Substitute the Plum for the Peach: Betrayal by a Subordinate, a Player's Discovery

Two weeks later.

On the eastern beach of Wolf Snake Island, a new pier has been built.

The wharf is constructed entirely of solid stone, clean, neat, sturdy, and beautiful.

The waves crashing against it had almost no effect.

A three-story wooden building was also built on the dock, creating a beautiful environment.

The efficiency and quality were so high that even the newly arrived Steward Liu was amazed.

"What a pity, what a pity! These players are disobedient to the emperor, they're missing a bone in their knees, they can't kneel before the emperor. Otherwise, they would be a hundred times more useful than those lazy and greedy guys from the Military and Horse Department!" He couldn't help but sigh.

"Fortunately, that's the case. If they had entered the court in large numbers, we would have been in trouble. Who could compete with these unpaid, overtime-working oxen and horses?" the advisor said thankfully.

"Hmph, the imperial court would never allow them into the court. What monarch would want a bunch of uncontrollable people under their command who always have a way out?"

"Yes, Master's children have all gone to study on the Capital Island. The families of these players are all in other worlds and can leave at any time. In other words, even if they rebel, their entire clan cannot be captured," the advisor agreed.

"Forget it, they can only be used, not trusted. We'll use them as long as we can," Steward Liu shook his head and said. "By the way, upgrade their strength again. We haven't seen a single Revival Stone yet."

"Sir, that's because the starting difficulty of the main quest you gave them was too high, which made them intimidated."

"How dare you! What do you know? These are secret experiences passed down by the masters of the Imperial Observatory. Only by using high-level task requirements can we give these players extremely high psychological expectations, making them feel that the future rewards will definitely be extremely rich. What kind of mindset is this, thinking that in the game, high investment will definitely lead to high returns?" Steward Liu, said disdainfully.

"What you say is true, sir. I was just ignorant." The clerk quickly slapped himself in the face.

"Alright, alright, you've been with me for quite some time now. Let's just let this go. Just don't cause any more trouble in the future."

Steward Liu looked satisfied, then waved his hand.

The advisor thanked him profusely and soon left.

After leaving, the advisor's eyes revealed a fierce look.

How arrogant! Does he really think he's some kind of wise and powerful ruler?

Damn it, the day I climb up to a higher branch, I'll definitely trample you under my feet!

Not long after, a player found the advisor.

He then presented them with a string of precious jewels and invited them to East Wolf Village for drinks and meat.

At this time, East Wolf Village was practically a small town.

Because of the Safe Zone created by the village walls and ancestral hall, it's difficult to expand outwards—and even if expansion were possible, the strange occurrences would still ruin everything.

Why even bother building a foundation then?

Therefore, it develops both upwards and downwards.

They are typically five stories above ground and two basement levels below.

If anything seems amiss, immediately run to the Safe Zone.

Land prices near the Safe Zone have also risen sharply, but no one is selling; they are only renting, not selling.

It can be said that they enjoy the benefits of land rent.

However, Gao Linzhi knows a lot of things, so the rent is within a reasonable range and won't lead to a situation where the landlord drives the restaurant to its demise.

There were many people coming and going; the streets and alleys were full of stalls and shops.

They have all kinds of goods, local and from the offline world, you name it.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is the core economic zone.

The player treated the advisor to a full range of meals and drinks, and the advisor looked completely satisfied.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Although he wasn't a good person, he still had some human compassion.

He and this player had become like brothers.

The emotional value lost with the registrar is multiplied here.

He felt a pang of pity seeing the other party wasted their efforts.

"I said, Brother Wang, actually, well, never mind..." He had originally intended to offer the other a few words of advice, but then he swallowed his words back.

Brother Wang's willingness to use personal connections shows he's a shrewd person.

He immediately sensed the hidden meaning in the other person's words and began to urge them to drink and pour his heart out.

"With your abilities and qualifications, I think you could easily take on the position of registrar. Why should you be subordinate to someone else?"

"Brother, have you not heard that a true man, born between heaven and earth, should not remain subservient to others for long?"

"Well said!" These words struck a chord with the advisor.

Who would willingly be a concubine?

Unless they're those guys who've already been fooled into being stupid and crippled.

But someone who works as a private advisor is destined not to be that kind of person.

They have quick eyes and quick minds.

If you're constantly mistreated like this, it's natural to develop a rebellious spirit.

"Didn't your elder brother consider taking his place?"

"How easy is that? Don't be fooled by the fact that this registrar is all alone. He actually comes from the powerful Liu family on the Prefectural Island. The Liu family has been marquis for five generations, with deep roots. How could I, your brother, possibly shake them so easily?"

"Alas, these days, even with talent, without a noble birth, there's no way to get ahead in the imperial court."

"Only in chaotic times can a new king emerge."

"Then, brother, do you think we are living in a chaotic world?"

"Yes, chaos is coming, and you players are the root of all that chaos." The advisor had drunk too much, and under the natural illusion of alcohol, he had already unabashedly revealed his true feelings.

"Hehe, then why doesn't brother seize this opportunity and take his place?"

"To replace him is easier said than done. If we kill that Steward Liu, the Prefect will surely investigate, and with a spell cast by the Imperial Observatory, I will have no choice but to confess everything," the clerk said, shaking his head.

"Hehe, what if it were you, brother, who died? If you were drunk and fell into the water here, would the governor investigate?" the player said with a smile.

"Hiss, brother, I'm truly sincere towards you." These words almost scared the clerk so much that he ran out the door.

But the player grabbed him.

"Brother, you misunderstand. I meant 'Substitute the Plum for the Peach'..."

The clerk was immediately tempted, thinking of the nine concubines of the registrar's family whom he had long coveted.

If a person lives a life without being able to relax and enjoy themselves, how is they any different from plants and trees?

"Oh..."

The two then began to plot together.

Early the next morning.

Despite being drunk all night, the advisor rushed back to the dock.

The registrar was still living on the boat at this time, remaining prepared to flee at any moment.

This made the advisor extremely ridiculed.

Wanting benefits but also afraid of death, as my brother would say, that jerk is such a hypocrite.

He can be replaced.

He could do what the registrar did.

And they did it even better.

Because he has always been the one who does everything, big and small.

So, as instructed, he stumbled and fell into the sea while boarding the ship.

"Oh no! The advisor has fallen into the water!"

"Go and save them!"

As the crew shouted, everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to go into the water.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's on the shore; underwater means strange things, ghosts, and evil spirits...

The boat wasn't docked directly on the shore; it was positioned under a pier extending into the sea, where the water was at least seven or eight meters deep.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to float such a heavy ship.

It took a long time before someone finally lowered a small boat to try and rescue the people, but they found nothing.

Soon, someone reported to the registrar, "It's terrible, sir! The clerk has fallen into the water!"

"Send someone to rescue them immediately!" The registrar was still a little nervous.

After all, the death of a useful dog is one less dog to lose.

"They've already sent them, but they haven't gotten anything."

"Sigh, forget it then. Gather a few clerks, find a clever one, and have him temporarily take his place. Go back to the Prefectural Island and recruit another one."

The registrar wasn't particularly saddened either.

It's sad to see a dog die, but how long can that sadness last?

So, that very evening...

The registrar fell into the water.

"Hurry and save them..."

"They've been rescued!"

Well, that's it, the plan to Substitute the Plum for the Peach is complete.

The process of changing identities takes place in the dark and unknowable sea.

Just like those magic tricks that involve switching performers, there must be a part of the magic that the audience can't see in order to complete the switch.

The advisor sat in the chief clerk's seat, having already used the player's Expert Level "Disguise Art." This Expert Level was level 35, while the people around the prefect were usually below level 40.

He was fully aware of this.

The use of a player rating system is already tacitly accepted by the imperial court.

After all, this system is simpler and easier to use.

You can tell who is stronger at a glance.

This Disguise Art is Expert Level skill of a certain thief, with a professional bonus, making it even more difficult to see through.

This Expert Level not only changes the face, but also alters the skin, bones, and muscles to ensure a near-identical result.

Even if someone were torn at his face, no one would notice anything amiss.

The only loophole is that if one is facing a highly skilled person from the Imperial Observatory, it might be seen through or calculated using magic.

But the chances are slim.

Anyway, he only planned to make a quick buck and leave, getting all the profits and then gone.

Of course, the place where they fled was within the Safe Zone of East Wolf Village, which is inside the ancestral hall.

Fighting is prohibited here.

It's fair to say that the rent for the shop land behind the ancestral hall has been driven to its limit—not because the price can't go higher, but because the Great Elder has actively restricted the maximum price.

However, this means that acquiring the land will require using a lot of personal connections.

Inside the ancestral hall's Safe Zone, players have already built a 20-story building, with nine underground levels as well.

You could say they pushed the limits of exploiting bugs.

It is said that they will continue to build upwards, 30, 60, even 100, or even 1000 floors may not be impossible.

After all, this is an extraordinary world, and for players to exploit bugs is utterly insane.

In pursuit of ultimate strength and maximum efficiency, players will rack their brains to find all sorts of game strategies.

That brother has already rented him a room in a hotel building for 50 years, and the rent has long been paid in full.

He wanted to collude with the other party from both inside and outside, so he could make a killing.

They devoured the players, they devoured the imperial court.

This is such a wonderful thing!

This is not an isolated incident.

Similar incidents occurred on various ships dispatched by the imperial court to the players' territories.

If the Spokesperson isn't strong enough, or is even slightly arrogant, they'll be relentlessly targeted by players.

The imperial court thought it could deceive the players, and indeed, the players were deceived.

But while astute players may not be able to see through illusions, they can see through people's hearts.

As the saying goes, no matter Gao Ming the technology, it still depends on people to master it.

The feudal dynasty's corrupt organizational system was riddled with loopholes.

Even wielding machine guns and controlling cannons, they would still be utterly defeated by a highly motivated and well-organized opponent.

The players' organizational skills are certainly not lacking.

Especially for players who combine offline activities with online activities.

Therefore, the court's originally very advanced technology was prematurely exposed due to poor organizational capabilities.

In the event channel.

Players have been making a lot of outrageous comments about this.

"Hahaha, those people in the imperial court think they're so clever. I just used a little trick and managed to turn their servants against me. They told me a big secret."

"Hey, I've discovered a secret too. It's worth 500 gold. Anyone interested in buying it?"

"Get lost! We already know that secret. There's a mastermind in the imperial court who imitated the system prompts. The game quests we see are all fabricated by them; they're all illusions!"

"What?! Holy crap! I worked hard for two weeks, and you're saying it was all a lie?"

"No wonder the rewards for the mission were so meager; they only gave the expected bonuses, saying that if you got 20,000, it would go to Sima, and if you got 200,000, it would go to the county magistrate."

"It seems they never intended for us to finish it in the first place!"

"Kill them! Damn it, they ruined two weeks of my hard work! And I still..."

"Haha, the game already warned us, you guys were still greedy after all."

"Damn it, this is a game bug! The game didn't even warn us, they're using illusion magic!"

"Damn it, this illusion is truly terrifying. Once you fall for it, you'll just become someone else's prey."

"That's why we need to fight against illusions. Why are mental skills so expensive? It's because illusions are too powerful!"

"Yeah, you can dodge physical attacks, but with illusion attacks, you can only tank them. You have no idea when you'll get hit!"

The players were wailing in despair.

They should have discovered it six months later, but some servants were not careful enough and let it slip.

Or perhaps the officials themselves became complacent and revealed their weaknesses.

Gao Linzhi, upon seeing this, considered it normal.

Feudal dynasties are prone to all sorts of drastic measures.

The fact that two roast ducks headed north is no laughing matter.

He was recommended as a scholar, but he was illiterate; he was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official, but his father lived separately.

They're lucky if they can fool us for two weeks.

Do you still want to keep fooling people?

That's impossible.

The strength of players lies in their technical research, information sharing, and knowledge dissemination.

This is still based on the fact that Rogue Players are heavily suppressed, and currently only a small number of players can move freely.

Corporate Players are not easily fooled, but once they are, it's a big scam.

At this very moment.

In the Official Built-in Group.

"Damn, this imperial court really knows how to play games. Luckily, I noticed something was wrong right away," Empty 2086 said disdainfully. "I sneaked in and overheard their plot."

"Damn it! Why didn't you inform us immediately? I despise you!"

"Disdain +1!"

"Hehehe, it's all about ranking up right now. I never said I'd let you guys have first place, so of course I can't reveal my information," Empty 2086 said confidently.

"Damn it, how selfish! I was cheated out of a hundred taels of gold and got nothing but a fake friendship rating," said Riding the Wind to Beat Luo Shao.

"Hehe, for Luo Shao, this is nothing more than the cost of a party."

"Damn it, let's go and mess with the imperial court too. They're rich; they must have a lot of cultivation techniques, secret medicines, and body-refining methods to improve physical fitness..."