"Oh dear, it's not good to assume that every beautiful woman is a femme fatale. What I'm doing this time is a perfectly legitimate charitable endeavor, work that benefits all of humanity. But well, expecting people who can't see through the root of that disaster to understand rationally is a fool's dream." Despite Da Vinci's rather impolite words, Koyanskaya's expression did not change in the slightest.
"A femme fatale... that does make some sense." Shen Fei did not understand what Koyanskaya meant by the rest of her words, but he very much agreed with her regarding the prejudice against beautiful women. Since when had beauty itself become a crime? It was merely an excuse some people used to shirk responsibility.
To put it bluntly, plenty of people had said the same about him in the Great Tang. They claimed he indulged in women and neglected court affairs. After all, the others did not know his actual circumstances. To them, an emperor who almost never attended court naturally had to be obsessed with beautiful women. Even if he was not, some people would make sure he appeared to be.
Unfortunately, Shen Fei was not Li Shimin. He would not tolerate Confucianism merely for the sake of leaving behind a good name in history. Anyone who picked a fight with him would be exiled at best and executed at worst. He would show no mercy whatsoever. Public opinion was now in his hands.
"This is a rare opportunity to acquire excellent weapons. If you people ruin it, wouldn't all my efforts have been for nothing? Why not settle your lives, along with all the karma between us, right here?"
As Koyanskaya spoke, countless bubbles rose from the swamp beside them. At the same time, the surrounding ground began to shake violently, as