There is a thief
"These are case files sent by someone from the King of Qin."
Yang Yu placed the scroll in front of Xiao Heng'an.
Xiao Heng'an glanced at it briefly, but his mind was elsewhere.
The wind made the window frames creak, and the pages of the book beside me flipped haphazardly.
Yang Yu teased, "It seems Your Highness regrets not having eaten that plate of snacks. Today's plate should be quite good too."
As Yang Yu spoke, he pushed the flower-shaped rice cake on the table, moved it to Xiao Heng'an's side, and pinched a piece to taste.
"Hmm." Yang Yu took a bite and said, "This is made with lotus root powder. The color is elegant, and the taste is sweeter than last time. But..."
Yang Yu took another bite and commented, "It's easy to get tired of eating too much. It's not as good as the tea cake last time, which had a bittersweet aftertaste and left a lasting impression."
Xiao Heng'an glanced at him sideways, pushed aside the pastries, and unfolded the dossier, which included a map of the imperial prison where the Crown Prince's tutor was imprisoned. The map deliberately used vermilion to mark the positions of the guards and indicated their numbers.
Yang Yu guessed, "Does this mean they want us to send people?"
Xiao Heng'an nodded in agreement and took out a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone to copy the documents.
Song Hui asked in bewilderment, "Isn't the King of Qin making a mountain out of a molehill by locking an eighty-year-old man who only knows how to nitpick over words in the imperial prison and guarding it with heavy troops?"
Xiao Heng'an said, "If we don't do it this way, how can we highlight the importance of the case? Don't forget, whose teacher is the Crown Prince's tutor?"
The Crown Prince's tutor had students all over the country; half of the scholars in the court and the countryside were his students. This resulted in too many people supporting the Crown Prince in the court, causing an imbalance.
Otherwise, how could a literary master like him, who was admired throughout his life and whose noble character was ingrained in his bones, have made such a mistake in his old age and ruined his lifelong reputation?
Xiao Heng'an knew very well that the Crown Prince's tutor was nothing more than a pawn used by the emperor to force the crown prince to make mistakes, and bait thrown out to weaken the crown prince's power.
The court officials were cunning and unwilling to take on this hot potato, so they passed it on to the King of Qin.
When Xiao Heng'an first returned to the capital, he was all alone, and naturally became the co-manager of the case files.
This person in charge is also a test from His Majesty.
Old Master Gu is right. The affairs of the court are a mix of truth and falsehood, and the best course of action is to remain detached and observe.
After Xiao Heng finished copying the case file, he handed the topographical map along with the case file to Song Ming.
"Return to the Prince of Qin's residence and tell him that I am busy with the reorganization of the military camp and have no time to assist with this case. Please forgive me. I will report to His Majesty later and select someone else to assist me."
"Would this work?" Yang Yu considered the feasibility of returning the item.
Xiao Heng'an said confidently, "Having met with the Prince of Qin today, we may have developed some grudges. If we cooperate again, it might be unfair."
The incident at the teahouse had already spread throughout the capital, and everyone understood the situation. Song Ming took the files and left with Song Hui.
Yang Yu guessed, "Is this what Elder Gu meant?"
Xiao Heng'an locked the copied case file in a drawer and said, "This case was a trap from the start. I was too worried before. Today, Elder Gu has enlightened me, so I can take this opportunity to extricate myself and avoid trouble in the future."
Yang Yu understood immediately and then discussed the military camp with him.
After Li Jinghe returned to the capital, Xiao Juebai appointed Xiao Heng'an to a position in the camp to reorganize the military.
This undoubtedly creates enemies for Xiao Heng'an, traps him, and gradually undermines his military power on the border.
Yang Yu said, "General Li is preparing to go to the palace to request the return of the old camp of the Li family army and refuse to be mixed with the soldiers in the capital."
Xiao Heng'an asked, "What did Li Ranyi say?"
Yang Yu said, "Miss Li said that the Jingzhong Camp is even more opposed to mixing soldiers than we are. She advised General Li not to rush things, and that someone will eventually be unable to hold back and will take the lead."
Xiao Heng'an agreed with Li Ranyi's suggestion, saying, "Alright, tell General Li that the soldiers are exhausted from years of fighting. Why not take this opportunity to request an imperial decree to arrange for the soldiers to rest and recuperate? The matter of reorganization is entirely up to His Majesty's decision."
Currently, apart from the Imperial Guard directly under the Emperor, the military power in the capital is mainly distributed among various local forces, primarily controlled by the factions of Crown Prince Xiao Yi and Prince Qin Xiao Liao, who are evenly matched.
Li Jinghe was one of the few neutrals. Xiao Liao tried to win him over several times without success, and regarded him as a formidable rival, frequently clashing with him.
Three years ago, Xiao Heng'an led his troops into battle alone, his future uncertain. Li Jinghe's troops were the vanguard, a move orchestrated by Xiao Liao.
Over the course of three years, Xiao Heng'an achieved numerous victories, his prestige in the army rose steadily, and he also won the appreciation and trust of Li Jinghe, who then favored Xiao Heng'an.
Xiao Juebai was pleased with Xiao Heng'an's outstanding performance and warned the other princes. However, he also worried that Xiao Heng'an's large military force posed a threat. Therefore, he targeted Li Jinghe to weaken the various factions.
Li Jinghe, being a military officer, was naturally incapable of dealing with such intricacies, and, seething with anger, requested a leave of absence. To appease Li Jinghe and bolster morale, Xiao Juebai readily agreed.
Afterwards, Xiao Heng'an wrote to Xiao Juebai, stating that the originally assigned posts had become vacant due to a large number of soldiers taking leave, and that soldiers from other battalions needed to fill the vacancies. He also spread rumors that soldiers would be assigned to whichever post they were assigned to.
Xiao Liao's subordinates panicked and began complaining to him. Why should they be the ones to fill the vacancies left by Li Jing and his men during their rest days? They were used to eating, drinking, and having fun; how could they endure such hardship?
Xiao Liao was plotting to use the Crown Prince's tutor to deal with Xiao Yi, and he was also indignant about the changes in the military camp.
To appease the troops and stabilize military power, Xiao Liao asked his birth mother, Consort Xian, to repeatedly whisper in Xiao Juebai's ear. He also mobilized his brother-in-law Xu family and his uncle Sun family to persuade Xiao Juebai to give up his idea of mixing troops.
Throughout the entire process, Xiao Yi remained as if he were invisible, keeping quiet and uninvolved whether his teacher committed a crime or there was an incident in the military camp.
In Wangning Pavilion, Gu Jinning lay on the swing chair under the crabapple tree, listening idly to the rumors brought by Qinglian, and repeatedly exclaimed in admiration, "My cousin, the Crown Prince, is truly oblivious to everything else and only focused on studying the classics."
If he hadn't been born into an imperial family, he would have been a talented scholar on par with Hua Lingchen.
"By the way," Gu Jinning sat up and asked, "Did you invite my cousin to the banquet tomorrow?"
Qinglian replied, "Of course we have invited them. Not only His Highness the Crown Prince, but also Princess Anning, Prince Qin, Prince Wei, Prince Qi, and His Highness Prince Jin."
"Haha." Gu Jinning smirked, then felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. "My goodness, is this the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet? Everyone's here to see the monkey. What a grand spectacle!"
Qinglian whispered, "Miss, you understand."
Gu Jinning pouted and angrily tore off a piece of crabapple branch. Wasn't this just an opportunity to announce to the world that her marriage to Xiao Heng'an was a done deal?
"Qinglian, do you think I, Miss, can still turn things around?"
Qinglian shook her head. She respected Gu Jinning's opinion, but in her heart, she sided with Xiao Heng'an.
Gu Jinning suddenly stood up and said aggressively, "Of course I can! I have a backup plan."
With that, she tossed the flower branch aside, strode into the house, and instructed through the window, "Qinglian, I'm going out tonight. Go and do something for me."
That night, the crescent moon hung high in the sky, and thick clouds occasionally obscured it, leaving behind streaks of darkness.
Inside the Lotus Pond, a single lamp still burns. Beneath the half-closed window, in a bronze mirror, a beautiful woman is seen sorrowfully combing her long hair.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew by, the candlelight went out abruptly, a cold glint flashed across the lens and pressed against the beauty's fair neck, and a sinister male voice came from behind, "Miss Ji, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Ji Lin was stiff and dared not move. Through the mirror, she could only vaguely see a person dressed in black behind her with a mask on.
"The ever-changing young man?" Ji Lin asked tentatively, her voice trembling slightly. "I promised you, I'm ready. Let me go first."
The person behind her let go, and Ji Lin's voice came through: "Miss Ji has a good memory. Don't worry, I'll take the payment and leave."
Ji Lin retreated behind the door, and said warily, "It was agreed that you would be paid after the matter was completed. However, since I entered the manor, Prince Jin has treated me like a stranger, which shows that you have not kept your promise."
"Heh." Gu Jinning laughed speechlessly. "Miss Ji, it was you who took it upon yourself to return to the manor early, disrupting my plans. Now that you can't catch Prince Jin, you're coming to find fault with me. That's not reasonable."
Ji Lin stubbornly replied, "Our agreement was that I would enter the palace and establish myself there. The Prince of Jin only allowed me to stay temporarily, so it doesn't count as fulfilling our agreement."
Gu Jinning was already used to this kind of post-event wrangling.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance. Whether you can seize it or not depends on your own ability."
Ji Lin asked urgently, "What opportunity?"
Gu Jinning said, "Tomorrow, Princess Jinning will host a grand banquet for guests. All the princes, nobles, and daughters of prominent families from inside and outside the city will be present. You will go with Prince Jin and make a good impression in front of everyone. Prince Jin will naturally reconsider your allegiance."
Ji Lin's hope was ignited, but then she worried, "But he might not agree to take me with him."
Gu Jinning tossed her a gold-embossed invitation card. "Here, it's an invitation from the Princess's residence. With this, Prince Jin won't be able to refuse."
Having received the invitation, Ji Lin had no reason not to pay the fee, so she said, "Please come with me, and I will pay you the fee right away."
She opened the door and walked slowly along the corridor toward the side hall.
Gu Jinning crossed her arms and followed slowly behind, wondering why she had kept the money in the side hall.
The clouds above the crescent moon moved slowly, and the frosty moonlight shone down. A shout broke the silence of the night.
"Miss, be careful! There's a thief!"
Gui Fang appeared at the courtyard gate at some point, running out while shouting, "Help! Catch the thief!"
Gui Fang should have been sent away by Chu Lang long ago. There's only one possibility for her to have stumbled upon this by such coincidence.
Gu Jinning stared at Ji Lin with amusement and threatened, "Miss Ji, if you don't behave, we'll meet again."
Footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard. Gu Jinning turned to leave, but Ji Lin hurriedly grabbed her arm and swore, "Young hero, it wasn't me. I didn't know she would come back early."
"Quickly, surround the courtyard."
The guards from the nearby area rushed towards Lotus Garden and blocked the gate.
Gu Jinning shook off Ji Lin, kicked her, and used the momentum to leap onto the roof, using her lightness skill to escape.
Unexpectedly, Song Ming and Song Hui chased after her, surrounding her from the left and right.
Song Hui shouted, "Where do you think you're going, you little thief!"
Having witnessed the two men's lightness skills, Gu Jinning was not surprised by their speed in catching up. She even wanted to compete with them to see who could catch up faster.
As soon as an idea came to mind, Gu Jinning's feet moved swiftly, expertly darting across the rooftops of the Prince's Mansion.
Song Ming and Song Hui rarely saw someone with such skill in light-body techniques, so they became interested and sped up to chase after them, as if they wanted to compete.
Song Hui shouted, "Hey, you little thief, you're so skilled in light-footed kung fu, is it all for stealing?"
Gu Jinning ignored him, dodged him in a flash, and flew in the opposite direction. Using the clouds to obscure the moon, she disappeared from their sight through a series of twists and turns. After all, she knew the Prince's Mansion better than anyone else.
Where are they?
Song Ming refused to believe that someone could disappear right under his nose.
Song Hui stopped on a rooftop, searched around, and scratched his head awkwardly, "Couldn't find it."
While the two were feeling ashamed, Gu Jinning had already gone around to the front courtyard.
"She's there!"
Song Hui spotted the dark figure and shouted for help to give chase, but he was already far behind.
Gu Jinning waved to them, and just as she turned to fly away triumphantly, a long curved blade sliced through the night and came coiling around her.
Gu Jinning landed quickly to avoid the attack and flew towards another rooftop, where another curved blade followed like a ghost.
Gu Jinning dodged again, only to see Yang Yu holding a knife in both hands, slashing straight at her.
The blade was as sharp and cold as ice. Gu Jinning retreated several steps, drew her soft sword from her waist, picked up bricks and tiles, and smashed them at Yang Yu before she could avoid the double blades.
Song Ming and Song Hui seized the opportunity to catch up and drew their swords to help.
Gu Jinning is besieged on three sides.
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