Chapter 136: Helping Out

Zhuge Zhengwo, who was currently working at the Divine Constabulary headquarters, was so excited upon seeing Leng Xie and Tie Shou walk in with another person that he accidentally tore the document he was reviewing right in his hands.

"Th-This is what is happening? Wucheng, your legs are healed?"

"It is not like that."

Seeing Zhuge Zhengwo's excited state, Leng Xie and Tie Shou hurriedly placated him and then recounted the events of the day to him.

"You are not Wucheng, yet you specifically asked to see me?"

After listening to the accounts of Leng Xie and Tie Shou, Zhuge Zhengwo developed a sliver of interest in this fake Wucheng.

In Wang Yuyan's plan, she should have met with Zhuge Zhengwo alone. She had not expected Zhuge Zhengwo to ask the questions directly in front of both Leng Xie and Tie Shou, causing Wang Yuyan to cast a slightly conflicted glance at the two men.

Wang Yuyan's actions were naturally observed by Zhuge Zhengwo, who said in a magnanimous tone, "No matter. Speak whatever is on your mind; there are no outsiders present here."

Hearing this, Wang Yuyan had no choice but to recount the matter from beginning to end, including the reason why she had entered the palace, while omitting only Murong Fu's attempts to restore his fallen state.

"What? You are saying Wucheng is currently impersonating you in the imperial palace? No! What if His Majesty comes looking for you? Being discovered means the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Upon hearing Wang Yuyan's words, Zhuge Zhengwo had yet to react when Leng Xie cried out in alarm and jumped to his feet.

"It will not happen. His Majesty only came to see me once on the very first day I entered the palace. Nearly a month has passed since then, and His Majesty has never come again."

Seeing Leng Xie grow so anxious on Wucheng's behalf, Wang Yuyan hurriedly offered an explanation while feeling a sudden, irrepressible trace of envy in her heart.

Moreover, as she mentioned that Zhu Yu had not come to look for her, Wang Yuyan did not even realize that a faint sense of loss had unconsciously blossomed in her heart.

"Divine Marquis, how shall we handle this matter?"

Although Zhuge Zhengwo was no longer officially the Divine Marquis, the former members of the Divine Marquis's Estate had never changed their form of address.

"What can we do now? Wucheng is still in the palace; we will wait until she returns tonight and discuss it then."

"Must we truly wait until evening? Although nothing has gone wrong thus far, every additional minute spent in the imperial palace brings another layer of danger. This Wucheng is truly exasperating—such a monumental matter, yet she did not even think to consult with us."

Leng Xie first expressed his concern for Wucheng before inevitably starting to grumble.

"Ahem, some things are better said directly to Wucheng yourself. If you ask me, the matter between you and Wucheng ought to be settled as well. Neither of you is young anymore; otherwise, you lack any formal standing to show her such concern."

Regardless of how things stood, Wucheng had been raised single-handedly by Zhuge Zhengwo. Even though Leng Xie was now his prospective son-in-law, Zhuge Zhengwo still felt a tinge of displeasure watching him grumble about Wucheng right to his face. Of course, Zhuge Zhengwo concealed this displeasure remarkably well while seizing the opportunity to press for their marriage.

Hearing Zhuge Zhengwo's words, Leng Xie scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. He opened his mouth as if to promise something, but suddenly the face of Ji Yaohua flashed before his eyes. Unconsciously, the mouth that had just parted closed once more.

Observing Leng Xie's demeanor, Zhuge Zhengwo shook his head and said nothing more. As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own fortunes, and Zhuge Zhengwo had no desire to meddle excessively. Instead, he simply instructed Leng Xie and Tie Shou to take their leave.

Naturally, the two men did not dare to disobey Zhuge Zhengwo's words. After stepping out of the room, they even thoughtfully closed the door behind them with utmost discretion.

Now only Zhuge Zhengwo and Wang Yuyan remained inside the room. Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Wang Yuyan's face, which bore an uncanny resemblance to Wucheng's, his mind racing through a myriad of thoughts.

During Wang Yuyan's earlier account, both Leng Xie and Tie Shou had focused entirely on Wucheng, but Zhuge Zhengwo was different. He had acutely perceived the subtle atmosphere between this young maiden before him and the Emperor.

Zhuge Zhengwo was a seasoned veteran of the world. Through merely this brief interaction, he had already formed a general judgment: this Miss Wang's feelings toward the Emperor were definitively not as she claimed them to be.

As for why this Miss Wang was speaking insincerely, it was easy to understand. Women were simply complex by nature.

Of course, under these current special circumstances, gender played no major role; the most significant factor was Miss Wang's own subjective judgment.

First, this Miss Wang had continuously emphasized and repeated to everyone that she loved Murong Fu, and that Murong Fu loved her in return.

Yet, in Zhuge Zhengwo's eyes, rather than trying to convince others with these words, she sounded more like she was constantly reminding herself not to forget.

The second point, which Zhuge Zhengwo considered the most troublesome, was that in her heart, she believed her entry into the palace was entirely forced upon her by the Emperor. Until this misconception was resolved, even if Miss Wang truly developed romantic feelings for the Emperor in her heart, she would never admit to them.

As to why Zhuge Zhengwo was pondering these matters so deeply, it was primarily for Wucheng's sake.

He understood Wucheng's stubborn nature; once she made a decision, it was exceedingly difficult to change. However, Leng Xie was also right: impersonating an imperial concubine and privately assisting a consort in escaping the palace were two monumental crimes. Whichever one was pinned on Wucheng, she would never be able to bear the consequences. Naturally, Zhuge Zhengwo could not simply stand by and watch Wucheng march toward self-destruction.

Therefore, helping Wucheng required resolving the trouble at its very root. What was the root of this matter? Naturally, it was the young lady right before him—Miss Wang Yuyan.

As long as her relationship with the Emperor was properly handled, Wucheng would naturally extricate herself from this mess. Furthermore, from Wang Yuyan's words, Zhuge Zhengwo had also vaguely grasped the Emperor's true intentions.

As a subject, having perceived the sovereign's troubles, how could one fail to share the ruler's burdens and resolve his difficulties?

Regaining his composure, Zhuge Zhengwo asked Wang Yuyan to wait a moment before personally walking over to the Divine Constabulary's archive room to retrieve all documentation concerning Murong Fu.

After reviewing Murong Fu's life story, a reassuring smile played at the corners of Zhuge Zhengwo's mouth. He then turned and walked back to the room.

Not long after the door closed, muffled sounds of conversation began to drift from within the room.

Time flew by in an instant, and the sky gradually grew dim. Wang Yuyan walked out of the room in a daze, returning to the palace under Leng Xie's escort.

In the past, every journey back to the palace felt fleeting to Wang Yuyan, but this time she found the road exceptionally long, her mind endlessly replaying the words Zhuge Zhengwo had spoken to her.

Is Cousin truly the kind of person the Divine Marquis described? Has he truly never held any place for me in his heart? Was my entry into the palace not forced upon me, but rather the result of being sold out?

The very last sentence Zhuge Zhengwo had said to her remained vividly etched in her mind.

"Given Murong Fu's character, Miss Wang, you would have come to this day sooner or later. You have also interacted with the Emperor; what manner of person he is, you should understand in your heart. To be honest, entering the palace as an imperial consort is the best possible outcome for you, Miss. There are countless beauties within the palace walls; had His Majesty not been benevolent, the word 'tragic' alone would not even begin to describe the rest of your life."