#220 - I wish you all the best! - I am the villain in the book

As Zhao Gao once infamously "called a deer a horse," so too did Wei Changtian now "call a human head a dog's head."

Although Chen Zhong and the others were unfamiliar with this tale of blatant distortion, they were undoubtedly terrified by the sudden appearance of the human head.

Amidst a chorus of agreement that "the box indeed contained a dog's head," all the powerful officials of Shu Prefecture, regardless of their true feelings, finally declared their unwavering loyalty to Wei Changtian, vowing to fight the "heinous" Liu family to the bitter end.

Thus, in a mere half-month, Wei Changtian, without holding any official position, had become the uncrowned emperor of Shu Prefecture, directly or indirectly seizing all power within the five cities and eight counties under its jurisdiction.

Of course, this power was not without its limitations.

For instance, if Wei Changtian truly intended to rebel, Liang Zhen, among others, would likely object.

However, he did not harbor such grand ambitions.

Wei Changtian's determination to control Shu Prefecture stemmed from two reasons: firstly, to ensure his own safety, and secondly, to secure a fallback for the entire Wei family.

In the event that the Liu family gained dominance in the future, they could retreat to this southwestern frontier and start anew.

"Inform Chu Xianping to go to the Tongzhou Society."

After instructing Zhang San, Wei Changtian ducked into the carriage.

Now that Shu Prefecture was secure, it was time to continue laying out plans in a more profound direction.

Changle Gambling House.

After months of renovation, this not-so-large gambling house had become the headquarters of the double agent organization, the "Tongzhou Society."

More than thirty underground secret rooms, each with different functions, were connected by intricate tunnels, their combined area even several times larger than the gambling house above ground.

The first batch of thirty "professional moles" had been training here for nearly two months, and now it was finally time to examine the results.

"Young Master, this is the roster of their true identities."

Standing before the thirty individuals, each with different attire, appearances, and demeanors, Chu Xianping handed over a booklet, exactly thirty pages in length.

"Mm."

Wei Changtian took the booklet and flipped through a few pages, casually asking, "Who else has seen this roster?"

"I compiled and transcribed it all myself."

Chu Xianping replied, "No one else knows besides me."

"Good. Zhang San, take a look."

Wei Changtian nodded, handing the roster to Zhang San, while he turned his gaze to the group opposite him.

Thirty people, twenty-eight men, two women.

It wasn't that he was "sexist," but these people were about to head to the capital to take up positions in various government offices, and female officials were already rare, which resulted in this gender ratio.

At this moment, the thirty individuals were staring at him intently, their eyes filled with almost worshipful loyalty.

It was unclear whether it was due to the Puppet Pill they had taken or the effectiveness of Chu Xianping's brainwashing.

"Young Master, I have memorized it."

Soon, Zhang San returned the roster to Wei Changtian, who didn't even bother to open it again, handing it directly back to Chu Xianping.

“. . ."

The latter glanced at Zhang San, his eyes seemingly showing some surprise.

"Tomorrow, you will go to the capital to take office. Young Master Wei has come here today to see you off."

"Pour the wine!"

At the command, the thirty individuals simultaneously raised their wine jars and poured a full bowl of wine into the porcelain bowl in front of them.

Zhang San also very attentively poured a bowl each for Wei Changtian and Chu Xianping.

"Mm."

Taking the wine bowl, Wei Changtian dusted off his sleeves, knowing that it was time for him to say a few words.

But what should he say?

Hiss. . . Should he recite that part from 《Infernal Affairs》?

After pondering for a moment, he took a step forward, his calm voice slowly echoing in everyone's ears.

"Half a year ago, during the Liu-Wei conflict, my maid, who had been with me for many years, was struck by a bandit sent by the Liu family, her life hanging by a thread."

"My father went to the palace to ask for medicine, but the Emperor refused."

"A month ago, at the Spring Dragon Poetry Conference, the Liu family and the Moon Gazing Sect attempted to assassinate me during the event."

"And that day, besides the Liu family's people, I also killed an Internal Guard who had already joined the Imperial Guards."

"The Co-Prosperity Society, the Suspended Mirror Bureau, the Heavenly Net Sect, countless brothers sacrificed their lives for my sake. Some say that this is 'one general's success is built upon ten thousand bones,' but I don't think so."

"I believe that to be born a human, whether to live or die, should be decided by oneself!"

"Therefore, I killed Liu Yuanshan, killed Liu Zongliang, and in the future, I will destroy his entire Liu family!"

"And you are the same!"

"Whether to live or die, whether to trample ten thousand people underfoot, or to become the white bones under someone else's feet—the path you take is for you to choose!"

"I wish you all, esteemed sirs! A smooth journey in the capital! A meteoric rise in rank!"

"Cheers!"

Accompanied by the final, resounding "Cheers!", Wei Changtian abruptly raised his head and drained the wine in his bowl in one gulp.

Under the almost fanatical gazes of the thirty individuals, Chu Xianping was the first to regain his senses, immediately raising his wine bowl high, loudly repeating:

"I wish you all, esteemed sirs! A smooth journey in the capital! A meteoric rise in rank!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!!!"

Thirty roars followed closely, and then came a series of "cracking" sounds as porcelain shattered.

"We swear to serve Young Master with utmost loyalty! Heart and soul!"

“. . ."

Several dozen breaths later.

Wei Changtian and Chu Xianping, reeking of alcohol, walked out of the secret room, the echoes of those excited roars still seemingly audible behind them.

Turning to look at Wei Changtian, Chu Xianping seemed somewhat surprised, but quickly collected his thoughts and calmly said:

"Young Master, all the items needed for the Tongzhou Society members' departure have been distributed. They will secretly leave the city in batches early tomorrow morning, first heading to various prefectures, and then from those places to the capital."

"Mm, you can handle these matters."

Wei Changtian nodded and followed Chu Xianping into another secret room to sit down.

This time of great chaos in the world, although extremely dangerous for him, also concealed many opportunities.

Take these senior spies of the Tongzhou Society, for example.

No matter how much Chu Xianping fabricated their identities or impersonated others, in normal times, they could only be arranged for some insignificant positions, and it was unknown how long they would have to wait to climb to high rank.

But the current situation was different.

The Xu family had already been labeled as treasonous, and the downfall of the Xu faction's officials, both high and low, had vacated a large number of positions.

The Liu family and Ning Yongnian would only care about the ownership of those important positions, and would not pay much attention to the other middle and lower-level official posts.

This gave him a great deal of room to maneuver, allowing him to give these undercover agents a very good starting condition right from the beginning.

Moreover, Wei Changtian didn't really expect these people to climb too high in a short period of time.

Their true role was to occupy a place for him in the imperial court through another means, or rather, to establish an alliance.

An underground alliance connected by the most unbreakable relationship, completely obedient to him.