Fisherman, Sparrow
...
Xiao Zhouyan led his navy to patrol the Yangzhou area and intercepted ten merchant ships from the Li Kingdom.
"Is it rice?" He used the tip of his sword to pry open the sack, revealing the gleaming iron armor underneath.
The ship owner knelt down and begged for mercy: "It was...it was Prince Yanzhan who ordered it to be transported to the Second Prince..."
Before he could finish speaking, a crossbow bolt shot from the shore and pierced his throat!
Liu Rushuang gave chase, but only managed to pick up a Phoenix Palace token.
*
The capital city, the Phoenix Palace.
Consort Shen applies makeup in front of the mirror, while a bodyguard kneels in the shadows behind her.
"The Jiangnan route has been severed; the prince asks for the next step..."
She chuckled: "Tell Yan Zhan it's time to make a move on the pieces in the Northern Frontier."
A secret letter was reflected in the mirror on the table—
"The Third Princess, Chu Xue Zhao, will be on a tour of the northern frontier on behalf of His Majesty next month."
A thunderclap boomed outside the window, illuminating her eerily beautiful features:
"Guess what this time..."
*
The Zhenyuan Marquis's Residence.
Xu Qingyao listened to the system broadcasting the progress from all sides, lost in thought...
"Hey buddy, don't you think... this plot has completely gone off track?"
[Host... According to the algorithm, the plot is reasonable.]
Xu Qingyao played with the hairpin in her hand, dipped it in water and wrote the names of three people on the table: "Chen Rou", "Second Prince" and "Yan Zhan".
Given the gentle and kind nature of the female protagonist, in this second life, the person she hates most is none other than Yan Zhan.
When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits.
Watermarks spread across the tabletop, revealing the characters for "Yangzhou." Xu Qingyao lightly tapped them with her fingertips, her gaze sharp.
Why can't she be the one to reap the benefits...?
The system remained silent in her mind for a moment before emitting a faint electrical sound.
[Host, do you mean... to actively intervene and replace Shen Rou as the ultimate beneficiary? Risk rating: Extremely high.]
“High risk, but also the greatest reward.” Xu Qingyao put down the hairpin, her eyes sharp. “The plot has already gone astray. Shen Rou is reborn, Yan Zhan is plotting, the Second Prince has fallen, and the Fifth Prince has risen… This pool of water is very murky. But it is precisely because it is murky that it is easy to fish in it.”
She stood up, her voice resolute: "Tsukimi!"
The personal maid, Yuejian, entered in response: "What are your orders, Madam?"
"Prepare your luggage, travel light, and set off for Yangzhou today."
Yuejian was slightly startled: "Madam, going to Yangzhou? Should we report to the General...?"
“No need,” Xu Qingyao interrupted her. “The general is busy with court affairs. I have my own plans for this matter. You go and make the preparations. Remember, keep it a secret.”
"Yes." Although Yuejian had doubts, seeing the lady's resolute expression, she dared not ask any more questions and immediately withdrew to prepare.
Xu Qingyao walked to the window and looked at the deep night outside.
Yangzhou was not only a key point for the Grand Canal and an important center for salt and iron, but also one of the places where the influence of Shen Rou and Yan Zhan was most deeply intertwined and permeated in my memories of my past life.
With the fall of the second prince, the officialdom in Jiangnan will inevitably be shaken, creating a power vacuum. This is the perfect opportunity to intervene.
Even if I can't be the fisherman, I'll be the oriole that gets caught in the crossfire...
[Host, the system needs to remind you that in the original storyline, you did not set foot in Yangzhou. This action may lead to unforeseen changes.]
"Unknown variables?" Xu Qingyao chuckled. "From the moment Shen Rou was reborn, the plot has been full of unknown variables."
Following the established path would only make me a pawn on her or Yan Zhan's chessboard. Since the system deems the current plot 'reasonable,' then my intervention must also fall within a certain 'reasonable' scope, right?
The system fell silent again, seemingly performing complex calculations.
Xu Qingyao ignored the system and quickly calculated in her mind: Xu Zhiyuan was investigating a case in Yangzhou, and Xiao Zhouyan's attention was also drawn to him. This was an excellent reason and opportunity.
She was going to Yangzhou not only to find out the truth about the Grand Canal case, but also to see through Shen Rou and Yan Zhan's hidden connections in Jiangnan and find an opportunity to exploit.
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits..."
She repeated softly, "It all depends on who has the last laugh."
In the darkness of night, an inconspicuous carriage quietly drove out of the side gate of the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence and sped off towards Yangzhou.
A new game of chess has quietly begun with each move Xu Qingyao makes.
***
The carriage sped along the official road, the dust it kicked up shimmering with a golden-red hue in the morning light.
Xu Qingyao leaned against the carriage wall, her fingertips unconsciously stroking a warm jade pendant hidden in her sleeve—it was the secret guard token that Xiao Zhouyan had given her before she left the capital.
"Madam, the canal dock is just ahead," Yuejian said softly, lifting the carriage curtain. "Shall we change boats and head south?"
Xu Qingyao looked out the window at the bustling canal transport scene and suddenly changed his mind: "No, let's settle down outside Yangzhou first. Let's find an inn that's closest to Black Cloud Village."
Tsukimi's eyes widened in surprise: "That's the site of a former bandit stronghold..."
“It’s interesting precisely because it’s an old site.” Xu Qingyao’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.
The system suddenly alerted this morning that a secret cave containing ledgers of the Second Prince's affair with the Li Kingdom is hidden in the back mountain of Black Cloud Village. This is a blind spot that even Shen Rou's reborn memories had never touched.
That night, under the oil lamp in the inn, Xu Qingyao pondered over the map of Yangzhou.
Suddenly, three long knocks and two short knocks came from outside the window. She gripped the short blade hidden in her sleeve warily: "Who is it?"
"Your subordinate, Xuan Qi, is here to protect the lady on the orders of the Marquis." The shadowy figure slipped silently into the room and handed over a sealed letter with sealing wax. "The Marquis instructed me to tell you that the waters in Jiangnan are turbulent, and the lady must not venture into danger herself."
Xu Qingyao opened the letter and saw that it was written in Xiao Zhouyan's handwriting:
"The canal transport case involves military supplies in the northern frontier. Yan Zhan has already sent assassins to Yangzhou. Return immediately."
She brought the letter close to the candle flame and burned it, but her gaze grew even more resolute: "Tell your lord that what I want is precisely this murky water."
...
The next morning, Xu Qingyao disguised herself as a merchant's wife and sneaked into the back mountain of Black Cloud Village.
Following the system's navigation, she quickly found a cave hidden by vines.
Just as they were about to enter, a sharp shout came from behind: "Who dares to touch my treasure?"
The girl in red, holding two swords, stood in the morning light; she was none other than Liu Rushuang, who should have been in the capital!
"Miss Liu?" Xu Qingyao asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Liu Rushuang grinned and used the tip of her knife to pry open the mechanism at the cave entrance: "That blockhead Xu Zhiyuan is afraid his sister will be in danger, so he asked me to secretly escort you!"
Deep inside the cave, the moment the iron box was opened, the two of them gasped in shock. Inside were not account books, but dozens of crossbows made by the Li Kingdom army, each with a striking fire-riding Qilin emblem engraved on its mechanism!
"not good!"
Suddenly, Liu Rushuang grabbed Xu Qingyao and threw him to the ground. A crossbow bolt grazed his hair and embedded itself in the stone wall; the cave entrance had been blocked by dozens of men in black.
The leader gave a sinister smile: "Your Majesty is indeed a master strategist; you knew you would walk right into our trap."
Xu Qingyao gripped Liu Rushuang's hand tightly, chuckling lightly amidst the flashing swords: "It seems Shen Rou's fishing net has been cast wider than I imagined..."
At the critical moment, Xu Qingyao suddenly threw the powder in her hand into the air; it was the Bewildering Powder she had specially made before leaving the capital.
The man in black, whose vision was obstructed, coughed incessantly.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Rushuang wielded her twin swords, their blades flashing like lightning, instantly cleaving open a gap.
"Walk!"
She grabbed Xu Qingyao's wrist and leaped out of the cave.
As soon as the two landed, they saw flames shooting into the sky at the canal wharf below the mountain.
Amidst the billowing smoke, one could vaguely see government ships entangled and colliding with Li Kingdom merchant ships, their battle cries echoing across the land.
"It's my brother and Xiao Zhouyan!" Xu Qingyao's heart tightened.
Liu Rushuang squinted and pointed to the center of the melee: "Look at that guy in blue, isn't that Yan Zhan?"
Yan Zhan stood at the bow of the ship, his sword clashing with Xiao Zhouyan's. Xu Zhiyuan, on the other hand, was surrounded by several experts, facing imminent danger.
Xu Qingyao suddenly sneered: "Shen Rou really put on a complete act."
She took out the secret guard's command letter from her sleeve and launched three signal fireworks into the air.
This was an emergency troop mobilization order given to her by Xiao Zhouyan.
A moment later, the earth trembled slightly.
A cavalry force, clad in black armor, galloped down the official road like a dark cloud pressing down on the city. The leading general shouted, "By order of the emperor, we quell the rebellion!"
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Yan Zhan made a feint to retreat, but was entangled by Xiao Zhouyan's sword energy.
Xu Zhiyuan also took the opportunity to break through the encirclement and met his sister's gaze from afar.
At this very moment, another unexpected event occurred.
An inconspicuous little boat suddenly exploded, and the flames overturned half of the river.
Amidst the thick smoke, a deep, gentle voice echoed across the battlefield through the machine's loudspeaker: "Regent, it's time to clear the area."
Yan Zhan's pupils shrank sharply: "You even schemed against me?"
"Just a pawn," Shen Rou chuckled. "What I want is the entire canal transport line."
Xu Qingyao suddenly snatched Liu Rushuang's crossbow and shot an arrow toward the source of the voice: "Your Highness, it's time for your show to end!"
The arrow pierced the mechanism disguised as a reef, and Chen Rou groaned as she fell out of the dark compartment.
Almost simultaneously, Xiao Zhouyan's sword was already at Yan Zhan's neck.
A chaotic battle ended in such a dramatic way.
However, when Xu Qingyao approached Shen Rou, she saw black blood trickling from the corner of her lips, and she said weakly, "You...you've all lost..."
She dipped her fingertip in blood and drew a strange totem on the ground: "The Northern Frontier... is the real chessboard..."
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