Zhao Tianhao knew that Shadow was testing him.
Zhao Tianhao was happy to play along, because Chen Pingping was using this incident to eliminate dissidents, paving the way for Zhao Tianhao's future success.
It was all for Zhao Tianhao to better control the Overwatch Council in the future.
Sure enough, after the performance, Chen Pingping summoned all the heads of the Eight Departments. Except for Fei Jie of the Third Department, Zhao Tianhao's mentor, who was in Northern Qi, everyone was present.
Chen Pingping introduced each of the Eight Department heads to Zhao Tianhao. After the introductions, Chen Pingping said, "You all know each other, right? Okay, let me get straight to the point. Today, someone set a trap in the Council to kill me, but Fan Xian saved me."
Zhao Tianhao looked at Chen Pingping with feigned surprise.
"It was Shadow who did it, wasn't it? I saw it," Zhu Ge, the head of the First Department, couldn't help but expose him.
"You're mistaken," Shadow said coldly.
"I'm getting old. Fan Xian can take over my position. Please take good care of him."
"Fan Xian has only been in the capital for a short time; he hasn't even met everyone yet," Zhu Ge continued to contradict.
"You can get to know people slowly. I'm not retiring now. Besides, I'm not here to ask for your opinions; I'm just making an announcement."
"Good, I think it's great. I don't care about other places, but our three departments will definitely support our junior brother," Fei Jie's eldest disciple, Senior Brother Leng, coughed as he supported Zhao Tianhao from his sickbed.
"I'll say it one last time: this is settled. Anyone who disagrees can find a chance to kill me. Dismissed," Chen Pingping gestured for everyone to leave.
After giving Zhao Tianhao a few more instructions, Zhao Tianhao also left.
Later, on the third day of negotiations with the Northern Qi delegation, the Northern Qi delegation, who were about to agree, suddenly hardened their stance.
This caught the Qing Kingdom's negotiating representatives completely off guard.
"Have you suddenly gone mad?" The Qing Kingdom delegation representatives were dumbfounded.
Later, news arrived that Yan Bingyun, a Qing Kingdom spy infiltrated into Northern Qi, had been captured.
He was the son of Yan Ruohai, the head of the Fourth Bureau of the Surveillance Bureau.
The other side demanded that Qing Kingdom release Xiao En in exchange for Yan Bingyun.
Emperor Qing agreed, reserving the captured cities but offering the man. Both sides ultimately agreed.
Seeing this, Emperor Qing decided to hold a banquet the following evening to celebrate with the people. Zhao Tianhao and Wu Zhu agreed to steal the key the next day.
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianhao sought out Wang Qinian, asking him to find a reliable locksmith.
The following evening, Zhao Tianhao attended the banquet.
As soon as Zhao Tianhao arrived, Guo Baokun, that clown, jumped out, "I'll watch you be utterly ruined tonight!"
Zhao Tianhao smiled. "Who are you?"
"You, you, I am Guo Baokun, a compiler in the palace."
"Oh, your face is healed. I didn't even recognize you. It was easier to recognize you when your face was swollen. Do you want me to help you again?"
"You, you dare!" Guo Baokun was afraid Zhao Tianhao would beat him up again, but he didn't want to lose face.
"Nonsense!" Guo Baokun's father took him away.
Just after Zhao Tianhao sat down, Li Yunrui's maid came to him. "Lord Fan, the Princess summons you. She has something to say."
Zhao Tianhao glanced at the crazy woman, Li Yunrui, walked over, sat down next to her, smelled her fragrance, and waited for Li Yunrui to speak.
"These past few days, I've been waiting for you to kill me, but there's been no sign of you."
Killing you would be too easy for you.
"Your Highness, please don't be impatient."
"If you swear allegiance to me, I can give you Wan'er in marriage, control of the Imperial Treasury, and much more you desire."
"What if I wanted you to be my bitch?"
"What if I wanted you to get out of the capital?"
"A great wish must be tried."
"Your subject will certainly not disappoint Your Highness's expectations."
At this moment, Zhuang Mohan arrived. Everyone stood up and bowed to show respect to this literary giant.
Emperor Qing also arrived. The banquet began. After a while, Emperor Qing suddenly spoke, "Fan Xielu."
"Your subject is here." Zhao Tianhao stood up and took his place in the center of the hall.
"You seem rather dazed. You're quite the drinker, aren't you?"
"Your Majesty, the scene was so grand, it was inevitable that I was a little nervous."
"Hahaha, Yun Zhilan, he killed your two disciples."
"I know," Yun Zhilan replied, bowing.
"Don't let his youth fool you, he's quite capable."
"Killing me is what counts as skill," Yun Zhilan said calmly, glancing at Zhao Tianhao.
"Hmph, Yun Zhilan's disciples are a bit arrogant. I've come to understand. Fan Xian, a memorial from the Court of State Ceremonial says you handled your mission well; the great battle began because of you and ended because of you. I don't want to praise you publicly. Come, have a drink with me."
Zhao Tianhao looked at this old fox and drank a cup of wine with him.
Zhuang Mohan, seeing the opportunity was ripe, said to Emperor Qing, "Your Majesty, is this young man Fan Xian?"
"Mr. Zhuang also knows him," the Emperor smiled.
"I've read his poems."
"Although this person is young, he does possess some poetic talent. Mr. Zhuang should mentor this young man."
Next, Zhuang Mohan and the Princess took turns pointing out that Zhao Tianhao's previously written seven-character quatrain was plagiarized from Zhuang Mohan's teacher's work.
Then Zhuang Mohan produced a strange scroll, claiming it was written by his teacher and contained the last four lines of the poem "Ascending the Heights."
The crowd immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. After all, Zhuang Mohan, as a literary master, theoretically had no reason to lie. Given his status, he didn't need to prove himself with a particularly impressive poem.
"Mr. Zhuang, did your teacher write many poems?"
"My teacher wrote many poems."
"Are there many lesser-known ones as well?"
"From historical records, the only one lesser-known is the one I just showed you."
"Is that so? Then I'd like to see how many of your teacher's poems I've copied."
Zhao Tianhao abandoned the small cup, grabbed a jar of wine, lifted the lid, and chugged it down, displaying a rather unrestrained attitude. After finishing the wine, Zhao Tianhao shouted, "Paper! Ink!"
"Young Master Fan, if you wish to compose a poem, this old servant humbly agrees to let you copy it," Eunuch Hou said excitedly.
Zhao Tianhao sneered. Since he insists on making me show off, then he won't be polite. Taking a large gulp of wine, Zhao Tianhao loudly recited, "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return..."
"Life is short, so seize the day and enjoy it to the fullest; don't let the golden goblet face the moon empty..."
"Heaven has endowed me with talents, which will surely be put to use; though a thousand pieces of gold are spent, they will return..."
"When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much of the past do we know..."
"How much sorrow can one have? It's like a river of spring water flowing eastward..."
"I wonder what year it is tonight in the celestial palace..."
"Drunk, I pick up my sword by lamplight; in my dreams, I hear the bugles of the camp..."
"Since ancient times, who has not died? Let my poems be recorded in history. Have you written a hundred poems yet?"
"Young Master Fan, I've already written a hundred."
"Then let's leave it at that. In annotating scriptures and interpreting texts, I'm not as good as you; in reciting poems, you're not as good as me; as a literary master, I'm not good enough; as a person, you're not good enough."
After saying this, Zhao Tianhao pretended to be drunk and passed out. Zhuang Mohan was so badly criticized that he vomited blood. Amidst the chaos of the Northern Qi delegation, the banquet ended. Zhao Tianhao was carried back.
Liu Ruyu, Fan Ruoruo, and several other women came to visit him. Seeing that everyone around him was his comrade, Zhao Tianhao stopped pretending to be drunk.
"Brother, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I need to go out for a bit. Don't let anyone know I'm not here."
"Okay."
Zhao Tianhao kissed each of the women on the lips and left.
When he arrived on the street, Wu Zhu and Wang Qinian were already waiting for him.
"I'll distract Hong Sixiang in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," Wu Zhu said, then used his lightness skill to find Hong Sixiang.
Zhao Tianhao infiltrated the Empress Dowager's palace as planned.
After knocking the Empress Dowager unconscious, Zhao Tianhao obtained the key and left. He found Wang Qinian and asked him to have a fake key made. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the fake key was finished. Zhao Tianhao continued towards the Empress Dowager's palace.
After returning the key, Zhao Tianhao saw Zhuang Mohan go to see Li Yunrui. Zhao Tianhao knew what they were talking about.
He didn't plan to leave now.
He couldn't wait for Li Yunrui to be expelled from the capital.
Tonight, he would teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget.
Zhao Tianhao overheard the deal Zhuang Mohan and Li Yunrui were making in the room: to ruin Zhao Yunrui's reputation, reveal Yan Bingyun's identity, and exchange him for Xiao En.
At this moment, Li Yunrui's maid suddenly approached from a distance, intending to bring tea to the two of them. Zhao Tianhao instantly appeared before her, hypnotizing her before she could even cry out.
He then laced one cup of tea with an aphrodisiac and had the maid give the tainted cup to Li Yunrui.
The maid knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation.
After placing the tea in front of them, the maid excused herself and left.