tingyue left, Shen Yanci finished his cup of tea. When he pushed the door open to leave, he heard a flurry of footsteps.
He was always cautious. Having just met with Liu Tingyue, he feared someone was tailing him. He didn't expect it to be this palace maid.
"You came to Qingliang Mountain as well."
"Yes, My Lord."
Why does he talk so much?
Thinking of his plan, Shen Yanci revealed a gentle smile. "I don't see you wearing the scented sachet I gave you last time."
Scented sachet? When was that?
"This servant was afraid of losing it, so I put it away safely."
Shen Yanci smiled and nodded. "Since I gave you a sachet, shouldn't you give me something in return?"
Su Zhenzhen kept her head down, forcing a fake smile.
Son of a bitch.
The woman extended her slender fingers, untied the pouch at her waist, and handed it to him.
Shen Yanci raised his hand to take it. His facial expression was gentle, but his eyes revealed a distant and indifferent look. "I will treasure it well."
-
Shen Yanci casually tossed the ugly pouch in his hand aside, then walked to the bed.
As a second-rank official, Shen Yanci had his own small courtyard.
He cautiously closed the doors and windows, placed a dagger under his pillow, and kept one hand on the flexible sword at his waist before he dared to close his eyes and rest.
Shen Yanci had always found it difficult to fall asleep.
A faint herbal scent drifted through the room.
Shen Yanci's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
After sleeping for a while, Shen Yanci suddenly jolted awake.
It was like this again, waking up from a nightmare in the middle of the night.
How long had he slept? Four hours? That long?
The scenes from his dream lingered, but this was already a rare good sleep.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, pulled the dagger from under his pillow and hid it in his boots, then got up to change his clothes and wash up.
The faint herbal scent in the room lingered for a long time. Shen Yanci's gaze fell on that ugly pouch.
He reached out, picked it up, and sniffed it lightly under his nose. Instantly, he felt his mind clear up significantly.
Smelling it up close was refreshing, while smelling it from afar aided sleep. This pouch was truly peculiar. What exactly was added inside?
Shen Yanci stared at the ugly pouch for a moment, his doubts unquelled. He raised his hand and threw it into the pond in the courtyard.
-
When Su Zhenzhen returned to the small courtyard, Mu Dan was already sitting under the eaves waiting for her.
In the past, Su Zhenzhen would have happily run over to talk to Mu Dan, shared her experiences of the day with him, and then stared blankly at his breathtakingly beautiful face.
But today, she very obviously avoided the young man's gaze and hid in her own room.
The young man's eyes followed her the entire time until Su Zhenzhen closed her door, finally cutting off his line of sight.
She was heartbroken.
No, the romance hadn't even started yet.
Su Zhenzhen lay on her bed, let out a deep sigh, and closed her eyes.
She was definitely going to toss and turn sleeplessly tonight.
Exhausted from the day, Su Zhenzhen quickly fell asleep.
Her sleep quality had always been good, so when she jolted awake in the middle of the night, she was still a bit dazed.
A glazed lantern had been placed on her bed.
It looked a bit familiar, like the one Mu Dan used most often every day.
Su Zhenzhen's bed was not large, just a small bed about 1.2 meters wide, surrounded by dark green bed curtains that created a private space.
The glazed lantern sat inside the dark bed curtains, illuminating the dim space.
The curtains on both sides were not drawn. Su Zhenzhen half-propped herself up and saw the expressionless young eunuch sitting on the edge of her bed.
He was truly pale, the kind of sickly pallor from never seeing the sun, yet he was exceptionally good-looking with bright red lips.
Perhaps feeling hot, the little eunuch was only wearing a thin white undergarment.
The light shone from the glazed lantern. The young eunuch's collar was slightly open; the fabric was very smooth, slipping down his shoulder as he leaned forward, revealing his clear collarbone lines.
Ah, the collarbone.
Su Zhenzhen's sleepiness faded, and her gaze involuntarily slid down along that fabric.
Then, in the next moment, her cheek was pinched by someone.
Was she caught?
Su Zhenzhen was forced to look away.
The young eunuch looked languid, as if he didn't realize just how intimate it was to sit by someone's bed in the middle of the night, holding a lantern with his collarbones exposed.
He spoke slowly, "You are unhappy."
He noticed?
Su Zhenzhen tried her best to keep her gaze fixed on the beautiful youth's face. "We shouldn't see each other anymore."
The hand pinching her cheek suddenly tightened.
Su Zhenzhen felt her face being squished together.
"Why?" The young eunuch's voice turned cold.
Su Zhenzhen continued to speak with difficulty, feeling a heaviness in her chest. "It is for your own good."
The room fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, the youth rose and stepped closer, pressing one bent knee against the edge of the bed. As he leaned in, his robes fell completely open.
Su Zhenzhen's gaze uncontrollably drifted downward.
[Ahhhhh! Why does a eunuch have abs!]
[Wait, he is backlit from this angle, I can't see how many there are.]
[Ahhhhh Su Zhenzhen, look at the situation, how do you still have the mind to peek at his abs!]
[You are a sleeper agent, do not drag him down with you.]
The young eunuch tilted his head and looked at her. Su Zhenzhen tried hard to widen her eyes and tear her gaze away from his abs.
The young eunuch's expression turned a bit strange, just as strange as it had been during their very first conversation.
He seemed to be pondering something. Then, he leaned in close to Su Zhenzhen's ear, speaking like a lover's whisper, "Let me tell you a secret."
[Is he going to confess his feelings to her?!]
Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but sigh silently.
She had already made her decision.
[It is impossible between us.]
"Actually, I am just like you."
[Just like me? Like me how? We both like men's abs?]
Su Zhenzhen blinked.
Lu Hexu pulled his hand back, half of his face hidden in the shadows. "I am also a sleeper agent."
Lu Hexu: I believe there will definitely be an upright and kindhearted person to govern the country for me.
