The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 117 Muddy the Waters First

Cen Jiexiao curled the corners of her mouth, and a cunning light flashed in her eyes. Xiaozhi is a girl with a lot of clever ideas. When the two of them get together, they can really come up with a lot of "clever tricks".

"Xiaozhi, tell me, how are we going to sing this time?" Cen Jiexiao asked deliberately, as she liked to see Xiaozhi's cleverness.

"Dean, this time we have to do something big!" Xiaozhi rolled his eyes, leaned close to Sister Cen's ear, and said in a low voice, "Let's do..."

As soon as the words fell, the two looked at each other and smiled, everything was said without words.

The next day, Zhaoyin Academy's "Da Zhou Bao" published an article titled "Shocking! The president of Zhaoyin Academy was assassinated, suspected to be related to the court struggle!"

As soon as the article came out, the entire Linkang Prefecture was in an uproar.

"What? Dean Cen was assassinated? Who is so bold as to touch Dean Cen?!"

"Needless to say? This must have been done by those who disliked Dean Cen's reforms!"

"That's right! Dean Cen must have offended some corrupt officials for the sake of us ordinary people. Of course, those corrupt officials wish her dead!"

The people were filled with righteous indignation and rushed to the government office to protest, demanding a thorough investigation and severe punishment for the murderer.

"Sir! You have to make the decision for us! If anything happens to Dean Cen, what will happen to our children's education?"

"That's right! Sir! We can't afford to offend those corrupt officials. You have to stand up for us!"

The people were outraged, and the officials were also shocked by the scene. They quickly comforted them, saying, "Don't worry, we will investigate this matter thoroughly and will not tolerate any leniency!"

However, the people did not buy it and continued to gather at the government office, demanding an explanation.

At the same time, the news media department of Zhaoyin Academy was also busy. They made full use of their own advantages and quickly spread the news of Cen Jiexiao's assassination to the entire Linkang Prefecture. Even the surrounding towns knew about it.

"Breaking News! The dean of Zhaoyin Academy, Cen Jiexiao, was assassinated while protecting the emperor, and the murderer is still at large!"

"Latest news! The assassination of Dean Cen is full of suspicious points. The Queen Mother's party, the Xixiang envoys, and Liaodan spies are all suspects!"

"Shocking secret! The remnants of the Wa Nu Kingdom have resurrected, intending to assassinate Dean Cen and destroy the stability of the Great Zhou!"

For a time, all kinds of rumors were flying around, true and false, real and imaginary, causing panic among the people in the entire Linkang Prefecture.

The people were talking about it and speculating about the truth behind the incident.

"Hey, tell me, who did it this time?"

"Who knows? He's definitely not a good person!"

"I think it was most likely done by the Queen Mother's people! They've been displeased with Dean Cen for a long time!"

"It could also be the Xixiang envoys! They have ill intentions and might be trying to start a war between us and the Great Zhou!"

"They could also be spies from the Liaodan Kingdom! They've been eyeing us covetously, maybe trying to take advantage of the situation!"

"I think the most likely ones are the remnants of the Japanese slave nation! They are still determined to destroy us, and their evil intentions are still there!"

Various speculations were rampant, pointing the finger at the Queen Mother's party, the Xixiang envoys, Liaodan spies, and even the Wa Nu Kingdom was involved.

All of this was part of Cen Jiexiao and Xiaozhi's plan. Xiaozhi stood beside Cen Jiexiao, looking out the window at the bustling crowd and the newsboys hawking newspapers with Cen Jiexiao's portrait printed on them, his face filled with excitement and admiration.

"Dean, you're amazing! That's a brilliant move!" Xiaozhi couldn't help but give Cen Jiexiao a thumbs-up. "Right now, the entire Linkang Prefecture is buzzing with speculation about who's trying to assassinate you. The imperial court will surely be alerted and will have to send someone to investigate!"

Cen Jiexiao took a sip of tea, a confident smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were deep and firm.

"This is just the beginning," she said calmly, a cold glint in her eyes, "the best is yet to come."

Xiaozhi opened his eyes wide and asked curiously, "Dean, what other plans do you have?"

Cen Jiexiao put down her teacup and said slowly, "What we want is not only to attract the enemy's attention, but also to make them lose their composure and reveal their true intentions."

"Instead of passively waiting for them to investigate us, we should take the initiative and throw out a bait, making them think there are problems within us. Then they will fall into the trap themselves."

"This assassination attempt is a perfect opportunity. We want to convince the enemy that we don't have the key evidence, so we're promoting our lax defenses, allowing the assassin to sneak into Linkang Prefecture early. Any further action they take will inevitably reveal a flaw. There's no such thing as an impenetrable wall, so we'll reveal a flaw."

Xiaozhi nodded repeatedly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Inside the imperial study, Chai Zhen's fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, making a "tap-tap" sound, again and again, as if beating out a rhythm. His sharp gaze swept over the "Women's Youth Daily" in his hand, which prominently reported on the assassination of Cen Jiexiao. Various speculations about the murderer occupied most of the page.

"Cen Qing was assassinated, and the murderer is unknown. Rumors are spreading among the people, and there are many different opinions..." Chai Zhen put down the newspaper, with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Yao Chu, the commander of the Black Armor Guard, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the assassination of Dean Cen is indeed strange. Reports indicate that the assassin was highly skilled in martial arts. He was able to injure Dean Cen despite the heavy guards. He must have come prepared!"

Chai Zhen curled his lips into a cold smile and said calmly, "Coming prepared? Perhaps, it's just a carefully planned drama."

Yao Chu was stunned when he heard this, and asked tentatively: "Your Majesty means..."

Chai Zhen didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you think Sister Cen Xiao deliberately alerted the assassins and took the initiative to get involved in this dangerous matter?"

Yao Chu pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly and said, "With Dean Cen's wisdom, he would certainly not be so unprepared as to put himself in danger."

"If that's the case, how could this assassin succeed so easily?" Chai Zhen's eyes flashed with a gleam, "Unless..."

He paused deliberately, observing Yao Chu's expression. Seeing that he looked thoughtful, he continued, "Unless, all of this was a play she directed and acted out herself!"

Yao Chu suddenly realized something and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is wise! I will investigate this matter thoroughly right away!"

Chai Zhen nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of majesty: "Go ahead, but remember, this is no small matter!"

"Yes!" After receiving the order, Yao Chu turned around and strode away, leaving Chai Zhen alone in the imperial study, with a deep look in his eyes, wondering what he was thinking about.

Chai Zhen's gaze lingered on the "Women's Youth Daily" for a long time, his fingertips tapping the tabletop again and again, as if lost in thought. In the quiet of the imperial study, the gentle tapping was remarkably clear, each and every one striking at one's heartstrings. His deep eyes finally settled on Cen Jiexiao's portrait in the newspaper, a gaze so intense that it seemed as if he could see through it.