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Qishan Mansion
The idea Qin Lan proposed is very likely.
Xiao Yingzhu seemed to have her own thoughts. She didn't say much about this topic, nor did she directly express her thoughts. Instead, she looked at Jiang Nian.
"Have you finished reading the contents of the scroll?"
During their few conversations, Jiang Nian had already roughly figured out the enemy in Huandu. He immediately thought of the things that had puzzled him before, and now he had some ideas.
Her eyes glanced lightly at Xiao Yingzhu and Qin Lan's faces, her fingertips landed on the second prince's name, her voice lowered for a moment, a hint of clarity revealed in her soft voice.
"So the young man I met earlier... was a spy under the Second Prince?"
Xiao Yingzhu glanced away indifferently and responded nonchalantly.
"That's right."
The chaos in his mind became clearer. Jiang Nian raised his head from the scroll with some sincere doubts in his eyes. He asked the same question again, but rather than asking with the possibility of getting to the bottom of it, this was more like asking for advice.
"Then why let him move freely? ... I don't think his actions will reveal his information."
Qin Lan was a little confused by the cryptic conversation between the two people opposite him. He found a suitable point to interrupt and added himself to the topic.
"Who are you talking about? I want to hear it too."
There was a brief silence in the side hall, and Xiao Yingzhu casually muttered the second prince's name.
…
"Meng Jian?"
"When did he send someone to look for Miss Jiang?"
Qin Lan leaned on his elbow and frowned.
"After you returned to the capital?"
There was silence in the side hall. The three of them had something to think about, and the conversation gradually slowed down.
Meeting his silent and indifferent gaze, Qin Lan instantly recalled the corresponding time points when they had discussed intelligence recently.
The scroll lay quietly on the table, with a thin layer of bright color on the edge.
Xiao Yingzhu leisurely poured a cup of tea, then tilted her head and glanced lightly at the table next to Jiang Nian. She seemed to sense something between the conversations and softly thanked him.
The cold tea was refilled with warmth. Jiang Nian lowered his eyes and glanced at the scroll for a few more times. He raised his eyes to Qin Lan, then turned away and asked Xiao Yingzhu in a low voice, "If he is a spy, what is his ultimate intention?"
Previously, Zhou Jinyu was a spy, but now that her identity has changed, the act of going to the drugstore to find her has become a little subtle.
Taking Jiang Nian's concerns into consideration, Xiao Yingzhu knew who she was referring to. His gaze paused for a moment between her clear and gentle brows, and his smile was quite casual and unfocused.
As he leaned on his wrist, his inky black hair cascaded loosely over his shoulders. Jiang Nian took in his radiant and beautiful face, his gaze dark and deep, like a river flowing in the darkness. Suddenly, she felt as if she were looking at a magnificent ancient painting through the diffused time in the hall.
Her vision was blurred for a moment, she held her breath lightly, and turned away for fear of disturbing everyone.
The cool agarwood between the screens and walls seemed to have withered petals, emitting a strong and rich fragrance.
Xiao Yingzhu put her fingertips on it and replied after a while.
"It's used to confuse people."
With Liangdu City as the central axis, all the subsequent undercurrents and sudden changes will pave the way for the second prince to achieve his goal.
It's no wonder that Zhou Jinyu is so open and honest without any concealment. He is not afraid of being investigated at all. The purpose of coming to the pharmacy is to let her tell Xiao Yingzhu about this matter so as to achieve Meng Jian's goal.
A line in his mind suddenly became clear, and Jiang Nian immediately spoke out what he was thinking.
"They want to use spies to obscure their location?"
Qin Lan, who was thinking on the side, finally had a deep-buried idea in his mind suddenly emerge because of Jiang Nian's words.
"The flowering grapes you mentioned back then were actually more than one?"
He had previously finished talking with Xiao Yingzhu in the courtyard. Although he had figured out that the information came from Jiang Nian, in the process of removing surveillance and obtaining intelligence, Jiang Nian was just the object cleverly used to convey and test the message in this move. The person who really wanted to convey the message was not Jiang Nian, but the person who informed Jiang Nian.
We know that the mastermind behind this is the second prince, but who did it?
At that time, he was confused and ignored by this "only one piece". According to common sense, he thought that the chess piece set up by Xiao Yingzhu was on Jiang Nian's side. He did not think carefully about it, leaving only a logical loophole there, so he always felt empty in his heart like the cold wind, as if the exquisitely carved screen lacked some kind of matching Hetian jade.
The questions raised by both parties were exactly the same. Xiao Yingzhu looked indifferent and smiled at Jiang Nian, then turned to meet Qin Lan's slightly surprised and questioning eyes. His tone was nonchalant, and his breath was light but every word was emphasized.
"On the chessboard, a single move makes a difference..."
He sighed casually, his words slow and cold.
"We must secretly lay a trap to ensure complete safety."
"ha……"
After realizing the purpose of Xiao Yingzhu's doing this, Qin Lan smiled and sighed, shook his head, and understood in his heart. His eyes were covered with mist, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking at the moment.
The hall was suddenly silent for a few seconds. Jiang Nian lowered his eyes and slowly scanned the marks on the bamboo slips with the words "Meng Jian" engraved on them. The complicated things in his heart were somewhat cleared up because of the bamboo slips, but as he understood the layout of the bamboo slips, some more puzzled things came to his mind.
His thoughts were in a mess. Judging from Qin Lan's proposal and the fact that Xiao Yingzhu did not directly and decisively reject it, he had a backup plan.
But no matter how she thought about it, the path to the point was still the same - to stay put.
The fact that the spy had come to her and asked her this meant that he had been lurking in the Liang capital for a long time after investigating, and now was the right time for him to reveal himself. His questions were merely an indirect attempt to elicit what Meng Jian was seeking.
So how could Meng Jian choose the right moment to send the spy? Did he have spies in Liangdu, or was he hiding in Liangdu himself?
And is the Wu Mi people a cover to cover up his future actions?
But the Wu Mi people were not only in Pingzhou, they were originally in Cang County. So why did Meng Jian deploy the Wu Mi people in Cang County?
The way he arranged the situation was as if he didn't know which side of the Huan Dynasty was the focus when he first made the plan, and only recently did he figure out the focus and send one of the forces over.
It takes a thousand days to maintain an army and a moment to deploy it. But this army is probably too few in number, and what is the purpose of the remaining majority being stationed there?
Thinking of the map of Huan Dynasty, Jiang Nian carefully considered the two places, the capital and Cang County. It was like clearing away the fog, but when he reached out his hand, all he touched was still a reflection, and he couldn't find out the most real side of it.
"...Jiang Nian?"
In the distance, an empty echo came from outside. The tide that blocked the outside world around my ears suddenly receded, leaving only an empty room.
She came to her senses and blinked.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Yingzhu leaned his head lazily and repeated the question he had just asked.
"How many possibilities do you think Meng Jian has?"
possibility?
Jiang Nian's eyes fell on the name written on the bamboo slips in front of him, and he immediately understood. However, he still had doubts in his heart, and his answer was not as certain as usual.
“…Three?”
This was her first time actually participating in these political negotiations. Even though she knew some of the intricate causes and effects, it was difficult for her to immediately have a controllable grasp and prediction of the enemy's psychology.
The smile in Xiao Yingzhu's eyes deepened, but her expression couldn't tell whether her answer was correct.
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Um."
Jiang Nian nodded. Rather than just thinking about it on his own, it would definitely be better to ask Xiao Yingzhu for his opinion. So he would first tell him what he had come up with to see if there were any deviations.
"The first possibility is that the Second Prince is in Liangdu. He can perfectly grasp the timing of his inquiries. He would first send someone to track my whereabouts, then send two spies from the side to test my reaction, and in doing so, effortlessly sow discord. He would then send Zhou Jinyu to inquire directly, observing any omissions or changes. This would allow him to monitor any subsequent changes that might occur among the Wumi people in Liangdu."
The side hall was quiet. Jiang Nian paused for a few seconds and then continued speaking.
"The second possibility is that the Second Prince is not actually in Liangdu, but is pretending to be there. He left immediately after the spies finished their inquiries and is currently on his way to Pingzhou, preparing to give orders to the Wumi people."
"The third possibility..." She hesitated and frowned slightly, "The Second Prince is not in the city, nor on the road. He is actually in the capital or Cang County?"
Qin Lan seemed to be interested at this time. He glanced at Xiao Yingzhu who was smiling faintly beside him, and then turned his gaze to Jiang Nian's face.
Seeing that they all seemed interested in her third possibility, Jiang Nian couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. After all, this was the idea she was most uncertain about and could only be considered a flash of inspiration.
"Because the Wumi people in Pingzhou are few in number, and those who came are not core personnel, while the number of Wumi people in Cang County far exceeds that of Pingzhou... So the Second Prince is actually guarding those Wumi people in Cang County, causing unrest there to attract Emperor Changde's attention? Then he will send his men to mobilize the Wumi people here and steal the insect repellent formula during the chaos?"
“…”
Although what she said was unconventional, it was not entirely wrong.
Xiao Yingzhu casually tapped the table with her fingertips, guiding her intentionally or unintentionally.
"The two points you mentioned earlier are exactly what Meng Jian wants us to think about. His goal is to have us guard here and use it to consume resources."
His gaze slowly swept across Jiang Nian's face, finally stopping on her slightly stunned eyes.
"There are many ways to attack. Although Donglan is preparing for an external attack, it doesn't mean they can't take another approach."
His voice was cold, and the quiet side hall became even more desolate because of his words.
"They can also cause internal troubles."
…
The internal troubles mentioned by Xiao Yingzhu did not refer to the Wu Mi people.
He did not point out her mistake in the third point, but he reminded her in another way. This was to tell her implicitly that apart from causing civil unrest, what else could the Second Prince cause that could directly endanger Emperor Changde?
So, would Dong Lan and the Second Prince work together? While the Wu Mi people were causing chaos and the Second Prince was consolidating some dangerous matters in Cang County, would Dong Lan attack Huandu at the same time?
No, it shouldn't.
The worst outcome was that the Second Prince would eventually decide to take her anthelmintic prescription from the Xu and Liangdu pharmacies, and the Second Prince would let the Wu Mi people stay in Cang County and Pingzhou in order to cause chaos and get the anthelmintic prescription, and then evacuate after getting it.
Anticipating these possible future events, her heart began to beat faster. Qin Lan, who was standing opposite her, saw her face turn slightly pale and then pulled out a scroll from the stack, subtly breaking the subdued atmosphere.
"Ms. Jiang, take a look at this, you may find some more things you want to know.
"I think that although the Second Prince is very likely in Cang County right now, this might just be a cover. He's being too clever for his own good. He might be thinking that we might think this way, and is galloping to Pingzhou at full speed."
Hearing Qin Lan's slightly comforting tone, although he knew it was a joke, Jiang Nian still smiled back. After taking the scroll, he carefully browsed through it, and then he suddenly understood the other party's last sentence.
"If the Fifth Prince is in Cang County, then it makes sense why those Wu Mi people are staying there... They are planning to use me and the Fifth Prince as shields to hide the imperial court."
"Then the Second Prince..."
Thinking of the "internal troubles" that Xiao Yingzhu had just reminded him of, Jiang Nian had some idea in his mind.
I was always afraid to leave Pingzhou because I thought something might happen if only my subordinates were guarding Pingzhou.
But the Prophet knew the rest of the information, and things turned around.
The enemy is making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, and if we continue to defend Pingzhou at this time, there will be greater risks.
She stopped talking, met Xiao Yingzhu's indifferent gaze, gently clenched her fingertips on the bamboo slips, and nodded in response.
"I see."
"So... when do you plan to leave?"
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