Chapter 191 An eye for an eye
sincere?
Shen Qingci sat alone under the eaves, quietly watching the carefree koi carp chasing and playing in the stream outside.
Chu Jichen's hopeful yet fragile words, "I also hope for... a trace of the Princess's true feelings," were like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples that lingered on the surface of her once calm heart.
She once had a burning, sincere heart.
She once offered her whole heart to another man without reservation.
But what was the result?
Sincerity was discarded like trash, trampled into the mud. She lost... utterly defeated.
Now, she no longer dares, nor is she willing, to easily give her heart away.
Chu Jichen was indeed very good to her. But back then, before she married into the Huo family, wasn't Huo Yunzhan also incredibly considerate and gentle towards her?
Most importantly, she and Huo Yunzhan had a childhood friendship that lasted for more than ten years.
And she and Chu Jichen...
It was nothing more than a transaction that began with profit.
His passion at this moment might just be a fleeting infatuation with her face.
Once the initial excitement fades, will he... still treat her the same way?
As Shen Qingci was lost in thought, Wan Qing's figure appeared silently behind her.
This time, it was truly a late spring.
Since that day when she escaped like a cicada shedding its shell, Chu Jichen had already settled her in and sent her back to Shen Qingci's side.
"Miss." Wanqing stepped forward quickly, her voice tinged with seriousness. "We've received news from Zhuque."
"Their people have been keeping a close eye on Liu Wenyuan and his cronies. These people have indeed been very active lately, often using brothels and teahouses as cover to secretly pass on messages."
“But…” Wanqing paused, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, “Aside from these small actions, they don’t dare to make any other big moves. I’ve heard that now… there seems to be another group of people secretly watching them.”
Shen Qingci was not surprised to hear this.
"Nine times out of ten, those people are Emperor Yongming's men."
She and Chu Jichen had gone to great lengths to sow discord for so long; it would be truly strange if Emperor Yongming still showed no reaction.
Now, with Emperor Yongming keeping a close eye on Liu Wenyuan, Liu Wenyuan's hands and feet are tied, and it will probably be difficult for him to make any moves in secret.
Shen Qingci nodded, a cold smile curving her lips.
She turned to look at Wanqing and suddenly asked, "Wanqing, do you still remember... how my father and brothers were convicted of treason?"
Upon hearing this, Wanqing's eyes instantly ignited with a deep-seated hatred!
"Of course I remember! I will never forget, even in death!"
"Initially, some people came forward to slander the general, accusing him of acting arbitrarily on the battlefield, leading to the army's disastrous defeat! They also said... they also said that the general was secretly colluding with the enemy and leaking military secrets!"
"Finally, they even found...the so-called correspondence between the general and the emperor of the enemy country in our mansion!"
“Yes.” Shen Qingci smiled, but the smile was colder than ice and snow. “Treason and collusion with the enemy are evidenced by the letters.”
She slowly lowered her eyes, her voice filled with endless sarcasm: "Although I don't yet know whether Liu Wenyuan is the mastermind behind this framing drama, I guess... it's pretty much true."
"Since that's the case..." A chilling glint flashed in her eyes, "Wanqing, what do you say? How about I give him a show of turning the tables on him?"
Wan Qing was taken aback: "Miss... what do you mean?"
"Isn't now the best opportunity?" Shen Qingci's lips slowly curled up, her smile filled with a dangerous undertone.
She went to great lengths to make Emperor Yongming suspicious of Liu Wenyuan and even plot to kill him, suspecting that he was... about to rebel.
Then she made Emperor Yongming's suspicions completely... come true!
Wanqing's eyes lit up instantly!
"Miss! What...do you want to do?"
Shen Qingci tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with calculating intent.
"Let's use them one more time... Huo Yunzhan and Liu Ruolan."
"Now that Emperor Yongming is secretly monitoring Liu Wenyuan, Huo Yunzhan, who has been in close contact with Liu Wenyuan, and Liu Wenyuan's daughter Liu Ruolan must have already caught his eye as well."
“Liu Wenyuan is cunning and shrewd, yet he can still control his cronies and servants in the mansion. But Liu Ruolan…” Shen Qingci sneered, “Because of my instigation, she has long since fallen out of love with her mother, and now she has returned to the wolf’s den of the Yongning Marquis’s mansion.”
"She is the only one who has broken free from Liu Wenyuan's control, the most unstable pawn."
"And that is precisely our opportunity."
Shen Qingci turned to look at Wan Qing, her voice suddenly turning sharp: "Go ask Zhu Que, of the people my father left behind, how many are still available to be mobilized?"
"I'm going to... set a trap!"
Wanqing agreed and quietly disappeared into the shadows under the corridor.
Shen Qingci slowly lowered her eyes, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
She remembered what Suzaku had said when he first appeared to her.
Zhuque said that she was only in charge of the Shen family's vast intelligence network. Beyond that network, the General... had also left her a truly elite Shen family secret force.
However, Suzaku only knew that such a secret unit existed, but he did not know where they were hiding or how to contact them.
Shen Qingci's heart sank a little deeper, uncontrollably.
If all she can currently command is Zhuque's intelligence network, then relying on it to stir up a massive wave and completely bring down that old fox Liu Wenyuan is probably far from enough.
She has to prepare for both possibilities.
Firstly, she needed to find a way as soon as possible to locate the secret unit her father had left her, and truly grasp this sharpest blade in her own hands.
Secondly...
If they really can't find it, then they'll have no choice but to... ask Chu Jichen for troops again.
Shen Qingci furrowed her delicate brows tightly.
She recalled that the reason Zhuque had shown up on her own initiative was because she had been bullied by the Huo family and had no way out, so she was forced to leave the Marquis's mansion.
This time, she and Chu Jichen devised this "golden cicada shedding its shell" plan, pretending to have been kidnapped and her fate unknown. In truth, she also harbored the intention of using this opportunity to test the intentions of that mysterious dark force.
She always felt...
Given her father's nature of always putting her first and planning everything for her.
That secret unit must be hiding not far from her, watching her every move.
If she truly faces a life-or-death crisis, they... will definitely show up!
Can……
No.
From beginning to end, there was none.
Shen Qingci's heart was filled with endless confusion.
How exactly can we lure out that secret unit?
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