I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 319 I got tricked again
"Your Majesty, I have received news from Yancheng that there are indeed traces of military activity in Baicha Valley, but there is no one in Yangjiazhuang. The Imperial Guards who went to arrest them not only came up empty-handed, but were also nearly killed in the explosion inside the village." Xie Hui said as he placed the letter on the desk for Xiao Jingfan to read.

Xiao Jingfan opened the letter and quickly scanned it.

In addition to what Xie Hui had just reported, the letter also mentioned that someone had witnessed the head of Yangjiazhuang and his steward escorting a veiled woman into Baichagu.

The letter writer guessed that the woman might be Yin Lanci, the Fifth Prince's wife.

They actually managed to get away!
Xiao Jingfan held the letter, his face somewhat gloomy.

Xie Hui said, "Explosives were planted in Yang Family Village long ago, as if it was a deliberate scheme to lure the Imperial Guards there. Where did you get the information that Yin Lanci was in Yang Family Village?"

“She said it.” Xiao Jingfan pointed to Chu Liuzheng, who was standing quietly to the side.

Xie Hui looked over suspiciously: "Where did you get this information, young lady?"

Why is he using such an accusatory tone?

Chu Liuzheng blinked, feeling utterly wronged.

[System message is absolutely accurate. The Fifth Prince's Consort did indeed stay at Yang Family Manor for a period of time. I told the Tyrant she was still there then, and there was no sign of her leaving. Are you blaming me for your Imperial Guards' inability to capture her?]

"It's a long story, I'll tell you about it later on Eleven," Xiao Jingfan explained, and then concluded, "She's trustworthy."

Upon hearing the last three words, Xie Hui immediately withdrew his suspicious gaze and even smiled amicably at Chu Liuzheng.

[Oh dear, thank goodness the tyrant believed me. Lord Xie's eyes were terrifying; I don't want to have a day trip to the imperial prison.]

Chu Liuzheng breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled back.

Xie Hui realized that he might have misunderstood before. His Majesty did not want to take this palace maid into the harem, but rather to train her to be his right-hand man, just like he had done with Zhou Yuande.

He secretly sized up Chu Liuzheng.

I wonder what special qualities this palace maid has besides her good looks that would make His Majesty treat her differently.

Xiao Jingfan read the letter again to make sure there was nothing missing, then placed it on the candlestick and lit it.

Flames licked the scroll, and the letter turned to ashes in the brazier.

He coldly ordered, "Immediately send a message to Li Ze, instructing him to deploy five thousand men to garrison outside Baicha Valley and keep a close watch on the situation inside. If there are any unusual movements, I authorize him to act accordingly."

Li Ze was the commander of the Xuanjia Army. When Xiao Jingfan was still a prince, Li Ze had been his study companion.

The Xuanjia Army was trained by Li Ze himself, and its soldiers were all exceptionally brave, making it an elite force.

Xie Hui asked in surprise, "You want to force Yin Lanci to mobilize the Dragon Shadow Guard?"

"It would be best if she were willing to make a move." Xiao Jingfan's eyes turned slightly cold. "If she doesn't move, I'd like to see how long she can keep hiding in White Temple Valley with the Dragon Shadow Guard."

White Temple Valley is shrouded in miasma and teeming with poisonous insects and snakes; it is hardly a good place to retire.

They might be able to be self-sufficient in the short term, but as time went on, without supplies sent in from outside, he didn't believe that woman Yin Lanci could really stay.

Xie Hui's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Xiao Jingfan glanced at him: "Speak your mind."

Xie Hui said, "It will take some time for the Xuanjia Army to be mobilized. If that woman is indeed Yin Lanci, given her shrewdness, she might lead the Dragon Shadow Guards to move ahead of time. What should we do then?"

Xiao Jingfan sneered: "There is no second Baicha Valley in this world. If she dares to bring the Dragon Shadow Guard out of Baicha Valley, it will be exactly what I want."

If Baichagu were not easy to enter but difficult to leave, and a rash attack would result in too many casualties, he would have sent Li Ze to lead troops there long ago, instead of just letting the Xuanjia Army train nearby.
[Tsk, the tyrant has been tricked by the Fifth Prince's wife again.]

Xiao Jingfan: ?

Chu Liuzheng flipped through the system.

[The woman who entered the valley wasn't the Fifth Prince's wife at all, but the mistress of the manor. Knowing the Imperial Guards were coming to arrest people, the Fifth Prince's wife had already changed her identity and fled; she's heading towards Xian City right now.] Xiao Jingfan: "..."

Even if that woman wasn't Yin Lanci, she was still a real Dragon Shadow Guard, right?
No sooner had he finished thinking that than Chu Liuzheng's thoughts reached his ears.

[Oh my, the leader of the Dragon Shadow Guard received a message from the manor lord and is currently discussing disguising himself as a merchant caravan and heading to Prince Cheng's fiefdom in batches. By the time the Black Armor Army arrives, they'll have vanished without a trace.]

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

Could you have told me sooner?!
Chu Liuzheng was completely unaware that the emperor was angered by him again and was still browsing the system.

[Tsk tsk, that fool Prince Cheng really thinks he's incredibly lucky with women, doting on the three beauties sent by the Fifth Prince's wife.]

If he knew that the faces of these three stunning beauties were nurtured by Gu worms, and that they couldn't even maintain their human form without them, would he be unable to stand upright again?

[Speaking of which, according to the Fifth Prince's plan, in another three months, they will be able to turn Prince Cheng into their puppet. At that time, he will be so obedient that he won't turn east when pointed at, and even a dog wouldn't dare chase a chicken; he'll be more docile than a marionette.]

puppet?!

Xiao Jingfan's hand, which was on the table, suddenly clenched into a fist.

Xie Hui noticed this and assumed the emperor had suddenly thought of something of utmost importance, so he quickly adopted a respectful listening posture.

One, two, three, four, five...

He silently counted to ten, but heard no sound. So he looked at the emperor in confusion, "Aren't you going to speak?"

Xiao Jingfan kept a calm expression, listening intently to the inner voice.

[Oh my, Prince Cheng is quite audacious, secretly plotting against the Fifth Prince's wife, trying to use the cooperation as a pretext to make unreasonable demands. Tsk tsk, doesn't he know that, aside from pure-blooded naiveté like the innocent princess, the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she is?]

Chu Liuzheng continued digging down.

[He lacks the courage to go to Beijing to save his son, yet he has the audacity to court death.]

However, while I've seen plenty of people courting death, this is the first time I've seen someone like Prince Cheng, who has stacked so many layers of death buffs on himself. Even the King of Hell would shake his head in disbelief.

As she flipped through the pages, she suddenly spotted a very short piece of gossip and quickly scanned it.

[Funny! This guy actually had the audacity to have designs on Consort Dou before! He's trying to cuckold the tyrant! Doesn't he fear the tyrant will chop him down with his sword?]

Xiao Jingfan loosened his clenched fist and suddenly felt that becoming a puppet was still too easy.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, pondering the message revealed in his heart.

Yin Lan resigned from Xiancheng. The Dragon Shadow Guards were to disguise themselves as merchant caravans and escape to Prince Cheng's fiefdom in batches. Three months later, Prince Cheng would become an obedient puppet.

If the message were to be sent to Li Ze, it would take at least three days, and with the troop movements, it would take five days to reach Baicha Valley.

According to the information sent back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the number of Dragon Shadow Guards is between two and three thousand, and at most no more than three thousand.

If the Dragon Shadow Guards act quickly enough, it's not impossible for them to be completely transferred within five days.

Xiao Jingfan tapped the table and said to Xie Hui, "What you said earlier is correct."

Xie Hui was confused. Which sentence?

Xiao Jingfan said, "The Embroidered Uniform Guards failed to capture anyone, which has already alerted them. The Dragon Shadow Guards may have moved ahead of time, so we must be on guard."

Xie Hui glanced at him.

Didn't you just say you were afraid they wouldn't do anything? Why have you changed your tune now?

Xiao Jingfan hadn't expected that the Dragon Shadow Guards would start moving without even checking the wind direction, and that they would be heading to Prince Cheng's fiefdom. Yin Lanci was even more cautious than he had thought.