Chapter 43 A Gentle Shoulder Bears the Burden
The night was as dark as ink, seeping into every corner of the garden. Huairou sat alone in her study, the windows tightly shut, with only a solitary lamp flickering on the desk, casting her shadow long and short against the cold wall, much like her chaotic thoughts at that moment.
The faint sound of wind and rain outside could be heard, echoing the storm raging in the court against Yunji in the quiet night. Colluding with foreign enemies, raising armored soldiers—each charge was enough to crush flesh and blood. Fear, like cold vines, coiled around her heart, almost suffocating her. She gripped her clothes tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms; the slight stinging sensation helped her maintain her last shred of clarity.
"You can't panic... Huairou, you can't panic..." she silently told herself, "Yunji is still waiting for you."
She forced herself to take a deep breath and closed her eyes. Strangely, what surfaced in her mind wasn't the predicament before her, but a scene from another time and space—a young Ji Moli, nestled in a soft sofa, watching intently as the modern-dressed, lightning-fast detective Sherlock Holmes solved unbelievable puzzles on the screen. Those intricate chains of logic, that precise analysis of human nature, were known as "deductive reasoning" in that other world.
At this moment, her outward appearance was calm and composed, but her inner world seemed to transcend time and space, initiating a dialogue with herself, an "enactment" based on the cruel rules of reality.
Calm down, Moli. The voice echoed clearly in her mind. Ignore all distractions and focus only on the core issue. The Second Prince is down, Yunji is down, so who is the biggest beneficiary?
The answer surfaced almost instantly—the Fourth Prince, who had always remained hidden behind the scenes, seemingly unassuming yet quietly growing in power after every upheaval! With his deep-seated cunning and his maternal clan's entrenched influence, he was the prime suspect. Regardless of who specifically orchestrated the framing of Yunji, the ultimate destination of this force would inevitably be him.
Target identified. So, how to break the deadlock?
The first plan quickly took shape in my mind: lure the snake out of its hole and catch it red-handed.
Setting the bait: I can weave a message that's half true and half false. Through those hard-to-trace channels in the marketplace, it will be "precisely" leaked to the Fourth Prince's spies. The core of the message is: "Miss Guo has secretly found a batch of key accounts for the transportation of supplies from the Northern Border, which seem to be intricately linked to the case of framing the Crown Prince. It's currently hidden somewhere on the outskirts of the capital. This account book is no small matter; it not only records corrupt transactions but also contains several pieces of irrefutable evidence proving the Crown Prince's framing. She will personally retrieve it in three days and present it to His Majesty."
Forcing them to act: This "bait" was extremely ruthless. The Fourth Prince's cronies couldn't determine whether the ledger existed, but they dared not gamble on the possibility. Once the ledger was exposed, the corruption case and the framing of the Crown Prince would be investigated simultaneously, and they would face certain death. Their only option was to destroy or seize the ledger at all costs before Huairou could "retrieve it." This would inevitably involve their most core and secretive forces.
"Please lure me into the trap": At the same time, I did something incredibly audacious. Through my only, absolutely secret carrier pigeon, I sent the emperor an unsigned note: "Three days later, at dawn, behind the Ziyun Temple on the outskirts of the capital. Your Majesty, please dismiss your attendants and witness firsthand a performance of 'Robber Zhi and Yan Yuan'." I didn't expect him to completely believe me, only to pique his greatest curiosity. A woman he deeply cared about, and who knew of his intelligence, extended such a strange invitation at this sensitive moment. Given his personality and his…attention to me, he would surely come.
The ending: At that moment, I will be alone, pretending to search in the forest. The Fourth Prince's elite troops, already lying in ambush, will surely emerge to subdue me and interrogate me about the whereabouts of the "ledger." At the critical moment, His Majesty's personally led, absolutely loyal shadow guards will descend from the sky, capturing all the thieves. This scene of "caught red-handed" will unfold before the Emperor's very eyes. In the captured leader of the assassins, a token from the Fourth Prince's residence will surely be found, along with—a blank letter bearing a forged Xiongnu seal, which they intended to use to replace the "ledger." This is irrefutable evidence of their fabricated evidence to frame the Crown Prince!
At this point in her thought, Huairou suddenly shook her head.
No! She immediately rejected this seemingly brilliant plan. The flaws were too numerous. The Second Prince's previous framing of Yunji in the Northern Border trade case had already amply demonstrated that ancient account book recording methods were crude, and verification techniques were primitive, making falsification far too easy. Using "account books" as bait to lure the enemy was inherently unappealing; the opponent might doubt their authenticity and remain inactive. Furthermore, using "account books" as final evidence lacked persuasiveness in court, making it extremely easy for the enemy to accuse them of forgery. The core of this plan—the "account books"—was itself clichéd and incredibly fragile. It would also implicate her family, plunging this defenseless woman into unknown dangers.
Abandoning the old path, we must find a new way. A second plan came to mind: create a prisoner's dilemma to ignite internal conflict.
Faced with such a deadlock, the solution must be more ingenious, targeting the weakest link in this perfect lie. This weakness is not the illusory "100,000 iron cavalry" themselves, but lies in people.
The key to breaking the deadlock: Instead of directly proving that the army "is not" Yungil's, which is almost impossible, I will prove that they "are" someone else's, and let the members of the alliance who framed each other, in suspicion and panic, point fingers at each other and expose themselves in order to protect themselves.
In absolute silence and composure, Huairou meticulously analyzed the situation, deducing that there were three key figures involved, and the relationship between them was the source of the rift:
The Fourth Prince: The mastermind in the court, based in the capital, strategizing and planning.
Eagle Eye: The executor of the grasslands, driven by love turned to hatred, with strong motives but extremely high risks.
Frontline Commander: A trusted general of the Fourth Prince who is essential to the execution of this "reshuffling" and "troop training" operation. He is the bridge connecting the Fourth Prince and Hawkeye, and also the "middleman" most prone to error in the entire plan, directly facing the risks.
Key Insight: The cornerstone of this trio's alliance is "trust," but in political struggles, trust is precisely the most precious thing. Hawkeye's motives are personal, the Fourth Prince's are power; their motivations are fundamentally different. And the commander on the front lines, directly controlling the source of the "evidence," is the most anxious and vulnerable link caught between imperial power and tribal forces.
Step-by-step deduction:
Step 1: Forge "divine will" to create panic.
Using her ability to imitate handwriting (as a talented woman, it's reasonable for her to have studied various calligraphic styles and mastered this skill), she forged a "secret edict" from the emperor. The content of the edict was crucial; it couldn't directly expose the conspiracy, but rather create a tense atmosphere where "the emperor knows everything and is secretly looking for a scapegoat."
The secret edict's summary: "I am aware of the disturbances in the northern border caused by someone framing the Crown Prince. I hereby order the Eagle Eye Tribe to immediately submit a memorial to plead their case and identify the mastermind in the court. If they can atone for their crimes through meritorious service, I will forgive their past transgressions and allow them to continue the benefits of border trade. If they stubbornly resist, when the Heavenly Army arrives, we will all perish."
This "secret edict" was "accidentally" delivered to the frontline commander through a highly secretive caravan route she had secretly established. The route had to be reliable to ensure the edict reached its destination and was difficult to trace back to her.
Step 2: Use suspicion to lure the snake out of its hole.
It is anticipated that the commander will be gripped by immense panic upon receiving this dubious "secret edict." He will have several options:
A. Believe the secret decree, immediately betray the Fourth Prince, and surrender to the Emperor. (Low probability, high risk)
B. Present the secret edict to the Fourth Prince to demonstrate loyalty. (Possible, but this would reveal that he had access to the edict, arousing the Fourth Prince's suspicion of his abilities and potentially leading to his elimination.)
C. To protect themselves, they secretly withheld the secret edict and immediately sent someone to warn or control Eagle Eye, unify their statements, and intensify their collusion. (This is the most likely scenario, aligning with the self-interested principle of prioritizing self-preservation in human nature.)
Whichever path he chooses, it will shatter the surface calm of the alliance and bring undercurrents to the surface. My bet is that their fragile, self-serving "trust" will crumble.
Step 3: Take a two-pronged approach to eliminate the root cause of the problem.
At the same time, we will use Yuan Ya's family connections to sow discord within the Eagle Eye tribe. "The root of this trap lies with Eagle Eye. His younger brother, 'Eagle Feather,' is ambitious and can be used by us."
Hawkeye is risking the fate of his entire tribe for personal reasons, so there must be internal opposition, and his brother "Hawk Feather" is the best candidate. The Yuan Ya family is well-versed in the inner workings of the tribe and the relationships between its members in the Northern Territory, and they will surely find a way to make "Hawk Feather" see a huge opportunity to overthrow his brother and take control of the tribe.
Chain reaction deduction:
Response 1: The frontline commander will most likely choose the most self-serving option, Plan C. His trusted confidant will be secretly dispatched to the Eagle Eye tribe, and the operation will inevitably be clandestine. Such unusual, cross-border secret communication, if its scale or activity exceeds the norm, will very likely be detected by the emperor's other spies on the border, or by other military forces loyal to the emperor who, alerted by this incident, begin to monitor the northern frontier.
Reaction 2: With the operation of the Yuan Ya family and the cooperation of "Eagle Feather", rumors began to circulate quietly on the grassland that "Eagle Eye is going to drag the entire tribe into the abyss of war with the Central Plains Dynasty for his own selfish reasons". People in the tribe were in a state of panic, and the voices against Eagle Eye's risky policies would increase.
The final tipping point: The Emperor, in the capital, first notices the unusual mobilization and tension of the Fourth Prince's faction and the commander (possibly stemming from panic triggered by the secret edict). Then, he will likely receive two mutually corroborating urgent documents from the Northern Frontier almost simultaneously:
Eagle Eye's younger brother, "Eagle Feather," wrote a letter of betrayal: In order to protect the entire tribe, he took the initiative to expose his brother's conspiracy with the Fourth Prince to frame the Crown Prince, and attached some physical evidence (such as copies of correspondence or clues such as authenticators).
An urgent military report from the Yuan Ya family states that a suspicious messenger attempting to cross the defense line has been captured. Under interrogation, he confessed to being dispatched by the frontline commander to the Eagle Eye tribe to "convey a gag order" or "exert pressure." Original or copies of secret letters exchanged with the Fourth Prince's residence were also found on him.
Thus, a chain of witness testimonies (the messenger, Hawkeye) and physical evidence (the secret letter) was formed, corroborating each other and pointing to the only truth. The alliance between the Fourth Prince's faction and Hawkeye to frame him collapsed from within.
Having deduced the advantages of this plan, Huairou realized its strengths:
Instead of relying on single, fragile physical evidence (such as ledgers), it creates dynamic situations, exploits human weaknesses, and causes the opponent to expose themselves and reveal vulnerabilities in a state of panic.
They seized upon the most unstable element in the seemingly monolithic alliance—"people's hearts," especially the "middleman" who was in a precarious situation and most easily swayed.
By remaining behind the scenes and achieving their goals by guiding and utilizing the actions of various forces, the risks are relatively controllable.
However, she also clearly saw the huge disadvantages and risks of this plan:
Forging an imperial edict is a heinous crime! Regardless of the motive, if discovered, not only will she be doomed, but her entire family will also be implicated. She might even be falsely accused of framing the Fourth Prince, making Yunji's situation even worse. This is a risk she cannot take, nor can she afford to take.
With too many steps involved and reliance on external variables (the choice of commander, Qi Yu's brother's operations, Ying Yu's cooperation, the sensitivity of the emperor's spies, etc.), any problem in any step could lead to complete failure.
The time span could be quite long, and Yunji, under house arrest, might not be able to wait that long.
Huairou slowly opened her eyes, the confusion and fear in them replaced by an extreme calmness. She knew that her strengths lay in observing, analyzing, and utilizing situations, but she was never a reckless adventurer. Regardless of the era, she herself possessed little direct offensive power; she couldn't control this situation. Her advantage lay in her intellect, in her insight into human nature and self-interest.
She needed to create a "momentum," a field of influence that would cause her opponent to disintegrate under the drive of their own logic. Without firing a single shot or putting herself in any obvious danger, she could, through a profound understanding and skillful manipulation of human nature and interests, leverage seemingly impossible situations to avert a catastrophe and save Yunji.
This is the kind of decisiveness that Guo Huairou, or rather, Guo Huairou who has incorporated Ji Moli's wisdom, should have.
She exhaled softly, as if letting all the intense deliberation just now settle down. Option one has been rejected. Option two carries unacceptable core risks.
Therefore, we need Plan Three. A perfect plan that can utilize the essence of "divide and conquer" and "create panic" from Plan Two, while avoiding the capital offense of "falsely conveying imperial edicts," and is more subtle and in line with her concept of "creating a powerful atmosphere."
Her gaze returned to the flickering lamplight, her eyes deep, and a new, more meticulous plan began to quietly take shape in her mind.
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