“It’s precisely because I’m a woman that I’m less likely to attract attention. Besides, Mingyu and I have always presented ourselves as mother and son to the outside world. There are very few people who know what the young marquis looks like these days. Our identities have become very established over the years. Even if outsiders investigate, they can find out that we are the widows of a merchant. So it’s the most suitable and reasonable thing for me to go to him.” Xia Yixin paused and hugged Xia Jingfeng’s arm. “Besides, Father, you can’t really just let me go by myself, can you?”
Xia Jingfeng had long been tempted by his daughter's rare displays of affection, but remembering the ruthlessness of the Eastern Depot, he flatly refused, "No! Absolutely not! Mingyu is already missing, I can't lose another daughter!"
Seeing his resolute attitude, Xia Yixin stopped pressing him, but she was determined to go to Yushang.
Especially after receiving a message from Shen Shaoyang via carrier pigeon a week later, he said that he had been chasing Xia Mingyu all the way to Yushang Capital. He was now disguised as a retainer of a high-ranking official and was searching for Xia Mingyu's location. Moreover, he had discovered something shocking.
The Eastern Depot actually took the half-dead Dong Qi back to the capital and imprisoned him.
Now, the whole thing has become even more complicated.
Moreover, Xia Yixin also received a system notification sound.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for activating the third main quest—Become the male supporting character's little angel and make his happiness level full! The quest guide has not yet been found. The system will automatically prompt you when you encounter it."
Xia Yixin was a little confused. "It can be like this? Isn't the male supporting character in the original story Shen Shaoyang?"
"Actually, the original plot has undergone some unknown changes, so the male supporting character is no longer just Shen Shaoyang. You'll need to develop him yourself! Good luck! This mission has a one-year time limit! Failure to complete it by the deadline will result in immediate elimination. The reward for completion is 8000 points! Good luck, host!"
Xia Yixin felt that this task was definitely not simple. Before, the amount was one or two thousand, but this one suddenly became eight thousand.
Who exactly is this male supporting character she's trying to seduce?
The so-called male supporting character must be related to the female lead. The original plot can only be used as a reference. She now knows that they are Shen Shaoyang, the young emperor Qi Lin, the deposed emperor Dong Qi, and the final supervisor of the Eastern Depot, Cao Anmin. Just as she thought, there are key figures in the main plot among these four people.
She devised ways to improve their happiness levels, becoming their cheat code and friend, only to discover that the hardest person to improve their happiness level was not Dong Qi, but Cao Anmin.
After all, the others were not as cunning or skilled in martial arts as him.
She secretly prayed that she wouldn't be so unlucky.
"Host, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Four suspected male supporting characters are all in Yushang Capital. Don't miss it! And what if it's that deposed emperor Dong Qi? If he dies, your mission will fail immediately!"
"..." Xia Yixin was too lazy to even complain.
So after talking with Xia Jingfeng all night, she left Beiwu the next day with Ying Qi, who was disguised as a servant, and another female shadow guard. More than a dozen other shadow guards followed her in secret. Before leaving, she also received information from Yu Shang's contact person.
Xia Jingfeng then sent another team disguised as a merchant caravan to follow closely behind.
It was March, when the grass was growing and the orioles were singing.
As Xia Yixin traveled south from Beiwu, she changed into another human skin mask. It was the one she had been using before, that of the widow of a merchant surnamed Li, who managed some of her family's shops with her son. Coincidentally, there was a pastry shop in Yushang Capital.
He put in a lot of effort to get this identity, and most people would never notice anything amiss.
It was closer to Yushang from Beiwu than from the capital of Nanlin. Xia Yixin traveled day and night without stopping and arrived in the capital in three days.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.
When Xia Yixin saw the city gate tower of Yushang Capital again, he was a little dazed until he saw the people from the Eastern Depot wearing beast-head masks standing at the city gate and then he came back to his senses.
Yingqi rode up to her and explained, "Since the chaos in Nanlin, the Eastern Depot has taken over the defense of the capital. Madam Li, you may need to undergo some questioning before entering."
Xia Yixin nodded. Her current identity was that of Li's widow. In order to match her identity, she changed to a carriage before coming to the capital and also bought two farm maids to send to the capital, as if she were going to check the accounts.
With their travel documents and witnesses from the Li family's shops in the city, Xia Yixin entered the city without much questioning.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
The Governor's Mansion was a place that everyone avoided in the capital, as were the offices of the Eastern Depot. It felt like if you were even a step too slow, you'd be dragged in and eaten.
After nightfall, no one dared to approach.
However, Cao Anmin has not returned since he went to court this morning. Instead, a curfew has been imposed on the entire capital, and the entire city has been sealed off by the Eastern Depot. There are guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps, giving the feeling that a storm is brewing.
The atmosphere inside the palace was even more oppressive.
Someone suddenly reported that the pills the young emperor took every day were poisonous, and the imperial physicians found out after investigating that it was indeed the case.
These elixirs were all made by the Imperial Noble Consort of Yunxiao Palace. In his shock and anger, the young emperor summoned the people from the Eastern Depot.
Cloud Palace.
Shen Ruyu stared at the man opposite her, her face pale. Suppressing the fear in her heart, she said urgently, "I swear, I didn't poison him. Do you think I'm that stupid? If I really poisoned him, wouldn't I be the one who would find out immediately?"
Qi Lin completely inherited his grandfather's habits. Although Shen Ruyu was disgusted, she had no choice but to please him in order to save her own life. So for the past few years, she had been making so-called pills for him every day, which were actually just ordinary herbs with spiritual spring water.
Seeing that the man opposite her remained unmoved, Shen Ruyu became even more anxious. "Lord Cao, even if I kill him, it won't do me any good."
The man opposite her was as cold and aloof as ice. If Xia Yixin were there, she would find Cao Anmin even more chilling than when she had met him three years ago.
His gaze made Shen Ruyu even more uncertain. Just when she was extremely scared, he finally spoke.
"His Majesty's affairs are indeed none of your concern."
Just as Shen Ruyu breathed a sigh of relief, a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) corpse was thrown in front of her, and her face turned even paler.
"But this person must be related to the Imperial Noble Consort. It seems that the Imperial Noble Consort is very lonely in the palace, and even dares to seduce the Imperial Guards."
Shen Ruyu was so frightened that her knees buckled and she knelt on the ground. She had just gotten close to this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard a few days ago, hoping to use him to disguise herself and leave the palace. She never expected to be discovered so quickly.
Cao Anmin looked at her with disgust and said in a deep voice, "It seems that the lesson I gave you was not enough. Send the Imperial Noble Consort to the Eastern Depot's torture chamber."
The Eastern Depot's punishment hall was more powerful and more secretive than the Ministry of Justice.
She was horrified. "No!"
She tried to run away in a panic, but she was no match for Gui Ling's speed. In her terror, Shen Ruyu was taken out of the palace and thrown into the torture chamber.
There are plenty of ways to torture people here without leaving a trace. This isn't her first time here; the last time was three years ago.
The young emperor in the palace only knew that Shen Ruyu was in seclusion at Yunxiao Palace.
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