I am the villain in the book

Beside the Vermillion Bird Bridge, wild grasses and flowers bloom, the setting sun slants over the Black Robe Lane.

The swallows that once nested before the halls of Lu Jing-tang, now fly into the homes of ordinary people.

Although Wei Changtian recited a poem describing a "twilight scene", the focus of Liu Yuxi's poem "Black Robe Lane" in his previous life was undoubtedly on the last two lines.

The original poem was "The swallows that once nested before the halls of Wang and Xie", but considering that Wang Dao and Xie An did not exist in this world, Wei Changtian simply changed it to "Lu Jing".

"Lu" naturally refers to the deceased Emperor of Great Hui, Lu Hongji.

"Jing" refers to Emperor Jing Guoqing of Great Qian, who will die tomorrow.

The meaning expressed in the whole poem is not difficult to understand, and the implied meaning is not obscure. For He Jing, who has reached the stage of the palace examination, it is naturally understandable.

The little maid guarding the door greeted him respectfully when she saw him come out, then looked at He Jing, who was still sitting blankly in the room, and asked in confusion:

"Um, my young master is . . ."

"Oh, just now I was discussing poetry with Brother He, and he seemed to have gained some insight. He should be comprehending poetry now."

Wei Changtian replied softly, "Let's not disturb him."

". . ."

Although Cui'er was just a maid, she served scholars after all, so she immediately understood Wei Changtian's meaning and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.

She quickly followed Wei Changtian a few steps and then softly thanked He Jing for him:

"Young Master Wei, thank you for guiding my young master."

"It has nothing to do with me, it's just that Brother He has had an epiphany."

Wei Changtian shook his head with a smile, paused, and then asked softly:

"I heard Brother He say your name is Cui'er?"

"Ah! Yes, my name is Cui'er."

"I wonder what your full name is?"

"This . . ."

The maid was slightly stunned, probably not understanding what Wei Changtian was asking this for.

However, considering the latter's status, she still answered truthfully:

"Replying to the young master, my surname is Cheng."

"Cheng Cui."

Wei Changtian nodded and repeated in a low voice, causing the little maid's face to turn red.

"Young, Young Master Wei, you can just call me Cui'er."

"Oh, okay, I shouldn't have asked so much."

Wei Changtian smiled, saying "I shouldn't have asked so much" but then asked:

"Miss Cui'er, have you been in the He family for many years?"

"Yes, I entered the He family when I was young."

Cui'er didn't have much vigilance either. Although she still couldn't figure out why Wei Changtian wanted to inquire about her, she replied truthfully, "It's been ten years."

"Ten years . . . No wonder Brother He cares so much about you."

Wei Changtian said casually, and Cui'er lowered her head shyly.

Obviously, like Yuan'er and Qiuyun, Cui'er probably grew up serving He Jing.

Although the He family is not as good as the Wei family, her status is probably not that of a "concubine maid", and the two of them may not have any physical intimacy.

However, it can be seen that Cui'er is quite fond of He Jing, and the latter also has some feelings for her.

Therefore, after He Jing marries a wife, Cui'er will most likely be able to "become official" as a concubine.

No wonder she is so shy now.

"Haha, although I haven't known Brother He for long, I can see that he has excellent character."

Looking at Cui'er's blushing face, Wei Changtian smiled, "You won't be wronged if you follow him."

"You, you flatter me . . ."

Cui'er's blush had spread to the base of her neck, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.

Feeling shy and happy, she replied and didn't know what else to say.

Wei Changtian smiled and his gaze fell on the peach blossom hairpin again.

". . . Do you like peach blossoms?"

After a moment, Wei Changtian suddenly asked a somewhat inexplicable question.

Cui'er was stunned when she heard this. Noticing Wei Changtian's gaze, she subconsciously reached out and touched the hairpin in her hair, and replied softly:

"Replying to the young master, as for peach blossoms . . . I can't say I like them or dislike them. I just like this hairpin."

"Because it was given to you by Brother He?"

"Yes."

". . ."

Opening his mouth, Wei Changtian suddenly became somewhat speechless. After a long silence, he just said softly, "That's good."

Cui'er was a little confused by his question and reaction. Just as she was about to ask something, the door of the room not far away suddenly opened, and the next moment, He Jing, who had finally come back to his senses, ran out in a hurry.

"Wei, Brother Wei! Your poem . . ."

The voice stopped abruptly. He Jing saw Cui'er beside Wei Changtian, so he didn't finish his words, but first said to the latter in a deep voice:

"Go and prepare dinner quickly!"

"Ah?"

Cui'er didn't know what had happened, but she could see that He Jing's face was not right.

She wanted to ask, but hesitated because Wei Changtian was still here, so she nodded and turned to walk away.

It was not until this time that He Jing finally lowered his voice and said to Wei Changtian in a panic:

"Wei, Brother Wei! This is a seditious poem!"

"Oh? What makes you think it's a seditious poem?"

Wei Changtian smiled, "Just because of the words 'Lu Jing' in the poem?"

"What else?"

He Jing widened his eyes, "The word 'Lu' refers to the Lu family of Great Hui, and the word 'Jing' refers to the Jing family of our dynasty, plus the swallows before the old halls . . . This, what is this if not a seditious poem?"

"Brother He . . ."

Without refuting or explaining, Wei Changtian just turned his head to look at He Jing, whose face was flushed, and asked with a smile, "If it's really a seditious poem, would you go to the government to report me?"

"This . . . of course not."

He Jing took half a step back vigilantly, "But please, Brother Wei, don't associate with me anymore in the future."

"Okay."

Nodding calmly, Wei Changtian seemed satisfied with this answer.

He glanced at Cui'er, who had already walked away, then withdrew his gaze and said his last words to He Jing.

"Brother He, what this poem says will soon come true. If you trust me, then prepare early."

". . ."

After saying these words, Wei Changtian turned and left the small courtyard, ignoring He Jing's bewildered expression.

The latter was still standing there blankly, repeating Wei Changtian's last words in his mind.

What this poem says will soon come true . . .

Now that Lu Hongji has already died and Great Hui has already been destroyed, becoming the so-called Great Chu.

Then, what Brother Wei is referring to is . . .

His pupils suddenly constricted, and He Jing felt his legs weaken, and he fell to the ground with a "plop".

"This, this should be impossible . . ."

Muttering the same sentence repeatedly, after a long while, he belatedly raised his head suddenly, but he could no longer see Wei Changtian's figure.

At this moment, He Jing, of course, already understood that Wei Changtian's identity was not as "simple" as he said, but he did not associate it with the famous "Wei Yama".

In his opinion, Wei Changtian should be a spy sent by the rebel army.

Then, should he report to the authorities?

If it is true, this would undoubtedly be a great achievement, and perhaps he could become an official without even participating in the imperial examination.

But . . .

Biting his teeth, He Jing neither believed Wei Changtian's "wild words" nor reported to the authorities.

He only felt that Wei Changtian was quite talented and very congenial with him, so he couldn't bear to betray the latter.

Slowly getting up from the ground, dusting off the dirt on his body, He Jing walked into the house somewhat uneasily.

At this moment, he was actually still a little entangled as to whether his choice was right or wrong.

And He Jing probably never imagined that it was his slightly hesitant choice today that saved the entire He family not long after.