I am the villain in the book

Almost half an hour later, Gongsun Yan left the Zhuwu Inn by carriage.

However, Chu An and Qin He had already left before he did.

As for what Wei Changtian and Gongsun Yan discussed after that “little interlude”, it wasn’t complicated.

Simply put, the latter would announce his official entry into the “battle for the throne” within three days, while the former would “sponsor” him with 300,000 troops and help him clear all obstacles on his path to becoming emperor.

Of course, the specifics would need to be carefully planned.

But that was Li Zimu's business, and Wei Changtian didn't need to worry too much about it.

For him, the more crucial thing at the moment was Chu An.

After all, according to the Heavenly Dao’s usual behavior, this Chu An must be the Child of Destiny, and it couldn't be a case of sharing the same name.

Therefore, Wei Changtian needed to find an opportunity to kill him.

Unlike Tang Chen, there was no “old friendship” between Wei Changtian and Chu An, and even his relationship with Qin He was very shallow.

So this time, there was no situation where he couldn't bring himself to do it.

The only problem was that he hadn't figured out Chu An's background yet, so he couldn't be too hasty.

“Go and find out where Qin He and Chu An are staying.”

Looking at the bamboo forest outside the window, Wei Changtian said to Zhang San in a deep voice, “Don't take any rash actions after finding them, come back and tell me immediately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Zhang San bowed in response, then left the room, leaving Wei Changtian alone by the window, thinking about something.

The whole day was relatively calm.

Of course, this was for Wei Changtian.

As for the Da Hui people, the assassination of Lü Yuansong last night still caused a great uproar in the streets.

The investigation of the assassin was far from over, and the yamen's constables had been searching the city for a whole day, causing panic in Yongding City.

However, the Zhuwu Inn had not been disturbed in any way, presumably because Gongsun Yan had made arrangements in secret.

It seemed that this Prince An might not have much power, but he should have accumulated a lot of connections over the years, and he was very careful in his work.

Although Wei Changtian didn't count them carefully, after Gongsun Yan left, the number of hidden sentries ambushing around Zhuwu obviously increased a lot.

It was still unknown whether these hidden sentries could play a role in “protecting” him, but they could indeed help him block a lot of trouble.

It seemed that choosing to “cooperate” with Gongsun Yan was not a wrong choice.

What's more, he had found Chu An because of this.

“Young Master Wei, I only know this much about Chu An...”

In the study, the man in black from the Prince's mansion last night was now standing in front of Wei Changtian, telling him everything he knew about Chu An.

After listening, Wei Changtian didn't speak, his expression seemed a little puzzled.

Because Chu An's actions were too unlike a “Child of Destiny” with great luck and great power.

His realm was only at the sixth rank.

He had never shown any extraordinary abilities.

But on the other hand, as mentioned before, he didn't believe that the so-called “Heavenly Dao” would arrange such a coincidence.

It seemed that he could only find out by trying.

“Alright, you can leave.”

Waving his hand to dismiss the man in black, he thought for a moment and said to Zhang San behind him:

“Contact the spies from the Directorate of Palace Affairs, find a few people, and come with me to Chu An's hiding place tonight.”

“The people you find don't need to be too strong, the middle three ranks will do.”

“Have them disguise themselves as bandits, and then...”

“...”

After giving a few simple instructions, Zhang San quickly went out to handle the matter.

Wei Changtian stretched his back and walked out of the study into the bamboo forest.

He just wanted to take a walk, but he soon saw Yang Liushi reading a book in a pavilion.

It was dusk, the sunset glow was golden, and the evening light fell on her like a soft veil.

“What are you reading?”

Walking into the pavilion, Wei Changtian sat down opposite Yang Liushi and said casually, “Zhang San and I have to go out tonight, so you should stay at the inn and help Li Zimu think about the next plan.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Responding softly, Yang Liushi slightly raised the book, showing the name on the cover to Wei Changtian.

《Feng Yi Secret Score》

“A qin score?”

Wei Changtian asked with a smile, “Why aren't you reading military strategy anymore?”

“I don't lead troops into battle, what's the point of always reading military strategy?”

Yang Liushi covered her mouth and smiled, “It's better to read something I like.”

“Yeah.”

Wei Changtian nodded, and said with a bit of boredom, “Now that I think about it, it's been a long time since I heard you play the qin.”

“Does Young Master want to hear it?”

Yang Liushi asked softly upon hearing this, “I brought the qin with me.”

“Alright, then go get it.”

“Okay.”

“...”

Getting up and leaving the pavilion, Yang Liushi soon returned with an ancient qin in her arms.

Soon, the melodious sound of the qin slowly rang out from the bamboo forest, mingling with the rustling of the bamboo leaves in the sunset.

At the same time, in a small courtyard located in the north of Yongding City, Qin He happened to be playing the qin as well.

Compared to Yang Liushi, Qin He's qin skills were undoubtedly far inferior, and even after playing for a short while, she herself was embarrassed to continue.

“Oh dear, I won't play anymore.”

Pressing her hand on the strings, Qin He whispered with slightly flushed cheeks, “I haven't practiced the qin for a long time, I didn't expect it to have become so rusty.”

“But I think it sounds very nice.”

Beside her, Chu An praised with a smile, “Besides, you are usually busy with the affairs of the inn, it's already good enough that you haven't forgotten how many strings the qin has.”

“Don't make fun of me!”

Qin He gave Chu An a coquettish glare, “I'm not so stupid as to be like that!”

“Hahaha, yes...”

“...”

Laughter echoed in the small courtyard, a long-lost sense of ease.

Chu An and Qin He usually had their own things to do, and rarely had the opportunity to spend a long time together, so now the two of them had a few days of alone time as a “blessing in disguise”.

After talking in the courtyard for a while, wisps of smoke drifted from the side room.

Qin He cooked, Chu An helped out, and a simple dinner was placed on the table.

Perhaps because they were in a good mood, the two of them each drank a little wine tonight, and took advantage of the alcohol to talk about their upcoming marriage.

It could be seen that Chu An was still very excited about Gongsun Yan going to drink his wedding wine.

And when he was happy, Qin He was also happy, as if she had already imagined the happy life of the two after their marriage.

The sound of crickets lingered among the grass, and fireflies fell on the shady walls.

The moonlight was bright, and the night breeze was gentle.

After eating, the two went to the well together to wash the dishes, the round moon was reflected in the well, and their bodies were covered in the clear light.

Anyone who saw such a scene would probably praise it as “heartwarming”.

However, before long, when a few masked men flipped into the courtyard and revealed their gleaming weapons, all the beauty came to an abrupt end.