Chapter 283 Bait
Shen Qingci had already left the palace with Qingming.
The carriage rumbled along the cobblestone road, heading towards the Regent's Palace.
Inside the carriage, Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes slightly, her slender fingers gently tapping her knees, a deep, dark glint flashing in her eyes.
"Qingming," she spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable chill, "You made your first public appearance today and were entrusted with an important task by His Majesty. Not only were you appointed as a second-rank general, but you were also to lead an expedition. This is quite a show of force."
Sitting opposite him, Qingming straightened his back slightly, his expression respectful: "Your subordinate understands."
Shen Qingci chuckled lightly, her gaze sweeping over the street scene flashing past the carriage curtain: "Back in the Golden Palace, when His Majesty issued the decree ordering you to lead the troops into battle, I saw it clearly. Huo Yunting's face changed instantly, turning even darker than the bottom of a pot."
She paused, a mocking smile curving her lips: "I suspect that the reason he went to such lengths to capture me and use me as a hostage to demand the position of a second-rank general from His Majesty was most likely because of his military strength."
"As a military general, it is natural for me to lead troops into battle."
"War between the Northern You Kingdom and the Great Zhou is imminent; this is an open secret. It's not surprising that he wants His Majesty to grant him military power and allow him to lead troops into battle."
"But what he really wants these troops for, whether they are genuinely there to defend against the enemy or have other motives, remains unknown."
Shen Qingci turned her head and looked intently at Qingming: "Now that someone has suddenly appeared out of nowhere and taken away what he originally thought was his for the taking, someone as proud and arrogant as him will definitely not accept it."
"Although His Majesty has given you ten days to recruit soldiers who are willing to go to war with you, these ten days will probably be longer than ten years for him."
A look of certainty flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes. "I think he can't wait ten days. He will definitely make his move."
Qingming lowered his head, carefully considering Shen Qingci's words.
After a moment of silence, she raised her head and asked with a solemn expression, "What does Your Highness mean by 'taking action'? Does he... want to kill me?"
Shen Qingci curled the corners of her lips, her smile carrying a hint of coldness: "That possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, the dead are the least likely to block the way."
"But I suspect he wouldn't act so impulsively."
"After all, he has only recently established himself in the court, and his position is not yet secure. If he were to rashly take action against a newly appointed second-rank general, he would not only lose all his previous efforts but also risk his life if exposed. A man as shrewd as him would not take such a risk."
“So,” Shen Qingci extended a finger and tapped it lightly, “he should investigate first.”
“He knows nothing about you; your appearance is like a huge mystery to him. He must find out your background before he takes action.”
“I guess he’ll first go to those old men who used to serve in our Shen family’s army, to investigate, to ask them, to show them your portrait and see if they recognize you.”
Shen Qingci's eyes turned deep: "If they don't know you, they will think that you are just a puppet I use to bluff, a pawn to lure them into making a move, and that you are not a threat at all."
"At that time, he might look down on you, and might even use this as a pretext to impeach you in court and force you to hand over your military power."
Upon hearing this, Qingming curled the corners of his lips into a confident smile: "Then he's probably going to be disappointed."
"Although I was a secret guard in the army, I did serve under General Shen for quite some time. Whether it was during training exercises or meetings in the central army, the ordinary soldiers in the camp should have seen me."
“However,” a sly glint flashed in Qingming’s eyes, “they don’t know my true identity. They only know that they see me around General Shen from time to time, so they might think I’m the general’s personal guard or a messenger or something like that.”
"That's good then." Shen Qingci nodded, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes. "But that's not enough."
She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice, saying, "Besides that, he will also keep an eye on the conscription situation over these ten days."
"He will see if we can actually recruit soldiers in the name of the Shen family, in order to judge how much prestige the Shen family still has in the army."
Shen Qingci tilted his head, a calculating glint in his eyes: "So, even if we can't recruit them, I'll arrange for some of our own people to pretend to be righteous people coming to join us and answer the call."
"In this way, after Huo Yunting's investigation, he found that not only did the veterans recognize you, but some people actually responded to the Shen family's call. He will definitely begin to suspect that the rumored Shen family private army really exists, and that you are really the commander of that mysterious private army."
At this point, Shen Qingci's smile faded slightly, and her tone became serious: "When he realizes that you are not just a puppet, but a real opponent who holds real power and can pose a threat to him, he will definitely kill you."
"As for the time..." Shen Qingci estimated in her mind, "At most four or five days, maybe five or six days later. When he has nothing left to investigate and his suspicions are at their strongest."
She reached out and gently patted Qingming's hand, saying earnestly, "You need to... be more careful."
"But you can't hide either." Shen Qingci's tone shifted, her eyes sharpening. "After all, you are the bait we released, the bait to lure Huo Yunting, this big fish, into making a move. If the bait is hidden, how can the fish take the bait?"
"So, you not only can't hide, you have to show yourself openly and let him see you."
"You should surround yourself with more people, the more the better, to make your presence felt."
"Only when your defenses are so strong that he feels you are truly important, and he has tried every means to take you down but has failed, will he resort to desperate measures and use his true trump cards and the forces he has hidden in the shadows."
“As long as he makes a move…” Shen Qingci slowly leaned back against the car wall, closed her eyes, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips, “we can close the net.”
Qingming accepted the order and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, I understand and will certainly live up to your expectations."
The carriage came to a steady stop in front of the Regent's Palace.
Qingming got off the carriage first, and then respectfully helped Shen Qingci down.
"Go, proceed according to plan." Shen Qingci instructed in a low voice, then watched Qingming turn and leave, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows at the street corner.
Back in the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, Shen Qingci leaned wearily against the soft couch as soon as she entered the room, gently rubbing her temples.
A moment later, Wanqing came in carrying a small celadon bowl.
The bowl contained a dark brown medicinal soup, steaming hot and emitting a faint bitter medicinal smell.
"Miss, the medicine to prevent miscarriage is ready. The temperature is just right. Please drink it while it's hot." Wanqing carefully handed the bowl of medicine to Shen Qingci, her eyes full of concern.
Shen Qingci took the bowl of medicine but didn't drink it immediately. Instead, she stared at the dark liquid for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, she tilted her head back and drank the bitter medicine in one gulp.
Seeing this, Wanqing quickly handed over a candied fruit, took the empty bowl, and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," Shen Qingci suddenly called out to her.
Wanqing stopped and turned around: "Is there anything else you need, Miss?"
Shen Qingci gently stroked the handkerchief in her hand with her fingertips, her eyebrows twitching slightly. She lowered her voice and instructed, "You must be extra careful when handling this medicine dregs. Make sure it is handled properly and that no one notices anything amiss."
Wan Qing's expression hardened, and she immediately understood Shen Qingci's meaning.
If someone knowledgeable were to see the dregs of this pregnancy-preserving medicine, the young lady's pregnancy would be impossible to hide.
"Don't worry, Miss, I know what I'm doing. I'll handle the dregs myself, bury them in the soil under the flowerpot, crush them up and mix them with the soil, so no one will be able to tell."
Shen Qingci nodded slightly, but her brows did not relax.
She pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "Just dealing with the dregs... probably isn't enough."
"Although the Regent's Palace has been cleaned up by the Prince several times, it may still have spies planted by other forces. Apart from the maids and servants in this courtyard, I can't completely trust any of them."
“If someone is determined to investigate, they will always find clues. Instead of going to great lengths to hide it, why not…” A sly glint flashed in Shen Qingci’s eyes, “show them what they want to see.”
Wanqing's eyes lit up: "What does Miss mean?"
"Go to the Imperial Hospital and find Physician Li." Shen Qingci's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Just tell him that I want to get pregnant as soon as possible, and ask him to prescribe some medicine to nourish my body and promote conception. Use good quality herbs, and the movements... can be a little more intense."
“After you get the medicine, boil it down the same way. But once you’ve boiled it, just pour the decoction out somewhere where no one is around. Most importantly,” Shen Qingci emphasized, looking intently at Wan Qing, “don’t clean the dregs of this fertility-inducing medicine too thoroughly.”
Ideally... it should be something that people notice 'inadvertently'.
Wanqing instantly understood and couldn't help but smile, "Miss's move is truly brilliant!"
"If someone were to rummage through the dregs of the medicine and find that they were just some tonics for fertility, they would assume that you, Miss, are not pregnant yet and are in a hurry to have a child."
"In this way, the truth of her pregnancy is completely concealed by the illusion of wanting a child."
Shen Qingci leaned back on the soft pillow, gently stroking her still-flat stomach, her eyes becoming somewhat deep: "The situation is still unclear, this child has come at a rather unfortunate time."
"But now that he's here, I naturally have to find a way to protect him."
"Before completely eliminating those hidden dangers, I must do everything I can to deceive those who are watching."
"Go and do it."
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Wanqing bowed, picked up the empty bowl, and retreated with light steps.
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