"Indeed." The scout dared not lift his head at this point, keeping his gaze lowered, fearing to meet the piercing glare of Ji Xinhe.
Xinhe’s frame wavered, her complexion paled slightly, thinking about her father who was already en route to the capital city, now in the hands of people from the imperial court. The events that would likely follow required little imagination. Her father was already old and the onslaught of such misfortune at this juncture would be especially devastating for the elderly lady.
Xinhe barely dared to imagine: "Where is His Highness?"
The scout replied, "We’ve already sent word to His Highness. He should have received the news by now....."
Even before he finished speaking, they heard the greetings from outside: "His Highness is back."
Almost instantly, Marquis Mu Houchu strode in, his usually composed demeanor now resignedly chilly.
"My dad, he...." Ji Xinhe hurriedly began.
Marquis Mu held her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze, "I know everything."
"What should we do now? I heard that my dad is now in the hands of the imperial court, being escorted back to the capital. Once he returns, who knows what methods the Emperor might employ to torment him. After all, the Emperor harbors such a deep grudge against you, on this storm-ridden boat, isn’t he the obvious target?" Xinhe anxiously added.
Marquis Mu gently embraced Xinhe, whose agitated emotions needed calming. "Leave all this to me. We have not yet determined the ins and outs of the matter, so it’s best not to act rashly. Trust me, I will ensure Le Yuanhou’s safe return to Yu State, alright?"
The kneeling scout bowed his head in silence, feeling content knowing that he had been able to witness his master’s gentleness for once.
Xiaoyu motioned to him, and the scout smartly rose and retreated in silence.
Perhaps it was Ji Xinhe’s excessive trust in him, but the security Marquis Mu provided could not be replaced by anyone else. If he claimed something was possible, then it must be. She should trust him. Listening to Marquis Mu’s soothing words, Xinhe’s originally perturbed heart calmed considerably.
Marquis Mu breathed a sigh of relief; his little lady only really lost her composure when genuinely agitated. At the core, her heart was softer than most.
Xinhe looked up from Marquis Mu’s embrace, "What exactly happened this time? Why did problems arise despite them reaching Qin State safely and unnoticed? The Emperor’s reach can’t possibly extend this far. There must be something fishy about this."
Seeing her calmly analyzing the situation, Maricus Mu knew she had regained her composure. He began, "Exactly. That’s what makes this incident all the more odd. The Emperor couldn’t possibly extend his hand as far as Qin State. If they had reached Qin State without incident, they should have been safe."
Pausing for a moment, his gaze hardened a fraction, "So, it means an unexpected situation occurred."
Ji Xinhe quickly asked, "What kind of unexpected situation?"
Marcus Mu replied coldly, "I don’t have detailed information yet, but if you think about it, who could have possibly tampered with Le Yuanhou at this point?"
Ji Xinhe paused before his words sank in, her eyes blinked in realization "Lady Sun! When Li Junyan, the dark chess piece placed by Emperor, was exposed, my father had already recognized Lady Sun’s true colors. When Li Junyan’s ’death’ was reported, Lady Sun was directly driven out of the Hou Mansion and was later said to have joined a temple as a nun. But now...."
Marquis Mu spoke in a clear, cold voice, "Given that Lady Sun managed to hide in the Le Yuanhou’s residence for so many years, successfully fooling him into believing in her benevolent wife act, indicates her exceptional strategic prowess. According to my reliable sources, compared to Li Junyan, Lady Sun is far more cunning. She was most likely the one behind this incident."
Ji Xinhe felt slightly discouraged, "What do we do now?"
"Even though the Emperor has officer Sun as a pawn, we still have leverage. Have you forgotten about Li Junyan?" Marquis Mu said somberly.
Ji Xinhe’s eyes lit up with hope, "Yes! Li Junyan. At that time, you had orchestrated a fake death scene for her. She is still alive. Li Junyan could be considered Lady Sun’s biggest weakness!"
Lady Sun had shown a cold indifference towards her husband, Le Yuanhou. Despite years of marriage, she used their emotional bond to stab him in the back. But Li Junyan was different. She was Lady Sun’s biological daughter and was always dearly loved. Li Junyan’s death was a severe blow to Lady Sun.
If they could use Li Junyan’s as leverage against Lady Sun, wouldn’t that be greatly advantageous?
As Xinhe contemplated, she felt relief.
"But my father has already been captured and I’m afraid Lady Sun won’t have much say regarding his fate. After all, he has fallen into the hands of the imperial court, and the Emperor will not have much mercy for a used chess piece. At most, Lady Sun will sacrifice my father’s life to prolong her own, isn’t Song Yalin the best example?" Xinhe said, furrowing her brows.
"It’s still too early to tell. Lady Sun isn’t as incompetent as you think. After many years of hiding, she must have many more cards to play that we don’t know about. She may not be entirely useless, so don’t underestimate this woman.", Marquis Mu cautioned.
Xinhe nodded slightly in agreement.
Only then did Marquis Mu say, "Leave all this to me. Don’t worry, I will ensure Le Yuanhou’s safe return to Yu State."
Xinhe seemed to recall something and, shaking her head vigorously, responded, "No!"
Marquis Mu furrowed his brows, "What’s wrong?"
"You cannot take on this responsibility. What will you do? Ambush the procession or head directly to the capital city? Right now, Yu State has just gained independence. Even though it seems to run smoothly on the surface, beneath it there’s unstable foundation. A minor hiccup could lead to major trouble. In such times, if you are not present to hold reins in Yu State, won’t that create chaos? What if the imperial court deliberately lures the tiger away from the mountain, leading to chaos in Yu State? We have come this far after putting in so much effort, we cannot be reckless."
It’s hard to build an empire but even harder to protect it, especially since things had just started. For example, the Imperial Examination System had just begun to be implemented in Yu State and there were many things that needed to be done. If Marquis Mu were not present to oversee Yu State, it could give rise to opportunists who create chaos, potentially leading to a major disaster.
Ji Xinhe declared firmly, "Of course, I am worried about my father, but I can’t jeopardize the whole of Yu State because of this. You shouldn’t either."
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