Chapter 167 You Lied to Me
Yuanbao nodded, then remembered something else and added, "By the way, Your Highness, we also noticed that there seem to be quite a few unfamiliar faces in the capital today."
"These people are elusive, traveling in groups of three or five. They seem to have nothing to do, wandering around the city all day long, but in reality... they are all spies under Liu Wenyuan's command."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci's smile deepened.
“Ignore them.” She said slowly. “Didn’t I just use that fake ‘Wan Qing’ to spread the news that ‘the Shen family’s private army is about to break up and secretly infiltrate the capital’?”
"That old fox Liu Wenyuan must have... believed it to be true."
"He's sending so many people out now, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, trying to find my... non-existent 'private army'."
As Shen Qingci pondered, a new question arose in her mind.
Now that Liu Wenyuan has devoted most of his energy to searching for "private soldiers," how should he deal with the border affairs?
Thinking of this, she asked again, "Yuanbao, is the news of renewed fighting at the border... known to all the other officials in the court?"
Upon hearing this, Yuanbao shook his head, his voice filled with disdain: "That old scoundrel Liu Wenyuan has actually suppressed this matter! Apart from him and a few of His Majesty's confidants, the officials in the court... still know nothing about this matter!"
I see!
Shen Qingci instantly understood the crux of the problem.
She immediately had an idea, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Since he wants to hide it, then... I'll make sure he doesn't get his way!"
"Arrange men immediately," she ordered coldly, "to spread the news that 'war has broken out again on the border and the Southern State is in danger' in all the teahouses and taverns in the city! Also, arrange for some of our people to pretend to be refugees fleeing from the Southern State and to make the border war sound as serious and tragic as possible!"
"Liu Wenyuan wants to keep his troops firmly in the capital and fight against the prince, so I will force him to send his troops out!"
"Yes!" Yuanbao accepted the order and was about to leave.
Shen Qingci stopped him again, her delicate brows furrowed as she asked a question that had been puzzling her: "Which country is fighting against our Great Zhou this time?"
Yuan-Bao quickly replied, "Your Highness, it is the Northern You Kingdom."
"Northern You Kingdom?" Shen Qingci was taken aback. The name seemed strangely familiar to her.
She searched her memory for a moment, then stared in astonishment, her eyes widening: "If I remember correctly, five years ago, when Bei You and my Great Zhou were at war, didn't the late emperor... send the Sixth Princess to marry into the enemy to seek peace?"
"Didn't the two countries already sign a 20-year non-aggression pact? How could... war suddenly break out again?"
Upon hearing this, Yuanbao's usually carefree and playful face instantly revealed a deep sense of grief and indignation.
He lowered his head, his voice becoming low and hoarse: "That dog emperor of the Northern You Kingdom is not even human! After our sixth princess married into that kingdom, she suffered endless torment and humiliation at his hands!"
"Some time ago, that beast even tried to... even tried to harm the little princess! The sixth princess had no choice but to take the little princess and escape at all costs."
“But who would have thought,” Yuanbao clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred, “that dog emperor actually turned around and bit back, using the pretext of ‘the sixth princess abducting the princess and running away’ to blatantly tear up the agreement and launch another war against my Great Zhou!”
Shen Qingci felt a surge of anger rising to the top of her head.
This is clearly...deliberate!
That damned emperor, from beginning to end, just wanted to find a pretext to start another war!
As she was thinking, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and she subconsciously asked, "Yuanbao, if I remember correctly... the late emperor's sixth princess, whose given name was Chu Yuening, and the regent... were siblings born of the same mother?"
Yuanbao's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
He nodded slowly, sighed softly, his voice filled with endless sorrow.
"yes."
"The Sixth Princess is the only family the Prince has left in this world."
Shen Qingci's heart was clenched tightly at that moment.
She understood instantly.
No wonder... no wonder Liu Wenyuan wanted to suppress this matter so tightly and was unwilling to send troops.
Because the Sixth Princess is Chu Jichen's younger sister, this seemingly sudden battle must be seen by Liu Wenyuan, that suspicious old fox, as more like... a trap set up by Chu Jichen in collusion with his sister!
Shen Qingci slowly waved his hand, signaling Yuanbao to step back.
The study was once again filled with a deathly silence.
Her heart was a turbulent sea.
Just now, when Yuanbao mentioned the Sixth Princess, a thought that she had deliberately ignored resurfaced uncontrollably and grew wildly from the depths of her heart.
Yunmeng Tower...
That woman named Yun Yao...
The little girl held on Chu Jichen's lap...
Shen Qingci's breath hitched!
Could it be...?
Could it be that the mother and daughter were not the "daughter of the Lancheng garrison commander" that Huo Yunzhan mentioned at all?
Instead...
Instead, it was Chu Yuening and her daughter who had narrowly escaped death from the Northern You Kingdom!
Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed!
If that's the case... then everything makes sense!
Chu Yuening suffered endless humiliation in the Northern You Kingdom and risked her life to escape back to the Great Zhou Kingdom with her daughter. As her elder brother, Chu Jichen naturally had to take the mother and daughter back and settle them properly.
However, the Sixth Princess's identity was too sensitive; if exposed, it would inevitably cause a huge conflict between the two countries. Therefore, he had no choice but to have Chu Yuening disguise herself and hide in the capital under another identity.
And Huo Yunzhan...
That beast may have found out through some channels that Chu Jichen had close ties with Yun Yao and her daughter, but he did not find out their true identities.
So she thought she was clever and fabricated a lie about her old lover returning and her illegitimate daughter being exposed, hoping to drive a wedge between her and Chu Jichen!
But does Huo Yunzhan... know the true identity of "Yun Yao"?
What about Liu Wenyuan? Was he aware of this?
Countless thoughts flashed through Shen Qingci's mind in an instant.
This matter is of great importance, and she must... go and test it out herself!
She immediately summoned Zhuque and asked her to find out Huo Yunzhan's current location.
...
After a short while, Shen Qingci's carriage stopped outside an inconspicuous teahouse in the south of the city.
She did not enter through the main entrance, but was led by Zhuque to quietly enter through the back door and go directly to a private room on the second floor.
Pushing open the window, directly opposite is the private room where Huo Yunzhan is.
He appeared to be having a private conversation with someone, his expression carrying a hint of arrogant confidence.
Shen Qingci did not rush to show herself, but waited quietly.
Half an hour later, when the person who had been having a private conversation with Huo Yunzhan got up to take his leave, she slowly got up, pushed open the door of the private room, and blocked Huo Yunzhan who was about to go downstairs.
Upon seeing her, Huo Yunzhan's expression instantly became incredibly complex, a mixture of surprise, guilt, and a barely perceptible hint of anticipation.
"Qing...Qingci?" he called out in a hoarse voice, "How...why are you here? Did...did you come here specifically to find me?"
Shen Qingci did not answer his question.
She simply stepped forward slowly, her clear phoenix eyes like two sharp knives, locking onto him intently, as if trying to see right through him!
"Huo Yunzhan," she said, her voice icy and chilling, "tell me."
"That day, at Yunmeng Tower, you showed me... that mother and daughter."
"Their identities are not what you say at all, are they?!"
You... lied to me!
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