I Am The Villain In The Novel

Chapter 28: Just Before Dusk

At dusk, Wei Changtian’s carriage drove away from Li’s Mansion.

Unlike the last time he came, this time Li Kan escorted him all the way to the gate.

Li Yang was very surprised by his father’s change and was even more curious about what they had said after Wei Changtian arrived.

But of course Li Kan would not tell him. He just looked at his son and sighed heavily .

For those in officialdom, the higher one climbed, the more dangerous it became.

He had originally thought he could navigate through the middle, but who would have thought he would be manipulated by a younger generation in the end.

At this point, he could only hope that the Wei family, known as the notorious demon, would be sensible and not lead him into a trap.

“Sigh…”

As Li Kan worried about his own fate, Wei Changtian in the carriage also sighed as he looked at the two pieces of paper in his hand.

One was the list of witnesses, and the other was the “treason letter” that Li Kan had just written with his own hand.

With these two things, he had Li Kan by the throat, ensuring he wouldn’t disobey in the future.

Although this outcome was basically in line with his expectations, Wei Changtian still felt that the process hadn’t been too smooth.

In fact, he hadn’t intended to threaten Li Kan initially. He had planned to save the “massive embezzlement” card for later use.

But Li Kan had been indecisive from the start, clearly not trusting him, so in the end, he had no choice but to play the card early.

After tucking the two pieces of paper into his chest, Wei Changtian’s thoughts turned to Xiao Feng once again.

He wondered what Xiao Feng was up to now and what evil plans he was concocting.

If it had been Xiao Feng just now, Li Kan probably would have surrendered with just a few words.

Damn protagonist halo!

Wei Changtian angrily drew back the carriage curtain and looked out.

They were currently passing through the bustling market, where pedestrians crowded shoulder to shoulder, and colorful banners fluttered in the wind outside the shops.

Since the national war with the Great Feng two hundred years ago, Great Peace had not experienced any major conflicts. Even the vicious monsters and demons had been mostly eradicated by the countless “Willow Leaf” agents in recent years.

In such a peaceful and prosperous era, most people lived in comfort, to the point where they almost forgot how long this tranquility had lasted.

At the end of his line of sight, the sky was still tinged with the gentle orange glow of the last sunset.

Looking at this beautiful and peaceful sunset scene, Wei Changtian suddenly muttered softly for no reason.

“The sunset is beautiful, but it is near dusk.”

…

When Wei Changtian returned to the Wei Mansion, it was time for dinner.

He hadn’t come back yet, nor had he sent anyone back with a message. Naturally, Lu Jingyao and the others didn’t dare to eat first, so they all waited in the yard.

And then they waited at the gaming table again.

“Madam, how many cards do you have left?” Yuan’er asked cautiously, furrowing her brows.

“Two cards.” Lan Jingyao held the slips of paper in her hand and replied with a smile.

“Then…”

Yuan’er was delighted and gently placed a five on the table.

“Mistress, I’m playing a five,” Yuan’er said cautiously.

“Ten!” Lan Jingyao instantly discarded the only card in her hand and spread her hands with joy. “I win!”

“What?”

Yuan’er was stunned for a moment, then realized what had happened and immediately protested, “Mistress! You cheated!”

“I… I was just being cunning,” Lan Jingyao’s face reddened slightly, but the faint smile on her lips betrayed her inner joy.

“The young master always uses this trick to deceive me. I never expected the mistress to learn it too…”

Yuan’er pouted, still intending to continue scolding Lan Jingyao, but was suddenly tapped on the head by Qiu Yun.

“If you lose, you lose. There’s no need for so much talk!”

Upon hearing that even Qiu Yun wasn’t on her side, Yuan’er felt even more aggrieved. “The young master always says the same thing! You… you’re all bullying me!”

“You…”

Qiu Yun felt a headache coming on as he looked at the almost tearful Yuan’er. Meanwhile, Lan Jingyao felt guilty and quickly reached out to hold Yuan’er’s hand to comfort her.

“It’s my fault. I won’t cheat on you when playing cards in the future. Please don’t cry.”

“Is… is the mistress serious?”

“I am!”

“Hehe! I knew the mistress would understand!”

Yuan’er instantly smiled with joy, no longer showing any signs of grievance.

Only then did Lan Jingyao realize she had been fooled by this girl. Feeling both amused and exasperated, she let go of Yuan’er’s hand and ignored her, gathering the cards together before saying, “Come on, let’s play another round!”

“Okay, mistress!”

…

“Call the Demon King!”

“I’ll rob..!”

…

The breeze blew through the pavilion, and beneath the slightly swaying black hair were three pretty faces, each with its own unique characteristics, yet all very charming.

Such an unusual master-servant relationship would be unimaginable in other wealthy households, but it was commonplace in Wei Changtian’s residence.

Winning the “demon” again, Lan Jingyao was very happy, especially when she saw Yuan’er’s disappointed face due to her bad hand, she almost laughed out loud.

However, as she bit her lip and happily rearranged the cards in her hand, a somewhat sad thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

How long had it been since she had laughed like this…

“Mistress, what are you thinking? Hurry up and play your cards!”

“…Why are you hurrying me! I’m just about to play!”

…

During dinner, Wei Changtian couldn’t shake the feeling that Lan Jingyao wasn’t quite herself.

She was usually silent during meals, but this time she actively asked about visiting Li Kan, and even threatened to go out and buy some fabric in a few days to make clothes for him.

Could it be… funeral clothes?

Wei Changtian was startled by his own thoughts and quickly rejected this “kind offer”.

He then hurriedly ate several mouthfuls of rice to calm his nerves.

Lan Jingyao seemed a little disappointed by this, and returned to her usual quiet demeanor while eating.

Wei Changtian couldn’t be bothered to figure out what she was thinking. After hastily finishing his meal and changing clothes, he went to discuss the matters at the Li Residence with Wei Xianzhi.

The whole process went smoothly, and Wei Xianzhi was naturally quite shocked.

However, Wei Changtian didn’t reveal all the details, only selectively mentioning Zhang Hongwen’s raising demon and the trial at the Three Departments.

Wei Changtian chose not to present the “treason letter” from Li Kan.

This decision wasn’t about distrust towards Wei Xianzhi.

Rather, Wei Changtian felt it was time to start building a force that would be loyal only to him.

“Wang Er.”

Walking back on the road, he suddenly asked Wang Er, who was carrying a lantern, “How long have you been with the Wei family?”

“Master, I entered the Wei family at the age of five,” Wang Er replied truthfully. “Now, it’s been a whole thirty years.”

“Alright.”

Wei Changtian nodded, then straightforwardly asked, “Do you think you would ever betray the Wei family?”

“Absolutely impossible!”

Although the question seemed absurd, Wang Er answered firmly without hesitation, “Master, although I am not very capable, I am a member of the Wei family in life and a ghost of the Wei family in death! Even if you ask me to kill the emperor right now, I will never frown!”

Wei Changtian nodded. “I trust your loyalty to the Wei family. But…”

“What if I want you to only be loyal to me in the future?”

“…”

Being loyal to the Wei family versus being loyal to the Wei family’s sole heir.

At first glance, it seemed there was no difference between the two.

But Wang Er understood the distinction.

The flame in the lantern trembled suddenly, plunging the surroundings into a dead silence.

After some time passed, a single sentence broke the darkness.

“Yes, Master.”