Chapter 158 Everything is Ready
As soon as the carriage returned to the Regent's Palace, Yuanbao's figure appeared silently in front of Shen Qingci once again.
"Your Highness," he reported, bowing slightly, his expression showing a hint of excitement, "I have already sent men to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of the three eunuchs who serve Your Highness!"
“Two of them are orphans who entered the palace at a young age. They have no relatives left and no ties. Only the third person,” Yuanbao’s eyes flashed with a smug glint, “has an elderly mother and a young brother who is crying for food!”
"I have already dispatched men to his home at top speed to retrieve his mother's younger brother's personal belongings. When the time comes, all we need to do is place the tokens in front of him, and he will readily comply and reveal the coded message for the handover!"
However, after hearing these words, Shen Qingci's face showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, her clear phoenix eyes instantly frosted over!
“No,” she said in a cold voice.
Yuanbao's excitement froze instantly: "Your...Your Highness? Something's not right."
"What a coincidence." A chilling glint flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes. "How meticulous is that old fox Liu Wenyuan? If he dared to use this scheme to imprison the Regent, how could he leave such an obvious flaw?"
"Among the three, there is one person with a clear weakness, as if he was placed there specifically for us to exploit."
She abruptly raised her head, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight into Yuanbao's heart: "Yuanbao, immediately issue the order! Have your men cease all actions targeting that eunuch's family! This matter... be careful, it might be a trap!"
Yuanbao was startled by the all-knowing, cold glint in her eyes, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat!
Yes! How could he not have thought of that?
This is clearly a trap that the enemy has set long ago!
We're just waiting for them to think they've found their weakness and charge headlong into it!
At that time, not only will they not get the code, but they will also expose their own manpower and even be falsely accused, confirming their sinister intentions!
"Then... what should we do?" Yuanbao's voice was tinged with fear and anxiety.
Shen Qingci remained calm. She walked to her desk, her fingers tapping lightly on the cool surface, her mind racing.
“Ignore the one with the most obvious weakness,” she said calmly. “Concentrate all your manpower on the other two! Dig deep! Find out their positions in the palace, who they associate with, their hobbies, and even… what secrets they have!”
"The deeper and more detailed the investigation, the better!"
“Moreover,” her voice suddenly turned sharp, “we must be quick! We must get to the bottom of everything and obtain the real code before their next shift change!”
"If we haven't gotten the code word by the time our shift starts, we'll be exposed."
"Yes! Your subordinate obeys!" Yuanbao did not hesitate for a moment, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Qingci, and disappeared into the night in a flash.
...
Wanqing brought in hot water and saw her young mistress still standing behind the desk with a solemn expression. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her and said, "Miss, it's late. You should rest now."
Shen Qingci shook her head, her eyes showing no sign of sleepiness.
"Right now, this is the most crucial moment, I... can't sleep yet."
She turned around, picked up her pen again, and wrote fluently on a blank sheet of paper.
Once the ink had dried, she carefully folded the letter, sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to Wanqing.
"Immediately arrange for someone to deliver this letter to Suzaku."
"Miss……"
"Go." Shen Qingci's voice carried an undeniable decisiveness. "Tell Zhuque that the situation in the capital will soon descend into chaos. This... will be the perfect opportunity for us to fish in troubled waters!"
"Have her immediately arrange for someone to impersonate Prime Minister Liu's confidants and deliver a secret letter to the residences of officials who have already openly or secretly sided with Liu Wenyuan."
Wanqing took the letter, her eyes full of doubt.
A cold and cruel smile slowly curved Shen Qingci's lips.
"In the letter, Liu Wenyuan told them that he had decided to completely frame Chu Jichen for the Shen family's treason. He told them to make sure they cleaned up all the mess they had left behind and not leave any trace for anyone to use against them."
“Then,” her eyes gleamed with a hunter’s light, “have Suzaku’s men keep a close watch on those officials who received the letter!”
"Among them, whoever reacts the most and makes the most moves... is most likely the mastermind behind the framing of my Shen family back then!"
"If they make any unusual moves, follow them immediately!"
Wanqing accepted the order and left, leaving Shen Qingci alone in the study.
She didn't sleep a wink all night, repeatedly rehearsing each move of the game in her mind, until the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
Just then, Yuanbao's figure reappeared in the study like a ghost.
Unlike his previous solemn expression, his face was now filled with barely suppressed joy!
"Your Highness! We've found out!" His voice was extremely low, yet he couldn't hide his excitement. "Just as you predicted, that seemingly flawless eunuch was indeed suspicious!"
"Our people found out that the eunuch named Xiao Luzi actually has a maid in the palace with whom he has a romantic relationship! The two entered the palace together when they were young, went through life and death together, and have a very deep bond! And that maid, unfortunately, is currently on duty at Consort Shu's Jingren Palace!"
A terrifying glint flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes!
Yuanbao continued, "Consort Shu, Liu Rushuang, is violent and often beats and scolds the palace maids. Xiao Luzi feels sorry for her but is powerless to do anything about it."
"The reason he pledged allegiance to Prime Minister Liu and risked his life for him was to ask Prime Minister Liu to release the palace maid and give her her freedom after the matter was settled!"
"I took it upon myself to order someone to 'invite' the palace maid out of Jingren Palace and bring her to the secret dungeon where Xiao Luzi was imprisoned."
"Upon seeing his beloved, the young eunuch was indeed thrown into disarray and became agitated, asking us what we wanted to do."
Yuanbao's face revealed a smug smile: "I told him that we had already arranged for someone to disguise themselves as that palace maid and take her place in the palace."
“We can immediately set them both free and give them enough silver so they can go far away and live a normal life as a married couple.”
"The only condition is that he tells us the password for the handover."
A knowing smile slowly curved Shen Qingci's lips: "He agreed?"
“Of course!” Yuanbao puffed out his chest. “That little eunuch recited all the passwords without any hesitation! I immediately sent the passwords into the palace and gave them to our replacements.”
"Now, everything is ready, we are just waiting for... the handover!"
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