Lure the snake out of its hole
After the palace banquet, the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence returned to its usual tranquility.
Xu Qingyao stayed at home and focused on "nurturing her pregnancy," while Xiao Zhouyan went to the palace every day to report for duty and handle some trivial official business, as if he had really become a leisurely marquis.
However, the undercurrents never ceased.
That day, Xu Qingyao was leaning against the window reading a medical book when the system suddenly issued a notification:
[Special energy fluctuations detected, originating from the same source as the residual energy at the Ghost Cry Valley altar in Nan Yue, located in the western market of the capital.]
Xu Qingyao's gaze sharpened.
Did Chen Rou's people really infiltrate the capital? Or was it that the energy fragments from the altar were brought here?
"Can you pinpoint the exact location?"
The energy signal is weak and intermittent, making precise location impossible. We recommend approaching for reconnaissance.
Just then, Yuejian rushed in, her face pale: "Madam, a traveling doctor has come to the door. He says... he can cure all kinds of difficult diseases. He insists on seeing you, and he also says... that there is something wrong with the baby in your womb."
Xu Qingyao and Xiao Zhouyan exchanged a glance and saw the coldness in each other's eyes.
The fish finally couldn't resist taking the bait?
"Take the person to the side hall," Xiao Zhouyan ordered in a deep voice.
In the side hall, the doctor, dressed in a faded Taoist robe and sporting a goatee, with a glint in his eye, hurriedly bowed to Xiao Zhouyan and Xu Qingyao upon seeing them.
"My lord, my lady, I have been traveling and have noticed that there seems to be a malevolent aura swirling above your residence, which is particularly unfavorable for your offspring. Although your pulse appears steady, it is actually weak and unstable, which may indicate that you have been possessed by an evil spirit." The doctor spoke with great seriousness.
Xu Qingyao sneered inwardly, but a hint of panic appeared on her face: "Evil spirits? What makes you say that, Daoist Master?"
The doctor took out a compass from his sleeve, pretended to do some calculations, and pointed towards the west market: "The source of the evil energy seems to be in the west. Has the lady recently come into contact with any objects from the southwest? Or... has she been to any unclean places?"
Southwest? West Market?
Xu Qingyao's heart skipped a beat; this matched the location of the energy fluctuations detected by the system.
Was it a coincidence, or was the other party deliberately leading the conversation?
Xiao Zhouyan looked at the doctor expressionlessly: "What insightful opinion do you have, Daoist Master?"
"It needs to be suppressed with pure yang energy, and then supplemented with a talisman to dispel the evil." The doctor took out several talismans that were drawn crookedly. "I am willing to perform a ritual to exorcise the evil for you, but... we need something that you wear close to your body to place at the source of the evil energy in order to completely eradicate it."
Personal items? Xu Qingyao almost burst out laughing.
This method is far too clumsy. Is it an attempt to place something near her, or to use her personal belongings to perform witchcraft or sorcery?
She looked at Xiao Zhouyan and saw him nod almost imperceptibly.
Xu Qingyao then feigned hesitation and took off an ordinary jade hairpin: "Is this alright?"
A smug glint flashed in the doctor's eyes as he accepted the gift with both hands:
"That's enough, that's enough! I'll go perform the ritual now, and I'll guarantee that you and the baby will be safe and sound in three days!"
After the doctor left, Xiao Zhouyan immediately ordered his guards: "Keep a close eye on him, see who he contacts, and report back on the whereabouts of the jade hairpin."
"You suspect he's one of Shen Rou's people?" Xu Qingyao asked.
“Even if it’s not true, you can’t escape responsibility.” Xiao Zhouyan sneered. “Thinking you can use such tricks to scheme against the Marquis’s mansion is underestimating me.”
**
Three days later, the guards reported back.
After taking the jade hairpin, the doctor did not go to the West Market. Instead, he circled around the city several times and finally entered... the back gate of the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion.
"The Duke of Cheng'en's Mansion?" Xu Qingyao frowned.
Could it be that it wasn't Shen Rou, but rather Consort Xiao and the Fifth Prince who couldn't restrain themselves and wanted to use such despicable means to cause her to "miscarry" and strike at Xiao Zhouyan?
"Not necessarily." Xiao Zhouyan looked at the route map drawn by the secret guards. "He deliberately took a detour, perhaps to confuse the situation. The Chengen Duke's Mansion... may not be the final destination."
Sure enough, half a day later, the guards reported again that a purchasing woman from the Chengen Duke's mansion had secretly delivered an object wrapped in talisman paper to a seemingly ordinary spice shop in the West Market.
"That spice shop is owned by a merchant from the Li Kingdom. It has a clean background and there's nothing unusual about it on a daily basis," the guard added.
Lebanese merchants!
Xu Qingyao and Xiao Zhouyan both felt a chill run down their spines.
After going through such a long and winding road, it finally points to the Li Kingdom! Is it Yan Zhan? Or is Shen Rou using the Li Kingdom as a front?
"Where is that jade hairpin now?" Xiao Zhouyan asked.
"It has been taken away by the shopkeeper and put into the inner room. Our people dare not get too close, but they can vaguely sense energy fluctuations in the inner room."
The energy fluctuations detected by the system, the doctor's so-called "source of evil energy," the shops in Li Kingdom... the clues seem to be connected.
"What are they trying to do?" Xu Qingyao pondered. "Use my personal belongings to cast a spell? Or has the jade hairpin itself been tampered with?"
“Perhaps both.” Xiao Zhouyan’s gaze sharpened. “Whatever they want to do, we can turn the tables on them.”
He instructed his guards: "Find a way to replace the jade hairpin and put a similar one back. Also, keep a close eye on that spice shop and find out what's hidden inside."
**
That night, the guards successfully replaced the original with a similar-looking jade hairpin and presented the original back to the guards.
Xiao Zhouyan held the jade hairpin and examined it carefully, but found nothing unusual.
Xu Qingyao instructed the system to scan.
The jade hairpin is hollowed out and filled with a trace amount of "bewitching sand," which, if worn for a long time, can affect the mind, causing restlessness and nightmares. The exterior is enveloped in a special energy field, suggesting it may serve as a positioning and energy guiding medium.
“Bewitching Sand…” Xiao Zhouyan’s eyes were icy cold. “It seems that they not only want to harm you, but also want to use this item to pinpoint your location and even exert influence remotely.”
He looked at Xu Qingyao, "Is the spell you mentioned earlier similar to this?"
Xu Qingyao recalled Shen Rou's unpredictable curse-killing technique in the later stages of the original novel and nodded: "Very likely. They need my personal belongings and exact location as a medium."
“Very well.” Xiao Zhouyan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Since they want a location, then let’s give them one.”
He gave the order to his guards to secretly place the replaced jade hairpin in another abandoned courtyard in the West Market, which was located opposite the Li Kingdom's shops.
There, he had already laid a trap.
“Next, we just have to wait for the prey to come to us.” Xiao Zhouyan put his arm around Xu Qingyao’s shoulder and said in a deep voice, “Let’s see what kind of big fish we can catch this time.”
Xu Qingyao leaned against him, feeling the steady heartbeat from his chest, and felt inexplicably at peace.
With him orchestrating things from the front lines, she could seemingly be at ease being the one being protected, occasionally offering a handy knife and watching those demons and monsters walk right into her trap.
Under the cover of night in Beijing, an invisible net is tightening.
*
It was late at night on the third day after the replacement jade hairpin was placed in the abandoned house.
All was quiet; the West Market was already under curfew, with only the occasional sound of the night watchman's clapper breaking the silence.
Two dark figures slipped out quietly from the backyard of the Li Kingdom spice shop, moving nimbly and heading straight for the abandoned house.
Almost the instant they stepped into the courtyard, the Hou family's hidden guards swarmed in like ghosts, subduing the two men without making a sound, dislocating their jaws to prevent them from biting poison and committing suicide.
At the same time, Xiao Zhouyan personally led a team to surround the Li Kingdom spice shop under the pretext of cracking down on smuggling.
The shopkeeper tried to argue, but when the guards found rune artifacts similar to those at the Wolf Howling Valley altar in the inner chamber, as well as several letters written in the Li Kingdom's secret script that mentioned words such as "medium," "location," and "curse killing," he turned ashen-faced.
"Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly."
Xiao Zhouyan's voice was cold as he glanced at the objects that exuded an ominous aura.
The residual energy fluctuations on these objects are exactly the same as those previously detected by the system.
**
The dungeon of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence.
After initial interrogation, it was discovered that one of the two captured individuals was a spy from the Li Kingdom, while the other was a secret assassin secretly trained by the Duke of Chengen's mansion.
The spy from the Li Kingdom was quite stubborn, but under Xiao Zhouyan's personal care, the assassin didn't hold out for long before revealing the truth.
It was indeed the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion that was instructed to cooperate with that itinerant doctor to set up a scheme. Their aim was to obtain Xu Qingyao's personal belongings and have the Li people perform a spell on them, causing her to miscarry unexpectedly. They also attempted to use these belongings as a medium to plant a slow curse, subtly influencing her mind and spirit.
As for who was instigating it, the assassin wasn't high enough in rank; all that was known was that it was a message from a "big shot" in the palace.
“In the palace…” Xiao Zhouyan’s eyes were deep.
Is it Consort Xiao? Or the Fifth Prince? Or perhaps... some other force hidden deeper within?
"It seems that someone is eager to eliminate your weakness, or even to control you."
Xu Qingyao remained calm after hearing the interrogation results.
She wasn't surprised; in this power struggle, offspring are always the easiest targets to attack.
Xiao Zhouyan looked at her: "Are you scared?"
Xu Qingyao smiled slightly: "With the general here, what is there to fear?" These words were half sincere and half flattering.
Over time, she has indeed gained a deeper understanding of Xiao Zhouyan's abilities.
Xiao Zhouyan gave her a deep look, but said nothing more. He simply instructed, "Subtly deliver the evidence of the Duke of Cheng'en's involvement in this matter to Lord Wang of the Censorate."
Censor Wang was a well-known, incorruptible remonstrator in the court, and he had a long-standing feud with the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion.
"Furthermore, report the matter of the spies from the Li Kingdom to His Majesty immediately."
He wanted to spread the fire to where it was meant to burn.
**
The next day, news that the Duke of Chengen's mansion had colluded with spies from the Li Kingdom to plot against the Lady of Zhenyuan Marquis and her children spread like wildfire throughout the court and the country.
The evidence is conclusive, leaving the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion with no room to deny it.
The emperor was furious and reprimanded the Duke of Cheng'en for his lax management of his household and collusion with foreign powers. He stripped the Duke of Cheng'en of his title and demoted him to a commoner. Many officials in the Duke of Cheng'en's household were also demoted.
Consort Xiao knelt and pleaded in the palace to no avail. Instead, she was reprimanded by the emperor for "failing to properly discipline her clansmen" and confined to the palace.
Although the Fifth Prince Chu Huaijin was not directly implicated, his expression was still very unpleasant.
The Chengen Duke's Mansion was an important supporter of his maternal clan, and its downfall was a significant blow to him.
His gaze toward Xiao Zhouyan was filled with apprehension and hidden resentment.
This incident made it clear to everyone in the court that even though the Marquis of Zhenyuan was idle in the capital, he was by no means someone to be trifled with. Anyone who dared to harm his wife would face his wrath.
**
The Marquis's Residence, Tingxue Pavilion.
"Although the Duke of Chengen's mansion has been removed this time, the real mastermind is still hiding in the palace."
Xu Qingyao held the chess pieces and played against Xiao Zhouyan.
Xiao Zhouyan placed a piece on the board, his tone indifferent: "It's alright. After this incident, they won't dare to make any rash moves for a while. We can then free up our resources to deal with another matter."
"Chen Rou?"
“Hmm.” Xiao Zhouyan looked at her. “Although the Li Kingdom shops were shut down, according to the interrogation, they did not have direct contact with Shen Rou, but rather through an intermediary. That intermediary seems to be related to certain tribes in the Northern Frontier.”
Northern Frontier Tribes? Xu Qingyao recalled that in the original novel, Shen Rou did indeed rely on the power of the Northern Frontier Tribes in the later stages.
"System," she silently asked herself, "can it analyze the possible connections between the northern border tribes and Shen Rou and Yan Zhan?"
[Retrieving data from the database... The Black Stone Tribe of the Northern Frontier, historically shrouded in mystery, is skilled in witchcraft and sorcery, and once had secret dealings with Yan Zhan, the Regent of the Li Kingdom. Based on energy characteristic comparisons, some runes on the altars of Wolf Howl Valley and Ghost Cry Valley bear similarities to ancient sacrificial patterns of the Black Stone Tribe.]
Black Stone Tribe... Xu Qingyao relayed the information provided by the system to Xiao Zhouyan.
After listening, Xiao Zhouyan pondered for a moment: "Black Stone Tribe... It seems that Shen Rou and Yan Zhan's reach extends further than we imagined. The Northern Frontier will always be a thorn in our side."
He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked north: "Perhaps it's time to give His Majesty a reason to allow me to return to the northern frontier."
Xu Qingyao's heart stirred slightly.
Is he going to take the initiative? No longer passively defending, but pushing the battlefield into the enemy's heartland?
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
Xiao Zhouyan's lips curled slightly as he looked at the chessboard and made a decisive move: "You just need to... continue to be my 'weak point' and make everyone think that I'm held back by you and the 'child'."
Xu Qingyao looked at the opponent's pieces on the chessboard, where the game was already a dead end, and suddenly smiled.
It turns out that she herself was the most important piece in his game, a piece that could lull all enemies into a false sense of security and cause them to misjudge the situation.
This play is getting more and more interesting.
She began to feel a little hopeful...
What will happen next?
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