Eliminate future rivals
Jiang Yanhui used the pretense of resting to actually oversee Lingzhou, monitoring the every move of the Youzu people within the city.
The network of informants throughout Lingzhou was like a dense spider web, collecting, summarizing, filtering, and forwarding all the news in the city to Jiang Yanhui. He could know everything happening outside just by being in his study.
The study was a forbidden area in the Prince's mansion. Even Aunt Pan and Uncle Ban had to get Jiang Yan Hui's permission to enter, and they dared not touch or look around recklessly.
Two months ago, Jiang Yanhui would never have imagined that one day she would agree to let Ah Chou into the study and occupy the desk to practice calligraphy.
But lately, Ah Chou had been clinging to her so much, insisting on waiting for her outside the study. The air was dry and unbearable under the scorching sun, and Ah Chou, with eyes full of adoration, squatted under the eaves, his silly grin making Jiang Yan Hui feel really uncomfortable.
So, as revenge, he sent someone in and set out twelve large characters for him to practice at his own pace.
"Focus."
The rolled-up bamboo slips tapped against the bent knee, producing two muffled sounds.
The study, facing south, has excellent natural light, and outside the window are the Podocarpus macrophyllus trees planted in the courtyard, their cloud-like shapes beautifully pruned.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting beams of light onto Jiang Yanhui, who was leaning against it, bathing her in a warm yellow glow that softened her sharp features.
With her eyes lowered as she read the ancient book, Jiang Yanhui was calm and reserved, making it hard to associate her with the word "general." This aroused A Chou's strong curiosity, making her want to see what kind of heroic and valiant Jiang Yanhui was in the military camp.
The tranquil and beautiful atmosphere was incredibly reassuring; I wished I could freeze time at this moment.
With great reluctance, Ah Chou tore her gaze away from Jiang Yan Hui, sorted out the tasks Jiang Yan Hui had assigned, and quickly composed herself, clearing her mind of all distractions to concentrate on copying the calligraphy.
Two knocks on the door, and Aunt Pan, who came in, was clearly taken aback when she saw Ah Chou sitting in what should have been the king's seat. Her quick wit allowed her to regain her composure and she handed a long wooden box to Jiang Yan Hui, who was sitting next to her.
"Your Majesty, all the people we've collected are on here."
Considering the presence of a third party, Aunt Pan spoke cryptically.
Ah Chou, who overheard this, knew perfectly well that it must be something that couldn't be known to outsiders. She lowered her head and focused on writing, deliberately ignoring their conversation.
Inside the wooden box were two thin sheets of paper, covered with names written on them.
Jiang Yanhui quickly flipped through the pages, then scoffed, "There are men, women, young and old; it's really impressive how she managed to gather so many people."
Jiang Yanhui always did whatever she wanted when it came to trivial matters. She tapped the list on the paper with her fingertips and said, "I don't have much time to play with her anymore. Arrest everyone on the list tonight."
He smiled and said, "I believe I will be able to meet the new leader soon."
The more you try not to listen, the more uncontrollably your ears pick up the sounds. After Aunt Pan left, Ah Chou rubbed his unruly ears in frustration, thinking that he should stuff some cotton into them next time.
"How's the writing going?" Jiang Yan walked over, placed her hands on either side of the table, and gently put her arms around Ah Chou, who was sitting up straight with a shiver.
Ah Chou guiltily looked away, his arm half-covering the Xuan paper, absolutely not wanting Jiang Yan Hui to discover that he had actually been secretly watching her.
"Um?"
Ah Chou raised her face, her big, bright eyes blinking rapidly. She was so close that Jiang Yanhui could see Ah Chou's distinct lower eyelashes and her own reflection in her black pupils.
Ah Chou, who was trying to cover up his past by trying to please others, didn't realize that the more he did this, the more Jiang Yan Hui wanted to bully him, wishing she could make him sore-eyed and cry.
Jiang Yan placed her hand on A Chou's shoulder, feeling the protruding bone through the thin fabric. She leaned down and whispered in A Chou's ear, "What I just said was all confidential information. What if you heard it?"
Ah Chou squinted hard, trying to erase that small fragment of memory, but his abilities were limited.
So he grabbed a clean piece of paper and solemnly made a promise, stroke by stroke.
—I won't tell anyone.
Jiang Yan suppressed the corners of her mouth that were turning up. "How can I trust you?"
Ah Chou scratched his head, racking his brains for a long time but unable to come up with a way to prove he wouldn't tell anyone. Just as he was feeling troubled, he was pulled into a warm embrace from behind.
My racing thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and after my blank mind confirmed what had happened, it suddenly exploded into a series of exhilarating fireworks.
Her hands, resting on her lap, were slightly sweaty. Her sensitive fingertips seemed to be the little tail of Ah Chou's emotions. She scratched her pants and curled up in embarrassment.
Ah Chou licked her lower lip awkwardly, then lowered her head, revealing a section of her beautiful, fair nape, from which a blush spread visibly.
"My study contains many confidential documents that could cost you your life. Your eyes darted around as soon as you came in. How can I believe you didn't see any other important documents?"
One charge wasn't enough, so Jiang Yanhui added another charge of suspicion, her gaze fixed on A Chou's profile, anticipating his interesting reaction.
Jiang Yanhui was very close, so close that her breath tickled her earlobe.
Ah Chou subconsciously turned her face away to avoid it, but her soft lips just happened to brush against the corner of her mouth. The sudden accident startled both of them.
With his face flushed red, Ah Chou slowly wrote on the paper—"Keep away anything that could cost you your head."
The ambiguous atmosphere, where they could practically use the table as a bed at any moment, was broken by Ah Chou's amusing reply. When Jiang Yan Hui met Ah Chou's sincere gaze as he offered his advice, she leaned on his shoulder and chuckled uncontrollably.
Ah Chou didn't understand what Jiang Yan Hui was laughing about, and smiled shyly.
"Don't worry." Jiang Yanhui's eyes still held a faint smile as she spoke candidly to A Chou, "Actually, there's a secret room in the study where all the important things are kept."
When Ah Chou realized that these were things he shouldn't hear, it was too late to cover his ears. He stared in terror with his round, doe-like eyes, afraid that Jiang Yan Hui would say something else he shouldn't hear. He quickly grabbed his pen and began to write without any distraction.
The city of Lingzhou was dimly lit and eerily silent in the dead of night. A shout that occasionally escaped was quickly swallowed with a hand covering its mouth, and only the urgent barking of wild dogs could be heard.
In a camp hundreds of miles away on the other side of the Duoluo River, a porcelain cup shattered in mid-air. The woman, her face contorted with anger, glared coldly at the person kneeling below, and asked with intense murderous intent, "Are you saying that all the spies who infiltrated Lingzhou have lost contact overnight?"
Cold sweat streamed down the man's forehead. He barely dared to breathe faster, and said respectfully, "Yes, Chief."
Her trembling voice betrayed her inner fear.
After receiving no answer for a long time, she mustered her courage and looked up, only to meet the woman's scrutinizing gaze, as if she were looking at a lifeless corpse.
He slowly began to speak, "Jiang Yan has returned to Lingzhou?"
The man suddenly came to his senses and nodded repeatedly as if grasping at a straw. "Jiang Yan returned to Lingzhou three days ago. You mean... she exposed our spies hidden in Lingzhou..."
Those who realized this after being enlightened felt a chill run down their spines.
Jiang Yanhui was able to investigate all the spies in just three days. No, it's possible that they were being watched by people hiding in the shadows when they infiltrated.
Lingzhou may appear loose and scattered on the surface, but in reality, it is wrapped in a hidden net that is airtight. Every thread is as sensitive as a spider's web. If an outsider tries to invade, the spider's web will tremble and send a signal to its master.
Since Jiang Yan Hui has the power to control everything, she could naturally find out about her meeting with the spies. The fact that she wasn't arrested along with her is...
The man's pupils trembled as he looked at the woman sitting in the high seat. Fear and cold sweat soaked his clothes, and his clenched teeth trembled uncontrollably.
Urentuya was clearly aware of the intention behind her actions. She let out a sigh of relief, leaned back, and twitched her fingers on the leather armrest. She curled her pale lips into a smile, her brows revealing a fierce intensity. "Then let's meet my future opponent."
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