Wei Shengwan’s plan was very successful.

Su Baiyue could clearly feel that even Jing Wen, who was by her side, looked at her with a hesitant and reserved gaze.

Lu Gan was completely molded into the image of a lovesick, naive man with clear skies above his head, while inside and outside the palace, everyone was blaming her as the fickle woman.

“My sister is virtuous and well-mannered; it would be greatly beneficial if Your Majesty were to marry her,” Wei Sa sat opposite Lu Gan, with a map of the territories spread on the table between them.

This was the world.

Lu Gan looked down, his expression calm, as if he hadn’t heard Wei Sa’s words.

Wei Sa was somewhat irritable. He straightened his body, adopting a persuasive posture, but his words betrayed his urgency. “Lu Gan, now that you have the throne, you should know who contributed to it. When you saved me in the water, I saved you in the forest. We were supposed to be even, but now my family has helped you achieve great things, my sister has fallen for you, and here I am, shamelessly pleading on her behalf, yet you remain silent. Do you intend to be ungrateful after crossing the river? What about my sister do you find unsatisfactory?”

Wei Sa was breathless from his plea, while Lu Gan’s fingers brushed over the map, his hand lightly pressing down, his eyes domineering, his aura imposing.

With a hoarse voice, he declared, “I would rather betray the world than fail her.”

This ‘her’ naturally referred to the now infamous Mistress Ling Yun, also known as Su Baiyue.

Wei Sa choked on his words, indignantly saying, “But now she has failed you, don’t you see what they are all saying out there?”

“Her failure does not affect me. As long as I don’t fail her, that is enough,” Lu Gan spoke with a softening expression, as if recalling something heartwarming. Slowly smiling, he looked up at Wei Sa with a firm gaze and said word by word, “If she wants the world, I will give it to her.”

If one person stands in his way, he will kill that one. If the world stands in his way, he will annihilate the world.

Now, the whole world was his enemy. For her, he was willing to battle against the world.

“The world? Hah,” Wei Sa scoffed, “Do you know how difficult it is to conquer this world? The lords are in disarray, foreign tribes are invading, and with just your strength alone, you can’t even handle Xingyuan King.”

Lu Gan frowned and swiftly pulled out a sharp dagger from his sleeve, stabbing it into the map and pinning Wei Sa’s sleeve along with it to the table.

“Whoever obstructs me, I shall kill,” he stated.

Wei Sa was intimidated by Lu Gan’s ruthlessness; he paled, tried to pull his sleeve free without success.

With a “rip,” Lu Gan cut Wei Sa’s sleeve along with the map, splitting the solid table in two.

The sharp sound of the blade lingered by Wei Shengwan’s ear. He abruptly stood up, gripping his torn sleeve with wide eyes, wanting to utter threats but, upon seeing Lu Gan’s bloodthirsty demeanor, found himself choking, unable to speak.

The hall fell silent, Wei Shengwan stormed out, his face showing both obvious irritation and a hint of panic.

…

Lu Gan’s reign was unstable, and now with Wei An Royal Mansion’s aloof stance, having lost Wei An Royal Mansion’s support made his situation even more difficult.

Within the court, the ministers grouped together bullying Lu Gan, the new emperor of humble origins, always finding faults with him. Whenever this happened, aside from remaining silent, Su Baiyue feared this silence would make the already abnormal male lead even more twisted.

“Mistress, I’ve heard that today the court ministers have jointly submitted a petition, suggesting that His Majesty to marry Wei Shengwan as the empress, otherwise they will boycott the court,” Jing Wen placed a lacquered tray on the table, wrapping a warm milk in a cloth and setting it in front of Su Baiyue with an indignant look.

Boycott the court? She had heard of boycotting school, striking work, but never boycotting the court. Wei An Royal Mansion really went to great lengths to push Wei Shengwan to the queen position.

“His Majesty is alone in the study now, not even eating…” Jing Wen said, stealing a glance at Su Baiyue.

Actually, Su Baiyue was very tender-hearted. Although Lu Gan was a pervert, his love for her was intense, suffocating her even though she had a heart of stone. They said a passionate man fears a persistent woman, and that was them.

“I’ll take a look.” Su Baiyue lifted her skirt and stood up, walked a few steps, remembered the pair of crabapple wooden clogs Jing Wen mentioned last time, and instructed her to fetch them. After trying them on and feeling comfortable, she walked out of the chamber.

This was the first time Su Baiyue actively sought out Lu Gan, and the first time she walked alone in the palace.

Everywhere there were legends about her, but few had seen her true face.

In the long corridor, the maids lowered their heads and stepped aside, watching Su Baiyue slowly walk towards the Imperial Study with a dusting brush in hand, whispering among themselves.

“This is the legendary Mistress Ling Yun? Truly like a fairy.”

“A fairy, but still a vile woman at heart. She’s only bold because our emperor is naive. Once Mistress Jin Xin enters the palace, there’ll be no place for her.”

The maids looked at Su Baiyue dressed in pure white, clean as snow, showing a profile pure as jade. The words “vile woman” couldn’t be more different from her actual appearance.

Thus, the other maids couldn’t continue the conversation, as Mistress Ling Yun really was too beautiful; behind-the-back sour words were one thing, but face-to-face, they couldn’t utter these insincere words.

Jing Wen frowned worriedly at Su Baiyue.

Su Baiyue walked slowly, thinking if Lu Gan was naive, then there were no honest men in the world, really naive girls, tsk tsk.

“Mistress, His Majesty is devoted to you alone, don’t listen to these gossips,” Jing Wen couldn’t help but say.

Su Baiyue glanced at Jing Wen and suddenly asked, “Jing Wen, do you think he’s good?”

“His Majesty is certainly the best,” Jing Wen had no hesitation.

Su Baiyue pursed her lips and smiled; she rarely smiled, and now her smile was as radiant as the spring blossoms, ethereal as the autumn moon, a stunning beauty that shook one’s soul.

Jing Wen, having been with Su Baiyue for so long, could guess some of her thoughts and immediately knelt down, “Mistress, my heart is loyal to you, never double-hearted!”

Su Baiyue stopped, her crabapple wooden clogs clacking against the stone tiles as she looked down, “I didn’t say anything.”

Jing Wen touched her forehead to the ground, voice choking, “Mistress, you are my sky, I wish to serve you till the end of my life.”

Su Baiyue sighed inconspicuously; she just wanted to test if Jing Wen truly had different feelings for Lu Gan as described in the original book, but she didn’t expect to scare her maid like this.

“Alright, get up.”

“Mistress…” Jing Wen looked up, tears in her swollen eyes.

Su Baiyue slightly bent down, “I’m not blaming you. You’ve always been sincere.”

Jing Wen sobbed as she stood up, her eyes red, leading Su Baiyue towards the Imperial Study.

…

In the Imperial Study, the man was dressed in dark clothes, sitting behind the desk, reviewing memorials.

The court ministers didn’t take Lu Gan seriously, and he never revealed his regal air in front of these ministers, rather becoming increasingly sullen, like a young bird quail, letting these ministers manipulate him.

Su Baiyue thought the male lead was holding back his anger, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.

“Mistress, this is the Imperial Study, no idle people allowed,” the eunuch guarding the study stopped Su Baiyue with a smirking expression.

There was no one trustworthy around Lu Gan, even this eunuch was from the former emperor’s time, and he just continued using him without any vetting. He didn’t know how many benefits this sneaky-eyed eunuch had received, now secretly allied with which faction.

“Can’t I even enter?” Su Baiyue’s voice wasn’t loud, but she knew Lu Gan could hear her.

Sure enough, the man who had been sitting behind the desk suddenly stood up, strode over to her, his dark eyes filled with surprise, clearly not expecting Su Baiyue to come looking for him.

At this moment, Lu Gan, with twinkling eyes, behaved as obediently and gently as a domesticated dog, nowhere seen was his wild dog’s fierce dominance.

Seeing Lu Gan like this, Su Baiyue suddenly felt a bit guilty. Why did it feel like she was the scoundrel who had abandoned her husband?

The eunuch hadn’t seen Lu Gan and continued to challenge Su Baiyue arrogantly.

“Mistress, you might as well not trouble the servant, you know your own status.”

Su Baiyue was Lu Gan’s officially married wife; with his ascension, she should have been the empress. But now, everyone in the palace still called her “Mistress,” and Lu Gan hadn’t issued a clear decree to give Su Baiyue a status. Combined with those rampant rumors, none in the palace respected her, believing her life was ruined.

“Lady is well,” Lu Gan suddenly spoke up, startling the eunuch.

Everyone in the palace spread that Lu Gan was naive, a benevolent emperor, but the eunuch felt that this new emperor was profoundly cunning. Usually silent, who knew what he was plotting behind the scenes? Especially those occasional glances, fierce as a voracious wild dog, chilling to the bone.

Su Baiyue looked up to see Lu Gan stepping forward, respectfully bowing to her.

An emperor bowing to her?

Su Baiyue couldn’t help but curve her lips, her eyes also carrying a smile.

Lu Gan’s eyes flickered, suddenly pulling Su Baiyue inside, then with a “bang,” he shut the door of the Imperial Study.

Forced against the carved wooden door of the study, her back hurt from the protruding carvings.

The man buried his head in Su Baiyue’s neck, their skins touching.

Su Baiyue initially wanted to push him away, but upon touching his shoulder, she discovered he was trembling.

“Lady should only smile at me,” gripping Su Baiyue’s slender wrist, Lu Gan slowly looked up, his eyes faintly red.

Su Baiyue finally realized that he wasn’t scared but was uncontrollably excited.

Su Baiyue: I often feel out of place with the author because I’m not perverted enough.

“Lady.” Su Baiyue didn’t quite understand why Lu Gan was so insistent on calling her “Lady.” “I want to see you smile.”

Su Baiyue remembered, didn’t the man obtain this throne through great difficulties just because he wanted to see her smile?

Su Baiyue: She truly is a calamitous beauty.

Thinking this, Su Baiyue couldn’t help but smile genuinely.

Lu Gan watched intently, feeling utterly enchanted.

Before Su Baiyue could react, a vast shadow pressed down, enveloping her within, firmly blocking her breath.