Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess-Chapter 106 : It's Decided! Go Eliminate Her!

'No, I didn't even go out! Don't talk nonsense!!'
Yun Juan looked at the morning tabloid, her vision darkening.
Heaven knows, she had been focusing on recovery these past few days. How could she have had the opportunity to cause trouble?
I was so severely injured a few days ago that I could barely leave the house or fight, and now you're slandering me, claiming I went out to kill people?!!!
Yun Juan felt extremely wronged.
My injuries have indeed improved significantly, but even so, I wouldn't kill people at this time?
Isn't that slapping the Six Bureaus in the face?
I'm not some lunatic obsessed with making Great Xia's violent law enforcement lose face. I'm an assassin, an assassin who completes missions. Why would I risk killing people like this?
You're slandering me!!!
Though it was autumn and early morning, with cool weather, Yun Juan's face was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
She was completely drenched in sweat.
She flipped through the tabloid, which expressed extreme dissatisfaction with her "vile actions," criticizing her in every way possible, just short of calling her Heyang's most malicious, cruel, and despicable terrorist in recent times.
Everyone should kill her on sight!
'Come on, I'm just an assassin…'
Yun Juan was bewildered and hurriedly checked several other morning papers from different publishers. Although they weren't as radical as the first tabloid, they also seemed inclined to attribute this matter to her.
'Who's throwing mud at me?'
Yun Juan's expression became grave as she carefully studied last night's victims, trying to find some pattern.
Three people had died: one from Prince Qi's faction, one close to the Crown Prince, and an official who actively advocated for war and had a tacit relationship with their side...
'What pattern could there be?'
Yun Juan frowned. If she had to say...
'These people all had poor reputations? These three, regardless of which one, seem to be the kind with many dark secrets, though not enough for capital punishment, and they were all shrewd.'
'But what does that indicate? That the assassin is kindhearted, eliminating evildoers for the people?'
Looking at the news in the tabloid, her heart gradually sank.
She seemed completely unable to find any commonalities among the people the assassin had killed, to identify a hidden beneficiary. This was terrifying.
'The other side came prepared. This was deliberate!'
'But I'm just an assassin. Why target me like this? Could it be that they know who's behind me?'
Yun Juan thought.
A mysterious chill and coldness slowly rose from her heart.ity's greatest fear is the unknown. An unknown enemy who seemed to have targeted her was enough to make anyone's blood run cold.
Most crucially, she had absolutely no clue about this!!
"Who is it?!!"
At this moment, the black-robed figure who usually appeared breezy, as if everything was under control, also came over with heavy steps, a gloomy face, and an aura of overwhelming pressure.
"You, have you seen the newspaper?"
"I have." Yun Juan lowered her head, suddenly feeling her throat dry.
The black-robed figure nodded and asked gravely: "What do you think?"
Yun Juan didn't answer. Being questioned like this by her superior, her mind went completely blank, and she truly didn't know how to respond satisfactorily.
Useless thing!
Looking at his subordinate's reaction, the black-robed figure cursed inwardly, but didn't show it.
Because his heart was also filled with uncertainty.
A few days ago, when the Six Bureaus began to publicly hunt his subordinate, he had considered that someone might use Yun Juan's name to intimidate others.
But he hadn't cared.
In Heyang's vast population of over a million, there would always be a few eccentrics.
At such a time, if you impersonate Yun Juan, an assassin who has infuriated the Six Bureaus, wouldn't you receive top-level case treatment?
In fact, he wasn't wrong. Over the past few days, several overconfident thieves had been thrown into the Six Bureaus' prison, crying and wailing, for impersonating Yun Juan.
But he hadn't expected that someone would actually dare to make such a bold move at this time.
And kill three officials in one night?
Weren't they afraid of the Six Bureaus?
It should be noted that during this sensitive period, even fourth-rank experts like him were reluctant to kill, fearing the Six Bureaus' attention and the Chief Constable's lightning strike.
But now, someone was risking their life to frame another?
Were they truly unafraid of death, or...
"Are you sure you didn't leave any clues that day that could reveal you're one of us?" The black-robed figure really couldn't understand.
"I only said one sentence that day!" Yun Juan felt wronged.
Surely they couldn't have identified her identity from her appearance? Weren't all normal assassins dressed in black with masks?
"This..."
The black-robed figure hesitated.
But if the other party didn't know who the assassin was at all, why would they take such a big risk to stir up trouble? What were they aiming for?
At this moment, looking at the freshly printed morning tabloid, the black-robed figure's gaze was gloomy and slightly unfocused, as if he could already see what kind of uproar this news had caused outside.
'Who exactly is it?'
His expression was extremely unpleasant.
○
Heyang hunting grounds, royal lodge.
Mu Qinglan leaned back in her royal-supplied lounge chair, holding the morning paper urgently delivered by servants, squinting her eyes, and taking a sip of tea with satisfaction.
'Finally taken action?'
'It seems Zhu Yan restrained herself, killing only three in one night. She's probably considering that the assassin wouldn't be that efficient. Not bad. The Bai family is also cooperating well. Having someone in the publishing house has been a great help.'
Otherwise, guiding public opinion would be a bit troublesome.
She looked at the morning paper, thinking with a smile.
Killing three people in one night wasn't Zhu Yan's limit, but the assassin's limit.
Though sixth rank was strong, it wasn't omnipotent. To assassinate secretly in Heyang City during these vigilant days, killing three officials residing in the city in one night was about the limit.
Or rather, even while being hunted, still diligently killing people—that was the true provocation.
"You don't want attention? I'll help you get it."
Mu Qinglan casually folded the tabloid, placed it on the table, and then pressed her teacup on top of it.
The behind-the-scenes manipulator stirring up trouble in Heyang City was, of course, her. But who told the other side to offend her first? Being under Prince Li and still daring to act arrogantly under her nose, they should have this awareness.
The awareness of being killed by her.
Zhu Yan's actions last night were the result of communication between them long ago.
It was now the third day of the autumn hunt. The first day was spent dealing with miscellaneous matters and hosting a banquet for simple mutual introductions. The second day was the formal hunt.
Though Mu Qinglan's health was poor, she still attended to observe, accompanying Jiang He to simply appreciate the magnificent spectacle of the group hunt.
She maintained a smile throughout.
When Mu Qinglan wasn't showing her bad woman side, she was very emotionally intelligent. Everyone who came to chat with her, as long as they weren't particularly disliked by Mu Qinglan, had a feeling—
'This child is really nice!'
With her eloquence and appearance as a frail beauty, she had left a deep impression on everyone.
This further reinforced a fact—
These two days, Mu Qinglan had been staying at the hunting grounds with no opportunity to issue external orders.
To protect the safety of the high officials in the hunting lodge, once inside the hunting grounds, no one was allowed to leave midway unless the event ended or there was an emergency. This was to prevent accidents.
In Great Xia's history, there had been incidents of assassinations taking advantage of this point.
So security was strict.
Mu Qinglan's advance planning had undoubtedly taken advantage of this point.
I've been in the hunting grounds! How could I possibly be the mastermind behind this?
Certainly, this kind of thing couldn't eliminate suspicion entirely. But regardless, she had escaped the first wave of attention from her opponents.
'From now on, I won't give them a chance to notice me.'
Mu Qinglan thought coldly.
Although this was just a collaborative setup using connections, she had carefully considered it for two days.
With her familiarity with the storyline, understanding of her opponents, combined with the Bai family's connections and Zhu Yan's strength, this plan was almost a perfect kill.
Now it was just a matter of seeing how the other side would react.
But it didn't matter.
Because no matter what, they couldn't change any of this.
Under her deliberate promotion, even if the Six Bureaus and Heyang's powerful figures had suspicions now, as the death toll increased, they would likely stop thinking about these minor details.
And the person involved couldn't exactly jump out to prove their innocence.
So...
'This is the price of offending me, heh.'
As she was thinking about these things, Jiang He knocked on the door, and after receiving an affirmative response, pushed it open.
"You're awake!" Jiang He's eyes brightened slightly, her somewhat cool face showing a bit of happiness.
"I woke up earlier today," Mu Qinglan said.
She wouldn't say that she had gotten up early to admire her own work. That would sound too narcissistic.
Jiang He didn't doubt her and placed the morning paper in her hand on the table, asking:
"Have you seen the morning paper?"
Mu Qinglan glanced at her, understanding: "Not yet."
She wouldn't say she had already seen it, only that she hadn't, then let Jiang He read it to her word by word.
Wouldn't this create a common topic?
Tricking a young girl—no, making friends—the most important thing is to find a common topic. With a common topic, and if the person doesn't dislike you, then all subsequent developments follow naturally.
"Then let me tell you." Jiang He narrowed her eyes and said.
Mu Qinglan nodded, leaning back in her lounge chair, quietly listening to Jiang He's brief summary.
Finally, Jiang He said:
"That assassin is so arrogant. When you go back, will she target you?"
"Don't worry, she's being so provocative that the Six Bureaus won't sit idle. She might not even survive until then," Mu Qinglan smiled and answered.
"True."
Jiang He nodded. An assassin who escaped the Six Bureaus' manhunt and an assassin who luckily escaped but then brazenly returned were two completely different entities.
The former, though rare, wasn't unheard of.
But the latter...
It was said that within the hunting grounds, people had already set up betting pools on how many days the assassin could last under the Six Bureaus' high-intensity patrol.
"By the way, we'll probably return in about three days. According to family intentions, it seems we'll go back in batches over three days. We're on the second day."
"That's fine."
○
Around the same time.
In Heyang City, the Bai family.
The current head of the Bai family looked at the morning paper in his hand and couldn't help but sigh:
"That Princess Mu's move is truly..."
"Bold," Old Master Bai completed the sentence with a somewhat complex expression.
He had never imagined that this young person would have such courage, daring to provoke even when the Six Bureaus was furious.
Two days ago, when Mu Qinglan came to ask for their help in spreading public opinion, the two Bai family leaders already knew that this matter was undoubtedly connected to Mu Qinglan.
They had agreed at the time.
But when they actually saw the newspaper, they suddenly realized just how significant her actions were.
"This is the Six Bureaus... By the way, how's the publishing house? There won't be any problems, right?"
Old Master Bai asked.
This newspaper couldn't be separated from the Bai family, as it was they who had instructed a writer from a Bai family branch at the publishing house to write about this incident.
"There won't be," the Bai family head shook his head. "I personally instructed him, and he knows how to handle it."
"That's good. Since they trust us so much, we can't let them down..."
The Bai family head was silent.
This was a huge gamble. It was precisely because he knew how powerful the Six Bureaus was and how formidable second-rank strength could be that he had sent his daughter to the Six Bureaus, where she was taken as a disciple by Chief Constable Su He, an old acquaintance of Old Master Bai.
In his view, if the Six Bureaus truly became angry, finding the assassin would only be a matter of time.
After all, the second-rank Chief Constable hadn't even taken action yet...
The methods of a second-rank expert were not something ordinary people could imagine.
And as for Princess Mu's plan, he wasn't optimistic about it. But since she had shown great favor to the Bai family, even if the plan was discovered, it would at most result in criticism rather than death. That's why the Bai family had obediently cooperated.
"Let's just consider it a big gamble."
The Bai family head sighed, not knowing whether his choice was right or wrong.
"Let's see how the Six Bureaus reacts."
Old Master Bai neither agreed nor disagreed.
But what no one expected was that even after three days, the Six Bureaus still hadn't caught the cunning assassin.
In fact, as time passed, she had killed six more people.
An average of two each night!
This was definitely not a small number, because although Heyang had a large population of millions, the proportion of officials was quite small.
For ordinary people, it was just entertainment, something to gossip about.
But for officials, it was different.
After all, there were only so many officials in Heyang. Who knew if they would be next!
Even the high-ranking officials couldn't sleep well these days. Despite the strict security measures at officials' homes, the assassin could still kill as easily as if entering unoccupied territory.
Was their defense truly effective?
Under this series of impacts, the Six Bureaus faced even more impeachment in court, increasing the pressure.
Even the Sixteen Guards responsible for maintaining Heyang's security now operated throughout the night, moving back and forth during curfew to protect the safety of the dignitaries.
"Constable Shen, these are today's victims. Please review."
In the Six Bureaus, a tired constable handed over documents, speaking softly.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"What are you saying? Catching the assassin is more important, and haven't you been resting even later than us these past few days?" The subordinate shook her head.
Shen Yao didn't say anything, scanning the documents before dismissing her.
Then, a trace of helplessness appeared on her face.
The Six Bureaus' recent overtime was real, but to say they absolutely couldn't prevent the culprit's arrogance wasn't accurate. At the very least, if Su He were willing to focus on large areas of the city at night, he would eventually encounter the assassin in action.
Although Zhu Yan's destiny trait was suitable for assassination, allowing her, even at the eighth rank, to accomplish what even a sixth-rank couldn't.
But in front of a second-rank expert, this method was too naive.
And at that time...
However, before Zhu Yan took action, Mu Qinglan had already visited her master at the Six Bureaus.
Though the process was unknown, from the result, Shen Yao had executed Mu Qinglan's will—stalling, making threatening statements, preferably making others feel the Six Bureaus was angry.
Shen Yao could accept this outcome.
After all, the people who died weren't important figures, just scum.
She had never particularly liked Great Xia. Unless someone was indiscriminately slaughtering civilians, Shen Yao secretly rejoiced at the death of most officials in Heyang.
It was just a pity for the Six Bureaus constables.
These past few days, they had been exhausted.
Fortunately, if Mu Qinglan's plan succeeded, they would also share in a considerable achievement.
It wasn't a complete waste of effort.
The assassin would certainly be caught, but before that, her value needed to be slightly enhanced.
That way she could be fully utilized.
○
Compared to Shen Yao's current headache, in the southern part of the city, the assassin lady who had now gained complete notoriety in Heyang was in a state of terror.
"Stay away from me!!"
She looked at the morning paper, psychologically extremely resistant.
She had indeed been a bit arrogant before, but hadn't she corrected herself now?
And she hadn't done anything major, recently only assassinating a warden as ordered. Although that person had complex connections, he wasn't an important figure, the kind who wouldn't make a splash even if thrown into a crowd.
How had she provoked such malice?
Look at how the morning papers referred to her: the most vicious criminal in nearly ten years! A terrifying assassin that even the Six Bureaus couldn't handle!
She was just a sixth-rank expert. What qualifications did she have for such titles?!!!
She had thought about becoming famous, perhaps by killing a major figure or gradually growing to become Prince Li's right hand.
But... she had never imagined it would be in this manner?!!!
"What exactly...?"
While Yun Juan was lost in thought, not knowing she had been chosen by Mu Qinglan as a stepping stone to strike at her opponents, the room door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.
The black-robed figure's face was gloomy, clutching the morning paper:
"You've seen it all, right? How they refer to you in the papers."
"...Yes." Yun Juan's face was full of bitterness.
"Since they say such things about you, go do something big!"
The black-robed figure said fiercely. Clearly, his "subordinate's" fame over these past few days had made him psychologically unstable. He was now desperate to get rid of Yun Juan, this hot potato, at any cost.
Look at this attitude!
Who knew if the Six Bureaus Chief Constable might suddenly come looking for them!
"You've seen all the intelligence on Mu Qinglan, right? We have information that she will be in the second batch of returning groups tomorrow."
"Follow her, find an opportunity, and take her out!"