Chapter 23
"What...what happened? What's going on? Why are you arresting Caiqin?"
Liu Ju gave her a look that showed him he cared for a mentally retarded person. "Fool, you've been sold and still helped count the money." But since she was his biological sister, Liu Ju explained, "She's a spy, a spy planted in the palace by Liu Ling."
Shiyi:!!!
She couldn't believe it. Ever since she could remember, Caiqin had been with her, waiting on her and taking care of her, meticulously. How could she be someone else's spy?
Her eyes wandered between Liu Ju and Cai Qin. One was full of confidence, the other looked dejected. Shi Yi's heart sank little by little.
Liu Ju patted her gently to comfort her and reminded her, "Think carefully about how you caught Lady An throwing dirty water on me; how you suddenly fell while looking for Fu Bao; and how you spilled the juice and wine in Shengping Tower."
Shi Yi was stunned: "You...you mean all this is because of Caiqin? But it's obviously me..."
"That's her cleverness. She guides you step by step, without making any noise, making you think you did it all yourself.
"That day when you ran into Miss An, was it you who wanted to go out, or did someone suggest you go for a walk? Did you choose that path yourself, or were you led there by someone else?"
Shi Yi tried hard to recall, and his face suddenly changed slightly: "That day I saw that the flowers outside the window were in full bloom, so I asked Caiqin to pick a few for me. Caiqin picked some and came back, saying that the flowers in the pond garden should be in better bloom.
"I... I just felt like going to take a look. But when I met Lady An and tried to rush over, she held me back."
Liu Ju nodded, not surprised at all. "If I don't hold you back, will I really let you fight with Lady An? Her purpose isn't to cause a conflict between you and Lady An."
Shi Yi frowned: "Then what is her purpose?"
"Concubine An is clueless. She's trying to implicate me, my mother, and Madam Wang, trying to stir up trouble and jeopardize our situation. This isn't the first time she's said this. Caiqin isn't the only spy in the palace. They've been sharing information, learned about this, and are taking advantage of it."
"I probably did this for two reasons. First, given your personality, you'd definitely tell me if you found out. This kind of rumor isn't just spread by An Meiren; many people have, too. It's just that others aren't as foolish as An Meiren to speak out directly."
"So simply dealing with an Anmei person won't fundamentally solve the problem. The best way is for me to remember the situation that day."
Shi Yi glanced at Cai Qin, bewildered. "She went through so much trouble just to provoke you into remembering what happened that day? That's not right, is it?"
Liu Ju was speechless. He resisted the urge to pry open her head and reminded her, "The doctor once said that I had a head injury that caused temporary amnesia. Maybe I can recover slowly later."
Shi Yi finally realized what was happening and said, "Your external injuries were no longer serious, and you looked pretty good. She was worried that you might remember something, so she used this as a test."
Liu Ju nodded and continued, "That's one reason. The second reason is probably to lead us to the pond. That day, I felt that the missing memory was very important because of this incident, so I suggested going to the scene to see if it would be useful. But I think..."
He turned to look at Caiqin: "Even if I didn't think of this, you have a way to make us think of it and lead us there."
Caiqin's expression changed several times and she remained silent.
Liu Ju then asked Shi Yi, "Think back, was it really because you stepped on a raised patch of earth that you fell in the pond and discovered Fu Bao's body? Or was it because someone tripped you?"
Shi Yi was stunned. Suddenly she remembered that she wasn't sure how she fell at that time. She just found a bump under her feet after she fell, so she thought it was that.
But Caiqin was right beside her at the time, very close to her. If Caiqin did it on purpose, it was entirely possible.
Shi Yi's expression turned a little ugly. "So, that day in Shengping Tower, when I spilled the wine and soaked my dress, Caiqin was there, and she happened to be placing the juice drinks on the table."
Liu Ju curled his lips. "The former is because they don't want the matter to escalate, and they don't want the emperor to investigate further. So they deliberately led us to discover Fubao, and then led us to find Ayu, and then let Ayu be executed, so as to put the case to rest as soon as possible.
"As for the latter, I distributed the reward money to everyone, and she just accepted it. Why was she hesitating? You also said, are you such a petty person that you would take your anger out on her for such a small matter?
"But she acted like that just to draw you out, to make you angry, to get you to do something violent out of anger. Then she'd take the opportunity to spill the fruit juice, making you think you accidentally spilled it. Then she could go to the carriage to get your dress.
"Remember what I said? I think there's another reason why Lei was replaced with a carriage."
Shi Yi nodded: "I remember you said Lei Bei thought our carriage was not as luxurious as the one next door and had no taste."
Now it seems that this was obviously just an excuse for not wanting to tell the truth in front of Caiqin.
Shi Yi asked, "What's the real reason? Is it related to Cai Qin?"
"Yes. I asked the driver about it later. He said that when Caiqin came to pick up her dress, she chatted with him for a few words. The conversation seemed harmless, like an ordinary conversation, so the driver didn't pay much attention to it.
"But she specifically mentioned that we had met the princess, and that the princess had waived all our expenses in the building and let us place bets as we pleased. If we lost, it was hers, and if we won, it was ours. Then she said, "I had a lot of fun playing with you. I won a lot, so I gave tips to everyone and even gave half of my share to the driver."
"For the driver, the point of these words lies in the latter part—we are happy that they have received the reward. But for Lei Bei, who was hiding under the carriage at the time, it was a different matter. These words represent our close relationship with the princess.
"Caiqin is very smart. When she mentioned us, she didn't call us His Highness or Princess, but just Master. It seemed that it was because we were outside the palace and it was inconvenient to reveal our identities, but in fact, she was deliberately blurring our identities in front of Lei Bei.
"If you were Lei Bei, would you still hide in a carriage of a family that has a close relationship with Liu Ling, or rather, Shengpinglou?"
Shi Yi shook his head. Of course not. Lei Bei was looking for someone who could help him. If they were too close, not only might they not be able to help, they might even send him to Shengping Tower. Lei Bei couldn't take that risk.
Shi Yi pursed his lips: "Did she know that Lei Bei was under the car a long time ago?"
Liu Ju shrugged. "You forgot, we were in the second-floor wing of Shengping Tower. From the south side, we could see the Colosseum, and from the north side, we had windows facing where the carriages were parked. She must have seen it through the window."
That's why she created an accident, wet her dress and then went to get it. She used words to lure Lei Bei to the carriage next to her, and then informed Liu Ling, asking them to pretend to be the owner of the carriage and pull the carriage out, thus successfully capturing Lei Bei.
"So...it turns out she did so many things with me and even used me."
Shi Yi gritted her teeth. Now that she thought about it, it was more than just that. The fact that she forced Liu Ju to take her out of the palace this morning also had Cai Qin's influence on her.
She had originally asked someone to ask Liu Ju if he was free today and if they could play together. The person who asked replied that the prince was leaving the palace today. Caiqin asked from the side, "Isn't the case already settled? Why is he leaving the palace again? Is there something else going on?"
The person who reported back shook his head and said he didn't know. Caiqin smiled and joked, "Is your Highness thinking of going to Shengping Tower again?"
Only then did she hurried to the Feixiang Palace and insisted on following.
Also, A-di asked her why she paid so much attention to him. She didn't take it seriously at the time, but now she thinks that A-di knew that there was something wrong with Caiqin and that she was involved in this.
She didn't notice it, thinking she would find out if she asked. But who did she ask? Most of the time it was Caiqin!
Caiqin was almost the gossip around her. She relied on Caiqin and entrusted many things to her.
Wait. A gossipmonger? Liu Ling's spy? Liu Ling...
Shi Yi suddenly realized, "No wonder you were able to find out so much about Princess Liu Ling's past."
Liu Ju curled his lips: "You don't think that this is just because of her identity that she can know so much details?"
Shiyi: ???
Could it be?
"That was the news Liu Ling deliberately spread, deliberately making it known to the whole city, and even deliberately letting it reach the ears of the royal family.
"That news isn't necessarily completely false, but it's certainly not entirely true. For example, it might be half true, half false, or seven parts true and three parts false. Our dynasty has so many princes and princesses. But how many of them can stay in the capital for long?
"Liu Ling was in Beijing because she had won the favor of the Empress Dowager at that time. My father thought she could entertain the Empress Dowager, so he acquiesced for the Empress Dowager's sake.
"After the Empress Dowager passed away, she had already been in the capital for several years. As long as the Emperor didn't drive her away, she would have no problem staying. But to prevent others from pointing this out, she had to find an excuse.
"Given all that has happened, and all the speculation, isn't it reasonable for her to not return to Huainan? If anyone asks her why she's been staying in Beijing for so long, she won't have to answer. Others will find excuses for her based on this 'past'."
Shi Yi suddenly realized and sighed.
He really calculated everything and made careful plans at every step.
In vain, she had thought Liu Ling was courageous enough to kill her husband. What difference would it make if she killed a man who lived a life of debauchery and had many concubines, who married a royal daughter but was unsatisfied and didn't treat her sincerely? Now, it seemed uncertain whether she had killed her husband because he was unfaithful.
And Caiqin, how much I valued her in the past, but she actually...
etc!
Shi Yi suddenly paused, as if he suddenly remembered something. His expression changed drastically, and he looked at Cai Qin with a look filled with anger, which then turned into a fierce look: "Why are you afraid that A-di will recover his memory? What happened at that time? Is it related to you?"
Liu Ju rolled his eyes: You have a long reaction time, you only react now.
Shi Yi threw a bronze cup of water at Caiqin, and blood immediately appeared on her forehead.
"Tell me! Is what happened to my brother related to you?"
Shi Yi was furious and furious. Even though she and Liu Ju often quarreled and bickered with each other, he was still her own brother, born of the same mother, and she would never allow others to harm him.
"You're dumb. What's the matter? You have the courage to do it, but not the courage to admit it?"
Liu Ju held her down and said, "Don't get excited. Don't make a fuss in the carriage while it's moving. Be careful not to overturn it." It was easy to guess what she had done.
"You said I used to hide outside the agreed-upon range when playing hide-and-seek. I have, but I've never run this far. I usually stay around the perimeter. And the rockery complex is obviously a long way off."
"So I always feel that I didn't go there on my own initiative. There must be a reason. Maybe someone suggested that I go, or someone said they knew the best place to hide and took me there.
"I'm not a fool. I won't listen to everyone. So this person must be someone I know well, someone who caught me off guard. And the people I'm familiar with, besides my parents and relatives, are the ones who have served me since I was a child, the people around my father, the emperor, and the empress, and..."
Shi Yi already understood and took over his words: "And the eldest sister, the third sister, and the people around me."
Although these people did not serve Liu Ju all the time, they would often play with him. Caiqin was one of them.
Liu Ju held his chin up and looked at her: "It's just that I don't understand why you led me there."
Shi Yi was puzzled: "Isn't it to harm you and Madam Wang?"
Liu Ju shook his head, his face full of confusion. He didn't think it was the case, but he couldn't imagine it, couldn't guess it.
Caiqin remained silent. Liu Ju shrugged, "Never mind. It doesn't matter if you don't say anything. Once we catch Liu Ling, the truth will come out."
Caiqin's eyes moved, and a flash of light passed by.
Liu Ju lifted the curtain and called out "cousin". Huo Qubing had been riding his horse parallel to the carriage, so he naturally heard everything that happened inside the carriage. As soon as he saw his expression, he knew what he wanted to do. He turned around and called the guards behind him, took a purse and handed it to Liu Ju.
Liu Ju shook his purse at Caiqin: "Are you waiting for this?"
He reached into his purse and took out a copper coin. The coin was no different from any other ordinary coin, except that it had been scratched with a sharp blade.
As soon as this thing was taken out, Caiqin's expression changed slightly, and even her breathing stopped for a moment.
Liu Ju placed it on the small table, then took out another one, and then another one...
Eleven of them are lined up in a row, neatly arranged.
Shi Yi was confused, and Cai Qin was extremely frightened, even her breathing began to tremble.
Liu Ju chuckled, "Do you think that by keeping silent, you can buy time for your master to escape? You are quite clever. You know that what Yin Liu said is very serious, and the contents of the letter are even more crucial. If you wait until you return to the palace to release the silk bird to report the news, it will probably be too late.
"Since you can't find any reason to delay our return to the palace, and you can't contact outsiders in time, we can only use this method to warn them, hoping that your people will notice the abnormality, perceive the danger, and evacuate quickly.
"Guess I knew there was something wrong with you a long time ago, so why did I agree to let you leave the palace with me? Because I have nothing to fear. No matter what you do, someone will be watching you closely. What do I have to be afraid of?
"Knowing that you are a spy, how could the emperor not make any arrangements? Not to mention that my cousin is accompanying us."
Liu Ju raised his thumb and pointed outside the car: "This is the most popular and sought-after Marquis of Guanjun, who can come and go freely in the Xiongnu royal tent.
"You actually think you have the ability to pull off such a trick right under his nose and still succeed? Are you stupid, or do you think my cousin is stupid? Who gave you that confidence?"
Huo Qubing outside the car: ...
The last glimmer of hope was gone, all the information channels were blocked, Caiqin looked ashen and collapsed to the ground.
"Caiqin, you have been with me for so many years, and you often play with me. I actually..." Liu Ju sighed with emotion, "I really don't want to be you.
"Do you know why I didn't ask you to leave the room the entire time Yin Liu was suing me? Even though I didn't know what Yin Liu was going to say beforehand, I still didn't notice until she was halfway through.
"My sister is simple-minded, so we can find an excuse to send her out. If she goes out, you must follow her. While you're out, we can take advantage of the situation to keep you under guard, and you won't even have the chance to steal or lose any coins along the way.
"But I didn't do that, and I didn't let my cousin do that. Why do you think that is?"
Caiqin paused and looked up in confusion: "Why?"
"Because I wanted to see if you still had any conscience, any bottom line. Your master didn't hesitate to slaughter an entire village just to catch the mine. Even if the village wasn't big, it probably had dozens, if not hundreds. Overnight, they were all gone.
"What did they do wrong? How did they bother you? Just because they saved Lei Bei, you slaughtered them all to test whether Lei Bei was still in the mountains, and to vent your anger at them for saving people and ruining your plan.
"Don't you think it's too cruel?"
Caiqin looked dazed, a trace of struggle flashed in her eyes, but disappeared in an instant.
Liu Ju continued, "I want to know if you will be touched, if you will be moved, or if you will be shaken after hearing these things.
"I have been waiting. But nothing, nothing. All you can think about is that the matter has been exposed, and you have to inform your good master as soon as possible so that he can run away quickly."
Caiqin looked up and asked, "If I am moved, disturbed, or wavered, will Your Highness let me go?"
Liu Ju was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No."
Caiqin sneered, "What's the point of knowing that? It's just a waste of time."
Liu Ju was stunned, his expression gloomy. He just… just… Liu Ju couldn't explain what he was feeling. It seemed like this was really unnecessary.
Caiqin continued, "Since I have served my master, I must remain loyal to the end. I am an orphan and have been begging with my sister since I was a child. Your Highness, with your status, will not understand how difficult it is for a beggar to survive.
“Just getting enough food and clothing is hard enough for us, and we must always be vigilant and guard against the evil intentions of the outside world.
"At that time, I wondered every day if I could eat even half my fill today, and if I could protect myself and my sister. There was an old beggar who took pity on little beggars like us and would always lend a hand. Although life was difficult, we were still able to survive.
"But then the old beggar died, and we..."
Caiqin closed her eyes, not wanting to recall this tragic past. She took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, we met the princess, who took us back and carefully trained us.
"The princess has been very kind to us. We will serve her and obey her for the rest of our lives. We will do whatever she says. I will not and cannot have any inappropriate emotions."
Liu Ju was very surprised: "You have a younger sister?"
"yes."
"Is your sister in Huainan or Chang'an?"
Caiqin shook her head: "I don't know. My sister and I studied separately and were trained in different directions. I don't know where she is being sent or what she is doing now. Maybe she hasn't been sent out yet."
Liu Ju frowned. Huo Qubing had been listening quietly, but now he suddenly opened the curtain and said seriously, "You are learning how to be a spy. Where is your sister?"
Caiqin still shook her head: "I don't know."
Liu Ju's brows furrowed even more tightly. Huo Qubing was also very displeased.
"Whether you believe it or not, I really don't know. We sisters were trained separately and rarely had the opportunity to meet. Only when we studied well or made contributions would we be rewarded and arranged to meet and spend half a day together.
"But someone will be accompanying us throughout the entire process. The specific content of our studies is not allowed to be disclosed. The princess said this is to protect our identities, and the fewer people who know, the better. This also applies to our family members.
"Besides, I have been in the palace for many years and haven't seen my sister for a long time. I have only received a few letters from her. She said that she is living well now, with good food, clothing and other necessities, and asked me not to worry. There is no more."
Caiqin spoke in a calm tone, as if it were normal, as if she was talking about someone else, without any resentment or anger.
She knew full well that the princess had a purpose in raising them. But if it weren't for the princess, she and her sister would have died long ago. The princess was their benefactor; she earned these extra years of life. Only when she mentioned her sister did her eyes light up, and her voice softened.
Liu Ju sighed. "Just based on a letter? How do you know the letter was definitely written by your sister? How can you be sure your sister is still alive?"
Caiqin hadn't thought about this before, but she didn't want to. The handwriting on the letters was her sister's, and each letter came with a keepsake. She wouldn't fail to recognize her sister's things.
In the absence of any evidence that her sister might have met with an accident, she could only believe and was more willing to believe that her sister was still alive.
But when Liu Ju directly stated this possibility in front of her, she couldn't help but tremble. Then she closed her eyes, turned her face away, and curled herself up in the corner, not seeing, hearing, or speaking.
——Is she pretending to be an ostrich, thinking that if she doesn't think about it, it won't exist, or is she deeply convinced that Liu Ling would not lie to her?
That was understandable. After all, at the height of her despair, Liu Ling had come to her rescue like a god, offering her a relatively peaceful life where she didn't have to endure the daily grind of fire. She felt a kind of affection for Liu Ling, akin to a young bird.
Although it's unknown how old she was when she followed Liu Ling, no matter how old she was, she was a beggar before that, barely surviving. She had no chance to interact with others, nor did she have the energy to think about anything else. Her true "education" came after she followed Liu Ling.
All of her "cognition" was given by Liu Ling. Liu Ling naturally shaped her into the image he wanted. The most important thing is that Liu Ling not only brainwashed and used PUA on her, but also controlled her by holding her sister's bloodline.
—Aren't you shocked? Caiqin, the spy, was so well hidden, we all thought she was just a random person, only to be caught by Liu Ju. Think back to how Liu Ju discovered the spy, and his ability to unravel the mystery before. Isn't this kid incredibly smart?
Don't assume others can't be as smart just because you're not smart. You have to understand the disparity in the world.
—Wake up, the person upstairs! The world is not perfect. Just imagine creating a genius prodigy character in any fictional drama. This is a historical drama! At least respect history and don't go too far with your adaptation. While history books don't say Liu Ju wasn't smart, they also don't say he was this smart.
——Are there not enough historical dramas that have been adapted?
As soon as these words were spoken, the barrage fell silent, and was replaced by a series of +1s.
Outside the barrage, Liu Ju was a bit confused. A historical drama? In history books?
He was not sure about the first word, but the second word seemed to have been mentioned in the barrage before. However, he was always shocked by the extremely outrageous content of the barrage, so he did not pay much attention to the other words.
Now that I think about it, the barrage seemed to have mentioned ancient people?
Ancient people, history books, historical adaptations...
Liu Ju fell into deep thought, his facial features wrinkled unconsciously.
Huo Qubing misunderstood his state, thinking that his behavior was because of Caiqin. He smiled and patted his head: "Forget it. She won't say anything anymore, and we don't necessarily need her to. Just return to the palace and report to His Majesty."
Liu Ju:...Well, okay.
Several people returned to the palace. Shi Yi went back with other maids, Caiqin was handed over to someone for care, and Liu Ju and Huo Qubing went straight to the Xuanshi Palace.
Not long after, the secret letter was placed in front of Liu Che, and on his desk were two scrolls of bamboo slips that had just been delivered by the Huainan spy.
"Hengshan King Liu Ci."
Liu Che's expression was cold. Liu Ci and Liu An, the King of Huainan, were brothers. So close that they even conspired together to rebel. Ha. A cold glint flashed in Liu Che's eyes, and he sneered inwardly: Great! Their territories are adjacent, so it's convenient to solve this problem together.
The corners of his mouth curled up: "The evidence is complete, we can close the net."
When Huo Qubing heard the word "closing the net", his eyes lit up: "I offer to take the responsibility."
"You go?" Liu Che frowned.
"Yes, please allow me to go. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will act appropriately and will not allow her to cause any major disturbance in the city."
At this point, they were in the dark, while Liu Ling was in the open. Not only was there a huge disparity in strength, but they also had the upper hand. If they still allowed Liu Ling to cause trouble and disrupt the capital, it would be a sign of their incompetence.
Liu Che shook his head and waved his hands: "She is just a princess of Huainan, and she is still under the feet of the emperor. Why should my Marquis of Guanjun take action? It is too much for her."
"After all, there are no Xiongnu to fight in Chang'an, so just use her as a training exercise." Huo Qubing disagreed, his eyes glancing at Liu Ju, who was listening quietly and drinking juice comfortably. "I've been so idle lately that I can only help you take care of the children, and you still don't let me move around."
Liu Che: ...
Liu Ju: ???
Are you polite? What do you mean? I mean, you've been wronged by being with me, right?
Since the army returned to the capital, I've only asked you to take me on two horseback rides, to Shengping Tower once, and to investigate a case. Wasn't that because you had nothing to do anyway?
We are family after all, sharing a quarter of the same blood. Why should my cousin care so much about this? Aren’t you still my dearest cousin?
I like you so much and admire you so much, and this is it? This is it!
After all, I was wrong!
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