Chapter 62 Bao Si (10) Alliance
The candlelight in the Qiongtai Palace flickered in the night. Lin Jiaojiao bent over the desk, writing down the plan of "eliminating the confidants of Lord Shen" one by one on a new piece of paper.
The tip of the pen made a rustling sound as it slid across the paper. She stopped writing from time to time and tapped the table with her fingertips. The captain of the imperial guards placed by Shen Hou, the head of the financial department, and the two attendants beside Yijiu had to be dealt with in the order of "easy first, difficult later". She had to avoid alerting the enemy and ensure that she hit the target with one blow.
"Thinking about what to do with that Imperial Guard captain?" A cold yet warm electronic voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Ling's voice was softer than usual. "I've checked his resume. He's greedy and profit-driven. Last year, he embezzled military pay to purchase land for himself. I have solid evidence."
Lin Jiaojiao paused her writing, looked up at the empty hall, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up. "Have you secretly investigated his background again? I was wondering if I should have Xiaotao go to the laundry department to inquire about his family. I didn't expect you already had a clue."
As soon as she finished speaking, a ray of light blue light slipped from her hair and gently fell beside the paper on the table.
This was the form Zero could display after breaking through the program's limitations. Like a small ball of flowing starlight, its light and shadow flickered slightly, casting a few lines of tiny handwriting on the paper: "The military pay accounts are backed up with the finance director. I've marked the key pages. Tomorrow, I'll have Yijiu send someone to retrieve them. This will not only bring down the squad leader, but also help us track down the finance director's problems."
Lin Jiaojiao looked at the words cast by light and shadow, and gently touched the light blue light with her fingertips. It felt slightly cool, like the morning dew on the Wei River.
"Remember when you helped me sort out the accounts for my fiefdom back in Weishui?" she whispered, a warm look in her eyes. "Back then, you couldn't condense into light or shadow, so you could only read the data in my ear, until I almost fell asleep."
The light and shadow swayed, as if laughing, and the electronic voice was filled with a hint of nostalgia: "You also called me a 'nagging electronic housekeeper,' but the next day you made me a little straw lantern and said, 'Find a home for your light and shadow.'
The conversation between the two made the atmosphere in the hall warm, and even the candlelight seemed to soften a little.
Lin Jiaojiao collected her thoughts and pointed at the entry for "Yijiu's Attendants" on the paper. "These two are distant nephews of Lord Shen. They appear honest, but they've been reporting Yijiu's movements to Lord Shen. If we deal with them directly, Lord Shen might notice. What do you have in mind?"
Light and shadow fell on the entry, and the handwriting appeared again: "I have scanned and found that these two people secretly withheld funds from the Eastern Palace and secretly passed Yijiu's government notes to Lord Shen. Tomorrow, Taishi Bo will transfer them to the Classics Library under the pretext of 'assisting with the compilation of classics', away from the core of the Eastern Palace, and then slowly find evidence to deal with them."
"You've really thought it through." Lin Jiaojiao smiled and nodded, folding the paper. "Tomorrow I'll have Ajing pass the plan to Yijiu. I'll have him follow these steps, and we should be able to eliminate these hidden dangers smoothly."
Ling's shadow gently nudged her fingertips, and his electronic voice carried a hint of worry. "Marquis Shen has been in frequent contact with the other princes recently, especially the Guo State, which borders the Quanrong. I found out they exchanged envoys yesterday, possibly plotting border affairs. When you meet with Yijiu tomorrow, you must remind him to strengthen border defenses and not just focus on matters within the court."
"I know." Lin Jiaojiao put away her smile, her expression becoming serious. "An urgent report from the border just arrived. If Lord Shen dares to ally with the Quanrong or the other princes to put pressure on us, the consequences will be disastrous. Tomorrow, I'll have Yijiu send reliable people to investigate the border. At the same time, I'll have Lao Mu speed up the papermaking process so we can use paper to quickly transmit military intelligence. We can't rely on bamboo slips to delay the situation like before."
The light flickered slightly, as if in response to her words.
Lin Jiaojiao looked at the ball of pale blue light, her heart filled with peace. Zero had always been by her side, from the initial "system and host" to a companion who could share memories and risks. This companionship was her most solid support in this turbulent palace.
The next morning, Lin Jiaojiao asked Ajing to pass the plan to Yijiu, and she took A'mo to Lao Mu's small workshop.
As soon as she left the Qiongtai Palace, she saw Yijiu's attendant hurried over and saluted her, "Madam Si, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has asked you to go to the Eastern Palace. He said he has obtained the accounts of the financial officer and wants to discuss how to deal with them."
Lin Jiaojiao followed the attendants to the East Palace. When the guards along the way saw her, their eyes would still unconsciously linger on her.
Today she wore a light green cloth skirt with tiny willow leaf patterns embroidered on the hem. When she walked, she looked like the weeping willows on the bank of the Wei River, elegant and lively.
Even the servants couldn't help but secretly glance at her a few times, secretly sighing in their hearts: No wonder His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Tai Shibo both trust this lady, she is not only intelligent, but also so beautiful.
In the side hall of the Eastern Palace, Yijiu was looking worriedly at a pile of bamboo slips and papers. Seeing Lin Jiaojiao enter, he quickly stood up and said, "Madam Si, look at these accounts. The finance officer installed by Marquis Shen not only helped the squad leader cover up the embezzlement of military pay, but also secretly allocated grain from the national treasury to Marquis Shen's fiefdom. The evidence is irrefutable!"
Lin Jiaojiao took over the account, and Ling's voice rang in her mind: "The key page has been marked. Have Yijiu hand this evidence over to Duke Zhao. Duke Zhao is responsible for supervising all officials and will handle the matter impartially. He will not allow Lord Shen to interfere."
Following Ling's instructions, she said to Yijiu, "Your Highness, this matter is best left to Lord Zhao. He oversees all officials, and having him take down the finance chief and the squad leader is legitimate, and Lord Shen will be unable to refute it. Also, the people you send to scout the border must be reliable veteran guards to avoid being detected by Lord Shen's men."
Yijiu nodded, and immediately sent someone to invite Zhao Gong, and ordered the eunuch to select old guards to go to the border.
Lin Jiaojiao watched him arrange affairs in an orderly manner, and her heart was filled with relief - this prince has gradually shed his youthfulness and has the composure of a regent. In time, he will surely become a qualified emperor of Zhou.
As they left the East Palace, Ling's voice suddenly rang out: "Marquis Shen's men are lingering outside the palace gates, seemingly monitoring the East Palace's movements. I've disrupted their consciousness, making them think it's just a 'routine patrol'. Be careful on your way back."
"I understand." Lin Jiaojiao responded in her heart and quickened her pace towards the Qiongtai Palace.
When passing by the palace gate, I saw a few people wearing imperial guard uniforms wandering around, glancing towards the East Palace from time to time.
Seeing Lin Jiaojiao coming over, their eyes subconsciously fell on her, with a flash of surprise in their eyes, and then they became alert again. Zero's consciousness interference had taken effect, and they did not step forward to stop her, but just watched her leave.
Back at Qiongtai Palace, A'mo brought news from Lao Mu: "Madam, Lao Mu, the craftsman, said that the production of new paper has been increased. He also made some portable paper rolls according to your instructions to facilitate the transmission of military intelligence. He asked when you would send someone to pick them up."
"Let Ah Jing go get it tomorrow," Lin Jiaojiao said. "Ask Lao Mu to make some more waterproof paper rolls. It rains a lot on the border, and we don't want military intelligence to be damaged by the paper getting wet."
Just as Ah Mo agreed, Xiao Lian came running over, her face a bit panicked. "Madam, this is bad! Marquis Shen just came into the palace, saying that 'troops are needed for border defense' and asking the king to let him take back the military power he had previously surrendered. He also said that he wanted to go to the border in person to take charge!"
Lin Jiaojiao's heart trembled. Marquis Shen was trying to use the border incident to regain control of the military. If he succeeded, all her efforts to eliminate her cronies would be in vain. "Ling, has Marquis Shen reached some kind of agreement with the Quanrong or the other princes? He's suddenly going to the border, so he definitely has bad intentions."
A pale blue light reappeared before her. "I've discovered that Marquis Shen and the State of Guo have an agreement. If he gains control of the border troops, he will allow the State of Guo to gain greater trade benefits from the Quanrong. The Quanrong have also been gathering troops at the border recently, seemingly planning an invasion, but in reality, they're cooperating with Marquis Shen to exert pressure."
"I see." Lin Jiaojiao frowned. "We can't let Lord Shen go to the border, or he'll definitely ally with the Guo and the Quanrong and threaten Haojing. Ling, do you have any way to stop him?"
Light and shadow cast a shadow on the desk, revealing the writing: "King You of Zhou cares most about the royal family's reputation. You can have Taishi Bo propose sending Yijiu to the border. This will both demonstrate the Crown Prince's responsibility and prevent Marquis Shen from seizing power. If Yijiu can achieve merit on the border, he can also win the support of the princes and pave the way for his succession."
"That's a good idea!" Lin Jiaojiao's eyes lit up. "Let Taishi Bo bring up this proposal at tomorrow's court meeting. Yijiu has the assistance of the veteran guards and new paper to convey military intelligence, so he will definitely be able to handle the situation at the border."
Zero's shadow swayed slightly, and the electronic voice carried a hint of encouragement: "Don't worry, I will monitor the border movements throughout the entire process. If there is any abnormality, I will tell you immediately. No matter what happens, I will be by your side."
Lin Jiaojiao looked at the light blue light and shadow, her heart full of determination.
She knew that the counterattack of Lord Shen would not stop there, and the crisis on the border also needed to be handled with caution, but as long as Ling was by her side and with the support of Yijiu and the old ministers, these crises would be resolved and the stability of the Western Zhou Dynasty would be further guaranteed.
Night fell again, and the candles in the Qiongtai Palace were still lit.
Lin Jiaojiao sat at the desk, writing down the "Border Response Plan". Ling's light and shadow accompanied her, helping her to add details from time to time. The light blue light and the candlelight intertwined, casting warm spots on the paper, which looked very much like the stars they had watched together on the bank of the Wei River.
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