Yue Jiang was startled. Jing Yan was about to leave, and he certainly wouldn't bring up spies to scare her for no reason at this time; it must be true.
"Who is it? Do you have any leads?"
“I have a rough idea that it was An Guo’s doing, but I don’t know exactly where it’s hidden,” Jing Yan shook his head regretfully, and then told Yue Jiang about an old story from years ago.
"Jiang'er, do you still remember when I helped you refuse An Chenghuan, and on the way back we were chased by his men?"
Yue Jiang nodded: "Your Highness means that it was a spy who communicated with An Chenghuan at that time?"
Jing Yan: "An Chenghuan was unwilling at the time, but he still let us leave without using weapons. I don't flatter him by calling him a gentleman, but it shows that he can weigh the pros and cons."
"I knew that if the conflict with me escalated, it could lead to another war between the two countries."
"But after we left, he sent people after us again, which means that something happened that made him furious."
Jing Yan suspected that Yue Jiang had lost her memory, but he couldn't confirm it and wasn't sure.
Many people in Jing Palace knew that Yue Jiang had lost her memory. Those below her were unaware of the details, but after the order was issued, the palace servants dared not casually mention the fact that Yue Jiang was supposed to go to Anguo for a marriage alliance.
Since the enmity between Anguo and Jingguo arose more than forty years ago, the two countries have been in a state of non-interference. Jing Yan can guarantee that it will be difficult for Anguo to plant spies in its country.
Later, on the night of his wedding to Yue Jiang, he inexplicably received a letter stating that Yue Jiang was not a member of the Yue Kingdom's royal family, attempting to sow discord between him and Yue Jiang.
Therefore, this spy must have been planted much earlier.
Later, Jing Yan wanted to secretly observe what the spy was planning to do, but he never saw any movement.
All that can be confirmed is that both times they were targeting Yue Jiang. Now the spies are in the shadows, while Yue Jiang is in the open.
Jingyan was afraid that after he left, Anguo would do something bad to Yuejiang.
He fetched a candle, pulled Yue Jiang along, and led her towards the secret tunnel, giving her instructions and explanations along the way.
“Jiang’er, this secret room was secretly built by me during the time when Xiande Hall was burned down, just in case. In the entire palace, you are the only one who knows about it besides me.”
“If I want to cooperate with Anguo, it’s hard to imagine that Anguo will take advantage of the situation and use you to threaten me again. If I am in danger while I am not by your side, you can take Zhang’er and hide here.”
"It's safe here because it's impervious to water and fire."
“We can’t just hide with Zhang’er. If Anguo really intends to make things difficult for you, who knows if they won’t use the safety of Father and Mother as a raft.”
Yue Jiang thought about it carefully and it was really scary. What kind of spy could be so disguised that even Jing Yan couldn't guess it?
They don't even know how they infiltrated the Jing Kingdom, or where they are hiding now.
If it were just a simple matter of transmitting intelligence, that would be fine. But if it really escalates to the point of palace chaos, wouldn't anyone Jing Yan cares about become his Achilles' heel?
Jing Yan agreed with Yue Jiang's words, but he wouldn't think too badly of things.
“I have thought about this deeply. After all, within the territory of Jing, if An really had people capable of causing palace chaos, Jing would have been able to silently eliminate An long ago when it was already severely weakened.”
“It’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. I’m afraid Anguo is only targeting you,” Jing Yan said, taking out a token from his pocket and putting it into Yue Jiang’s hand.
"Shan Yi, who is beside you, has three thousand soldiers from the Yue Kingdom under his command. They have been taking turns guarding Yichun Palace. I also have ten thousand men here, and the leading general and deputy general are Wei You's two cousins."
“Five thousand people will continue to take turns entering the East Palace to protect its safety. Five thousand people outside the palace are suitable for providing support.”
"Palace turmoil is just the worst-case scenario. Jiang'er, keep the token safe. If something really happens, you can give them orders."
"As for Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and the two Empress Dowagers, they also have Imperial Guards around them. Father Emperor is, after all, the ruler of Jing Kingdom. He cannot abandon the palace and flee. He will definitely take charge of the overall situation."
"If necessary, please have Jiang'er secretly bring them into the secret room."
Yue Jiang held a piece of pitch-black iron in her hand. It should have been cold, hard, and uncomfortable to the touch, but perhaps Jing Yan had kept it hidden in his bosom for a long time. It was now burning hot and felt very solid and reliable.
He even considered his own safety after setting out on the expedition.
"Your Highness, please be careful. Zhang'er and I will be waiting for your return."
The moment Yue Jiang's tears fell, she buried her face in Jing Yan's arms, holding him tightly and drawing comfort from him.
Jing Yan's hand on Yue Jiang's waist tightened little by little. He used to be afraid that Yue Jiang would be unable to leave him, but now he tasted the feeling of not being able to live without Yue Jiang.
There was an inexplicable sense of unease, a feeling that karma is a cycle of retribution.
“Oh, right, Your Highness, take this. Consider it as me and Zhang’er always keeping you company,” Yue Jiang suddenly remembered something important. She crawled out of Jing Yan’s arms and took out the red string pendant with the love knot.
The main weaving rope is made of green silk, simply braided with a few strands of red rope. A safety buckle is strung in the central knot, and three tourmaline beads hang on the tassel.
The green silk was taken from the mouths of the three members of their family, and every item inside was meant to symbolize unity and good fortune.
This was something Yuejiang had wanted to do for a long time. She spent a long time preparing the items, and each one was specially blessed so that it could bring good fortune.
Upon seeing this, Jing Yan hung it on his waist. He touched the love knot in his hand and embraced Yue Jiang again.
"Don't worry, Jiang'er, I'll remember to be careful."
...
As the departure date drew ever closer, Empress Dowager Zheng, upon learning that Jing Lu would also be going to war, found Jing Huaixu and began to complain incessantly.
“Your Majesty, isn’t Lu’er your own son? Since childhood, Jing Kingdom has lacked a hostage to go to An Kingdom. You should choose Lu’er.”
"Today we're going to the battlefield, and you've chosen Lu'er again? Lu'er has never been to the battlefield before. Do you want to kill him? Even Consort De was scared sick by you."
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