Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess

In Prince Qi's mansion, Mu Qinglan sat in the study, gently tapping the table.

"Now, it's your time to perform."

That's what she said to Zhu Yan who had just pushed open the door.

Zhu Yan's expression was slightly solemn, clearly feeling considerable pressure. She stood up and said: "Then I'll go prepare now."

The task Mu Qinglan had entrusted to her was quite important, so she didn't dare be arrogant about it, silently resolving to complete the mission perfectly.

Being busy was fine.

After all, it was finally time for her to be useful.

"No rush," Mu Qinglan smiled.

"The incident just ended two days ago. If we're going to scheme, there's no need to rush at this time."

"Sometimes, letting the storm brew a little makes for a better effect."

Zhu Yan thought about it and agreed. The assassin at the Jiang family's full-month celebration had been kicked by the ponytailed constable and slashed with a sword. She was probably still recovering from her injuries.

Even with extraordinary backing and transcendent physicians, those wounds would take at least a week to heal.

During this period,

Even if they targeted her, she couldn't retaliate.

And this obviously wouldn't achieve the effect Mu Qinglan wanted.

Because what Mu Qinglan wanted to do wasn't simply assassination, but framing someone, and the target of the framing "happened" to be the assassin who had just caused a terrible impact in the city a few days ago.

Whether it was killing people or setting fires, in short...

—The bad deeds were all done by her, right?

It had nothing to do with Mu Qinglan. If you want to catch someone, go catch that vicious assassin.

Preferably unraveling the thread to expose Prince Li's mansion behind her.

Zhu Yan nodded and said: "Then shall I act in five days?"

"A full week?" Mu Qinglan thought for a moment: "That works. It makes them seem eager. Start with those of lower status. There are several people in our faction who lean outward and are already dirty themselves. Let's deal with them too."

"Oh, and pay special attention to the Crown Prince's people. If there's a grudge, take revenge again."

Mu Qinglan had always been very petty.

If someone messed with her once, she would return it tenfold.

If the Crown Prince knew that Mu Qinglan was plotting against him again, he would probably cry in anger. My lady, please torment someone else, be magnanimous, don't bother with me.

Why did I ever think of using you to stir up trouble?

Hearing this, Zhu Yan's eyes lit up.

"I'll go investigate right away."

"Yes, go ahead and work hard."

○

The next day, Mu Qinglan slept in as usual.

But an unexpected visitor suddenly came calling.

Jiang He, who had just emerged from seclusion yesterday, sat in the side hall, holding a teacup, pushing the lid along the rim to create a gap, and carefully sipped.

"The young miss has been informed. Please be patient, Your Highness," Shadow One said politely.

"Mmm."

Jiang He nodded calmly.

After a moment, Mu Qinglan, dressed in a simple white and blue dress, hurried over.

"You could have given me notice before coming," she complained.

"Next time for sure," Jiang He said, her expression very composed, eyes lowered, quietly sipping her tea.

Mu Qinglan knew she wasn't listening: "Then next time I visit you, I won't tell you in advance either, to give you a surprise."

Jiang He's tea-drinking motion trembled slightly, and her eyebrow raised:

"I live in the imperial palace. You can't get in."

"..."

Damn... who corrupted Jiang He? What happened to the socially anxious, introverted girl? How did she learn advanced operations like being scheming!

Mu Qinglan thought angrily. It must be all Sister Ning's fault.

No, downgrade! Downgrade to Auntie Ning!

"Forget it, let's talk in my bedroom. There are too many people here," Mu Qinglan invited.

When they reached the bedroom, Jiang He looked around curiously, confirmed that it wasn't different from her last visit, then sat down on the bed, legs together, hands flat on her knees, quietly looking at the other person.

"Does Sister Ning know you're here?"

Mu Qinglan felt a bit uncomfortable under her stare and changed the subject.

Jiang He frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly a gleam of "wisdom" flashed in her golden eyes:

"She sent me a message yesterday, telling me to go see her if I had time today."

"And now?"

Jiang He's gaze was cold and clear as she slightly raised her chin, like a white swan returning home after winning a fight: "I came to see you."

Mu Qinglan held her forehead: "She's probably going to be furious with you."

"You're a good friend, it's different," Jiang He explained seriously.

Mu Qinglan seriously doubted the composition of this "good friend," wondering if it included friends, girlfriends, children, and all sorts of other creatures, but she didn't dare ask.

What if she said they couldn't be friends anymore?

"After we eat, you should still go see Auntie Ning, otherwise she'll be angry with me, and I don't want to see a middle-aged woman's sour face."

Jiang He was curious: "Why would she be angry with you?"

Mu Qinglan raised an eyebrow, looking askance: "Given your position in her heart, would she ever get angry with you? It would definitely be with me."

"That makes sense."

Mu Qinglan yawned: "By the way, why did you come this time? There must be a reason why you came to see me first."

Jiang He nodded heavily, then shook her head vigorously:

"In a few days, my family might organize an autumn hunt, staying at the hunting grounds near Heyang for a few days. I came to ask if you want to go. Oh, and Auntie Ning will be there too."

"Autumn hunt?"

"Yes, of course I'll go," Mu Qinglan nodded decisively. It was truly like being offered a pillow when feeling sleepy.

She had just been wondering how to distance herself from the events that would happen in a few days, and then Jiang He appeared like a considerate little cotton jacket.

Although Zhu Yan's skills were very trustworthy, framing someone was a low-level tactic.

And difficult to achieve.

Everyone was a normal person, not stupid.

In fact, successful framing was just Mu Qinglan's goal. The outcome she could accept was to use this turmoil to eliminate some troublemakers in their faction and some of the opponent's subordinates.

This was just a small goal, not difficult.

Because normal people wouldn't think that, while the Six Bureaus was frantically hunting for the assassin, someone would dare to risk continuing to assassinate.

Wasn't that slapping people in the face?

In modern times, there's a saying in the field of criminal investigation: "Wherever one goes, traces are left behind."

The constables in Heyang weren't so advanced, but through years of accumulated experience, they had also summarized similar principles.

In such a tense situation, if anyone dared to commit similar atrocities, they would surely face the Six Bureaus' lightning strike!

But Zhu Yan wasn't afraid of this.

Because when she killed, she never left traces.

Even if it were an ancient detective, trying to solve a case where someone was shot in the head from eight hundred miles away would leave them completely baffled, because it was a technological dimensional reduction attack.

And Zhu Yan's killings had the same effect.

The innate destiny trait [Death Extinguishes the Lamp].

No contact needed, no medium required, no curses necessary...

For those far weaker than herself, Zhu Yan only needed to glance lightly, and a life would silently burn like a candle.

Because no contact was required, trace examination was almost impossible.

Because no medium was needed, no physical evidence would be produced.

Because it wasn't a curse, even transcendent-level investigations would yield no results—ordinary methods of detection were too weak against the abilities carried by innate destiny traits.

Perhaps certain treasures would have methods, but such treasures were clearly not something ordinary people could see.

So this was the fundamental basis for Mu Qinglan's plan. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novｅlfire.net

However, this plan itself had a subtle flaw: if the assassin was framed, wouldn't she immediately suspect Mu Qinglan?

Mu Qinglan thought about it and felt she would.

Though she might not be the first target, given Prince Li's mansion's impression of her, they would likely view her as a significant threat. It wouldn't be surprising if they thought of her for this kind of thing.

But if she were at the autumn hunt at the time, then the suspicion would be greatly reduced.

Surely she couldn't have arranged everything in advance?

"What do I need to prepare for the autumn hunt? It's my first time going," Mu Qinglan asked.

Jiang He thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't know. Previously, Sister Qin prepared everything for me."

Sister Qin was her personal bodyguard, fifth-rank strength, currently being frantically drilled by her superiors, and standing guard outside at the moment.

"Then I'll have Shadow One prepare," Mu Qinglan said matter-of-factly. She asked: "By the way, have you invited anyone else?"

"...No. Do you have someone you want to bring? I can help invite them," Jiang He answered.

"No."

"Mmm!"

"Why do you look so happy?" Mu Qinglan was suspicious.

"Do I?"

"Definitely!"

○

"The city seems quite lively these days?"

In a secluded separate courtyard, by the window, a black-robed figure stood with hands behind his back, gazing at the moon.

It was just past mid-month, so the moon was still relatively full, though there were some rough edges, probably indicating rain was coming.

"Things are getting chaotic..." he sighed.

"This subordinate is incompetent, causing the master to worry," Under the moonlight, Yun Juan leaned on a cane, limping to stand behind him, and lowered her head: "Please punish this subordinate."

The black-robed figure shook his head:

"What's been said has been said, what's been punished has been punished. What's the point of more punishment?"

"Let me tell you, if you put away this proud and self-satisfied attitude, things would be much better. Warriors who have just broken through the Earth Gate all have a strange illusion, always feeling their meridians are flowing smoothly, thinking they can beat ten of their former selves, wanting to test their skills. And the result?"

"Too many sixth-rank experts have died in such tests."

Yun Juan was silent. This assassination had indeed taught her a lesson from the outside world.

Whether it was the sword of that Six Bureaus constable.

Or that young lady's deduction.

But speaking of deduction, was it really deduction? Logically, her directly pointing out the disguise should have been luck... but how to explain her later targeting my shadow hiding?

Yun Juan frowned in thought.

"Still thinking about that young lady?" The black-robed figure glanced at her, seeing her worried expression, and guessed what she was thinking.

"...Sorry, it's just that." Yun Juan's expression froze.

The black-robed figure waved his hand a couple of times, seemingly casually saying:

"Do you know the identity of the young lady who ruined your operation?"

"This subordinate has been recuperating these past two days and hasn't had time to investigate. The information passed up doesn't seem to mention that person's identity."

She said, looking tentatively at her superior.

The lack of mention of that person's identity in the intelligence was clearly unreasonable.

She could only understand it as the master's profound intention.

"She is Mu Qinglan, Prince Qi's daughter, the one who couldn't walk since childhood due to an incident. Somehow, she's recently become enlightened and keeps opposing us," the black-robed figure said.

"It's her?"

Yun Juan's expression changed.

She had thought that person was just some ordinary young lady, but unexpectedly, her status was so high?

How could she take revenge?!!!

She unconsciously clenched her fists.

From a distance, the black-robed figure, who had been observing her reaction throughout, nodded inwardly, thinking that after failing so many missions consecutively, even if she were loyal, he wouldn't dare use her anymore.

Might as well incite her a bit, throw her out to make one last contribution to the mansion.

Although it was painful to waste a sixth-rank expert as a disposable piece, she was really too useless...

Hopefully, this would probe out something.

"Prince Qi and our master have never gotten along. If you really want to kill her, I can help you to the best of my ability," the black-robed figure smiled slightly.

"Help me?" Yun Juan was stunned.

Then she became excited: "Please help me, master!"

The black-robed figure nodded with satisfaction: "No rush. You practice first. When a suitable opportunity arises, I will naturally tell you."

"The fate of our mansion rests on your shoulders. If you can succeed..."

The black-robed figure deliberately said such things, painting a grand picture to increase his subordinate's cohesion and loyalty, and also to give her a sense of importance, that she would be valued.

Yun Juan was excited inside.

The combination of physical and mental pain was almost driving her crazy.

She certainly knew this was a dangerous task, but in her current mental state, she didn't care at all.

Although she could still maintain basic calm.

But old and new grievances made her desperately crave retribution, even if it was fraught with danger.

"Let's leave it at that then..."

The black-robed figure left these words, lightly tapped his toe on the ground, and quietly departed.

○

Creak—

The wooden door was gently pushed open, making a dry creaking sound.

"How are things going?" Mu Qinglan glanced at Zhu Yan, who had been outside all day, and asked.

"I've sorted out the people to be dealt with in the preliminary stage. Please review, master."

As Zhu Yan spoke, she handed over several sheets of paper.

Mu Qinglan briefly scanned them, seeing they weren't much different from the list she had provided, and casually said: "Arrange it yourself."

"Yes."

In the preliminary stage of their framing plan several days later, they planned to deal with some insignificant figures, like gang leaders or spoiled young masters...

These people weren't important and wouldn't cause much of a stir.

But who would have thought that the assassin would be so brazen? After killing a few people and recovering a bit, she immediately escalated, starting to attack government officials!

And looking at the order of her killings, from weak to strong, it perfectly matched the recovery situation!

Yes, that's how it was.

Although many people could see the abnormality, once public opinion truly flared up, it would be troublesome...

At that time, could you and what's behind you still remain hidden?

Mu Qinglan smiled.