Henwell releases his grip. Lucy colpses to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath for a long moment.

  Tears streak her face as she shouts at Henwell, “You look down on us women! What choice do I have? I’m not like you. This is an Eastern country, I can’t build my own power base. I have to rely on a reliable prince to gain as much control over the empire as possible. Since they’re all princes, why shouldn’t I pick the one I like?”

  Henwell shakes his head. “You don’t need to expin this to me. It’s none of my business. Whatever choices you make are your own. You have options, you don’t have to take this path. You could just be a peaceful consort or empress. The higher-ups even tolerate some investment failures.”

  ”But you can’t have it both ways. You enjoy the privileges granted by them, yet you want to chase your own happiness. That’s a huge mistake. You live too comfortably.”

  ”You don’t understand the path we’re on, it’s a road where the whole world is against us. Wanting happiness isn’t wrong, but you shouldn’t expect us to help you achieve it. We work for the higher-ups, not for you. You still don’t get that difference?”

  Lucy gets up from the ground. “I’m waiting for the emperor to pass away and be id to rest. Then I need you to hold off the pace’s royal warriors. The mission will be completed soon, you just need to wait a little longer. After that, you can leave. Like you said, this is my business, and if the higher-ups punish me, that’s my problem too.”

  Henwell returns to his seat. “The timeline?”

  “The emperor has been slowly poisoned, at most a year left. Then we’ll rise up.”

  Henwell nods. “Alright. I’ll stay in the capital during that time. You’ll be able to find me. If you don’t bother me, I won’t interfere with your affairs.”

  After Lucy leaves, Henwell rubs his forehead. He finally understands what this ‘helping’ mission really means.

  Helping Lucy—

  Not indulging her reckless whims, but helping her come back from a crooked path.

  That’s a lot more complicated!

  Changing a person’s heart is far harder than cutting down an enemy.

  Fortunately, Henwell and his team have already made some arrangements in advance; otherwise, it might take another three years.

  Henwell pns to use Cao Mingzhi as a stepping stone to enter the turbulent capital.

  He will draw all attention to himself, especially Lucy’s attention.

  Henwell isn’t worried about Lucy betraying him.

  If she dares, the higher-ups will immediately lock her memories and erase all assistance to her.

  Then Henwell only has to deal with a clever noblewoman, and he has plenty of means for that.

  The next day, Henwell disappears into the estate, heading to the contact point to share the new intelligence he’s gathered with his comrades.

  After learning the news, everyone feels overwhelmed but can only bury themselves in their tasks.

  On the third day, someone comes to visit Henwell.

  It’s none other than Cao Mingzhi, whom Henwell has been waiting for a long time.

  Cao Mingzhi looks worn out, surrounded by a rge group of guards.

  But among them, only four are Entry Rank, and there isn’t a single Second Rank Martial Warrior.

  Clearly, his father, Cao Yu, has limited manpower to deploy and too many people to protect.

  There’s Cao Yu’s own safety to consider, the security of the mansion, and the eldest son’s protection as well.

  The other children are even confined at home to prevent any accidents.

  Upon seeing Henwell, Cao Mingzhi immediately steps forward and grabs Henwell’s arm. “Henwell, please save my life!”

  Henwell raises an eyebrow. “What? Are there still vilins daring to attack you nowadays?”

  Cao Mingzhi’s voice cracks with desperation. “Henwell, I’m on the brink of death right now. I have no one else to turn to but you!”

  Henwell invites him inside the estate. “Why do you say that?”

  “Henwell, the enemy failed st time, but there will definitely be more assassination attempts. I can’t stay in the mansion because the target is me. If I stay, I might endanger my mother and siblings. I may not be a good person, but I won’t risk the lives of my closest family!”

  ”Yet many of the top fighters in the capital have been called away, and I don’t dare to invite unknown people. The only one I can think of is you, Henwell. Not to mention your guards are all experts, you yourself are a hidden powerhouse!”

  Henwell asks in surprise, “To be honest, you don’t really know me either. Strictly speaking, I’m also someone with an unknown background. If you don’t trust others, why do you trust me? Aren’t you afraid I might have some bigger scheme and am deliberately getting close to you?”

  Cao Mingzhi slumps into a chair, waving weakly. “Henwell, don’t joke with a foolish younger brother. If you were in cahoots with the vilins, you could have just stood by that night instead of stepping in to save me! As for whether you have some grand scheme, that’s none of my business. I just need to know you won’t harm me.”

  Henwell remains silent. Cao Mingzhi stands up and says, “If you’re willing to help, Henwell, I’m ready to pay ten thousand gold to repay you!”

  Henwell lifts his teacup and takes a gentle sip. “Though we’re not reted by blood, meeting each other is fate. We’ve had good conversations, so I recognize you as a friend.”

  The unspoken meaning is clear: we’re just friends, and matters of life and death aren’t something I care about.

  Henwell continues, “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but this situation runs very deep. Whoever is behind it is a powerful force.”

  ”If I step in to protect you, I’m making deadly enemies. After they’re severely damaged, they might not be able to retaliate, but for me, a nameless outsider, it would be an easy target.”

  The message is even clearer: your money isn’t enough.

  Cao Mingzhi hesitates a moment, then grits his teeth. “Thirty thousand gold.”

  Henwell shakes his head. “One hundred thousand gold. And I want an official position, at least eighth rank in the capital.”

  Cao Mingzhi freezes, then suddenly stands with a furious expression. “If you doesn’t want to help, fine. But why toy with me? One hundred thousand gold? Even if I sell off my family’s assets, I can’t come up with that!”

  ”And an eighth-rank official post in the capital? You know that in other provinces, that’s equivalent to a sixth-rank real position! If I had that kind of power, what expert wouldn’t I be able to hire? Why would I come here to be toyed with?”

  Henwell sets down his teacup, lightly tapping the table. “Calm down and hear me out. Just tell your family about this. If I’m not mistaken, your father will agree.”

  Cao Mingzhi looks at Henwell seriously, filled with doubt. “How do you know my father will agree? He’s not even part of the Ministry of Personnel. How could he have that authority? Besides, appointments in the capital are closely watched. Even the smallest official post is fought over by powerful factions. My father may be a third rank official, but he can hardly get involved in this.”

  Henwell smiles. “Heh... Don’t you trust me? This is the start of mutual trust. Just go and talk. Whether your father agrees or not, I will protect you for now.”