After becoming the villain

Chapter 215 "Faith" and "New List"

Yan Wulu meets Wanyan Lingxu.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Wanyan Lingxu took him to the courtyard garden behind the palace building.

Here, you can see the starry sky at night in northern Xinjiang.

Wanyan Lingxu likes such a clear and beautiful starry sky, so she usually handles government decisions in this courtyard.

With the servant pushing the wheelchair, Wanyan Lingxu slowly made his way to the round pavilion in the center of the courtyard.

Yan Wulu walked slowly beside her with his hands behind his back.

Perhaps out of inner curiosity, Wanyan Lingxu suddenly said -

"Everyone has a true or false belief in their heart."

"People from the Zoroastrian religion in the Western Region mostly believe in fire; Tubo monks believe in Buddhism; we people in the northern Xinjiang believe in the Immortal Heaven; what about you?"

The eldest princess Wanyan Lingxu said quietly.

She suddenly stretched out her hand to signal the servant pushing the wheelchair behind her to stop, turned the wheelchair leisurely, faced Yan Wulu, and continued -

"...Prince Zhenbei, what do you Central Plains people believe in?"

Yan Wulu was stunned when he heard this.

He wanted to say in his heart that the Central Plains people... don't believe anything.

However, wouldn’t it be too unqualified to say it directly like this?

"The Central Plains is so vast, and all the people in the world have more than one belief?"

Yan Wulu's hands were slightly clasped behind his back, his back straight and majestic.

His timbre is similar to that of Guzheng, which is an extremely pleasant voice, but at the moment he is calm, confident and indifferent, which adds a bit of appeal.

"Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Immortality... A hundred schools of thought contend, and a hundred flowers bloom."

"...To tolerate all this with a broad mind, that is the Central Plains, that is...China. (1)"

Yan Wulu spoke calmly and forcefully.

The surrounding servants who were pushing Wanyan Lingxu's wheelchair were all stunned in place for a moment.

In fact, they couldn't understand much of the meaning of Yan Wulu's words, but they just vaguely felt that Yan Wulu had a familiar aura that they had seen before.

...It was an aura that only appeared in the old Northern King.

This kind of aura made them dare not even make a loud sound even when they were breathing.

Wanyan Lingxu's face still had a ceremonial smile, but the look in her eyes was flickering.

It was quiet for a few seconds.

Wanyan Lingxu's gentle and heroic voice sounded again——

"His Royal Highness, you are really eloquent, and really... extraordinary in bearing."

"Where, His Royal Highness, the eldest princess, is really quick-witted and eloquent." Yan Wulu said humbly.

And he secretly thought to himself, fortunately, he used to like to stay up late and read novels, so he learned a lot of "dirty talk", otherwise it would be really difficult to deal with it.

Wanyan Lingxu heard Yan Wulu's words of praise and turned his head slightly.

Although she was being praised by Yan Wulu, she could feel that these compliments were just polite words from the other party.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the center of the circular pavilion.

This round pavilion belongs exclusively to Wanyan Lingxu.

Therefore, in order to facilitate Wanyan Lingxu, who has limited legs and feet and is in a wheelchair, there is only a stone table in the round pavilion without any seats.

The servants pushed Wanyan Lingxu's gorgeous wheelchair to the side of the round stone table, and brought in a wooden chair with a wide seat for Yan Wulu.

At this moment, outside the circular pavilion, the moon is bright and there are few stars.

Come to think of it, tomorrow will definitely be a nice sunny day.

The eldest princess, with her beautiful face and soul, gestured to some beautiful maids to pour tea for Yan Wulu, and had people bring up bundles of ancient books and poems.

In fact, Yan Wulu was not particularly interested in these ancient books and poems.

As for the beautiful maid who poured tea and water for him, Yan Wulu kept his eyes straight and tried his best not to be affected.

only……

Ok? !

Why do these girls start rubbing themselves against me one by one? !
……

"These poems and ancient books were once Lingxu's favorite."

"...But now, it can only be ranked second."

Wanyan Lingxu said, she picked up a bundle of bamboo slips from the brocade box held by the servant, handed it to Yan Wulu, and continued -

"Your Majesty, do you want to know why?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Wulu politely motioned to the "mooching" maids around him to step back.

He took the poem and opened it. It was a famous dictionary from Jixia Academy, written by a contemporary Confucian scholar who was proficient in words.

He once met Chen Danyang, the palace official of etiquette, to discuss this speech.

However, Chen Danyang did not think highly of this piece of writing. He believed that it focused too much on beauty and lost its depth. ,

Faced with Wanyan Lingxu's question, Yan Wulu didn't know how to answer.

Although he knows the words here, he is not really a talented person.

For a moment, Yan Wulu almost reproduced Chen Danyang's original evaluation of this article...

A piece of brilliant evaluation, as if looking down on the literary students in the world.

"...I think it's probably because of this that Her Royal Highness the Princess liked this article."

"...It's just a pity that this article focuses too much on beauty and loses its depth. It is worthy of the name of a scholar who is eloquent. Perhaps it is because of this that Her Royal Highness the Princess ranks it second."

Yan Wulu finally concluded.

Suddenly, he was a little curious, "Wu Lu suddenly wanted to know, which document is the first thing in the princess's heart?"

The eldest princess Wanyan Ling smiled and said nothing.

She felt very strange about Yan Wulu's remarks just now.

She was thinking... He deserves to be called the "Jinling Poet Saint".

It is true that "there is no empty person under the great reputation".

"Now Lingxu likes this book the most." Wanyan Lingxu said.

She signaled the servant to bring over a carefully decorated brocade box, took out a roll of paper documents, and handed it to Yan Wulu again.

Yan Wulu was a little curious and took it.

When he opened it and took a look, his expression changed slightly...

This thing is an excerpt of poetry from the Jinling Poetry Society.

Moreover, I specifically selected excerpts from poems written by myself.

This eldest princess...why...is a bit "illegitimate"?

Yan Wulu felt a little ashamed for a while.

But on the surface, he still had to maintain the etiquette and demeanor that a prince of Zhenbei should have.

Wanyan Lingxu looked at the other party quietly, and she suddenly said -

"I appreciate His Highness the Prince's poems and essays very much, and when we talked about it today, when faced with Lingxu's questions, every answer His Highness the Prince gave was even more refreshing and broadened Lingxu's horizons."

"...'Jinling Poet Saint', this title is probably far from reflecting your true literary talents, His Royal Highness."

"Your Highness the Princess, you..." Yan Wulu was speechless, "This is really an honor."

Wanyan Lingxu still smiled politely.

She glanced at the beautiful maids around Yan Wulu and continued -

"Since ancient times, talented people have been popular."

"... Lingxu has also heard that His Royal Highness likes beauties, but when he came to Northern Xinjiang this time, all the envoys were men."

Wanyan Lingxu said, and the second half of his words seemed to have an ulterior motive.

She flicked her right hand lightly.

The beautiful maids who had been pouring tea and water for Yan Wulu and who had been quietly approaching to "mop the oil" were now lined up in a row with smiling faces.

"...These little girls from Northern Xinjiang are all beautiful beauties in the palace. If the prince likes any of them, feel free to pick some and take them back."

When Yan Wulu heard this, his heart felt like he was struck by five thunders.

He didn't know why, but he remembered that every time someone sent him a beauty, something bad like an assassination would happen the next moment...

But on the surface, Yan Wulu remained calm and responded -

"Her Royal Highness the Princess is joking, Wulu already has many wives, so don't delay these girls any longer."

When Wanyan Lingxu heard this, he also pretended to sigh.

"In this case, they are not lucky enough to not be favored by His Royal Highness."

"...Perhaps His Royal Highness has too high expectations."

"... You must know that many of these people are the top beauties in Northern Xinjiang. Their appearance is absolutely unique, but they are actually difficult to catch the eye of the prince."

Yan Wulu also chuckled for a moment, and said jokingly——

"Is she the top beauty in Northern Xinjiang? Maybe Wu Lu's vision is too special."

"...Actually, compared to these beauties, Your Highness the Eldest Princess is more in line with Wulu's aesthetics."

"Oh?" Wanyan Lingxu's smile deepened, "...so it turns out that His Royal Highness has fallen in love with Lingxu?"

At this point, there was a sudden silence.

Afterwards, the two looked at each other and chuckled.

"Your Highness, the eldest princess, is really good at joking."

"Your Highness, isn't it the same?"

After saying that, the two men immediately resumed their previous conversation.

Yan Wulu looked serious and said——

"Your Highness, Princess, let's talk about the really important things."

"... Come to think of it, Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess summoned Wu Lu into the palace overnight. She couldn't do it just to appreciate ancient books and give beauties as gifts, right?"

"Yeah." Wanyan Lingxu nodded slightly.

"...There are indeed a few more things. Presumably, His Royal Highness has already noticed it."

Yan Wulu went straight to the topic and said directly: "If it is related to the two states of Hetao, please ask the eldest princess to explain it clearly."

"The two states of Hetao are indeed one of them."

Wanyan Lingxu continued with a smile——

"... I believe His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also feels this way. As for Lingxu personally, he will definitely abide by the agreement with all his strength. However, the other elders of the royal family do not want to hand over the territory they have gained so easily."

When Yan Wulu heard this, he also smiled sarcastically, "Sometimes, you don't have to return it just because you don't want to hand it over."

Wanyan Lingxu looked unpredictable for a moment.

She nodded at the end and said, "Lingxu will do his best to make the royal elders fulfill their promise and contract."

As for the other thing, it was related to Wan Yanfen.

Wanyan Lingxu said, "Lingxu thinks that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should already know Wanyan Fen's true identity."

Yan Wulu did not deny it.

Wanyan Lingxu claimed——

When Wanyan Lie was not in Northern Xinjiang and "toured south" to Yanbei, Northern Xinjiang needed the Southern Khan King "Wanyan Fen" to stabilize the morale of the army, even if the other party... was a fake.

But now, Wanyan Lie has returned to Northern Xinjiang.

Wanyan Lingxu had already deliberately removed the "Wanyan Burn" and then took all the power into his own hands.

She hopes to gain additional support from Yan Wulu.

Yan Wulu was puzzled.

"In the internal power struggle in Northern Xinjiang, does Wulu play a big role in this?"

Wanyan Lingxu said that the fake Wanyanfen was their common enemy.

In this case, there is no need to care about how big the effect is. Working together is the best.

Yan Wulu understood in his heart.

At the same time, he also found out why Wanyan Lingxu was reading ancient books and sending beauties as gifts; and why he was risking his enemies with the royal family elders to help him get back to the two states of Hetao.

It turned out that he wanted to use this to bribe himself and his subordinate Sergeant Zhenbei.

but……

Even though he knew that the other party's purpose was impure, Yan Wulu still agreed to the other party.

He thought that he didn't actually need to put in any extra effort.

Moreover, agreeing to Wanyan Lingxu would not bring any harm to himself and others, but would bring many benefits.

After the two serious matters were discussed, Yan Wulu was ready to leave.

Wanyan Lingxu suddenly and inexplicably said -

"I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince has read it? [Tingyun Pavilion] A new round of 'Hidden Yuan Secret Mirror' has been released, and Crown Prince... you are at the top of the list."

"Huh?" Yan Wulu looked surprised.

【Listening to Yun Pavilion】There are a total of six lists of Yinyuan Secrets.

But Yan Wulu subconsciously thought it was the most famous "list of masters in the world".

"...The top one? There are endless masters in the world. With Wulu's strength, I'm afraid he can't afford the top spot on the master list, right?"

"Hahaha."

Hearing this, Wanyan Lingxu suddenly smiled and said, "Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"

"...This year's round of the 'Masters of the Arena' competition is fierce. Although your prince's strength is also a great martial artist, you are not a member of the martial arts, so you will not be on the list."

Wanyan Lingxu's eyes moved, and he understood that Yan Wulu had just misunderstood what he meant.

She continued—

"What Lingxu is talking about is the men's list of the 'World Beauty List'. In the past few years, Your Majesty, you have dominated the limelight in Aurous Hill and other places."

"... Even the people in [Tingyun Pavilion] have heard that Princess Taiping, the most beloved of Emperor Daqian, abandoned Jinling for you."

Yan Wulu suddenly realized what he said and was filled with emotion.

"Wulu, I really haven't heard of these."

"I don't blame the prince. These rankings were released by [Tingyun Pavilion] today. They should be spread throughout the world and even the court in the near future."

Wanyan Lingxu still had that polite smile, "... Just treat it as a pastime. If you take it seriously, I'm afraid you will suffer a loss."

"I wonder who is at the top of the master list this year? Or... the Sword Master of the Blue Sea?" Yan Wulu asked curiously.

"Do not."

"The Sword Master Bihai hasn't shown up for more than 20 years. People in [Tingyun Pavilion] are not even sure whether he is dead or alive. There are rumors that the Sword Saint Bihai is recuperating in Medicine King Valley, but no one is sure."

"...Now in this round, the top of the list of martial arts masters is Cang Hua, the elder of Penglai Pavilion on the Southeast Islands. An old monster who has lived for nearly a thousand years."

Wanyan Lingxu responded lightly.

Yan Wulu understood.

He had heard Master Jun Xing mention the reputation of Mr. Penglai Pavilion before.

Yan Wulu suddenly thought in his mind that although Wanyan Lingxu said it was just for fun, he was so familiar with the rankings of the characters on the list...

Maybe I just pay attention to these Jianghu news when I have nothing to do.

Thinking of the long-standing and prestigious eldest princess in northern Xinjiang, who actually delved into all kinds of gossip in private, I couldn't help but suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of reality.

Lament that women’s constant hobbies are gossip.

……

(1): Adapted from the lines in the comic "The Daredevil".

(End of this chapter)