Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 143 - 138: Misleading

Chapter 143: Chapter 138: Misleading

Meng Yuan did so for a reason, of course.

To play the role of emperor well, Meng Yuan, like when he previously played Su Xianjun, acquired two role-playing talent abilities. One could enhance his acting and facial expression control, while the other made every action he took more akin to that of an emperor.

As for the third talent, it was quite special.

[Xin · Demons Be Gone (Gold): When the character you play is tampered with by demons, you can not only completely block the influence of the demons but also deal a backlash to the demons after the historical segment has been breached.]

As a legitimate restorer, Meng Yuan could perceive far more than the other players could.

Shortly after entering the historical segment, Meng Yuan had already detected the presence of this demon and knew that it was observing every move that the players made.

Just like now, the demon was watching him and Chu Ge and seemed to be hesitating.

Whichever character the demon ultimately chose to tamper with was likely to determine the success of breaking through the Trial Illusion.

After the players had entered, the development of the historical segment had indeed changed, so the demon was also likely to choose another character to tamper with, making the development of the segment uncontrollable.

Although the other players also possessed restorer’s powers and could resist the demon’s tampering to some extent, the demon this time was comparatively strong.

The best outcome was to let the demon tamper with Meng Yuan himself, ensuring foolproof safety while also enabling the "Demons Be Gone" talent ability to take effect and weaken the demon.

To achieve this goal, two things had to be ensured: first, he had to act like an emperor, not letting the demon realize that the emperor was actually played by a restorer; second, he had to portray the emperor as a vulnerable link—easy to tamper with and yet potent enough to pivotally influence the historical segment’s trajectory.

Previously, in this plot, the emperor actually had only a couple of simple lines. When the players played Governor Lin, as long as they prepared two statements in advance and understood to appropriately defend Yan Maoqing during their audience with the emperor, they could pass straightforwardly.

However, this didn’t really show how easily tampered with the emperor was and how he could significantly influence the entire historical segment.

Now, Meng Yuan needed to better portray the paranoid and greedy nature of this emperor to lure the demon into the trap.

Meng Yuan looked at Chu Ge, the imperial dignity innate to his talent ability naturally emanating from him.

He believed that Chu Ge, as a top player, would definitely understand his intentions and improvise the best performance.

Indeed, Chu Ge did not disappoint him.

"Thanks to His Majesty’s wisdom, the soldiers have dedicated their lives, and the local people have also empathized with the difficulties faced by the court and assisted in quelling the enemies, thus achieving some success in battle."

Having fully immersed himself in the role of Lin Xiang Min, Chu Ge was not at all flustered by the unexpected turn of the script. Instead, according to Lin Xiang Min’s character designation, he responded appropriately.

The response might not have been very brilliant, but it was certainly not wrong.

Meng Yuan as the emperor changed his tone of voice, which became much more subdued: "But there are also those who say that you have been attacking Puning Port for a long time without success, yet you let General Deng take his troops, achieving consecutive victories and clearing out numerous bandits. Are you trying to make the enemy stronger?"

Chu Ge was startled, "Your Majesty, I have been wholeheartedly eliminating bandits in the southeast, never harboring such intentions!"

The emperor, played by Meng Yuan, leaned slightly forward, his whole body exuding an oppressive aura: "If that is so, why have you been continuously requesting military supplies from the court?"

Chu Ge was slightly taken aback, puzzled by why Meng Yuan would ask such a question.

Isn’t the lack of military supplies a known issue in the southeast?

He quickly responded: "Your Majesty, the enemies are strong, and the frontline truly lacks military supplies."

The emperor leaned back slightly: "Is it really a lack of military supplies? Or is the local corruption too severe? You are a man of action, but you shy away from offending people. You turn a blind eye to the corruption above and below. Now that there’s a shortage of military supplies for war, you can only run to the capital to request them. Tell me, how are you fulfilling your role as governor?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ge’s eyes lit up.

He understood Meng Yuan’s intention!

Previously, Meng Yuan had raised several issues, and he had been passively responding, but now, when Meng Yuan mentioned "excessive local corruption", Chu Ge instantly understood.

Meng Yuan was indeed adding to his own drama, but he did it very logically!

This emperor was both greedy and suspicious, so releasing Lin Xiang Min just after asking a couple of simple questions in the simulated Trial Illusion made it seem too simplistic.

In fact, the shortage of military supplies was not merely a problem of the court.

Another important reason was the severe corruption among the entire southeast officialdom. Even Governor Lin, the governor, had been continuously sending gifts and opera troupes to Yan Maoqing. How could other officials be any different? They definitely followed his lead.

Lin Xiang Min was actually a hardcore supporter of the Yan party, so the southeast was mainly dominated by the Yan party who engaged in corruption and amassed wealth unabashedly.

The shortage of military supplies was also largely due to the corruption among the southeastern officials.

The emperor’s question stemmed from three considerations.

First, the emperor was inherently suspicious. Governor Lin and General Deng had been attacking Puning Port for a long time without success, yet constantly reported victories elsewhere, pushing back the attacks of bandits, which indeed gave the impression of "nurturing bandits for self-importance."

Second, the shortage of military supplies did indeed arise from local corruption. The money-loving emperor really did not want to allocate extra funds, so it made sense to reprimand Governor Lin.

Third, and most importantly, the emperor had actually begun contemplating eliminating the Yan party. Therefore, he used this opportunity to probe and reprimand Lin Xiang Min by bringing up the topic of "severe corruption within the southeast Yan party" to see if Lin Xiang Min would switch sides.

Chu Ge, truly a fine representative of the scholarly player, quickly responded, bowing his head, "I am not a talent of governance, and as a governor, I cannot escape the blame for failing to detect corruption. After pacifying the bandits, I will request to resign and return home."

Meng Yuan, playing the emperor, darkened his expression, "Do not use resignation as an excuse. I am not so senile yet..."

The two of them exchanged words, enacting a conflict between monarch and official.

...

At this moment, black smoke swirled in the air, exuding a feeling of exhilaration.

The dialogue between the monarch and his official was clearly observed by the demon.

Initially, the demon was only planning to keep an eye on Lin Xiang Min, deciding whether to manipulate him or Wang Zongchang. However, it suddenly realized that manipulating the emperor might also be a great option!

From the dialogue between the emperor and Lin Xiang Min, it was clear that the emperor was both greedy and suspicious.

The final provision of military supplies was obviously reluctant. Moreover, it was only after Lin Xiang Min had used all his wit to maintain a delicate balance within the Cabinet that he had managed to secure an audience in the capital.

So... what if the emperor was manipulated?

This emperor was not a benevolent Ming Jun who loved his people, nor did he have the kind of righteous aura that protected General Deng. Moreover, slightly manipulating the outcome to stop the distribution of military supplies would largely align with the emperor’s character, making it very confusing and not easily detected.

In the original dialogue, the emperor said too little, and his character was not clearly shown. Therefore, after deliberation, the demon decided to manipulate Wang Zongchang, which was a safer option.

But now, the emperor’s character had been perfectly demonstrated, causing the demon to change its mind.

It continued to observe the emperor’s subtle expressions and movements to make a final decision.

However, in the end, it didn’t spot any flaw.

A wisp of black mist, almost invisible to the naked eye, drifted from the air and stealthily entered the emperor’s body.