Upon hearing this, Li Xue immediately became nervous.

"What can we do? A month ago, Prefect Lu sent people to the capital to have Father and Vice Minister Shen investigate Wang Bingling's background. It's been so long, why are there still no results?"

"Wang Bingling and his gang are desperate criminals. They are very well hidden, otherwise the government would have arrested them long ago. This time, they unexpectedly joined Li Hui's gang. With Li Hui as their protector, they will be safer."

These people are very shrewd; they don't show themselves easily, and they won't leave the First Prince's residence unless there's a special reason.

Whether Wang Bingling is the same person as Wang Ling from back then is just our speculation. The Fourth Prince and Prefect Shen also lack concrete evidence and cannot go to Li Hui's residence to investigate unless the Emperor approves.

If that's the case, things will escalate significantly, so the Fourth Prince and his group are being extremely cautious and will only look for opportunities to investigate.

Li Xue nodded and said, "What if Wang Bingling goes on the expedition with the army? Wei Jin doesn't know anything about him."

"If Wang Bingling goes to war with the army, it will prove that Wang Bingling is the same person as Wang Ling from back then. So I asked Brother Zhao to ask Prefect Lu for a portrait of Wang Ling from back then, so that we can confirm his identity when we meet him in the future."

Once Wang Bingling's identity is confirmed, things will be much easier. Of course, I won't reveal his identity easily. When he makes a move against me, I will take action and capture Wang Bingling.

In this way, I will obtain direct evidence that Li Hui intends to harm me. I will hand this evidence over to my father, the Emperor. I believe he will not ignore this matter, and then Li Hui's reign as the eldest prince will be over.

Upon hearing this, Li Xue was both surprised and delighted. She hadn't expected that Li Guang and Zhao Xian had already been quietly plotting to catch a big fish, and that big fish was Li Hui. The fishhook they were using was Wang Ling, and Li Guang was the bait.

Thinking of this, Li Xue couldn't help but laugh. With Li Hui's intelligence, how could he compare to Li Guang?

"Great! If we can capture Wang Ling and get him to tell the truth, Li Hui will be completely finished."

"Once you get rid of Li Hui, your great undertaking will be accomplished. It seems you've killed three birds with one stone on this trip to the southwestern frontier."

Upon hearing this, Li Guang laughed and said:

"Tell me, sister, what are the three carvings?"

"Firstly, you're using Wang Ling to lay a long line and catch a big fish, to take down Li Hui. Secondly, you're helping Wei Jin complete several important tasks assigned to him by the court. The third thing is to help me find my brother Li Ru."

Li Guang nodded and said:

"Indeed, it's for these three things. To get these things done well, Brother Zhao will also be going. With Brother Zhao on the case, things will be much easier to handle this time."

“But General Wei doesn’t know Wang Bingling’s background or the purpose of his trip to the southwestern frontier. Should we tell him?”

"Of course we should tell him about this, but not now. If General Wei finds out the truth, he will reveal something, which will arouse Wang Ling's suspicion and make him more cautious, which will be detrimental to us."

At the crucial moment, I will tell General Wei the truth. That will be our time to act, capture Wang Ling, and obtain vital evidence.

Li Xue nodded and said:

"That would be best, but I'm afraid Wang Ling won't go on the expedition with the army."

"Don't worry, Wang Ling will definitely go on the expedition with the army. During his time in the southwestern frontier, Wang Ling will have many opportunities to make a move against me, and Li Hui will definitely not miss them."

If I'm not mistaken, a day or two before our departure, we'll receive a fast report from the capital informing us that Wang Bingling is joining the army.

Li Guang's words left Li Xue somewhat dumbfounded. If Li Guang's guess was correct, then he possessed the wisdom of the Taoist priest and was able to predict events with uncanny accuracy.

With four or five days left until the beginning of next month, Li Xue began preparations.

This trip to southwestern Xinjiang will take four months to return, so please bring as much as you need.

Zhao Xian didn't have to go through so much trouble. He had his own trading system, and he could buy whatever he needed through the system, so he didn't need to carry so many things with him.

But this was his secret and he couldn't let others know, so Zhao Xian brought a large wooden box. When he bought things from the system, he would say that he took them out of the large wooden box, which would keep it a secret.

When I first went to Yuanxi, I also brought a large wooden box to cover my purchases from the system.

In the last few days of the month, Li Xue waited anxiously. Today was the end of the month, and Wei Jin should have set off from the capital to the southwest, but the express package from the capital had not yet arrived.

Could it be that Li Guang guessed wrong? Li Xue began to worry that if Wang Bingling did not accompany the army, some of Li Guang's important plans would be difficult to implement.

According to Li Guang's plan, the army from Shuixian Village will set off on the 2nd. Today is the beginning of the month, and if no urgent message is received, the main force will depart.

Li Xue stood at the village entrance, her eyes fixed on the main road ahead. If someone from the capital were to send a message, she would be able to see it from a great distance.

But even as the sun began to set, the messenger never arrived.

Li Xue sighed and returned to Zhao Xian's old house. In the guest room, Li Guang and Zhao Xian chatted and laughed, showing no sign of anxiety.

"Sister, please sit down and have some tea. You must be thirsty after standing at the village entrance for so long," Li Guang said.

"How did you know I was standing at the village entrance the whole time?" Li Xue asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course it's just a guess. Brother Zhao and I are waiting for a package from Beijing, and my sister is probably waiting for this letter too."

No need to rush, the letter should be delivered before sunset.

“Yes, Princess, please have some tea first. Perhaps the letter will arrive after you finish this cup of tea,” Zhao Xian said.

"Really? Then I'll have some tea right away." Li Xue said, then sat down to drink her tea.

This was a cup of herbal tea, refreshing and thirsty. Li Xue was indeed thirsty, so she picked up the cup and drank it in large gulps.

She had only taken two sips when she heard the neighing of warhorses outside. Li Xue immediately put down her cup and said:

"Has a messenger arrived?"

“It’s possible, let’s go out and take a look,” Li Guang said.

The three of them went out of the courtyard and saw a warhorse already at the gate. A guard jumped off the warhorse.

Li Xue recognized this person; he was one of the Fourth Prince's personal guards.

Upon seeing Li Xue, the guard immediately stepped forward and said:

"Greetings, Princess."

Li Xue was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Did Father send you to deliver this message?"

"Your Highness, the Prince has an urgent document for me to deliver to Minister Shaoqing and General Li," the guard said.

Li Xue nodded and said to the guards, "They are Lord Shaoqing and General Li Guang."

Upon seeing this, the guards immediately stepped forward and bowed in respect.

"Greetings, Lord Shaoqing, and General Li."

"No need for formalities, please come inside and have some tea." After saying this, Zhao Xian led the guards into the house.