Chapter 171 The Secret Leaked
Xiao Zhan looked at her carefully. Somehow, Jiang Xue exuded a sophistication and calmness beyond her age. Obviously, she was only sixteen years old, in the prime of her youth.
"My second brother has a temper and is always merciless to those who stand in his way. Marquis Anguo obeys his orders and will definitely spare no effort to deal with my uncle."
This can be seen from the fact that Xiao Li sent Marquis Anguo to intercept Marquis Zhenbei on his way back to Beijing. Although he failed that time because Marquis Anguo was distracted by Chen Xiner's affairs, Xiao Li would never give up. If he failed once, there would be the next time, and the next time, until the goal was achieved.
Jiang Xue's mind was as clear as a mirror. She lowered her head and looked at "The General's Strategy". A contest quietly unfolded.
"Marquis Anguo wants to overthrow his uncle. If he can't rely on military merit, then the only thing left is people's support."
Military merit is hard-earned, and it was awarded by the emperor himself. If Marquis Anguo wants to take action in this regard, he will not only fail to convince everyone, but will also be tantamount to slapping the emperor in the face and questioning his wisdom.
Therefore, the Marquis of Anguo would certainly take advantage of the emperor's suspicion and use some sinister means to get rid of his uncle, the stumbling block, through the emperor's hand. And this "General's Strategy" was the fuse.
"The Beiling Poetry Festival will be held soon. Every year, many scholars and writers gather together to exchange their reading experiences." Xiao Zhan approached Jiang Xue, "Perhaps someone will take this opportunity to stir up trouble."
"Changle is grateful for the advice from His Royal Highness Prince Gong."
The two stood side by side, and Jiang Xue responded with a smile. On the surface, they seemed to be having a casual chat.
"Princess, please set up your plan. If you need help, I will do my best to help you."
"Mo Tian, help me check who has bought the book "General's Strategy" at Wanbaolou in the past month."
As soon as Jiang Xue stepped into Gan Palace, the first thing she did was to read "The General's Strategy" from beginning to end.
"Okay, I'll do it right away." Mo Tian didn't say much. He just received the order and went out.
"Princess, what is this?" Seeing Jiang Xue studying it so seriously, Fu Dong came forward curiously.
"'General's Strategy', some people have bad intentions and set a trap for my uncle."
Jiang Xue took the book to the table and sat down, picking up a pen to copy the contents, and even made some small changes in a few places with a red pen.
"Princess." Xiaochun had just brought back a letter of safety from the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. There was a blush on her face and she looked like she was holding her breath.
"Hey? Who made our Xiaochun unhappy?" Fudong was surprised to see this. You know, Xiaochun usually has a stern face and rarely shows his emotions.
"It's nothing, I just had a quarrel with someone." Xiaochun didn't want to talk about it anymore, and walked directly to Jiang Xue to report: "Princess, there is news that Miss Linyi is safe."
"Yeah." Jiang Xue was concentrating and didn't notice Xiaochun's expression.
By the time I put pen to paper, the sun was setting outside the window.
She stretched and relaxed her shoulders and neck which had been tense all afternoon.
"Xiaochun, take these manuscripts to Prince Gong's Mansion. Be careful not to let anyone see them."
She believed that Xiao Zhan would naturally understand her intention when he saw the manuscript.
When Xiaochun heard the word "Prince Gong's Mansion", her face turned unhappy.
She took the manuscript reluctantly and stood there, not moving for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xue then realized that Xiaochun was not right and seemed to be reluctant to go to Prince Gong's Mansion.
"Princess..." Xiaochun was about to say something when she was interrupted by Mo Tian who came back.
"Princess, I have checked carefully. In this month, only the Marquis of Anguo Mansion and the Imperial Censorate Mansion bought the General's Strategy. And the quantity is not small. Each family asked for more than 3,000 copies."
"Six thousand books can't be printed overnight. How many are they in circulation now?"
Seeing that Jiang Xue was concentrating on "The General's Strategy", Xiaochun pursed her lips tactfully, quietly walked out of the door and headed towards Prince Gong's Mansion.
"At present, the two companies have only received samples, and the remaining large quantities of books will not be delivered until seven days later." In other words, there is still a seven-day time difference that can be used.
Jiang Xue calculated secretly and touched her chin. Time was tight, but if arranged properly, it would be enough time to do something.
"Mo Tian, accompany me to Wanbao Tower tomorrow."
She had to go and find out for herself who was the manipulator behind this.
The next morning, Jiang Xue, dressed in men's clothing, appeared in front of Wanbao Tower with Mo Tian. Along the way, Xiao Yan's incident last night had spread widely in Yujing City, and people were talking about how Prince Duan could shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country when he was so indulgent!
There was also a commotion in the palace. The Emperor of Beiling was furious and ordered Xiao Yan to be placed under house arrest in Prince Duan's mansion, and not to leave without his permission. The Imperial Concubine and the Lin family were busy pleading for mercy and had no time to spare.
The gates of Prince Duan's Mansion were tightly closed today, more strictly than usual. People passing by said that they could still faintly hear the sound of banging and falling coming from inside.
Everything was as she expected, and a satisfied smile appeared on Jiang Xue's face.
As soon as the waiter opened the door, he saw a handsome and elegant young man standing outside. He had elegant manners and was well-dressed. It was obvious that he came from an extraordinary family.
The waiter came forward with a big smile and said, "Sir, are you here to buy books? We have a wide variety of books in our pavilion, covering everything. There must be something you like!"
This is a big customer. The waiter greeted her attentively and led Jiang Xue into the store.
"I want to see The General's Strategy."
As soon as the words "General's Strategy" came out, the waiter's expression changed slightly: "How did you know about this book, young master?"
This "General's Strategy" was specially prepared according to the secret order from the top. Except for a few designated people, no outsiders have any way of knowing it.
What is the background of this guest?
"I had the honor of seeing the watermarked version at the Censorate." Jiang Xue answered casually.
"Oh, so you are from the residence of the censor. I am so sorry for the disrespect." When the waiter heard this, his tense nerves relaxed immediately and his expression became more natural. He was secretly glad in his heart, thinking that the secret had been leaked and it would cause trouble!
"The Lord Censor sent me to inquire about the printing status of 'The General's Strategy'?" Jiang Xue asked directly.
"Reporting to the Lord, three thousand copies have been produced and are waiting to be shipped in seven days." The speed was quite fast. Jiang Xue raised her eyebrows and became more interested. "The Lord Censor wants to meet the master who wrote "General's Strategy". I wonder if you can introduce him to one or two?"
"This..." The waiter looked embarrassed and stammered, unable to explain clearly.
"Why? Is it so difficult?" Jiang Xue asked.
"No, no, sir. The author has been specifically ordered by his superiors not to allow outsiders to have access to the work. I really have no choice." This sense of mystery made the matter even more intriguing.
Jiang Xue and Mo Tian exchanged glances and winked at each other.
Just then, Wang Ruixuan swaggered in: "Waiter! Bring me the goods!"
"Oh, Young Master Wang, you're here!" The waiter dared not be negligent, because this was the son of the Minister of Zongzheng Temple. He quickly left Zhou Changle behind and ran up to him to apologize with a smile.
"Stop smiling at me! Where are my things? Where are my goods?" Wang Ruixuan pushed the waiter away and walked straight in, just in time to run into Jiang Xue and Mo Tian.
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