A weakness was exploited, and the game went wrong.

The study of Prince Heng's residence.

Zongzheng Hengyu sat behind his desk, not before official documents, but a secret report presented by his bodyguards. It detailed recent rumors circulating in the city about the garrison in the northern border, and... several sources of these rumors vaguely pointed to clues that were somewhat related to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

His brow furrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped lightly on the table. "The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion..." he murmured to himself. The old Duke was a shrewd man; he wouldn't openly oppose him at this moment. So, who was using the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion as a front?

The image of Su Yuyue's cold and resolute face flashed through his mind. Was it because of Zongzheng Mingchen? This woman is incredibly bold, daring to extend her hand in front of him!

“Your Highness,” Yan Cheng reported from outside the door, “our people planted in the Ministry of War have discovered that several ordinary documents concerning the allocation of military supplies in the northern border seem to have been given extra attention and copied during their circulation. Although they do not involve any classified information, the behavior is somewhat unusual. Upon investigation, the clues vaguely point to a retainer in the Prince Zhao’s residence.”

Zongzheng Hengyu's eyes narrowed.

King Zhao! The imperial rule is clear!

He couldn't hold back any longer. Using a woman driven by love turned to hate as the starting point, while he himself fanned the flames from behind—what a clever scheme!

"Keep an eye on them, but don't alert them," Zongzheng Hengyu ordered coldly. "Also, send more people to keep a close watch on Su Yuyue and Prince Zhao's every move. If they spread rumors, we'll gather evidence of them spreading rumors."

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the trees swaying in the evening breeze in the courtyard, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. It seemed he had been too lenient with some people.

…………

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Emperor Zongzheng Hong rubbed his throbbing temples and tossed a memorial aside. It was a censor's general advice to the princes to maintain harmony and avoid causing court officials to take sides. It seemed innocuous, but in reality, it contained hidden veiled sarcasm.

Recently, he had vaguely heard some rumors about the discipline of the Northern Army. Although he didn't take them to heart, he still felt uneasy. Now even the Imperial Censor was starting to make veiled accusations.

"Zhou An," he summoned his personal eunuch, "have you heard any news from Prince Zhao and Prince Heng lately?"

Eunuch Zhou bowed and answered cautiously, "Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Heng attends court every day and handles military affairs at his residence or the capital's military camp, with nothing unusual. His Highness Prince Zhao... continues to appreciate paintings and socialize with friends, seemingly quite fascinated by a rare book from the previous dynasty. Just two days ago, he even specially invited Miss Su from the Duke of Zhenguo's residence to come over for appraisal." He mentioned this seemingly casually.

"Miss Su? The daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo?" The Emperor's eyes flickered slightly. "Wasn't she with the Second Prince... Never mind, that's all in the past. Zhaoran certainly has a refined taste." His tone was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, but a barely perceptible hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

…………

Listening to the Wind Pavilion, the private room on the top floor.

Under the cover of night, Princess Munasha, dressed in a Northern Abyss outfit with a cloak over it, arrived quietly. She removed her hood, revealing her beautiful yet wild face, and looked intently at Zongzheng Zhaoran, who was already waiting there.

"Your Highness, I have long admired you." Her Central Plains dialect had a foreign accent, but she was not at all shy.

“Your Highness, you are a woman of exceptional talent and ability, please have a seat.” Zongzheng Zhaoran smiled and gestured.

Without much small talk, Munasha cut straight to the point: "Your Highness, our goals are aligned. I want Zongzheng Hengyu, you want Jiang Wanzhi, and even more so... his complete disgrace, right?"

Zongzheng Zhaoran's smile remained unchanged: "The princess speaks frankly. I wonder what her insightful opinion is?"

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Munasha's eyes: "While I am in Beiyuan, I can still influence some tribal leaders and border generals. If, at this time, some unexpected friction occurs on the border, such as the Great Shang border army crossing the border to provoke us, or bullying my Beiyuan tribe... tell me, how will His Majesty view this Prince Heng, who has just pacified the northern border but has already caused trouble in the blink of an eye?"

Zongzheng Zhaoran was shocked. This Princess Beiyuan was indeed ruthless! This move was extremely risky, but if handled properly, it could indeed greatly shake the Emperor's trust in Prince Heng, and might even make him bear the crime of "sabotaging the peace agreement"!

"Princess's method... is brilliant," Zongzheng Zhaoran said slowly. "However, it requires careful consideration. It should anger the Emperor, but not actually trigger a major war. Moreover, the message needs to be delivered precisely at a crucial moment, reaching the ears of certain censors..."

"I can arrange the specific details," Munasha said confidently. "As long as Your Highness cooperates in court to ensure this matter reaches the Emperor's ears, and... makes it impossible for that woman Jiang Wanzhi to marry Prince Heng peacefully!"

“Of course.” Zongzheng Zhaoran raised his glass, his eyes flashing with a mixture of coldness and amusement. “Then, I wish us… a pleasant cooperation.”

…………

Fifty miles north of Blackstone Town lies a lush river valley, its ownership historically somewhat ambiguous.

A caravan of herders from a small tribe in the Northern Abyss encountered a small patrol team from the Great Entropy border. According to the unwritten agreement, both sides should have yielded to each other.

However, today, the herdsmen of Beiyuan were unusually tough, accusing the Great Shang army of crossing the border and eating their tribe's sacred grass. Their words were harsh, and they even started throwing stones.

The patrol squad leader tried to explain calmly, but the other side was relentless, and the conflict quickly escalated. It's unclear who drew their sword first, but in the ensuing melee, a Northern Abyss herdsman was trampled and seriously injured by a warhorse, while a Great Entropy soldier was struck in the arm by a stray arrow.

The news spread like wildfire, quickly relayed to the Northern Abyss Royal Court by spies from the nearby Northern Abyss, who embellished the story with exaggerated details. It then traveled through special channels to the capital of Great Shang.

Almost simultaneously, within the capital, several carefully worded yet subtly cryptic memorials were delivered to the Ministry of Justice.

The memorial did not directly impeach Prince Heng, but instead used the tone of "concern for national affairs" to mention the recent frequent rumors in the northern border, which might affect the morale of the army and the people, or mentioned that the friction between the border tribes seemed to be increasing, implying that the general was not doing a good job of appeasing them.

These memorials came from various sources, but the timing was perfect, arriving at the imperial court almost simultaneously with news of border conflicts.

Amidst this undercurrent, an even more insidious wind was blowing through aristocratic circles. Rumors about the future Princess Consort Jiang Wanzhi began to become more specific and malicious. They were no longer merely speculative tales of a romantic relationship, but rather questions about its "ominous" nature.

First, it implicated the Ming King, leading to his deposition. Now, it has arranged a marriage between him and the Heng King, causing unrest on the border and causing further trouble in Beiyuan.

Even more, some subtly brought up the old story of the Hundred Flowers Banquet, implying that this woman herself was a source of trouble, and whoever got involved with her would be doomed.

These rumors quietly spread at tea parties and flower-viewing banquets for wealthy ladies.

...

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study was somber.

Emperor Zongzheng Hong looked at several reports that had arrived almost simultaneously: urgent reports of border conflicts and memorials from censors concerning instability in the north. His face was so dark it seemed to drip water. He slammed the memorials heavily onto his desk.

"Outrageous! The people of Beiyuan are untrustworthy! And these censors, reporting things based on hearsay and fabricating stories!" His chest heaved, clearly showing his genuine anger.

Gao Wuyong carefully served tea: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The border conflict is small in scale, and His Highness Prince Heng will surely handle it properly. It's just that these rumors..."

"Rumors? Hmph!" The emperor snorted coldly. "Why now of all times? And that Jiang Wanzhi..." He recalled the vague rumors he had heard about this woman's "ominous" nature, and his brows furrowed even more. Although he didn't believe these absurd claims, the series of events inevitably made him uneasy.

"Issue my imperial decree, ordering Prince Heng to closely monitor developments in the northern border, properly handle friction with the Beiyuan tribe, maintain border stability at all costs, and prevent any further incidents! Also, summon Prince Zhao to the palace!"

...

Prince Heng's Mansion.

Zongzheng Hengyu stared at the urgent reports from the border and the compilation of rumors gathered by his secret guards in the capital, his face ashen. Bei Yuan's provocation was within his expectations; Muna Sha wouldn't give up. But the viciousness of the rumors pointing to Jiang Wanzhi, and the perfectly timed cooperation of the imperial censors, made him sense an even stronger conspiracy.

"Have you found out? Where did the rumors come from?" His voice was icy.

"Your Highness, the sources are scattered, but there are several nodes that vaguely point to some female relatives of collateral branches related to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, as well as... several literati who have close ties with the guests of the Prince of Zhao's mansion," the head of the secret guards replied.

“Su Yuyue…Zongzheng Zhaoran…” Zongzheng Hengyu’s eyes flashed with a cold light, “Good, very good!”

He stood up, exuding a terrifying killing intent: "Order the Northern Border to take the strongest countermeasures against the Northern Abyss Tribe. Anyone who dares to cross the border and provoke us will be killed without exception! But we must be careful not to give the Northern Abyss Royal Court an excuse to start a large-scale war."

"Furthermore," he said, glancing towards the capital, "send more manpower to gather evidence of collusion between Su Yuyue, Prince Zhao, and Princess Beiyuan. Also, protect Jiang Wanzhi, and detain anyone suspicious who approaches the Prime Minister's residence!"

He would never allow anyone to harm those he was protecting, whether they were enemies on the battlefield or scoundrels in the imperial court and harem who would stab him in the back!

…………

The Night Hawk Pavilion, that colossal entity lurking in the darkness, has finally extended its tentacles even deeper into this struggle for the princes. Through days of observation and intelligence analysis, the Pavilion Master has accurately "captured" the only and fatal weakness in Prince Heng's seemingly impenetrable defense: Jiang Wanzhi.

“Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman… Ha, I never thought that the cold and aloof Prince Heng would have such a weakness.” A clear voice echoed in the secret room, carrying a hint of pleasure in controlling the situation. “Since he cares so much about this future princess, then let him taste what it feels like to lose something he cherishes.”

However, this plan could not completely escape the notice of the most discerning eyes within the cabinet, Mr. Ghost Face.

He dared not delay and immediately sent the message to King Zhaozong Zheng Zhaoran through the most urgent secret passage.

Inside the study of Prince Zhao's residence, Zongzheng Zhaoran received a secret report, and his expression changed drastically, his usual gentle and composed demeanor shattering instantly.

"Night Hawk Pavilion is going to make a move against Jiang Wanzhi?!" He suddenly stood up, knocking over the teacup on the table and spilling tea everywhere. "They've gone mad!"