Winning the male lead

Zhang Yuanpan was indeed a master of his craft. When he said Lin Le Tian would be better in seven days, he was right. After being harshly subdued by Han Qi, he was barely alive. When Han Qi was away, he ordered the palace laundresses, who had decades of experience, to tend to him. Their method was just as effective as Han Qi’s, and it wasn’t as painful.

After resting for seven days, he tried walking again, but his legs felt weak and unsteady, like noodles. He shuddered and said, “I never want to see Han Qi again.”

The system, rarely seeing him with such clarity, was very pleased. It felt as if it were witnessing a prodigal son returning home. “Good,” it commented.

As for Han Qi, he hadn’t had any chance to approach Lin Le Tian in the past seven days. He had already abandoned the thought of killing him. Instead, he focused on teaching Zong Yan martial arts while preparing a plan to rescue the Governor of Liangguang, Hu Qidao.

He was firmly convinced that Lin Le Tian’s enemies were always loyal officials.

If Lin Le Tian wanted someone dead, Han Qi would make sure to save them.

The Jinyiwei were excellent at gathering intelligence and monitoring officials, but assassination was their true forte.

The leader of the assassination attempt on Hu Qidao was none other than his superior—Deputy Qianhu Lin Rusi.

This plan had been unintentionally revealed by Lin Rusi, and Han Qi had guessed it correctly.

Lin Rusi wasn’t pleased with his entrance into the palace. His subordinates had climbed over him and earned Nine Thousand Years’ favor, making him look like a fool. Lin Rusi, who was already known for being petty, took this opportunity to provoke him when he returned from the palace.

“Don’t get too cocky,” he sneered. “When I return, you won’t have a place beside Nine Thousand Years anymore.”

Han Qi didn’t lose his temper. He simply gazed at him in silence, contemplating whether he should intercept him outside the city. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. If he were killed, Lin Le Tian would just send someone else in his place.

The Jinyiwei were never short of people willing to risk their lives.

With no other option, he secretly contacted the Li Gang.

The Li Gang was an organization made up of former resistance fighters against the eunuchs. They didn’t know his true identity, and regarded him as a man of vision.

When the Li Gang received his signal, they sent someone disguised as a peddler selling buns in the marketplace. Han Qi went to buy a few, and just as he was about to tuck them into his arms, a familiar fragrance wafted from behind him. He stiffened and turned around to bow, only to have his arm gently restrained.

“Lord Han, buying buns?” Lin Le Tian’s voice came.

Lin Le Tian stood tall in a greenish-gray cloak, elegant and out of place in the bustling marketplace. He looked as if he had been carved from jade, clean and noble. His pale, slender hand rested lightly on Han Qi’s red flying fish robe, like a seductive apparition.

Many people in the vicinity had been watching Han Qi, attracted by his Jinyiwei attire. But when Lin Le Tian appeared, their gaze shifted. They couldn’t help but sneak glances at him.

Han Qi’s heart raced as he calmly asked, “what brings you here?” He glanced at Lin Le Tian’s side and noticed he was accompanied only by a plain eunuch. Based on his skills, he sensed there were no other spies nearby, but he couldn’t be entirely sure.

“I’ve been lying down for seven days, so I’m out for a walk,” Lin Le Tian said casually, taking a bun from his hand and sniffing it. “Red bean paste filling.”

Han Qi’s mind was a mess. He couldn’t understand how Lin Le Tian had ended up here. He was suspicious that he might have figured something out.

In reality, it was the system that had prompted Lin Le Tian to come.

Ever since he expressed his fear of interacting with Han Qi, the system had felt much more at ease. It had originally planned to hide things from him, but now it had decided to tell him that Han Qi was up to no good. Han Qi was the male lead with powerful fate. If he wanted to save Hu Qidao, Hu Qidao would survive.

But Hu Qidao was a key antagonist in this world, second only to Lin Le Tian in villainy. If he hadn’t had a slight psychological edge due to his inherent abnormality, Hu Qidao would have been the biggest villain.

Lin Le Tian was poison, and Hu Qidao was greed.

According to the original plot, they would become allies, each complementing the other’s strengths. One would eliminate loyal ministers, and the other would drain the national treasury. Together, they would become the main cause of Zong Yan’s downfall, eventually leading to their execution by beheading.

Originally, Han Qi would have killed Hu Qidao, but by a twist of fate, he was now trying to save him. The system quickly notified Lin Le Tian to intercept him.

Han Qi held the red bean paste bun in his hands, walking beside Lin Le Tian, his mind on high alert, filled with suspicion and caution.

The capital’s riverways crisscrossed, with many charming little rivers. As the weather grew warmer in May, more flower girls appeared on the streets, selling fresh flowers along the riverbanks to the busy passersby.

Lin Le Tian and Han Qi strolled along the river, initially walking in silence. Suddenly, Lin Le Tian spoke softly, “Lin Rusi is impatient, I don’t trust him.”

Han Qi was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood Lin Le Tian’s meaning. He thought to himself, It seems that fate is helping me. He quickly replied, “I will handle it right away.”

“And what about His Majesty?” Lin Le Tian tilted his head to glance at him. A willow branch dangling from a tree brushed lightly against his temple, softening the indifference in his expression. “His Majesty likes you.”

Perhaps it was because of their shared blood, but he also had great care for Zong Yan. Zong Yan wasn’t ungrateful. On the contrary, he was very sensitive to both kindness and malice, and he recognized that Han Qi treated him sincerely, so he quietly held him in high regard.

This was all information provided by Zhu Chuchu, who diligently played the role of a small informant beside Zong Yan.

Han Qi’s heart skipped a beat. He hesitated for only a moment before replying, “I will complete the task as soon as possible.”

Lin Le Tian paused in front of a riverbank. He took a step forward and stood under the shade of a green tree, breaking the bun he was holding into small pieces and tossing them into the river to feed the fish. A school of fish swam up, jumping excitedly. Han Qi stood behind him and, for a brief moment, considered pushing Lin Le Tian into the river.

“Come here.”

He took a step forward, seeing Lin Le Tian’s long, delicate fingers pointing at the fish in the river, and instinctively followed his gaze. Lin Le Tian said softly, “When there’s food, they all come out.”

“The fish are just like that when they search for food.”

“People are the same, in groups.”

Lin Le Tian tossed the remaining bun pieces into the river, clapped his hands, and took out a light gold-colored folding fan with a crane pattern from his cloak. He handed it to Han Qi. “Open it and take a look.”

Han Qi complied and opened the fan. His pupils dilated in shock as he saw it was filled with dense writing—detailed records of Hu Qidao’s corruption and the local officials who had colluded with him. The officials’ names were listed, along with corresponding wealthy merchants and local gentry. Every detail was meticulously written, even down to how many silver taels had been embezzled. Han Qi’s eyes were drawn to the final line: “Ten taels of silver, three sacks of rice.” His heart sank in disbelief as he muttered, “What is this?”

Lin Le Tian slowly turned to face him, his phoenix eyes deep and mysterious. “A pest of the nation, entrusted to you.”

Han Qi’s eyes were seemingly captivated by his expression, unable to look away. Countless thoughts raced through his mind—was Lin Le Tian testing him? Or was he lying to him? He couldn’t make sense of it all.

But there was a voice in his heart crying out: What he said is true.

Looking at Han Qi’s stunned expression, Lin Le Tian inwardly gave himself a thumbs up. “Look at our little Han, he’s completely stunned by me.”

The system, however, was cautious. “You’re not planning anything bad, are you?”

Lin Le Tian responded with a chuckle, “What nonsense are you talking? If it weren’t for you forcing me to come, I’d be avoiding him, not getting close.”

The system sighed in relief, but it still felt something was off, though it couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. In any case, it now felt much like Han Qi did—complicated, extremely complicated.