Chapter 171: Chapter 97: The Oversight of Demolishing the East Wall
“Miscalculate? How could that be possible?”
Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng’s eyes widened in surprise. She had calculated each step meticulously; how could there be a miscalculation?
“In this chess game you’ve played, your most cunning move was to frame the City Lord’s Mansion massacre on the mountain bandits from Baili Mountain.” Zhou Mu, hand on forehead, rhythmically tapped the armrest of his chair, his expression nonchalant.
“What about the mountain bandits from Baili Mountain? Are they also raised by your family?” Gu Changsheng asked quickly, her eyes spinning rapidly.
It wouldn’t be so melodramatic for her to guess correctly, would it?
“As Lady Changsheng rightfully mentioned, the bandits deep in Baili Mountain are indeed kept by our family…” Eunuch Yuan Bao continued with a face full of deep-seated bitterness, “The vassal kings of the Imperial Family are allowed private troops, three thousand in number, as per decree. Liuzhou Region, having been prosperous for more than a decade and with me already in command of Heavy Weapons, thus these three thousand private troops were stationed deep outside the city in Baili Mountain. Occasionally, hunters venturing deep into the mountains would see them, and through distorted accounts, they came to be known as mountain bandits.”
Reaching this point, Yuan Bao even pointed at the clear sky, adding, “These private soldiers have the approval from above!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng became upset, strode forward two steps, raised her arm, and pointed ruthlessly at Yuan Bao’s forehead, her expression filled with frustration, “Dammit, Yuan Bao, you did this on purpose, you just watched me do it?”
“It was a meticulous plan, yet this small oversight really wrongs me. When that **** pinned the blame on the mountain bandits, you were right there at the scene. Why didn’t you remind me then? So, you were just waiting here for me, huh? How does it feel, being an after-the-fact Zhuge Liang, pretty sour thrilling, right?”
She was furious, not having her own people was indeed unreliable!
Seeing Changsheng’s fury about to explode, Yuan Bao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and defended himself miserably in a low voice, “I was there, yes, but you were terribly fierce at that time, scaring me to death. I didn’t dare to speak…”
Don’t blame him for being timid; he was born that way!
“Yuan Bao, from now on, bring more people when you go out. Be careful, or one day I’ll catch you alone, bag you, and give you a good beating!” Gu Changsheng, disheartened, withdrew her hand and threw down these harsh words.
This Yuan Bao, always appearing harmless yet never short on setting traps!
Under her sharp gaze, Yuan Bao unconsciously shrank his neck and weighed the likelihood of Lady Changsheng bagging and punching him. Thinking it over with no solution, he decided to go back and discuss it with those scoundrels first.
“Don’t blame him; he’s essentially lacking a few screws.” Seeing this, Zhou Mu couldn’t help but speak up to defend his own servant.
Not speaking up might have been better, but with his words, Eunuch Yuan Bao felt deeply saddened.
There’s nothing more hurtful than being ridiculed and defended this way by your own master…
“Evildoer, you are truly the darkest of the dark, hitting the bullseye with one sentence!” Seeing this, Gu Changsheng laughed, gave Zhou Mu a thumbs up, then turned a sympathetic face towards Yuan Bao, “Yuan Bao, to have your master despise you, it’s truly sad. Don’t worry, if your master really doesn’t want you, come to my house. We need someone like you for entertainment.”
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Yuan Bao was deeply troubled and looked at Gu Changsheng with a face begging for mercy, hesitantly saying, “Lady Changsheng… it’s not fair to rejoice in other’s misfortune or kick someone when they’re down…”
“I would have preferred not to kick you when you’re down, but didn’t you ruin my perfect plan? As much as ‘flawed beauty’ is a thing, when it really happens to you, it certainly can’t be considered beautiful…” Gu Changsheng shrugged, “Someone has to pay for the flaws in my plan, right?”
Yuan Bao, seeking help, glanced at his master who sat composed, showing no reaction, and gave up. Thinking of the consequences of misdelivering messages in the past, Yuan Bao felt slightly panicked and hurriedly said, “Lady Changsheng, this can’t all be blamed on me. I admit I am timid, but General Qi, Jiang Liu, and the rest were all there, this isn’t all on me!”
Life isn’t always fair, Yuan Bao!
“Rarely do you not seek wealth but a shared misfortune. Do you think I’ll let you off just because you believe there’s safety in numbers?” Gu Changsheng, invigorated, wickedly eyed Yuan Bao.