Chapter 590: Taking the Queen
Liu Mei looked at the queen who was angry at her. Liu Mei opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but the queen was still angry.

Since you told him to go away, then let him go!
After Liu Mei led the others to leave the side hall, she said to Lin Hao:

"Marquis Jing'an is so good at tricking me!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!" Lin Hao said indifferently.

"Tell me, what do you want in exchange for handing over the real Night Banquet Painting to me?"

"Alas, if the Queen doesn't intend to kill me today to silence me, someone will hand the real painting to you tomorrow morning!"

"What a shame!" Lin Hao sighed and said with a look of deep sorrow: "What a shame, your Majesty's actions really make me feel disappointed!"

Although Lin Hao's acting skills were impeccable, Liu Wan didn't believe a single punctuation mark in his lies.

Just looking at Lin Hao's performance today, and how he remained calm even when he knew that there were soldiers lying in ambush, and even had the mood to tease himself.

She knew that even if she didn't intend to kill to silence the witness, Lin Hao would not obediently hand over the real painting. Liu Wan was proud of herself and always had an accurate judgement of people.

Therefore, she dared to guarantee with Liu Mei's life that she would not be wrong.

"Marquis Jing'an has misunderstood." Liu Wan smiled and said:

"I was just joking with you just now. You are the Marquis of the Song Dynasty. You are hereditary and share the same fate with the country. Who would dare to kill you except for the crime of treason?"

"Even if I really killed you, I wouldn't be able to explain to the whole court, right?"

Tsk tsk, looking at this woman who tells lies with open eyes and doesn't even blush when she lies, she is worthy of being the queen, this is what she is like.

"Please forgive me, Queen. I am naturally timid and cannot play such a deadly joke!"

You dare to ask me to sing and dance for you, and you actually have the nerve to say that you are timid. Do you have any shame?

Liu Wan was too lazy to beat around the bush and directly put forward her own conditions, advising the government to promote Lin Hao.
However, no matter what Liu Wan said or what conditions she offered, Lin Hao refused to give in.

Finally, Liu Wan asked angrily:

"This won't work, and that won't work either. So what do you want, Yue Anhou?"

"It's not that I don't want to hand over the Night Banquet Picture to Your Majesty, it's just that I'm afraid that Your Majesty will kill me to silence me!"

"I promise I won't kill you to silence you. If you don't believe me, you can swear to heaven!" Liu Wan promised immediately.

"Haha, Your Majesty, do you believe in oaths?" Lin Hao said with a smile.

"Of course~!" Liu Wan wanted to say that she believed it, but under Lin Hao's teasing gaze, she really couldn't say anything. They were all smart people, who would believe such nonsense?
Well, she only believed in herself and didn't believe in any bullshit oaths.

But in this way, the conversation between the two fell into a vicious circle.

Liu Wan wanted the Night Banquet Picture, but Lin Hao refused to give it to her, saying that he was afraid Liu Wan would kill someone to silence them.

Just when he was getting impatient and about to lose control, Lin Hao suddenly said:

"In fact, I have a solution that can achieve the best of both worlds."

"What method?" Liu Wan asked quickly.

"If we both get fatal evidence against each other, and it leaks out, it will cost both of our lives!"

"In this way, I can safely hand over the Night Banquet Painting to Your Majesty!"

After hearing Lin Hao's words, Liu Wan's eyes lit up and she felt that this was a good idea.

But Liu Wan soon frowned:
"It's easy to say, but where can we find evidence that can kill both of us and give the other party a chance to grab our hands on us?"

"This is easy!" Lin Hao grinned and guided him step by step:
"For example, if your Majesty and I do something at the same time, and if the Emperor knows about it, he will definitely be furious, right?"

"For example?" Liu Wan was puzzled, or she simply didn't dare to think about it that way.

"Hehe~, just like this~!" Lin Hao grinned wickedly, and finally revealed his true intention. He took a step forward and hugged Liu Wan in his arms.

"How outrageous!" Liu Wan was furious that as the empress, she was hugged by a man other than the emperor.

Then he tried to push Lin Hao away and said angrily:

"Marquis Jing'an, you are so bold that you dare to disrespect me. This is a serious crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family."

Although Queen Liu Wan's reaction was so strong, Lin Hao was not panicked at all.

"Shh~!" Lin Hao raised his index finger, gently pressed it against Liu Wan's lips and said:
"Queen, keep your voice down. Commander Liu and the Imperial Guards are still guarding outside the door! You don't want our affair to be known to everyone, do you?"

As he spoke, Lin Hao pushed the queen against the wall and whispered in her ear:

"What if the government finds out~!"

Liu Wan's pretty face twitched when she heard that. There was clearly nothing going on between the two of them, so why did Lin Hao make it sound as if they were having an affair?
But their postures are indeed easy to be misunderstood.

However, at this moment, Liu Mei, who had just been scolded by Liu Wan and was guarding outside the hall, heard her scolding and was about to push the door open.

"What happened to the queen?"

"Is it that Marquis Jing'an is disrespectful to you? If he dares to be disrespectful to the Queen, I will skin him alive!" The guy said as he was about to push the door open.

When Liu Wan heard this, she was shocked. Although she and Lin Hao were innocent, Lin Hao was holding her tightly and refused to let go. If someone saw this scene, it would be hard to explain.

So Liu Wan hurriedly said: "I'm fine, you don't need to come in!"

"Your Majesty, after much thought, I still feel that it is not safe for you to be alone with a traitor like Marquis Jing'an. How about letting me come in and protect your safety?"

Just outside the door, Liu Mei was heard flattering him to show her loyalty and was about to come in.

So Liu Wan didn't care about Lin Hao's frivolous behavior towards her, and said to Liu Mei in a bad tone:

"No need, you're just here~, uh-huh~!"

Liu Mei originally wanted to let Liu Mei just guard outside the door, but something unexpected happened at this time.

It turned out that Lin Hao was no longer satisfied with just hugging, so Liu Wan glared at Lin Hao with some embarrassment and anger.

This guy is so bold that his claws have already reached her bottom line.

Liu Wan paused, and quickly continued to instruct:
"You and the Imperial Guards must retreat outside the palace and guard it. Anyone who steps forward without my order will be killed!"

"Hmm~ Listen, have you arrived yet?"

Liu Mei didn't understand why the Queen Mother gave such an order. The distance was so far, and if Marquis Jing'an had any bad intentions, he might not be able to hear the Queen Mother even if she called for help.

However, as the queen's number one lackey, he still obeyed:

"Wei Chen obeys!"

Liu Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief after Liu Mei and his men walked away. However, she did not notice that Liu Mei, who was standing outside the hall, had never come close to her from beginning to end.

And "Liu Mei" outside was also talking to her outside the door and had no intention of coming in.

Lin Hao's eyes flashed, and he continued to block Liu Mei and the imperial guards who were guarding the door for him outside. Lin Hao looked at the beautiful queen and showed a triumphant smile.

After Liu Mei and others left, he used his illusion skills to create other illusions and let them keep watch outside.

At this time, Queen Liu Wan breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned around and said:

"Marquis Jing'an, you are so bold!"

"Hehe, Your Majesty may not know this, but my greatest strength is not my courage!"

At this time, the Queen's eyes moved, and her eyelids sank slightly as she glanced at him, but she asked knowingly:

"what is that?"

"You'll know soon enough!"

······
I don’t know how long it took, but standing ten steps away from the palace, the queen’s ex-husband Liu Mei felt that his legs were almost numb.

"I wonder what the Queen is plotting with that Lin guy?"

"Why did it take so long?"

Liu Mei was a little indignant. As the Queen's brother, given their relationship, was there anything he couldn't listen to?

About another hour later, the sky had already brightened slightly, but neither Liu Mei nor the Imperial Guards seemed to notice the change in the sky.

Just at this moment, Liu Mei heard the sound of the door opening, and saw the Queen and Lin Hao walking out one after another.

So Liu Mei hurried over to Liu Wan and asked with concern:

"Are you okay, Madam?"

"Do you think I'm in trouble?" Liu Wan said calmly.

Liu Wan thought to herself that she was not only fine, but she was in a better place than ever before. She had lived for thirty years, and only now did she know what true happiness was. She felt as if the first thirty years of her life had been lived in vain.

Especially since she was the queen, and the person she spent the night with last night was not the emperor, but her ex-husband who was keeping watch for her, it felt extremely exciting.

When Liu Mei looked up, he found that the Queen seemed different from before, but he couldn't tell exactly what was different.

It seemed that the Queen's complexion was much better than before. Her face was rosy, as if she was a flower that had been fertilized. Her whole body became radiant.

There is a dazzling feeling.

At this time, Lin Hao was in the sage time, so he said with some boredom:
"Your Majesty, I will take my leave now!"

"Wait a minute!" Liu Wan quickly called out to Lin Hao.

"Does the Queen have any other instructions?" Lin Hao asked puzzledly.

Liu Wan carried Liu Mei on her back and whispered softly in Lin Hao's ear:
"Come back tomorrow night. I have something to discuss with you!"

Tsk tsk, this woman has tasted the sweetness! Lin Hao smiled proudly.

······
It was almost dawn when Lin Hao returned to the Marquis's Mansion.

But when passing by Zhao Paner's yard, he found that the light in her room was still on.

Seeing this, Lin Hao couldn't help but walk over to see what this girl was doing instead of sleeping.

At this time, Zhao Pan'er was pacing back and forth in the room, looking very worried.

So Lin Hao pushed the door open and walked in:
"What's wrong? You look so disturbed?"

However, when seeing Lin Hao, Zhao Pan'er was stunned at first. The next moment Lin Hao only smelled a gust of fragrant wind, and then there was a beautiful woman in his arms.

"You are finally back!" Zhao Pan'er said in a crying voice:

"Do you know how worried I was about you when you were gone all night? I was afraid that the people from the Imperial City Bureau would rush in and confiscate our house the next moment!"

Zhao Pan'er was already worried because Lin Hao had taken a fake picture of a night banquet to deceive the Queen. However, Zhao Pan'er waited and waited but Lin Hao did not come back.

The longer Zhao Pan'er waited, the more scared she became, fearing that Lin Hao would be exposed and would never come back.

"Be good, don't cry. I'm back safe and sound." Lin Hao patted Zhao Paner's back gently and comforted her softly.

"You are not allowed to do this kind of thing again in the future. Do you hear me?" Zhao Pan'er thought that it was okay now, but who could guarantee that the fake night banquet picture would not be discovered by the Queen?
So she had to hurry up and get the real painting back, otherwise she would always feel uneasy.

"Oh, what are you doing?"

Originally, Zhao Pan'er was leaning on Lin Hao's shoulder, thinking about how to get the real Night Banquet Picture back from Ouyang Xu as quickly as possible, but suddenly she felt something was wrong.

Lin Hao's claws were a little dishonest, so he pushed Lin Hao away and said with some shame and anger:
"It's already this late. The Imperial City Bureau could come to confiscate your property and exterminate your clan at any time. Do you still have the heart to think about these messed up things?"

However, Lin Hao smiled and said:

"Don't worry, I have the final say in the Imperial City Division now. Who dares to raid my house?"

"Are you also from the Imperial City Bureau?" Zhao Pan'er frowned and looked at Lin Hao, instinctively wanting to push Lin Hao away.

"It wasn't like that before!" Lin Hao knew that Zhao Pan'er hated the people from the Imperial City Division the most, so he explained:
"But I was instrumental in finding the Night Banquet Map, so the government gave me the management of the Imperial City Division!"

Knowing that Lin Hao was not a member of the Imperial City Division before, he was relieved, but still said:
"The Imperial City Division is not a good place~!"

Zhao Pan'er wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Lin Hao:
"Okay, I haven't slept all night, I'm so sleepy, let's not talk about these unhappy things, let me have a good sleep first~!"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Hao picked up Zhao Paner in a princess hug.

"No!" Zhao Pan'er's face flushed with shame and she pressed her hands tightly against Lin Hao's chest, struggling and saying:

"Everything else can be discussed, but this one thing cannot be discussed before the wedding!"

"This is my bottom line!" Zhao Paner said firmly.

Bottom line? Lin Hao was speechless. Isn't the bottom line meant to be broken through?
He had just crossed the Queen's bottom line, and the Queen, having tasted the sweetness, asked him to go find her tonight.

"I swear on my character that I will just hold you and never do anything else!" Lin Hao vowed.

"This~!" Zhao Pan'er looked at Lin Hao hesitantly.

If it was just hugging, she could still accept it, but what about Lin Hao's character?
What kind of character can be said about a person who dares to deceive even the current emperor and the queen?

"If you don't believe me, I can swear to God~!" Lin Hao said solemnly.

"No need!" People of this era are more superstitious, and Zhao Pan'er also believes in vows of eternal love.

Therefore, before Lin Hao could finish his words, Zhao Pan'er covered his mouth with her bare hands, and then she said coquettishly:
"I believe you, don't swear nonsense!"

"But you still can't sleep here with me~!"

Before Lin Hao could finish his words, he hugged Zhao Paner and lay directly on the bed, pressing her so hard that she couldn't struggle.

"Don't~!"

However, Lin Hao shamelessly nudged himself towards Zhao Pan'er, and then she heard Lin Hao really begin to sleep soundly, which made Zhao Pan'er angry and amused.

She had no choice but to let Lin Hao do what he wanted. However, the only thing that made Zhao Pan'er feel relieved was that Lin Hao kept his word and really didn't touch her.

However, although Zhao Pan'er was relieved, she still felt a little disappointed.

After all, how can you sleep with such a beautiful woman lying next to you?

If Lin Hao knew what Zhao Paner was thinking, he would definitely jump on the horse without saying a word.

Of course, the reason why he did nothing was because he ate too much last night. At the same time, he felt that Zhao Paner's personality was too strong, and forcing her might only backfire.

It would be better to boil the frog in warm water. Just hold the baby while sleeping today, and then you can touch him/her tomorrow. Then the day after tomorrow, you may not need to wear clothes when sleeping.

This kind of thing has to be done step by step. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, just like Song Yinzhang.

The more Lin Hao didn't eat her, the more attached she became to him. She even acted like she could take whatever she wanted from him, often deliberately seducing him.

······
When Lin Hao woke up, it was already noon.

At this time, Zhao Pan'er was no longer around, and Lin Hao didn't think much about it. He prepared to go back to his yard to take a shower and change clothes.

As a result, as soon as he went out, he ran into Song Yinzhang.

"Sir? How did you get out of Sister Pan'er's room?" Song Yinzhang asked knowingly.

"Oh, I'm here to look for Pan'er too, but she doesn't seem to be in the room. Do you know where she went?" Lin Hao said casually.

"Is that so?" Song Yinzhang immediately smiled brightly and said:
"I haven't seen Sister Pan'er all day. I just learned a new song and wanted to let Sister Pan'er listen to it and give me some advice!"

"But since Sister Pan'er is not here, how about you give me some pointers, young master?"

As he spoke, Song Yinzhang looked at Lin Hao expectantly.

Seeing Song Yinzhang's expectant eyes, how could Lin Hao refuse such a small request? He readily agreed:

"Okay!"

"But go back and wait for me first, I'll come find you later!"

"Okay!" Song Yinzhang agreed happily.

However, after Lin Hao turned around and left, the bright smile on the girl's face disappeared completely in an instant, and was replaced by a look of melancholy.

Do you really think she is stupid?

Lin Hao looked like he had just woken up, which showed that he had clearly slept in Zhao Paner's room, she just didn't point it out.

"I didn't expect that he has already been with Sister Pan'er~!" Song Yinzhang bit her teeth lightly, stood there for a long time, and then muttered to herself.

"Come on, Song Yinzhang, you can do it."

Although he discovered that Lin Hao and Zhao Pan'er had developed to the point of sleeping together, Song Yinzhang had no intention of giving up.

She knew that she couldn't compete with Zhao Pan'er, but she never thought about competing with Zhao Pan'er for anything from beginning to end.

As long as she could be Lin Hao's concubine, she would be satisfied, so there was no conflict between the two.

On the other side, Lin Hao returned to his yard, took a shower, and changed his clothes.

After everything was done, he was going to look for Song Yinzhang, but just as he left the room, the housekeeper came hurriedly to report:

"My Lord, it's bad. Madam Zhao got into a conflict with someone!"

"What happened?" Lin Hao frowned. "Who did Pan'er have a conflict with? Is she injured?"

(End of this chapter)