Volume 1, Chapter 33: In this day and age, do people not even bother to rehearse their lies anymore?

In the afternoon, Su Nianxi, having nothing to do, curled up in the lounge of Qi Lingan's office, scrolling through her phone while waiting for her family to finish work.

"This time was an accident, but the plan is about to be implemented. Even if they find out, there is nothing they can do," Maji said, and Dou nodded in agreement.

During the previous confrontation at the Taiji Palace, he had used the metaphor of a "whetstone" to humiliate Ji Gui, mocking him for being a pawn on someone else's chessboard. In truth, even Ji Jingxi himself only had a hazy understanding of the ins and outs of this absurd rebellion.

Moyu’s body swayed as if he were about to collapse. Someone behind him rushed forward to support him, but he shoved them away, glaring coldly at Changle opposite him.

When it came to weeding out the roots, Chen Shizi was no less ruthless than Ji Jingxi, though his primary motivation was to keep Yang Qian out of this mess.

As for the latter, he had been dragged away by Qian Donglai to oversee things; Qian Donglai did not want Chen Jiushan to go and cause trouble for his second brother at such a critical moment.

To put it bluntly, Sun Bang and Liu Luoguo were merely using Zhou Mazi. That was the reality; they had never intended to protect Zhou Mazi once the deed was done.

Admittedly, there were treasures within the Spirit Realm that could allow people to enter and exit or mask their presence, but it was ultimately better to be cautious.

As a venerable Imperial Tutor and the former head of the Wen clan, a man whose words were like iron and whose divinations never failed, how could he be anything but thorough? It was merely a joke; only a fool would believe otherwise.

Shangguan Ji had told her that when Feng Liancheng was on the verge of death in the Valley of the Earth's Heart, he had revealed the location of the Penglai Jade Seal to Changle. That wicked man had committed countless evils, yet he harbored a sincere heart for Changle’s brother.

Whether this person had truly made contact with the Yue family of Gusu, as the siblings speculated, would only be known in time. Before that, the capital of Shengjing was greeted by another lively event: the triumphant return of the Western Expedition Army.

"You mentioned 'the higher-ups' earlier; does that mean you are actually under someone’s control?" Zhao Jie’s tone was remarkably flat, his face, beautiful enough to eclipse heaven and earth, devoid of any expression.

Was his existence a deliberate act by someone, or a mere coincidence of fate? Or perhaps it was the last hope of the Bear-men, though one could only wonder how the preordained script would play out in the unseen depths.

Lei nodded quickly. "Yes, I am certain I cannot swear allegiance to you. The one I owe my loyalty to is the Emperor of the Empire." Lei paused abruptly after saying this.

"Indeed, I would not be foolish enough to resist you, so that you may continue to suck the wealth of the kingdom dry without being pricked by any thorns!" A mournful expression appeared on Maoji’s face. He knew full well that, aside from this useless verbal resistance, he had no other choice.

Fang Yaofeng stepped out of the ward and found that neither He Changxiong nor An Tiantian were there. He heard they were alone in the family lounge, but upon overhearing the content of their conversation, he could not help but offer a bitter smile.

Therefore, seeking a breakthrough from Zheng Yi at the start was a fundamental mistake. If he had stated his intentions, Zheng Yi might have engaged in some banter, but would Sesshomaru ever speak?

He roared his demands, and Gu Feng shouted his own. After three calls passed, the men remained unmoved, clearly believing that death would not be the price for their refusal. In fact, they knew Gu Feng dared not kill them, so what was there to fear if death was off the table?

Spain was rich in high-quality warhorses, but after the Peninsular War began, many stud farms shut down. The remaining large farms were either in rebel-controlled areas in southern Spain or in the outskirts of Madrid, under the direct control of General Hugo. Thus, the deal with the elder Hugo became Desaix's only option.

Later, during a private meeting with Colonel Jacques, Desaix’s inquiry did not focus on the war between Ottoman Turkey and Russia. He knew that even with the support of France and Catalonia, the Turks could no longer hold on.