Chapter 8, Chang'an is not Chang'an (II)

Lü Kuan gritted his teeth tightly, lowering his head and not daring to make a sound

"Yes, teacher." Mu Er nodded, not asking any further questions. He stood up and walked out of the study. After a short while, he returned and leaned close to Wang Mang, whispering, "It has already been instructed."

Wang Mang looked at Lü Kuan, his face bearing a smile, yet his eyes were chillingly cold.

Han Zhuo

"Mu'er, go out and instruct them to bring Wang Yu and Lü Yan here," Wang Mang gently tapped the table and said to Mu'er in front of him. "The two of them, now, immediately, at once"

The door was pushed open, and Han Zhuo, with a blank expression, bent slightly and dragged a person into the study.

However, this has given rise to a new problem

The sound of footsteps rose from downstairs, the sound of someone dragging a heavy object as they walked

When Lü Kuan heard Wang Mang mention the names of the two, his flickering gaze became rigid. By the time Mu Er returned to the study once more, Lü Kuan could no longer contain himself, forcefully raising his head and looking at Wang Mang with fear, he exclaimed loudly.

Lu Kuan's face was ashen, and although his jaw had been closed after being unhinged, he remained silent, staring intently at the ground with his head lowered, while his body trembled involuntarily

Yet he could not retreat. Han Zhuo grasped his hair and pressed it in front of Wang Mang, his expressionless eyes gazing down at him intently.

"It doesn't matter; we will only know when they arrive. Why are you in such a hurry?" Wang Mang smiled, extending his hand to gesture in front of him, "Do you know? Expressions and tones can sometimes reveal a lot of things."

At midnight, you howl like a fox at my gate, splattering dog blood on my front door... Lu Kuan, you truly are becoming more and more accomplished

Mu Er listened for a while and then laughed: "The Wei family... it seems they are still not giving up."

Wang Mang smiled quietly, took a pot of wine and two wine cups from a nearby shelf, returned to the table, and beckoned to Mu Er: "Come, sit down. Let us welcome our fox guest together"

"There was blood splattered on the door," Han Zhuo replied with an expressionless face. After a moment of thought, he added, "I tasted it, and it was dog blood."

Wang Mang knocked a cup of wine in front of Mu Er, picked up another cup for himself, and took a sip: "Speak, what brings you here?"

I did not expect that there would still be guests at such a late hour

Without needing further instructions from Wang Mang, Han Zhuo had already leapt through the window, disappearing into the night like a ghost

The howling of the fox outside abruptly ceased, followed by a brief exclamation that quickly faded into the night sky, and the long night returned to its tranquility

Mu Er gazed at Han Zhuo, her eyes revealing a look of astonishment, yet she remained seated in place, saying nothing

Behind him was a man in his thirties, his arms twisted in a peculiar manner, emitting a painful whimper from his throat, yet he could not utter a single word. He was dressed elegantly, with a short beard beneath his chin, and a fine jade pendant hanging from his waist. He appeared to hold a respectable status in his daily life

Wang Mang's last words were directed at Han Zhuo

"The emperor has lost his mother, is the heavens angry?" Wang Mang repeatedly savored these two phrases, his smile remaining unchanged: "I fear it is not the heavens that are angry, but the Wei family... With your talents, you probably could not have thought of this move. Speak, who taught you this?"

How should one treat Liu Xian's biological mother, Wei Ji, and the Wei family behind her?

It is truly interesting that there would be foxes in the well-established city of Chang'an

Lu Kuan, oh, Lu Kuan...

The current emperor is not the successor of Emperor Ai, but rather the son of King Liu Xing of Zhongshan. After the death of Emperor Ai, as there were no heirs, Liu Xian, who had just succeeded to the throne of Zhongshan, was ultimately chosen from among the close royal relatives to become the new emperor

After speaking, he emphasized once again, "Indeed, a lot."

"Not speaking?" Wang Mang raised an eyebrow, let out a gentle sigh, and showed no signs of impatience or anger on his face, still smiling as he said: "It's fine, if I can't get it out of your mouth, I can always ask someone else."

Han Zhuo, upon hearing this, extended his hand and pushed up on Lu Kuan's chin, reassembling the dislocated joint. However, his own dislocated hands did not move to reconnect.

"And ... ... has nothing to do with them! Minister Wang! This matter has nothing to do with my sister!"

Thus, although the King of Zhongshan became the Son of Heaven, his biological mother was not permitted to accompany her son to Chang'an to become the Empress Dowager; instead, she remained in the State of Zhongshan and was merely conferred the title of Empress Dowager of Zhongshan.

"What a dramatic scene..." Wang Mang leaned forward, coming close to Lü Kuan, with a smile on his face: "What, am I some kind of evil being?"

Wang Mang looked up and down at the man who was dragged into the study like a dead dog by Han Zhuo, smiled, picked up the wine jug, and leisurely filled the two wine goblets in front of him: "In terms of relations, you are the brother of my daughter-in-law, which makes you my junior. Why did you not visit during the day, but instead sneak into my home at this late hour? Han Zhuo."

The response he received was still the silence of Lü Kuan

At that moment, being dragged into the room, he saw Wang Mang, whose body suddenly shrank as if pierced by a needle. His eyes were filled with fear, and he was gasping, continuously kicking his legs, trying to retreat.

"Just sit and wait." Wang Mang downed the wine in his cup, revealing a strange smile on his face: "I truly did not expect, my son, that you would have such a promising side."

Four years have passed, and the boy from that time has grown into a young man

Wang Mang let out a cold laugh, raised his head to look at Han Zhuo, and signaled him to report.

Wang Mang slowly walked to the window, listening intently to the calls outside. He then let out a cold laugh, turned his face away, and looked towards Mu Er

Wang Mang had just eliminated the two enormous and monstrous clans of the Fu and Ding families, and he would never allow a new clan to rise and step onto this political stage to obstruct his path toward his ideals

Lü Kuan bit his lower lip tightly, almost drawing blood.

Accompanied by Wang Mang's soft call, a dark figure suddenly emerged silently from the shadows, appearing in the study.

In this regard, Wei Ji and the Wei family behind her will naturally not be content. The desire for power and the efforts made for it have never ceased for a moment